New York Giants Need Youth To Catch on Quickly

When the 2008 season came to an abrupt halt for the New York Giants, front office management realized the gaping holes in their team, which were exposed in the final five regular season games and the divisional playoff game. 

The Giants limped across the finish line with a defense riddled with injured and worn down lineman and an offense that did not actually play any offense. After the suspension of Plaxico Burress in the final weeks of the 2008 regular season, the New York Giants offense became a predictable one-dimensional offense.

Defenses were able to stack the box with seven guys and protect against the run without fear of getting beat over the top. Even though Burress was having a subpar year before the suspension, he still demanded double coverage each week from opponents.

This really opened up the field for the rest of the Giants’ offensive weapons, especially their dominant running game, featuring a trio of backs.

The first order of business is revamping what made them Super Bowl Champions, the defense. The holes in the defensive unit became obvious at the end of 2008. The defense played the entire season without their all-pro bookend defensive ends. 

If the loss of Michal Strahan to retirement was not enough, Osi Umenyiora went down in the final preseason game with a season-ending knee injury. In the final weeks of 2008, Justin Tuck was carrying a leg injury and Mathias Kiwanuka was having trouble making it through his first full season as a starting end.

The interior was no longer as deep, as injuries held back Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins, since Tuck was no longer able to spell either of the duo. The Giants wasted no time in free agency adding defensive end Chris Canty and tackle Rocky Bernard.

With these additions plus getting Umenyiora back, the line should be the strength of the Giants once again.

However, an area of concern is the linebackers. Antonio Pierce, the defensive captain, had a very poor end to 2008 and could be slowing down going into his ninth year. The Giants currently lack an experienced weak side linebacker.

Michael Bouley, who was signed as a free agent, could be the quick solution to the problem. But he has played the strong side his entire career and will need to be up for the switch. Depth has and will once again be a hole for the Giants among their linebackers.

For the past three seasons, the Giants have lacked stability at the two outside spots.

Drafting Clint Sintim with the second round pick in the draft should provide some extra depth and could turn out to be a very good pick down the road, but the Giants will have to fill up the depth chart with some proven players if the injury bug hits this position once again.

Over the past two seasons, the Giants have emerged as an elite team in the NFL and one big reason is their balanced offense.

Until week 13 of last season, they featured a three-headed monster in the backfield teaming up with an established duo of wide-outs in Burress and Amani Toomer with a reliable second year pro in Steve Smith catching passes from a much more confident Eli Manning—the very same offensive weapons that led the Giants to a victory in Super Bowl XLII, only nine months earlier. 

Yet as the Giants prepare to open training camp for the 2009 season, they need to face the reality of their offense—it is just not as feared as it was only 12 months ago.

While the offensive line, as good as any in the NFL over the course of the past three seasons, has stayed in tact, each player has aged a year and that means more depth on the line is vital.

With the average age of the five starters at 29 and the average length of time in the league at eight years, the Giants added rookies William Beatty and Alex Derenthal, through the draft and free agency respectfully, to a cast of already experienced young back-ups in Mike Fladell, Adam Koets, and Guy Whimper.

All three will be looked upon to have more of an impact, playing more series in 2009 to give the starters a much needed rest so they do not wear down as was the case at the end of 2008.

Another area of concern is in the backfield. With the departure of Derrick Ward to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through free agency, the Giants are left with only earth and fire from the trio of the 2008 season. 

In all likelihood, Ahmad Bradshaw will step in and fill the void as the number two back in the offense behind starter Brandon Jacobs. The hole is at the number three spot in the backfield. This gives the Giants a chance to see what Danny Ware can do, once given ample opportunity.

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