After some early skepticism, two of the NFC's 4-0 teams have shown that they made some solid decisions during the offseason, and for that, they deserve some recognition.
The New York Giants, who are arguably the most balanced team in the NFL right now, have answered the one big question that faced them following their 2008 playoff run. Tom Coughlin's team started off last season 11-1 but crashed and burned down the stretch, finishing 12-4 and exiting early from the playoffs by means of a second-round loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Everyone knows the story behind the Giants' late season collapse, as star wide receiver Plaxico Burress suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound late in November and was suspended by the Giants organization for the rest of the season. Without Burress in the offense, quarterback Eli Manning and his young wide receivers simply could not get the job done.
Giants General Manager Jerry Reese — who is quickly becoming one of the most highly-regarded executives in the NFL — did a fantastic job during the offseason to fill the void left by veteran receivers Burress and Amani Toomer. Rather than going the Daniel Snyder or Jerry Jones route, Reese shied away from trading for big-name wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Braylon Edwards in favor of lesser-known names who were already in house.
To say that Reese's decision not to make a move was anything short of genius would be an injustice. If someone had to guess in August who the best wide receiver in the NFL would be this season, the most likely answers would have been Larry Fitzgerald, Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson or Steve Smith. Through the first four weeks of the regular season, the answer has been Smith — but it's not the one many would have predicted.
Steve Smith of the Giants — not Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers — is statistically the best receiver in the NFL. A third-year product out of USC, Smith has come into his own in 2009 in the absence of Burress and Toomer. He currently leads the NFL in every major receiving category and is a big reason that the Giants have started 4-0. Although we're only through the first month of the season, Smith has already hauled in 34 balls for 411 yards and four touchdowns. To put that in perspective, Smith totaled 57 catches for 574 yards and one score for the entire 2008 season.
In years past, the Giants have been known for their powerful running game and their dominating defensive front, but this year could be the year of the pass in New York. Combine Smith with the currently injured Domenik Hixon, second-year pro Mario Manningham and rookie Hakeem Nicks, and the G-Men might just have one of the best receiving corps in the NFL.
Like the Giants, the New Orleans Saints also addressed a huge issue during the offseason. Last year the Saints' offense led the league in yards per game (410.7) and points per game (28.9), and quarterback Drew Brees came just 16 yards short of breaking Dan Marino's record for most passing yards in a season (5,084). But the Saints' defense proved to be the team's Achilles' heel, and consequently the team only mustered an 8-8 record and finished last in the NFC South.
New Orleans' Head Coach Sean Payton was confident that his offense could repeat the success it experienced in 2008, so during the offseason he hired Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams to come in and revamp his defense.
Throughout the first four games of the season the change has paid off, and it's clear that the Saints no longer have to rely solely on Brees' arm to win football games. While New Orleans scored more than 40 points in its first two games, Brees has not thrown a touchdown pass since Week Two, and the team is now counting on defense to win games.
On Sunday the Saints beat the previously undefeated New York Jets (3-1) 24-10. Thanks to newly acquired safety Darren Sharper and defensive tackle Remi Ayodele, the New Orleans defense actually outscored the offense.
Early in the second quarter Sharper picked off rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez and returned the ball 99 yards for a touchdown. Shortly after Sharper's coast-to-coast return, Sanchez was sacked and stripped inside the Jets' five-yard line and Ayodele recovered the fumble in the end zone for a New Orleans touchdown. The Saints only intercepted 15 passes in 2008, but behind Sharper — who leads the league with five picks — they are currently No. 1 in the NFL with 10 interceptions thus far in 2009.
Now that they have proven that they can win games in multiple ways, the Saints have to be considered one of the early season favorites to make a run at the Super Bowl.
Both the Giants and the Saints have already addressed the most pressing issues they had entering the season, but there is still one final question that the two teams have yet to answer: Who is the best team in the NFC?
The Saints have a bye in week five, and the Giants will play host to the lowly Oakland Raiders. Barring a major upset, the Giants should enter Week Six at 5-0, when they will head down to the Big Easy to take on the Saints. Mark that date on the calendar as the biggest game of the first half of the NFL season and as a possible preview of this year's NFC championship game.
