Oct 10, 2010; Houston, TX, USA; New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck (91) and defensive end Osi Umenyiora (72) react to a tackle against the Houston Texans in the third quarter at Reliant Stadium. The Giants defeated the Texans 34-10. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE

Coming into this season the one constant that everyone agreed on was the Giants had the best front four In the NFL. It was said by many experts that collectively the Giants had the best pass rush in the game. And at the time how could anyone argue?

Well, after five weeks the 3-2 NY Giants pass rush is M.I.A. The big three have a total of 3.5 sacks, Umenyiora with 2, JPP with 1.5 and Tuck with 0. And they haven’t even gotten a whiff of the opposing QB the last two weeks. So, as I sit there and watch play after play of this I wonder what is going on.

TC is extremely dissatisfied by their lack of production, saying ” we didn’t touch the QB again” after their win over the 0-4 Browns. The players seem to be looking for answers to, with Tuck saying “we’ll just continue to pound it and guys are figuring us out, so we’ve got to do some different things to try and free our guys up.”

JPP is having a good season with 15 tackles, he just is not getting to the QB. Osi and Tuck though have been almost invisible out there. The only time I hear Osi’s name called is when he is losing contain and getting trapped inside while the ball carrier gets the edge on him again.

Here is an idea for the big three. Go out and beat the scheme that the “O” line is doing.Line up and beat the man in front of you. Your not all getting double teamed, your not all getting chipped, Your not all facing an all pro lineman every snap. Stop making excuses and waiting for Perry Fewell to come up with a way for you to get to the QB. Go out there and make a play! When you want a new contract I don’t hear excuses, I hear how you still are a key player and that you can make a difference in this game. Well, put your money where you mouth is and show us.

Sept 23, 2012; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; New York Jets running back Bilal Powell (29) and wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (11) celebrate the Jets 23-20 overtime win over the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

I always like to hear people talk about who they are going to pick in their pools on Sunday. But I have always loved predicting that big upset that knocks everyone out of their pools. Well, hold the laughter but this week I like the Jets to be that team. Yes, I mean the NFL football NY Jets, the team that can’t run the ball or stop the run, the team that just lost their best player for the year, the team that ignored every glaring need they had in the off season and picked up Tim Tebow. Now, I have absolutely no logical reason to make this pick and I’m not suggesting everyone start putting your mortgage payment on the Jets. But I am saying to stay away from this game in your suicide pools, and here is my reason.

There are a few games every week where the line talks, this is that game. Just thinking about this game makes me think the 49ers are a 6 point favorite. No Revis, No run game andrush pass rush, all the things needed to beat the 49ers. This should be a laugher! The 49ers are suppose to be the NFC favorite to go to the Superbowl. But what is this? The Niners are only 4 1/2 pt. favorites?  Why you ask? 1. The team is spending the week in Ohio so as to not fly back to San Fran from Minnesota and then fly back to NY. That is not there routine. 2. Vegas pros seem to be begging us to take the 49ers by making the Niners a 4 1/2 pt fav. 3. An old rule, never bet against a home dog.

Whether any of these points make sense to you or not, whether you think I may have lost my mind, I suggest staying away from this game at all costs. For all you suicide pool players, it’s still early enough that you must lots of choices. For all you fantasy players, you may want to start people other than your 49er stars. For anyone that likes to gamble, I don’t know if there is anything enticing enough about this game to make that pick. Good luck all.

Sep 20, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA New York Giants running back Andre Brown (35) runs the ball while being pursued by Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Dwan Edwards (92) during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-US PRESSWIRE

With the recent injury to Ahmad Bradshaw and the emergence of Andre Brown, there seems to be some debate among Giants fans as to who should start Sunday night against the Eagles. I have to admit that the question has crossed my mind as well, but here is my logical thoughts on the issue.

Brown did a wonderful job in relief of the injured Bradshaw. He had a 100+ yard game and 2 TDs in what was maybe the easiest win in two years. But here is the thing, you can’t have a player lose his starting job do to injury. You have to start Bradshaw, period. He is the proven RB and has come through for us in the past. You cannot judge Andre Brown on two games. He has been on 5 teams in 3 years, I don’t pretend to know more about a great RB than a NFL coach or scout. There must have been a reason for that. Yes he is the hot hand and will get his share of carries, what that share is will depend on how both backs are producing. If Ahmad gets bottled up in the backfield than you bring Brown in for a few carries.

The bottom line on this topic is,  that as a Giant fan I am thrilled that we may have found a diamond in the rough but we seem to have certainly found a second back to spell our starter and be productive. Bradshaw is not the type of Back that you can give 35 carries to and expect him to last a season. So, its not about who the starting RB is, its about having a two headed monster behind Eli to provide more of a reason to be confident that the G-Men can get back to the playoffs and make a post season run.

Aug 9, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; NFL referee Shannon Eastin jogs to her position during the first quarter between the San Diego Chargers and Green Bay Packers at Qualcomm Stadium. Eastin is the first female referee to ever ref a game in the NFL. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

So after watching all the weeks highlights and being kind of bored I decided to see what this NFL referee strike was all about and I was surprised by a few things. The biggest surprise was  that they average $149,000 a year! That’s nice coin for a part time job. Most of the officials have primary jobs, lawyers, teachers, etc. I don’t want to get into taking sides in this labor dispute or about how much money the refs make or why they make it. I have been watching football for a long time, and like all of you I see the refs making bad calls regularly. While it does give us something to talk about, let’s see if they can take this situation and figure out how to  make the refs better on the field.

The NFL refs are part time. Though it seems to me that with the game moving as fast as it does maybe the refs should be full time and devote a whole week to each game they ref. They can watch film and look for tendencies that a player may have or look at  calls blown from last week and how to be better. Could  anyone argue against full time refs making the game better and safer?

After watching the Giants first game against the Cowboys I did notice the replacement refs kept the flags in their pockets for the most part. They missed some calls, but what refs don’t? Overall, I can’t say they were awful or  the worst I had ever seen. The NFL should not rest with just being good enough, and don’t they think that full time refs would make it better?

Sept 5, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck (91), safety Kenny Phillips (21) and defensive back Corey Webster (23) during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE

The Giants defense gave up some big plays last week against Romo and the Cowboys. The Defense had a similar problem last year with giving up big plays. A late season run and great play in the playoffs made all forget about the troubles early on. Well, Wednesday night they all came back. Almost the exact things we saw early in the season last year. Poor coverage by the secondary, lack of the great pass rush by the big 4, not to mention the lack of a running game on offense too. So how long will it take for the team to come together this year?

The Giants have again been overcome by injuries and the depth is thin now, especially in the secondary. With T2 out indefinitely, Prince Amukamara and (R) Jayron Hoseley missing week 1 and Michael Coe going down with injury, the CB position was down to last resorts. The limited contact practices also hurt the Defensive line and running game. That’s why it takes a few weeks for the team to completely gel.  This is also one of the reasons the NFL has become pass oriented and gone away from the “ground and pound” style of offense. We should see who is for real come week 10, that’s usually when the pretenders start to fade and the true contenders hit their full stride. As the Giants have shown in their last 2 Superbowl runs, it’s how you finish that matters.

Sep 5, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin (19) goes up for reception and runs it in for touch down against the New York Giants during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Dallas Cowboys defeat the New York Giants by a score of 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

After all the talk, all the hype, all the preseason talk, the Giants came out flat and looked like a team coming off a 6 win season not a Championship season. The Cowboys came into Metlife stadium and handed the Giants a big loss in the season opener. The Giants lost to the Redskins last year and if history has a way of repeating it could be a good sign.

The Offense looked out of sync on all aspects. They couldn’t run the ball again and had a lot of drops by the receivers. The line had no surge and did a mediocre job at protecting Eli at best. The receivers looked slow in their breaks and were not able to get separation from the Dallas DB’s. Ahmad Bradshaw could not get anything going until the Giants final drive. The David Wilson fumble killed what looked like a nice drive and it seemed the offense couldn’t recover after that. Eli had to take a lot of short passes and couldn’t find the big play til the last drive with a deep completion to Hixon.

The Defense had a few moments but looked bad overall. The DB’s couldn’t cover the receivers and had a ton of trouble on the double moves and gave up big play after big play. The front seven consistently did not make tackles, they didn’t wrap up and seemed to be waiting for someone else to make a play. The D line did not keep contain or stay in their lanes and let Romo escape several times to extend plays and make big completions.

The Giants need to watch a lot of tape and stop thinking about last year. They need to all step up, make plays and not wait for the other guy to do it. The good news is that the Giants have  week and a half to work out the kinks and get their heads straight before the Tampa game.

August 29, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) on the field during the first quarter of a preseason game against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-US PRESSWIRE

So the season is finally here and the Giants are looking to repeat on an amazing season, and to get back to the playoffs and beyond they need Eli Manning to have another fantastic season. We all know about the great defensive front, but it will be Eli that’s takes them wherever they are going.

As much as Eli has accomplished he still doesn’t get the respect that other less talented QB’s get. He is in the same class as Brady, Rodgers and his Big brother. He is a great leader on and off the field. He runs the offense proficiently, makes all the reads, has a great arm, and led the Giants to their second Super Bowl in 4 years. So why the disrespect?

Eli is not flashy, he doesn’t give bulletin board material, he doesn’t go out on the town and get drunk, he isn’t on the cover of GQ, he doesn’t jaw at opposing players, Eli is a hard working vanilla NFL QB. He goes out and does his job every week without all the media hype and flash. We hardly even heard about the fact that he was 77 yards short of throwing for 5000 yds; And I think he loves it.

Go out there Eli, bring your boring game to the field every Sunday.  Lead your team back to the promised land and get yourself another ring. We will all be yawning during your post game interview.

August 24, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants tight end Martellus Bennett (85) and wide receiver Ramses Barden (13) and center David Bass (64) celebrate Barden

Well, there was not quite as many questions entering this season as compared to last year, but there were still some areas of concern. With training camp drawing to a close and the season only being a week away let’s look at what we got out of  the preseason and who is poised to help this team.

On the offensive side of the ball the Giants had questions and TE, WR and RB. So what did we learn? The biggest concern was at TE,and the aquisition of Martellus Bennett turned out to be huge. The big TE had a monster preseason and showed great hands and physical toughness that has made me long forget about Kevin Boss and Jake Ballard. He looks like exactly what the Giants needed and should make his presence felt immediately against his former team in week one.

At WR the two players that impressed me this year were Ramses Barden and rookie Rueban Randle. I had hoped Barden would finally step his game up this year And live up to some of last years hopes that he could be a bigger part of the offense. Randle looked impressive in his route running especially for a rookie. The Giants have missed that receiver who could go up and get the jump ball since Burress left and height of both Barden at 6’6″ and Randle at 6’3″will help in the green zone this year. And both will see significant playing time this year and could move up past Jernigan and Hixon respectively.

With Brandon Jacobs gone this year it was time for Ware or Scott to finally step up and take control of the number two RB spot. Well, both backs had unimpressive training camps and that opened the door for rookie David Wilson who seized the opportunity and is clearly a head above the other two backs to be behind Bradshaw. Wilson showed a lot of burst and vision against the bears as well as a few nice catch and runs in the preseason and will help the run game improve this year.

Once again the defense has suffered some injuries that is a cause for concern. With T2 and Prince starting the season injured once again it could be a little make shift in the defensive back field again early on this year. But a few new players have shined bright in the preseason, namely Keith Rivers at OLB and Jayron Hosley at nickle back and will add depth to what could be the number one defense in the NFL. The DL will be a beast again especially with Osi starting the season on the field and the contract out of the way.

This could once again be a very special year for the NY Football Giants and have to be on everyone’s board when it comes to post season picks.

Aug 18, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants running back David Wilson (34) runs past New York Jets player Garrett McIntyre during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aristide Economopoulos/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE

The Giants running game has had its issues the last few years and has been near the bottom of the league. The Giants are looking to change this and we will get to see if the newest addition will get a good look as of now. With the hand injury to running back Amhad Bradshaw first round draft pick David Wilson has been getting reps with the first team offense. This could be exactly what this offense needs, a jolt of youth and electricity to get the running attack going. Tom Coughlin said that Wilson will not start this weeks game but will get plenty of reps with the first team offense in practice.

With a new guy in the backfield this could get the line going and hold their blocks a bit longer to allow Wilson with his burst and quickness to get to the second and third levels. That could also help Ware or Scott get going as well. With Eli and this teams passing attack in a passing league the running game is not as important for an offense as it was in years past and this will not be a balanced offense, But with a solid running attack that could run out a clock in the fourth quarter of games would be appreciated by the defense. And make the end of games a little less stressful for the fans.

Aug. 18, 2011; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants running back David Wilson (34) is tackled by New York Jets strong safety Antonio Allen (bottom) during the fourth quarter half at MetLife Stadium. Giants won 26-3. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

The defending Super Bowl Champs have a big problem, they can’t run the ball. The Giants beat their cross town little brother last night for the Snoopy bowl; But they have a big problem that needs to get fixed. The Giants had another night of not being able to run the ball. It’s true Bradshaw left the game early after a cyst popped on his hand, but DJ Ware could not get anything going either. The “o” line could not sustain blocks or move guys and get to the second level of defenders.

The Giants lack of a run game was overshadowed by a complete lack of offense by the Jets. The G-Men rushed for 58 yds on 32 attempts last night. After 2 games that gives them a total of 184 yds on 58 attempts for a 3.2 avg yards per carry. That ranks them 20th in the league.  Most of the yards gained so far are in the 3rd and 4th quarters with the back ups in. After finishing at the bottom of the league in rushing last year Coughlin and Manning were both hoping for better. And with their defense it would have been nice to have a run game to chew the clock in the 4th quarter. If the Offense doesn’t fix this problem it will once again be up to Eli and the Passing attack to lead the offense to a winning season. Can they do that 2 years in a row?

Aug 10, 2012; Jacksonville FL, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) looks for a receiver during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

So the first preseason game of the 2012 NY Giants campaign is over and it wasn’t the prettiest ending to a game. I know it’s preseason and the games don’t count, but you have to think Coughlin is probably not thrilled to give up such a big lead, even if it was the back ups who gave it up. But let’s look at the bright spots.

The new TE Martellus Bennett looked very good. He made some tough catches Including a 12 yd TD over the middle and showed he may be able to be the piece the offense was looking for. Although he needs to keep it up and still has more to prove.

There were some good moments from the WR’s as the coaches look to solidify the third wideout spot. Rueban Randle showed he is talented with two catches for 27 yds including a TD and could be the answer, but he is a rookie and will most likely have some growing pains. I thought Ramses Barden showed a lot of promise and a few big blocks down field.

The biggest bright spot was in the running game. The spot to back up Bradshaw is being tightly contested. Rookie RB David Wilson looked very good and lead the team in rushing on 7 rushes for 43 yds and had a nice catch and run in the final possession. Both DJ Ware and Andre Brown ran the ball hard and had a combined 12 rushes for 55 yds. I look forward to watching this battle throughout the rest of camp and should make all three better.

The starting Defense looked dominating as it should. They had a few sacks and some forced fumbles. The secondary looked extremely good and I even saw a few CB blitzes, one for a sack by Hosley, thats something the D had been lacking in recent years. Mark Herzlich looked very good and he will add depth at ILB and could help in pass coverage over the middle.

Special teams was a big problem with both Hosley and Jerrigan muffing a punt. Considering how important ball security is I believe this area will get a lot of attention and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some new faces back there fielding punts.

After the first look it appears that the areas of preseason concern may have been addressed, but it is still to early to tell. And there is still a lot of work to do for the Giants to make it back to the promised land.

Jan 1, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) meet on the field after their game at MetLife Stadium. Giants won 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Chris Faytok/The Star-Ledger via US PRESSWIRE

So Jerry Jones wants to kick some Giant ass. Well, come September 5th he will have his chance. At a recent Cowboy practice Jones told fans “y’all come to that stadium and watch us beat the Giants ass.” For a team that continues to choke in big spots they sure do a lot of  trash talking.  Leave it to Jones and his ego to write checks his team can’t cash.

Eli Manning and the Giants have had great success in the Cowboys Stadium since its opening. Eli is 3-0 there with over 1000 yds passing, 8 TDs and a 99.86% passer rating, some amazing 4th quarter comebacks and his name signed on the wall. Not to mention his two Super Bowl MVPs vs Romo’s pathetic post season record. I guess Jones figures eventually he will win eventually. Don’t count on it.

The Cowboys have been soft in the Romo era, the have had late season collapses and their fans are becoming increasing hostile towards Romo, Jones and the lack of post season football they are seeing. I guess it makes sense that Jones has to talk about beating the Giants to hype the game, his team and the fans. After all, the G-Men are the reigning Super Bowl Champions and since Jones hasn’t had a sniff of the Lombardi Trophy recently he figures by saying he will kick the Champs ass it’s easy publicity. Good Luck Jerry, your going to need it.

May 23, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (88) during the Giants OTA at the their training facility. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Once again the Nicks return date has changed. GM Jerry Reese said Saturday that the WR could be back for week three of the preseason.

Nicks fractured his fifth metatarsal back in May and has said he would be back in time to start the season. This week that optimism was also conveyed for the first time by the GM. He stated on Saturday ” Nicks should be ready to go for the last two preseason games, but we won’t push him out there.” The ever conservative coach has a different opinion saying,  Nicks is not ahead of schedule.

The WR has been doing some light running on the sidelines and could begin cutting next week. Having Nicks back to start the season would be a huge lift for the offense and QB Eli Manning. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Jul 27, 2012; Albany, NY, USA; The New York Giants stretch during training camp at University Field at SUNY Albany. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

First we have to look at the areas that are the weakest, and that immediately brings the TE position into my mind. It is basically a three man race with Pascoe, Bennett and Rookie Adrian Robinson. Pascoe has been named the early starter most likely due to his consistancy at blocking. Bennett has been some what of a question mark with people around the league saying he is a very talented player that has not gotten a chance to show his skills. The question is why, was it because he was stuck behind a great tight end in Dallas or because he has attitude problems. If it is the latter, T.C. Will not tolerate that for long and could find himself very low on the depth chart very quickly. Robinson is very raw, he needs major work on blocking and body control but could be a factor later in the year when a run is needed to make the playoffs. I think Pascoe will be a very nice surprise this year and have decent stats, 45 catches 700 yds 7 TDs. That will be well enough to make the opposing coaches have to pay attention to the position.

Next we look to the running game, which had a less than stellar 2011. This is easy, David Wilson. Bradshaw will be Bradshaw, and that will be fine. Wilson is a back that can run for 1600 yds 20 TDs and keep defensive fronts from pinning their ears back and coming after Eli. Scott and Ware are true back ups and do not expect anything more than what you have seen from them before. Expect Wilson to get slowly introduced into the starting role, but be a major factor by week 10.

The defensive back field gave up a ton of huge plays last year. Granted, injuries were a factor and that forced guys to play out of position. The Player needed and that will have a big year is the Prince. He will be playing in the nickel and will probably get thrown at a lot in long yardage situations. That will allow him to use his ability and make some big plays.

It should be a fun year and hopefully just as exciting as 2011.

May 11, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants tight end Adrien Robinson (81) signals during a play during minicamp at the Timex Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

So the Patriots claimed Jake Ballard off waivers.  Maybe to needle the  GMen after beating them in 2 superbowls, but Probably to fill a spot when they have to make a decision about Hernandez. Either way, what does it mean for Eli Manning and the Giants Offense?

Immediately it means nothing as Ballard was not going to play this year, and long term it doesn’t mean much more. After all Its not like Ballard was Mark Bavaro. But there is still a huge hole to fill at TE and it appears that not taking  tight end Coby Fleener early in the draft could be costly.

So what do we have now? There is TE/FB Bear Pascoe, he is a good blocker and has shown some glimpses in the short passing attack but nothing to make anyone think he will be the go to guy down the seam. Then you have Martellus Bennett who may or may not have a weight issue. He played at 270 last year and is now up to 291, which according to Mike Popecould be one reason why he has had ahamstring injury. He is a bit of a wild card since playing behind Witten he does not get a lot of balls thrown at him. And lastly there is Rookie Adrien Robinson. He missed most of mini camp due to finishing school and will need to add some muscle and work on blocking. Needless to say he will not be a big factor early in the season.

The tight end position is the biggest question mark for the 2013 season and unless someone steps up to become a reliable target it could be our Achilles heel in the road to a repeat.

Oct 26, 2008; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress (17) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-US PRESSWIRE

Did a time and a Super Bowl victory ease the pain Plaxico Burress caused on Giants fans with his idiotic act of shooting himself? Not for Coach Coughlin it didn’t. According to the Daily News, when Coughlin was asked he shook his head and mouthed no. But with the injury or Nicks would it make sense to bring him in on a one year deal?

With the lack of pass catching TE’s and not knowing what to expect from the recievers after Cruz it may be worth at least thinking about. Yes, he is past his prime and he appeared pretty slow with the jets last year. But, he can still catch the ball, especially in the red zone. It seemed that age and prison may have matured him on the field, so he may have become an ideal Coughlin pupil and just show up on time and do what is asked.

It always nice to have weapons on offense, the question is what would his asking price be. But, even if it was low it is highly doubtful he will be back. The offense may have just enough options to live without Nicks for a week or two. And Coughlin and Reese have earned the right for us not to question there free agency moves or non moves,  At least for now.

Aug 2, 2010; Albany, NY, USA; New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell holds up a play card for his players during training camp in Albany. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE

As OTA’s get started and training camp right around the corner, what are the keys to watch for this season? For the Giants to get a playoff birth and make another run at the title they will need to fill the holes of outgoing players and upgrade at a few other areas.

1. Who will be the Victor Cruz of 2012? When Steve Smith departing last offseason there was a huge question mark at the WR position. Thankfully out of virtually no where Cruz emerged and had a monster season finishing behind only Calvin Johnson in recieving yards in the NFC.  With Mario Manningham gone to the left coast and now a question mark on Hakeem Nicks season the WR position has yet again become a problem area. So, who will step up? As of now we have Cruz, Domenik Hixon coming off injury, and rookie Rueban Randle as the likely top 3. After that it’s  Ramses Bardan and Jerrel Jernigan both of which have yet to show any promise. Hopefully Nicks can return to form by week 4 or 5.

2. The linebacker position seems to be the opposite of last year at this time. With Chase Blackburn being re-signed and emerging as a force in the middle and the signing of Keith Rivers from Cincinnati really will solidify the LB corp with Boley and Kiwi flipping between LB and End. And the experience that Williams, Jones and Herzlich gained last year filling in now makes this a strength and no longer the weak link of the defense.

3. The running game had an extremely lack luster year in 2011. Being non existent for most of the year only emerging in the latter part of the regular season and the playoffs, mainly due to the respect for Eli and fear of the big play, needs to be better. With Jacobs joining Manningham in SF and DJ Ware and Da’rel Scott showing very little last season it was clear that Bradshaw would need help. The Giants turned to the Draft and picked David Wilson. With Bradshaw always fighting injuries from his running style and Wilson being a rookie it would appear the G-Men will probably go to a 3 headed running attack with Bradshaw, Ware and Wilson. But this area will be a question with only 1 back That is battle tested.

4. The Offensive Line had an up and down year in 2011, giving good protection in the passing game and poor run blocking. The one constant on the line has been and will be Chris Snee at right guard. With Kareem McKenzie not being re-signed mean that Will Beatty and James Brewer fighting for right tackle, off season signing Sean Locklear with provide depth. The left side appears it will be David Diehl at LT and Kevin Boothe and Mitch Petreus battling for RG. Petreus would add needed toughness and help for the running game. David Baas had a rough start, but seemed to settle in at the center position nicely.

These questions should be answered by the end of training camp and will be key areas that will need to be solid for the Giants to make another run to the playoffs and possible championship.

Dec 7, 2008; Chicago, IL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back Brian Witherspoon (38) is tackled by Chicago Bears defensive tackle Israel Idonije (71) on a kick return during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

Just 30 minutes into a new season CB Brian Witherspoon was carted off the field with what appears to be an ACL injury. Witherspoon, who was returning to football after tearing his ACL last year,  was performing individual drills and was said to be playing very well when he went down with an injury to his surgically repaired knee.

Witherspoon was very excited about making a comeback to football after a year out. He seemed to be a lock to make the 53 man roster. Dominic Hixon who himself is returning after 2 ACL injuries called it “devastating”

With what appears to be another devastating injury on a DB on only the first day of OTA’s I hope there is not a repeat of last year. That could make for a very long year after such a great run to a title. The trainers have their work cut out for them.

Dec 24, 2011; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan greets New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs (27) after the game at Met Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE

New York has had two football teams for quite a while now. It started with the NY football Giants in 1925, with 8 championships, 4 of which are Superbowls, and countless memories. NY has been a Giants town. The Giants have always been a top notch organization that embodied what the NFL was supposed to be. They have been run with class and unselfishness since the organization was founded by Tim Mara.  The NFL is partially what it is today due in large part to Wellington Mara’s foresight and wanting the league to succeed. Their history includes some of the greatest players to wear a uniform, and some of the greatest games to be played in the NFL. What’s not to love about this storied franchise?

With the emergence of the NY Titans/ NY Jets in 1959 (became Jets in 1963) the city now had two football teams. But the town was anything but divided. The Jets did have early success with a win in SuperBowl III over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts, it was short lived and the Jets have not had so much of a whiff of the Lombardi Trophy since. They have always been the “other” team in this city and have for the most part been the exact opposite of their big brother.  It seems to have gotten worse as of late with the hiring of Mr T and Buddy’s son. If a teams greatness was measured by the boldness and bravado the Jets would be the best team the league has ever seen. But it’s not, and sometimes we have to scratch our heads at the circus on their side of MetLife Stadium. With the way they act you would think they have more Titles than the NY Yankees. Unfortunately they have not won a thing since 1969, and sorry to say, with the way that team has been run it is not looking good for the future either.

So with one team celebrating with another championship ring today, and one team running a three ring circus, I ask who still owns this town?  All the trash talk, cussing and more black curtains will not get Rex a foot up on the NY Football Giants. The Jets have the fans and the place to fit in here. But always remember, NY is a Giant town! And always will be.

Thomas stated during an appearance and Chris Canty’s charity golf outing “I’ve said all along I’m ahead of schedule and doing good. My biggest thing is just protecting, keep building strength and to be ready for training camp and the opening game against Dallas.”

The Giants re-signed Thomas to a 4 year contract worth a reported $28 million in march. There is an option for the Giants after year one. After a year where a make shift secondary was exposed. Having Thomas back with Corey Webster on the other side could prove to be one of the better CB tandems in the league. Let’s all hope the knee is 100%.