Winning is a great deoderant, but not a long-lasting one

You wonder, really, if sports writers at major Web sites (like Yahoo, who inspired the following dose of bile) have stories like today's "Giants are winning because they've put last year's backbiting behind them" piece stockpiled, like obituaries for old celebrities. Because honestly, what is the big difference between this year's Giants team that's 10-6 and a likely first-round loser, and last year's Giants team that was 8-8 and, well, a first round loser?

OK, maybe they're quieter than before, since Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey are no longer involved. Maybe they get past the stumbling Bucs, though every time the Giants face Jeff Garcia in the playoffs, Very Bad Things happen to them. But really, and I know they're feeling good after losing to the Juggernaut by the same three points that the Eagles did, and at home to boot...

Um, isn't this still the same Eli Manning that hasn't only never won a playoff game, but has crapped the bed magnificently while doing so? Aren't they still coached by Tom Coughlin, the man at the helm for those failures? Shouldn't we, you know, wait until they've actually won a game to praise them for their progress, and to attribute that progress to some behavioral pattern that hasn't shown itself to be evident when they've actually been faced with some adversity? (And yes, this goes double for Mr. Owens in Dallas, who is a mighty fine teammate, yes he is... while *WINNING*. The other times? Not so much.)