New Yorks Giants 2009 Preview: Ready to Rumble in the NFC

At some point this summer, New York Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin will address his football team at their Albany, N.Y., training camp with three tangible goals in mind.

Maybe he will get a big piece of oak tag, use a chalkboard, or even put on a little power point presentation, but whatever way he decides, the tasks at hand in 2009 will no doubt be:

• Win the NFC East
• Earn a No. 1 seed in the playoffs
• Bring a fourth Lombardi Trophy back to the Meadowlands with a Super Bowl victory in Miami on Feb. 7, 2010 

Déjà Blue? You better believe it. This is the exact same agenda Coughlin put forth in front of his team last season, and they came pretty darn close to completing their dream.

If it were not for that loose cannon receiver, maybe the Giants would have been able to repeat their 2007 Super Bowl joyride. Unfortunately, a hungry and gutsy Eagles team flew into the swamp like vultures and shattered those hopes of a second consecutive title.

As for the recipe to success, the Giants have no question in their minds about the key ingredients that will bring them back to the pinnacle of the professional football world. From the bottom of the depth chart, all the way up to Justin Tuck, come September, this team will be ready to rock and roll.

The Decision Makers

One of the Giants' best sources of leadership is in their off field management. In terms of ownership, it is hard to find others out there with the type of credibility that the Mara and Tisch families have. These are owners who do not bring a hands-on approach, interfering with their team’s success.

It can agonize a fan base when you have somebody like Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who stands on the sidelines every Sunday. How about Jerry Jones? He seems to care more about how the star on his team’s helmet looks, than the actual performance on the field. Here in East Rutherford though, the Giants' owners provide a very stable atmosphere. 

Through the draft and solid free agent acquisitions, Jerry Reese has become one the most renowned general mangers in the NFL. He has made a name for himself for finding great college football players that can blend into the Giants/Coughlin system. There are a lot of general managers in the league that hurt their team’s chances of winning football games, but Reese isn’t one of them.

Primarily, Reese thrives in finding players who can immediately contribute. He has gone after prime-time players from big time schools like Aaron Ross from Texas and Steve Smith out of USC. Yet, he has also shown that he isn't afraid to go after the players under the radar from the smaller programs. Kevin Boss and Ramsas Barden are just two examples.

Then you have Coughlin, the veteran field general who continues to stamp his legacy on one of the greatest franchises in all of sports. The G-Men could go 0-16 next season and Colonel Coughlin is still a made man in the metropolitan area. With a championship now under his belt, Coughlin has not shown any signs of decreasing the will of his team to win.

Recently, Coughlin has sought the advice of other coaches like Joe Torre and John Wooden, picking their championship brains. Each day, the head coach is trying to figure out ways to lead his team to the top of the mountain again. Last year’s playoff disaster to the Eagles will provide some of the ammo that the coach will use in order to motivate his players.

The Players

With an elite quarterback in Eli Manning, a durable bruising running back in Brandon Jacobs, and a solid wall of an offensive line, the Giants offense should once again be one of the best forces in the NFC.

At the moment, the losses of Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer from the wide receiver corps are immeasurable, but watch for other players to step up and fill the void. Smith and Domenik Hixon are now the top two targets and both of them will prove they belong on this team.

Smith was crucial last season in third down situations and has great footwork that provides him an ability to separate himself from the secondary. Hixon never really regrouped after that home loss to the Eagles in the regular season. He had an open touchdown for the taking and a nice, crisp toss from Eli Manning fell right out of his bread basket. The Giants have faith in Hixon though, and they expect him to deliver.

Meanwhile, Boss has been essential to the green-zone offense, and one has to expect a big season from the young tight end. I have little confidence in Sinorice Moss, a wasted draft pick thus far, and nobody has any idea what type of contribution to expect from Mario Mannigham.

Clearly, Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden are two of the crown jewels of the Giants' 2009 draft. It will be very interesting to see how these two rookie receivers blend into the offensive system. Whether or not they can contribute could certainly make or break the Giants' Super Bowl chances. 

Ahmad Bradshaw is also a big key. Now that Derrick Ward is off to Tampa, there is no doubt that the young running back will have to step in, get more carries and help ignite the the offense. Never one to shy away from controversy, Bradshaw must be able to stay out of trouble off the field, as well.

Danny Ware probably won’t contribute much, but I’m interested to see what this young kid from North Carolina Sate can do. Reese would not have drafted Andre “the Gamebreaker” Brown, unless he thought that the kid had the ability to contribute to the offense immediately as a third string back.   

In the off-season, Reese made some great acquisitions for the Giant defense, signing Michael Boley, Chris Canty, and Rocky Bernard. It was evident that the Giants lack of a pass rush in the playoffs was one of the factors that plagued the team's chances in 2008.  

This season, the Giants will be able to unload on the quarterback and generate the blitz the way they did similar to their 2007 Super Bowl run. Expect a huge season from Osi Umenyiora, who never even got an opportunity to defend his championship. Overall, the Giants have one the best defenses in the NFL, and this will help carry the team throughout the season.

Regarding special teams, the Giants bring back Jeff Feagles, who seems to be getting better as he grows older. Feagles has served as a reliable weapon during his days in New York, constantly forcing poor field position on the opponents. Coughlin loves him and there is no question that the veteran punter has gained a lot of respect inside the locker room. 

Meanwhile, Lawrence Tynes, although hurt for much of last season, is still on the roster, so for now, he will be the go-to guy for field goal attempts. However, a championship ring and his Lambeau Field legacy will not stop Coughlin from keeping Tynes on a short leash. The guy can dive you crazy.

On a final note, it will be interesting to see whom the Giants choose to return punts and kickoffs.  One would assume that with the increase in their offensive roles for the upcoming season, Hixon and Bradshaw will not be running back any kicks or punts.   

The Forces that Bring You Down

These are 10 challenges the Giants will be facing once the season gets underway. The list is numbered from 10 through 1, but this is in no specific order:

10. The Team From Nowhere: Each season a team comes out of nowhere. Sure, the Cardinals had a nice season last year, but nobody had them getting to the Super Bowl.  As we all know, you just never know what will happen in professional football. Everybody is a contender (except for the Lions), and sometimes the teams with lower expectations have less pressure on their plate, paving a smoother road to the playoffs.

9. Eli in the Wind: Giants fans don’t want to hear this, but Eli Manning has yet to overcome the gusty winds of the Meadowlands. Donovan McNabb resembled Joe Montana in last January’s playoff game. Eli? He looked like Dave Brown. How the quarterback can adapt to the Giants Stadium weather as we get deeper into the season will be a vital factor in the team’s playoff success.

8. The Receivers: The questions go on and on. Who is going be the top target? Will Steve Smith have a huge season? Can Hixon provide a capable deep threat? Can Kevin Boss become an elite receiving tight end in the NFL? Will Mario Manningham still be camping out on the sidelines? Will Sinorice Moss ever be good? Is David Tyree still on the roster? What roles will Nicks and Barden play as young rookie receivers? And of course, will the Giants miss Plaxico and Amani to the point where they cannot win a ring without them?

7. LB’s and Safeties: Despite getting Michael Boley, the G-Men are pretty thin at the linebacker position. Antonio Pierce isn’t getting any younger, Chase Blackburn and Danny Clark are good, not great, and the expectations are unknown thus far for draft-pick Clint Sintim.

In addition, the Giants will need to establish some physicality from the strong safety position. Michael Johnson will have to step up immediately. Losing James Butler could hurt more than people expect.

6. Ward to Tampa: Derrick Ward was crucial to the Giants power offense last season. Not only did he break 1,000 yards, he was a great locker room presence as well. Again, in terms of the backfield, the Giants have to be concerned about what type of contribution they will get from Ahmad Bradshaw, going into his third season.

5. NFC Beast: The Giants still play in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. Six combined games against the Eagles, Cowboys, and Redskins can wear you down. It can also kill your playoff chances. 

4. Gilbride's Focus: Kevin Gilbride did a great job as offensive coordinator in the 2008 regular season. In the playoff game against Philly, not only did Gilbride seem to lose his touch, he might have cost the G-Men the game. Rather than putting the ball in Jacobs’ hands early, Gilbride chose to rely on the quarterback. A costly first-quarter Manning interception definitely set the tone of that game, and the Giants were never able to regroup.

3. Spags to St. Louis: Steve Spagnuolo did a fantastic job with the defense over the last two seasons, and that’s an understatement. I’m sure the team wishes Spags well in his first head-coaching gig with the Rams, but you also have to expect that Giants hope they don’t miss the little guy too much. Bill Sheridan has some very big shoes to fill. 

2. Big Blue Bullseye:  Each Sunday, the Giants face opponents that will certainly use them as a measuring stick. Even though they did not repeat last season, teams will be gunning for the G-Men. Playing in New York just illuminates the target even more. 

1. Health: In football, staying healthy is always one of the toughest obstacles that a championship contender has to overcome.

As far as rosters are concerned, no team in the NFC is as equipped and ready for a championship run like the New York Football Giants. 

Michael Jordan used to always point out, “Paper doesn’t play”, but this squad is loaded with talent and has players who thrive when the stakes get higher. 

Without question, the mentality for Big Blue is, "Super Bowl or Bust."

This will be the last season in Giants Stadium and there is no doubt that this team will want to close down the building showing a heavy amount of G-Men pride. Pride, it’s a word you hear a lot today from the New York Giants.

Shutting down Giants Stadium with another Super Bowl victory, now that's something all Giants fans can be proud of.