The Giants and Jets both beat division archrivals this past week. And both are 2-0 and sitting atop their respective divisions. The Giants went down to Texas and paid the Cowboys back for beating them in the first-ever game at the Meadowlands in 1976 (Dallas won, 24-14). Of course, Giants Stadium didn’t receive quite the same amount of hoopla as Cowboys Stadium has gotten this week. Here are some reviews from 33 years ago when the Giants home first opened:

“It just looks like a regular football stadium. Where is the 60-yard JumboTron? Where are the go-go dancers? What do they plan to do here, just play football?”

“Where do you put 78,000 angry New Jersey residents to watch Doug Kotar gain 500 yards a season? The new Giants Stadium, that’s where.”

“The new stadium is a modern marvel, but can they do something about that swampy smell?”

“It just goes to show you the power of the Mob that they got this stadium built all the way out …

Jerry Jones threw a $1.15 billion party last night, and everybody was there – John Madden, Pat Summerall, Lebron James, one Hall 0f Fame Cowboy after another, George W. Bush – but, unfortunately, for Dallas, so were the Giants. Jones’ modern-day Roman Coliseum landed from outer space just in time for the game, giant scoreboard and all (and from the view from space, it’s shaped exactly like Jones’ ego), and the Cowboys probably want a do-over (the biggest disappointment of the night was nobody hitting the three-mile-long JumboTron). An impressive 105,121 fans showed up for the game, and they were loud. But they’re still not as loud as my daughter when she throws one of her tantrums. The most tremendous feat of the evening: Fitting Madden and that scoreboard into one building.

For the Giants, the game was beginning to look like last week’s season opener – red zone problems, rushing problems, a defensive touchdown, fancy footwork by Mario Manningham and another receiver leaving the game due to injury (Domenik …

When we last saw the Jets, the comedy team of Eric Mangini and Brett Favre were sabotaging the season. Favre confessed that he had a torn biceps tendon, but he’s just covering up for his arm – it wasn’t torn, it was drunk. The team was even fined for the subterfuge. New and improved coach Rex Ryan gave a pregame speech to remember; it basically boiled down to this: Win on for Richard Todd. And win they did. The rookie coach even shed a tear after the game – it wasn’t because his team won, though, but instead the reason behind the crying was that he just found out that NBC cancelled My Name Is Earl to make room for Parks and Recreation. And when Ryan was about to present owner Woody Johnson with the game ball, Kanye West appeared out of nowhere, grabbed the ball and yelled out, “Weeb Ewbank is the greatest Jets coach in the world! In the world!”

Meanwhile, the Giants …

The Giants may not have a go-to receiver but what they do have on offense is depth (though they lost one cog in the offensive machine on the first play of the season when Danny Ware dislocated his elbow). Eli Manning (20 for 29, 256 yards, one TD, one INT) completed passes to seven different receivers. Steve Smith was outstanding in his new role in the starting lineup, catching six passes. You figured they’d rely on their monster running game and ease into the aerial attack, but they came out passing instead. Brandon Jacobs didn’t really get much going, with only 46 yards, while Ahmad Bradshaw outrushed him for 60 yards. The word of the day for the O was balance – 31 running plays and 29 passing. Mario Manningham hauled in three passes and showed off some fancy footwork on his touchdown reception (the first of his career). Kevin Boss caught some key passes. And Hakeem Nicks debuted by dropping the first pass thrown …

Here’s an easy New York Giants quiz to get you ready for the 2009 season.

1. The Giants pass rush will be so good that they’ll:

    a) Lead the league in sacks

    b) Wreak havoc on opposing offenses

    c) Break Joe Theismann’s leg – again

2. The unproven receiving corps will:

    a) Take a few weeks to gain chemistry with Eli Manning but turn into a pleasant surprise

    b) Lead the league in dropped passes

    c) Piss Tom Coughlin off so much that they’ll slowly “disappear” one by one as the season goes on

3. The Giants offensive line is one of the best in the league because:

    a) They’ve been a cohesive unit for a handful of seasons now

    b) They have the right combination of smarts, techinique and toughness

    c) Eli Manning found out Peyton’s bank account PIN, and Eli’s been giving all his brother’s money to his linemen to ensure extra protection

4. Jeff Feagles is so old that:

    a) He uses all of his experience to …

With Plaxico Burress gone from the team and the Antonio Pierce situation cleared up, the Giants were supposed to have a smooth, stress-free summer. They’d work in their new receivers, tune up for the season and beat Washington on September 13th. But injuries are piling up, their receivers can’t catch the ball, Osi Umenyiora stormed out of the team’s training facility yesterday (but did storm right back in) and their defense isn’t stopping anybody in the preseason. Some fans out there seem to be panicking already. Just last night I had an argument with an obnoxious Giants fan (ok, it was me) who is ready to push the panic button.

“Steve Smith dropped a sure 91-yard touchdown pass on Saturday,” he wildly exclaimed. “Domenik Hixon had a pass slip right through his hands, which led to an interception. Ramses Barden was invisible. Hakeem Nicks has only done well against third-string defenses. The bad passing game will effect the great running game. I’m panicking!”

It’s only preseason, my friend. Was …

When we last saw the Giants in pre-season, Osi Umenyiora was being carted off the field, and with it came predictions of a last-place finish for Big Blue. But, of course, it wasn’t Umenyiora’s injury that derailed the season, but Plaxico Burress’ Shot Heard Round the Latin Quarter (the D-line did wear down at the end of the year, though, and sure could have used Osi).

Last night’s main attraction for Giants fans was the new group of receivers, and to see if we could get a clue as to how they would do in the upcoming season. Will Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith prove to be capable starters? Will Sinorice Moss and Mario Manningham have productive seasons? Will Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden be difference-makers as rookies? Will Derek Hagan or David Tyree make the team? Can Homer Jones come out of retirement? Who’s going to catch the ball is the biggest question mark on the team (and may be the only one).

Unfortunately, all we …

On Thursday, our sister site Hot Stove Philly had an awesome opportunity to chat with the Eagles’ Brian Westbrook, who is promoting an online program presented by Gatorade called REPLAY.  

HSP’s Jonathan Atwood spoke with the star running back on a variety of topics ranging from his offseason rehab to the possibility of Ocho Cinco heading to Philadelphia, and even touched on what he feels Braylon Edwards could bring to Big Blue.

For the entire interview head on over to Hot Stove Philly.  Nice work, Jon!

Here are the answers to yesterday’s quiz.

1. The New York baseball team featured in Bang the Drum Slowly is the New York Mammoths.

2. In an episode of Seinfeld, when informed that his son was dead, the first thing that Frank Costanza said to George Steinbrenner was, “What the hell did you trade Jay Buhner for?!”

3. The 1986 Mets recorded the classic song “Let’s Get Metsmerized.”

4. Babe Ruth played himself in Pride of the Yankees.

5. Michael Ontkean, who played Ned Braden in Slap Shot, played for two New York Rangers farm clubs, after starring for the University of New Hampshire hockey team.

6. Marv Albert once appeared on Everybody Loves Raymond.

7. Besides Seinfeld, Keith Hernandez has appeared in an episode of Law & Order, in 1994.

8. Yo La Tengo took their name from an incident in the 1962 Mets season, when center fielder Richie Ashburn and shortstop Elio Chacon collided after going after a fly ball. Chacon did not speak English so Ashburn learned to say yo la …

Here is some more trivia involving local sports and pop culture. The answers will be posted tomorrow.

1. What was the name of the New York baseball team in the movie Bang the Drum Slowly?

2. In an episode of Seinfeld, when George Steinbrenner mistakenly thought that George Costanza was dead and he went to Queens to inform George’s parents, what was the first thing that Frank Costanza said to him?

3. What song did the 1986 Mets record?

4. Who played Babe Ruth in Pride of the Yankees?

5. Which actor in Slap Shot once played for two New York Rangers farm teams?

6. Which New York announcer once appeared on an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond?

7. Besides Seinfeld, what other prime-time TV show has Keith Hernandez appeared in?

8. What rock band took their name from something that happened in Mets history?

9. Which former New York Giant had a recurring role in the third season of The White Shadow?

10. What was the name of Tug McGraw’s comic strip?

Despite the support by existing Giants players to management to bring back Plaxico Burress next year, the New York Giants should expect and plan to be without their star receiver for the 2009-10 season.

Playing without Burress will not be easy even for a talented Giants team that has already proven it can win without him. But in order to get back to the Super Bowl, the Giants will need to address their #1 receiver situation for QB Eli Manning to have any chance of success.

And if matters could not get any worse, fellow receiver and free agent to be Amani Toomer might not be back either. The often quiet Toomer recently criticized Giants management/coaching for his reduced role in the offense when Burress was suspeneded.

With Burress and possibly Toomer out of the starting lineup next year, this would only leave third year man Steve Smith as the go to guy. And while Smith has blossomed nicely as a complement and …

That was disappointing. If you said before the game that the Giants would hold Brian Westbrook to 46 total yards, you’d figure the Giants would cruise to an easy win. But, of course, you’d be wrong. The Giants picked the wrong day to play one of their worst games of the year. What the hell happened? On one hand, the Giants won the Super Bowl last year so expecting them to go back to back was probably too good to be true, so it was almost like a free season (at least that’s what I’m trying to tell myself), but on the other hand, that’s a bunch of crap.

The Good

Umm, my Sundays are now free the rest of the month. Maybe I’ll take up a new hobby, or fine-tune an old one – drinking. And at least now I have time to see Tom Cruise’s big-screen version of Hogan’s Heroes (though I don’t remember Colonel Klink wearing an eye patch). The game started out well …