There's something about coming to New York that brings the predictions out of Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
When the Dolphins were heading to our neck of the woods to face the Jets a couple of weeks ago, Marshall said that he was going to play like such a monster that there was a good chance he'd get ejected from the game before the end of the second quarter. Now, on the verge of another trip north to face the Giants, Marshall is predicting an end to the Dolphins' season-long losing streak.
"To: Media When we win Sunday please don't say the Giants didn't take us serious."
Marshall's Jets prediction turned out to be more "Dewey Beats Truman" than truth. He caught a few balls, but dropped just as many in the end zone and stumbled while running a route that led to Darrelle Revis' 100-yard interception return for a touchdown.
This prediction shouldn't come true, either. Marshall was correct about one thing, however.
The Giants have no excuses for anything but a convincing victory over Miami come Sunday. Right now, the Dolphins, to put it simply, stink.
That's not just the opinion of an observer. Dolphins running back Reggie Bush, when asked about the quality of his team, said "Right now, this team stinks."
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Anything less than the kind of game that ends with David Carr taking a knee and shots of Giants players laughing on the sideline will create more questions than answers about the state of the Giants. They're healthy for the first time in weeks, they've clearly more talented than the opposition and they are playing at home.
If those three things don't add up to an overwhelming victory, there won't be a long line of believers at the stand selling tickets to Giants postseason games. It's been said ad nauseum, but we'll say it one more time for anyone not paying attention: The Giants have a brutal nine games in front of them after playing the Dolphins and if they put up another performance like the ones we've seen most of this season there isn't much chance they will navigate it well enough for Tom Coughlin to keep his job.
Yes, a win is still a win and the result is paramount in the NFL. But there are times when you want to make a statement about what kind of team you are and this weekend is one of those times.
Win big and you're a team worthy of being feared the rest of the way. Squeak one out or, heaven forbid, lose and you're nothing but a turkey that will find itself stuffed by the time Thanksgiving comes around.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City. You can follow him on Twitter and he is also a contributor to Pro Football Talk.
