New York Giants: Final Report Card for Super Bowl 2012 Champions

Well, the New York Giants accomplished what many thought was impossible at the beginning of the 2011-12 campaign: they won the Super Bowl.

Despite all of the injuries they had to endure over the course of the season, the Giants found a way to band together and put together another spectacular run that was eerily similar to the one they had in 2007-08.

It wasn't all well and good for New York this year, though, as it was a 7-7 team at one point and was essentially playing playoff games from there on out. As per the usual, fans and tabloids were calling for Tom Coughlin's job, and the moves that Jerry Reese made (and didn't make) during the offseason came into question.

However, none of that matters now, as the Giants are sitting on the top of the world for the second time in five years. So, let's break down and grade Big Blue's performances this year across the board, position-by-position:

Quarterback: A+. It is official: Eli Manning is elite. He now owns two Super Bowl rings and two Super Bowl MVPs, not to mention a season in which he threw for nearly 5,000 yards with a group of receivers that was considered rather questionable coming into the year.

Let's also mention that Manning once again bested the one whom many consider to be the greatest signal-caller of all-time, Tom Brady.

He has now won three straight meetings against Brady (two of them Super Bowl wins), all of them ending on game-winning fourth-quarter drives by the quarterback who is no longer just the younger brother of Peyton.

If I had to bet, I would say Eli isn't done winning championships, either.

Runningbacks: C+. The running game was certainly an issue for the Giants all year long, as neither Ahmad Bradshaw nor Brandon Jacobs reached 1,000 yards on the season, and New York ranked last in the league in rushing. The ground game did begin to improve just in time for the playoffs, however, as Jacobs in particular picked up his game.

In Bradshaw's defense, he was dealing with injuries all year, including a broken bone in his foot that he played through in the Super Bowl. Still, because of all of the foot injuries Bradshaw has suffered over the course of his career, he clearly does not have the same burst that he once had, and because of that, I think it's pretty safe to say that halfback may well be a position that Reese looks to address in the coming months.

I cannot leave this section of the article without mentioning the play of fullback Henry Hynoski, though. He has turned into one of the best fullbacks in the game, becoming a very reliable receiver out of the backfield and a very solid blocker.

Receivers: A. Coming into the season, Victor Cruz was the number four receiver on the Giants' depth chart. Then, Domenik Hixon tore his ACL in week two against the St. Louis Rams, and Cruz was forced to step in.

Step in he did, as the 25-year-old recorded 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns on 82 catches this season. Throw Hakeem Nicks (another 1,000-yard receiver for New York) and Mario Manningham (whose brilliant sideline catch on the Giants' Super Bowl winning drive will forever be etched into New York lore) into the mix, not to mention tight end Jake Ballard, and the G-Men suddenly had one of the best receiving corps in the NFL.

This is an area that could look a bit different for New York next season, however, as Manningham is a free agent and will likely command a nice-sized contract. Whether or not the Giants are willing to pay that remains to be seen, but as long as Cruz and Nicks are in tow, the Giants should continue to have one of the most feared receiving groups in the league.

Offensive line: B-. In terms of pass protection, the Giants' offensive line was very solid this year, allowing only 28 sacks during the regular season and, save the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers, carried that over into the playoffs.

The run blocking, well, that's an entirely different story, and it's why I'm a bit reluctant to place all of the blame for New York's ground struggles on the shoulders of Bradshaw and Jacobs. The offensive line was extremely inconsistent in opening up running lanes for the halfbacks, putting a lot of pressure on Manning to carry the load offensively (which he had no problem doing).

There is a catch, though: the Giants' offensive line lost two of its staples in Shaun O'Hara and Rich Seubert in the offseason, and it also suffered numerous injuries throughout the 2011-12 campaign. I firmly believe that we will see a much-improved unit there next season as long as everyone remains healthy, as they now have a full year together under their belts.

Defensive line: A-. With all of the injuries that were suffered along this front for the G-Men, you really have to give credit for the job these guys did. Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora in particular battled nagging injuries all year, but Jason Pierre-Paul put together a performance worthy of significant Defensive Player of the Year consideration, and defensive tackles Chris Canty and Linval Joseph got better and better as the season progressed.

Also, the healthier Tuck got, the better he played, as seen by his monster game in the Super Bowl where he forced a safety on Brady on New England's first offensive play of the game, and then sacked him two times, one coming on the Patriots' final drive. Umenyiora had his moments in the postseason, as well.

I expect this unit to be even better next season, as the Giants will be adding rookie defensive tackle Marvin Austin, who missed the entire year with a torn pectoral muscle.

Linebackers: B+. Much like the receiving corps, the linebacking corps was expected to be a point of weakness for New York coming into this season. Then, Jonathan Goff tore his ACL right before the season started, and it went from being a point of weakness to a major concern.

Rookie Greg Jones was forced to fill in for Goff, but he just couldn't get the job done. Finally, after a 49-24 thrashing at the hands of the New Orleans Saints in week 12, the Giants put in a phone call to former middle linebacker Chase Blackburn—who was serving as a substitute teacher at the time.

That changed everything.

Blackburn stepped in and was outstanding, intercepting Aaron Rodgers in his first game and then making what was probably the biggest momentum-changing play in the Super Bowl, picking off Brady by blanketing Rob Gronkowski all the way downfield and leaping up for the turnover.

Also, although his statistics may not have reflected it, Mathias Kiwanuka had an incredible season, and one can seriously argue that he was actually just as important to Big Blue's defense as Pierre-Paul was. Michael Boley also put forth a very solid performance, particularly in the postseason.

The linebacker position has gone from an area of need to an area that is now more than adequate.

Defensive backs: A-. You know there had to be an injury here, too, and this one was probably the most costly one the Giants had, as Terrell Thomas tore his ACL during the preseason.

One can make a legitimate argument that Thomas, not Corey Webster, is actually New York's best cover corner, so losing him had the potential to be disastrous.

Thomas wasn't the only defensive back the Giants lost, though. As a matter of fact, six of their defensive backs (including Thomas) were placed on injured reserve. Fortunately for the G-Men, Aaron Ross augmented his play considerably as the year went on, and he played a huge role in halting opposing aerial attacks during the playoffs.

In terms of the safeties, Kenny Phillips and Antrel Rolle have become one of the best duos in the NFL, as Phillips has come back from what was, at the time (in 2009), considered a potentially career-threatening knee injury and stamped his name among the best safeties in the league, and Rolle has walked the walk after talking the talk.

Many thought the Giants secondary would be a bit shaky this year. It turned out to be anything but that.

Kickers: A. One really cannot say enough about the job Lawrence Tynes and Steve Weatherford did this year for New York.

Tynes was his normal clutch self, sending the Giants to the Super Bowl with his game-winning kick in overtime against San Francisco, and Weatherford illustrated how important it is to have a reliable punter. He was key in the G-Men's Super Bowl victory, consistently pinning New England deep in its own territory and actually setting up the safety in the first quarter with a magnificent boot. The days of Matt Dodge are over; Weatherford is the new Jeff Feagles.

Kick returns and kick return coverage: B. This is something that has been a problem for New York for years, and while the coverage was certainly better (actually, it was pretty darn good) this season, the return game still left much to be desired. Jerrel Jernigan does look like he has some potential as a returner, though.

Coaching staff: A. As I stated earlier, people were calling for Coughlin's job (again) this season, as well as the jobs of offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride (known affectionately as "Killdrive") and defensive coordinator Perry Fewell.

I won't say some of the criticism wasn't warranted, as the Giants looked to be limping to a third straight season without a playoff berth. With the talent on this team, that obviously would have reflected poorly on the coaching staff, particularly Gilbride, whose play calling was at times very perplexing.

Then, something clicked, especially with Fewell, who suddenly had the defense firing on all cylinders much like they were in 2007-08 when Steve Spagnuolo was the defensive coordinator. Gilbride's playcalling was also becoming consistently solid, and the entire locker room clearly had Coughlin's back all along and visibly wanted to win this thing for him.

Now that Coughlin has two championships to hang his hat on, we should never, ever hear anything about his job security again. You know that that is too good to be true, though.