By Matt Woods
Staff Writer
The New York Giants look to get off to a better start this season than the 2013 team did a year ago. Last season the Giants started 0-6, which at the time was tied for the worst start in the league. Luckily the Giants managed to turn their season around in the second half of the year and finished with a record of 7-9. Veteran leadership was key to helping the team finish strong last year, but will that same leadership carry over to this season? And more importantly, can the Giants improve off of last season?
If they look to recover from last season’s unexpected woes, they’ll need their captains to take an important role. The Giants recently named the captains for this year’s team, which include quarterback Eli Manning, wide receiver Victor Cruz, linebacker Jon Beason, safety Antrel Rolle, and long snapper Zak DeOssie.
Manning and Cruz, the offensive captains, both look to bounce back from after neither lived up last season’s expectations, Manning especially as he led the NFL with a career high 27 interceptions.
This preseason has not looked very promising either, especially for Manning in particular. This preseason had me wondering just how long Manning would last without getting injured due to the shaky play of the offensive line. Newly hired offensive coordinator Bob McAdoo’s offense should provide Manning with a lot of quick short throw opportunities, however, from what we’ve seen thus far, Manning has looked very uncomfortable dropping back in the pocket and is still out of sync with a few of his receivers. I’m expecting the offense to come together over the course of this season, but at what point will it be too late? We will have to wait and see.
The Giants did in fact make an increased effort to improve their roster this offseason. They made the most moves of any team, perhaps realizing that the window may be closing on this team being able to make a run for another Super Bowl. They bolstered a weak secondary by adding cornerbacks Dominique Rogers-Cromartie and Walter Thurmond III, strengthened a depleted offensive line by acquiring guard Geoff Schwartz, and signed one of the most coveted free agents on the market in running back Rashad Jennings. These moves made it clear that GM Jerry Reese realizes that his team was in need of a major overhaul after last season’s mishaps.
The Giants defense on the other hand, looks to be formidable this upcoming season. The newly formed secondary led by Antrel Rolle aims at becoming one of the best in the NFL, but perhaps the key to this defense is its heart and soul; that being linebacker and on-field play caller Jon Beason. Beason’s comeback season with the Giants last year shows that the injury prone and former All Pro linebacker still has it in him.
Before his Achilles injury in 2011, Beason was undoubtedly one of the top linebackers in the NFL. He most certainly provides the much needed leadership at a key position that the Giants are looking for. Watch for Beason to return to form if he can stay healthy this year, and alongside Rolle, take this defense to the next level.
Even with their stellar offseason additions, the Giants lacked at filling key positions on their roster through the draft, but are looking for their rookies to contribute immediately. The Giants selected LSU stand-out wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. with the 13th pick in the NFL draft, which many fans were furious over after the Giants passed on offensive lineman Zach Martin who could have provided immediate impact on the struggling offensive line.
Unfortunately, Beckham Jr. has been injured for the entire preseason, and may not be able to play until week 3. Other rookies such as running back Andre Williams and Weston Richburg will be thrown into the mix early and often, and have proven through the preseason that they are ready for the NFL. You can expect both of these rookies to have decent seasons.
Taking all the key factors into consideration, expectations for this Giants team should not be high at all. Right now the Giants are a middle-of-the-pack team. The offense will take a while to really gel and with such a weak offensive line, it may take even longer than expected. McAdoo’s offense hasn’t shown up throughout the entire preseason, and by the looks of it this high-powered and fast-paced offense we all expected to see might not even show up for the first portion of this season.
Take into account the rest of the NFC East as well. The Eagles look to improve on a 10-6 season last year, while the Redskins most certainly will compete for a division crown if Robert Griffin III can stay healthy, and the Cowboys are going to be rather even with the Giants, but have a very susceptible defense.
The Giants schedule doesn’t really play to their favor either. They play 3 Super Bowl contenders within consecutive weeks, including the Colts, defending Super Bowl Champion Seahawks, and the 49ers. However, the bottom portion of the schedule does provide some winnable games. My prediction is that the Giants finish 8-8 this season, with wins over the Texans, Redskins (twice), Cowboys (twice), Jaguars, Titans, and Rams. Even though this may not be the outcome we all hoped for, the team is certainly headed in the right direction.
