High Hopes...High Maintenance

The Giants are the big dog, the alpha male, in the NFC East. They are the best team in the division. On paper.

- Kevin Gleason

The Giants are the big dog in the division this year.

Cowboys fans certainly will disagree with that view now that their team has developed more than an occasional winner. Eagles fans will come up with some cockeyed reasoning that has their guys finishing atop the division. And Redskins fans, despite their squad having finished last in six of the past nine seasons, are sure to concoct a Kirk Cousins-dominant argument that points them toward a division title.

But just to be clear, the Giants are the big dog, the alpha male, in the NFC East. They are the best team in the division, and they are one of the best teams in the conference and in all of football. On paper.

The quarterback has looked smooth in training camp. He’s in his fourth year of running the system, an asset that will not only benefit Manning but especially help newbies such as Brandon Marshall, Evan Engram, and Rhett Ellison. But there is an underlying issue that most Giants fans would rather dismiss, and for once it doesn’t involve the offensive line, though that unit is subject to concern until further notice, like around Week 10.