2010 New York Giants Season Preview

The New York Giants franchise has plenty to look forward to according to the 2010 New York Giants Team Preview. Their stunning New Meadowlands Stadium makes it's debut on September 12, a big-time safety is finally in blue and the entire New York area was energized by the news that the stadium will also host the 2012 Super Bowl.

Anything to wash out the sour taste of 2009, where the Giants had a middling pass defense, and faded quickly out of the playoff picture with losses in two of their last three divisional games. Despite finishing eighth in total offensive yards, New York settled at 8-8, and snapped it's four-year playoff streak.

With defense being the primary source of reflection, the Giants opened their wallets and reeled in Pro Bowl safety Antrel Rolle via free agency. It was their biggest off-season move, signing the former Arizona Cardinals for five years and 37 million. They also spent the majority of their draft picks on defense, using five of their seven selections on defenders.

Rolle was supposed to have platoon help from rookie Chad Jones, taken in the third round, but an ugly one-car crash in June left Jones' leg in extensive surgery and football career in doubt.

But New York is still only three years removed from a championship season, and many parts of that offense are still intact heading into the 2010 NFL Season. Eli Manning is coming off a career year of 4,021 yards and 27 touchdowns, and benefitted from a breakout year by youngters Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks. With the Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins spotlighted a lot this off-season, the Giants have a chance to be sneaky good, and make the playoffs for the fifth time in six years. 2010 New York Giants Coaching Staff & ChangesWinning the 2007 Super Bowl got Tom Coughlin a four-year extension through 2011. But to go any further will require an immediate turnaround from a .500 season and an improvement on defense. Coughlin is back for his seventh year with the Giants, where he has posted a 55-41 record.

Coughlin has a career record of 123-101, reaching the playoffs in eight of his 14 years. The running game has found success recently under his system, but fell to 17th in '09.

Coughlin has an 8-7 career playoff record, winning more than one game only once in his only Super Bowl run. 2010 New York Giants Key Free Agency Acquisitions & LossesAcquistions
S - Antrel Rolle from Arizona Cardinals
QB - Jim Sorgi from Indianapolis Colts

Losses
QB - David Carr to San Francisco 49ers
LB - Antonio Pierce to Free Agency
P - Jeff Feagles to Retirement 2010 New York Giants NFL DraftRound 1: Pick 15 - DE, Jason Pierre-Paul (South Florida)
Round 2: Pick 46 - DT, Linval Joseph (East Carolina)
Round 3: Pick 76 - S, Chad Jones (LSU)
Round 4: Pick 115 - LB, Phillip Dillard (Nebraska)
Round 5: Pick 147 - OG, Mitch Petrus (Arkansas)
Round 6: Pick 184 - DE/LB, Adrian Tracy (William & Mary)
Round 7: Pick 221 - P, Matt Dodge (East Carolina)
2010 New York Giants QuarterbacksJim Sorgi had pretty good success under one Manning, and the Giants are hoping for similar results under another. The primary back-up to Peyton Manning in Indianapolis for the first six years of his career, Sorgi was lured to New York to back-up Peyton's brother, Eli.

Eli Manning is coming off a career year of 4,021 yards and 27 touchdowns, and will have to put up similar numbers to compete in the toughest division in football. Manning averages just over 2,500 yards a season, with a career rating of 80.

The NFC East is loaded with quarterbacking talent, and Manning's career-breaking performance was probably over looked by the fact that almost a dozen quarterbacks hit the 4,000-yard mark. But he also cut down on his interceptions (14), and is just now entering the peak of his career.

2010 New York Giants Quarterback Depth Chart
QB - Eli Manning
QB - Jim Sorgi2010 New York Giants Running BacksAs the NFL moves towards the dual-back system more-and-more, there is probably no team in the NFC East better suited than the 2010 New York Giants. For the past few years, Tom Coughlin has shifted personnel in the backfield to great results. Two mainstays, though, have been Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.

Jacobs has been the feature back recently, gaining over 1,000 yards in two of the past three seasons. The problem with him has been the injury bug, and it finally bit big last year. Without gaining 100 yards in any game, Jacobs suffered a knee injury that required surgery over the winter. His 3.7 yards per carry was the lowest since his rookie year, raising further concerns of his long-term durability.

Bradshaw has similar red flags after stress fractures derailed his '09 campaign. The four-year veteran cracked 100 yards twice, but finished with only 778 yards. New York gained over 2,500 yards on the ground two years ago, but that total was nearly cut in half in '09 due to faltering offensive line play. Eli Manning won't be the issue. The health of Bradshaw and Jacobs will.

Projected 2010 New York Giants Running Back Depth Chart
RB - Brandon Jacobs
RB - Ahmad Bradshaw2010 New York Giants Wide ReceiversEli Manning gets a lot of the credit, but it certainly helps to have great targets to throw to. In just his fourth season, Steve Smith finally emerged as a no. 1 threat and Pro Bowler with 1,220 yards. That was good for eighth-best in the league, and his 107 catches set a franchise record. He was the Giants' first wide receiver in the Pro Bowl since 1968.

Alongside him is sophomore Hakeem Nicks, who averaged 16.8 yards per catch in his rookie year. He only got to 790 yards because of an injury early in the year, and a one-catch performance in the final game. But he reached 100 yards twice, and his size and 4.5 speed will be hard to match. As long as health prevails, it won't be hard to see Manning reach 4,00 yards again.

Projected 2010 New York Giants Wide Receiver Depth Chart
WR - Steve Smith
WR - Hakeem Nicks
WR - Domenik Hixon
WR - Mario Manningham

Projected 2010 New York Giants Tight End Depth Chart
TE - Kevin Boss
TE - Travis Beckum2010 New York Giants Offensive LineEverything seemed in tune when New York started 5-0. But after only winning three more games the rest of the year, the attention turned to it's defense and offensive line.

The Giants led the NFL in rushing in '08, but plummeted to 17th with 114.8 yards per game. Part of the issue was the health of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, but some of the weight falls on Shawn O'Hara and co. If the 2010 New York Giants are to return to prominence, the O line will need to move men and clear the way for their RBs.

Projected 2010 New York Giants Starting Offensive Line
LT - David Diehl
LG - Rich Seubert
C - Shaun O'Hara
RG - Chris Snee
RT - Kareem McKenzie2010 New York Giants Defensive LineNew York once had one of the best defensive lines in the league, but it was a so-so year in '09. Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora combined for only 13 sacks. Tuck was the only man on the line to start at least 13 games. The Giants tied for 18th in sacks and 22nd in interceptions.

For support, New York drafted defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul out of South Florida with the 15th overall pick in April's Draft. Giving the unit's pschyzophrenia, it's not

Projected 2010 New York Giants Starting Defensive Line
DE - Justin Tuck
DT - Barry Cofield
DT - Chris Canty
DE - Osi Umenyiora2010 New York Giants LinebackersThis is the one weak spot in the 2010 New York Giants Season Preview... linebackers. The New York Giants fall short against their division opponents in the NFC with their current group. While the other three teams in the NFC East feature one, if not more, superstar in the second level, New York is simply patching together a group and waiting.

Antonio Pierce retired after a serious neck injury last year, leaving a gaping hole in the middle. For now, six-year veteran Michael Boley is the team's only proven linebacker with 84 tackles last year and has the speed to excel in the 4-3 system. After that, it will be a mixture of Jonathan Goff, Clint Sintim, Kenny Ingram and Chase Blackburn to fill in the rest.

Blackburn is the only one in the group with more than 100 career tackles.

Projected 2010 New York Giants Starting Linebackers
SLB - Clint Sintim
MLB - Jonathan Goff
WLB - Michael Boley2010 New York Giants SecondaryFor a team that allowed 26.7 points per game, and 40-plus in five contests, addressing the secondary was a key issue. As noted above, the Giants' first off-season issue was addressing such unit, signing the top safety available in Antrel Rolle. Rolle totaled 12 interceptions and averaged 55 tackles a year with the Arizona Cardinals, and instantly creates a real threat to receivers.

New York also drafted Chad Jones out of LSU, but a brutal car wreck in June may derail his playing career.

The Giants only intercepted 13 passes in '09, 22nd best, and surrendered 31 touchdowns.

If the Giants are going to contend in a tough division, they will have to improve on their 15th ranked pass defense immediately, or it may not matter how many yards Manning throws again.

Projected 2010 New York Giants Starting Seconday
CB - Corey Webster
CB - Aaron Ross
SS - Kenny Phillips
FS - Antrel Rolle

2010 New York Giants Preview