New York Giants 2009 Outlook: Best In The NFC Again?

My expectations for the New York Giants coming into the 2009 season is nothing short then a trip back to the Super Bowl.  They are hands down the best team in the NFC, and with the new additions on defense, along with Umenyiora coming back, have made a good defense great. 

Last year, the team was playing just as good as the year prior where they won the Super Bowl and then the Plaxico fiasco started.  Timing couldn’t have been worse, and the Giants stumbled into the playoffs.  This year 13 wins is not out of the question with their schedule, but a more realistic predictions would be 11 wins.  To get the extra few wins the Giants have to sweep a divisional opponent, along with winning 3 games in a row at the beginning of the season at Tampa, at  Kansas City, and at home against Oakland.  All three are very winnable games. The middle of the season also looks promising for the Giants starting in week 9.  They have 4 of 5 games at home, as well as their bye week.  

The obvious thing that can slow the Giants down is their wide receiver question marks.  With the loss of Plaxico, the Giant do not have a number 1 receiver no matter what way you look at it.  They have a lot of number 2 and 3 guys on the roster now; however they lack that true number 1.  Hakeem Nicks has the tools to be that number 1 guy, but we all know how hard it is to step right into the league as a rookie and be that go to guy.  It may be a little easier for Nicks to step into this spot since Eli has a comfort zone with his running game, along with confidence in Steve Smith and Hixon.  Only time will tell if the Giants decision not to pursue Anquan Boldin and Braylon Edwards was a bad idea.  If the Giants do not find their number 1 receiver for Eli, the Giants could be looking at a long season.  More in depth Brandon Jacobs will be looking at a lot of defenses with 8 or 9 guys in the box.  If this does pan out the Giants could be an 8-8 team, and Jacobs will not make it through all 16 games due to injuries.