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Last Year
The New York Giants severed ties with head coach and quarterback like Paris Hilton discarded her tiny Chihuahua. Hilton picked Bambi over Tinkerbell while the Giants preferred Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning over Jim Fassel and Kerry Collins. Just as Tinkerbell did, Fassel and Collins went in search for new homes, and the Giants endured a 6-10 record through a rebuilding year. If Manning is ready this year, the Giants will easily be the second best team in the NFC East. Now that's hot.
What We Learned From Last Year
It was time to start spreading the news as the New York Giants stole the draft headlines by acquiring Eli Manning (after he proclaimed he would not play for the San Diego Chargers).
Manning didn't start immediately as Kurt Warner was signed to be a stopgap quarterback and in the early going, he did much more than just that.
The Giants started 4-1 and were frequently in the conversation heading into their Week 6 bye.
But then the wheels came off the bandwagon as Warner — and the offensive line — struggled the next four weeks. The Manning chants had quieted down after the 4-1 start, but had returned in full force now that the team was only 5-4.
Although some pundits questioned whether inserting Manning into the starting lineup was a wise decision since the NFC was so dreadful and the Giants were in the thick of the playoff race, Tom Coughlin didn't cave to the pressure.
He kept the future in mind and started Manning to speed up his development. Did he sacrifice a playoff berth? Possibly, but the Giants were no Super Bowl contender either way.
Under Manning, the team finished 1-6 with the only win coming in Week 17.
There was no question that the most evident weakness on the offense was the line.
Warner was sacked 39 times in his nine games while Manning was dropped an additional 13 times.
Tiki Barber posted his best statistics as a pro with over 2,000 yards rushing and receiving combined and is still, for some reason, quite overlooked when it comes to discussing the top running backs in the NFL. Last year, he changed the way he held the ball during carries, which limited his normally lofted number of lost fumbles to just two.
Production from the receivers was spotty. The Giants only averaged 176.1 passing yards per game (26th in NFL) and finished with the second-lowest total for passing touchdowns.
Furthermore, the starting wide receivers, Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard, combined for zero touchdowns. Toomer was hindered by a hamstring injury throughout the season, but the bigger factor in the dull passing game was the combination of a rookie quarterback and a shaky offensive line.
The Giants defense was ravaged by injuries as starting defensive ends Michael Strahan and Keith Washington did not play in more than eight games. Shaun Williams, the team's starting strong safety, was lost after Week 2.
Starting cornerbacks Will Peterson and Will Allen were decent, but only combined for three interceptions in 2004.
At linebacker, Carlos Emmons was recovering from a broken leg injury that he suffered in 2003, but he grew stronger as the season progressed and finished as the team's leading tackler.
Barrett Green was another one of the Giants wounded men as he only played in 10 games. Keith Lewis and Nick Greisen did a lot of starting for the Giants, but should be backups.
Former first-round pick William Joseph struggled at tackle and free agent signing Norman Hand also underachieved and was an injury casualty, as well. That left Fred Robbins as the team's only quality tackle and with a weak assortment of starting linebackers, the Giants were easy to run on (28th-ranked rush defense).
The Giants were battered and bruised by a host of defensive injuries, which indicates that this team is better than the 6-10 record they finished with. Now if Manning can take a few steps forward and the offensive line is upgraded, this will be a playoff-caliber team.
This Year
Steve Erhardt is a man who has had 36 plastic surgeries and is obviously looking for aesthetic perfection. The New York Giants had a makeover of their own this offseason, but clearly nothing as drastic.
They haven't been in and out of plastic surgery in hopes of looking like a real-life "Ken" doll, but they have made a couple of nips and tucks in order to look, feel, and play better this coming year.
They didn't add a cleft chin or pec implants, but they did add wide receiver Plaxico Burress, linebacker Antonio Pierce, and a few cogs to the offensive line.
Free agent Kareem McKenzie gives the Giants a good starter at right tackle who excels at pass blocking. With Luke Petitgout on the other side, the Giants will have two sturdy tackles to work with. Guards Chris Snee and David Diehl are on the rise and center Shaun O'Hara is above average. The Giants also have a couple of former starters in Bob Whitfield and Rich Seubert, in case a few players get nicked up (Snee and O'Hara missed five and six starts, respectively, last year).
Barring injury, this line should make significant progress this season.
Manning needs to work on his decision making a little, bit but that will improve with more playing time. He is a smart quarterback who feels pressure well in the pocket and can make throws to practically anywhere on the field. The key here is that he is not as raw as a quarterback like Carson Palmer was because he did have seven starts last year. In essence, Coughlin sacrificed last season to expedite the learning curve and enhance his opportunity for success this year.
With Tiki Barber behind him and Burress, Toomer, and Jeremy Shockey around him, this team could be fairly competitive this year — after all, it is the NFC.
Barber has proven the past couple of seasons that he can carry the full-time load and no one will miss Ron Dayne. Keep an eye on fourth-round pick Brandon Jacobs, who is 6-4, 265, but runs like the wind with a 40-yard dash time of 4.37. He will be used in short-yardage situations for now, but is garnering rave reviews in the preseason.
Barber is also an excellent receiver out of the backfield, which gives Manning a reliable check-down option.
With Burress and Toomer, the Giants have a very tall duo at receiver. Burress is a tough cover one-on-one simply because he is hard to beat out in jump-ball situations. The Giants love the prospects of having him in the red-zone. Toomer is one the leagues most underrated receivers. He is smooth and can get off the line quickly. Burress has the better speed, but Toomer is unfailing when the ball comes his way.
Those two targets are 6-5 and 6-3 and tight end Jeremy Shockey is also a big boy at 6-5. Although Shockey struggles as a pass-blocker, he makes up for it with his uncanny pass-catching/route-running skills. Tim Carter and Jamaar Taylor will supply the speed.
Now Manning is in environment where he can succeed.
On defense, a fully-recovered Michael Strahan is essential for the line. Osi Umenyiora showed some promise last year and won't have to deal with any double-teams now that Strahan is back. Tackle seems to be a weakness outside of Fred Robbins. The team is still waiting on Joseph and Kendrick Clancy, who played in Pittsburgh last season, was added to the rotation.
Barrett Green is not yet at full speed, but the signing of Antonio Pierce should take some pressure off of him. With Green, Pierce, and Emmons, the Giants don't have to worry about their linebackers.
In the secondary, Will Allen and Will Peterson should be the starters, but Corey Webster, the team's second-round draft pick, could push for some starting time. The Giants still don't have anyone quarterbacks will avoid, but they have three quality cover guys.
Gibril Wilson took over Shaun Williams' starting job after he suffered a season-ending injury last year and doesn't look like he will relinquish it. Brent Alexander is a savvy veteran at free safety, but the Giants will try to get their two best safeties, Williams and Wilson, on the field together.
There's always Super Bowl aspirations in New York, but it won't happen this year. A lot still depends on Eli Manning's improvement, but the Giants are on the rise and should finish no worse than second in their division.Over/Under: 6.5
The Giants will try to separate themselves from the 6-10 logjam in the NFC East that included Dallas and Washington last year. The Redskins have more problems than prospects, leaving Dallas will be New York's only competition for second place. The Giants play: ARZ, @NO, @SD, STL, DEN, @SF, MIN, @SEA, KC, and @OAK
Fantasy Sleeper
Manning is definitely a sleeper with a rebuilt offensive line and a set of gifted tools around him. Most importantly, he is a Manning, which means that all of us are expecting something special. Don't forget about Amani Toomer, as well, since he won't have so much defensive attention on him now that he's playing next to a quality wide receiver.
Stay tuned as Dave Golokhov brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! Sponsored by CyberSportsbook.com, a great casino for horse racing and sportsbook action.
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