2006 NFL Preview: The New York Giants

Quarterback- Eli Manning is starting to come into his own as a quarterback, but the Giants are expecting big things from Eli in 2006. With all of the weapons at his disposal, Manning should certainly be able to lead the Giants to a division title and deep into the NFL playoffs in 2006. Look for Manning to be equal to the task and start to either step out of the shadow of his brother Peyton or to use the shadow as a tool to motivate himself to play better. Manning will be backed up by Tim Hasselbeck, who is turning into a decent reserve quarterback in the NFL. The likely third quarterback will be either Josh Harris or Jared Lorenzen, with Lorenzen holding the edge at this point due to his experience with the Giants last season.
2006 NFL Grade: B+

Running back/ Full back- Tiki Barber is a grinding half back and one of the better runners in the league, especially considering his versatility as a receiver and blocker in pass situations. Barber will continue to do well in 2006 and will get help from an improving backup, Brandon Jacobs. Jacobs had a few critical mistakes last season, including a goal line fumble, but Jacobs is a big physical back that can ease some of the pressure off of Barber on an every game basis. Full back Jim Finn is hard working and will do well by Barber in blocking for him on the outside. The running game will be critical to the individual success of Eli Manning and for the Giants in general.
2006 NFL Grade: A-

Wide Receiver/Tight End- Jeremy Shockey will continue to develop into one of the league’s best receiving options and for the Giants they will be able to reap benefits off of increased coverage on Shockey. The Giants now have two solid deep threats in Plaxico Burress and rookie Sinorice Moss and a possession receiver like Amani Toomer. Manning should have no problem finding an open receiver in 2006 and look for Moss to have a big year by zipping past defensive backs on his way to the end zone quite a few times.
2006 NFL Grade: A-

Offensive Line- The Giants offensive line lacks the big names of teams like the Washington Redskins, but their strength will be in their ability to work as one unit instead of five individual players. Lineman like Shaun O’Hara, David Diehl, Luke Petitgout, and Chris Snee are not good enough individually to shut down defensive lines; however, as a group, they should be adequate to give Barber some holes and Manning some time. However, don’t expect to be blown away by their abilities and if one lineman goes down, the unit concept may fail Coach Coughlin in 2006.
2006 NFL Grade: C+

Defensive Line- The defensive line of the New York Giants was outstanding last season and their book ends in Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora will have another good year teeing off on quarterbacks in 2006. Strahan and Umenyiora had one of the best seasons for a defensive end pairing in league history and while they may not achieve that level of play, if they get even close this season it will be a huge help to the Giants’ cause. In the defensive interior, tackles William Joseph and Fred Robbins will stuff the run and provide support to the defensive ends in distracting the interior line and diverting the run to the outside.
2006 NFL Grade: A-

Linebacker- The acquisition of LaVar Arrington in the 2006 offseason was a good one for the New York Giants but now the linebacker corps’ success this season relies on whether Arrington can stay healthy for an entire season. Arrington is an outstanding physical specimen and a good football player but without him, the Giants may struggle a bit to contribute in pass defense in 2006. However, we should not give short shrift to linebackers Carlos Emmons, Antonio Pierce, and Brandon Short, because they are a talented group of linebackers. However, with the addition of a high profile player like Arrington, the performance of the Giants linebackers hinges on his ability to stay on the field.
2006 NFL Grade: B

Defensive Back- The defensive backfield for the Giants will struggle in 2006, as aging veterans like Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters will try and keep teams from going deep against New York. While they were once very good cornerbacks, neither is capable of shutting down younger, faster receivers on a game by game basis for an entire season. Safeties Will Demps and Gabril Wilson are good safeties but they need great safeties to support their weak corner play. The Giants need to rely on their superior pass rush and linebackers to keep quarterbacks from throwing deep, otherwise New York is in trouble in 2006.
2006 NFL Grade: C

Kicker/Punter-Kicker Jay Feeley is still recovering from his three missed game winning kicks against Seattle last season and he will need to rebuild his confidence to get back to clutch kicker status in 2006. Feeley has the skills but kicking is largely about mental strength and any slight insecurity about his ability to hit the big kick will cost the Giants. Look for Feeley to rebound on a game to game basis and by the end of the season he will recover from his poor performance last season. At punter, though there is token competition from Travis Dorsch, the Giants will go with 19 year veteran Jeff Feagles. In punting, Feagles is one of the most prolific in league history and in 2006 will provide a steady hand in punting situations and look to provide the Giants defense with some help game by game.
2006 NFL Grade: B

2006 NFL Projection-The Giants will win the NFC East this season, with a 10-6 or 11-5 record good enough to put them over some tough competition from the Redskins and the Cowboys.