Bye Weeks, Shmye Weeks

Time to play some friggin’ football. No more excuses.

Let the Redskins talk whatever smack they want about LaVar Arrington. They’re feeling frisky about their win vs Jacksonville. They should feel good about it. It was huge win for a team against a strong AFC opponent. It was no fluke.

Now it’s time to remind them that the 36-0 beatdown they got last year, was no fluke either.

I still think the Skins are the weakest team in the strongest division in football. It doesn’t mean that they’re a bad team. I just think that everyone else is better.

I still think the Giants are better than Washington. But they prove it on Sunday.

The Giants have never played well after bye weeks. Time to buck that trend. They cannot afford to go 1-3 in this this division. Not with road trips to Dallas and Atlanta upcoming. They have to win this game at home against Washington.

I don’t want to hear about Tim Lewis, Shockey or Hufanagel. Enough about the Coughlin mutiny. This team has more than enough talent to be playing deep into January and possibly February. Teams have gotten blown out in the regular season and rebounded to win the Super Bowl. It’s hardly unprecedented.

Just like the Yankees yesterday, it’s not a bad thing to get Jimmy Walker lips and your hair mussied up a little bit. It reminds you of what you’re playing for. Of how high the stakes are. How you respond will determine if your team is worth a damn or just another pretender.

So Eli and company need to do something the Giants have never done well…..go Wild Bunch on the Redskins after a bye week.

To do that, they’ve got to put Brunnell on his fanny. You can’t let him sit back there without pressure. He still has the arm and the weapons to pick a team apart. Ask the Jags, one of the best defensive teams in football.

Usi, Strahan and that front seven have create pressure if we have a chance of winning this game. Make him uncomfortable in the pocket, force him to make mistakes. And, god forbid, put him on his ass every once in a while. It ridiculous that the Giants have two Pro Bowl ends, but have only three sacks. Pitiful.

And Eli has do something that he hasn’t done in a while. Play a great first half of football. It’s nice to know that we have a QB that can lead a big comeback. But not every friggin’ week! This offense has the ability to score 30 plus points a game easily. They have to take some of the pressure of the defense and get staked to some early leads. Every game shouldn’t be like a Hulk Hogan match. Where you’re get beaten for 58 minutes and “Hulk” to win at the end. You’ve got to get some comfortable wins. A blowout even, if it’s not asking too much.

And Coughlin has to do something to shut the naysayers on his team up. That’s the second time a prominent player has thrown his coaches under bus after a tough loss. Winning helps, but he needs to let his team know that the next time someone mouths off like Shockey did…they’re going to sit. Maybe he’s already done that, which might be why Shockey had such an about face a day after mouthing off. If he did, then good for him. But the throwing people under bus after losses stuff has to stop now.

And enough with the yellow flags! We all know that these NFL officials are calling ticky-tack calls. We all know that half of these officials suck. But if you know that going in, then you need to adjust your gameplan accordingly. That’s coaching, but it also requires some awareness on the players parts. Policing each other without the coach getting involved.

Despite this ridiculously tough schedule, I still think the Giants can win the division and go deep into the playoffs. But the turnaround has to happen this weekend.

Break time’s over. Time to break some heads.