The Giants running attack will have a different look to it this season as Brandon Jacobs has moved on to the San Francisco 49ers. Ahmad Bradshaw now has the spotlight as the Giants will use the preseason to determine who else fills out the backfield. D.J. Ware received the first chance at backing up Bradshaw and he looked impressive when called on to carry the ball. Rookie and first round pick David Wilson had a team high 43 rushing yards on 7 carries and looked explosive at times. The battle for the backup running back spot is going to be fun to watch.

Eli Manning completed four of eight passes for 60 yards.

What stood out to me in the passing game for the Giants was solid play from their new tight end Martellus Bennett.

Bennett has the size, the speed, and the potential to be an impact player in this offense. The flipside to that is he also had that potential in Dallas. A change of scenery might be just what Bennett needs to maximize his potential. He’s off to a good start so far, catching 3 passes for 27 yards including a 12-yard touchdown catch from backup quarterback David Carr.

The first-team defense looked shaky in the beginning as the Jaguars seemed to move the ball with ease on them in their opening drive.

One key position to watch for will be at cornerback.

Prince Amukamara is getting a chance to step up because of the injury to Terrell Thomas. Amukamara was burned on the Jaguars opening drive when he gave up 3-yard touchdown pass to Cecil Shorts. However, he showed that he could shake that off and redeemed himself later in the 1st quarter when he stripped Shorts on an end-around which led to a Giants recovery.

Head coach Tom Coughlin wasn’t pleased with how his punt return game looked out there and who can blame him? Misplays by rookie Jayron Hosley and receiver Jerrel Jernigan led to Jacksonville points that definitely contributed to the ultimate outcome of the game. If there is one thing that will bring Coughlin to angry levels, it’s turnovers and mental mistakes.

The Giants were in control of this game and mistakes and lack of execution at critical times cost them. However, training camp and the preseason is for fixing those problems before they come up again in September when the games do count and the Giants begin defense of their Super Bowl championship.

Eli Manning has now won Two Super Bowl Trophies for The New York Giants. Eli Manning has now won Two Super Bowl MVP’s.  Eli Manning has now engineered Two Winning Super Bowl drives in the final 3 minutes.  Eli Manning is elite. Eli is durable.  Eli is a leader.  When your own team gives you a standing ovation, you are The Man. Eli will be here for the remainder of his career.

David Carr is entering his 11th season in the NFL out of Fresno State and is probably still looking for that right spot to be a starter.  The Giants will always give him the opportunity to explore his options, in exchange for the great work he has done running the scout team in practice, and contributing to Eli’s development in the meeting room and on the sideline.  In March David Carr signed on for another year with the Giants and will be Eli’s main back-up this season

Ryan Perrilloux from Jacksonville State is also on the Giants roster as a QB.  Ryan was cut and re-signed approximately 8 times this year, showing that the Giants do like him on the squad.  He brings a different element than Carr and is certainly a work in progress as a back up.  Again the Giants will allow Ryan to explore what’s best for him, but would like to have him back on the practice squad.

This position is the most solid and stable on the team, and despite some needless drivel and ridiculous speculation, Eli is the Man, and will finish his career in New York as perhaps the most successful NFL player the city has ever seen.

Quarterback has always been one of the most important positions in the NFL, if not THE most important position. Heck, ESPN has deemed 2011 the ‘Year of the Quarterback’ and have even gone so far as to come up with a stat they call Total Quarterback Rating to replace the conventional and outdated quarterback rating system.

Back in 2004 when the Giants took Eli there were a lot of grumblings from Giants fans who wanted no part of Peyton’s little brother. But flashforward to 2011 and Eli has cemented himself as one of the top QBs in the NFL and has won over the New York fan base thanks to leading them to a Super Bowl victory. Also in his favor is the above mentioned fact that he’s never missed a start. Something that’s rare in the world of football and hopefully that streak will continue with the 2011 NFL season.

So, since Eli is entrenched as the Giants QB1 who does that leave to fill the void of QB2?

(more…)