Reason for Optimism After Giant Injuries

In what has started to seem like tradition, the Giants saw a player go down at an already weakened position when Prince Amukamara was carted off the field on Friday night. Each of the last two years, the Giants have suffered through multiple injuries, concentrated at one position, creating a hole in the roster before the season has even begun.

Most people have compared the Giants’ secondary woes to those of last year – Terrell Thomas hurt again; an unproven player thrust into the starting lineup; the possibility of playing Antrel Rolle at cornerback – but a better comparison might be to look at the linebacker situation from a season ago. During last year’s preseason, the Giants lost two starting linebackers, Clint Sintim and Jonathan Goff, for the year. In the wake of those injuries the team had one established linebacker, Michael Boley, with only a converted defensive end and a bunch of rookies to start alongside him and provide depth.

The Giants weathered the storm last year with a combination of excellent play by Boley, rapid development by their rookies and the return of our old friend Chase Blackburn. This year, Corey Webster must play the role of Boley and set the tone for the rest of the secondary by locking up the other team’s best receiver each game. Jayron Hosley must play like the vital cog that he is when he’s able to play. We may again have to turn to an old friend – Deon Grant – to bolster the secondary.

But the important thing to learn from last year’s experience is that injuries are far from a death sentence. The hallmark of a strong franchise is depth, and with the exception of Eli Manning, no one is irreplaceable. That’s not an indication of a lack of star power, but a testament to the overall strength of the roster that Jerry Reese has assembled.

Every team loses players to injury. With one game left in the preseason and most of the starters unlikely to play, the Giants have hopefully suffered the last of theirs until the real games begin. When they do, this team will have the players to compete with anybody as they try to defend their title as Super Bowl champions. As a fan, what more could you ask for?