New York Giants: Final Roster Is Anything but Final

The New York Giants made their league mandated cuts yesterday to the roster, downsizing from 80 players to 53. The rest of the league had done this a few days ago, but the NFL gave both the Giants and the Jets permission to hold extra players for a few extra days to preserve starters since they both had to play two games in four days due to Hurricane Irene.

With the rosters cut down to the season size, we begin to get a better look at the direction the Giants are heading. Or do we? Let's take a closer look.  

The QB spot is locked up for the starter. Everyone knows Eli Manning is the man. His backups are not so clear, though. They have placed Sage Rosenfels on IR and only have David Carr for the final cut. Therefore, as it stands now, they only have two QB's. Is this such a major issue? Probably not, but what if something happens to Eli Manning at some point this season? Is David Carr capable of leading this team?

The TE spot is a real weakness. They were hoping someone would step up into the large void created by the departure of Kevin Boss, but no one really did. They have Travis Beckum and Jake Ballard, but it's believed that they will also use McKenna "Bear" Pascoe in this spot since they list two FB's(Pascoe and Henry Hynoski).

The WR position is a not a question of who made the squad but rather how will they be used. Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham have the starting roles locked, but the Giants still have to figure out the slot and fourth receivers.They have both Domenik Hixon and Victor Cruz, but the decision will be based on depth chart and game plan.

On the defensive side, there is less skepticism. The most solid aspect of this team during the preseason, oddly enough, is the defense. I say oddly enough because they never practiced during the offseason. While the offense was doing walk-throughs with Eli, the defense, save a handful of players, was basically resting and/or training on their own without the help of teammates or coaches. Still, they are better than the offense, even without the offseason reps.

There are three big stories and/or questions for this part of the team. One: who will step into the role of run-stopper up the middle that Barry Cofield occupied? Two: how will the young players in the LB core develop and perform as a unit? Finally, who will replace T2's Pro Bowl caliber play?

The answers? I don't know. I will not begin to speculate. Let me just say this, though. I believe it is time for Linval Joseph to step into the role up the middle, and Chris Canty will most likely be the immediate impact player to replace Cofield's contributions.

The LB group will be solid. Led by Jonathan Goff, Michael Boley, the undrafted upstart Mark Herzlich and Mathais Kiwanuka, they will be solid. They have to show a better ability to cover, though, this year. They will be judged by that.

With the loss of Terrell "T2" Thomas, the responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of Aaron Ross. He is finally healthy and will be a force this year as the starter, if he remains healthy. Corey Webster and the three-safety combination will have to step up more this year too. If all this happens, they will answer many questions.

The Giants also went in a questionable direction for special teams. They cut ties with Punter Matt Dodge. Dodge never really showed the consistency that coach Tom Coughlin was looking for. His season was defined by his final punt in the Eagles game last year, but it was unraveling well before that.

With former Jets punter Steve Weatherford taking over the reigns, Coughlin will be able to use his accuracy in directional punting better, and thus helping win the war of field position.

Of course, the one main factor in all of this, is injuries. This is the factor we saw crop up time and again during the preseason and training camps. They have lost multiple options and players due to the injury bug. I believe, more so than any other season, injuries will run rampant across the NFL this year. The Giants will not be the only ones effected by it.

With that said, the Giants can absorb the present blows to their roster, but not anymore major ones. If they remain healthy, they will still be a force in the very formidable NFC East. There are a lot of "ifs" that apply to that statement and the upcoming season.

Time will tell how many of them come to fruition and how many questions go unanswered.

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