Judgements: G-Men, P-Men highlight topsy-turvy playoffs

1. Now the bad news for the Giants: New England's Bill Belichick gets a chance to game-plan them for the second time in a month. The last time these two met, the Patriots had three touchdowns on their first five series of the second half. That tells me someone there knows how to make adjustments. Gee, any guesses?

2. So why should the Giants bother showing up? Two reasons: 1) They're not playing at Giants Stadium, and 2) they're one team that can pressure the pocket. Only they better improve on their last performance against New England. Tom Brady wasn't hurried and was seldom touched. You can look it up: The Giants had one sack.

The Bolts have no answer for unsung RB Kevin Faulk. (AP)

3. Memo to Atlanta: Don't close the interviews until you talk to Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. So you wait another two weeks. Big deal. If you've gone this long without a coach it tells me there's a conviction about nobody. So talk to Spagnuolo.

4. Good for Eli Manning. And good for Ernie Accorsi. He's the GM who made the trade for Manning, convinced he would be a franchise quarterback and make the Giants into a championship-caliber team. It took four seasons, but he was right.

5. OK, I'm with you. I wonder what would've happened to the Chargers if LaDainian Tomlinson played, too. The guy's been murder on New England, averaging five yards a carry and scoring seven times in his previous five games against the Pats. All I know is on that third-and-1 at the New England 4 he would've gained the first down.

6. Maybe the Giants are great for TV ratings, but tell me the good ol' USA wasn't pulling for Green Bay to make it to Phoenix. America's Team (Dallas) was first on the ballot, followed by America's Quarterback (Brett Favre). Yeah, I found Manning near the top, but it was Peyton, not Eli.

7. Here's the problem with defending New England. You stop Randy Moss. You stop Wes Welker. You stop Donte' Stallworth. And you stop Jabar Gaffney. So what do you do with Kevin Faulk? When you find out, tell the Chargers.

8. I thought those 30-something linebackers from New England were supposed to be worn out. Tell that to Mike Vrabel and Junior Seau.

9. The Giants' Tom Coughlin deserves a standing O for making the tough call that pushed his team over the top ... and, no, I'm not talking about giving Lawrence Tynes another shot. I'm talking about playing his starters in the season-ending loss to New England. One of the ideas was to give his beleaguered quarterback a lift entering the playoffs, and it worked. Manning had a season-high four touchdown passes that evening, and the Giants emerged a better and more confident club.

10. San Diego defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell is another coach who deserves to be recognized. For those keeping score at home, his defenses intercepted Brady and Peyton Manning 12 times this year.

11. The only guy more relieved than Tynes is Giants guard Chris Snee. His holding call wiped out what would've been a game-winning 48-yard touchdown run by Ahmad Bradshaw. Tynes' field goal guarantees Snee -- the coach's son-in-law -- a place at the Coughlin dinner table next Thanksgiving.

12. If the Giants vs. Dallas was the All Pros vs. the All Joes, what's Super Bowl XLII?

13. Next time Brett Favre has the ball in overtime in the playoffs, someone tell him not to throw deep to his right. That Corey Webster interception was reminiscent of a Brian Dawkins overtime pickoff in the 2003 playoffs when Favre was throwing for Javon Walker. Both were Favre's first -- and only -- passes in OT.