Although a large number of Giants fans were surprised and somewhat angry with me, I decided to spend my Sunday night watching the New York Yankees take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Game 6 of the ALCS. That's not to say I didn't have the Giants on. The luxury of a 50 inch flat screen is the 20 inch picture-in-picture option. Still, I didn't watch the game as closely as I've done over the last 20 odd years. And while I did catch the entire thing in my peripheral vision, I had to go back and re-watch the entire thing before I felt comfortable giving my two cents. And now that I've done that, here are a few of my observation. POSITIVES: Brandon Jacobs - It took quite some time for Jacobs to get going this season, but he finally resembled the BJac of 2008. Unfortunately, and for whatever foolish reason, he only had 15 touches. And when he's playing as well as he was on Sunday night, that is completely unacceptable. Hakeem Nicks - This kid is the real deal. There's no other way to say it. It's about time he was moved up the depth chart. Other than Steve Smith, it's hard to argue that there's any other receiver on the Giants better than he is. Steve Smith - It's sad to see fewer passes going his way with the return of Domenik Hixon, but at least he's making the most out of his opportunities. He's still on pace for well over 1,000 yards and will be vital to Big Blue for the remainder of the season. William Beatty - I thought the rookie did a pretty good job filling in for the injured Kareem McKenzie. Yes, he still has a long way to go, but he's much more polished than people had given him credit for. I get the feeling he's going to be around a long time. Justin Tuck - Although he didn't record a sack, Tuck looked like a man on a mission Sunday. Unfortunately, he's one of the few men on defense who did. He seems angry with losing (who wouldn't?) and appears poised to do everything in his power to help New York win. Mathias Kiwanuka - I've been an Osi Umenyiora fan since the moment he was drafted, but is it too early to start discussing a swap with Kiwi? Kiwanuka has taken his "demotion" in stride and responded the only way he knows how...kicking butt and taking names. He looks near dominant every time he's on the field and that's something the Giants desperately need right now. Corey Webster - It wasn't his best game, but with such a thin and weak secondary, Webster continues to do all he can to hold the unit together. When teams throw his way, they don't have much success. And against one of the best receiver in NFL, Webster did more than an admirable job on Sunday. NEGATIVES: Kevin Gilbride - What the hell? I mean, seriously, what the hell? Bombs on three third and short plays? Giving Jacobs the rock only a handful of times? I don't even know what else to say at this point. People can pat Gilbride on the back all they want, but more often than not, this guy isn't getting the job done. Jeff Feagles - What in the world was that? It's been so long since this guy had a poor game, I don't even know what to say. Fred Robbins - Do you think Fabulous Freddy could get himself a few more encroachment penalties? My goodness. Mario Manningham - I am reluctant to even go here since many of you have me labeled a "Super Mario Hater," but come on! I've been preaching the same thing since the moment he was drafted and at least once every other week the guy helps me prove my point. And what was worse than that sure touchdown he dropped? How about the horrendous route running late in the game. C.C. Brown - I've seen worse out of him, but that's not really saying much. Can't Cover Brown is making it much easier for the opposing team than it should be. And have you ever seen anyone bite harder on play-action than this guy? Sheesh. Ahmad Bradshaw - Like Feagles, it's rare to see this guy here. But after averaging only 2.7 yards per carry all night, the last thing he could afford to do was turn the ball over. So what does he do? Turns the ball over. MIXED: Eli Manning - It's been a long time since I've seen Eli trashed so badly. This week (albeit early) has actually reminded me of the pre-Super Bowl MVP era. And while he did play poorly on Sunday night, it wasn't nearly as bad as the statistics indicate. A catch instead of a drop here and favorable bounce there and it'd be an entirely different story. Domenik Hixon - Hixon did a solid job returning punts on Sunday, but that was about it. He averaged a mere 19 yards per kick return and only caught one pass all night. But his worst effort actually came on a jump ball, when he was completely overpowered by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Terrell Thomas - There were times Thomas looked great and others where he looked completely lost. It's hard to tell if those moments of confusion were really his fault or the fault of the entire crumbling secondary.