MONDAY NIGHT RECAP: ONE GIANT LEAP

A quiet superstar. Do we have many in this league? The Giants versus Cowboys game was full of great players, most notably Tiki Barber and Terrell Owens. There has never been a contrast greater between two players. Tiki is quiet, focused, and seen as a leader. Terrell is loud, opinionated, and disruptive.

The two stepped on the field together to play for the division lead. While one ran almost with no effort at all picking up chunk after chunk of yardage, the other paced and brewed as his team fell behind. Obviously upset with the quarterback play, the WR and his coach embraced a change at QB. Things began to change, and the loud player became excited. He was catching passes and even found the endzone. While the Cowboys crept back, the quiet RB went about his business, picking up first downs and taking hit after hit. Suddenly the game had reached a crucial point. The Cowboys had a 4th and 2 with only a few minutes left, needing to convert. Their loud WR was wide open in the flat; it was a guaranteed first down. The ball screamed off the finger tips of the young QB, pounded into the hands of the loud WR, and thudded onto the ground as the stadium hushed. The loud WR was now quiet.

Tiki Barber- The Giants soon to be retired RB became the first player all year to top 100 yards on the ground against Dallas. Tiki has done everything possible for the Giants except put the ball in the endzone. Brandon Jacobs has become the NFL's new short yardage force, and he is racking up the TDs that Tiki leaves for him. The Giants will ride Tiki for the rest of the year because they won't worry about wearing him down for the rest of his career. While Jacobs looks like a stud next year in fantasy, the loss of Tiki will hurt Jacobs. The Giants should look to add a change of pace back.

Plaxico Burress- The other outspoken WR on the field had a very nice day finishing with 94 yards and a TD. When the Giants get him involved early, he usually has big games. However, if they do not, he appears to lose focus and not play as hard as he should. He is still a top 15 fantasy WR regardless of his attitude.

Drew Bledsoe/Tony Romo- The Bledsoe era ended as he threw another interception at his opponent's goalline. Romo came on in relief, and it would be a real surprise if he did not start the rest of the season. Although he should be a decent QB later in the season, don't feel inclined to start him now for any reason because he is still basically a rookie QB getting his feet wet. He seemed to rely on Jason Witten as a safety valve under pressure, so the Cowboys' TE gets a boost.

Terrell Owens- The big day that Owens had was clearly overshadowed by the huge drop on fourth down late in the game. However, from here on out Owens fantasy value will continue to rise. He did not have a good relationship with Drew Bledsoe, and Tony Romo is more similar to a McNabb type QB with which Owens had his best season. Expect Owens to become more involved in the offense, and if he doesn't he will surely explode.

Julius Jones- The Cowboys RB was off to a nice start this season, but what shut down by the Giants impressive defense. Jones finished with 30 yards on the ground, but part of the reason was that they Cowboys were behind for most of the game. Expect him to have a better showing next week against Carolina, but not a breakout game.