New York Giants Preseason Game: What To Look For

Tonight the New York Giants do battle with the Cincinnati Bengals in their first preseason game of the season. While it may not match the excitement of the Giants regular season opener, there are plenty of things Giants fans need to be looking for.

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Die hard football fans are looking forward to the night because it is the first glimpse at the Giants in action. This is the first time we will see live contact in a game scenario and that is kind of exciting. The Giants know what they are up against thanks to the joint practice with the Bengals.

The first preseason game follows a pretty standard format. The starters come in and get some quick work. The longer they are out there the worse they looked. The second string players are in the game for most of the first half and the guys fighting for a roster spot own the second half. And that is the beauty of the preseason, jobs are on the line. So with that in mind here are some things to look for tonight in the preseason game.

The thing you want to see from the starters in their limited snaps is that they are sharp. You want to see the offense drive down the field for a touchdown and you want the defense to stop the opponent. Some of the starters will not play tonight for example don’t expect to see Victor Cruz or Larry Donnell. But the Giants will play their starting line up to see how they look.

The point of this is to do the job and get out quickly. The Giants don’t want to risk injury in an exhibition game but the starters do need to get some work. They need to build up to game shape slowly throughout the preseason. They have to be well in the routine on the third preseason game which essentially acts as the dress rehearsal to the season opener.

Tonight I want to see how the defense does. That is obviously my main area of concern for this team because of last year’s wretched defensive performance. The Giants defense just has to give me some confidence that 2015 will not be the same old story.

The Giants are leaning on several rookies to fill in key positions. My question is how long do you play Ereck Flowers and Landon Collins? Do you treat them like starters or do you give them valuable reps in an actual game? This will be a tough balancing act for the Giants.

The Giants obviously want to see what they have in Ereck Flowers. He was there first round draft pick for a reason and now that he is going to have to be the left tackle there is even more interest than there was on draft day. His success is vital to the Giants season. At the same time he is a starter and there is nothing on the line in an exhibition game.

With Collins the same question can be raised. The strong safety was the Giants’ second draft pick and he is also expected to be a day one starter. How long will he get to play? Repetitions are crucial in the secondary because it is so hard to simulate a game like scenario in practice.

After that the Giants just need to take a close look at their depth. They will be paying close attention to the free safety position because that is a position of heavy competition this training camp.

Next: New York Giants: Predicting The 53 Man Roster

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