Giants-Panthers: New York Defense Back to Dominance in 24-17 Win Over Carolina

Monday night's opening preseason game between the Giants and Panthers marked the return of a key defensive player for the Giants, one who was out the entire 2008 season with a knee injury.

That returning Giant was defensive end Osi Umenyiora.

Now offensive coordinators are going to have an even tougher time preparing for the Big Blue defense.

The Giants won their first preseason game of the year against the Panthers at Giants Stadium, 24-17.

The Giants won the game when Panthers reserve quarterback Hunter Cantwell had the ball knocked loose, and rookie Tommie Hill picked up the fumble and ran it in 18 yards for the winning touchdown as time expired.

Now, a preseason game might not seem like a big deal, but getting Umenyiora back on the defense was extremely important. He was injured in the Giants' preseason game last August against the Jets and needed season-ending knee surgery.

Umenyiora's absence, along with Michael Strahan's retirement from football, forced Mathias Kiwanuka to switch back from linebacker to defensive end and into the starting lineup full time.

The original plan was to have Umenyiora, Kiwanuka, and emerging superstar Justin Tuck rotate as a three-man defensive end set. But that never happened.

Because of the injury, Kiwanuka and Tuck had to play full-time. At times, they would get double-teamed by offensive tackles, tight ends, or fullbacks.

Tuck had 12 sacks and Kiwanuka had eight, but both were extremely worn down because they could not rotate and get any breathers during games. Overall, the pass rush that was seen as unstoppable became worn down at the end of 2008.

But the Giants had a plan in the offseason to assure this would not happen again. They bulked up on the defensive front, adding Rocky Bernard from Seattle and Chris Canty from Dallas. Canty can play both end and tackle, so he adds more options to the front.

Plus, getting Umenyiora back after a missed year is like adding a free agent. Now the Giants have eight strong defensive linemen who can wreak havoc on offenses again—the same type of havoc that recorded an NFL-high 53 sacks in 2007.

At end, the Giants have the possibility to plug in Umenyiora, Tuck, Kiwanuka, and Canty. At tackle, they have Canty, Bernard, Barry Cofield, Fred Robbins, and Jay Alford.

I know one player who is probably not thrilled to see Umenyiora back: Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. On Sept. 30, 2007 at Giants Stadium, Umenyiora sacked McNabb six times and had him running for his life the whole game. Umenyiora has always given McNabb problems in the past.

Not to mention, the rest of the defense is very quick and very good.

Antonio Pierce looked like a man with a clear mind Monday night. Bryan Kehl, Jonathan Goff, and rookie Clint Sintim are improving every day, and Danny Clark is the quiet, solid veteran who hustles on every play.

The secondary was missing its two starting corners in Aaron Ross and Corey Webster. The two that did start Monday night, Kevin Dockery and Terrell Thomas, would be starters anywhere else in the league, but in New York they are key reserves and could be used in nickel and dime packages.

All of this might sound overwhelming because of all the talent involved. Overwhelming may be the word, as in what offensive coordinators and opposing head coaches might be feeling when they see the Giants as their next opponent in 2009.

The Giants defense in 2008 was very good, ranking fifth in the league.

But now, getting Umenyiora back only makes it stronger and that much scarier for other teams to deal with.