The team will also likely be wary of pushing Pierre-Paul after what happened to Hakeem Nicks last season. This likely means that for the first few weeks of the season, the Giants’ main defensive ends will be some combination of Mathias Kiwanuka, Justin Tuck, Damontre Moore and Adewale Ojomo. For a team that needs a competent pass rush to compensate for a woeful secondary and a poor linebacker core, this is a disaster. It’s why the Giants need to find a way to sign free agent defensive end John Abraham.

On the surface, this seems like a panic move, overpaying for a player who is perceived as more of a “big name” than an actual contributor at this point. The problem with that thinking is the Giants, in a sense, should be panicking as their top defensive player is hurting and will likely be less than 100% the entire season. There’s also the fact that John Abraham is still an effective defensive end

While Abraham was viewed mostly as a one-dimensional pass-rusher, the fact is that he’s a very, very good pass-rusher. According to Pro Football Focus, he had a +22.7 pass rushing grade in 2012, fifth amongst all defensive ends. His snaps were somewhat limited to nickel packages, but he still managed to play almost 70% of the Falcons’ snaps. His run defense, while nothing to clamor about, was actually positive on the season, at +0.8. Abraham would at least partially replace Pierre-Paul’s production and give the team valuable depth when he returns.

One argument against such a move would be that Abraham wouldn’t be a starter and that he would become a luxury once Pierre-Paul comes back. The main problem with this argument is that Abraham would become the best defensive end on the team not named Pierre-Paul if signed. Kiwanuka, who is moving back to defensive end, struggled as a linebacker last season and it’s unclear what kind of production he’ll provide at the position as a 30-year old. Tuck is an even bigger concern as his play has dropped off a cliff the last two seasons, totaling just nine sacks and being a shadow of the player he used to be against the run.

The other argument concerns the other defensive ends on the roster besides Abraham. Signing someone like Abraham would take away chances for young guys like Ojomo, Moore and Tracy. This is something to be taken into consideration but it shouldn’t be a huge consideration.

One, the Giants are not a rebuilding team, they are a team that is built to win now and thrusting guys into roles they are not prepared for is not the best way to do that. Two, outside of Moore, it’s questionable how much upside either Ojomo or Tracy have. Ojomo was an undrafted free agent and while general manager Jerry Reese has an eye for talent, the fact is that most undrafted free agents don’t amount to anything and that it’s far more likely Ojomo will resemble Mark Herzlich than an actual productive player. Tracy was a sixth-round pick in 2010 and in his three seasons, has totaled a single sack. The expectation that a sixth round pick will be a difference maker after barely showing anything in his first three seasons is probably not realistic. As for Moore, while he seemingly has a bright NFL future, it’s unlikely he’ll be all that productive as a raw rookie.

There are other options on the free agent market that would likely cost less but Abraham is easily the best of the options left  and considering how much the Giants prioritize their pass rush, letting him go would be a mistake.

1. Linebacker: Incredibly enough, the Giants didn’t draft a single linebacker this year, the second consecutive they chose not to pick one.  Tentatively, the expected starting linebacker core is Jacquian Williams at weakside, Dan Connor in the middle and Keith Rivers at strongside. This is not exactly an encouraging group to say the least. Williams has graded out negatively in each of his first two seasons according to Pro Football Focus. Connor did very well in the Carolina Panther’s 4-3 in 2010-2011 but struggled mightily as a 3-4 ILB for the Dallas Cowboys in 2012 and has never been particularly strong against the pass. Rivers is talented but has struggled mightily with injuries the past couple of years and was ineffective when he did play for the Giants this year.

Luckily enough, the linebacker market never really developed and there are still many options out there who could help the Giants. The best guy out there is middle linebacker Karlos Dansby. Cut loose by the Miami Dolphins despite a strong season, Dansby visited with the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals but got turned away. At age 31, he’s still a very productive player and would immediately become the best linebacker on the Giants. Dansby is strong against both the pass and run, plus he can play outside or inside. The other linebacker the Giants could target is former Buffalo Bill Nick Barnett. Barnett spent the previous two seasons with the Bills and was very productive, producing the 11th best and 9th best grade amongst 4-3 outside linebackers during his time there. Barnett would be an upgrade over Rivers and allow the Giants to use the oft-injured linebacker as a valuable reserve.

2. Safety: The Giants have done very little to address the position this offseason, drafting Cooper Taylor in the fifth round and adding mediocre Steelers safety Ryan Mundy. With the loss of Kenny Phillips, an already shaky safety core got worse. The Giants project to go with Antrel Rolle at SS and Stevie Brown at FS, with Will Hill as the third safety. Considering Rolle isn’t very good and Brown used an abnormally high number of turnovers to cover up the fact that he wasn’t very good in coverage or at stopping the run, the Giants could use help there.

Two top-tier safeties still remain on the market, in Kerry Rhodes and Quintin Mikell. Rhodes excelled in coverage, allowing just a 64.5 QB rating at passes thrown in his vicinity. Mikell isn’t quite the marveloso in coverage Rhodes is, but he’s an effective pass rusher and excellent at stopping the run. Mikell might be a better fit than Rhodes as Mikell has played in a 4-3 his entire career whereas Rhodes has played in mostly a 3-4 the last few years.

3. Cornerback: The Giants made minimal moves at corner this offseason, signing former Giant Aaron Ross and bringing back Terrell Thomas. The team also elected to bring back Corey Webster despite a career worst year from him in 2012. The outlook for 2013 is grim. Prince Amukamura was an above average corner in 2012 and should only improve in 2013, but he’s the only corner on the roster who doesn’t have huge question marks. Thomas is coming off two torn ACLs, while Ross, Jay’Ron Hosley and the aforementioned Webster were ripped apart in 2012.

Unfortunately for the Giants, the corner market is bare thin at this point. While names like Quentin Jammer and Marcus Trufant are out there, those guys don’t have much on the field impact anymore. The only corner out there who figures to provide a noticeable upgrade over any of the other Giants corners is former Cleveland Brown Sheldon Brown.

4. Running Back: With David Wilson and Andre Brown both averaging over five yards per carry in 2012 and the Giants drafting Michael Cox in the seventh round, running back would not seem to be an area to focus on. However, it would not be crazy to see the Giants bring back Ahmad Bradshaw. Wilson, while he excelled in short bursts, still has concerns about his pass protection and Brown is coming off a broken fibula. Despite chronic leg injuries, Bradshaw was excellent in 2012, running for over 1,000 yards on 4.6 YPC and more notably, doing well in pass protection. Bradshaw’s market has bottomed out, as the two teams most likely to sign him, the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, both drafted running backs relatively high in the draft. While it’s possible Bradshaw could find another suitor, teams seem legitimately scared off by his medical reports and thus the Giants could potentially bring him back on a veteran minimum deal.

2013 schedule

Week 1: at Dallas (8:20, NBC)

For the second consecutive year, the Giants will play their first game of the season against the Cowboys, this time in JerryWorld. Unlike last year, this match-up does not have much juice going for it other than the fact that they’re division rivals. Neither team made the playoffs last season and due to cap restraints, both have done little in free agency so far. The Giants two biggest signings were defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins and tight end Brandon Myers, whereas the Cowboys biggest move has been the $108 million extension for quarterback Tony Romo.

The Cowboys gave the Giants fits last season, dominating the matchup in Week 1 (24-17 Cowboys) and losing by literally a fingertip in Week 8 (29-24 Giants). Of course, the Cowboys have switched to a 4-3 scheme, something the Giants generally do better against so perhaps they won’t need Dez Bryant’s monster hands to win again.

Week 2: vs Denver (4:25, CBS)

Arguably the toughest game on the schedule, thankfully it’s early and at home. The most hyped part of this game will obviously be “Manning Bowl: Part Three”. However, what shouldn’t get lost in all the hype is the fact that the Broncos are really, really good. They went 13-3 last season, outscoring their opponents by 192 points.  While they did lose linebacker Elvis Dumervil this offseason, they have added guard Louis Vasquez, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton and most notably, former Patriots receiver Wes Welker.

The Broncos defense was one of the best in the league last season, although losing Dumervil and adding Dominique Rodgers Cromartie might have made it worse. Of course, the bigger concern for the Giants will be Peyton Manning, who destroyed Perry Fewell’s scheme in 2010 as an Indianapolis Colt, going 20/26 for 255 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-14 win.

Wishful thinking aside, it’s difficult to see the Giants winning this one.

Week 3: at Carolina (1:00, FOX)

The Giants make another trip to Carolina to play Cam Newton and the gang. The Panthers haven’t done much in the offseason, only notably adding former Giants wideout Domenik Hixon. The Giants went into Carolina on a Thursday night last year, and embarrassed the Panthers 36-7, as Newton threw three picks and Ramses Barden had the game of his life.

Newton did play much better down the stretch, throwing 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions in his final seven games. Given how much trouble the Giants have had overall against mobile quarterbacks, it’s not too difficult to envision this as a tough matchup for them.

Week 4: at Kansas City (1:00, FOX)

The Chiefs underwent a face lift, bringing in new head coach Andy Reid and quarterbacks Alex Smith and Chase Daniel. The team went 2-14 in 2012, so it’s hard to see them instantly becoming a contender in 2012. However, they do have talent with Tamba Hali at LB and an absolute force at running back in Jamaal Charles, who averaged 5.3 YPC and ran for 1,509 yards in 2012. There’s also the Andy Reid factor, in that he can manage to make almost  any mediocre quarterback look halfway decent in his season.

The Giants last trip to Kansas City was in 2009, a 27-16, a game most notable for Hakeem Nicks recording his first career touchdown pass and Eli Manning injuring his foot.

Week 5: vs Philadelphia (1:00, FOX)

After a 4-12 season, the Eagles are relegated to an also-ran schedule. They are in a full rebuild, firing Andy Reid and replacing him with Oregon head coach Chip Kelly, who will bring the read option to Philadelphia. Michael Vick will also be back as the starter, which depending on how you view him, is either good or bad news for the Giants. Despite their record, the Eagles still have plenty of offensive firepower with DeSean “I Ruin Seasons” Jackson and the two headed monster of LeSean McCoy and Bryce Brown at running back.

The Giants destroyed the Eagles, 42-7, in Week 17 last year, marking the first win for the Giants at home over the Eagles since 2007. It remains to be seen if that was a blip or the beginning of success for the Giants in the rivalry.

Week 6: at Chicago (8:30, NFL Network, Thursday Night)

A trip to the Windy City will bring the Giants up against a new, more offensively minded Chicago Bears team. Long-time head coach Lovie Smith was fired after a 10-6 season, replaced by Marc Trestman, hired from the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. After quarterback Jay Cutler was injured again due to horrendous pass protection, the Bears signed LT Jermon Bushrod and TE Martellus Bennet, in a much needed effort to improve it.

Cutler certainly has talent and has shown it when he isn’t getting 30 times a game. With Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey along with Bennett, he has weapons in the passing game and he has the arm to exploit them. In what will likely be a cold and blustery night on a short week, the Giants will have their hands full.

Week 7: vs Minnesota (8:40, ESPN, Monday Night)

All you really need to know about the Minnesota Vikings is Adrian Peterson. The running back almost single-handedly carried the Vikings to the playoffs last season, he carried the ball 348 times for 2,097 yards, good for six yards per carry and one of the greatest seasons in NFL history.

There might not be a bigger polarization between quarterback and running back. While Peterson is an elite player in a field of his own, starter Christian Ponder is one of the worst quarterbacks in football, as he only averaged 6.08 yards per attempt with an 81.2 QB rating, essentially forcing the Vikings to abandon the passing game most of the time. This was in part due to the Vikings woeful receiving core, which went was as a wash this offseason as the team signed Greg Jennings but traded Percy Harvin to the Seahawks.

This game looks good on paper because while Peterson can win a game by himself, the Vikings offense will likely be completely one dimensional.

Week 8: at Philadelphia (1:00, FOX)

Second consecutive year the Giants finish a division rivalry in the first half of a season. On paper, these would be two very important games for the Giants to win given how tough the rest of their schedule shapes up to be.

Week 9: BYE

Week 10: vs Oakland (1:00, CBS)

The 2012 Raiders were a horrible, horrible football team and 2013 will likely see the same. In part because of an absurd trade for Carson Palmer, bad signings and years of bad drafting by Al Davis, the Raiders are a team without much talent, much money or many draft picks to help improve the team. They did acquire Matt Flynn from the Seahawks but he can only help so much. Running back Darren McFadden had the worst season of his career, gaining only 707 yards on 216 carries.

Oakland is a team on the right track but on paper (to be clear), they just don’t match up well with the Giants. While a repeat of the 44-7 massacre in their last trip to the Meadowlands might not be reasonable to expect, the game probably won’t be all that close.

Week 11: vs Green Bay (8:20, NBC)

The Packers make a trip to the Meadowlands for a third consecutive year. Last season, the Giants walloped the Packers 38-10, also on Sunday Night Football. Aaron Rodgers did not play well, going 14/25 for 219 yards, a touchdown and a pick, as he was overwhelmed by a pass rush that sacked him five times.

Green Bay lost wideout Greg Jennings this offseason, but still have plenty of weapons in Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Randall Cobb and Jermichael Finley. Odds are good that the Giants won’t hold GB to 10 points again. The odds are also good that the Giants will be able to put up 30 points on the Green Bay defense though.

Week 12: vs Dallas (4:25, FOX)

The second meeting of the season against the Cowboys and the Giants third consecutive home game. While Romo is always scrutinized by Giants fans, he has played very well against the Giants, particularly in the Meadowlands. In his last four games there, he’s thrown 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions, completing over 70 percent of his passes each time.

Week 13: at Washington (8:20, NBC)

The second time in four seasons the Giants will be playing the Redskins twice in the last five weeks of the season. It also marks the first time the Giants will be going up against Robert Griffin III.

Griffin suffered injuries to his LCL and ACL in the Redskins playoff loss against Seattle back in January. Barring something catastrophic, he should play in this game which is very bad news for the Giants. In their first meeting last season, Griffin savaged the Giants, going for 20/28 for 258 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT while running for 89 yards, with the Giants only being saved by a miracle Victor Cruz 80 yard touchdown in a 27-23 win. The next meeting didn’t go so well for the Giants, a 17-16 loss in which Griffin didn’t do much in the air but he and running back Alfred Morris ran over the Giants.

One of the biggest keys for the Giants this season will be how they handle the option read. The Giants didn’t handle it well at all in 2012 and if they don’t make serious adjustments, they’re going to have problems.

Week 14: at San Diego (4:25, FOX)

The last memory the Giants have of Phillip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers is Rivers throwing a perfect strike to Vincent Jackson over the head of Corey Webster for a touchdown with 30 seconds to go in a gut-wrenching 21-20 loss back in 2009.

Things have changed greatly for the Chargers since then. Norv Turner is gone, replaced by Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. Jackson is a Buccaneer and Rivers has gone from one of the best quarterbacks in football to something less than the best. River put up decent enough numbers in 2012, throwing 26 TDs to 15 INTs for an 88.1 QB rating but the Chargers went 7-9 and Rivers arm strength has almost completely dissipated at age 32.

Rivers has talent and McCoy did well with Peyton Manning’s less than full strength arm last year, but some guys simply lose it at a certain point. Rivers might be one of those guys.

Week 15: vs Seattle (1:00, FOX)

Probably the second best team on the Giants schedule. The Seahawks went 11-5 in 2012 under first year quarterback Russell Wilson and they’ve gotten significantly better. They acquired multi-functional receiver Percy Harvin from Minnesota, who will fit well in Seattle’s unique offense. They’ve added pass rushers Cliff Avril from Detroit and Michael Bennett from Tampa to fix one of their biggest holes in 2012. They also just added slot corner Antoine Winfield, giving Seattle a tremendous secondary with Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner at corner and Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor at safety.

This is a nightmare matchup for the Giants. Seattle has a loaded defense and a dangerous offense that features a beastly running back in Marshawn Lynch, wideouts in Sidney Rice and Harvin, and Wilson who had a tremendous rookie season (64.1 completion percentage, 26 TDs, 10 INTs, 3118 passing yards, 489 rushing yards).

Needless to say, I don’t see the Giants winning this one.

Week 16: at Detroit (4:05, FOX)

Simply put, the 2012 Lions season did not go well. They went 4-12, losing their final eight games, giving up 437 points. Their lone bright spot was Calvin “Megatron” Johnson who broke Jerry Rice’s single season receiving yards record, putting up 1,964 total.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for almost 5,000 yards but that was largely a function of the Lions facing so many large deficits, leading Stafford to make 727 pass attempts, an NFL record. He threw 20 TDs, but also 17 interceptions and a 79.1 QB rating.

The Lions faced the opposite problem of the Vikings, in that they were totally reliant on the pass. The Lions had a mostly ineffective running game, averaging only 4.1 YPC, 18th in the NFL. The Lions made a huge step to improve that, signing running back Reggie Bush from the Miami Dolphins.

Stafford is only 25 and had a monstrous season back in 2011. If Bush plays like he did in Miami and the Lions can find someone to throw to other than Johnson, the Lions will be tough to stop on offense. Like many of the games on their schedule, this will probably be a game where the Giants have to score 30 to win.

Week 17: vs Washington (1:00, FOX)

The season finale, and the third consecutive year the Giants close with a division rival at home. The NFL schedule makers probably scheduled this game envisioning the Giants and Redskins as the two best teams in the NFC East. The Giants will have to hope this game is as meaningful as their game against Dallas in 2011 and not as mostly meaningless as their game against Philadelphia last year.

Conclusion:

The Giants schedule appears to be a bit more balanced than in years past. While the second half schedule features tough matchups with Seattle, Dallas, Washington twice and Green Bay, there are also games against Oakland, San Diego, and Detroit, who combined to go 15-33 in 2012. The Giants bye is also nicely in Week 9, which is better than an early bye not too late.

While the common narrative has been that the Giants choke in the second half, the Giants simply need to play better football in 2013. If Eli Manning doesn’t get his head on straight and the Giants secondary doesn’t improve, the order of schedule will be irrelevant.

My early, early guess? The Giants go 10-6 and win the NFC East on the final day of the season. Of course, things can change and they will.

After Cruz, 26,  switched to CAA Sports last month, talks between him and the Giants have been fairly quiet. Recent reports say Cruz is looking for $10-11 million per year while the Giants are offering around $7 million per year. He’s currently a restricted free agent on a first round tender.

A 10-11 million annual average would put Cruz in the same territory as receivers such as Vincent Jackson and Dwayne Bowe. The Giants’ offer is slightly larger than the 5 year, $31 million contract Danny Amendola signed with the Patriots.

The gap between the two sides reflects more than just money issues. Cruz views himself as a #1 receiver, no doubt buoyed by the 2,2628 receiving yards he’s put up in his first two seasons. The Giants view him as a slot receiver, more in the mold of former Giants receiver Steve Smith. Good but not irreplaceable.

Unless Cruz gets desperate or the Giants cave, it seems unlikely the two sides will come to a compromise. When dealing with Cruz, the Giants will have to worry about the ramifications a deal will have on their salary cap and how it affects their ability to resign other prominent free agents such as defensive end Jason Pierre Paul and their other wide receiver, Hakeem Nicks.

Nicks is reportedly viewed by the team as a #1 receiver and a bigger priority to resign than Cruz. On the surface, this doesn’t make too much sense. Cruz has had significantly more yardage than Nicks the last two years and was able to stay on the field a lot more.

It’s not that simple though. Game tape and advanced statistics tell a lot more.

Advanced NFL Stats had Cruz accounting for 22.6% of the Giants targets in 2011, receiving 132 total while Nicks accounted for 22.5% of the team’s targets, receiving 131. Cruz had 86 catches for 1,538 yards, good for a 18.7 yards per reception, while Nicks had 76 catches for 1192 yards, for a 15.7 YPR.

What those numbers don’t tell you is the kind of routes Nicks and Cruz ran. Cruz, playing mostly in the slot, ran 29.5% of his routes 15 yards or further down the field, 38th amongst receivers. Conversely, Nicks ran 42% of his routes 15 yards or further down the field, eighth most in the NFL.

Somehow though, Cruz had 25 plays of more than 20 yards while Nicks only had 17.  The reason for this is elusiveness.

Newsday

The majority of Cruz’s big plays in 2011 came as a result of missed tackles. Whether it was Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha or New York Jets safety Eric Smith, Cruz routinely caught short passes, made a few defenders whiff on tackles, and ran a long way. Cruz finished sixth in the NFL with 595 yards after the catch.

While it was a great formula of success for the Giants, it didn’t look like something that could be sustained because slot receivers rarely ever average that high a YPR and if they do, it’s not for long.

In 2012, due to a variety of factors, Cruz’s performance dropped significantly. He still had 86 catches and even more targets (143) than in 2011. However, his yardage fell to 1,092 and his YPR fell to 12.7.  Additionally, his catch rate fell from 62% in 2011 to 60% in 2012. He only had 12 plays over 20 yards and his production cratered in the second half, as he only caught 36 passes (on 62 targets) for 465 yards in his final seven games. Overall, he only ran 18.2% of his routes 15 yards or more down the field in 2012, 65th in the NFL.

Part of that is due to Nicks’ injury which kept him out for several games and which rendered him ineffective when he did play. There was also quarterback Eli Manning’s “dead arm” which caused him to struggle.

Primarily though, the league adjusted to Cruz and the Giants as a whole.  Teams started to play more Cover-2 against the Giants, leaving a deep safety down the field to prevent Cruz and Nicks from exploiting opportunities downfield. Giants backup quarterback David Carr noted in a game after the Eagles that safeties were “going straight at Victor.”

Strangely and yet not all too surprising, Nicks had 12 catches for 20 or more yards in 2012, the same number as Cruz despite missing three games and not recording a catch in two of the games he did play.

This is because Nicks is a more physical and versatile receiver than Cruz despite having just one inch on him. Nicks can beat receivers in man coverage at a level that Cruz is simply not able to.  Manning and the Giants offense as a whole suffered without a healthy Nicks and his presence helps open up opportunities for Cruz.

That’s not to say Cruz isn’t valuable. The Giants wouldn’t be able to find a receiver as good as Cruz on the street and some team will pay him.

Cruz’s problem is that he’s not elite in any one area. He doesn’t profile well as an outside receiver and while he has had success in the slot, he doesn’t have elite hands like Wes Welker, who never caught less than 68% of his passes in six seasons with the New England Patriots.

If the NFL did not have a salary cap, paying Cruz would not be a problem.  However, the Giants have limited resources to spend every year and they simply cannot and should not pay elite receiver money to a player isn’t substantially better than Smith.

Barring the unforeseen, Cruz will line up for the Giants during the 2013 season.  If the Giants are smart, he won’t be in 2014.

In offensive lineman David Diehl’s case, it’s the only reason he still has a roster spot on the New York Giants.

The Giants announced yesterday that they had reached an agreement to cut Diehl’s salary from  a base of 4.475 million to 1 million. The move helps lower Diehl’s cap hit from 6.825 milion to 3.125 million.

On the surface, it’s a justifiable move. The Giants needed cap space and while Diehl ideally wouldn’t be the starting right tackle again, he can still function as a versatile backup, being able to play multiple positions on the offensive line.

There are a few major problems with this line of thinking. The first is that versatility only exists if the player is able to play the named positions at an adequate level. Diehl has proven that he is unable to play at even a below average level at any position.

Pro Football Focus ranked David Diehl as the worst pass blocking tackle in football from 2009-2011. Diehl gave up 116 pressures on only 1,191 snaps. That means on 9.7% of his snaps as a tackle, he allowed Eli to be hit, sacked or forced him to get rid of the ball quickly.  PFF’s number doesn’t even account for the fact that Diehl had extensive snaps at left guard during that time.

In 2012, Diehl was slightly better but still very much a liability at right tackle. He was far from the only problem with the Giants offense but it should not be taken as a complete coincidence that two of the worst Giants offensive games of the season (Week 1 vs the Dallas Cowboys, Week 9 vs the Pittsburgh Steelers) came with him as a starter. It also shouldn’t be taken as a complete coincidence that the Giants offense played much better after Sean Locklear replaced him in the starting lineup in Week 2.

Even after the Giants offense more or less flourished under Locklear, the Giants still put Diehl back in the starting lineup. The reasoning? “You don’t really lose your job because of an injury” according to Giants offensive line coach Pat Flaherty. Ignoring the fact that it happens all the time in the NFL, the Giants were playing at a higher level with Locklear than Diehl. The Giants took that as a blip and not indicative of something more.

If Diehl were being brought back as a strict backup, this move would not be so troubling. That’s the problem: Barring another draft pick or free agent signing, Diehl will be the starter at right tackle. 2011 fourth rounder James Brewer is viewed as a possibility to start but barring an injury or disastrous preseason, Diehl will start. That’s because the Giants organization views him as an asset and not a liability.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin publicly stated he wanted Diehl back, as did co-owner John Mara. It’s unlikely that the Giants would have been so public about a player they view as a backup.

Diehl represents a major blind spot for the Giants organization. They were quick to jettison Ahmad Bradshaw, Michael Boley, and Chris Canty this off-season. In the past, they’ve let veterans like Antonio Pierce, Shaun O’Hara and Rich Seubert go when it was clear they were past their prime. Diehl is long past his prime and actively hurts the Giants offense when he sees the field. Giants fans can see this. Impartial observers can see it. Advanced statistics spell it out clearly. Yet for whatever reason, the Giants organization just doesn’t see it that way.

It’s also not as if Diehl’s problems were solely on the field. Last June, Diehl was arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol. Many players better than Diehl have seen their careers turned upside down for crimes less serious than that.  Diehl received no reprimand from the Giants and it was essentially swept under the rug.

At age 33, Diehl is more likely to see his performance get worse rather than better. With Eli Manning at quarterback, the Giants offense will always be better than average but their potential will be always be limited by Diehl. There’s only so much a quarterback can do when facing constant pressure from pass rushers.

In the end, the Giants season won’t be defined by their right tackle, it will be defined by how their offense and defense as a whole perform and whether or not they make the playoffs. If they fail to do so, the Giants organization will ask what went wrong and will look at every aspect of the team, including the offensive line. It’s a good bet they won’t look in Diehl’s direction though.

Never really prioritized by Giants GM Jerry Reese, the linebacker position as a whole was not very good in 2012. Weakside linebacker Michael Boley, who was a cap casualty, was a liability against the run and in pass coverage and was subsequently weeded out of his starting role at the end of the season.  Keith Rivers and Jacquian Williams both missed multiple games due to injury. However, the biggest liability for the Giants came from the middle linebacker position.

While Mark Herzlich got some opportunities there, veteran Chase Blackburn took the majority of snaps at the position. Blackburn is many things: a nice guy, a solid special teams player, and an adequate backup. However he is not a starting linebacker by any measure and failed miserably in that role in 2012. Blackburn graded out at -10.9 overall according to PFF. He had a nightmarish -7.1 grade against the run and allowed 13.8 yards per reception in coverage.  He was one of the main culprits for a defense that ranked near the bottom of the league in both run (25th) and pass (31st) defense.

At a season-ending press conference, Reese said “I do think we have to have better linebacker play moving forward.” This offseason, the Giants targeted players like Jasper Brinkley and Rey Maualuga, before settling on Dan Connor, who was released by the Dallas Cowboys in a cost cutting move. Connor, who got a 1 year, veteran minimum contract, is a significantly better player than either Brinkley or Maualuga and is a major upgrade over Blackburn.

Connor, 28, was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. In part because of an ACL tear in 2008, Connor was a reserve for his first two seasons before taking over as their 4-3 MLB in 2010. He flourished before going down to injury in 2010. Connor wasn’t quite as good in 2011, but he was still a very effective run stopper and not a total liability in coverage. He signed with the Cowboys last season and did not adjust well to their 3-4 scheme, leading to his release.

Ideally, the Giants would have targeted a linebacker who could play all three downs. However, that was out of their price range and in the Giants scheme, they typically go to a nickel defense on 3rd down. Connor profiles very similarly to a former Giants MLB…Jonathon Goff. In his only season as a starter in 2010, Goff was a monster against the run, leading the way for a Giants run defense that ranked 13th in the league in yards per carry (4.2) and 8th in yards per game (101.3). While that may not seem accurate, given that one of the lasting images from the season was Michael Vick running untouched 40 yards down the sideline, it’s important to remember that the same defense held Arian Foster to 11 carries for 25 yards and Adrian Peterson to 14 carries for 26 yards.

In a division that features Alfred Morris, DeMarco Murray, LeSean McCoy and Bryce Brown along with Robert Griffin III and Vick, having players that can actually stop the run is imperative. Barring injury, Connor will help lead the Giants to take a sizable improvement in their defensive play in 2013.

Thankfully for the Giants, it doesn’t start for another six months. However, pressed up against the cap, the Giants options are limited. There isn’t a tight end left in free agency who has a combination of run blocking and pass catching skills like Bennett. So, they will have to look for a tight end who like Bennett last year, is undervalued. That could be Oakland tight end Brandon Myers.

Before last season, Myers had a total of 28 catches in three seasons for the Raiders. In 2012, Myers exploded, catching 79 passes for 806 yards. He had at least 50 yards receiving in nine games last year, including a game against the Browns where he caught 15 passes for 130 yards. Myers also had very reliable hands as he caught those 79 passes on only 105 targets, good for a 75.2 catch percentage. For comparison sakes, Bennett caught 55 passes on 90 targets (61.1 catch percentage). Myers would give the Giants something they haven’t had in a while, a real receiving threat at tight end.

Myers is also only 27, which means he may still have nowhere to go but up. Of course, there are factors that may get in the way of a Myers to Giants pairing.

The most obvious is the ridiculous market for tight ends this offseason. Jared Cook received 35.1 million from the St. Louis Rams, Anthony Fasano got $16 million from the Kansas City Chiefs, and Delanie Walker got 17.1 million from the Tennessee Titans. Myers could conceivably get the kind of money Fasano and Walker got, if not more, which would put him out of the Giants price range.

The more important factor is Myers run blocking. Typically, the Giants ignore vertical threat TEs in favor of tight ends who can block. To say Myers is a bad blocker would be kind. According to PFF, Myers was the worst run blocking tight end in football, coming in at a -21.4 grade in that area. That may be too poor to swallow for the Giants.

At this point, it’s slim pickings in free agency. Players like Kellen Davis and Matt Spaeth are good blockers but offer absolutely nothing in the passing game. Fred Davis is still out there but he seems likely to return to the Washington Redskins and is coming off an Achilles tear.

Of course, the Giants could just wait until the draft to add a tight end. However, this would be a fundamental misuse of resources as the Giants have glaring holes at defensive end, linebacker, and cornerback. Plus, the Giants have typically had good tight ends come out of nowhere, such as Kevin Boss and Jake Ballard.

What the Giants do here remains to be seen. However, if the Giants are willing to take on a less than adequate run blocker and possibly use more two tight end sets in 2013, Myers would be a great pickup.

The team has already been fairly ruthless this offseason, cutting veterans such as linebacker Michael Boley, defensive tackle Chris Canty and running back Ahmad Bradshaw in order to create cap space.

Despite all of that and tackle Will Beatty cap’s number being reduced with his five year extension, the Giants still have very little cap room. According to Spotrac, the Giants have $4, 118,802 in cap space. That leaves them with barely any room to give Victor Cruz or Hakeem Nicks extensions, let alone add potential free agents.

The most obvious way to clear up more cap space would be to release offensive tackle/guard David Diehl and cornerback Corey Webster, both of whom provided minimal value to the Giants last year according to Pro Football Focus.  The Giants can save $4.475 million if they cut David Diehl and $7 million if they cut Webster and designate him as a post-June 1st cut (they will owe him $2 million in dead money in 2014). That would bring the Giants amount of cap space in 2013 to about $15,593,802.

16 million would definitely give the Giants flexibility heading into free agency. However, releasing Rolle would allow them to do a lot more this offseason.

Rolle is one of the most popular players on the Giants and is perceived as one of the better safeties in the league, evidenced by the five year, $37.5 million contract he was handed by the Giants in 2010. Rolle’s salaries reflect that as he is slated to make $7 million in both 2013 and 2014. The keyword here is “perceived”: Rolle is not one of the best safeties in the league at all. In fact, he’s closer to the bottom than the top.

According to PFF, 72.7% of the passes thrown at Rolle were completed in 2012, fourth worst amongst safeties who were targeted at least 40 times. Rolle was also pedestrian  at best in 2011 and 2010. Part of that may come from the fact that he’s been forced to play a lot of slot corner thanks to injuries the last two years. Then again, he wasn’t very good as a safety in his last year with the Cardinals in 2009.

It’s also not as if Rolle made up for his coverage woes by being a ballhawk. In his three years as a Giant, Rolle has a grand total of five interceptions. That falls in line with his production in Arizona when he picked off 12 passes in 68 games for the Cardinals from 2005-2009.

Rolle is above average against the run but not significantly so, and not nearly enough to compensate for his coverage woes and lack of turnovers. If Rolle was making $3 million, his production would be slightly unacceptable; at a cap hit of $9 million, it’s a gross, gross over-payment. The Giants could look to restructure his contract, but that isn’t a very viable option as he already restructured back in 2011, and the Giants don’t have much in the way of cap space for 2014 either.

Signing Rolle back in 2010 was a perfectly defensible decision.  The Giants pass defense in 2009 allowed quarterbacks to post a 63.1 completion percentage against, a 7.4 Y/A, and a 31 to 13 TD/INT ratio which was good for a 95.1 QB rating against. The Giants needed to upgrade on a safety core that featured C.C. Brown and Aaron Rouse. While Rolle has been an upgrade over those two, it hasn’t been anywhere near enough to justify his salary or to even make a noticeable impact on the Giants pass defense overall. It did take a step forward in 2010, having a line of 57.1/6.8/24/16/80.3 against in 2010, but has fallen apart since, allowing a line of 61.3/7.5/28/20/86.1 in 2011 and a 63.9/8.1/26/21/88.7 line in 2012. That’s obviously not all on Rolle but it’s hard to see where he’s made any kind of tangible effect on the Giants defense.

Some Giants fans may place the blame on defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. That would be reasonable except for two reasons. One, fellow Giants safety Kenny Phillips has flourished in Fewell’s zone scheme. Two, Rolle had the very same struggles in Arizona. There’s a reason the Cardinals chose to release him in 2010 and trade for Kerry Rhodes; because they realized he was a very flawed, overrated player who was getting paid for his name rather than his on field production.

The Giants need to get younger and more effective on defense in order to rebound in 2013. Paying a 30 year old safety $7 million for below average production is a deterrent to that plan and it makes no sense, especially considering they could find someone younger to put  up similar production at likely a third of the cost.

Of course, this might be all moot as ESPN’s Ohm Youngsimuk says Rolle won’t be going anywhere.  That would be a shame as Rolle stands little to no chance of being worth his salary in 2013. If they’re lucky, he’ll be worth half.