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2005 Team Report: New York Giants
Quarterbacks
Starter: Eli Manning
Starting QB: Franchise cornerstone Eli Manning enters the 2005 season as the team's starter, after taking over the helm partway through the 2004 season. "Baptism by fire" would be a fair description of Manning's rookie experience, having to play a string of the league's best defensive units at the start of his career (Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore and Pittsburgh). To say he struggled would be an understatement (48% completion, 5.3 yards per attempt, 6 TDs-to-9 INTs) but he showed tenacity in a difficult situation. Manning has the physical tools and picture perfect mechanics to belie his horrid 2004 metrics, and one has to expect significant improvement this year for several reasons. One, the team added right tackle Kareem McKenzie which should send a ripple effect through the entire line. Two, Plaxico Burress was brought onboard to give Manning a true top flight wide receiver. Three, with a full training camp as the starter and half a season under his wing, it stands to reason the game will be easier to process. Giants' fans and fantasy owners shouldn't expect miracles from Manning in 2005, but he should take important steps forward in his development.
Backup QB: Jim Miller was signed to replace Kurt Warner as the team's veteran backup. But in April he underwent surgery for a torn hip labrum, and was subsequently tendered his release with an injury settlement. The team then entertained bringing Doug Flutie into the fold, but he signed with New England. Finally, the team claimed Tim Hasselbeck, the Redskins 3rd string QB last year, off waivers. Although Hasselbeck has only attempted 177 careers passes, he did start for part of the 2003 season in D.C. Jared Lorenzen, known more for his expansive waistline than his pro prospects, beat out Jesse "The Bachelor" Palmer for the third string job.
Running Backs
Starter: Tiki Barber
Starting RB: Coming off a solid, albeit unspectacular 2003 season (1,677 total yards, three TDs), with a new coach and talk of losing goal line carries, many thought we had seen the best that Tiki Barber had to offer. Fortunately for Giants fans and fantasy owners alike, Barber not only played well in 2004, but ascended to the elite. In his first year under Tom Coughlin, Barber set career highs for carries (322), rushing yards (1,518), touchdowns (15), and yards from scrimmage (2,096). In the process he led the league in yards from scrimmage and was fourth in touchdowns on his way to a second place fantasy finish. Although it's unlikely Barber will account for 42% of the team's offensive output in 2005, he should still be the focal point given Eli Manning's inexperience and Tom Coughlin's offensive philosophy. Barber has developed into a multifaceted threat, able to make plays in the receiving game while carrying the ball equally well outside and between the tackles. Backup RBs: Last year, Ron Dayne was supposed to resurrect his career and spell Barber in short yardage and goal line situations. But the team soon found out that Dayne's size didn't equate to being a productive short yardage option. Enter Brandon Jacobs, the mammoth (6'4", 267 pounds) rookie tailback from Southern Illinois. GM Ernie Accorsi and HC Tom Coughlin are telling everyone who will listen that Jacobs is going to be the team's goal line and short yardage specialist. Jacobs is a bruising, straight ahead runner whose strength is moving the pile and he will be asked to spell (not replace!) Barber. Derrick Ward also figures into the backup mix. Chad Morton, better known for his return duties, was signed in early September as the final tailback. HC Tom Coughlin believes Morton can be serviceable in that role.
Fullback: Jim Finn reprises his role as the team's lead blocker. He has developed into a devastating lead blocker, as exhibited by Barber's 1,500 yards rushing, but remains a limited contributor on offense.
Wide Receivers
Starters: Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer
Starting WRs: Plaxico Burress signed with New York after a prolonged courtship this offseason. For the first time in his career, he gets the opportunity to be a true number one receiver, no longer sharing the spotlight with Hines Ward in Pittsburgh. Burress has been inconsistent in his career, having only one elite season to his credit (1,325 yards and eight touchdowns in 2002). But no one can deny that, when healthy and focused, he is an impact receiver who is difficult to defend with single coverage. He is also a committed blocker, a rarity among top tier receivers. Burress' success hinges more on whether he can relate to Tom Coughlin than his ability to face challenges on the field. Longtime Giant Amani Toomer finds himself the secondary focus of opposing defensive backfields for the first time in his career. Toomer is coming off an injury-plagued season, catching only 51 passes for 747 yards while failing to grab a single touchdown. But he's now healthy and appears a good bet to rebound this year, possibly earning his sixth 1,000-yard season as Eli Manning matures and Burress forces defenses to play Toomer straight up. Backup WRs: The Giants backup receivers are an intriguing bunch characterized as much by their propensity for injury as they are for their collective speed. The Giants coaches were particularly enamored with Tim Carter and Jamaar Taylor last season. Both are burners who flashed moments of productivity. Unfortunately, they missed a combined 23 games last year. David Tyree, a special teams standout, opens the season as the 3rd receiver but what that ultimately means in terms of his role remains to be seen.
Tight Ends
Starters: Jeremy Shockey
Jeremy Shockey enters his fourth season having not yet lived up to the enormous expectations set when the Giants made him a high first round draft choice out of the University of Miami. Injuries and lapses of concentration have befallen Shockey in each of his first three seasons, yet he's still managed to be productive enough to secure two Pro Bowl nods over that span. Last year was his most effective season statistically (61 receptions for 666 yards and six touchdowns) but costly drops and a lack of explosiveness after the catch were apparent to even Shockey himself. "I dropped too many balls," Shockey says. "I got stopped on the 1-yard line three times. I never got stopped on the 1-yard line!…,I wake up every morning looking in the mirror knowing I could have helped the team a <,heck>, of a lot more than I did last year." Giants' fans and fantasy owners hope his April declarations translate to 16 weeks of production when it counts. Visanthe Shiancoe and Chris Luzar serve as the team's backups, and both have noticeable limitations. Place Kicker Jay Feely : The Giants acquired former Falcon free agent Jay Feely this offseason. The perception of Feely is probably better than the reality. Most seem to remember him from 2002 when he led the NFL in scoring with 138 points. He connected on 80.0% of FGs that year, but has been below that every other year. He's got a strong leg, which led to 13 touchbacks on kickoffs last, however he's not accurate on the longer FGs (7 of 16 over 40 yards the last two years). Kick and Punt Returners Kick Returners: Chad Morton, Willie Ponder, Derrick Ward The Giants hope newly signed Chad Morton can recapture the form he showed as the Jets invaluable return man prior to signing a free agent deal in Washington. Morton has battled injury of late, and his value is far from assured. Should he falter, the Giants can turn to last year's very effective one-two combo. WR Willie Ponder is fast on the run and led the team (36 returns, 26.9 avg, 1 TD). Elusive RB Derrick Ward also made a solid contribution (16 returns, 27.3 avg, 1 TD). Punt Returners: Chad Morton, Curtis DeLoatch, Willie Ponder, Corey Webster WR Mark Jones led the team with 34 punt returns but had a measly 6.7 average (due probably to poor blocking rather than his skills), and has been cut. Chad Morton will be asked to contribute in both return games. CB Curtis DeLoatch was looking like the best PR in preseason last year until he fumbled away the job, but he remains one of the last men standing this year. Willie Ponder and Corey Webster are alternative options. Offensive Line
Projected Starters: RT Kareem McKenzie, RG Chris Snee, C Shaun O'Hara, LG David Diehl, LT Luke Petitgout
The Giants have a very solid offensive line. The cornerstone is underrated tackle Luke Petitgout who has been the starter since the 1999 season. He is a good athlete and is outstanding technically. Young guards David Diehl and Chris Snee are coming into their own with very aggressive, hard-nosed play and could be great with improved technique. Diehl has started all 32 games since entering the NFL in 2003. At center is Shaun O'Hara who isn't a star but gets the job done. Adding a veteran presence in Kareem McKenzie (who has good size and a mean demeanor) will help make this unit come together. There will continue to be a learning curve for the young players, but the future looks very bright indeed. Team Defense The last time that the New York Giants had a defense which ranked among the leagues best was in 2000 (which, unsurprisingly, happens to be the year they lost to Baltimore in the Super Bowl). That year they finished with the leagues fifth ranked defense - #2 against the run with an average allowance of just 72.3 yards per game on the ground. If you wonder how a team goes from being in the Super Bowl to winning just 10 games in a two year span, look no further than their run defense, which has given up an average of over 125 yards per game over the last two seasons, finishing 2004 ranked #28. It wasn't supposed to be this way, with new defensive coordinator Tim Lewis coming over from the Steelers, bringing in an aggressive system which regularly had Pittsburgh among the games elite. Unfortunately, the personnel proved to be the culprit. Ineffectiveness combined with injuries to key players left the Giants with some major holes that went without repair throughout the year. The health of star DE Michael Strahan will also be a key issue as they lost eight straight games a year ago when he was forced out of action. Defensive Line
Starters: DE Michael Strahan, DE Osi Umenyiora, DT William Joseph, DT Fred Robbins
Starting DL: When the New York Giants refused to include DE Osi Umenyiora in the draft day trade that netted them QB Eli Manning, they obviously thought that they had something special in their rookie situational pass rusher. Three years later, Umenyiora has become all that they expected, plus some, as he enters 2006 among the leagues top defensive ends. With 1.5 years of starting experience under his belt, OU will look to continue his development against the run and maintain his status as an elite pass rusher. There's certainly something in the water at Troy State (Umenyiora, DeMarcus Ware). Helping along the progress of Umenyiora has been one of the leagues all-time greats, DE Michael Strahan. After seemingly fading into the sunset during the 2004 season, missing the final eight games with a torn pectoral muscle (his first missed games after playing in 137 consecutive), Strahan rose from the ashes like a Phoenix, re-staking his claim atop NFL defensive linemen with 61 solo tackles and 11.5 sacks. It is literally impossible for Michael Strahan to keep pace at an age when most players are well in decline (he turns 35 in November), but it's also impossible to write him off after what he's shown in terms of production and keeping himself in peak physical condition. Inside is where defensive tackles William Joseph and Fred Robbins roam. Joseph, a 1st round pick in 2003, has been surprisingly unproductive in his first three seasons after being tabbed as a future star in this league. Consistency and injuries have been the biggest issues with the 6'5 315 pounder and, although he possesses all of the physical tools to dominate, his time is running out. Robbins, a traditional plugger at 6'4 325, plays the space-eating/run-stuffer role in this defense. His fantasy outlook is very minimal, although he did surprise is 2004 with 31 solo tackles and five sacks (the only year in six NFL seasons that he's posted better than 21 solos and two sacks). Backup DL: Justin Tuck provides quality depth at defensive end. An impressive pass rusher who holds Notre Dame’s career sack record, Tuck didn't get the opportunity to show much as a rookie last year because of the stellar seasons by Umenyiora and Strahan. At 6'5 268 he's a willing run defender with good speed whose intelligence has landed him a role in the DE rotation, helping keep the studs fresh. The Giants top DT reserve a year ago, Kendrick Clancy, left New York and headed to Arizona as a free agent. That leaves the Giants very thin on the interior of their defensive line with Kenderick Allen and Damane Duckett. Entering their 4th and 3rd years, respectively, both possess impressive size with limited game experience. Allen would get the call should something happen to Joseph/Robbins, but they'd once again struggle to provide an inside rush should that happen.
Linebackers
Starters: MLB Antonio Pierce, SLB Carlos Emmons, WLB Lavar Arrington
Starting LBs: In his first year with the Giants, MLB Antonio Pierce proved to be a free-agent gem. Not only did he fill up the boxscore with 78 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 interceptions and 11 passes defended, he proved to be a very strong locker room presence, the heart of the defense if not the entire team. A 3-down linebacker with excellent speed, strength and coverage skills, Pierce should be back to full strength after missing the final four games a year ago with an ankle injury (including playoff loss to Carolina). SLB Carlos Emmons has never been a statistical force, but he is a huge LB (6'5 250) whose intelligence leaves him with much more value than what shows up in the boxscore. A good run defender who's solid in coverage, Emmons enter his 11th season (3rd in NY) hoping NOT for a repeat performance of 2005, a season which he finished the year on the injured reserve after missing seven games with knee/ankle/torn pectoral injuries. The signing of free-agent Lavar Arrington gives New York the true WLB that they lacked a year ago. Explosive and undisciplined, Arrington has the physical tools to be one of the games most dynamic defenders…when he’s not freelancing and out of position. The Giants appear to have a stable core on defense which may be able to soften the blow of Arrington’s wayward ways, allowing him to do what he does best without detriment to the defense. Lavar Arrington’s health may also be a concern. A knee injury limited him to just four games in 2004 and he was relatively unproductive a year ago in 13 games, although the Redskins scheme and coaches may have had something to do with his production. Backup LBs: Reggie Torbor, a starter at SLB in 10 games last year is an excellent pass rusher with adequate strength who seems perfectly fit as an OLB in a 3-4 set (which the Giants have toyed with in the past). He's still feeling a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the regular season finale. A year ago at this time, LB Chase Blackburn was a rookie free-agent looking to catch on with an NFL team. Eventually landing with the Giants, Blackburn was a special team’s ace until week 15, when he started two games at MLB in place of Antonio Pierce and posted 15 tackles (6 solo) with an interception. He was carted off of the field during week 16 (neck) but is expected to be healthy for the upcoming season.
Defensive Backs
Starters: CB Corey Webster, CB Sam Madison, FS Will Demps, SS Gibril Wilson
Starting DBs: A rookie 2nd round pick in 2005, CB Corey Webster played nickel back for much of the season but appeared to be one bad Will Allen play away from entering the starting lineup. He started three games overall (including opening round playoff loss), averaging seven solo tackles per start, and, although he didn't intercept a pass in 2005, he is considered to have superb overall ball skills (a welcome change from Allen/Peterson, who couldn't seem to catch a cold). Entering this year he appears to have a stronghold on one starting cornerback job. The other will go to a new face in New York, CB Sam Madison. A nine-year vet who was widely considered one of the leagues top covermen/playmakers during his early days in Miami, Madison brings veteran leadership and 31 career interceptions to the Giants secondary. Although he's lost a step at age 32, he still can make plays and should be a welcome addition to a young defensive backfield. Another new addition to the Giants secondary is FS Will Demps. A starter for the past 2.5 season as Baltimore's strong safety, Demps is a heady player with decent playmaking skills who should bring a bit of consistency to the defense. A partially torn ACL forced Demps to miss the final five games last year and, while he's expected to be ready for training camp, he will lose some valuable time as he rehabs while attempting to learn a new defense. Strong Safety Gibril Wilson is the star of this secondary. A 5th round pick in 2004, he stepped into the starting lineup during week three of his rookie year and has not looked back. A shoulder stinger knocked him out of the final seven games of that '04 season, but his full 16 game slate in 2005 shows that injuries should not be an issue. Through his first 24 career games he's averaging 5+ solo tackles per contest with six sacks and five interceptions, making him a top-5 fantasy defensive back. Considered a run-stuffing safety with marginal coverage ability, he obviously knows how to make plays on the ball. Backup DBs: Cornerback Curtis DeLoatch started 13 games last year in place of Will Peterson, who missed all but two games with a back injury. A huge CB at 6'2 217, DeLoatch didn't play as well as they had hoped in his second season (originally an undrafted rookie) which forced them to find a starter this offseason (Madison). In regards to Peterson, in looks like his career is in jeopardy after multiple back fractures during the last three seasons. They are proceeding at this point like Peterson will not be available. CB R.W.McQuarters is another free-agent addition who should fill the nickel back/return specialist role. An eight year vet, McQuarters has never lived up to his first round billing (28th overall in 1998) but he has carved out a niche as a #3/occasional starting cornerback and return man. He's started 25 games over the last two years with Detroit and Chicago. At safety the Giants don't have near the depth that they have at corner, with Quentin Harris being the top reserve. A free-agent signee from Arizona, Harris has just 43 solo tackles in four NFL seasons. With Curtis DeLoatch's size and limitations at cornerback, you'd have to think that he may be asked to transition if necessary.
Last modified: 2006-04-23 23:03:25
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