Eli Theory:

( I wrote this at 4:30 AM so excuse the length)

One Goal: A Common Opponent. I have a theory on why the 2007 Giants were able to rally together and become the greatest underdog in the history of the sport and it all began on the road. They won all their playoffs games……on the road. I believe this has to do with the camaraderie teams must develop on the road and their sense of purpose for the road trip. Also, throw in the fact that they just lost Tiki and Shockey two of the biggest mouths and probably detractors from guys feeling like themselves and developing that Team Camaraderie. Did you ever notice when you are with your girlfriend/wife for extended periods of time without a significant dose of “Man” time with your boys you start to lose your confidence in being a man and start to question little things like….Did I tip the waiter enough…do you think he thinks I’m cool, or “fill in the blank with your worries” but when you are out with the guys you don’t have a care in the world and we are usually united in the One common goal of getting drunk and having a good time.

Goals and having a common opponent is fundamental I believe to success in what you are doing. For example, when the Giants were at home in NY they probably had many distractions…it’s NY so I can’t even begin to scratch the surface there but in addition to those distractions they all have families or wives and girlfriends they need to please making them have additional goals added onto their plates. However, when on the road their families, wives/girlfriends, and Big city distractions are left behind and with Tiki and Shockey out of the picture the team could be united in Just one goal…..to win the Game! Just think about the night before a game, the team probably goes out to dinner and has a good time together and discusses what a great movie Rocky is or how they are going to defeat their next opponent. One simple goal. However, when at home they have many unknown opponents like did they fold the towel in the bathroom the right way, or were they attentive enough at dinner to their wive/girlfriend, or did I talk enough in the car on the way home from dinner…etc… You get the point.

Having a common goal and opponent is what makes greatness. This is where I think Women struggle in today’s world; they don’t know who their opponents are in life so they get confused and can’t unify their emotions into fighting for a good cause. As a man I know my opponent in the morning is going to work and kicking ass or whatever your goal may be, with a sports minded thought process I work and try to liken it to athletics which keeps me sane and working hard. I don’t have to explain this theory to ya’ll because I think we are all on the same page, why else would we take part in our softball team other than the camaraderie it fosters and allows us to have a common goal (to win and get drunk) and have a clear opponent.

Our country is at its greatest when it is unified in a common goal with a clear cut opponent. I think we can all remember the USA at it’s peak when Pres. Reagan shouted…”Mr. Gorbachev….TEAR DOWN THESE WALLS!”. The U.S. was peaking when we had a clear cut opponent in the Cold war and the entire country was unified in their hatred of Russia and communism. The U.S actually defeated a world Superpower simply by will and a common goal and changed the world forever without actually engaging in a full out war. Then the country started to languish a little because we didn’t have a common goal or clear cut opponent. So, what happened next…..”Desert Storm” Yeah we had another reason for the country to rally around a common goal and opponent. I’m sure we have all read and have our thoughts about the Iraq war, but a major reason it is not working out is because there isn’t a common goal or clear cut opponent.

Just think about Rocky whenever he had his best fights it was after he went off to the barren lands of Russia or the hoods of California to train and regain that “Eye of the Tiger” mentality away from the distractions of Adrienne or other factors that come in life. He had one simple goal of training to defeat his opponent. Anyways, to make a long story short this is why I believe Eli and the Giants came together so strongly is because they were able to form a team bond in the last half of the season going on the road together and building camaraderie in search of one common goal. Have you ever heard an interview with a retired athlete or coach on what they miss the most……almost every time without hesitatation they say……the camaraderie and locker room. Where guys can be guys and laugh, crack jokes with one another, and their testosterone is at an all time high.

I guess what I’m saying is that the Giants found lighting in a bottle forged through a strong team bond and common goal forged on the road in that warrior mentality of Us against the world. So, whenever you get confused just think of sports and frame it into a common goal and decide what your opponent is and fight away to defeat it. Thank God for ESPN, Softball, Good Friends, and Rocky Balboa.