Tomorrow night the Cowboys will again have speedy No. 1 wideout Miles Austin. They will again have their fullback, Tony Fiammetta. They will be showcasing a running and passing offense that could be at its peak.
And they will be facing a defense that is surely not.
The Giants’ defense has been mostly ineffective the last two weeks — they were awful against the Saints and just a bit better against the unbeaten Packers. In tomorrow’s first-place NFC East battle in Dallas, the Giants will be seeing a healthy Cowboys’ offense, they likely will be missing one of their secondary’s stalwarts (Kenny Phillips) and they will be relying on two rookie sixth-round draft picks (safety Tyler Sash and linebacker Jacquian Williams) to play key roles in key spots.
While Austin returns after a four-game absence and Fiammetta after a three-game hiatus, the Giants defense gets nobody back who was out. The Giants are missing Osi Umenyiora again, and their linebacking depth has been compromised, because of injuries to Mark Herzlich and Spencer Paysinger.
“Crazy thing about this league is at some point, you’re going to be called upon,” defensive end Dave Tollefson said. “No one cares if you haven’t done it for two months, three months, a year.”
Sash, the Giants’ rookie safety out of Iowa, has played just a handful of defensive snaps this season. With Phillips almost surely out with a sprained MCL, though, Sash should see a significant number of snaps.
Not exactly an easy challenge — the Cowboys have an excellent quarterback, a strong running back, impressive wide receivers and a superb tight end. And the Giants will be on the road. In a nationally televised game.
“I’m definitely excited,” Sash said. “We’ve got to win this game. There’s no way around it. It’s Sunday night football. The stage is set. We’ve got to go out there and just get the job done.”
Though the Giants have had a staggering number of injuries at seemingly every position other than quarterback, Sash pointed out the safety spot has been healthy (Phillips, Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant have all played in every game).
“This is the first time all year that I’ve gotten actual reps during practice,” he said.
Despite Sash’s inexperience, Tollefson praised the rookie’s preparation and poise.
“The guy’s a hell of a player,” he said.
Sash did get to play eight snaps last week once Phillips got hurt, and he said getting his feet wet helped. Meanwhile, Sash’s fellow sixth-round pick — Williams — has played far more this season. But the athletic linebacker had some tough moments against Packers tight end Jermichael Finley last week, and tomorrow, he will be matched up at times on Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten.
According to Williams, Witten’s biggest strength is probably mental.
“Smart,” Williams said. “He’s a good route runner.”
Nevertheless, fellow linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka said he thinks Williams is up to the challenge.
“If you just watch his athletic ability, he can pretty much match up with anybody in the league,” he said.
Tomorrow night there will be times when Williams has to match up with Witten.
The two rookies could play key roles for the short-handed defense.