The State of The New York Giants

The New York Giants have always prided themselves as a top notch
organization in The National Football League. The Giants have won three
Super Bowls and have a long list of players that are enshrined in The
Pro Football Hall of Fame including Lawrence Taylor and Mel Hein. The
Giants have never succumb to things that others outside the organization
think or say, especially in the media. This year The Giants have been
scrutinized by fans and media alike for their moves in the off-season.

Key players from The Giants Super Bowl team in 2007 are gone. Tight end
Kevin Boss signed with The Oakland Raiders while wide receiver Steve
Smith shocked everyone in The Big Apple when he signed with The
Philadelphia Eagles. Boss and Smith both became free agents a year
earlier due to the new collective bargaining agreement which allows
players to become unrestricted free agents after the fourth year. Due to
the new give back program in which teams put in money for retired
players, the salary cap is tougher this year and The Giants had to
release center Shaun O’Hara. Defensive tackle Barry Cofield who had been
a key cog to the d-line is now a Washington Redskin.

All four were key to The Giants recent success from O’Hara anchoring the
offensive line to Boss filling in admirably in 2007 for the injured
Jeremy Shockey. Defensive end Justin Tuck called Cofield the anchor to
the defensive line. Since general manager Jerry Reese took over in 2007,
The Giants have done a good job of drafting. 2007 saw them draft Smith
and Boss to go along with running back Ahmad Bradshaw and cornerback
Aaron Ross. 2008 saw Reese draft safety Kenny Phillips, cornerback
Terrell Thomas, and wide receiver Mario Manningham. In 2009 The Giants
drafted wide receiver Hakeem Nicks who is steadily becoming a force at
receiver. Now Reese’s moves are being questioned due to these players
leaving the squad and the contract situation with defensive end Osi
Umenyiora.

Umenyiora wants more money and right now the money isn’t flowing around.
Reese has always stuck with his guns as he knows when to take a hit and
when to fold. Reese was criticized when he used a first round pick on
Mathias Kiwanuka in 2006 when The Giants were already stock piled at
defensive end with Umenyiora, Tuck, and Michael Strahan. Reese proved
that you can never have enough pass rushers as the defensive line “beat
the football” out of New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady in Super
Bowl 42. This year Reese drafted players envisioning that a situation
like this may occur where The Giants couldn’t retain everyone. This
season may be tougher for rookies due to absence of OTA’s, but The
Giants will still look for impacts from rookies and second year players.

Marvin Austin may have been a steal in round two as the defensive tackle
will team with second year player Linval Joseph to cushion the loss of
Cofield. Smith will be missed as he was a valuable target for
quarterback Eli Manning. Manning will now look to Nicks and Manningham
to team with rookie Jerrel Jernigan who may be the perfect replacement
for Smith if he can find his way. At 5’9″ Jernigan is a burner and will
be perfect to play the slot. Victor Cruz is speedy and Domenik Hixon is
returning from an ACL injury to help the receiving corps.

Although Reese came out recently and declared The Giants going to
the playoffs, Reese knows that talk is cheap and that actions speak
louder than words. Reese knows how to find talent and head coach Tom
Coughlin knows how to direct this team and motivate them. Many outside
of The Giants organization are writing them off before we have seen them
play one snap of a preseason game. Nobody expected The Giants to win in
2007 especially after they started the season 0-2 and the rest is
history. When Coughlin took over as head coach of The Jacksonville
Jaguars, nobody expected much either. Coughlin made them immediate
contenders by leading the team to two AFC Championship Games in the
franchise’s first four seasons.

Coughlin still has Manning who is a cool customer at quarterback.
Fans and football critics never give Manning the credit that he
deserves, but he is perfect for New York and The Giants. Manning never
gets flustered publicly and he leads the team into battle every Sunday.
Defensively Tuck will be solid as always and Umenyiora’s contract
situation will be resolved. Deep down I feel Umenyiora wants to stay
here, he just wants to be compensated as he deserves to. Reese will get
it done because Giants owner John Mara has already come out publicly
about keeping Umenyiora in New York. Everyone may not see it, but The
Giants have a plan and it will work.