NFL Football Predictions: New York Giants

TheSportsWatchers want to get you in shape for the upcoming 2010 NFL football season. So in the spirit of NFL training camp, we are doing two-a-days to get you in gear for each and every NFL team.

The New York Giants were among the many NFL teams that failed to live up to expectations last season. Entering the 2010 NFL Football season, however, the Giants are expected to challenge in an NFC East division presumed to be slightly weaker at the top than it was a year ago.

2009 Recap
The Giants came out guns-a-blazing last season, stating off 5-0, looking like the team that had finished the previous year as the #1 team in the NFC. However, things quickly changed. Eli Manning got bruised and banged up, and the Giants quarterback didn’t look himself for a short stretch during the middle of the season. During that stretch, the Giants lost four games in a row, including a laugher against the Philadelphia Eagles. From then on, the Giants would never recover. They had a chance to get back in it against the Denver Broncos on Thanksgiving Night, but that was an apparent no-go, as the Giants offensive line again failed the Giants on the road. New York would finish the season a meager 8-8 and in third place in the NFC East.

2010 Offseason Transactions
The Giants definitely were not out to make a splash this past offseason. They did get a new defensive coordinator, Perry Fewell, and they promoted Sean Ryan to head up the Giants talented young wide receivers. The Giants biggest move of the offseason was the acquisition of S Antrel Rolle, who can help revive a Giants secondary that was beat up all of last year. And at the linebacker position, the Giants got rid of Antonio Pierce and signed Keith Bullock, who will now play middle linebacker for the G-men. The Giants gave up on wide receiver Domenik Hixon, and released QB David Carr. In Carr’s former role as backup quarterback appears to be youngster Rhett Bomar. In the 2010 NFL Draft, the Giants spent their first round pick on DE Jason Pierre-Paul, the electrifying pass rusher out of USF.

2010 Predictions for the Giants
While the Giants didn’t have the splashiest offseason in history, they didn’t need to. The team really just needed to get healthy after having what was an injury-riddled 2009 campaign. The secondary was one of the Giants weakest points last year, but with Rolle at safety and a healthy Aaron Ross at cornerback, the Giants may be on track to recover in the defensive passing game. In the defensive front, Keith Bullock definitely gives the Giants a playmaker, but in his old age, Bullock may be just as susceptible to the passing game as former Giants MLB Antonio Pierce was over the last couple of seasons. Offensively, that unit will go as far as the offensive line takes them. Eli Manning was forced to throw the ball a lot last season, because the running game simply wasn’t what it had been in years past. The Giants certainly have the weapons to throw the ball to now (Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, Victor Cruz), but if the Giants front 5 can’t be as dominate as they were in 2008 and 2009, the core of G-men’s offense will only burden the passing game. However, we think those five get it together this season. They were once an unstoppable unit, and they should be able to get back to that point if everyone is indeed healthy. With the Eagles likely to be out of things this season, the Giants are in great position to challenge for the NFC East crown. They did beat the division favorite Dallas Cowboys two times last season, and the Giants schedule isn’t nearly as tough as that of the Cowboys. Our prediction for the Giants is a 10-6 record and a trip to the postseason.