New York Giants football is back!

The last time the Giants and Carolina Panthers faced off was during week 16 last year, a winner-take-all match for home field advantage in the NFC playoffs at Giants Stadium. I remember it well, because I was there, freezing my nuts off in sub-zero temperatures rooting on my beloved Big Blue. The Giants would win on a Brandon Jacobs rushing touchdown in overtime, putting the icing on the cake of the one of the greatest games I had ever seen.

Well tonight, the Panthers returned to Giants Stadium looking for revenge, looking for retribution, looking for blood, looking for... a win in a preseason game. Don't think that just because it was preseason I wouldn't be excited, because I definitely was. Something may or may not be wrong with me. Here are some of my thoughts on the affair:

Eli Manning's jersey looks a little tighter this year. Perhaps he beefed up in the offseason and is looking to show the ladies exactly what they're missing and what Abby gets to take advantage of every single night. HOTTIE.

It was great to see Osi Umenyiora back on the field for the G-Men. He and Justin Tuck are going to make quarterbacks wake up in a cold sweat every night the week before they play the Giants. I can't wait to see what happens! Low and behold, Jake Delhomme was already running for his life not long after this game started.

Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw showed how great a 1-2 punch they can be this year in this game. Big Boy Rumblin' (as many of my cohorts likes to refer to Jacobs) did his usual punishing work between the tackles, while Ahmad looked like a mini freight train plowing through the Carolina defenders, most notably Chris Gamble on his way to the end zone. Bradshaw runs unbelievably hard and is really tough to bring down for a small guy. I love it.

David Carr scrambled on one play for a first down, looking like a white Michael Vick in the process! And by that of course I mean he has goo speed and slick moves, not... well, you know.

Lawrence Tynes of course missed his first field goal attempt from 43 yards. He would later hit from 46, but I do not trust him at all. He sucks. Yeah, he hit the winning field goal in overtime of the 07 NFC Championship game in Green Bay to send us to the Super Bowl, but that was after he absolutely blew his first two chances. We have to put up with 4 more years of his crappy field goal kicking?!?! HE MAKES EXTRA POINTS AN ADVENTURE. I can already feel my blood pressure rising.

Stoney Woodson, our 7th round pick out of South Carolina, had an interception for the Giants in this game. I wonder if Stoney is his given name from birth, or if it's a well-earned nickname for perhaps enjoying the kind herb just a little too much. If that's the case, shhhhhhhhhhh. No one tell Roger Goodell!

Among the rookies, I thought Clint Sintim was particularly impressive, as he was all over the Carolina quarterbacks. He looks like a clone of Justin Tuck: a ridiculously muscular, freak athlete. He should be fun to watch. Ramses Barden is another monster we added to our team in the offseason. 6'6" at wide receiver?! When he adjusts to playing the position at the NFL level after going to college at D 1-AA Cal Poly, he could be better than Plax. I'm giddy with excitement.

As for the other guys fighting for roster spots, I thought RB Danny Ware was great. He showed some Derrick Ward-like skills in taking the screen pass he caught to the house for 6. I thought QB Andre Woodson was crap. He made some bad decisions, and threw a really bad interception. It's not looking good for him. And while Sinorice Moss could be a good receiver if he ever stayed healthy, he sucks as a kick returner. Too much dancing, not enough running. Get someone else back there, Tom.

Finally, I think the ending of this game is the greatest, most dramatic ending in the history of the preseason - I kid you not! It was 17-17 when the Giants went three and out and punted it back to the Panthers with about 15 seconds left in regulation. We were staring down the gauntlet at overtime in a preseason game. Ugh. But then as time was expiring and Carolina was running their last play, some guy named Leger Douzable on the Giants who doesn't have a shot in hell of making this team sacked the quarterback, forcing a fumble. Tommie Hill, a defensive end who also will never see the field in the regular season, picked it out of the air and returned it for a touchdown. Giants win! TheEeEeEeEeEeeee Giants win!