Giants Linebackers

For quite some time now the linebacker position has been the weakest on the field for the Giants. They have had countless players try to fill in throughout the years from Barret Green to Nick Greisen. While I won’t say the unit the Giants are planning to trot onto the field are going to change that, I believe there is reason to believe they will be an improvement over last season.

First there is Michael Boley. Last season he was a free agent pick-up from the Atlanta Falcons and failed to impress. What people forget, though, is that Boley had surgery and missed training camp and the preseason. When he managed to make it onto the field he played great.

He had the making of the next great Giants linebacker. He had the speed to cover the running back and tight end down the field, yet still had the strength to run up and put on a great tackle.

After only a few starts, Boley was injured again and only returned when the Giants defense was in shambles and in desperate need of help. When Boley returned he did not perform as well.

His play the latter half of the year is all people remember and that is unfortunate. If Boley can stay healthy I have no doubt he will have a standout season.

On the strong side, Clint Sintim is favored to win the job. He was a starting outside linebacker playing in the 3-4 for Virginia in college. He fell to the Giants in the second-round of the draft after reports that they were contemplating taking him in the first-round.

After the draft the Giants talked up his long arms and his ability to pass rush, much like they did when they attempted to convert Kiwanuka to linebacker a few years ago.

Sintim failed to make a big impact in his rookie season, having trouble getting on the field. While he had played outside linebacker in college, switching to a 4-3 was still an adjustment for him, and hopefully the year of learning helped out.

This season Sintim is set up to win the starting spot, and if he can play up to his talent level he should really take off.

Finally there is the middle linebacker position. This is the biggest question on the team. Antonio Pierce has long held the position, and while there are potential candidates to replace him, no one has separated himself from the pack.

The candidates are Jonathan Goff, Gerris Wilkinson, and fourth-round pick Phillip Dillard. Goff started last season after Pierce got hurt, and Wilkinson has shown flashes but an inability to stay healthy, but it is rookie Phillip Dillard that seems to have the inside track.

Despite only being a rookie, the coaching staff has talked very highly of him, and has tried to get him reps with the first-string unit during mini-camps. He has a high football IQ and can tackle. He also has enough quickness to make an impact in coverage down the field. If he can learn the defense he has a chance to win the job and have a solid year.

Rookies have recently had a fair amount of success at the linebacker position and Dillard has a chance to join them. He will have a top defensive line in front of him like he did at Nebraska so hopefully the transition is not too hard.

The unit is not spectacular and will probably still be the weakest unit on the field, but there is talent there. If everything comes together the Giants can have a solid core of linebackers, something they haven’t really had for some time.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network