Game On!

Each week, we hear all about the New York Giants from theirpoint of view. And while East Coast bias is all the rage, there are othercities and other fans outside of the Metropolitan area that have thoughts onthe defending Super Bowl Champions.

This week, I chatted with "BleedingGreen Nation" writer Jason B.

Benton: "Although not quite asbad as New York's current situation, things have been pretty sticky out inPhiladelphia of late. What's the latest on Donovan McNabb? Will he be an Eaglemoving forward? Have the fans gotten back on his bandwagon?"

Jason B: "Well, it's always goodwhen the "stickiness" is kept on the football field. The latest withMcNabb is actually that his wife just gave birth to twins a few weeksprematurely. He had missed a few days of practice in recent weeks for what wascalled personal reasons at the time, but clearly now it was to help his wife inwhat reports say was a difficult pregnancy. So the question around town iswhether the family concerns could have been distracting McNabb over the pastfew weeks and contributed to his struggles over that time. I suppose time willtell on that one.

As for whether he'll be here or whether the fans are behind him ... it'ssimple. If he plays well, if he wins down the stretch, people are going to behappy and he'll probably be the QB here next year. If not, all bets are off andwho knows what will happen?"

Benton: "Looking ahead to Sunday,what concerns you most about the New York Giants?"

Jason B: "The running game.There's no doubt that's the Giants ability to the run the ball at will was thedifference in what ended up being a close game. If the Eagles allow another 200yards on the ground the result will be the same."

Benton: "In what area, if any, doyou think Philadelphia can expose New York?"

Jason B: "Judging by the lastgame, it seems like the Eagles can hit the Giants through the air. McNabb threwthree TDs in that game, all to WRs, and the Giants' pass rush failed to register asack. The Eagles' offense actually had a lot more balance last week against theCardinals and ran the ball really well... but smart money says any Andy Reidteam will likely live or die by the pass. Fact is, there's no surprises betweenthese teams. We all know exactly what they're both going to do; they know eachother's game plan before they even step on the field. It comes down toexecution, and if the Donovan McNabb that showed up on Thanksgiving shows upthis Sunday, I think the Giants' secondary could have a tough day."

Benton: "Now be honest ... wouldyou prefer McNabb or Eli Manning at the helm for Philly?"

Jason B: "If you remove thenames, teams, and loyalties it's a pretty simple decision. A younger,successful QB only just entering his prime versus an older, oft-injured QB inthe final few years of his career. I get the reality of the situation, butthe fact is that you can't remove the names and the loyalties. I've rooted forDonovan McNabb for the past 10 years of my life. I own his jersey, hisautograph. He's been responsible for a number of the greatest sports memoriesI've ever had. So while I fully understand that Eli Manning is the better QBright now... maybe it's just my nostalgia/homerism kicking in knowing that Icould be watching one of the last games he'll play as an Eagle, but I stillwant #5 at the helm for this team right now."

Benton: "Prediction time! Howmany points will the Giants win by this Sunday?"

Jason B: "Ummm ... negative three!?Honestly, this is a very-tough-to-figure-out game. I think most people wouldagree that the Giants really outplayed the Eagles the last time they gottogether, but despite that, Philly had the ball with a chance to win it at theend. The Eagles scored more points on the Giants' D than every team other thanthe Browns this year. What I can't really figure out is whether that's a bad orgood thing. Should I be discouraged because the close final score didn't reallyreflect how much better the Giants were? Or should I be encouraged that despitenot playing close to our best we still nearly beat the Giants? I just don'tknow.

I will say that the 10 days of rest the Eagles have had and the fact thatBrian Westbrook is the healthiest he's been since Week One could be enough tomake up the five points that separated these two teams last time."

If you would like to read more of Jason's Philadelphia Eagles coverage, headon over to "Bleeding Green Nation"and enjoy."

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