The 2009 New York Giants' Preview

Football season is a little over a month away.

Check that, the Giants' season is a little over a month away. The countdown begins for September 13, when the Giants will kick off their 2009 NFL season against, once again, the Washington Redskins.

Most Giants fans remember the bitter end of the Philadelphia Eagles eliminating the Giants from the playoffs back in January. That type of ending will make the fans ready to get football season under way.

Let's break down the Giants' team and see where they stand only a month before kickoff.

Coaching Staff

Tom Coughlin is returning for his sixth season as head coach. He has clearly established himself as a top coach in the NFL now and is well respected around the league and with his players.

Kevin Gilbride is the offensive coordinator. Gilbride received criticism for his play-calling during that game against the Eagles, so if the Giants' offense sputters at all, don't be surprised if Gilbride is used as the excuse and gets let go.

With Steve Spagnuolo hired as the new St. Louis Rams coach, linebackers coach Bill Sheridan was promoted to defensive coordinator. Sheridan was one of Spagnuolo's assistants and will probably use the same blitzing schemes and attacking modes as did his mentor.

Offense

Quarterback

Eli Manning is also in his sixth season as the Giants' quarterback. Manning had a much better 2009 season with 21 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions, so he cut down on the picks.

This is now clearly Eli's team. His leadership skills are improving as is his play on the field. David Carr is the backup and is a serviceable one as we all saw in Week 17 against the Vikings last year. As long as Manning's confidence is there, this team is in great shape.

Running Back

Brandon Jacobs is establishing himself as a top NFL running back. He had 219 carries for 1,089 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. He is a pure wrecking ball of a runner and impossible to bring down on one tackle.

With Derrick Ward leaving to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ahmad Bradshaw will take over as the second running back. Bradshaw wasn't used as much last season; 67 carries, 355 yards and one touchdown. But Bradshaw was a key component in the end of the 2007 season and 2008 playoffs for the Giants.

So getting Bradshaw more involved into the offense will be good. Danny Ware and rookie Andre Brown will look to get some carries in as well.

Fullback

General manager Jerry Reese found gold in getting Madison Hedgecock on the waiver wire in 2007. Hedgecock is a bruiser and a hole opener for the running backs. He doesn't get many opportunities to catch the ball or run with it, but that's not his game.

Hedgecock is a great blocker and is a good reason why the Giants' running game is one of the very best in the league.

Wide Receiver

So here's the Giants' biggest weakness on the team. We all saw it down the stretch where in the last five games, zero touchdown passes were caught by a wide receiver, that's right, zero.

Plaxico Burress is gone, and may be in jail soon and his absence hurt the Giants. Amani Toomer has also left as a free agent and he will be hard to replace, not only his production value, but his leadership value as well.

The Giants drafted Hakeem Nicks in the first round and Ramses Barden in the third round back in April. Scouts say Nicks was the most-ready rookie to play in the NFL and had the best hands of the wideout rookies. Barden is an unknown, but so were guys like Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens when they were rookies. Barden is 6'6" and 227 pounds and could be seen as a steal. He will probably be used for jump-ball situations when in the game.

The other receivers on the Giants must step up.

Steve Smith is entering his third season and had quietly become a dependable third down receiver. Domenik Hixon was given the opportunity to take over Burress' role, but it was too soon for him as he faltered down the stretch. Mario Manningham has a lot of potential, but hardly played in 2008. He could be used as a speed threat for Manning in 2009.

Sinorice Moss, since being drafted in 2006, has been a bust. He's always injured, despite having great speed and being Santana Moss' little brother. This may be Moss' last chance in 2009 to become a full time player. David Tyree, one of the heroes from Super Bowl 42 is still on the team, but was injured all of 2008. He currently has a hamstring injury, but should be able to go in 2009, but he's far down the depth chart and is used more on special teams.

Tight End

Kevin Boss has done a great job in taking over for Jeremy Shockey as the starting tight end and became very dependable for Manning last season. He caught 33 passes for 384 yards and scored six touchdowns, He's becoming an even better blocker to go along with being a good receiving tight end.

Mike Matthews and Darcy Johnson are the main backups for Boss and are mostly used for blocking situations in the two-tight end plays. Johnson also gets used as a receiver on the goal-line spots. Travis Beckum was drafted in 2009, and will probably see time in special teams.

Offensive Line

The Giants arguably have the best offensive line in the NFL.

The current unit has been together for quite a while now and their chemistry level shows. Center Shaun O'Hara is one of the captains and is a great leader and blocker up the middle. Rich Seubert and Chris Snee are the two guards and they are bruising guards to deal with in the run. Snee is considered to be the best lineman on the Giants, as he is great in run and pass protection. Seubert has gotten over the injuries that kept him out when he first got to the Giants.

David Diehl and Kareem McKenzie are the two tackles on the line. Diehl can play tackle and guard and is an overall force and does a nice job protecting Eli's blind side. McKenzie battled injuries last season, but when healthy, is a great blocker overall.

Defense

Defensive Line

This will be the strength of the Giants.

Osi Umenyiora returns from injury after missing all of the 2008 season. Umenyiora is one of the quickest ends in the league and is impossible for one tackle to block, so his sacks total should be a good amount. Justin Tuck has transformed into a star for the Giants. Tuck had 12 sacks in 2008 and will continue to terrorize the quarterbacks in 2009.

Mathias Kiwanuka will be rotated in at end and tackle and he is very athletic. Kiwanuka had eight sacks in 2008 and did a nice job as Umenyiora's replacement. In the middle, the Giants have added great depth to go along with the two current players in Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins, who are brick walls in the middle and great run stoppers.

The Giants added Chris Canty from the Cowboys and Rocky Bernard from the Seahawks, so now the Giants have seven lineman on their team who could start anywhere else in the league. But they will all be rotated in and out to be kept fresh, which will make them even harder to deal with.

Linebacker

Antonio Pierce is also one of the captains on the Giants, but had the whole Burress siutation to deal with. As long as that mess is behind him, he can get back to playing football and not worry about being caught up in legal drama. Pierce is the vocal leader of the Giants and in his play, it shows with 95 tackles.

The Giants added Michael Boley from the Falcons in the offseason. He had hip surgery and will miss at least the first game of the NFL season. Brian Kehl should see plenty of time as the starter, until Boley returns in late September. Danny Clark was a nice pickup last season with 70 tackles. Clark was a very quiet player on the Giants, but his hustle spoke louder on the field.

They also drafted Clint Sintim from Virginia back in April, but Sintim is recovering from a hamstring injury, but good things are to be seen from Sintim when he returns. He's a big linebacker who can hit hard.

Cornerback

This used to be a weakness for the Giants, but it isn't anymore.

Aaron Ross is developing into a great player for the Giants. Ross had 52 tackles and three interceptions last season in his first full season as a starter. His counterpart, Corey Webster, has gotten extremely better since becoming a full-time player. Webster had 50 tackles and three interceptions also in 2008 and seems to draw the assignment of every teams number one receiver.

Just go back to Super Bowl 42 and Randy Moss, then watch Webster go stride for stride with Moss and help break up the final two plays in that game. Webster's confidence went up ever since and it shows. Kevin Dockery is a nice backup to have and starter when needed and Terrell Thomas got some valuable playing time in 2008.

Safety

Kenny Phillips will be a star in the NFL. He was drafted last year with huge expectations and he showed a lot of his potential last season with 67 tackles and one interception. A note to receivers, don't throw over the middle with Phillips lurking, he will make you pay for it.

Michael Johnson came out of nowhere to take over for Gibril Wilson and did a great job in 2008 with 72 tackles and two interceptions. Quietly, Johnson became a great starter in the back of the Giants' defense and will continue to do so.

Special Teams

Lawrence Tynes must be a more consistent kicker, and must stay healthy to keep his job. He did kick the 46-yard field goal at Lambeau Field to send the Giants to the Super Bowl back in 2008, but missed the previous two kicks.

Tynes spent a lot of 2008 on the sidelines with injury as John Carney was the kicker, but Tynes will resume the starter role in 2009. Tynes must stay consistent to stay as the starter.

Jeff Feagles, at age 43, may still be the best punter in the NFL. He had 23 punts land inside the 20-yard line to give the Giants' defense great field advantage. Feagles still averages 44 yards a punt. Feagles, as long as he holds up, is still a key asset to the Giants.

While Hixon might have struggled as a wide receiver, he is still a weapon on the kick and punt returns, as is Bradshaw. Both of their speed is a great weapon for the Giants to utilize and when they break free, they are hard to stop. As long as they have good blocking in front of them, they should give the offense great field positioning.

There you have your 2009 New York Giants. With over a month to go, don't be surprised if the Giants potentially add another wide receiver to help mentor Nicks and Barden and to pick up the slack left by Burress and Toomer. Also, don't be surprised if another linebacker gets added with the Boley injury.

As long as the Giants stay healthy, overall, they will have one of the best complete teams in the NFL and should be favorites to win the NFC East again and be a playoff threat.