Monday Night Pick - Giants at Saints

Let's hope some mass-Tebowing can save the Giants from another second-half collapse.

When teams build new stadiums, you always hear the same buzz words:  Open concourses.  More concessions.  Better sightlines.  Less traffic.  But while those benefits cater to the average fan, there's really one reason that fuels owners to invest in a brand new building: luxury boxes. 

This past Sunday, thanks to a generous family friend, I experienced the Giants-Eagles Sunday Night Football game from the swanky confines of a VIP suite.  It's tough to convince someone to drop $400 per ticket for a concrete concourse and an all-you-can-eat hot dog buffet.  Walk into one of these luxury boxes, and you can see why the Mara and Tisch families wanted this 1.6 billion dollar stadium.

Upon passing through the glass doors in the mezzanine level, my friend Cheryl and I were offered complimentary cheesesteaks.  If our taste buds demanded more variety, there was gourmet pizza in one corner, and sushi chefs in the other.  If we wanted to sip on some chianti while observing the thousands of less-fortunate tailgaters in the parking lot below, we could always go to the wine bar in back.  And my eye was constantly drawn to the Ciroc vodka bar, whose shine was better suited for Las Vegas than East Rutherford.

No football tailgate is complete without a gourmet pizza bar.

And yet, as nice as the suite was, not much of that mattered once the game started.  Facing a disappointing Philadelphia squad that was missing its Pro Bowl quarterback and best receiver, the Giants came up frustratingly short.  New York needed that win, but instead lost the NFC East lead and now faces an incredibly difficult two-game stretch against the Saints and Packers.  Whispers of another second-half collapse are as loud as ever.

Gourmet food and top-shelf drinks are a nice perk, but none of it can compensate for the product on the field.  As Vince Young knelt the ball and I filed through the suite amongst hundreds of grumbling fans, I knew that every one of them would have traded their free cheesesteak for a Giants victory.  And as I exited those VIP glass doors, I re-entered a world where the Giants' playoff hopes are much dimmer than they were when I left.

Tonight's Pick - Saints...I love fellow Boston College alums Mathias Kiwanuka and Mark Herzlich, but the Giants linebackers struggled in pass coverage last week without Michael Boley.  It pains me to think what Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles will do to them tonight.

Against the Spread - Saints (-7) 

To read more of my musings and talk football with me, follow me on Twitter at @BostonGiant.