Five New York Giants Who Need To Step Up in 2009

(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

The game of football is far from a static one. Rather than consisting of players and teams that consistently perform in the same manner year after year, those who participate in the NFL demonstrate a dynamic that may be greater than that of any other sport.

Every year during training camp, players are given the opportunity to improve themselves in their weakest areas, thereby allowing those who put in the work to dramatically improve both their personal success as well as the success of their respective teams.

With that said, I would like to take this time to assess five players from the New York Giants who can significantly impact the team by improving themselves in a specific aspect of their game.

5) Brandon Jacobs: Pass Protection

While Brandon Jacobs is very well known around the NFL for his powerful running style and gargantuan build, one area in which he still needs a great deal of work in is his pass protection.

While being an elite pass protector from the running back position certainly won’t sell many jerseys for you or put you in the pro bowl, being a good pass protecting back is a great way to improve the success of your team.

While Brandon undoubtedly has all of the physical tools to excel in this area, he has not yet developed the form necessary for him to become an above average back in pass protection. This can likely be attributed to his lack of experience, as Jacobs was a backup in college and likely didn’t spend very much time in such a role.

In order to become an elite pass protector, Jacobs will have to learn to create leverage from his stance and shoot his hands into the inside of the pass rusher’s shoulders, thereby neutralizing the momentum of the defender.

If Jacobs is willing to put in the work this offseason, I believe he can greatly improve in this aspect of his game, and significantly help his team in doing so.

4) Aaron Ross: Tackling

Coming into his third season in the NFL, the former Texascornerback has established himself as a solid cover cornerback who excels in man to man coverage. However, despite his physical style of play, Ross still has a lot of work to do in terms of his tackling ability.

Like most young defenders in the NFL, Ross still has a tendency to sometimes wait too heavily for the opportunity to deliver a big hit, thereby increasing the likelihood that he will miss the tackle.

Furthermore, on runs to the outside, he has to improve at getting low on the runner and wrapping him up. By sometimes going too high on a tackle or failing to wrap, running backs can manage to elude or over power Ross, thereby setting up a big run.

If Ross can improve his run defense by working on his tackling ability and shedding the blocks of opposing wide receivers, Ross can become an incredibly valuable asset to this football team.

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