N.Y. Giants' success just an illusion

I'm running out of topics to write about. I lost the opportunity to delve into baseball when my Yankees became the butt of the "what is the greatest collapse in history" joke. Basketball hasn't started yet, hockey isn't going to, and I am so disillusioned by the BCS I wouldn't know where to begin with college football.

So let's talk NFL. Actually, let's talk NFC East.

First I would like to introduce my team. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the worst 5-2 team in NFL history, the New York Giants. Though I am loathe to admit it, I just don't think these guys are gonna be there when the season is over. They certainly have a shot at the playoffs, but going further than that is just fantasy at this point.

The offense, though, has been quite solid. Tiki Barber — known in some circles as Tiki the Fumbler — is having his best season to date. With 1,100 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns, NFL insiders — how do you become an NFL insider? I'd take that job — think he is the early favorite for the MVP. His candidacy got a boost when the Giant defense held Daunte Culpepper to a very mediocre performance in last week's 34-13 drubbing of the Vikings.

Still, I don't trust Kurt Warner. He stays in the pocket too long, becomes nervous and panicky if he gets hit once, and is less mobile than the center snapping him the ball (to be fair, Wayne Lucier can really move).

On the other side of the ball, the defense is hot and cold. The team has two good young corners in Will Allen and Will Peterson and a solid rookie safety in Gibril Wilson, but they get beat deep at least once a game. The linebacking corps is not particularly good, and a decent line rounds out an average, or slightly-above-average, unit. It is enough to win games, but not to go to the Super Bowl.

That NFC honor seems to be headed right to Philadelphia — my most hated football team. Here is a side note question: Why are all of my most hated teams now whooping up on my beloveds? I guess I should have seen this Bush-Kerry debacle coming. But I digress.

The Eagles. I like Donovan McNabb, despite my hatred for his uniform. I think he has gotten a bad rap the last few years for the Eagles not making it into the Super Bowl. Philly has been the the NFC Championship Game for three straight years and haven't been able to make it to the big game. To get there, you need a supporting cast. Sometimes it seemed like his receivers were actually trying to drop the ball. James Thrash is just not a good No. 1 option. The organization finally figured that out this year.

Which brings us to Terrell Owens. I cannot decide how I feel about this guy. His antics are infuriating and hilarious, timely and inappropriate. I liked the Sharpie and pompoms, not the ripping down of a fan's sign (even if it did say "T.O. has B.O." — priceless). This past weekend he took it a step further, doing the Ray Lewis dance in the endzone after scoring the game-clinching touchdown against the Ravens. I suppose he feels comfortable doing that since the Eagles won't play the Ravens again this year and he doesn't have to worry about Lewis exacting revenge on a crossing route. I doubt Owens would have done the same thing if the Ravens were in the NFC East.

But I have to give the guy credit. In the end, it breaks down the way he says: "If you don't like what I do, stop me from getting in the endzone."

This week's matchup will give the Eagles their toughest test of the season to date when they travel to Pittsburgh. For those who do not follow University of Miami-Ohio football religiously, rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is lighting it up for the Steelers just as he did for the RedHawks. Last week, he led Pittsburgh to a blowout win over the Patriots, they of the longest winning streak in NFL history. This week Big Ben will try to ruin Philly's perfect 7-0 start. Regardless, since the Steelers play in the AFC, the Eagles will not have to get through them to make it to Jacksonville.

With Owens as the deep threat, a good offensive line, a solid defense led by perhaps the most feared safety in the league in Brian Dawkins and the most underrated coach in the NFL, I hate to say that for a second straight sports season, my team will likely come up just short of its biggest rival in the same league.