As 2010 Camp Opens Questions Linger

For the first time since I've been documenting my thoughts on the Giants, I've failed to post any analysis regarding the failures of 2009 and the needs for 2010. And the reason is straight forward. I don't have a clue why the 2009 team struggled so mightily last year. The run defense was perhaps the worst I've ever seen in the 50 years I've been a Giants fan. The vaunted pass rush was invisible. The offense lost its physicality and the running game was a shadow of its former self. The only thing that worked was the passing game, the one part of the team considered to be the weak link heading into the 2009 season. All of the purported strengths turned out to be horrendous failures.

But why? Without knowing the underlying cause, it isn't possible to design a solution. That was my struggle and my ensuing silence spoke volumes about my inability to latch onto reasons that made sense to me. Sheridan's firing made it easy to simply shift all the problems onto his shoulders. It sure would be soothing to believe that all the problems in 2010 were simply the fault of the defensive coordinator. For me, however, blaming Sheridan isn't an "analysis". How can any outsider truly analyze the actual impact of a defensive coordinator? Moreover blaming Sheridan simply ignores the self evident truth that Sheridan didn't miss a single tackle and it wasn't Sheridan who was consistently blocked without generating any pressure on the QB (and blaming him for the offensive woes is obviously ludicrous). I find it difficult, intellectually, to accept that some of the best football talent in the world suddenly lost their ability to tackle and pass rush because of a coach standing on the sidelines. Did he play a role? I have no doubt about it. But I am equally convinced he was not the primary cause of the 2010 failures. His presence may explain schemes (or lack thereof) but simply has nothing to do with the sudden inability of players to tackle or otherwise make football plays on the field.

What about injuries? There sure were a lot of them. On both sides of the ball. And a lot of players were recovering from major surgeries heading into the season. Obviously the 2009 team would have played better if every player had been 100% healthy throughout the season. However, I have great difficulty using injuries to explain the struggles the Giants were having during their initial 5-0 winning streak. The only part of the team consistently clicking during that streak was the passing game. They were not generating anything resembling a ferocious pass rush. The Giants run defense was horrendous - near the middle of the league overall and virtually at the bottom of the league in giving up runs of 20 yards or more. And they were not running the ball with authority (Jacobs was even "called out" on national TV by Goose for dancing and not lowering his shoulder - and as much as I can't stand the guy, he was right). The problems that would haunt the Giants throughout 2010 were clearly evident from day one and simply "hidden" by their 5-0 start assembled against the dregs of the league.

So, for me, I could not (and still do not) subscribe to the "blame everything on Sheridan" scenario nor do I find solace in the "blame it all on the injuries" explanation. And, since I didn't (and still don't) have any idea why the 2009 team struggled so mightily in the very areas that were the purported strengths of the team, I wasn't able to record my thoughts since I didn't have any. Worse, I haven't heard one solitary attempt by Giants management to explain what they believe went wrong which, I suspect, is because they are as perplexed as we all are.

S0, I am in the only mode that makes sense for me ... wait and see. I honestly don't have any sense of how good or bad the 2010 team will be. Except I can make some easy predictions:

1. The overall team will play better than they did in 2009. I say this simply based upon statistical probability, not because I think they discovered and corrected the problems of 2009. The Giants defense in 2009 was, statistically speaking, the 2nd worst performance by a Giants defense in the history of the franchise (almost 100 years). It is simply beyond comprehension to consider they could possibly play even worse in 2010.

2. The passing game will not enjoy the same success in 2010 as it did in 2009. If so, it will not be because of failures by Smith, Nicks, Manningham, Boss, or Eli. They continue to represent the best passing combination in Giants history and for that reason should be a force in 2010. Rather, the expectations of the fan base and media are very different heading into 2010 than they were heading into 2009 - and, as a result, the criticism will flow much more easily and much more quickly. More importantly, they are not going to surprise any teams this year. In 2010 defensive coordinators will spend much more time scheming against the Giants passing game than they did in 2009 (a show of respect) and they will have a much greater body of film evidence to work with that simply didn't exist last year.

Beyond that? I simply don't know. Most people I speak to tend to focus their hopes on a return to the Giants pass rush. They point to the plethora of talent across the defensive line, and correctly so. However, in my mind, the primary key to the success (or failure) of the 2010 Giants will hinge on the running game - on both sides of the ball. If the Giants have any hope of returning to the playoffs and any dream of winning another Lombardi in 2010, they absolutely must start by achieving top 10 status statistically in running the ball and defending against the run. Do that, and everything else maybe (likely) falls into place. The flipside is, failure to achieve either, is likely to result in a second straight season sitting at home when the playoffs begin.

Lastly, to document the Giants 2010 draft for future reference:
1. (#15) DE Jason Pierre-Paul, South Florida
2. (#46) DT Linval Joseph, East Carolina
3. (#76) S Chad Jones, LSU
4. (#115) LB Phillip Dillard, Nebraska
5. (#147) G Mitch Petrus, Arkansas
6. (#184) DE Adrian Tracy, William & Mary
7. (#221) P Matt Dodge, East Carolina