The Secondary Continued

Outside of the safeties, the Giants also boast top-notch cornerbacks. They have three corners in Corey Webster, Aaron Ross, and Terrell Thomas who have the ability to be Pro Bowl starters.

Under Steve Spagnuolo Corey Webster took off and became a shut-down corner for the Giants. Often maligned earlier in his career the aggressive press defense Spagnuolo ran allowed Webster to be more physical with the receiver and play more man-to-man situations playing to his strengths. He took off in the playoffs in 2007 all the way to their SuperBowl victory. Since that point he has not looked back becoming the top corner the Giants have been looking for.

Before the 2007 season the Giants drafted Aaron Ross with their first round pick. His insertion into the line-up directly coincided with the Giants turnaround that season, when they were able to stage a huge comeback against the Redskins to avoid an 0-3 hole. The season ended with a SuperBowl victory and Aaron Ross solidifying himself as a rising star. 2008 was another good season as Ross alongside the surging Webster helped lead the Giants to a 12-4 season and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Unfortunately for Ross and Giants fans, Ross had hamstring issues in training camp that never worked itself out in 2009. Ross managed to make it into the starting line-up only a few times and, due to problems and safety, was forced to play at safety. This season Ross is healthy and hopes to stay that way and return to the form he showed fans in his first two seasons.

Terrell Thomas was a second round pick for the Giants following their SuperBowl victory. Like Webster and Ross his big strength is his arms and ability to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. He had minimal impact his rookie year as Ross and Webster handled the starting spots and Kenny Phillips, the first round pick that year, was awarded the snaps in the nickel package. Last season, however, in his second year Thomas broke into the starting line-up due to Ross’s injury. Thomas took advantage of the opportunity having the best season of any Giant defensive back and leading the team with four interceptions. He had such a good season that coaches refused to give the starting job back to Ross this year, insisting the two will have to fight it out in training camp.

These three corners have all had Pro Bowl type seasons at one time or another and are all still relatively young. If they can stay healthy they will have a great competition in training camp, and more importantly will provide the Giants with amazing depth and talent at the position.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network