G-I-A-N-T-S

By Billy Fellin   

    As another season is on the horizon over the swamps of Jersey, the Giants are poised to make a run into the playoffs in arguably the toughest division in all of football.
  This off-season the Giants made acquisitions that addressed their gaping holes and weaknesses, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Mathias Kiwanuka was picked up through the draft, the 6 foot 5 defensive lineman from Boston College. His arrival was seen as odd at first due to the overwhelming success of the Giants defensive line attack from last year with Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyora. However, contrary to earlier thoughts, Kiwanuka should prove to be an invaluable acquistion for the Giants. Not only will he gain experience and valuable advice from Strahan, he will probably become the heir to his position. Good defensive lineman are sometimes hard to come by, and with Kiwanuka learning and growing from what he will experience this year, no matter if he plays or not, he will become a force to be reckoned with when his time comes.

    With the entire line-backing corps dropping like flies last year, the front office saw another place where help was needed. Enter LaVar Arrington, who not only brings his natural talent for finding the ball carrier, but his unique character to the clubhouse. He is already turning heads in Big Blue Country, by showing that he is worth his contract and by showing up to a media session riding a Segway. His ex-teammate from the Redskins, Antonio Pierce is healthy and ready to go for this season. I think that with Arrington, Pierce, Emmons and Greisen, the corps will be strong and solid this year. As long as they stay healthy, watch out for this group to be a dominant force in the league.

    The final area of the Giants’ off-season focus was with their ailing secondary. They brought in Sam Madison from Miami and R. W. McQuarters from the Lions to bring experience to the very young secondary. Will Demps also comes to Jersey from Baltimore to help at the safety position. Curtis DeLoatch, Frank Walker, last year’s first round draft pick Corey Webster return at corner and James Butler and Gibril Wilson are still back there at safety. Last year the Giants had the youngest, and therefore one of the most inexperienced, secondary units in the league. McQuarters and Madison will help both of those areas a great deal.

    With the Redskins, Cowboys and Eagles all making strides in the off-season to better their teams, this division looks to be rough and tumble, with even the most menial game on the schedule holding importance. The Giants have their work cut out for them, drawing the second toughest schedule in the NFC, the Bears having the hardest. To start off the season is the much-anticipated “Manning Bowl”, Giants vs. Colts on ESPN. After the Colts come the Eagles and the Seahawks. That’s a rough three games to open the season. Week 4 is their bye week and then rest of the schedule holds four playoff teams from last year (Redskins, Bears, Panthers, Bucs), with matches against the Texans, Saints, Jaguars, Titans, and Falcons as well. Then throw in another game against the Redskins and Eagles as well as two against the Cowgirls.

    The Giants know what they are up against and they are ready for it. The offense looks as potent as ever, with Jeremy Shockey healthy once again and eager for action. As long as his own secondary stops giving him mild concussions, he’ll be fine. Plaxico Burress is looking to improve on his 1,214 yards and his shared team lead of 7 touchdown catches. Tiki Barber is still the threat he always has been in the backfield, with the Giants’ faithful looking to him to repeat last season’s numbers. Eli Manning is entering his 3rd season in the NFL, 2nd as a full time starter. While he is, in my opinion, already drawing unfair comparisons from the media to his brother, he does play in a high-pressure town. New York just has the effect on all of its’ athletes. Many people forget that he threw 24 touchdowns last year. Many more remember that he threw 17 interceptions. However, I believe that he will enter his own under center, a totally separate quarterback from not only his form his rookie and sophomore season, but from his brother as well.

    As a die-hard Giants fan, I obviously want them to go all the way to Miami this year. As a knowledgeable sports fan, I know that there are 31 other teams out there that have the same goal in mind. My prediction is that the Giants will win the NFC East with an 11-5 record. Their playoff lives really do depend on who they play during the first round, so I’m not going to even go anywhere near that yet.

    This season looks to be a great one, not only in the Meadowlands, but also all across the NFL. New faces in new places and all eyes are down in New Orleans to see the fans reaction during the first game played in the Big Easy since Katrina. So get that La-Z-Boy in just the right spot, stock up on your beverage of choice and get the chips and dip ready. This season looks not to disappoint.