Friday, November 2, 2012

Steelers - Giants: Reflections of Each Other

I am still a Steeler fan but the Giants would be the NFC "mirror image" of Pittsburgh if you ask me.  Both teams, and franchises emphasize defense and a gritty style of play. The Steelers are typically a top rated NFL defense year after year and the Giants have a formidable defensive line that is unmatched in talent as well as depth.  I would classify the Giants defense as more "streaky" while the Steelers are pretty consistent week to week. 













The persona of these teams are also similar.  The Steelers are quick to diffuse distractions and disruptive players like Santonio Holmes from a few seasons ago just like the Giants excused "Plexico" after his gun-carrying debacle.  Additionally, neither the Steelers or the Giants seem to grab a lot of media attention, even when the teams are winning and their players seem to have a strong grasp of sticking together by not pointing  fingers during interviews.  The players on both teams seem to only vocalize how their own play can be better versus pointing blame on teammates.

I also realized that both of these teams have quarterbacks drafted in the 2004 draft with the Giants actually overlooking Ben in that draft for Eli who was them highly regarded pro prospect entering into the draft.  Of course with both of these quarterbacks now have two Super Bowls under their belt, it is likely their legacy will be measured by titles versus statistics.  Both quarterbacks are "always" deemed as "questionable" when the class of elite NFL quarterbacks are mentioned.




Another similarity with these two teams is they both would preference running the ball but neither have had a lot of sustained success in doing so over the last couple of seasons as is the trend throughout the NFL.  
Right now, the Giants seem to be a bit more healthy than the Steelers regarding key players so you have to give them the edge.  However, in the NFL advantages on paper mean nothing if your teams plays lousy.  That's why I'm picking Pittsburgh to win this one as it is just the right timing for the "G-Men" to start their typical mid-season losing streak at home!


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