New York Giants

Giants draft needs/Offensive Line

One of the many reasons for the Super Bowl Champions success last season clearly was their O-Line. Not only did they do a very nice job of keeping "MV-E" on his feet and giving him ample time to throw the ball, they were also excellent against the run. The G-Men finished fourth overall in rushing and seemed to run for over 100 yards every week. Even more impressive was the fact that they did this with four different backs. Thanks to the line blocking (and the great blocking by Fullback Madison Hedgecock...still sounds like he should have a job on Wall St.), it didn't matter who carried the ball.

One of the strengths of the unit is their stability. Diehl, Seubert, O'Hara, Snee and MaCkenzie have been together  now  for three  seasons. 

However,  depth  could  be  an  issue. They currently carry only two Centers; Sean O'Hara and Grey Rugamer( who did an outstanding job filling in during the Playoff win in Tampa). Problem is, they have both been around for a while..(9 seasons for O'Hara, 10 for Rugamer). This will need to be addressed soon, if not this year then certainly next.

Depth at Tackle is also a concern, behind David Diehl and Kareem MaCkenzie, we have no proven NFL talent. Third year tackle Guy Whimper might be the answer, but is largely untested. This must be addressed.

The same issue exists at Guard. Behind Chris Snee and Rich Seubert what else is there in terms of proven talent?

As currently constructed,the Giants chances of repeating as Champs count on the line staying healthy. My fear is that one or two key injuries up front will make us a VERY different team (I know, that's usually the case), but with a franchise QB and very talented backs, depth must be addr essed. My guess is Reese will draft at O-Line by no later then round three.

Please check back as we look next at Running Back.

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Giants to host Redskins in season opener

The NFL has confirmed the Super Bowl champs season opening opponent will be the division rival Washington Redskins.  In  a  tradition  the  League  started after the 2001 season, the opener is on a Thursday night.

The original  game  featured  the  Giants  and  49r's,  the  following  season  it   was  the  Jets  vs  Washington.  The  League  set  these  match ups to honor the Cities attacked on 9/11.

Since then, it has been hosted by the Super Bowl winner.

The game will be held Thursday, September 4th, most likely  at  7:00pm, est.  That  is 90  minutes  earlier  then  usual  so  as  to  avoid  competing  with  the  Republican  National  Convention.

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Giants draft needs/D-line

Let me be honest, this might be the most enjoyable "draft needs" post to do. There is no question in my mind that the single biggest reason the Giants pulled off the "Miracle in the Desert" in Super Bowl XLII was the fact that our D-line beat the Pats O-line  like  a  drum!  It  really wasn't close. Matt Light and the rest of the Pro-Bowl laden Pats line was simply over matched by Strahan, Umenyoira and company. Tom Brady was hit like he had never been hit before. Even when the line didn't get a sack or a hit, they made him rush his passes on numerous occasions. Keep in mind, they did this to the game's best QB (at least until we get Eli another ring or two).

The line is also excellent against the run. Looking at the post season, the Big Blue D made life very difficult for opponents to establish the ground game. The exception was the divisional round against Jerry's Kids when Marion Barber got on my nerves by running over our guys until they decided to start playing for real.    

Look at the key players; Michael Strahan, all time great who I truly believe will be back, Osi Umenyoira, the heir apparent to Strahan,  Justin  Tuck,  he  is a force, Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield, both very strong on the inside, Dave Tollefson who made key post season contributions filling in for Michael and Jay Alford who I will always remember for decking Tom Brady on that last, desperate drive for the Pats.

Looking at the draft, D-Line is clearly a strength of this team. However, you always need to improve. Unless some stud pass rusher falls into their lap, my guess is D-Line won't be addressed till round four or five at best.

Check back soon as we next look at the Giants Offensive Line.

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Giants draft needs/Linebacker

Today we look at the position the Giants have long been famous for, Linebacker. Think of some of the names from the past; LT, Banks, Carson, Reasons, Armstead, Huff, I could go on and on. The  current  Super Bowl winning roster has some players as well.  Antonio  Pierce  is  a  great  leader  on D  and  one  of  the  league's  premier  middle  linebackers.  Mathais  Kiwanuka,  who  was  coming  on strong  last  year  at  his  new  position  before  suffering  a  season  ending  injury  will  be back and ready to go. Gerris Wilkinson came showed promise last year when stepping in for the departed (not dead, but he did go to Buffalo), Kawika Mitchell. Gerris showed excellent speed, anticipation and tackling ability. The newly signed Danny Clark will provide veteran experience and probably compete with Wilkinson at the weak side. I have a feeling this will be a trend...Jerry Reese making these unheralded free agent signings that end up paying dividends (look at Mitchell from last year). Chase Blackburn and Zak Deossie provide quality depth.   

Thus, I don't see this being as big a need position as others do. I feel pretty comfortable with what we have on the roster, but as always, you must improve, especially when you are the defending Super Bowl Champs (sorry....did it again).  I could see this being a 4th, maybe 5th round selection for the G-men. However, if a standout is still there at the 31st spot such as Keith Rivers of USC or Dan Connor of Penn st, Reese would probably have to pull the trigger.

Check back  tomorrow  as we look at the  Defensive line.

Look coach, soon I'll be making these!

Giants draft needs/Safety

Today we look at the Safety position. With the loss of Gibriel Wilson to the Raiders in free agency, the G-men are thin here. We have only two players returning from last year's Super Bowl Championship (I just have to work that in whenever possible) squad. Rookie Michael Johnson who showed a lot of promise, and James Butler who also played well. Veteran Sammy Knight was signed in the off season to replace Wilson and provides quality experience, not to mention his numbers were comparable to Wilson's.  R.W. McQuarters while  a  Cornerback  also  has experience  at Safety  if  needed.

However, we still need more depth.

There are some standout Safeties coming out:
Dajuan Morgan, N.C. State

Kenny  Phillies,  Miami

Tyrell Johnson, Arkansas St

Thomas DeCoud,  California

Josh Barnett, Arizona St.

The problem though is several teams also have a need at the position.  Thus, while I first thought Safety would be addressed in round two, Jerry Reese may very well have to use the first round pick here. It all depends of course on how things play out, who comes off the board when, trades, what happens on the Pro Day's remaining, etc.

Of course the Giants scouting staff has shown a knack for finding those late round, small school gems who end up contributing greatly to the team (just look at last season's Super Bowl team...sorry, did it again). 

Next, we will look at the Linebacker position, historically a Big Blue strength.  Please  check  back and feel free to comment, we really welcome your opinion.

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Giants draft needs/Cornerback

As we near the annual NFL draft, we plan to cover the Super Bowl Champs position by position. We will give our humble opinion of their strengths, weaknesses and overall needs. In addition we will give our opinions (lets face it, guesses on who Big Blue might actually pick in each round). So please check back daily to see  what we have to say and feel free to comment. It's all part of draft time fun.

Anyhow...   

We start today with Cornerback. As defending Champs there aren't a lot of glaring needs, but you certainly need to improve. While I think the secondary was a bit unfairly attacked by the media during the season, there were instances where opposing receivers ran wild. In Coach Spagnolo's attacking Defense, the Cornerbacks must frequently play man to man. Add to that the fact that 3, 4 and even 5 wide receiver alignments are becoming very popular, quality depth at the position is essential. The Giants do have some talent at the position; rookie Aaron Ross was very impressive and should continue to improve. Corey Webster, after starting the season in Coach Coughlin's dog house, came on late and was a vital part of the Super Bowl run. R.W. Mcquarters contributed in a big way as did Sam Madison and, to a lesser extent Kevin Dockery.

However, we are in a division with Terrell (get ya popcorn ready)Owens, and other talented Wideouts. Further, there is a definite need to beef up a pretty good but not great CB squad to give Spag's confidence to turn our great pass rushers loose on opposing QB's. Just ask Marsha (sorry....Tom) Brady what they are capable of.

That is why my guess is Jerry Reese will use the 1st round pick on a Cornerback. Here are a few possible candidates:

Mike Jenkins  South Fla  6'0" 200   4.42/40

Brandon Flowers  Va Tech  5'9' 190  4.4/40

Dominique Rodgers-Cromertie  Tenn St 6'2" 186  4.45/40

Lets face it, with the NFL draft it is all a crap shoot, but this is what we expect. We will know soon enough. Check back tomorrow as we look at the Safety position.

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Can the G-men repeat?

Like most fans of the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants (sorry it's just so much fun to say), I am still loving every minute of it.  Having been fortunate enough to witness all 3 Giants Super Bowl triumphs (and even that little mishap against Baltimore in the 2000 Super Bowl)  I can honestly say this was easily the sweetest one yet. I thought heading into the season we were at best a 7-9 team (never happier to have been wrong in my life). Lets be honest, I had a lot of company in my pessimism at the end of the 2006 season; Eli looked shaky, the coach appeared to have lost control of the team, the mouth, sorry Tiki retired, and the defense just caved in to end that depressing Playoff game in Philly when it counted most. After the first two weeks of this year's season with the "D" yielding 80 points against Dallas and Green Bay, new coordinator Steve Spagnolo's scheme didn't exactly inspire confidence. It was not a happy time for Big Blue.

Then something funny happened; they ripped off six straight wins! How did that happen, I mean, if you listened to the critics (yes including me), the "D" was terrible, the coach stunk, the Quarterback was lost, and we couldn't possibly find a way to replace Today Show Tiki....could we??

Evidently, the answer is yes! Lets look at it. The defense certainly needed a bit of time to adjust to Spags aggressive scheme. They looked tentative and out of place those first few games, not to mention Michael Strahan was by no means in game shape after sitting out training camp. However, in my opinion, the turning point came in week three against the Redskins (I know....not at all the first person to point this out), but it is soooooo true! Think back Giant fans...half time score, Washington 17-3, staring at 0-3 and a lost season, coach fired, QB traded, being laughed at by Jets fans (maybe not). Then the G-men came roaring back in the second half, aided by a goal line stand late in the game that will live forever in Giants history. It showed what this Championship team was made of.

Late in the season, there were struggles; an ugly 4 interception loss to the Vikings, an even uglier loss at home in hurricane like conditions to the Skins, down 14-0 at Buffalo (before coming back strong to win). At each turn people said "here we go again" ," same old Giants", "  gonna blow it again", you get the drift. Unlike years past, they didn't fold like a cheap tent, they showed poise , character and toughness.

I remember the regular season finale, (what Giants fan doesn't?). With absolutely nothing to play for, a road Playoff game in Tampa Bay set in stone for the next week regardless of the outcome, the Giants came to win! They fell short, but as we all know they gained something. Confidence!

Playoffs; Tampa Bay....2nd best defense in the NFL. According to the mouth's twin brother, Eli could be had. What happened? Ronde was had, Eli was great. 24-14 Giants.

Dallas; "bring your pop corn". T.O. should have bought his game instead. Giants 21-17.

NFC Championship game, Lambeau Field, Packers, Brett Favre. Poor little Eli couldn't possibly deal with the bitter cold. Brett was supposed to destroy the Giants, right? Giants 23-20.      

Super Bowl. The 18-0 Patriots, golden boy at QB, greatest coach ever, 12 point underdogs. Everybody knew the Giants couldn't possibly win. Giants 17-14, Eli MVP!

Now that I am through the brief overview of last season, back to the original question, can they do it again? The answer....yes!

I know it is extremely difficult to pull off but I have my reasons for being optimistic. First, look at last year, this is a special team.  Second, Eli has arrived. If he can play the way he did in the Playoffs (no reason to believe otherwise) they are hard to beat. Third, the "D" will be in it's second year in Spags scheme. Fourth, last years incredible crop of rookies, (Bradshaw, Ross, Boss, Jennings, Alford, Smith, etc) all  have a valuable year under their belt and figure to improve. Fifth, we get Jereme Schockey (don't buy the hype....we are better with him) and Mathias Kiwanuka (arguably the best pass rusher) back.  Finally, Jerry Reese.  After the job he did  last season, I have no choice but to believe he will once again improve the  team.

I look forward to watching our guys defend the title, and hopefully bring another home!

Oh, by the way, did I forget to mention David Tyree?

Welcome to our New York Giants Blog

Welcome to MyTeamRivals.com's official site for insight, news, and discussion about the Superbowl Champion New York Giants. Read it daily for updates and be sure to contribute your opinions as well.