Are the Giants Ready For the Season Ahead?

New York Giants have a proud history. Can they get past last season's scandal and perform better this year? We'll take a look at the history and a do a check up on the team for this upcoming season.

Since the October day of 1925 when the Giants took on the Frankford Yellow Jackets, football was officially introduced to New York. The Giants have always been a part of their city. They have won Super Bowl on four occasions in Super Bowl XXI, Super Bowl XXV, Super Bowl XXXV, and as recent as the 2007-2008 season, when they won Super Bowl XL II beating New England Patriots 17-14.

Most football fans remember Eli Manning throwing the winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with 32 seconds left of the game against the Patriots in the 2008 Super bowl. Both of them were heroes on that day. For one of them, the hero status was taken away in November 2008.

Friday night, November 28, 2008, Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the right thigh at a nightclub in New York City. It turned into legal trouble since his gun permit from Florida is not recognized in New York. The incident shook New York Giants, who never mentally recovered that season and lost to the Eagles to exit the playoffs.

It was no secret that the Giants would aim to get a new wide receiver during the 2009 draft. After bringing in Hakeem Nicks of North Carolina and Ramses Barden of Cal Poly, Eli Manning stated that he is now content with the receiving crew.

Many people question if Barden is ready to step up to NFL level, after playing at a lower college level. The 6'6" wide out seems like an interesting prospect for the future, who might be the one eventually filling the gap Plaxico Burress left.

Time will tell if the Giants will be able to take their game to a new level this season. It will surely be demanded by their many fans, who claim that a team the size of the Giants should always aim for Super Bowl.