Now, we always say that professionals won't be affected by these distractions, and that pros will rise above all that. But that didn't happen against the Eagles. Besides, the Eagles played better ball than New York did. But while I'm saying this, I do think coach Tom Coughlin has done a great job trying to keep the Giants' focus on playing. You could tell that he was trying to get his players fired up on the sidelines. But a coach can do only so much.

I do think it is obvious that you can't be dealing with this much publicity about one player, and a superstar player at that. It had to be impacting linebacker Antonio Pierce, too. He had to be concerned about dealing with the New York cops and the DA. He had to be worrying about saying and doing the right thing.

I learned that stuff like this does have a carryover effect in the preparation. Let's be honest, this was definitely not the Giants we had seen when they were going 11-1.

Now, the Giants can fix this and get back on track. But young receivers like Dominek Hixon and Steve Smith have to come back and play better than they did today. Eli Manning may have to get tight end Kevin Boss more involved in the offense. They may want to do more throwing to their running backs, particularly Ahmad Bradshaw. Who knows how bad Brandon Jacobs' knee is right now. He left late in the third quarter, and it's the same knee he hurt before.

I wouldn't run away from Hixon and Smith right now. I wouldn't put them in a hole and kill their confidence. I mean, the Giants are still going to the playoffs and they will have a first-round bye and you have to make sure you keep them involved. You have to understand that it was cold and windy in the Meadowlands. Sometimes that makes the ball come out crazily like a knuckleball.

It would be a big mistake to take them out and try to change things because they had a couple of drops. At least they are playing. Even Plaxico, when he wasn't shooting himself in the leg ... hell, he was hurt. He wasn't doing much for the offense. These guys are there and I think they will get better.

A lot of us thought the Eagles would contend in the East this season and in the last two weeks, the Eagles have run the football more than they've thrown it. Let me repeat that, they have run the football — now don't stop reading this — more than they have thrown it.

I bet this might be a first for Andy Reid over his 10-year coaching career. Running the ball has made all the difference in Donovan McNabb, too. Like I said on the pregame show, Reid has pared down his offense and made it simpler. McNabb's average per attempt now is under six yards, which tells you they are not going down the field. They are taking advantage of high-percentage passes and what that does is build up your confidence as a quarterback.

You complete passes, I don't care if it's for five yards, four yards or six yards. Pretty soon you are 6-for-6 and then you can take a chance deep. Go for the deep corner route. And if you miss that deep pass, it is no big deal. You go back to completing them short. It does a world of good because it gets you in sync and in rhythm. And that's why I think Andy has been brilliant these past couple of games. He has pared down the offense for McNabb and he's called an excellent game of getting the ball out of McNabb's hands while also attempting high-completion throws and building up McNabb's confidence.

Don't forget a week or so ago, Philadelphia was holding a press conference to announce Donovan would remain as the starting quarterback. That's unheard of in Donovan and Andy's 10 years together. The good thing is that Donovan has responded. The thing is that Brian Westbrook is healthy again. He's scored six touchdowns in two games. But the Eagles still have to get themselves another running back and a fullback, too. When they can run, they can play with any team in the NFL.

And when you can run, you get match-ups like the Eagles got with Pierce, a linebacker, man-on-man with Westbrook. Believe me, that offense can be a great formula for winning. That's what Westbrook brings. That's what he does. But you have to run the football to make that work. And the running game didn't look that complicated. They just put big boy on big boy and ran up the middle. It looked like they were repeating the same play the entire second half as they controlled the clock and the game.

Cardinals rule

I loved watching the Cardinals celebrate their first division championship in 33 years today. You have to remember I played for a franchise in Pittsburgh that hadn't won in a long time, either. The Steelers had been down for years. I can still remember how much it meant to our fans when we finally won a division and made the playoffs. It was a great feeling to get some respect. Now, you don't get too much respect when you win the first time because people still don't pay that much attention to it.

Consequently, I just have an affinity for organizations like the Cardinals, who won their first NFC West championship. Did the Cardinals deserve it? Yes, they did. Are they a dynamic, dominating team? No, they're not. But they are the best in the NFC West and that's all that matters.

So congratulations to Ken Whisenhunt and the bow-tied dude that owns them, Bill Bidwill. He was actually in Chicago with the Cardinals when they hosted their last playoff game in 1947.

The Cardinals are a franchise that is getting closer. They need a couple more impact players on defense — a couple more pieces to the puzzle. They definitely have to get to the position where they run the football better. You have got to run the football in this league.

I know that coach Whisenhunt knows that more than anything. Right now, he's doing the right thing. Throwing the football is the best that they have to offer. He knows that Edgerrin James is finished. Tim Hightower has a lot of speed, but I still believe they need a lead back. They need a real threat at running back and they can't wait four years to find one, either. They need to do that right away. If they wait, then all their receiving stars will be gone. They also will be playing Matt Leinart in a year or two.

But hats off to the Cardinals; they deserved it and they earned it. They've finally made it.