Hakeem Nicks: 10 Reasons He'll Tank The Rest of the Season

Hakeem Nicks had a tremendous game last week when the New York Giants beat the Carolina Panthers, 31-18, and he hauled in four catches and notched three touchdowns for 75 yards.

Now Giants fans are understandably giddy with Nicks' Week 1 production and already talking about a breakout season.

But hold on a second, Giant hopefuls—don't get your hopes up.

Here are 10 reasons why Nicks will tank the rest of the season.

10. He Can't Do It Again

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 12: Hakeem Nicks #88 of the New York Giants goes up for a his second touchdown reception against Captain Munnerlyn #41 of the Carolina Panthers on September 12, 2010 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New J

What's the realistic chances of this ever happening again? The former first-round draft pick scored three touchdowns on four catches.

A 75 percent touchdown rate will not happen again for Nicks this season.

There's nowhere else to go but down in terms of touchdown rate.

9. The Carolina Effect

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CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 27: Hakeem Nicks #88 of the North Carolina Tar Heels walks off the field after a 31-30 defeat to the West Virginia Mountaineers during the Meineke Car Care Bowl on December 27, 2008 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North

Nicks was born in Charlotte and raised in North Carolina.

He went to college at UNC-Chapel Hill. As a Tar Heel, he received first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors during his junior year.

You don't think he wants to impress friends and family watching him play against his hometown football team?

That's a lot of added motivation for Nicks.

8. The Panthers Secondary

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 12: Hakeem Nicks #88 of the New York Giants goes up for a reception against Captain Munnerlyn #41 of the Carolina Panthers during the second quarter on September 12, 2010 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford,

Even though Nicks deserves to be praised for his great opening game, the Carolina defense also needs a good look.

You can turn right around and blame the Panthers secondary for being inexperienced and allowing Manning to find Nicks.

In particular, Captain Munnerlyn, a young second-year corner, was responsible for covering Nicks during a second-quarter touchdown. And Nicks made him look bad.

7. Injury Prone

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - NOVEMBER 22: Hakeem Nicks #88 of the New York Giants makes a catch late in the first half against Chris Houston #23 of the Atlanta Falcons on November 22, 2009 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Jim McIsaac

It's Week 2, and Nicks is already nursing a sore ankle.

Although he's not expected to miss tonight's game, his injury problems have slowed him down in practice and should be a reason for concern.

In August, a knee injury caused him to start off slowly and miss some practice time for the Giants. Earlier in the offseason, NIcks had toe surgery.

6. Rage Issues

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - AUGUST 21: Hakeem Nicks #88 of the New York Giants fights with Ike Taylor #24 of the Pittsburgh Steelers resulting in them both being ejected from the game during their preseason game at New Meadowlands Stadium on August 21, 2010 in

Nicks and Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor were fined $10,000 and ejected for getting into a preseason fight.

You heard that right—they got into a tussle during the preseason.

Really? Who gets themselves in that kind of trouble before the season even starts.

More valuable time was lost by Nicks for getting into trouble.

5. Sophomore Slump

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 27: Hakeem Nicks #88 of the New York Giants drops a pass against the Carolina Panthers at Giants Stadium on December 27, 2009 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

He had a decent rookie campaign with 790 yards and six TDs on 49 catches.

But "it" happens. Some say it's even inevitable: the dreaded sophomore slump.

Once opposing defenders watch tape of his rookie year, they'll make adjustments.

If Nicks doesn't work even harder, he'll be in trouble.

4. Weight-Gain Woes

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NEW YORK - APRIL 21: NY Giant's Hakeem Nicks attends ESPN the Magazine's 7th Annual Pre-Draft Party at Espace on April 21, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Mark Von Holden/Getty Images for ESPN)

Work ethic is always a great indication if a player can succeed as a professional athlete.

And Nicks showed poor work ethic before the 2009 NFL Draft.

His stock actually dropped because teams were concerned about 14 pounds that he packed on from allegedly recovering from a hamstring injury during the NFL Combine.

Instead of working on his game, he worked on his eating skills.

3. The Giants Running Game

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - NOVEMBER 22: Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants hands off the ball against the Atlanta Falcons to teammate Ahmad Bradshaw #44 on November 22, 2009 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants defeated the Falcons

The Giants have been focused on trying to integrate Ahmad Bradshaw as their No. 1 running back, with Brandon Jacobs also taking a small portion of ball-carrying workload.

Both Giants running backs are also capable receivers.

Which bring up this point: with their running backs poised to carry a lot of the offensive workload, there might not be enough looks for Nicks.

2. Other WIde Receivers

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LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 21: Wide receiver Steve Smith #12 of the New York Giants celebrates a six yard touchdown against the Washington Redskins with teammate Mario Manningham #82 at FedEx Field on December 21, 2009 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Win M

There's also Steve Smith and Mario Manningham on the roster.

Of the two, Smith was the breakout star from last season. And last week, Manningham actually led the team in receiving yards (85).

With so much talent, there might not be enough balls to go around.

Though it may bode well for the Giants, Nicks might have to make sacrifices to his personal statistics for the betterment of his team.

1. Cold Weather Is Coming

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LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 21: Hakeem Nicks #88 of the New York Giants stiff-arms Carlos Rogers #22 of the Washington Redskins after a 21-yard gain on a first quarter catch at FedEx Field on December 21, 2009 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty

Take a look at Nicks' stats from his rookie season.

His best month came in October, then there was a decline in touchdowns and receiving yards per game as the weather got colder.

Look for Nicks to have another solid October, but he will more than likely not be able to maintain the momentum from his fast start.

With cold weather comes fewer catches and consequently less production.