Things Keep Going the Giants Way in 2010

It's been one glorious week for the Giants

If you're the sort of person who believes in balance in the cosmos and also roots for the Giants, you've got to be looking over your shoulder right now.

The Cowboys are in disarray after a legendary flop in D.C. on opening night, searching for offensive linemen who are able to apply legal blocks and a coaching staff that has a clue about how to best deploy the talent at their disposal. The Redskins, meanwhile, barely beat those stumbling Cowboys and don't look like they've gotten considerably better in the offseason. The Eagles have two players battling concussions and a resurgent Michael Vick creating a quarterback controversy that will only get worse if he plays well again against the Lions this weekend.

That takes care of the traditional rivals, but the good news keeps on coming. Colts safety Bob Sanders, who might actually be the inspiration for Samuel L. Jackson's character in "Unbreakable," is going to miss Sunday's game with a torn biceps tendon. That's not good news for a defense that was eviscerated by the Texans in the opener and will put further pressure on Peyton Manning to produce huge numbers behind an offensive line that often impersonates mannequins on passing plays.

And just to put some icing on this cake, the Jets lost their opener and nose tackle Kris Jenkins on Monday night. The Giants might tell you they don't care about the Jets, but they really do and they must have enjoyed watching the excrement the team in green tried to pass off as an offense against the Ravens.

Not everything is perfect in Giantsland -- they don't have any healthy, competent tight ends and their special teams are a wreck -- but those hardly seem like problems in comparison to what's going on in other parts of the league right now. Now they just need to keep things in perspective and remember that things in the NFL can change on a dime. After all, this was a 5-0 team in 2009 and we know how it ended up.

First and foremost, don't start resting on any laurels. Regardless of the pathetic offensive line in front of him, Peyton is still Peyton and he isn't going to bail out the Giants the way that Matt Moore did on Sunday. Give him time and shots in the red zone and you're a lot more likely to see Dallas Clark celebrating than Deon Grant making an interception. Give him short fields and Peyton will make you pay just as certainly as Dwight Freeney will decapitate his brother if David Diehl doesn't get some help on the outside.

All real concerns and all must be a focus for the rest of the week. For a moment, though, the Giants have earned the chance to exhale and enjoy just how much nicer life in 2010 seems to be.

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com. You can follow him on Twitter.

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