After a disappointing 2003 season, it wasn’t enough for the Giants to simply look inward and try to patch the holes that made them a 4-12 team. They needed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a rapidly changing NFC East division and identify the adjustments they would need to make in order to compete.

With the Redskins, Cowboys, and Eagles all making improvements in several areas during the off-season, the Giants had no choice but to try and do the same.

It came as no surprise, then, that Kurt Warner was named the starting quarterback on Sunday. Although everyone expects rookie Eli Manning to grow into a superstar, he looked like a deer caught in the headlines in Saturday’s exhibition game. The Jets used multiple defensive fronts and threw a variety of blitz packages against the young passer, and Manning made every mistake a quarterback can make.

Warner, despite his recent troubles, showed that he still has a quick release and the ability to throw the ball from several different release points – skills that will be crucial in the NFC East this season behind an offensive line featuring a rookie, a second year player at a new position, and two free agent additions. Until they gel, the pass protection is going to be spotty, as evidenced by the NFL-worst 14 sacks they have allowed in three pre-season games.

The Giants knew this would be an issue, not just because of their own offensive line, but because of what the other teams in their division have done.

The Eagles, Cowboys, and Redskins all upgraded their pass rushes during the offseason, signing free agent defensive ends to help them get more pressure on the quarterback. Before they hit their bye in week six, the Giants face each of them. After the way Eli Manning struggled against the Jets, it just makes more sense to have Warner out there against the Eagles’ Jevon Kearse or Washington’s Phillip Daniels.

Defensively, the Giants also knew that they would have to improve their run defense to account for the rest of the NFC East upgrading its running game. With Clinton Portis in Washington and Eddie George in Dallas – both 1,000-yard rushers last season – the Giants needed to add a couple of big run stuffers to the middle of their defensive line. They did so, signing defensive tackles Norman Hand and Fred Robbins.

The Giants also made sweeping changes to their linebacking corps, adding youth and speed to help counter the quickness of their division’s mobile quarterbacks and elusive backs like Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook and Dallas’s Julius Jones.

With Joe Gibbs taking over the Redskins and Bill Parcells building the Cowboys, all three of the Giants’ division foes also like to use their tight ends in the passing game. It’s the primary reason why the Giants signed strong-side linebacker Carlos Emmons in free agency.

Last year’s starter, Brandon Short, was strong against the run but struggled in pass coverage. That’s a weakness the Giants couldn’t afford this year in the NFC East. Emmons, the Eagles defensive-MVP last year, is good at jamming tight ends at the line of scrimmage and keeping them from getting out into their routes. He’s also very good at dropping back into zone coverage.

One of the areas where the Giants didn’t adjust was in their secondary. After finishing 25th in pass defense last year, the Giants will return the same four starters, a decision that will come back to haunt them. Free safety Omar Stoutmire and cornerback Will Allen both have good speed, but their lack of size is a liability against tall, physical wide receivers.

Against the Redskins, for example, the Giants secondary did a decent job last year of containing Laveranues Coles, a speedy 5-foot-11 receiver. But Rod Gardner, his 6-foot-2 teammate, torched them for a touchdown in each of their two meetings. In fairness, a lot of defenses struggled against Randy Moss or Terrell Owens, but the Giants were consistently burned by big men who weren’t Pro Bowlers – guys like Joe Horn and Mushin Muhammad.

That’s a problem, given that the Eagles added 6-foot-3 Terrell Owens and the Cowboys traded for 6-foot-4 Keyshawn Johnson. They are two of the most physical receivers in the game, masters of using their bodies to create separation from defenders and using their size to fight for balls in traffic. Those types of players are going to be even harder to cover given the NFL’s crackdown on defenders bumping receivers after they get five yards from the line of scrimmage.

When you add in the out-of-division opponents, the schedule is chock full of the NFL’s big receivers: Plaxico Burress, Randy Moss. Chad Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Charlie Rogers, Javon Walker. The secondary is going to face a challenge every week.

So far in the preseason, it seems that the Giants have done a good job in some areas, but their lack of adjustments in the secondary is a major weakness.

Opponents only need to find one weakness to be able to defeat you. Unless defensive coordinator Tim Lewis and secondary coach Ron Milus have some tricks up their sleeves, it’s clear that the Giants’ secondary will be their Achilles’ heel this season.