New York Giants: 6 Giants That Must Go This Offseason

Though they are only 7-6 and lost four straight games before winning last week against Dallas, the Giants are still in the thick of the playoff race. They are currently sitting atop the NFC East but will need to win at least two of their last three games to really secure a playoff spot.

Many players, such as Eli Manning and Jason Pierre-Paul, can take credit for New York's success. Others, however, have held the Giants back this year with critical errors and poor judgement. These players stand between the current Giants and a Super Bowl contending squad, and this slideshow counts down five Giants that need to go this offseason.

Kevin Gilbride, OC

Let's kick off this slideshow with a person who I'm sure no Giant fan wants around at the start of the 2012 season. Kevin Killdrive as he is sometimes called is the offensive coordinator for New York and many of the decisions he makes leave Giants fans scratching their heads wondering who in their right mind would do such a thing.

For instance, Gilbride seems intent on running the draw play over and over during games despite the fact that it rarely works. He also makes it worse by putting in third-string running back DJ Ware to run it instead of Ahmad Bradshaw or Brandon Jacobs on many occasions.

The draw play isn't the only problem with Gilbride, however. The main issue is a simple lack of creativity on offense which leads to predictable play-calling, which in turn leads to failed plays and ended drives.

The Giants desperately need someone who can make the offense run more smoothly, because although Gilbride can't be blamed for everything that goes wrong on the Giants offense, he definitely does not deserve to stick around for another year.

DJ Ware, RB

Kevin Gilbride leaving and DJ Ware leaving should go hand in hand. Gilbride evidently sees something in Ware that no one else does, because he will not stop giving him the ball no matter how little production he generates.

Though Ware isn't prone to fumbling, he simply cannot be a valuable asset to any team's offense. Still, the Giants have handed him the ball 41 times, and he has gained 124 yards for an average of 3.0 yards per carry with no touchdowns.

 Ware lacks Ahmad Bradshaw's explosiveness and Brandon Jacobs' power, and he simply does not have the ability to create big plays. The Giants are a team that likes to run the ball so depth at running back is needed, but there is no reason why Ware should see the field as often as he does.

Da'Rel Scott is prone to fumbling and Ware is just plain bad, so if the Giants want a solid backup running back to Bradshaw (Jacobs seems intent on leaving New York this offseason) they should address that need in April with a mid-to-later round draft pick.

Antrel Rolle, FS

Antrel Rolle's case is a little different than everyone else's on this list. The Giants aren't quite to the point where they should cut him because of his huge contract, but he definitely needs to step up his game.

Right now, Rolle is all talk but on the field he blows coverages and forgets his assignments. He has recorded 77 tackles, a pick and a forced fumble, but his level of play has definitely dropped significantly from when he was in Arizona.

Rolle is usually a pretty solid run defender and can rush the passer when needed, but he definitely needs to step up his pass coverage. He can talk trash with the best of them, but needs to start coming through for the Giants with his play.

While the Giants shouldn't do anything drastic with Rolle yet, they shouldn't be afraid to draft a safety in April to put pressure on him and let him know his place on the Giants isn't completely secure.

Aaron Ross, CB

Unlike Rolle, Aaron Ross is a defensive back who the Giants should not think twice about letting walk after this year.

Ross is a free agent in 2012, and he certainly does not deserve to play for New York next season. He is like Big Blue's Deangelo Hall: he'll put up some impressive stats but in reality he is a horrible cornerback.

Ross has four picks this year, but he has allowed many more touchdowns. The former first-round pick started out looking like he was going to revive his career after being labeled a bust, but he quickly went from solid to terrible. It seems like at least half of the big plays opposing teams produce in the passing game are at the expense of Ross.

The Giants desperately need Terrell Thomas back next year, because Prince Amukamara is still learning and getting the hang of the NFL and Ross does not deserve to be in a Giants uniform.

Kareem McKenzie and David Diehl, OT

The Giants absolutely need a change at right tackle and left tackle (and for that matter left guard) and they are best off addressing it in the draft.

Kareem McKenzie, New York's right tackle, started out playing pretty well this year after a solid 2010 performance, but his recent games have been awful and he has allowed too many sacks in critical situations.

Against the Eagles, McKenzie ended Big Blue's comeback drive late in the fourth quarter by letting Jason Babin get by him and strip Eli Manning. Against the Redskins today, he allowed a critical red zone sack of Manning on third down in the fourth quarter.

David Diehl, meanwhile, has switched between left tackle and left guard, but he has played very poorly at both. Diehl is too slow and not skilled enough to keep up with the better pass rushers in the league, which is a problem considering the Giants play DeMarcus Ware, Trent Cole and Brian Orakpo twice a year.

Both McKenzie and Diehl are too old to continue playing offensive line at a high level, and the Giants desperately need to draft young linemen to come in and take their places as soon as possible.Though they also need a linebacker, the offensive line should be the Giants' No. 1 priority in the draft.