New York Giants Preview for the 2009 NFL Season!

The Giants in 2008:

The Giants had a great season last year, but they had their issues. They didn’t have one of their star defensive ends, Osi Uminyora. He got injured in the preseason and was out the entire 2008 season.  They finished the regular season 12-4 and went into the playoffs as the number 1 seed. Unfortunately for the Giants, they were sent home early in the playoffs in the divisional round. They lost a tough game against the division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants started the season 11-1. The Giants won their 12^th game of the season without the best wide receiver, Plaxico Burress. Two days before their 12^th game of the season, Plaxico Burress (giant’s number 1 wide receiver) accidently shot himself in the leg with a gun. The gun wasn’t even registered under him. Plaxico was charged with number of crimes. After the Burress incident, the Giants went the rest of their season with a record of 2-4(including their one playoff game). The Giants main problem was offense last season. They had a great offense up until the Burress incident occurred. The Giants offense scored less than 20 pts in 2 of their next 3 games after the Burress incident. In the first 12 games of the season, the Giants only scored less than 20pts twice. (the Giants had Burress for the first 11 games) Manning’s passing yardage went down during the stretch without Burress as well. Manning didn’t pass for over 200yds one time in their next 6 games. When Manning had Burress in the first 11 games he passed over 200yds 5 times. The Giants offense was good, but just not good enough to win games against playoff teams. Their offense was 7^th overall in the league last year. Their defense was what kept them in games last year. Their defense was 5^th overall last year and was 6^th overall in times sacked opposing quarterback. The Giants had 42 sacks on the year.  The Giants had some things to fix on offense going into the offseason.

The Giants in the offseason:

The Giants made some big changes in the offseason. They released Plaxico Burress in the offseason. The Giants didn’t even know if he was going to play next season because of the incident that happened in November. The Giants let go of one of their trio of running backs, Derek Ward.  The Giants also let go of their number 2 wide receiver, Amani Toomer. . They drafted some key players on offense in the 2009 NFL Draft, but none were bigger than Hakeem Nicks wide receiver from UNC. Nicks was an amazing wide receiver for the Tar Heels last season, and looks to make a big impact on the Giants offense. The Giants also drafted some defensive players like Stony Woodson CB. The Giants also made some major changes to the depth chart as well. They put Domenik Hixon as their number one wide receiver and put Steve Smith as their number 2 wide receiver.

New York Giants Positional Breakdown:

The Giants are stacked on defense, but have lots of questions at wide receiver position heading into the 2009 season. I will be breaking down all of these positions for the New York Giants.

Quarterback:

Eli Manning had one of the best seasons in his career in 2008. His passing yds were down, but his passer rating and completion percentage were both the highest they’ve ever been in his career. His passer rating was 86.4 and his completion percentage was 60.3. Manning also led the Giants to a 12-4 record in 2008. Eli Manning will have a much tougher time in 2009 getting those numbers. He no longer has a big wide receiver weapon like Plaxico Burress. He also lost his number 2 wide receiver, Amani Toomer. He’s working with lots of young wide receivers including a rookie wide receiver, Hakeem Nicks. He also won’t have the running game he had last year. He lost one of the running backs, Derek Ward. He should have a solid running game, but not  as good as last year.

Running Backs:

The Giants running game should be solid this year, but not as good as last year. They lost one of the trios of running backs, Derek Ward. He is now on the Tampa Bay Bucs. They still have the big bulldozer, Brandon Jacobs, and the speedster Ahmad Bradshaw for the running game. Both Jacobs and Bradshaw played well last year. Brandon Jacobs had his best season of his career last season. He rushed for 1059 yds and scored 15 rushing Tds. Bradshaw rushed for 355 yds and scored 2 total Tds in 2008. He’s only a back-up, so his role is minimal. These running backs are one of the many keys to a successful season. If these running backs can have a good season, there won’t be as much pressure on Eli.

Wide Receivers:

There are some really young wide receivers on this offense. Some are rookies, and others are 2 year veterans. There is not much experience on these bunches of wide receivers. Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith are the Giants number 1 and 2 receivers this year. Hixon is coming off of his best season of his career. He had over 500 receiving yds in 2008. Steve Smith had over 500 receiving yds as well. Hixon and Smith are going to have to get over 80 receiving yds if they want to help this team get to the playoffs. Mario Manningham is the back-up wide receiver to Domenik Hixon. Manningham was a rookie last year and only got 26 receiving yds last season. He didn’t get a lot of playing time. The Giants expect him to get much more playing time than last year. Manningham could very well be the Giants  deep threat at wide receiver. He is 5'11, 183lbs and is extremely fast.

Tight End:

Kevin Boss is the Giants starting tight end. He is a great tight end. He’s 6'6, 253lbs, and a great blocker.  He can pass block when he needs to, or run block as well. He doesn’t get that many receiving yds, but this could be his biggest year yet. Since Eli doesn’t have a lot of experienced wide receivers, Boss could be one of his key targets this year. Boss could be a real breakout player this year.

Offensive Line:

The Giants offensive line was pretty good last year. They were 11^th in the league in fewest sacks allowed with 28. The Giants have loads of talented offensive lineman. One of their most talented ones, is Chris Snee right guard. He’s 317 lbs, and he doesn’t allow many sacks either. All of the Giants offensive lineman have loads of experience. Chris Sneed is the youngest one with 6 years of experience in the NFL. All the other have at least 7 years or more of experience in the NFL. If the Giants can give Eli a lot of time to throw, then Eli could have a big year, even with young receivers.

Defense:

This Giants defense is loaded with talent. They have Jason Tuck and Osi Uminyora (returning from injury) up front at defensive end. The Giants have a great middle linebacker, Antonio Pierce. He’s one of the leaders of this defense and a hard hitter too. Pierce had 95tackles last season and 2 forced fumbles. The Giants also have some talented cornerbacks, Cory Webster and Aaron Ross. Ross had 3 interceptions last season and returned one to the house. (For a touchdown) Cory Webster had 3 interceptions as well and to go along with that he had 2 forced fumbles. Their defense is top notch and they showed last year. The Giants defense was 9^th in the league in rush yds allowed per game with 95.8. The Giants defense was 8^th in the league in passing yds allowed per game with 196.2 yds per game allowed. This defense is ready for another great season!

Giants in the preseason:

The Giants have looked impressive in the preseason so far. They beat the Panthers in their first preseason game of the season 24-17. Jacobs and Bradshaw both played great. Jacobs had 31yds on 4 carries and Bradshaw had 35yds on 5 carries and he had a rushing Td. Eli Manning was decent in his first preseason game too. He was 2 for 3 with 31 passing yds. Hixon (Giants number 1 wide receiver) caught two passes in the game.  Steve Smith was didn’t play in the game due to injury. The Giants defense was great. They got 4 sacks, and 5 takeaways. (1 interception and 4 fumbles) The Giants look impressive in the preseason, but it’s the regular season that matters.

The New York Giants Season Preview:

The Giants could do really well this year or to poorly this year, it depends on a lot of things. For one thing, the running game has to be solid. Another thing is that his wide receivers have to step up, his offensive line must protect Eli, and their defense must be dominant like in the past. I believe the Giants will get at least 8 and could get 10 wins if Eli's wide receivers step up.