Camp countdown:

[VC15]

By Larry Weisman, Vinnie Iyer and Paul Schwartz
Sporting News NFL

Giants camp countdown: Young WRs can make Big Blue super again

Saturday, Jul. 11, 2009 - 11:34 a.m. ET

This is the 18th in a series of team-by-team breakdowns that will run on SportingNews.com before the start of training camp.

The Giants know who they are and what they are.

They're not about finesse or gimmicks. They stick to basics. The running game. Line play. Discipline.

The Giants gave every indication last season they intended to follow their surprise Super Bowl championship with a wire-to-wire dash to another. Then they ran into a couple of failures in their core values.

A banged-up defensive line could not produce the pressure that so unnerved Tom Brady in Super Bowl 42. The self-inflicted gunshot wound and suspension of wide receiver Plaxico Burress removed a significant part of their offensive approach and cost them the edge in matchups with opponents. And though New York won the NFC East, it then sustained a miserable home playoff loss to Philadelphia.

The Giants fixed the defensive line in the first weekend of free agency and figure to again contend for the division title and much more.

The open questions: What happens without Burress, released while facing the legal system over gun charges? And how does Eli Manning recover his championship form without his top receiver?
What's new

Offense: The Giants led the NFL in rushing last year behind a three-headed attack led by Brandon Jacobs and also featuring Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward. Jacobs signed a new contract and returns, along with Bradshaw, but Ward exited to the Buccaneers as a free agent.


The Giants released Burress in early April. Suspended twice by the club last year, Burress caught only four touchdown passes, his fewest since '03 while with the Steelers.

That the Giants took action sooner rather than later helped them in their offseason program, but it doesn't mean they have a definitive answer.

Losing Burress and Amani Toomer is a blow because the bevy of young receivers are question marks, though several appear to have bright futures, including projected starters Steve Smith and Domenik Hixon and rookie first-round pick Hakeem Nicks.

Defense: The philosophy of bringing pressure won't change despite the loss of coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to the Rams as head coach. The Giants promoted linebackers coach Bill Sheridan to replace Spagnuolo. Surgical strikes on the first weekend of free agency produced end Chris Canty, tackle Rocky Bernard and linebacker Michael Boley. The Giants led the NFL with 53 sacks in '07 but wore down last season, having lost Michael Strahan to retirement and Osi Umenyiora to a preseason knee injury. Now, they are deep again up front.

Umenyiora's return at right end should restore some burst to the pass rush. Mathias Kiwanuka, who played linebacker in '07 and moved up last year after Umenyiora went down, will stay at left end. The Giants will move Canty inside on running downs and outside in pass-rush situations.
Burning question

After losing both starting wide receivers, are the Giants still in the Super Bowl hunt?

"Absolutely. They're loaded elsewhere. You look at that offensive line, and then that defensive line. They can still run the ball for big numbers and have two keys down: They protect their QB well and hit the other team's QB just as well."
-- CBS analyst Phil Simms
View from the other sideline

An anonymous opponent breaks down the Giants:

"Offensively, how do you stop these guys? I think the confidence Eli Manning gained in the back end of 2007 will carry him the rest of his career. He grew so much then and in that playoff run that he became what everybody had hoped he would become. Prior to that he was an inconsistent question mark. Last year, he (completed) just barely over 60 percent (of his passes) and losing Burress hurt him, but he kept his mistakes down and there weren't a lot of picks.

"Defensively, they missed Osi a bit from the pass-rushing perspective, but they were still pretty effective. They're still the class of the NFC East, both on offense and defense. They will still be the team to beat, even though they went out early.

"The loss of Ward will be interesting, and (we'll see) what it does to the run game. He was a weapon, and it was almost next to impossible to figure out how to defend those backs. You're losing a lot of yards. Very impressive offensive line."
Bottom line

The Giants really don't have a weakness outside of the need for one of their receivers to emerge and be Burress-like. They know what their philosophy is, and they stick to it. Their early playoff exit after an 11-1 start left them unfulfilled after the stunning run to the NFL title a year earlier.

If the defensive line is at least the sum of its parts, the Giants will have shored up a late-season hole. And if Manning can thrive without Burress and continue his maturation, the Giants should repeat as division champions and make a deep run in the playoffs.

The Giants should be the NFC favorites heading into the season and can hopefully get that second superbowl championship in three years.

 

[A.E]

Rochester is absolutely "ga-ga" over Terrell Owens right now. Over 5,000 people packing St. John Fisher College to see him at camp & Bills' season ticket sales are off the chain.

 

[kplayer4sure]

imma go watch the saints camp should be interesting

 

[VC15]

Source: Nicks gets five-year deal

By John Clayton
ESPN.com

The New York Giants will have their first-round pick, wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, in camp on time after he reached a five-year deal with the team Saturday morning, a source said.

Nicks was the 29th selection overall and is the 17th first-rounder to come to terms.

According to a source, Nicks will receive $6.5 million in signing-bonus money. With this agreement, the Giants will have all of their draft choices present for the start of camp Sunday in Albany, N.Y.

Having Nicks in camp on time was important because coach Tom Coughlin is trying to find the right receiving combinations after Plaxico Burress was released in the offseason.

Nicks, 21, drafted out of North Carolina, holds the school record for career receptions (181) and touchdowns (21).

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

The Saints have had a combined 49 thousand the first two days.

 

[Lake Louise]

Lions officially signed Pettigrew to a 5-year deal. Terms are yet to be disclosed.

 

[A.E]

The Giants should be the NFC favorites heading into the season and can hopefully get that second superbowl championship in three years.

Just caught this quote...

Ah....NO, the Giants aren't even favored to win their own Division. Most writers are taking the Eagles to win the NFC East and, for some reason, to go to the Super Bowl. Minnesota is also heavily favored....yet again.

I personally think this is going to be a downhill season for the Giants.