Will Eli's Purple woes continue?

First of all, thanks goes out to Bill Belichick for ruining what should have been a great night for football watching. It only figures that questions about Bill's young defenders led to a 45-3 win over the rival Jets on national television. But, hey, it gave me a chance to flip over and watch Jerry Kill's press conference. I have no idea if this guy will be successful or not, but I already like him. He seems like a real person, a humble, hard-working man and, well, everything the previous windbag wasn't. ...

FIRST DOWN:

Eli Manning is to the Vikings what the Twins are to the Yankees. The Giants' QB is 0-4 as a starter against the Vikings. And he's been a big reason they haven't won. He's completed just 51.8 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and 10 interceptions, four of which were returned for touchdowns. He also has lost a fumble, so that's 11 turnovers in four games.

Even the year Manning's Giants won the Super Bowl, he was atrocious in a 41-17 loss to the Vikings. He threw four picks that day, including three that were returned for touchdowns.

Two of Manning's games against the Vikings have resulted in passer ratings in the 30s (33.8 and 39.5).

Personally, I think it's because Eli was too young to play catch with Sid when Archie Manning played for the Vikings. Peyton was old enough and, well, the rest is history.

SECOND DOWN:

In advance of Sunday's game at the Metrodome, Giants coach Tom Coughlin referenced last year's game when he addressed his players in the locker room after Sunday's rout of the Redskins.

How bad was that game a year ago? Well, the Giants trailed 31-0 at halftime. And Brett Favre was pulled midway through the third quarter with a 41-0 lead. He was 25-for-31 for 316 yards and four TDs when he took a seat.

After the game, Giants co-owner John Mara came out and said it probably was the "most disappointed" he's ever been with his team.

Payback could be quite painful, especially if Favre's sprained throwing shoulder allows him to start for a 298th consecutive regular-season game.

THIRD DOWN:

This is a Giants team that can score a lot of points, punish the passer and protect the passer. It's also 8-4 and tied with the Eagles atop the NFC East.

The Giants have 35 sacks, tied for third in the league and only one behind the leaders. Their defensive line has 22 sacks. If the Vikings slide the protection to RE Osi Umenyiora, they get LE Justin Tuck and his 8 1/2 sacks and six forced fumbles. If they slide it the other way, they get Umenyiora's nine sacks and eight forced fumbles.

On the flipside, a Giants' makeshift offensive line has somehow managed to give up a league-low 12 sacks of Manning. The Giants also have gone a franchise-record five consecutive games without giving up a sack.

The Vikings need to pressure the QB relentlessly to make up for a weak secondary.

FOURTH DOWN:

I like Josh. I'm so old, I covered him when he was a quarterback playing for his dad, Thom, at Canton (Ohio) McKinley High School. But he wasn't ready to be a head coach, and now, because of that, he may never get another chance.