Blue heaven

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Years ago, when Timothy McDonnell would drive Wellington Mara to Giants Stadium on game days, McDonnell could always count on his grandfather's gaze drifting out the passenger window. They would hit the ramp toward the entrance to the stadium, and Mara would begin surveying the parking lots.

"He would always look to see how many cars there were," McDonnell said. "He always wanted to know how early the fans were getting there."

Sunday's NFC East showdown produced a day made for a man like Mara.

Fans came early and left late, with many wielding signs or buttons to pay tribute to the New York Giants' late owner who passed away Tuesday. And in between – in what was arguably the perfect mark of respect – the Giants throttled the Washington Redskins 36-0 by thriving on the football ideals Mara held closest to his own heart.

"I felt his loss more today than any other time during the week," said Mara's son, John, who is the team's chief operating officer. "Just driving up here, I had the realization that he was not going to be here. Sitting in the booth that we usually sit in, with the empty chair there – today was the most emotional day.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I expect we'd pitch a shutout. I just wish he could have been there."

There might not have been a more fitting way to honor Mara than for the Giants to come out and show they are once again a factor in the NFC East. But the Giants took it a step further. They didn't look like just a factor. They were a force.

With an offense that has the potential to rank among the league's elite and a defense that has showed flashes of dominance, the Giants are a team with the potential to rekindle Mara's finest hours in the NFL. And while nobody is talking about a Super Bowl berth for them just yet, the scenario isn't unthinkable in an NFC that's completely up for grabs.

Certainly, if the Giants can bottle Sunday's emotion and intensity, they should strike fear into whoever they face.

In dealing with its toughest defensive test thus far, New York's offensive line dominated, shredding Washington's defensive line and propelling running back Tiki Barber to a career-best 206-yard rushing performance. In what Giants coach Tom Coughlin said was the team's No. 1 offensive objective, Barber's dominance began with the first offensive play – a 57-yard gallop to the Redskins' 16-yard line.

With Eli Manning struggling, it was appropriate that Barber carried the offensive load. He was one of Mara's favorites and the embodiment of the all-effort players the owner valued most. Barber became close to the family though his friendship with McDonnell, one of Mara's 40 grandchildren. After scoring a touchdown Sunday, Barber made a beeline for McDonnell to give him the football and share a few words of encouragement.

That display provided the exclamation point on what had been an emotional week. Barber and tight end Jeremy Shockey visited Mara at his home on Monday, then grieved with the rest of the league after the historic owner's death the following day. After Mara's burial on Friday – in which the team and countless other NFL representatives were present – the team met on Saturday in hopes of gaining some last-minute focus for Sunday's game.

The Giants' defensive meeting was especially intense, with Michael Strahan and safety Brent Alexander calling out what has been a highly criticized unit. Going into the game, only San Francisco had given up more passing yardage, and defensive coordinator Tim Lewis had been under intense scrutiny for the lack of pressure put on opposing quarterbacks. That was a pitfall the Giants couldn't afford against the Redskins, who brought one of the league's top passing combos in Mark Brunell and Santana Moss.

"Guys gave some speeches in that meeting that really made you want to get out of your seat and play right there," Strahan said. "Everybody took it to heart and realized we can be a good defense and can be a great team."

"We had to get pressure," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "That's what it was. We had to get pressure on the quarterback."

That's precisely what the Giants did, butchering Washington's offensive line and sacking Mark Brunell three times. The offense crossed the 50-yard line only twice all day in what was the second shutout loss of Joe Gibbs' career and the first shutout by the Giants since 1998. Brunell was constantly pinched by New York's defensive line, throwing him out of rhythm and forcing him into his worst day of the season – 11-for-28 passing for just 65 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.

"It meant a lot (for the defense)," linebacker Antonio Pierce said. "That was the second-ranked offense coming into the game, and going into the fourth quarter, they had less than 100 yards. We were really shooting for that."

Paired with the strong running game, this was precisely the kind of performance that would have had Mara smiling from ear to ear. Mara was a defensive enthusiast whose offensive preference was, as his son put it, a steady diet of "run, run and run."

"He wasn't big on the finesse part of the game," Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi said.

Accorsi, who worked for Mara for 11 years, was especially taken with Sunday's postgame scene when players and coaches passed into the locker room to embrace members of the Mara family and award John Mara the game ball.

"It was very emotional," Accorsi said. "Everyone stopped and said something to (John) coming into the locker room and shook his hand. … (His) eulogy (at Friday's funeral) was the best I've ever heard in my life. That was really the passing of the torch, and I think (Sunday) was the second part of it."