Bordow: Clash of styles creates interesting game

So, Tom Coughlin, have you watched any Cardinals' games this year? We ask only because when you were queried about the Cardinals' offense last Wednesday, this is what you said:

"I have great respect when I watch their running game and their ball carriers themselves and the way those guys are capable of making plays. They certainly do throw the ball much more than they rush it. But I still say one of the number one things you have to do is stop the run."

Believe it, Cards fans!

Whisenhunt has Cards flying high above past rep as losers

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Yeah, that's what we expect to see today. The Giants putting extra defenders in the box, daring the Cardinals to throw the ball.

And in a related story, Coughlin says he hopes his kids grow up to be like Plaxico Burress.

Let's not kid ourselves. Today's game is a contrast in styles.

Think Ali vs. Frazier. Or Nancy Kerrigan vs. Tonya Harding.

The Giants travel by land with their three-headed backfield of Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw. Or as quarterback Eli Manning calls them, "Big, bad and ugly."

New York leads the NFL in rushing yardage (172.7 yards per game) and scoring (29.2). The Giants don't just beat teams. They bludgeon them.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, only travel first class. They rank second in the league in passing yardage (305.8) and 29th in rushing yardage (86.9).

"I think you just play to your strengths," quarterback Kurt Warner said. "Those guys as far as the offensive line and the way they block for the run, I don't know if there's anybody better. Then you put those three beast backs behind them ... I just think their personnel fits for that.

"I think we do the same. We cater to what we think our strengths are."

Breaking down today's game, then, is fairly simple: The team that imposes its offensive philosophy on the other will win.

"They run the ball as well as anybody I've ever seen," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "They're an absolute great team doing it. I think it's really going to come down to whether we can make the plays on offense passing the ball because I think it's pretty much a given they're going to be able to run the ball and be able to control some of the time on the clock. It really comes down to, can we do the same thing with the passing game?"

Last February's Super Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium is a good reference point. Like the Cardinals, the New England Patriots led the league in passing offense. But the Giants' defensive line overwhelmed the Patriots' blockers, quarterback Tom Brady was sacked five times and his 29 completions netted only 266 yards.

If the Giants can make life just as miserable for Warner, the Cardinals don't have a chance.

Then again, New York will have its hands full trying to stop Arizona's passing attack. With all due respect to Patriots wideouts Randy Moss and Wes Welker, they're not the equal of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

"They have tremendous playmakers in the passing game," Manning said. "... That's what they feel is their best way of doing things. They obviously have had great success with it."

Some will use this game to gauge the Cardinals' playoff chances. Can a team with a nonexistent running game succeed come January?

We won't know the answer if the Cardinals win. Playing on a fast track under sunny skies - or a retractable roof - isn't quite the same as snow flurries and freezing temperatures.

But if the Giants are able to turn it into a slugfest, there will be renewed questions about the Cardinals' validity come the postseason.

Either way, it will be fascinating to watch.

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contact writer: (480) 898-6598or sbordow@evtrib.com