Besides a very tough schedule, there will be other reasons why the Giants go winless. Two key losses from a championship team a year ago will come back a bite the Giants. Nobody is really talking about them because Giants fans disliked them most of the time. They are Mario Manningham and Brandon Jacobs. Manningham was a #3 WR on that team, but that depth and versatility on the offense was a big strength. Now with one less proven offensive threat to throw to, the burden is on Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz solely. As a side note, Cruz had a stellar season, but his stats will be nowhere near that this year. As for Jacobs…he was a top 10 running back in the league, and the Giants version of ground-and-pound will be grounded, as they will sorely miss Jacobs. Finally, I have a sneaking suspicion that Eli Manning will have a serious injury that will cost him most of the season. How do we know that neck injuries aren’t hereditary?

So, with the 32nd pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select…Doug Martin RB Boise State! Enjoy your new Ron Dayne to go along with the injury-prone Ahmad Bradshaw. But, I think this is the biggest need position (with the acquisition of Keith Rivers at LB) because Eli Manning will have a down season showing that last year was a fluke. So, Eli will need a running game to fall back on.

The vaunted Giants defense is looking vulnerable this year after a rash of injuries during the preseason. Osi Umenyiora had surgery on his knee after holding out for a new contract and demanding a trade. First round draft pick Prince Amukamara broke his foot on the first day of training camp and won’t be back until mid-September. Leading tackler cornerback Terrell Thomas tore his ACL in the Giants’ second preseason game. Joining him on IR will be fellow corner Bruce Johnson and second round pick defensive tackle Marvin Austin. Fellow defensive tackles Rocky Bernard and Barry Cofield left via free agency. New York is hoping for big things from second year defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. As usual, look for the Giants to rush the passer very well with their front four. The linebacking and defensive backfields are looking very thin right now. Projected starters Clint Stintim and Jonathon Goff have also landed on IR. Former linebacker Kawika Mitchell was recently re-signed to fill in. He will be joined by Mathias Kiwanuka. Kiwanuka is coming off injury as well and is a more natural defensive end.  The injuries leave just Aaron Ross and Corey Webster as the starters in the secondary

The outlook for the 2011 Giants is tough to predict. They are a talented team, but have had a very troubling offseason. Can Eli Manning cut down on the mental errors? Can they overcome the injuries and players lost in free agency? The mental toughness of this team will be challenged from the get-go. If Eli is ready to take charge of the team and be the player the Giants expect, look for this team to fight until the end for a playoff spot. If Manning is unable to then New York could be in for another season of disappointment.

First of all, if Plaxico is really serious about looking for a fresh start then there’s no way he goes back to the meadowlands, let alone another nightclub in the Tri-State area. Not to mention, Burress was sporting an old school Philadelphia Phillies baseball cap leaving prison, perhaps hinting at his preferred destination to take his talents once the NFL lockout is over.

But at the same time can the Giants organization really live with seeing Michael Vick throwing jump balls to the corner end zone for Burress? What could be an even more nauseating predicament for the Giants would be to see Plax play for the other New York team occupying the stadium.

The Giants have shown little to no interest in pursuing Burress and the great comeback storyline potential he has now that he is a free man. The Giants players would certainly welcome him back with open arms, especially Eli Manning who hasn’t looked the same since Plaxico was sent away. Former and current Giants players have verbally voiced their support for Burress and have gone to management hoping to change their stance. “I was campaigning before the lockout started,” defensive end Justin Tuck said. I hope we can get No. 17 back to Giants Stadium.” Michael Strahan said if he were in charge of the Giants front offices and the lockout wasn’t currently in place, signing Plaxico would be the first order of business.

Bringing Burress back would send a favorable message to players across the league about playing for the Giants organization. The New York media and its’ fans would not have a problem with the move. They are a very forgiving bunch as long as you perform. Plus, Plaxico would be given a free pass because he delivered in the clutch time and time again with the G-Men, and more importantly won a super bowl, all that resonates in the minds of Giants fans.

Plaxico’s return will not nearly be as publicly scrutinized across the country as was the case for Vick’s return to the NFL. There’s not much for the Giants to lose with signing Burress to a 1-2 yr contract. If it works out the Giants organization will be applauded for retaining Burress’s services once again, and giving a player a second chance.

If it doesn’t work out then the Giants cut ties after one year. The rewards far outweigh the risks in this particular matter with Burress. When these ridiculous labor negotiations are over and the lockout has been lifted on the NFL, the Giants should seriously take a page from their counterparts and give Plax a second chance. If not, Plax could come calling to Michael Vick and the city of brotherly love.

Written by, Michael Durnin

Coming off a close defeat to the Vikings a week earlier, the Cowboys are trying to pull themselves together. Penalties and discipline problems continue to stack up. That is the main problem for this team. They currently rank in the top 10 in every defensive category besides points allowed. Their offense isn’t a problem either, as Tony Romo has thrown for over 1,500 yards, good for fifth most in the league.

Considering this team was prime to play the Super Bowl in their own backyard in the preseason, this season has been a disaster so far, to say the least. However, it is the NFC, which is WIDE open right now.

The Giants on the other hand, are looking crisp. Their defense is one of the top ranking in the league, their running tandem of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs is intimidating, and Eli Manning is playing the part of a competent quarterback despite the two lame ducks he pitched in against the Colts and Titans in successive weeks. Now the goal is to keep it up.

Tom Coughlin’s job appears to be safe for now. After the two lopsided losses early on, people were calling for his head. It has always tickled me in pondering how fickle fans and owners can be. It’s perform, or else.

The Cowboys are the definition of a desperate team. At 1-4, one more loss this early could spell doom for their playoffs hopes. I like the Cowboys to win this ball game. All they need to do is stop having fun by celebrating. There’s no room for celebrating a score with your team. That’s outrageous behavior! Add in the home factor and the Cowboys will be ready to go. I think Manning is due for one of his pathetic performances. Their offense doesn’t really do anything for me. The defense is another thing.

It truly is do or die time for America’s so-called favorite team. I think they’ll answer the bell.

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

The Giants were penalized 11 times and committed 5 personal fouls. Tom Coughlin has a reputation of being a disciplinarian. It has worked because the Giants have been one of the most disciplined teams in football. But that was when they had veteran leaders like Michael Strahan, Amani Toomer and Antonio Pierce to keep order and set an example for the rest of the guys in the locker room. When the Giants play to the level of expectations, they’re one of the best teams in football. But those stupid penalties and personal fouls will not win you many football games.

It’s inexcusable for players like Kareem McKenzie and Antrel Rolle, two veteran players on this team, to committ a personal foul. You expect that from a rookie or a younger player. But from two starters, one who was on your team during the Super Bowl victory against the Patriots, another who was in the big game two years ago is unacceptable.

The lack of discipline showed in this game. The Titans ranked 28 out of 32 teams in total offense. The defense held Vince Young to 110 yards passing and controlled Chris Johnson for three quarters. Eli Manning threw for 386 yds., 5 yards short of his career high, against a Titan defense ranked 5th in passing defense. Tennessee had trouble matching up with Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks. Ahmad Bradshaw was very effective running the football finishing with 88 yds rushing.

But the biggest stat for the offense wasn’t the 471 yds. of total offense. It was the number 3, the amount of times Big Blue turned the ball over. If you don’t think turnovers hurt you in football games, don’t bother reading the rest of the article. The offense turned the ball over three times that led to two scores for Tennessee. It’s plain and simple, turnover kill ya.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Giants. Their next two games are against division leaders Chicago Bears this Sunday night followed by a trip to Houston to play the Texans. That game has the chance to be something similar to the tornado warning that the weather people are calling for the East Coast. The Giants must correct their isssues and correct them fast. They cannot afford to slip in the standings this early in the season. The division is still within reach. Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington all have issues as well and it’s possible that two of those teams could fade out come midseason. If the Giants can fix these problems, they can right the ship and turn this season around.

But if they continue to look like the undisciplined team the past two weeks, this season of promise will turn into a season of blemish, and Tom Coughlin’s coaching seat will continue to sizzle.

Posted by Nick Muzzillo of the Sports Fan Blog Network

Eli Manning is still at the helm of an offense that has no real standout. The running game still includes the rough and tough duo of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. The passing game is suspect at best. Their depth chart is full of receivers with raw talents such as Mario Manningham, Hakim Nicks, Steve Smith, and Sinorice Moss. There isn’t a clear cut number one, and there hasn’t been ever since Plaxico Burress shot himself.

Their defense fell flat on its face last year, allowing the third most points per game. They were in the middle of the pack in every other defensive category. There defense is what set them back last year. Their offense struggles to produce while the defense is constantly getting scored on. There is no chance to catch up. Although some credit is due because of the fact that this team was fighting through injuries throughout the season.

The Giants are headed for a rough year in the NFC East, as if they haven’t had those in the past. With the resurgence of the Redskins, I think the Giants finish last in the division, although they will go 8-8 for the second consecutive year.

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

Andrews has not suited up in over 2 years, but not to worry, Giant fans, he’s kept in great shape by working out his fingers everyday on twitter. So, while he hasn’t played in an actual game since early 2008, he’s still a major distraction any team would love to have around in their locker room. Let’s face it, there aren’t enough T.O’s in the NFL anymore. They are being bred out, which is what makes Andrews such a valuable commodity at this point in his career.

Okay, okay, in all seriousness, this guy used to be a beast. A tank. An animal. He used to push Defensive guards ten yards off the line, and that’s not an exaggeration. But that was from 2004 to 2007, and since then, he’s all but forced the Eagles to take a chance on his overrated brother, Stacey (who, by the way, received the largest contract ever given to an Eagle O-lineman).

In 2008 Shawn Andrews missed all of training camp, claiming that he was depressed and hurting inside, and that the Philadelphia media could never understand. Well, you’re darn right we never understood. You went from being one of the dominant guards of the game to simply sitting at home and feeling sorry for yourself? Then what, you gained weight, and blah, blah, blah. Then came the back problems. No sympathy Shawn, none whatsoever.

The Giants claim they’ve been following him for a while now, that he looks healthy and as good as ever….poor unsuspecting Giants, you simply don’t know what kind of mess you’ve gotten yourself into. I guess if nothing else he should provide some quality entertainment for a team that, like my beloved Eagles, aren’t going anywhere.

Top Performers

Victor Cruz-This is probably the easiest thing to pick out. Cruz finished the night with six catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns. He made some tremendous grabs, with a one-handed catch from Jim Sorgi the highlight. Cruz showed excellent hands and body control. While he was going against lesser talent, it seemed like he would grab anything that came into his area. He also showed good speed and some nice route-running.

Linval Joseph-He didn’t have many big plays, but he seemed to get a consistent push and played the run well. He showed great power and a constant motor. While Pierre-Paul had the sack, I was much more impressed by Joseph’s play on the day.

Ahmad Bradshaw-We’ve come to expect big plays by Bradshaw, but it was nice seeing he could still do it following his injury. Unlike Jacobs Bradshaw is a home-run threat in the backfield and his ability to change direction on a dime has not been affected. I am looking for big things from him this season.

Rhett Bomar-I thought he looked dreadful last season. Last night, however, he played great. I would have no problem moving him ahead of Jim Sorgi on the depth chart. He showed good feet and a strong and accurate arm. He was 6-7 for 67 yards and a touchdown in his limited time, not to mention a run fr 23 yards.

Antrel Rolle-He gets on the list solely for his interception. Other than that he had a solid night and a definite improvement over Brown and Johnson from last season.

Underperformers

Matt Dodge-Wow do I miss Jeff Feagles. The blocked punt probably was not his fault, but all the line-drive punts were. This kid has a strong leg, but he has to learn how to punt in the NFL. At this rate I would not be surprised if the Giants picked someone up before the season.

The Starting Offensive Line-The entire unit was painfully bad. There were no lanes for the running backs and Eli got very little time. Hopefully this will improve with Chris Snee back and more time.

Ramses Barden-For all the talk during training camp, he was unremarkable last night. I was really expecting him to break-out, and dropping an easy catch on a slant to start the game is not the way to do that. He has three more chances to impress this preseason so hopefully he can show something.

Jason Pierre-Paul-I guess we just have to be patient with him. While he showed great athleticism, he did not look like he belonged on the same field as the Jets players. He may have gotten a sack, but I blame that more on the Jets. He was manhandled a lot and showed absolutely no technique. I know he has little playing experience, but for the 15th overall pick I was expecting more than that. At this rate I would be hesitant to play him even in a reserve role during the season.

Other Notes

While Tuck didn’t play poorly I was expecting more from the team leader. He really did not have an impact in this game at all. He wasn’t manhandled, but did not look like a pro bowl player.

I was impressed by the play of the linebackers. For the weakest position on the team the Giants have good depth. Wilkinson had a solid game, as did Sintim in a starting role, and I liked what I saw from Dillard in his first game day experience.

For all the talk before the game Terrell Thomas played just ok, and took a terrible angle on a third down play when in pursuit of Tomlinson. No way should he have gotten that first down.

Unfortunately I was unable to get a feel for new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. I guess I won’t really be able to know how good he is until the regular season starts.

I guess overall there were some bright moments, but not a lot of good things from the starters. Also the Giants seemed a little sloppy. a 12-man penalty, and Eli’s debacle kind of highlight that. Hopefully they correct those things next week. For a team that was embarrassed last season I was really expecting a stronger performance.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network