Friday. Ed.

Here we are again with our weekly Q&A swap with Ed Valentine of Big Blue View. Thank goodness we're back on schedule after a wild and, ultimately, fruitless Thanksgiving week.

For a look at my answers to these same four questions, be sure to stop over at Ed's site, http://www.bigblueview.com/.


Here's Ed.


1. Eli Manning said the Giants have had a few team meetings in recent weeks. Do you think these things are overrated?


"Probably. If you are having "a few" meetings that means they aren't helping. If you have one meeting, hash out some obvious differences and call out some guys, that might work. A few meetings tells you the team doesn't really know what has gone wrong. What really matters isn't meetings, it's performance. And the Giants simply are not as good on defense as they were supposed to be, or as the players think they are."

2. Now that Antonio Pierce is on the IR, do you think his Giants career is done, and who will man the MLB spot next season?


"Yeah, I think Pierce is done. Even if he is cleared to play, I can't imagine the Giants paying $4 million for a guy who is smart, but whose physical skills have clearly deteriorated. Leadership aside, it's time for the Giants to move on and find a guy who can hold up physically in the middle. I don't know who the long-term answer is at middle linebacker, but I really want to see what Jonathan Goff can do. I love Chase Blackburn, but I just don't see him as anything more than an adequate fill-in. If Goff isn't the answer, then whoever is the answer is not on the Giants' roster right now."

3. Do you believe Manning when he says the newly-discovered "stress reaction" in his right foot is not bothering him, and why?

"Sure. And I still believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. Of course the foot is bothering him, it has to hurt to plant and throw the ball down the field on a bad foot. But, what else do you expect him to say? He is going to play until or unless the foot breaks, he won't make excuses, and I think he will continue to play pretty well."

4. We'll ask the question again. Can this team make the playoffs?

"Mathematically, sure. If it wins the next two weeks, sure. I really want to believe, but I just don't see any signs that this team can win four of its last five games, which is what I think they would need to do. I keep saying it at Big Blue View, but good teams and good organizations -- which is what the Giants are -- occasionally have rough years where things just don't go the way you hope. I think this is that type of year for the Giants. But, I hope they prove me wrong."

What do you guys think?

EP