Big Blue Looking To Be More Offensive

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

Last year, the Giants started the season 5-2 and looked poised to be the surprise team of the year. But it wasn’t long before the offensive line broke down, several players were lost to injury, and the team’s focus eventually shifted from making the playoffs to developing quarterback Eli Manning.


This year’s Giants have made moves to improve the offensive line and are heading into the season healthy, but the development of Manning remains a major project. Does Peyton’s younger brother have enough experience under his belt to take some pressure off the running game and lead Big Blue into the playoffs? Here’s a look at the offensive and defensive units for the 2005 Giants.


OFFENSE


First things first. Eli Manning must improve. We all know his numbers from last year – 95 completions in 197 attempts for a 48.2% completion rate, 1,043 yards, six touchdowns, and nine interceptions – look like bad omens. But the good news is that Manning played less than half the season, and young quarterbacks frequently need to get a few games under their belts before showing their true potential. That was certainly the case with Eli’s older brother in Indianapolis.


Most young quarterbacks lack the patience to wait for a deep receiver’s route to develop downfield and check down to the safety-valve running back too quickly. Manning was just the opposite last year. He struggled to make use of running back Tiki Barber and was at his best when the Giants used four- and five receiver sets. In college, Manning showed great decision-making ability and an accurate arm. This year, he needs to show that he can still avoid interceptions and find open receivers against the more complex and athletic defenses in the NFL.


To help Manning along, the Giants have constructed a solid five-receiver package with the addition of free-agent signing Plaxico Burress, who’ll suit up with returning starter Amani Toomer, deep threat Tim Carter, second-year player Jamaar Taylor, and tight end Jeremy Shockey, who often lines up split out as a receiver. Manning’s development should help Toomer, who played much better with Kurt Warner under center last year than he did with Manning. Carter showed promise in the five games he played before a hip injury ended his season.


Shockey has long been hyped as one of a new breed of tight ends who can block like a lineman and run like a wideout, but despite flashes of big-play ability, his first three seasons have been marked by apathetic blocking and too many dropped passes. Shockey led the team with 61 catches and six touchdown receptions last season, but this year the Giants need him to get more separation from linebackers and safeties.


Barber is by far the best player on the offense. Playing against eight-man fronts for much of last year because opposing defenses didn’t respect the Giants’ passing attack, Barber still managed to run for 1,518 yards. Head coach Tom Coughlin wants to use 256-pound rookie Brandon Jacobs to take some pressure off Barber, especially in short yardage situations. Jacobs has shown power and speed in the preseason, although plenty of players have had impressive preseasons only to fizzle when the games count.


One way or the other, if the Giants want Barber to maintain his level of quality at age 30 after a season’s worth of carrying the offense on his back, they’ll need one of the backups to play well.


An overmatched offensive line has plagued the Giants the last few years, but this year’s unit should be improved with the development of Chris Snee. Because he’s Coughlin’s son-in-law, many observers snickered when the Giants selected Snee in the 2004 draft, but by the end of the year he was coming on as a strong drive blocking guard.


Even more important to the offensive line is free-agent right tackle Kareem McKenzie. He should improve the running game and the pass protection because he’s strong enough to overpower most defensive ends oneon-one. But McKenzie is a bit slow, which means speed rushers will get past him, and the Giants paid too much for his services, with a seven year, $37.5 million contract and a $12.5 million signing bonus.


DEFENSE


Getting a full season out of 33-year-old defensive end Michael Strahan would be a big boost to the Giants. He missed the second half of last season with a torn pectoral, but has looked healthy and strong in the preseason. Opposing offenses still made double teaming Strahan a major part of their game plans against the Giants last year, and if Strahan can demand that kind of attention again, he’ll open things up for the Giants’ other top pass rushing ends, Osi Umenyiora and rookie Justin Tuck.


William Joseph, the team’s first-round pick in 2003, has wrongly been judged as a disappointment because the press judge defensive linemen almost exclusively by their sacks, and Joseph has only three in his two-year career. What they don’t report is that Joseph is an excellent run defender. The Giants were the best team in the league in 2004 at stopping runs to their opponents’ left guard – directly at right defensive tackle Joseph.


Antonio Pierce is a great free-agent addition at middle linebacker. Last season, Pierce ranked fourth in the NFC with 114 tackles, making him one of the key cogs in the Redskins’ superb defense. The Giants need strength in the middle because their outside linebackers remain a weakness. Reggie Torbor, Nick Greisen, Carlos Emmons, and Barrett Green will all see playing time at outside linebacker, but none is more than a marginal player.


The linebackers’ performance in the red zone is a major area of concern. The Giants were terrible near their own end zone last year, surrendering touchdowns on 72% of red zone possessions. (The NFL average was 55%.) Pierce will help in that regard, but they still need the outside linebackers to do a better job in short coverage near the goal line, especially against running backs catching short passes out of the backfield, which Giants opponents did well in 2004.


The Giants’ secondary, led by veteran stalwarts Will Allen and Will Peterson, played well against no. 1 receivers last season. But they were horrid against no. 2 receivers, and the blame can be placed squarely on coordinator Tim Lewis. The Giants tend to use their safeties to help the cornerbacks in coverage on the opposition’s top receiver, which leaves large holes in coverage that opposing offenses can use to get the ball to the no. 2 receiver.


But this season, the emergence of rookie cornerback Corey Webster should help the Giants against opposing second receivers. NFL scouts considered Webster a potential top-10 overall pick after his junior season at LSU in 2003, but a hamstring injury as a senior dropped him into the second round of this year’s draft. Based on the preseason, he looks like a steal. Combined with incumbent starters Allen and Peterson, Webster gives the Giants a good group of cornerbacks.


Safety Gibril Wilson is the secondary’s best young player. Last year, he showed excellent speed and the ability to deliver punishing hits. Although he played in only eight games because of an injury, Wilson had one of the best rookie years in the NFL in 2004.


OVERALL


In Tom Coughlin’s previous stints as a head coach – with Boston College and the Jacksonville Jaguars – his teams improved significantly from the first year to the second. Will the same happen with the Giants? It’s possible, but probably not. Manning should be better than he was last year, and the Giants have good young talent, but this team still looks a year away. Eight wins would be real progress; a prediction of anything higher is overly optimistic.



Mr. Smith writes for the statistical Web site FootballOutsiders.com. He will be previewing the Jets in tomorrow’s New York Sun.


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