DM's Take on the 2007 Giants

After examining the roster of the 2007 New York Giants, I am pleased and think we will be putting good talent on the field.

Quarterbacks - We know about Eli Manning. His strength is the deep ball and the play-action pass. His weakness is the short, accurate pass and his physical endurance. Manning has taken every snap from center since taking over in late 2004. Despite poor public opinion, Manning IS a fine quarterback. He has thrown 24 TD passes in each of his two full seasons as starting QB, and rallied the Giants to several 4th quarter combacks at critical moments in the season.



The Giants quietly signed journeyman quarterback Tony Wright. If nothing else, Wright brings a "closing pitcher" element to the Giants and should mop up a game or two if Manning is injured.

Offensive Line - This line is the finest the Giants have had since 1990 in my opinion. Despite losing LT Luke Pettigout (acutally, he was cut), the Giants simply insert Rick Seubert who played last season as an XL tight end. Seubert is a master trap blocker which is the Giants main running scheme. Dave Dihel is more than just Tom Coughlin's son in law, he is also our new LT and will do fine protecting Manning's back side.

Running Backs - I won't beat a dead horse here, but Tiki Barber is irreplaceable. Now then, Brandon Jacobs is a 265 lb back who, many defenders just don't want to tackle, especially late in ball games. To spell Jacobs, the Giants have acquired Reuben Droughns from the Cleveland Browns. Droughns is a product of the Denver Broncos RB factory and is solid. He will most likely be used in passing situations and for outside and cut-back running in which Jacobs is too big and powerful to execute.

Receivers - The Giants have the receiving core that they will win with. Amani Toomer, Plax Burress, Jeremey Shockey, and newcomers Sinorice Moss and USC's Steve Smith make a very fine 5-pack of pass-catchers. With the running game less respected now that Tiki Barber is retired, expect the Giants to pass more and use play-action off of fakes to Brandon Jacobs. This will mean longer, deeper passes which plays to Eli's strengths.



Defense - I will group this D in one paragraph. Strahan is back and healthy for year 15. Mike is giving NYG 70s and 80s legend George Martin a run for his money in longevity at the position. This D-line kicked butt last season before the injuries set in and should be good if they can stay healthy.

At the LBs, the Giants have changed more than at any other position. Arrington, Emmons, and Brandon Short are all gone and thank goodness. These guys were all free-agents and did not perform well in the clutch. In place of this group will be Mathias Kiwanuka a DE turned OLB, and the KC Chiefs free agent Kawika Mitchell who made 82 solo tackles last year.

The one ray of sunshine is LB Antonio Pierce who came over from Washington (yuck) and lead the Giants as the team's only defensive Pro Bowl player in 2006. Pierce is no Brian Urlacher but he could be as good as Teddy Bruschi if he continues to play the way he did in 2007.

Frankly, this group is good but not great. Expect lots of zone coverage, cover 2 most likely and using the D-line to initiate all of the pass rush.



Secondary - The reason for all the zone coverage will be that the Giants secondary is still not Super Bowl ready. Drafting Aaron Ross from Texas was a great move as Ross has played in the last two Rose Bowl games and is a big-time player. He will be important as a nickle back in the cover 2 and will play lots of man to man.



Again, the Giants were unable to draft good corners during the 00s decade so free agents Sam Madison, and R.W. McQuarters are back. I expect the Giants to use lots of Cover 2 zones since the Saftey core of Will Demps and Gibril Wilson are rock solid. These guys can pound WRs and will all season if the Giants D-line can get pressure.

Special Teams: No comment!

All in all, New York is very good. Not as good as the Cowboys thus far in my opinion now that Barber (who murdered Dallas) is retired. The Eagles and Redskins will again run out of steam down the stretch so the division will come down to NY vs DAL.

Manning will have to pass often this season and the Giants O-line will have to stay healthy all season if the offense is to be productive. If Burress, Toomer, and Shockey all stay healthy, this should be a breakout year for Eli even without a running game as these guys are the best of the best.

Things to look for..

Just to prove that I know what I am talking about...check out the G-men in preseason and watch for the cover 2 zones on defense, the play action passing on offense and an increased use of the shotgun formation.

If the Giants D-line can stay healthy and get pressure, our defense will play well enough to win.

Just some early thoughts on the team that I love and hate equally.

Anything from my blue and gray fans out there?

[Coach K-LO]

I like some of you observations about Big Blue, but you are not being real about their possiblities....

QB - Manning is still a long way from big Brother. until he gets his "happy feet" under control, his passes will still be off the mark. You mentioned his TD's but what about the INT's?? The sacks because he hold the ball too long??

RB - Big Blue is banking on a 265 pound back with no speed. Sure he can pound the rock, but your trap plays are more for a speed back which will get Droughns more carries. He may be more of a factor. Still can either one of them catch the football in the flats and make the first guy miss??

WR - Toomer is coming off an injury and Plaxaco has been inconsistant at best. Shockey has started going down hill before his time. He will need to step up his game to back in the early days of his career.

O-Line - Still a question mark, but they are not that bad, could be the best of the offense.

Defense -

D-Line - still very good, but how much does the Strahan have left in the bank I mean Tank??

Lb - still mad that Pierce left the Skins for Big blue (yuck) and the move for the DE to LB was a good change, but has he learned to keep going until the whistle blows??

Your defense does not tackle very well (see your picture) if it takes that many to bring down one RB.

They were 8-8 last season and may not be that good this year (6-10).

Besides they still have the same coach, right??

K-LO

BTW - Glad that "Redskin killer" has retired, Thanks Tiki!!

Ok, my abbreviated take...

QB - You are right K-lo. Eli is not his brother, but who in the league is. Manning is as good as Jake Delohme, Matt Hasselback, Chad Pennington, JASON CAMPBELL, to mention a few starters around the league. Last year you had ignorant playcalling as much as anything else contributing to his struggles. Yes he does still throw some bad picks but that comes from mechanics which can be fixed.

Rb - Tiki's gone. Can't worry about that. But I can think of some worse scenarios than having Jacobs in the backfield. Droughns is a nice backup and remember the name...Ahmad Bradshaw.

WR - We should be hard to stop in the passing with the weapons Manning has at his disposal. Plax inconsistent at best? Check the numbers.

OL - Bit of a question mark but by far not the worst in the league. Chris Snee is a star and David Diehl is going to be one.

DL - Great on the ends. Good in the middle (Great if certian players play hard all of the time. Fred Robbins should have bade the Pro Bowl last year).

LB - Not really sold on anybody but Pierce. Kiwanuka could be a sleeper if he is a quicl study, and to be quite honest with the exception of Pierce anything is better than what we had out there last year. I would like to see more of Chase Blackburn on the field though.

Sec - Will be better simply because you won't have press corners trying to play cover 2 all the freakin' time, and a healthy Demps will make a big difference. Gibril Wilson is going to be a star. Roy Williams/Sean taylor who can actuall check somebody.

ST - Serviceable

All in all I think we have a good shot because lets be honest, who in that Division/Conference can you honestly look at and say "That is the team to beat?"

The one good thing about this...Everybody is tied for first right

[Coach K-LO]

Very good points, Dre.

As you so eloquently stated "we all start out 0-0"

as for the team to beat, those "Cowboy-lovers" will say they are the team to beat, but it really is still the Eagles that present the most problems, but they are going with unproven WR's and a returning-from-injury-again McNabb at QB

We (Redskins) are the underdog pick of the division and we like it like that!

oh, call me in the office....... check pm for the number

People's Champ,

We are on the same page! Except the special teams... they are questionable.

Wally

Originally Posted by THE PEOPLE'S CHAMP

Ok, my abbreviated take...

QB - You are right K-lo. Eli is not his brother, but who in the league is. Manning is as good as Jake Delohme, Matt Hasselback, Chad Pennington, JASON CAMPBELL, to mention a few starters around the league. Last year you had ignorant playcalling as much as anything else contributing to his struggles. Yes he does still throw some bad picks but that comes from mechanics which can be fixed.

Rb - Tiki's gone. Can't worry about that. But I can think of some worse scenarios than having Jacobs in the backfield. Droughns is a nice backup and remember the name...Ahmad Bradshaw.

WR - We should be hard to stop in the passing with the weapons Manning has at his disposal. Plax inconsistent at best? Check the numbers.

OL - Bit of a question mark but by far not the worst in the league. Chris Snee is a star and David Diehl is going to be one.

DL - Great on the ends. Good in the middle (Great if certian players play hard all of the time. Fred Robbins should have bade the Pro Bowl last year).

LB - Not really sold on anybody but Pierce. Kiwanuka could be a sleeper if he is a quicl study, and to be quite honest with the exception of Pierce anything is better than what we had out there last year. I would like to see more of Chase Blackburn on the field though.

Sec - Will be better simply because you won't have press corners trying to play cover 2 all the freakin' time, and a healthy Demps will make a big difference. Gibril Wilson is going to be a star. Roy Williams/Sean taylor who can actuall check somebody.

ST - Serviceable

All in all I think we have a good shot because lets be honest, who in that Division/Conference can you honestly look at and say "That is the team to beat?"

The one good thing about this...Everybody is tied for first right

Sorry Bro,

Like it or not, we are just put together better than the Washington Redskins and it has consistently shown. The Redskins are the easiest game on our schedule and have been for the last 20 years...I mean honestly, look what we have done to the Skins over the last few years.

The highlight of the season is my annual pair of Redskin fan roasts. Coming soon!

[FrustratedFinFan]

The Redskins and Giants will end up playing to see who stays out of the cellar in the NFC East. The Eagles will have a healthy Donovan McNabb (maybe for a whole season!) and they still have Westbrook. The Cowboys are still improving an already pretty good squad. The Giants lost their offense when Tiki retired....Eli will have to elevate his game mightily to compensate for the dropoff there. The Redskins still really don't have a quality QB and that will keep them down.

[Coach K-LO]

Originally Posted by FrustratedFinFan

The Redskins and Giants will end up playing to see who stays out of the cellar in the NFC East. The Eagles will have a healthy Donovan McNabb (maybe for a whole season!) and they still have Westbrook. The Cowboys are still improving an already pretty good squad. The Giants lost their offense when Tiki retired....Eli will have to elevate his game mightily to compensate for the dropoff there. The Redskins still really don't have a quality QB and that will keep them down.

baloney!

Eagles are still top dog in the division in my opinion, but they too have holes to fill at the skill positions on offense (WR, RB behind Westbrook) and DL, LB to make them a question mark.

Cowboys, as usual, are the darlings of the division where their moniker makes for good press. Romo is still not the answer at QB (good but let's see now that film on him is there); defense is fast but small and will be pounded by the bigger teams that can run it.

Giants - see post above for more on them.....

Redskins have never depended on their QB (like say New England) to make all the plays to move the football. Young Campbell will be surprising alot of people this season with his skills-set.

REMEMBER, YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You guys are so typical. I have lived in DC for many years and you all are the smackinist-talkinist fans in the league. I've seen Skins fans talk trash during 6-10 record seasons. Come on! It never lasts.

The Giants have kicked the crap out of Washington and Dallas for that matter since the beginning of the decade. We murdered Dallas last season on a Monday night with Romo, TO, Glenn and the rest. The Eagles are our main competition and like the Eagles, we have been to and lost a Super Bowl in the decade. I like Philly but they have no receivers and McNabb rarely finishes a season in full health. We will have to see.

Of all the teams, the Redskins have to be considered one of the League's worst since the 90s of defending itself against division opponents. Check the history. The final plus for NY is that this team has been together for a few years now and should do well.

No one ever checks for the Giants but we are always right there in the hunt for the NFC.