If the Eagles are going to do this, if they are going to beat the Giants in their NFC Divisional Playoff game, it will not be because of Colonel Mustard with a candlestick in the conservatory. It will be because of Plaxico Burress with a Glock in the Latin Quarter. And that's it.
When Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh in that nightclub, it gave the Eagles (and the thigh) their opening - and they all know it, everybody on both sides. When Burress allegedly shot himself with an unregistered weapon and then got himself jettisoned by the Giants, it gave the Eagles their chance. Some people say it isn't that simple, but it really is.
Jim Johnson, the Eagles' so-hot-right-now-he-is-incandescent defensive coordinator, would not agree with the simplicity, but he is too honest to dismiss the obvious.
"It makes a difference, there's no question about it," Johnson said. "We'll still mix up our coverages and fronts, but it makes a difference without Plaxico. The biggest thing with Plaxico was trying to get a good matchup. We didn't have anybody we
really could match up. We feel like we have a guy who can match up against [Domenik] Hixon a little bit, but Plaxico was so tall that it was hard to match up sometimes."
In theory, Burress should help the defense in two ways. First, it gives Johnson an extra safety to play with on many plays (given that he won't be needed to double-team Burress anymore). If you talk to some of the Eagles' players, it helped them especially against the run when the Eagles beat the Giants in December, just after the Burress thing blew up, so to speak.
And that's still the big issue here, especially with load-and-a-half running back Brandon Jacobs apparently feeling good about his oft-injured knee. As Johnson said, "Their running game is such a big part of what they want to do. They're No. 1 in the NFL in rushing. So, that's where you have to start."
