NFL preview: New York Giants
Ironically, I have this weekend's preseason victory by Chicago playing out again in the NFC Championship Game, which I'm picking the Giants to get to even after they finish second to Philadelphia in the NFC East.
Projected finish: 10-6 (2nd in NFC East), loss to Chicago in NFC Championship
More than perhaps any other contender in the current, modern NFL, the Giants are going to rely on the traditional methods of winning football games, defense and the runnin game. Even the Bears are going to feature a more wide-open offense than the Giants, who do have the highest-paid quarterback in the game in Eli Manning but a strikingly limited number of weapons for him. Though I don't love the Giants offense, I do think their defense is still good enough to get them to the playoffs, and win a game or two once they're there.
Manning had his best regular season in 2008, but even then, he threw for rather average totals of 3,238 yards and 21 touchdowns. His top receivers, Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith, might not even qualify to be the No. 1 in Chicago, let alone in places where the position isn't a glaring weakness. Mario Manningham is the only other WR on the roster who may have the talent to be a quality starter, but he was a disappointment as a rookie. And while the six touchdown passes TE Kevin Boss caught in 2008 were nice, he's hardly an elite receiver at the position.
Even if the Giants don't throw the ball very well, they should remain very adept at running it. Brandon Jacobs has shown me enough to be considered one of the best feature backs in the league, and Ahmad Bradshaw is a nice change of pace and an above-par backup. David Diehl, Rich Seubert, Shaun O'Hara, Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie are only a year older, but they should remain one of the best offensive lines, especially in terms of run blocking, in the NFL.
If Osi Umenyiora can regain his 2007 form after missing the entire 2008 season due to injury, he and Justin Tuck could almost be good enough at DE to make Giants fans forget about Michael Strahan. Barry Cofield and veteran Fred Robbins are a DT tandem capable of both commanding double teams and getting to the quarterback on occasion. In my book, this is the best four-man defensive front in professional football.
Now that MLB Antonio Pierce has evidently put his legal hassles behind him, he needs to focus on reversing the fact that his number of tackles has dropped for three straight seasons. Danny Clark and former Atlanta Falcon Michael Boley will start next to him on what might be the weak part of the defense. Corey Webster and Aaron Ross should be an above-average pair of starting cornerbacks, and safeties Kenny Phillips and Michael Johnson round out a secondary that should get the job done.
