New York Giants: NFC East

2009-10 Record: 8-8 (3rd); vs. NFC East: 4-2; vs. NFC: 6-6

2010-11 Strength of Schedule: 7th hardest schedule – .527 (135-121)

Big Games: Week 2 at Indianapolis Colts, Week 7 at Dallas Cowboys, Week 13 vs. Washington Redskins, Week 14 at Minnesota Vikings, Week 16 at Green Bay Packers

Key Additions: S – Antrel Rolle, S – Deon Grant

Key Losses: P – Jeff Feagles, LB – Antonio Pierce, S – Aaron Rouse

Draft Picks: 1^st Round – DE – Jason Pierre-Paul; 2^nd Round – DT – Linval Joseph; 3^rd Round – S – Chad Jones; 4^th Round – LB – Phillip Dillard; 5^th Round – G – Mitch Petrus; 6^th Round – LB – Adrian Tracy; 7^th Round – P – Matt Dodge

2009 Team Leaders:

Passing – Eli Manning: 317-for-509, 4,021 yards, 27 TDs

Rushing – Brandon Jacobs: 224 atts, 835 yards, 5 TDs

Receiving – 107 rec, 1,220 yards, 7 TDs

Scouting via NFL Scouts:

“They’re going to be contenders again. They just had a bad second half of last season. Tom Coughlin is too good of a coach not to get them back this year. They have the talent. … Jason Pierre-Paul has the ability to be an elite pass-rusher. He’s not there right now, but he has a lot of upside. He has freakish ability. All you have to do is watch YouTube to see that. … They obviously put a big emphasis on the D-line in the draft, so they clearly want that rotation going again where they have a lot of bodies they can throw at you. … I love Hakeem Nicks. You put on the tape and he reminds me of Michael Irvin. He can be that type of player. They did a great job of replacing Plaxico Burress. … Adding Antrel Rolle was very interesting. So they don’t have dominating corners, but they now have these two ballhawk safeties. So they’ll try to get you up front and then count on those ballhawk safeties to make plays.”

Thoughts:

Believe it or not, this is largely the same team that won Super Bowl XLII and started 11–1 in 2008. Last year was a disaster, but the injury factor can’t be overstated. The Giants lost half of their team, and most of the other half played hurt, yet they were still 8–8. If this team can stay in one piece, a big if, that has to be good for another couple of wins. The Giants have an explosive offense and they have the personnel for a dominant pass rush and a decent secondary. Few teams in the NFC can match that package. So, if they keep their team together, they can be a contender. If all those injuries from last year were a sign of age or just the fragile nature of their players, then the Giants could be in for another long year. Given the number of injuries they had in ’09, bet on the former and expect something of a bounce-back year.

Prediction: 10-6 (2nd)

Cash Scott for Citadel Digital © 2010