It's been the talk of the NFL for nearly a week. Call it the collapse of the Giants, the Vince Young factor, or the rise of the Titans, but whatever it was, the New York Giants went into the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans with a 21-0 lead, only to blow it all in just over nine minutes to lose the game 24-21. As a result, the Giants now face the division-leading Dallas Cowboys - winners of their last three games and boasting a red-hot young quarterback in Tony Romo - whereas New York is riding a three-game skid, with a cyclone of questions surrounding their young quarterback, Eli Manning.

The Manning question is certainly a disturbing one for Giants fans - Eli was supposed to be the savior, not the scapegoat. Yet his two fourth-quarter interceptions sealed the team's fate last weekend, and rumor has it that the decline in his play has been a major factor in the team's losing streak. Now we're hearing Manning's mechanics have been off the past couple of weeks, and that because too much has been put on his shoulders.

It just isn't true.

There are several obvious points the "experts" seem to have missed. Firstly, a knee injury to Amani Toomer took away Manning's number two receiver. Imagine Tony Romo trying to operate in Dallas without Terry Glenn. What would happen to Dallas' game plan? To compare: Toomer had 360 receiving yards with three touchdowns before being injured, while Glenn had 450 yards and four TDs over the same span. Toomer's replacement, David Tyree, is nowhere near the threat Toomer is, giving Eli few real options.

I also don't buy the "Peyton effect" idea. Even in his rookie year Eli thrived under pressure, and I believe he has the poise to carry his team through tough times. The guy is cool as a cucumber, even in the most heated moments. I would even suggest he's better at handling such situations than his brother.

It is true that there is something wrong with Eli's mechanics, but it's not a new phenomenon. Some of his mechanics have been wrong from the start. Even in college, Eli had several easy-looking passes which were clearly over or underthrown. It wasn't a huge problem in college, as college defences it rarely took advantage of the mistakes. Then, in his first two years as a pro, many people chalked them up to "average rookie mistakes".

But now Manning is a third-year veteran, and people are startng to notice the weakness in light of the three-game slide. But he was making the same mistakes when the Giants were winning games. What gives?
Yes, the Giants are hampered by injuries. Make Eli the scapegoat - but wasn't it the defence that allowed 21 of those 24 fourth-quarter points? At halftime Eli had solid numbers (nine-for-12, 80 yards, one TD), and he was seven for nine in the third. It was Tom Coughlin who made the mistake of going for a fourth-and-three on the Titans 31 to begin the fourth quarter, instead of kicking a field goal for a 24-0 lead.

In the fourth, Eli pretty much made one mistake (his first interception), then watched as the Giants' defence disappeared. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe dropped an easy pass, and once the Titans equalized, and Coughlin was determined not to let the game go into OT.,
Is Eli slipping? After a collapse like the Giants suffered in the Tennessee, a certain amount of second-guessing is natural. But fret not, Giants fans: The team has done well, so far - so well, in fact, that we have forgotten the task they are up against. I predict Eli will be fine. But don't take my word for it - I don't know the guy, it's just a hunch.