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

The Giants looked to address the position in the draft, nabbing Hakeem Nicks in the first, and Ramses Barden in the third round. It appears now they were playing with house money as they already had plenty of talented receivers on the team with pro bowler Steve Smith, second year player Mario Manningham, Domenik Hixon, and Derek Hagan. With those players alone the Giants had four solid receivers to trot out each week.

Hixon got hurt early this season and has been placed on the IR. Besides him all the receivers look healthy and look to improve on very good seasons.

Hakeem Nicks was hurt to start the season, but came on strong near the end eventually landing a starting spot. He is not extremely fast or tall, but he is a football player. He is extremely tough and has strong hands, catching a ton of passes in traffic. He runs good routes and is surprisingly fast in open space. He also is a good blocker in the running game. This season he looks to take the next step and move to the Giants number one receiver.

Ramses Barden is the lone tall receiver, and was drafted in an attempt to replace Plaxico Burress in the red zone. He had a great training camp, but could not play on special teams, costing himself the opportunity to dress on Sundays. He has polished his game in the offseason, an important thing for a player that did not come from a top college program. If he continues to show improvement in training camp, he should find himself with more playing time and plenty of touchdown catches in the red zone.

Steve Smith was one of the few Giants wide receivers to make a pro bowl, and deservedly so. He set a single season receptions record with 107 receptions, coming through countless times with clutch receptions. He is best compared to Wes Welker of the Patriots. He is not going to beat you deep consistently, but he has great hands and runs terrific routes so you can always count on him when you need a completion.

Mario Manningham was a prolific receiver for Michigan and after having a quiet first year for the Giants, broke out early last year. He made a lot of rookie mistakes, but he showed why he can develop into a top threat in the league. He has great speed and quickness and knows how to get open deep. If he can work on the little things and consistency he should take the next step and could emerge as a top target.

Finally Derek Hagan rounds out the group. He is the oldest member and a reliable receiver. He is not flashy but gets the job done and for a 4th/5th receiver is more than adequate.

The players I have left out on the roster (Sinorice Moss to name one) are players I don’t expect much out of. In fact if Hixon was healthy, I would be certain they all would be cut before the season started.

For the receivers I did profile you can see the Giants have tons of talent. They have three young receivers that showed the talent of number one receivers, not to mention a fourth that has yet to get the opportunity to showcase his talents. If Eli continues his great play, this should be a top passing attack in the NFL.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network

First off, I love the move. The biggest hole on the team was filled by a more than capable player and a possible team leader. Bulluck has been a big part of the Titans defense, a defense that has been one of the best, for years. He had a solid season last year, but missed the last few weeks with an injury. It was the first major one of his career and the Titans used it as an opportunity to cut ties with the veteran.

He and the team believes he has recovered nicely from surgery, and if he can perform as well as he did before the injury last season, he will be the steal of the offseason. Bulluck finished the season with 108 tackles and 3 interceptions in fourteen games played. For 2.5 million and only a year long commitment, Jerry Reese has shown why he is considered one of the best GMs in football.

The only other way I look at this is the Giants must have been very unimpressed with their young players. Bulluck is a good player, but Reese is a guy that likes to go young if he could. If the Giants believed either Goff, or rookie Phillip Dillard could handle the position he would not have made the signing.

This move is more of a detriment to Goff who has played enough time to compete for a spot if he showed the talent. Dillard, on the other hand, is a rookie and with Bulluck only blocking him for a year, should get a shot next offseason. Granted he’ll probably have to show something this season, or the Giants will have to look to find someone in free agency or the draft to avoid the same questions they had this offseason.

So for now, the Giants have made another step to improve their defense and have it return to one of the top units in the league. Sure it’s a one year deal, but for now they have an established guy manning the middle, and we’ll worry about next season…well next season.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network

McKenzie looks like he’ll keep his spot, simply because the Giants have no better option. Seubert, however, will probably lose his to David Diehl, which will help improve two spots for the Giants. In the move assumed to take place, second year tackle William Beatty will take over left tackle and Diehl will slide into left guard, his more natural position. The move gives more strength in the guard spot, putting two pro bowlers in Diehl and Snee around Shaun O’Hara, a pro bowler in his own right, and the line leader.

On the outside Beatty provides a quicker and more athletic tackle who can handle the speedy pass rushers seen at right end more easily than Diehl. Beatty also proved to be a pretty effective mauler in the running game from his time playing the right side when McKenzie bowed out with an injury late last season.

The move leaves one weakness in McKenzie, who they can probably sneak one more year out of. I was hoping the Giants would draft a lineman in the draft, which they did, it just happened to be on the defensive side.

As much as I like Pierre-Paul, if they got Iupati or Bryan Bulaga they could have formed one of the best offensive lines in football. Iupati could have filled in for Seubert allowing Diehl to slide over to right tackle instead, a position he played very well in when given the opportunity. Or they could have taken the good, but less talented, Bulaga to take over the right tackle position and keep Diehl at guard. Either way, just by sliding Beatty into a starting spot should improve the line greatly.

The depth still isn’t great, but definitely improves with fifth round pick Mitch Petrus. He is a hard worker and was a standout in Arkansas. He also tied the combine lead with 45 reps, proving he can be a mauler in the run game. His addition along with the players position flexibility should keep the line afloat through injuries, as long as there aren’t too many of them.

The line changes along with the re-emergence of Jacobs should see the return of the Giants running game and give balance to their offense.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network

First of all, Brandon Jacobs has to return to the style of running that made him one of the top backs in the league. Listening to Tiki Barber, and trying to avoid injury, Jacobs started to tip toe around the line, instead of hitting the hole hard. His strength has nothing to do with how quick he is, or his vision, it has everything to do with his strength. It is very rare to find a guy as big as he is, who can run well enough to be declared a running back. If he doesn’t get moving at the line he is a lot easier to take down. It might lead to more injuries, but if he doesn’t run that way it won’t be his health that lands him on the sidelines.

Second, there needs to be improved play from the offensive line, something I’ll go more in-depth with in a later article.

If those two things can happen the Giants should see a revival with their running game.

Another thing that can help is Ahmad Bradshaw staying healthy. Bradshaw proved when healthy he can be the focal point of the Giants running game. When Jacobs struggled early, it was Bradshaw who provided the spark on the ground. He was also the guy responsible for the running attack that helped the Giants in their playoff run, and that is without mentioning his break-away run against Buffalo that helped the Giants get into the playoffs in the first place.

Bradshaw has been great and if he can return healthy this season should be a great pairing with Jacobs to give the Giants a top running game to go along with their promising passing attack.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Eli led an offense that lost its identity last year. A team that likes to run the ball down its opponents throat, failed to establish that smash-mouth style and went to the air more often than not.

Eli played his part nicely, stepping up and having some huge games. Even without the support of a solid running game the Giants could have made the playoffs had their defense resembled anything besides a revolving door.

Eli became the leader of the offense, helping young receivers Manningham, Nicks, and Smith take the next steps in their career, and there is no reason to think that the Giants passing game can’t evolve into one of the top units in the league.

Saying all of that, the Giants are not in a good position should anything happen to Eli. They allowed David Carr to leave in free agency and plan to replace him with last years 5th round draft pick Rhett Bomar and former Colts backup Jim Sorgi.

Anyone who believes those guys can lead the Giants to any wins is completely alone. While I don’t blame the Giants for letting Carr go, it is never smart to go into a season without a good plan b. We saw what happened last season when the Giants failed to get depth at safety.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network

At defensive tackle the Giants have second-round draft pick Linval Joseph, Barry Cofield, Jay Alford, Chris Canty, and Rocky Bernard. Just like with the defensive ends, these players could easily be starters on other teams.

Rocky Bernard was one of the three free agents the Giants brought in last season that disappointed them. Like the other two he had his share of injury problems and should look to bounce back this season. It is possible what the Giants got from him last year is what they will get in the future, but Bernard has played far better in each of his other seasons he has been in the league.

Canty was the second of the three picked up last season, and suffered from injury more than either Bernard or Boley did. In fact there were reports that his injury was season ending in training camp. He fought through it and eventually made his way onto the field when the team desperately needed him. While he did not make much of an impact he was not terrible, and with his second year in a 4-3 defense and a healthy start in training camp Canty should be able to improve his play.

Barry Cofield has been the teams top defensive tackle for a couple seasons now, but had a rough start to the season last year. He was coming back from off-season surgery on his knees and claims that had a big part to his slow start. He did pick up his play as the season progressed and has big motivation to take his play to the next level this season. In the off-season the Giants did not talk long-term with Cofield and when the Saints tried to trade for him, they low balled him with the contract offer. Cofield believes he is worth more and if he wants a larger contract he will have to earn it on the field.

Jay Alford is a penetrating defensive tackle that is probably the best pass rusher of the tackles. He showed promise in the preseason last year but got injured before the season started. If he comes back without delay from the injury he should be able to make an impact this season and show why so many people were talking about him early last year.

Finally Linval Joseph is an exciting player. He is a big body that can clog things up allowing the other line-men to get favorable blocks. He should be great against the run and prove to be a steal in the second-round. In mini-camps he outplayed first-round pick Pierre-Paul who has worlds of talent. The team speaks highly of his play and his attitude and could find himself in the starting line-up when the season starts.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network