The NFL is back, and Sportsnet is breaking down everything you need to know about each of the 32 teams—including why you should or shouldn’t be rooting for them this season—in the month leading up to kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 10. Today, the New York Giants.
Last year’s record: 6-10
Head coach: Tom Coughlin
Core players: Eli Manning (QB), Odell Beckham Jr. (WR), Victor Cruz (WR), Rashad Jennings (RB), Shane Vereen (RB), Jason Pierre-Paul (DE), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (CB)
2015 is about… Getting back to the post-season. The Giants haven’t made the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl four seasons ago, and Eli Manning’s playing window is quickly closing. With Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle, Shane Vereen and Rashad Jennings on offence, Big Blue has the talent, and we all remember what magic Tom Coughlin can work when the Giants are playing in January. Having OBJ for the entire season should help achieve that goal.
They lost… Jason Pierre-Paul, for the foreseeable future. The Giants’ defensive end has been the biggest story of the team’s off-season since the July 4 fireworks accident that cost him a finger. Pierre-Paul has stayed away from the team, and it’s anyone’s guess as to when he’ll return. The Giants also lost another pass rusher in Mathias Kiwanuka, who wasn’t great last season but was another loss on a defensive front that is a shadow of its former dominant self. The departure of Antrel Rolle, a member of both Super Bowl winners in the ’07 and ’11 campaigns, left a big hole at safety, one that has only widened after an absurd amount of injuries at the position throughout training camp and the pre-season.
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Yeah, but they got… The impact of Pierre Paul’s temporary absence could be softened by the off-season addition of former Cowboys defensive end George Selvie, but it appears to be more of a depth move at this point. Former Jets defensive tackle Kendrick Ellis also adds some experience and depth to the defensive line. An underrated free-agent signing could be that of Vereen, who is a solid pass catcher out of the backfield and had a career-high 96 rushes with the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots last season. Finally, Marshall Newhouse was brought over from Cincinnati as another new piece on the rebuilt offensive line.
Growing from within: Already a top receiver in the league, if Beckham can build on his spectacular rookie season—or even just replicate it—the Giants’ offence will be feared. The injury to starting left tackle Will Beatty means the Giants will have three new starters along the offensive line come Week 1, meaning first-round pick Ereck Flowers, second-year centre Weston Richburg and 2013 top pick Justin Pugh will need to step up in 2015. New York drafted defensive end Owa Odighizuwa, a potential first-round talent taken in the third, with the hope the former UCLA standout can be a throwback to the spectacular pass rush that led to victories at Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI.
Why this team? It’s simple: OBJ. A healthy Odell Beckham, Jr. transforms New York into a powerhouse offensively. For example, after Beckham’s breakout game against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9 last season, the Giants surpassed 400 yards on offence five times while doing so just twice without their dynamic receiver playing at 100 percent. New York scored fewer than 24 points in a game just twice (vs. SEA and SF) in the nine games after their 2014 bye week. In sum: Beckham is literally a game-changer.
Why not? Time is quickly running out for Coughlin and Manning. Sure, Beckham is already a top receiver in the NFL, but a turnover at coach and starting quarterback can’t be that far off. Unless the Giants know something we don’t about Ryan Nassib, the search for Manning’s potential replacement has to begin soon, and it’s more likely than not to be a painful process.
Perfect for fans of… One-handed grabs. Of course, we all remember the infamous catch on that fateful day back in November, but these kinds of feats are something Beckham practises on the regular. We can almost guarantee you’ll be seeing at least one more in 2015.
How much hope? 6/10. The Giants have some great playmakers on offence and football fans have learned over the last eight years never to count them out, but there are just too many question marks on the offensive line and throughout the defence to believe the 2015 Giants can accomplish anything of significance.
Will you be mocked for front-running? Probably, but all you have to do is point out the pair of Super Bowls the team has won since the 2007 season. That should shut most haters up.
A Meme to Remember: Take your pick.
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