Hakeem Nicks is a special player.  He is Michael Irvin without the attitude and the antics. He is big, strong, and has huge hands.  Hakeem is a match-up nightmare for most teams, and coupling him with a few other special players has made him, and will continue to make him, a dangerous threat anywhere on the filed.

Victor Cruz had the best year any wide receiver has ever had for the New York Giants.  Just that statement alone takes a minute to digest.  An un-drafted free agent who had to sit his first year due to injury, not only made the team, but made the team better and more explosive. Cruz has medium speed, but a quickness and shiftiness that allows him to beat anyone at anytime.

Ramses Barden is 6′ 6″ receiver that was originally supposed to play the role of Plaxico Burress.  Ramses entering his 4th year has a total of 15 receptions and seems to be having trouble not only staying healthy, but learning to play big time football on a consistent basis.  Playing wide receiver in the NFL requires more than catching a ball, it is precise route running, running hard to influence players away from the intended target, and effective blocking on running plays.  Ramses often has been a healthy scratch from games, leading one to believe his practice sessions or film grading is not up to Giants standards.

Domenik Hixon is entering his 7th season, but has missed many games due to injury.  Hopefully Domenik can return to the team fully healthy this year and not only add to his receiving numbers, but bolster the return game as well.

Jerrel Jernigan is a 5’8″ 189 pound speedster out of Troy.  He showed some flashes in the return game towards the end of this season and will look to bolster those numbers this season.  He should make the team easily and add great depth to the Giants  passing attack.

Added to the equation for this training camp are the following: Brandon Collins 5’8″ a rookie out of SE Louisiana, Dan DePalma, 5’11″ from West Chester, David Douglas 6’1″ from Arizona, Julian Talley 6’1″ from Massachusetts, and they welcome back Isaiah Stanback a four year man from Washington at 6’2″.

The big addition here is Rueben Randle 6’2″ 208 from LSU.  Randle showed very well in mini camp.. He is hands catcher, and will compete with Hixon and the others to replace Mario Manningham who now resides in San Francisco

The Giants receiving corps will be a strength again this year.  With Hakeem Nicks taking it a bit easy and slow in the upcoming training camp, not only will more guys get reps in camp, but in the pre-season games as well.  This will be another great watch in camp.  Who will step up this year?

They lost Kevin Boss and Steve Smith to free agency. They lost Domenik Hixon and Terrell Thomas to injury. Prince Amukamara held out and proceeded to get injured on his first full practice day. Things looked to be a mess in Big Blue Nation.

This offseason, the hysterics are far from that of last year given the results, but their is still a cause for concern. The Giants lost wide receiver Mario Manningham, cornerback Aaron Ross, and running back Brandon Jacobs to free agency this year

They are also in danger of losing Super Bowl hero Chase Blackburn, defensive end Dave Tollefson, and long-time o-lineman Kareem McKenzie. The average fan may fret over this, but their are comparable players already on the roster who can step in and produce equally, if not better.

The Giants will also look to the draft to improve their roster, as they have done in year’s past. This year, I see Reese and co. taking much talked about wide receiver, Alshon Jeffery, with the 32nd pick. Jeffery would add a different dynamic to the Giants receiving corps and would fit in great with Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks. According to Todd Mcshay’s latest mock draft, Jeffery will be available when the Giants pick in the 1st round. Jerry Reese loves to go best available, and Jeffery would certainly be a valuable pick late in the first round.

March 28, 2012; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Alshon Jeffery participates in drills during the South Carolina pro day at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-US PRESSWIRE

The Giants will most likely look to their offensive line, running back and defensive tackle with their later round picks.

With Jeffery taking the hurt out of the Mannigham departure, a healthy cornerback on both sides in Webster and Thomas, experienced sophomores in Herzlich, Paysinger, Sash, and Hynoski, and the tight end corral returning by mid-season— the Giants should be in just fine shape for the upcoming season.

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1. The Giants re-signed CB Terrell Thomas to a very incentive laden contract.  Thomas coming off his second knee surgery, to the same knee, will need to show the Giants and the league that he is completely healthy to collect his money.  Thomas, a fan favorite, is the perfect compliment to Corey Webster in the Giants defensive backfield.

2. Michael Coe and Justin Tryon were also re-signed today by the team..Both defensive backs that showed a lot of promise last year, but found themselves on injured reserve.  Coe has a ton of speed, and will be a valuable asset.  Tryon was a coaches favorite and will bring depth to the back end of the defense.

3. Martellus Bennettt is scheduled for a visit.  The Giants usually either sign or move on after a visit from a player.  They don’t allow anyone to shop their deal around the league, with the Giants it’s usually a case of take it or leave it.  They are not in the habit of negotiating against themselves, and usually announce they have no interest on the player if they decide to keep looking for a deal.

On Defense they have a total of 14 sacks, with Cameron Wake having 5 of those.  Their starting secondary has a total of zero interceptions, with the team totaling only two.  They allow an average of almost 380 yards a game while yielding over 24 points per contest.

The good news for the Giants this week is the health of their players.  Justin Tuck is back. Chris Snee is back.  The entire team is healing in time for the second half push.  While this is one of those games where the Giants might start slow, and look a little sluggish, I am hoping that the Seattle disaster a few weeks ago is fresh in their minds.  I hope they start quick, get the Dolphins down early, and cruise to an easy win before their schedule turns brutal.