New York Giants' Linebacker Issue Casts a Cloud of Uncertainty

(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Shortly after the completion of mini-camp, Boley had arthroscopic hip surgery to repair a torn labrum. His period of recovery is projected to be eight to 10 weeks, which will place him on a schedule to return by opening day.

Regardless, due to a suspension enforced today due to a 2008 domestic battery case against Boley, he will not play the season opener against Washington.

More importantly, the hip surgery will hinder his ability to master the playbook. Due to this roadblock, Boley may have to learn the playbook while trying to cover the likes of Felix Jones and Reggie Bush in the first months of the season.

Meanwhile, Sintim has been experiencing some injury difficulties too. He hurt his hamstring in the initial rookie workouts, which held him out of mini-camps. If this injury protrudes up through training camp, the learning curve for the rookie linebacker may become even steeper.

This year’s Giants defense has a chance to be special. A devastating rotation in the front four coupled with the development of an extremely talented secondary gives this unit a chance to be one of the league’s elite. However, if the linebackers crumble as they did to finish off the 2008 campaign, all this talent may go for naught.

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