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The 2008 and 2012 Superbowl Champion Giants were both great teams, but at the beginning of both seasons, die-hard fans pretty much hoped that our talent yet imperfect teams would just make the playoffs.

A year ago, the Giants knew they had a good team going into the season, but had to hear all about our injury riddled secondary, Steve Smith to the Cheese steaks, Jacobs older and banged up, no backers the best Defensive Ends in football.  Oh yeah, their star QB threw a ton of interceptions the year before.  So, glad they had to eat their words.

So again, a playoff berth seemed like an unrealistic goal especially considering the high-powered Saints, Packers, Bears, Eagles and Cowboys.  After a series of terrible losses in December including a loss to Seahawks (I was at that awful game), and getting swept by Rex Grossman…the NBA package was looking like a good buy.

Then the Giants put the broken pieces back together again and ripped off 6 wins in a row, including an ass-whipping of the Packers.  The Niners was a gut-check and for old time’s sake, a nice little beat-down on Tom “Mr. Perfect” Brady.

After our last two Super Bowl victories, Giants fans have greeted September with the same low expectations.  According to the media, it seemed like our rings were a result of “Lightning in a Bottle” – just like the Tyree and Manningham catches…luck.   That story is old!

Our beloved Giants Featured Columnist, Craig Santucci and I have to hear this ALL THE TIME, for we live in the Superbowl Ring-less, yet audaciously cocky land of the Philadelphia Cheese Steak…and we defend our little blue boys with understated vigor.

Now I’m not one of those bleed blue “dynasty” dudes, but I have to disagree with those who think like the NFL Network’s Rick Eisen, who called the Giants the NFL’s first “multiple one-off team.”  Lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice, buddy.

The NFL has become a passing league, and besides having a deadly passing offense, THE GIANTS have the BEST PASS RUSHING DEFENSE in the  NFL, and have since 2006.  Could this be an important factor in the Giants winning two Super Bowls in the past four years?  The spirit of LT continues at the Meadowlands with THREE of the top 10 Defensive Ends in the league.

Aaron Rogers, Tom Brady- Those guys are top notch athlete’s.  They deserve to be top-5 fantasy picks.  But if you don’t protect them, we will pummel them.  Wise man Mike Tyson said it best when he said, “Everyone has a plan until they get hit in the face.”  And let me tell you something- JPP is coming hard and strong, and there’s nobody on your team that can stop this freak.  Any team that puts two or three men on him, there’s a couple of other guys named Justin, Osi and Mathias who will get there instead.

So thank you Tim Tebow and Rex Ryan for taking all of the NY media your way. Victor Cruz distributed shirts to the team this past week that proclaimed “Business as Usual,” and Giants fans can’t help but smile when hearing that.  Like the Steelers to the west, the Giants are smart as well as strong.

I love the low expectations.  Las Vegas put the Giants’ Superbowl odds at 20-1.  The Bears are 17-1, 49ers are 9-1, and the Cheese Steaks are even ahead of us at 11-1.   The AFC champion Patriots are 5-1, with all the pressure on THEM, not the Giants.  Teams press, confidence swoons, and you get situations like last year’s NFC Championship and Superbowl 42, when the Giants hit the “favorite” in the face so hard, that they couldn’t recover.

Low expectations rule.  Yeah, our secondary is suspect. David Wilson hasn’t played a regular season game yet, the Packers are pissed, and the Niners bolstered their anemic passing game with two top receivers.  As for Eli, keep your crappy body language, buddy.  You’re like Woody Harrelson in “White Guys Can’t Jump,” making everybody think you suck, so you can come back beat their asses.

It’s “Back to Business” everybody, and by the way folks, we have time- Jason Pierre Paul is only 23 years old.  So don’t choke on your cheese steaks.

Andy Pritikin | Featured Columnist