New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese is one of the most unassuming power brokers in the NFL. When players such as Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora have chirped about their contracts or playing status, Reese never lets it bother him. In fact, his ability to ignore some of things players have said about him or the organization has irked some of them over the past four seasons.

For the first time in his tenure as GM -- he took over in '07 -- Reese received heavy criticism for what happened to the Giants last season. Injuries at safety, cornerback and linebacker left the Giants in a situation they couldn't recover from. Reese desperately tried to bring in safeties, but none of them worked out. He vowed this past offseason not to let something like that happen again, and that's why he signed Antrel Rolle to a lucrative contract extension and then followed that up by bringing in Deon Grant. Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com has a column today detailing all the successful moves that Reese has made. He asked Reese why the Giants have been able to stay afloat while losing two starting wide receivers and three starters along the offensive line for extended periods of time this season.

"It is just the way it happens sometimes," Reese said Sunday following the Giants' win over the Redskins. "You expect it to happen every year; you think you find the right guys to stand in a gap and help you out. Sometimes it doesn't happen that way. It didn't happen last year. And that is disappointing that we couldn't find the right guys to help us out."

The Giants have a first-round pick who is starting to figure things out at the right time. I wondered if defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul would put things together this season. In the previous draft, the Giants took a linebacker in the second round named Clint Sintim, and he hasn't been able to secure a starting role. But Pierre-Paul is starting to make a similar move to what Justin Tuck made in '07.

If the Giants can get past the Vikings on Sunday (and that's no easy task), I like their chances in the Meadowlands against the Eagles. And thought no one will tell me this on the record, I cant' help but think the Giants are hoping that Brett Favre plays Sunday instead of Tarvaris Jackson.

I honestly think the Vikings are much easier to defend with Favre at the helm right now. Do you guys think Reese is one of the more underrated talent evaluators in the league or do you think he gets plenty of credit?