Aug 11 2008
Will New York be a Giant again in 2008
The New York Giants are the 2007 Superbowl Champions and no one can take that away from them. With that being said, it is 2008. No matter what happened in 2007, it means nothing for 2008. The Giants rank as one of the best road teams around. It was their play on the road that actually got them into the Superbowl as they could only muster 3 wins at home.
As I said earlier, all that is history. And speaking of history, so is tight end Jeremy Shockey (New Orleans ), defensive end Michael Strahan (retired), linebacker Kawika Mitchell (Buffalo Bills), safety Gibril Wilson (Oakland Raiders), and linebacker Reggie Torbor (Miami Dolphins). Some might think that this is a rebuilding year. You might want to rethink that. It is a building year for sure. Building on what they did last year.
Improvements have been made to the team. One of the things I am glad to see is a good back-up quarterback in the form of David Carr. I really do not expect that we will see much from him on the field, but it is nice to have him around in case something were to happen to Eli Manning. With this years core of receivers Eli should feast. Returning wide receivers are Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss, and Michael Jennings. At this point David Tyree remains sidelined. Also, the backfield seems to be loaded as Brandon Jacobs , Derrick Ward , and Danny Ware all seem to be capable of carry the “rock”. All in all, this team will go as the offensive line goes. If they can give Manning the time, these receivers and running backs will get open and all can fly once they have the ball. Look for an explosive team on offense.
As for defense, what can I say. It is tough to replace a guy like Michael Strahan who got you 9 sacks. With that said, all you have to do is look at guys like Osi Umenyiora (13 sacks), Justin Tuck (10 sacks) and an entire defense that total 53 to know that these guys can still go after it. Micheal will be missed, but the defense front will be strong. Linebacker Antonio Pierce , who led the team with an outstanding 102 tackles, is back and ready to step into the trenches. The secondary also will look a little different with the likes of Wilson, who had the 3rd most tackles on the team, is gone. However, saftey Sammy Knight and corner back Sam Madison are up for the challenge.
It looks to be an promising season for the Giants again. I am predicting that this year will be a better season with an 11-5 regular season and a trip to the playoffs.
I think the playoff prediction is right on. The Giants took some big hits though in terms of players going to other teams (and the retirement of Strahan). This is definitely a team to be reckoned with.
Rich, I think they have the tight end position covered and the CB is covered as well. My concern is Strahan.
Jim, I am looking forward to seeing how these guys perform.