Feb 5, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl XLVI against the New England Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

How do the Giants win the NFC East and get back to the Playoffs? Here are several keys to making that happen.

Get off to a fast start. The defense cannot have a two month period to get their scheme right this year. The secondary must do a better job preventing big plays. When the D line tackles a runner for a loss or gets an early down sack, the secondary cannot give up 3rd and long first downs. It’s a back breaker and gives the opposition confidence that they can stay in the game. They have a lot of high powered offensive teams on the schedule this year and cannot afford those mistakes.

Protect Eli. With McKenzie gone, the line must play together to keep Manning upright. He took way to many hits in the NFC championship game last year and that cannot happen. With the TE position being thin with talent the passing game is going to be a down the field attack and Eli will need time for the receivers to get in their routes. The backs need to pick up blitzes which could be a reason we don’t see much of first round pick David Wilson early in the year.

Eli must have another great season. This team will only go as far as Eli takes them. It’s his arm that kept the team alive and led them to a Super Bowl last year. He is the engine that runs the machine. They cannot pretend that they have a running game to rely on or a defense that can shut down opponents week in and week out. The Giants, to be great,  need Eli to be great and have the 4th quarter magic yet again.

Nothing is different this year, as the Giants have told Kareem McKenzie they will look elsewhere in the offensive tackle position. This ends a mostly pleasant eight year marriage.

McKenzie joined the Giants after four years with the Jets, and was a vital piece to their two Super Bowl runs. McKenzie follows the trend set last year when Rich Seubert and Shaun O’Harawere released for younger blood.

Jan 15, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; New York Giants offensive tackle Kareem McKenzie (67) looks on during warmups prior to NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

McKenzie should be able to land a job elsewhere even though he will turn 33 years old before the season begins. His diminished skills were noticed late in the season, but he was still valuable when on the field.

McKenzie was a warrior and mentor on the turf and will certainly be missed by Giants fans this upcoming season.

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-The Giants run defense had, for the most part, been playing much better in the last two games of the season and it carried over into this game. It’s just about impossible to contain a running back like Michael Turner but the Giants defense did a fine job of limiting his productivity today.

-Not only has the Giants run defense improved but so has their own productivity on the ground. And both Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw have had more success when the Giants run the ball behind left guard Kevin Boothe, not right tackle Kareem McKenzie. McKenzie has been rather soft on run blocking all year and he looked lost at times today, especially on the safety where he failed to pick up the blitz. But when they run it to the left behind Boothe, or pull him to the right, it is overall more effective.

-I bet Mike Smith wished that he’d kicked those two field goals instead of going for it on fourth and short, especially the first one when the game was still 0-0. He would’ve had less of a deficit to overcome in the fourth quarter.

-Speaking of fourth and short, do the Giants have the best fourth down, short yardage defense in the NFL? They stuffed the Cowboys on fourth and short last week and managed to contain the Falcons both times they went for it. Atlanta was in Giants territory both times too, so they could’ve easily could’ve come away with six points instead of turning the ball over on downs.

-The defense choose the right time in the season to get hot. They pitched a shutout today, since Atlanta’s only points came off a safety. Not too shabby considering they were facing a team that can boast Turner, Julio Jones, Roddy White and Matt Ryan. Kudos to them for holding the fort while the offense was trying to find their rhythm.

-It’s nice to have two quality receivers, isn’t it? The Falcons focused on shutting down Victor Cruz, allowing Hakeem Nicks to run wild and get two touchdowns.

-Congratulations to Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin for their first home playoff victory! Remember, the Giants won four straight road games in their playoff/Super Bowl run in 2008 since they’d gotten into the postseason as a wild card team. It was also Manning’s first career playoff win outside of their Super Bowl winning season.

-Overall, it was another complete team victory for the Giants. Their play definitely got better as the game went on and once they were settled in, they dominated the Falcons. If they play like this, next week’s game against the Packers should be another close game.

In the offseason, all the experts deemed the Giants’ biggest weaknesses to be along the offensive line and the linebacking corp. Both look to be solidified by young players already on the Giants roster. The players I’m talking about are William Beatty and Clint Sintim. Those players are entering their third season in the NFL, a season many believe is the season that young players become stars in this league.

In addition to the signing of David Baas, the progression of Beatty will allow the Giants’ offensive line to return to the productive levels we have seen back in 2007 and 2008. David Diehl, David Baas, and Chris Snee form one of the best interior lines in the league, and flanked out at right, Kareem Mckenzie looks to add another solid year to his resume. This leads to the only question mark on the line, William Beatty. Beatty was a guy with first round talent, and fell to the second round simply due to the tremendous depth at the tackle position that year. In his third season with the Giants, he should have a firm enough grasp of the offense to make a huge contribution. If he does, watch out.

Michael Boley and his hefty contract will undoubtedly start at weak side linebacker this season. With Jonathan Goff’s great season, and lack of competition, he should look to man the middle for another year. That leaves the strong side spot open. All indications have been that the coaching staff is looking to Sintim to fill that role. The third year player has worlds of talent, it just hasn’t been realized on the football field yet. It is his third year, however, and you’d hope by now Sintim would be able to show something. Like Beatty, if he can reach his potential he can turn what was a question mark into an asset for the Giants.

In addition to these two players, look for Travis Beckum, Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden to all improve on their previous performances, giving the Giants the impact players so many are craving from free agency. It might not be splashy, but the Giants have the makings of an improved team. That is scary when you realize they were 10-6 and possibly eight minutes away from being the 2nd seed in the playoffs last season.