Glauber: McNabb has been thorn in Giants' side

Forget Donovan McNabb's struggles with the Redskins for a moment. Disregard the team's 5-6 record, his mediocre stats (11 TDs, 13 INTs, a 76.0 rating). And pay no mind to the injury-riddled backfield that is without Clinton Portis and Ryan Torain.

If you are a Giants' coach, player or a fan, you must surely know that there is no taking McNabb for granted any time he steps onto the field against an NFC East opponent.

Perhaps Tom Coughlin put it best, when he said of the Redskins quarterback: "He's still Donovan McNabb."

That would be the same Donovan McNabb who has been a thorn in the Giants' side for years. To put the damage assessment in numerical terms, consider this:

McNabb has an 11-4 record against the Giants since 2001, and has beaten them four straight times, including a playoff win at Giants Stadium in the 2008 season.

Of course, all of those wins were during his 11-year run with the Eagles, when McNabb had the benefit of working alongside some of the most gifted offensive players in the game, including Brian Westbrook, DeSean Jackson and Brent Celek. The talent pool has thinned considerably in his first season with the Redskins, and his diminished numbers certainly reflect that drop-off.

Still . . .

"We have played against Donovan so many times and he certainly is an outstanding quarterback and leader of his team, no matter whether it's Philadelphia or Washington," Coughlin said.

It's a rarity to see a player - especially a franchise-caliber quarterback - traded within the division, so the Giants were understandably surprised after the Eagles dealt him to Washington for a second-round pick in 2010 and either a third- or fourth-rounder in 2011 based on this year's performance. Asked what his initial reaction to the deal was, Coughlin grinned Wednesday and said: "My thoughts can't be expressed at this time."

Perhaps linebacker Keith Bulluck's reaction mirrored Coughlin's. "Holy [--]," Bulluck said when he first heard about it.

The Giants are preparing to face McNabb for the first of two late-season games against the Redskins. The 7-4 Giants, fresh off Sunday's comeback win over the Jaguars, finish the season at the 'Skins on Jan. 2.

How they deal with McNabb will clearly be a huge factor in whether the Giants can overcome the Redskins and take one step closer to a postseason berth.

Not easy, even with all the problems facing McNabb and Redskins coach Mike Shanahan. Not only are there struggles on the offense, but the Redskins also feature the league's last-ranked defense.

McNabb is counting on his familiarity with the Giants to give his new team a boost.

"It's just a comfort level in the team that you're with and the things you're able to do," McNabb said in explaining his success against the Giants. "When you're playing a team twice a year, you have a feel . . . what they're going to do, their defense's fronts and blitzes."

Despite McNabb's past performance against the Giants, it's tough to see him getting past them this time. And with the Giants knowing full well that they need a win to keep pace with McNabb's old Eagles team for the divisional lead, McNabb might get to experience something he hasn't in a while: a loss to the team he has mostly owned over the last decade.