The first Sunday of February was not that long ago. The New York Giants
defeated The New England Patriots 21-17 to once again hoist up The Vince
Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl Champions. The Giants returned home to a
festive celebration that started in Lower Manhattan’s Canyon of Heroes
and culminated at MetLife Stadium. As always, the defending Super Bowl
Champions are thrown right back into the pile with the other 31 National
Football League teams, but some people are trying to lose The Giants in
the shuffle already.
The Giants entered this off-season knowing that they would have 21
pending free agents. Cornerback Aaron Ross is now a Jacksonville Jaguar.
Wide receiver Mario Manningham was able to cash in on his big 38-yard
reception in The Super Bowl and he is now a member of The San Francisco
49ers. Running back Brandon Jacobs was released as a cap casualty and is
joining Manningham in Frisco.
Big Blue is once again being overshadowed on the back pages of the
newspapers in New York City since The New York Jets acquired quarterback
Tim Tebow via a trade with The Denver Broncos. Tebowmania is taking
over Gotham with fans flocking to sporting goods stores to get Tebow
t-shirts.
Apparently the odds makers in Las Vegas are not fans of The Giants
either. The Giants are currently at 19-1 odds to win next season’s Super
Bowl. The Niners along with The New England Patriots and Green Bay
Packers have better odds to win Super Bowl 47. All three of these teams
were defeated in the postseason last season at the hands of The Giants.
The Giants destroyed “the discount double check”, made 49ers head coach
Jim Harbaugh wish that he was able to draft Stanford Cardinal
quarterback Andrew Luck, and sent Patriots quarterback Tom Brady home to
cry to supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
The Giants were left for dead last August when the roster was decimated.
Wide receiver Steve Smith and tight end Kevin Boss were lost to free
agency. Cornerback Terrell Thomas and wide receiver Domenik Hixon were
lost early to season-ending knee injuries. Under the guidance of general
manager Jerry Reese, head coach Tom Coughlin, and quarterback Eli
Manning, The Giants persevered a found a way to win The Super Bowl. The
Giants are able to do this because Reese and Coughlin draft the best
athletes available and they rarely rely on free agency to sign impact
players. When The Giants sign free agents, the signings tend not to draw
a lot of hoopla. There wasn’t a parade last year when The Giants signed
center David Bass or safety Deon Grant. There wasn’t any in 2010 either
when The Giants signed linebacker Michael Boley. All three players
provided a veteran presence and were instrumental in The Giants winning
The Super Bowl.
Last season, Reese’s top three draft picks were non-factors as rookies.
First round pick cornerback Prince Amukamara missed half of the regular
season with a foot injury. Second round pick defensive tackle Marvin
Austin was lost in the preseason to a pectoral injury while third round
pick wide receiver Jerel Jernigan saw limited action on special teams.
Most teams in The NFL do not have a luxury of being able to have success
without their three top draft picks being able to contribute, but The
Giants roster is so deep due to Reese and Coughlin drafting well.
What is lost in everything is that The Giants still have quarterback Eli
Manning under center. Manning had his skeptics last year when he
considered himself as an elite quarterback. Manning has made his
detractors look foolish as he is now a two-time Super Bowl MVP. Since
Coughlin took over as head coach in 2004, he has used the phrase “talk
is cheap”. He has not gotten into a war of words with Jets head coach
Rex Ryan who has boasted about his team being the better football team
in New York since 2009. This was evident in week 16 last season when The
Giants defeated The Jets 29-14. This game proved to be the catalyst for
The Giants Super Bowl run.
It is tough for me to discredit a team that has a quarterback in the
prime of his career like Manning who is coming off of a season in which
he threw for over 4,000 yards. Manning’s two top wide receivers Victor
Cruz and Hakeem Nicks are in their mid-20s and are coming off of
Pro-Bowl caliber seasons in which they combined for over 2,700 yards
receiving. On the other side of the ball, defensive ends Jason
Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, and Justin Tuck can wreak havoc on opposing
quarterbacks as each has the ability to tally 15 sacks in a season.
In 2008, The Giants started the season with a record of 11-1 before the
wheels fell off after wide receiver Plaxico Burress’ shooting incident.
The Giants finished the season at 12-4 and were bounced in The
Divisional Round by The Philadelphia Eagles. I believe that if Burress’
incident had not occurred, The Giants would have been able to repeat as
Super Bowl Champions. This current team will be wiser and more focused
than ever to shut the doubters up and further cement their legacy as one
of the better teams of this era.
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