The New York Giants shocked the world when they upset the New England Patriots for the second time in five years, winning the Super Bowl despite finishing the regular season 9-7. They were able to win the division in the winner-take-all game against the Dallas Cowboys, but let’s be honest, they have some things to work on.
They are not at all the proverbial favorites to win the division, mostly because of what the Philadelphia Eagles and Cowboys did to improve their roster this offseason. The Giants made some savvy moves as well, but what are the obstacles standing in their way of winning for a third time in six years and, dare I say it, becoming a dynasty?
Here are five of them.
5. Injuries
Over the previous three seasons, the Giants have been hit by a rash of injuries at multiple positions. Last year, they were hit especially hard on the defensive side of the ball, which is why it was surprising to see the defense play so well in the playoffs, but also the reason they finished 27th in terms of yards allowed per game.
They added a ton of depth on that side, both in the draft, free agency and by simply getting players back healthy. If they get hammered by the injury bug again they could weather the storm, but they would be counting on a lot of young players to step up.
4. Pass Defense
Losing Terrell Thomas probably had a lot to do with it, but the Giants’ pass defense went from a top 10 unit to No. 29 in the league. They also happened to lose four backup cornerbacks behind Thomas, which forced Antrel Rolle to play some Nickel corner. That experiment did not work well and the Giants were torched week after week.
Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell changed up his scheme and play calling to simplify things before the Week 16 game with the New York Jets. The next six games the Giants only allowed 13.6 points per game. That is a ridiculous improvement and hopefully the group, after getting most everyone back healthy, can build on that moving into this season.
3. Offensive Line Play
I’m going to be as nice as possible here, but to be honest I feel like the Giants had the worst ever offensive line to win the Super Bowl. Typically you need to be able to move the ball on the ground and protect your quarterback to win a Super Bowl—the Giants finished dead last in both rushing and quarterback pressures allowed (100 more than the 2nd worst team). They weren’t the worst group in the league, but they were pretty close.
To be fair, the group had some new faces and were not allowed a full offseason, or a healthy regular season, to completely gel as a group. Offensive line play is very much about the unit performing as one, and it was obvious they struggled to do so.
2. Playing Down to Their Competition
Another unfortunate characteristic of the Giants is that they tend to play down to their competition. They either make games close, or lose games they have no business losing to inferior teams. They lost to the Washington Redskins twice as well as the Seattle Seahawks, and barely scraped a win against the Miami Dolphins last year. When you have one of the toughest schedules in the NFL, you cannot afford to lose games you should win.
I’m not sure if it is Tom Coughlin or the players, but the attitude needs to change. It cannot be enough to barely get in the post season every year. They have to want to dominate. They will never be a dynasty if they do not take the regular season more seriously. Too often it will be like 2009 and 2010—watching the playoffs from home.
1. Strength of the NFC East
The NFC East was a tough division to win as everyone beat up on each other and the Eagles beat up on everyone else. This year should be no different with each group drastically improving, at least on paper. The Redskins do not want to be the doormat they were last season, so they made a move for Robert Griffin III and signed several players in free agency to help their offense. The Cowboys and Eagles each made moves of their own, both in the draft and free agency, and the Giants picked up some young rookies in the draft that should contribute.
Basically, every team should be better than their 2011 version, which could keep the Giants from the playoffs. It is very conceivable, however unlikely, that the Giants could win 10 games and miss the playoffs. It happened in 2010 and the NFC seems as loaded as it has ever been in recent memory.
Jeff is an NFL Featured Columnist for www.RantSports.com. He contributes mainly to the New York Giants and NFL Rumors pages. He also will occasionally touch on the NBA and humorous videos involving all sports.
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