G-Men of '08 like Broncos of '98

ITEM ONE: Big Blue in the driver's seat

So after tonight's MNF game between the improving Cards and the deteriorating Niners, every team in the NFL will have played 9 regular season games, and there will be no more bye weeks until the playoffs. There have been a few surprises (Titans 9-0, Brett's new team with better record than Brett's old team) and a few disappointments (Jags 4-5, Seahawks are awful). But one thing is for certain is that the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants are the best team in the league right now, and a clear cut favorite in my mind to win a second straight championship.

I admit that I didn't think this was possible before the season began for several reasons. First, they had everything break just right for them during their run to the title last year. Second, the loss of Michael Strahan to retirement and Osi Umenyiora to a season-ending injury meant the defensive line, which was a strength last season, would be a detriment to the team this season.

Well, at the halfway point of 2008, I think it's entirely possible to say that this year's team may be better than last year's club. In fact, the 2008 Giants remind a lot of the 1998 Denver Broncos, who started that season 13-0 and eventually won a second straight season Super Bowl. Consider the parallels:

- The Broncos in 1997, after several disappointing playoff exits, were a wild card team that had to go on the road and win at a division rival (Kansas City) and a cold-weather favorite (Pittsburgh) just to qualify for the Super Bowl, where they were a nearly two touchdown underdog to a dominate team (Green Bay) and surprised the football world with an upset victory. Sounds familiar in a lot of ways to the 2007 Giants run to glory.
- The Broncos in 1998, having finally triumphed in the big game, came back in 1998 and were a dominant team themselves with a superior running game, a quarterback that was a master of the offense he ran, a defense that was fundamentally sound, and special teams units that were equal to their offensive and defensive brethren. The 2008 Giants fit that to a tee.

The Giants will, statistically speaking, face the toughest schedule in the league down the stretch of their last 7 games: 6-3 Baltimore, tied with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North, at home this coming week; then at Arizona, who leads the NFC West and after tonight could have that division all but sealed up; then at Washington, clearly one of the better teams in the league at 6-3; then home to the Eagles, in a rivalry game; followed by their final trip to Texas Stadium to face the Cowboys, never an easy task; and finishing with a home game against Carolina, currently leading the NFC South at 7-2, and a road game at Minnesota, a team that may be playing for their playoff lives. If the Giants can go 4-3 in this stretch, they will be 12-4 heading into the post-season. I think they will go 5-2 in this stretch, making them the team to beat in the NFL post-season.

If you had told any Giants fan 12 months ago that this was going to happen, they would have responded by saying that they agreed with you, and that the climate on Mars was eerily similar to that of Earth...

ITEM TWO: Marvin the Martian this ain't

A couple of years ago, I silently vowed not to watch ABC prime time programming because I felt they did a disservice cancelling NYPD Blue following a glorious 12-year run. This was not only for selfish reasons as a fan of the show, but also because I thought it would have been cool to squeeze 3 more years out of it so that they could say the 15th Squad had a 15-year run. BTW, NYPD Blue's theme song is still the best for a television show ever...

But I have since ended this personal embargo due to a new show that I have become hooked on called Life On Mars. It is based on a TV series of the same name from the BBC, not that it is in any significant to this posting, just a fact.

For those that haven't yet dialed into it, a modern day New York detective is involved in an incident where he is hit by a car and put into a coma. But in his mind, the detective is back in time in 1973, where he is also a police detective in the 125th precinct. Jason O'Mara plays Sam Tyler, who tries to fit into 1973 New York and to figure out why he is in 1973 New York. Also in the cast are Harvey Keitel, the great Michael Imperioli, and Gretchen Mol.

The thing I most enjoy about the series so far has been the way it has been shot, very dark and mysterious and brooding, and the music and wardrobe. And as someone who was only 5 years young in 1973, I am fascinated about getting this glimpse at that period of time in New York. O'Mara is a great actor, and the writers of the show take advantage of the cast. If you haven't checked it out yet, do so, you will not be disappointed. Along with NCIS on Tuesday nights, Life on Mars is much-watch TV for me these days. It is certainly filling the Thursday night at 10PM void left by Burn Notice's current hiatus.

ITEM THREE: Donovan is, dare I say, en fuego

I was please to hear that Burn Notice is returning for 13 more episodes on USA Network in January. I got hooked on Burn Notice in summer of 2007, and lamented that I had to wait a full year for more episodes thanks to last year's writers strike. The show is well written and has a great cast, but the stand out reason why I tune in to every episode is Jeffrey Donovan.

He is quickly becoming my favorite actor, and if you haven't seen him in Burn Notice yet, then you should go check him out in the new Angelina Jolie film Changeling. The movie, directed by Clint Eastwood, is about a mother who's son is lost in 1920's Los Angeles, and the corrupt police department, in need of a PR win, 'finds' a replacement son that they try to pawn off as hers. Jolie, who I don't really care for as an actress, is terrific in this film, as is John Malkovich.

But to me, Donovan, who plays the the police captain assigned to the case, jumps off the screen with his performance as a cold-hearted and diabolical corrupt cop trying to put the LAPD in a good light. If you are looking for a film that may have some Oscar-nomination worthy performances in theaters right now, Changeling is the film you are looking for. Here's hoping casting directors throughout Hollywood recognize that Donovan is more than a one-trick pony.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: I was disappointed that Penn State lost to Iowa this past weekend, because it likely means that the Nittany Lions, a.k.a. the "Fighting JoePas" , will not be a part of the BCS Championship picture. It would have been nice to see if the pollsters would have tried to overrule the computers and give Joe Paterno one last shot at glory... a lot of my SoCal friends think the Hollywood Fakers are a lock to win the NBA title because they are off to a 5-0 start. Yes, they whipped up on Houston last night, but they should also consider that 2 of their other 4 wins have come against the Clippers, a team that would finish 3rd if entered into the NBA's Developmental league, and they several players with injury histories. Maybe we can get the Lakers into the spring healthy before we start anointing them as anything but a team off to a good start... I've stated this on my Facebook page recently, but I need to reiterate it here: never mind his policies on domestic drilling, education, health care, redistribution of wealth and others - if Barack Obama had made it clear a couple of months ago what he made clear last Monday night, that he fully supports the inclusion of a college football playoff system at the Division I level, I would have gone door-to-door to campaign for the man... the only good thing to come out of the fact that Madonna is getting divorced and is officially dating Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is this: at least she isn't dating Mets third baseman David Wright... speaking of Facebook, if you haven't joined it yet, I encourage you to do so. It's like a constant on-line reunion service. I have reconnected with so many people I knew from years ago because of it, and it's a great way to keep in touch with friends from far away. And it is way better than MySpace because of the lack of spammers and frauds. It's very cool... speaking of cool, you might want to check out the home page of Mahalo, my former employers. They recently launched a re-designed home page that looks a lot tighter and organized than the original home page. It is much easier to navigate, and from what I understand, it is much easier to keep updated. Be sure to check it out and give them your feedback. And no, I didn't get paid for that promotional plug, and did plug it even though I am disappointed that the management team laid off more of my friends for poorly constructed reasons... If things hold up, I'll be 8-2 in the Kokua Football League, which means I'm in good shape to make a playoff run. It's much better than last year's effort, where injuries to key players resulted in a 1-win season.