Top 5 Reasons to Be Optimistic About the NY Giants in 2015

What a week it’s been for the New York Giants. 

The team, already having resigned itself to opening the 2015 season without one of its key players on offense, left tackle Will Beatty, is now facing the very real possibility that it will be without one of its key players on defense, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.

The sad thing about both players is that neither injury was related to any football activities, the Pierre-Paul incident in particular being the more frustrating of the two.

As gloomy as things might seem right now for Big Blue, there are some reasons for fans to be optimistic about the coming season. Let’s look at five of those reasons.

Year 2 of the New Offense

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo might not have come to the Giants last year with any experience as a play-caller at any level, but the one thing he did bring with him when he replaced the retired Kevin Gilbride is a lot of energy and creativity.

While the new system, characterized as a cross between the West Coast offense and the previous system, took a few weeks to jell—the addition of receiver Odell Beckham Jr. didn’t hurt things either—once the system clicked after about 10 games, the offense morphed from being at or near the bottom of the league into a top-15 unit, finishing 11th overall. 

The good news is that after feeling their way around the offense in the first year, the majority of the returning players on offense not only have a better grasp of the concepts, but they also have a better comfort level.

“You look at the speed of things and the way things get started,” McAdoo told reporters at the end of the minicamp.

“Eli (Manning) is a lot quicker at this point in time in getting everything going and getting everything moving. The receivers, the tight ends, the backs are playing faster on the perimeter.”  

Playing faster will certainly help the offense keep the opposing defense on its toes. The addition of running back Shane Vereen, a receiving threat out of the backfield, and the anticipated return of Victor Cruz to the receiving corps will also give the offense a needed boost in this second year under McAdoo.

Now if the Giants can have a little luck with the injury bug, they would really be set.

The Return of Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

After watching their defense disintegrate into a pile of mush last season, the Giants reached back into the past and named Steve Spagnuolo, the architect of one of the NFL’s top defensive units in both 2007 and 2008, to right the sinking ship.

While Spagnuolo has never been one to lack confidence, in his introductory press briefing with reporters during the rookie minicamp, he was quick to remind people that he is not a magician, and that to expect the defense to pick up where it left off in 2008 was unrealistic.

“I believe that any year in this business, in the NFL, it’s a different challenge and this one is certainly different than 2007,” he said.

“There were hurdles then and there will be hurdles now, but that’s a part of coaching. … That’s the challenge of it and if all of us accept it and work together to get over the hump, hopefully we’ll build something successful.”

The biggest hurdle for Spagnuolo is that unlike in 2007, when he first came to rebuild the Giants defense, he doesn’t have defensive end Michael Strahan, linebackers Antonio Pierce and Kawika Mitchell and cornerback Sam Madison lining up for him.

He also might not have defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, one of two top performers last season who made it through a 16-game slate.

And he is no doubt hoping beyond hope to have the 2013 version of middle linebacker Jon Beason for 16 games this year. 

That’s a lot of uncertainty still surrounding the defense, so what is it about Spagnuolo that offers hope?

Flexibility and creativity.

Whereas Perry Fewell, Spagnuolo’s predecessor, seemed more intent in trying to force round pegs into square holes, Spagnuolo has long had a reputation as being a coach who is not afraid to tweak his defense around the talents of his players.

As for his creativity, one of the legitimate complaints about Fewell is that he rarely, if ever, made in-game adjustments. Rather, he would sit by and hope that eventually the defense would click.

Spagnuolo isn’t like that. If a certain blitz isn’t working, for example, he will draw up another one instead of scrapping the idea of blitzing. If the offense is forcing leaks in his defense, he will tweak whatever needs to be tweaked to stop the bleeding.

No, the Giants defense isn’t going to help win every game, but with Spagnuolo running the show, it at least has a fighting chance of success.

The Addition of Dwayne Harris on Special Teams

Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports

If you’re still among those who are scratching their heads over the Giants’ decision to sign receiver/return specialist Dwayne Harris to a ridiculously unheard of five-year, $17.5 million deal with $7.1 million fully guaranteed, let’s use some other numbers to put that contract into perspective.

First, special teams and establishing starting field position is a big part of the game. Give an offense a short field with which to work, and chances are it will score early and often. Give the offense a long field on which to operate, and that’s usually a recipe for disaster.

Last year, the Giants hovered around the latter scenario. According to the team-distributed year-end statistical package, the Giants won the starting field position battle in just six games, against Houston, Washington (twice), Atlanta, Tennessee, and St. Louis, and broke even with Jacksonville.

Of those opponents whom the Giants special teams bested, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Washington and Atlanta finished with worse won-loss records than the Giants, while St. Louis finished one spot behind the Giants, whose special teams unit finished 15th in the NFL, according to Football Outsiders.

The Giants are hoping Harris changes that, and certainly the numbers would give them enough reason to be optimistic of that happening. 

Last season, the Giants' kickoff-return unit tied for 17th in the league with a 23.3 average. The punt-return unit was even worse, finishing 19th with a 7.7 average.

While a good part of the reason was the lack of blocking, the Giants really haven’t had a consistent and explosive return specialist, at least not since the days of David Wilson on kickoff returns and Domenik Hixon on punt returns.

The Giants will be looking for Harris, who averaged 24.7 yards per return on kickoffs and 9.2 yards per return on punts, to change that. Harris, who showed patience, vision and acceleration, sets up his blocks well and is shifty enough to squirt through tiny creases.

Besides being a solid return specialist, Harris can also contribute on the coverage units, according to special teams coordinator Tom Quinn.  

“He is going to be a ‘big four’ player, so he will be on all four of the teams, and he will make a very good contribution,” Quinn told reporters. “His coverage skills are equal to his return skills, so that is the nice thing about getting this kind of player.”

The AFC East

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Every four years, the Giants, and the rest of the NFC East for that matter, get to face the AFC East: Buffalo, New England, Miami and the Jets.

Well besides the fact that the Giants have gone on to win the Super Bowl the last two times they faced the AFC East teams in the regular season, the Giants, according to Pro Football Reference, are 22-17 overall against the four AFC East teams.

That mark includes winning records against the Jets (8-4) and Dolphins (5-2), and records of 4-5 against the Patriots and 5-6 against the Bills.

Did I mention the 2-0 record against the Patriots in the postseason?

You're welcome, Giants fans.

Odell Beckham Jr.

Last but not least, the biggest reason for Giants fans to have optimism in 2015 is receiver Odell Beckham Jr., he of 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games.

Enjoy the video and dream of what could be.

Oh, and have an awesome weekend, Giants fans.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes, observations and information were obtained firsthand. Follow me on Twitter.