5 Personnel Adjustments the Giants Must Make for 2012

It looks like the Giants are on the verge of yet another second-half collapse. Giants' fans are tired of seeing this team start off looking like a contender, only to underperform in the late weeks of the season.

This team has a number of key pieces that could lead to future success. There are many to blame for the Giants' downfall, and it is time changes are made to this team.

In the following slides, I will explain five moves the Giants must make in order to become a team to be feared for all 16 weeks of the season.

Head Coach

Tom Coughlin has done a great job as head coach of the Giants for the past nine years. Fans should appreciate how good of a coach he truly is. But the time has come where the players just don't want to play for him anymore. Similar to when Coughlin took over the reigns from Jim Fassel, the Giants need a coach to come in and light a fire under them.

Bill Cowher is the perfect man for the job. He is been out of coaching for five years, and I believe he wants to return, despite what he may say. What kind of man would he be if he publicly stated that he wanted a position that wasn't even vacant? The Giants are falling— things have changed since Cowher was last asked if he was interested in coaching.

If Cowher was brought in, there is no doubt the players would buy into what he was saying. The Giants need a disciplinarian and they need a new face. Hiring Bill Cowher is the first step the Giants must take as they look to build an improved squad for 2012 and on.

Coordinators

I don't think Giants fans can bear another year of Kevin "KillDrive" Gilbride or Perry Fewell calling the plays. It is mandatory the Giants clean house and bring in new coaches.

Kevin Gilbride is the most predictable play caller in the entire league. He constantly calls draws in horrible situations, and he doesn't know how to call a game that caters to this team's best style of play — passing. I think staying within the system and promoting Jerald Ingram, the current Giants running backs coach, would be a good fit .

As for defense, Perry Fewell clearly isn't the Giant's answer for defensive mastermind. He sits in zone coverages all game long, disregarding the fact that they get beat in it every time. Nor does he know how to make halftime adjustments.

It is almost certain that Steve Spagnuolo will be fired as the head coach of St. Louis after this season. I think he would be more than willing to come back as the Giants' defensive coordinator. It is a position he has had great success in, and it would also allow him to rebuild his stock as a potential head coach for another team some day.

The Giants need a new group of guys calling the shots. I think with new coaches, they could be very dangerous on both sides of the ball. But you must consider the fact that the Giants have collapsed the past two years and missed the playoffs, yet the coaches were still brought back. That's very well a possibility again this year. If the Giants squeak into the playoffs, the coaches may be spared once again.

Offensive Line

There is a reason the Giants have the worst rushing attack in the entire NFL. It is because their run blocking from the offensive line is atrocious. The line is getting old, and they must start getting younger. They did cut ties with Shaun O'Hara and Rich Seubert after last season, but it's time to find a stud to anchor that line for years to come.

The Giants always draft the best player available, but I think they need to target an offensive lineman in the first round this year. I think players like Cordy Glenn out of Georgia and David DeCastro from Stanford would be good players to target.

It's time to let go of another long-time Giants lineman — David Diehl. He simply can't get the job done anymore.

Linebacker

The Giants have a number of young, talented linebackers. But I don't know if they are anything more than special teamers. Greg Jones, Mark Herzlich and Jacquian Williams aren't the players the Giants need out there in order to have an elite defense.

The injury of Michael Boley has really hurt the defense this year. You can tell that these young players can't keep up with the faster tight ends, and often look confused as to what play is being called.

The Giants need to target a veteran linebacker through free agency to lead their defense. Players like Mario Williams, D'Qwell Jackson, Kirk Morrison and Anthony Spencer could interest the Giants.

It's no doubt they need a force in the middle of the field to help out the sometimes "lost" defense. A healthy Michel Boley certainly helps, but I think one more solid linebacker improves this team greatly.

Other Moves

The Giants have a number of players who don't particularly want to be in New York. Players like Osi Umenyiora and Brandon Jacobs should no longer have a place on this team. They are often injured, and they have a tendency to run their mouths.

The Giants can shed some salary and some trouble by letting go of these players. Jacobs is a free agent and I fully anticipate the Giants to part ways. As for Osi, they can either trade or release him.

With Jacobs gone, the Giants will need another running back. Ahmad Bradshaw has his history of injuries as well, so they definitely need some depth there. The Giants should target a running back in the second or third round of the draft or look to sign a cheap free agent, similar to what New Orleans did by signing Darren Sproles.

Many look at the Giants and say their secondary is a disaster. Well when three cornerbacks hit the injured reserve and the team's first-round pick misses the first three months of the season, disaster is likely to follow.

The Giants need to re-sign Terrell Thomas, even though he will be coming off his injury. Next year, a healthy Thomas, Amukamara, Webster, Phillips and Rolle could be one of the best secondaries in the league.

Finally, I think the Giants should let Mario Manningham walk in free agency and sign Steve Smith a year removed from his departure. Mario Manningham will command much more money than Smith, and the Giants have deeply missed his presence on third down. I think he would be more than happy to come back to New York and actually play again rather than sit the sidelines somewhere else for more money.