Ready, Set ...

Are the Giants ready to "go"? It will be interesting to see what tinkering the Giants do with their roster between Saturday's mandatory roster reductions and opening day. Of course, when it comes to the roster, one primary unknown remains Strahan. I'm in the camp that believes that although Strahan's play on the field would help win some games, his presence is an overall negative and the team, as well as the Giants organization, is better off without him. NFL players get paid handsomely to be professionals. To be considered a truly great professional requires more than simply excelling at one particular skillset in a chosen profession, even if that single skillset happens to be the most visible. Medical doctors understand it doesn't matter how great their surgical skills may be if their patients don't take their advice because of a lousy bedside manner. Trial lawyers understand all the legal knowledge in the world doesn't mean anything if their demeanor totally alienates juries. Examples abound.

Michael Strahan has excellent physical football skills which make him a very good (great) individual football player. But that doesn't make him a great professional. All the football skills in the world don't matter as much if you don't understand you a being paid millions of dollars to improve the overall team. Mr. jackass isn't a professional because he has never understood why he was being paid all that money. It isn't about the individual accomplishments Mike. You were paid that money to be a member of a team - to help the team - not to be an individual. He was a great individual player, but not a great professional. The Giants, as a team, would be much better off if they could only find a way to pursuade him to retire. Alas, I'm afraid that is not going to happen.

Enough talk about the jackass. The Giants have some pretty large issues heading into the 2007 campaign.

• No OL depth at all. If one guy goes down the season may be over. That is quite a gamble.
• No blocking TE
• No fullback
• Huge question mark at kicker
• Long snapper on IR
• No real depth on DL including DE (unless jackass comes back but even then Giants will probably ask for a roster exemption for a couple of weeks until he gets into playing shape while the Giants play 3 NFC East games in the first four weeks. Nice job Mikey).
• The secondary. I'll feel better when Ross and Webster are the starting corners (on merit) and there are solid backups behind them. But absent injury it appears Madison and McQuarters get the starting nod which means the secondary has not been upgraded. And both safety spots remain a problem. I was going to list "depth" a problem with the secondary, but that is a wrong term when it is the starters who are the problem and your backups aren't good enough to displace them.
• Brandon Jacobs. He's done a workmanlike job in pre-season. He's a load, no doubt about it. But... he has been unable to break free of traffic and run free this entire pre-season and thngs only get tougher during the regular season as teams spend all week long game planning how to frustrate him. Caveat: We haven't yet seen Jacobs into the 3rd and 4th quarters when the defenses get worn down. We'll have to wait and see.

The NFL season is not a race to the finish. It is a grueling 16 round heavyweight fight. It is easy to "blame" injuries for lack of success (ala 2006), but excuses are just that - excuses for failure. Successful teams - like NE - have sufficient depth to deal with injuries. NE didn't dress any of their starters last night and their backups gave the Giants first teamers a run for their money on both sides of the ball (yes, the Giants offense moved the ball but it wasn't necessarily easy, especially at the goal line). How many of you think you would have been "happy" with the outcome had that been reversed with the Giants not dressing any starters and playing their backups against NE's first team offense and defense? Point made. It would have been a total, unmitigated disaster.

I think the Giants are moving in the right direction. Many people objected to the use of "rebuilding" during the offseason. But what else can you call a transition between the end of the Barber-Strahan era and the beginning of the Manning-(defensive unknown) era? Speaking of Manning, I have what I perceive to be a sea change in his play. Yes, many say he has played well before in pre-season and early regular season, only to drop off after the mid-way point. But that is not what I am talking about. I have seen a noticeable difference in how he throws the football. His footwork is much improved and he is stepping into his throws and is throwing with confidence. While he has missed some throws (not many by the way), none have been of the type that worried me in the past - the type Phil Simms compared to a "wild pitch". His misses were still good throws mechanically. If this is indeed a sea change, his statistics will not matter to me at all (good or bad), nor will the record or any perceived "let down" towards the end of the season - so long as his mechanics remain solid. If that happens, all the rest will come with time.

Giants v Panthers - First Pre-Season Game

This is going to be short and sweet for one simple reason... there isn't anything to write about. It was the first pre-season game so nothing much can be read into it. Pre-season games are for evaluating individual performances, especially the new players who are unknowns in game situations. Negatives, for the most part, can be ignored because they will likely be corrected. Rather, what I always hope to see are some exciting performances from a rookie or two that gets me so pumped up I can't wait to see him (them) again in the next game. To me that was the biggest disappointment about this game - there simply weren't any spectacular performances.

The one thing I did notice is that the kickoffs were consistently inside the ten yard line and, while I would like to see some cross the goal line, the kicking game was better than I had feared, and that is certainly a positive.

Top Ten Preseason Watch List

Things that are on my mind as Giants open training camp today:

1. Brandon Jacobs
Every Giants fan – hell, every NFL fan – has seen Brandon Jacobs instill the fear of God in defenders. Yet, Brandon Jacobs heads my list as the single most important issue for the Giants season this year. It seems Giants fans everywhere do not expect any drop off in the running game with Tiki Barber’s retirement. That is quite an expectation. Not only is Tiki Barber the Giant’s all time leading rusher, he tops the list as all time leading receiver – and contended for the NFL rushing title the last three years of his career. But fans have seen what Jacobs can do and seemingly believe that what they have seen from Jacobs the past two seasons will automatically carry over into his full time, feature back role.

I’m excited about that prospect – but I’m a realist and understand it is likely that Jacobs will find that life as a feature back in the NFL is quite different than life as a back up role player. It is one thing to stand on the sidelines and be called in, fresh, to periodically run the ball some 5-10 carries a game. It is quite another to pound the ball 20-25 times a game… to have the stamina to handle the ball 6 times on a drive, break off a 30 yard run on the 7th carry, run back to the huddle, and hear your number called yet again for an 8th carry – and still have fresh legs. And then have the long time stamina to still be doing that in December, when his body is beat up and hurt more than he has ever experienced before. And the biggest difference of all? This year NFL defensive coordinators will be spending all week long developing game plans for their entire defense to stop Brandon Jacobs – something he has never faced before.

And, let us not forget that the Giants lost more than Tiki Barber, they lost Jim Finn. It is unknown who will be the fullback this year, or even if they will have a traditional fullback at all. Either way, that will make it more difficult for the feature back because a great blocking fullback is a running back’s best friend. And right now Jacobs is without one.

So, while everyone is very excited (and I include myself in that statement), let’s not get carried away with the expectations that there will not be any drop off from the last three years of Tiki Barber’s career. It is asking a bit much to expect Brandon Jacobs to compete for the NFL rushing title this year.

2. Mathias Kiwanuka
This young man is going to be fun to watch, regardless of the position he plays. As I posted back in May, I hated the move to LB, primarily because the reason behind the move was not because LB was his more natural position, but rather to compensate for the weakness at linebacker and a way to get Kiwanuka on the field rather than sitting behind Strahan. My objection was (and is), that while that thinking might provide short term benefits in 2007, it ignored the long term cost – Kiwanuka was drafted to be a DE – he proved in his rookie season that he had god gifted DE talent and had future pro-bowl written all over him. Moving him away from DE, if temporary, would only serve to retard his long term development as a DE. If permanent, would be “making a bet” that he could turn out to be as good at LB as DE. In my book you “gamble” with a player who isn’t going to make it at the NFL level in his drafted position – but you don’t gamble with a future star to meet some short term need.

Now, of course, we have Mr. Strahan injecting himself into this entire scenario. Strahan, the oldest veteran presumed leader of the team, decides at 11:30 on the night before the team is to report to camp, that he wants to retire. It isn’t clear as I write this whether he is trying to leverage himself for more money or whether he simply can’t face another season of football. And it doesn’t matter. If he announced his retirement in February, it is very unlikely the Giants would have moved Kiwanuka and it is likely they would have drafted a second linebacker, probably during day one. To wait until the last minute – until 11:30 on the night before camp opens, speaks volumes about Strahan as a person, as a teammate, and as a member of the Giants organization.

I strongly believe the Giants organization must grab the opportunity Mr. Strahan has handed them. They need to send a message that will be heard by players for years to come. They should totally ignore Strahan and refuse to return any of his phone calls or those from his agent. They should immediately move Kiwanuka back to DE. And if and when Strahan shows up at camp, they should keep him on the roster, pay him his salary, and make certain he never steps on a football field during a regular or preseason game ever again. Message sent and received: You want to treat the New York Giants as your personal dumping ground – this is how you will end your Hall of Fame career.

Add to this drama two other players who are impacted. With Kiwanuka moving to LB, the status of Tuck’s physical health was critically important. With Strahan’s “retirement” announcement, it moves off the charts in importance. And if Strahan doesn’t play this year, William Josephs stock has suddenly gone up because of his value at DE. Go figure.

3. Amani Toomer
With so many needs heading into the draft, it was telling that the Giants used their second round pick on a WR for the second year in a row. And from what I’ve been hearing it seems they made a solid choice. I am really excited to watch Steve Smith this year. Of course, if I’m not willing to anoint Brandon Jacobs as the second coming, how can I possibly even suggest Smith can make any contribution when we haven’t even seen him in pads? And, of course, I can’t. But I’m more excited about Smith than I am about Sinorice Moss. Smith seems more likely to be a starting receiver some day. Moss, I’m afraid, is more destined to be a part time specialist. Don’t get me wrong – a specialist who breaks some home run screen plays or crossing patterns can have a huge impact on game outcomes. My objection is that second round picks are valuable commodities (and let’s not forget the Giants traded up in the second round to select Moss), and in my book you better get a full time starter with your second round selection.

Anyway, enough with the digression. It was (and remains) my interpretation that the Steve Smith second round selection was an indication of the Giants concerns about Toomer in 2007. And, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. I have a soft spot for Toomer, especially in comparison with the ulcerating angst generated by the Barber Strahan show these past 12 months. Amani, in my heart, has been a true and loyal soldier, moving over gracefully to make way for Burress and then proceeding to become the primary clutch “go to” guy anyway. So, a good portion of my “eye time” this preseason will be on Toomer, Smith and Moss.

4. Eli Manning
What is there to say that hasn’t been said? Nothing. That doesn’t mean the Eli watch doesn’t continue, because it does. There just isn’t anything much to add to what has already been said (by just about everyone in the entire world, or so it seems). He isn’t going to get many more seasons to establish himself – and if he doesn’t take a big step forward this year, the number of defenders will drop off considerably. And don’t think for a minute that he doesn’t know that – so there will be considerable internal anxiety added to the mix this year. We can only hope and pray.

A related theme (and one that probably deserves its own “things to watch” point) is the offensive line. As goes the offensive line so goes Eli. Reese jettisoned Petitgout as the trash he obviously thought he was –leaving a gaping hole on the offensive line. A GM purportedly doesn’t make decisions regarding who should play where. But I see some gamesmanship here between Reese and Coughlin. Reese clearly wanted Petitgout gone and, from what I’ve been reading, wants Whimper to get a real shot at breaking into the lineup. If I had to put real money on the line, I’d be forced to put my money against Reese on this one. Absent injury, Whimper doesn’t start this year and the offensive line loses a huge amount of the invaluable flexibility we saw last year. Reese obviously didn’t like Petitgout - as we all learned from his unprofessional attack upon Petitgout this week. And I can live with letting Petitgout go. But I am not thrilled with his lack of plan for a replacement and continue to believe the Giants would be stronger today with Luke in camp competing with Diehl and Whimper for the starting job. On the entire subject of Petitgout I have to give Reese a big fat F which I will chalk up to rookie GM learning experience. But it may have huge consequences for Eli Manning who would have benefited from moves that clearly made the offensive line unquestionably stronger than 2006 – not moves that leave the offensive line on a preseason watch list (ok, I know, I didn’t put it on the watch list – so kill me for taking literary liberties).

5. Kicker
It’s on the list of unknowns and I don’t know more than that about the kickers – nor does anyone else – that’s the problem.

6. Return game
It’s on the list of unknowns and I don’t know more than that about the returners– nor does anyone else – and that’s another problem.

7. Backup Tight End
They added Boss in this year’s draft, allegedly a pass catching TE with soft hands. I’m really excited to watch him. But the Giants have no fullback. The offensive line is in flux, including the loss of Seubert as a blocking tight end. And Shiancoe is gone. So tight end makes my watch list primarily because I want to know who will be the road grading blocking TE when Brandon is running the ball, especially in goal line and short yardage situations?

8. Steve Spagnuolo
He makes my watch list because I am excited – really excited – about the change in defensive philosophy. Every defensive player in history loves a defensive scheme that allows him to simply follow his instincts to run to the ball – to attack, attack, attack. Yes, we may see some break downs and get burned for some (a lot? ) of big plays. But I don’t care. If my defense is going to get burned, then at least we’ll go down while we are going after the QB. As a fan, that’s what I want to see – pressure the QB in every way possible. I’m excited about Spags, can you tell?

9. The Rookies
Well, this is a real “duh” for a preseason watch list. I mean, what is preseason for if it isn’t to watch the rookies and hope for some surprises to see who may actually contribute this year. But hey, this is a things to watch list for the preseason and how can you not watch the rookies? So, it made my list and this year is no different than any of the other 40 preseasons I’ve lived through (ok, 37), watching the rookies is what the preseason is all about – and like always, I’m full of hope and excitement about this year’s rookie crop.

10. Team Coughlin
Coach Coughlin is an interesting subject. I’ve heard many express their views. My post at the end of last season – before ownership made their decision – basically called it lunacy to consider firing a head coach who had turned the team into a winner in very short order and taken the team to back to back playoff seasons. So I suppose I was a Coughlin defender. But I suspect that many such “defenders” are as uncomfortable with that label as I am – for I am not a Coughlin fan. I think he likes to think himself as a disciplinarian when in fact all he has are silly rules, displays no self discipline on the sidelines, and frankly has been a relative push over when it has come down to dealing with players whom a true disciplinarian like Lombardi would have benched in a heartbeat without losing a moment’s sleep over it. No, I don’t particularly care for Coughlin. But he should be judged by his record and, for me, based upon the record – especially where the Giants stood at the eve of the Bears game last year – it is hard to find fault with where he had brought this team.

But Coughlin is obviously a mixed bag. He rubs the players the wrong way and today’s “handle with kid gloves” babied players chaff under his silly rules. In many ways a Coughlin is good for these kids – some of them may actually gain some valuable life experience dealing with difficult people. Most, however, are too self centered to understand that life sometimes forces you to adapt and it is actually a valuable skill to know how to thrive under even the worst of circumstances. Sadly, the majority of young players today take the field believing they are god’s chosen few, that they are somehow “entitled” to fame and fortune – and that the rest of the world just better learn to adapt to them, not vice versa. Tiki Barber and Michael Strahan both represent exhibit one of this type of behavior. From the standpoint of talent, the team is worse off with the loss of Barber and Strahan. But from the standpoint of “team”, the organization is light years ahead with both gone. If Strahan keeps his word and retires (highly doubtful but I can always hope), maybe the Giants organization can finally put the last 15 years of "leadershipless" behind them and breathe some fresh air into the locker room - a place which, in the end, is where true championship teams are built.