Some perspective on 9-4

You are your record. 9-4 certainly makes this a respectable year, and you have to give Coughlin a lot of credit. His players are playing for him and he has their respect. In many years 9-4 would lead to a division win or a bye. Not this year.

1) The Giants have not beaten any team that currently has a winning record.

2) The Giants have not lost to anyone who currently has a losing record.

3) Eli Manning leads the league with 17 INTs.

4) The NYG defense is 7th in the NFL in yards allowed per game.

5) The Giants are in the bottom third of the league in TO ratio with -7. This reflects the fumbles by Jacobs, the Manning INTs, the softer secondary not generating INTs.

6) The Giants are in the bottom ~quarter of the league in penalties, a very good stat which (in my opinion) speaks directly to the respect that Coughlin has gotten from his players this season. This may also be a windfall from cutting Petitgout, because when your #1 offender is gone, everyone else cannot hide behind him.

7) I like to trash Manning wherever I can, but let's give him some credit for all of those off-sides encroachment penalties he is drawing with his hard counts.

8) The Giants lead the League in sacks. And considering the third best team in the league is 12 sacks behind them, we are easily the most dominant defensive line in the league when you consider #4 above.

9) The Giants are 5th in the league in time of possession.

This team can be very special if Burress gets healthy and Manning plays with more consistency. The defense has been consistent and solid. Special teams have been improving. The offensive line has been mostly solid. There is upside to this team, but until they can play a complete game on all sides of the ball, the Giants will not be a serious contender.