The New York Football Giants are going to the postseason.. by a hair. By the skin of their teeth. By thiiiiiiiiiis much (visualize index finger and thumb nestled closely together.) Last year, no NFL team made the playoffs with a record worse than 10-6; this year, 8-8 is good enough.

In 2006, the Giants were wildly inconsistent. A 6-2 start, and a 2-6 finish. And the symmetry extends beyond the numbers; really, the full Ying and Yang of on-the-field performances and off-the-field distractions, epitomized by their miracle 4th quarter comeback against the Eagles in Week 2 and their subsequently catastrophic 4th quarter collapse against the Titans in Week 12. To paraphrase from Longfellow -- "when they were good, they were very good indeed. But when they were bad.. they were horrid."

But 2006 is over, and there's an opportunity for this football team to prove that the preseason hype wasn't just a bunch of hot air. An opportunity to make some real New Year's resolutions -- isn't that what January 1st is all about? Maybe things will be different in 2007.. maybe the front four can stuff Brian Westbrook and put some real pressure on Jeff Garcia. Maybe Eli Manning can have an outing where he doesn't put a pass at Jim Finn's feet, or throw a lame duck into triple coverage. Maybe Tiki Barber can put this team on his back the way he did this past Sunday against Washington, and keep his career going for at least one more week. Maybe in 2007, we'll even dare to dream of a "Subway Series" Super Bowl..

Or maybe, like most New Year's resolutions, this one won't quite make it to the weekend.