Eli celebrates another TD Photo by Chris O'Meara-AP	Tony Romo is sulking Photo-Nick Laham-Getty

What a difference a few weeks can make! Eli Manning, the embattled NY Giants quarterback, had his finest game as a Giant last Sunday as he and his teammates dismantled the Tampa Bay Bucs 24-14.  Manning had 20 completions in 27 attempts for just 185 yards but included two TD passes and no interceptions. Eli led an inspired Giants attack that artfully mixed the run with the pass and, in one grand sequence from the end of the third period to the middle of the fourth, was the key figure in the most impressive Giants drive since the Giants halcyon Super-Bowl days.

Back on January 28, 1991 in Super Bowl XXV, Jeff Hostetler, subbing for the injured Phil Simms, led a 14-play 75-yard 3rd-quarter drive against Buffalo that ate up 9:29 on the clock and gave the Giants a 17-12 lead.  The G-Men ultimately held on to win 20-19 when Scott Norwood's 47-yard FG attempt sailed wide-right in the final seconds. 

In that famous drive, Hostetler converted three different 3rd-down situations for first downs, one to Dave Meggett for 11 yards on a 3rd and 8, one to a slipping, sliding, fighting Mark Ingram for 14 yards on a 3rd and 13, and one for 9 yards to TE Howard Cross in a 3rd and 4 situation.  Hostetler's timely completions, mixed with the hard running of RB Ottis Anderson, sustained that back-breaking drive that set the tone for the second half.

In the Giants drive on Sunday, Manning threw for 5 first downs to 3 different receivers, to Amani Toomer for 3 of them, and one each to Plaxico Burress and TE Kevin Boss.  Most of the rest of the yards were picked up by the shifty and powerful running of Ahmad Bradshaw.  Bradshaw ripped off runs of 7, 6, 5, 6, 7 and 4 yards and on one memorable play, drove for a few more yards without a helmet!  There were 15 total plays in the drive that consumed a full 8 minutes and 25 seconds. And to top it off, the last play was a very satisfying TD pass to Toomer on a 3^rd and 6.

The Giants victory vs. the Bucs marked the highpoint of three successive impressive performances for the Giants, preceded by the win at Buffalo, 38-21, and then the hard-fought loss to the Patriots.  Despite throwing a couple of picks in the first win against the Bills in freezing weather, a game in which his receivers dropped five or six passes, Manning kept his cool and was visibly happy to come away with the win as his team wrapped up a playoff spot.  It was of little matter to him that he had his worst statistical performance of the season.  His team had won.

Don’t think for a moment that body language such as Manning showed in that Bills game, or the elation he showed in the two subsequent impressive performances against the Patriots and Bucs, is lost on his teammates. He is consistently laid-back, laid-back and happy off a win and laid-back and miserable off a loss.  What is written about him seems to have little affect.  When asked in a press conference whether something he said was “guaranteeing a victory,” he just smiled and replied, “no more stupid questions, please.”

Compare that demeanor to that of Tony Romo, the passionate Cowboys quarterback.  Romo seems to be coming apart at the seams, ignoring the local press lately.  Romo reportedly told the gathered media that he wouldn’t be talking to them Wednesday either.  While he is entitled to his feelings, especially given the somewhat brutal attention his friendship with Jessica Simpson has attracted, one would think he would be able to deal with the hubbub, if just for the sake of his team, a team he is supposed to be leading.  Pats QB Tom Brady has been linked to several celebrities in the most intimate fashion imaginable and has managed to withstand the heat, if not totally shrug it off.

Romo is also reported to have spent the weekend in Cancun with Jessica and his other “friend” Jason Witten.  While he did get the time off, it hardly seems to be the kind of example a quarterback should set for his team, going into the semi-final round of the NFC playoffs.

It is very likely that Romo’s funk also has something to do with his and his team’s recent performance.  He went only 7-16 at Washington in the Cowboys latest loss and was pulled for Brad Johnson in the third quarter of a game played minus star receiver Terrell Owens.  The ground game was totally ineffective without Owens as a distraction, gaining just 1 net yard in 16 attempts. 

Although Romo did perform more creditably the previous week in Carolina, he was noticeably less effective after Owens left that game with his high ankle sprain.  The Cowboys running game also seemed revived in that Carolina game after gaining just 53 yards on the ground against the Eagles in Week 15. 

What we have on tap for Sunday is a contest between two teams on decidedly different tracks.  The Giants are flying high, featuring a strong rushing attack behind Brandon Jacobs and now Ahmad Bradshaw, a strong passing attack led by a confident quarterback and a bevy of reliable receivers, and a defense re-energized by the emergence of subs off the bench in Cory Webster and Gerris Wilkinson; this is a team that took no breaks, one that has been fighting hard for three weeks and gaining confidence with each successive and successful outing.

They’ll be facing a team that’s beat them twice by good margins, a team with strong lines on both sides of the ball, a team with talented skill players, some of the most talented in the game. But can they overcome their recent lack of continuity in both running and passing games, an injury to their star receiver and a funk by their flashy quarterback? 

Can they withstand a total loss of momentum?

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