E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat writer
for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he is one of
only five sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls.
Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

By DAVE KLEIN
Several of the subscribers to E-GIANTS have, and rightly so, inquired as to who will be the Giants' "slot" receiver.

The major difference between the slot receiver and the split end (the other wide receiver) is that the guy in the slot often goes in motion. He is not responsible for blocking, or beating a block, at the line of scrimmage.

The split end is responsible for that, and if he doesn't know how to get out of the way -- how to, in other words, beat the block of the cornerback or the outside linebacker, in most cases -- then he is taken out of the play and that's one less receiver for the quarterback.

Now that the Giants have signed Plaxico Burress, who may well turn out to be a star, it is of some interest to note that he is going to have to be the "slot" guy because he doesn't block well and is often held up at the line of scrimmage when he lines up as the split end.

So that begs the question of who will be the Giants' split end.

It could well be the guy who has held the job for nine years, Amani Toomer. But he is getting a little slower and was burdened most of last season with a tricky hamstring and, some say, a groin pull as well.

Can he still do the job? That is at least arguable, and if all the Giants have done is replace Ike Hilliard (for eight years the "slot" or "flanker" receiver) then there is still work to do. In other words, will they draft a wide receiver with split end abilities? Will they still try to sign a veteran free agent (not likely)? Do they have one such replacement on the bench, on the roster, just waiting for his turn?

That is the most likely scenario, and if it works out, if there is a replacement hiding just under the next four-leaf clover, then Toomer can become the third wide receiver, the possession receiver, and finish his career with dignity and no small amount of contribution to the offense.

So who is there? Well, there is Tim Carter, and he would be the obvious choice. He is big enough (6-0, 200) and has consistently, when healthy, flashed the kind of speed that can turn the fastest cornerbacks into jibbering, jabbering Jell-O molds. He has been timed in 4.37 for the 40-yard dash, not quite as fast as a gazelle or a cheetah but faster than almost anyone in the NFL these days.

But Carter cannot remain healthy. He has been with the Giants for three seasons (as their second round draft pick in 2002) and he has had injuries in each of those years. As a rookie, it was a ruptured Achilles tendon in the fifth game of the season that sent him out for the rest of the schedule. Two years ago it was a series of concussions that caused him to miss the final four games. Last year it was a fractured hip socket in the sixth game in Dallas and he missed the rest of the season.

But when he did play last year he flashed the kind of speed and route-running ability new head coach Tom Coughlin, an old and irrepressible wide receivers coach, was seeking. He caught 12 passes for 182 yards, a 15.2 average, and scored with a 38-yard pass that saw him flat-out beat three defenders in a straight line downfield.

There is also Jamaar Taylor, a rookie last year and another who appears to have injury issues. He would have been a far higher draft pick than the sixth round (where the Giants got him) except in October of his senior season he tore up a knee. He recovered. He looked good -- and exceptionally fast. But then he came up with a hamstring pull in training camp and a quad pull during the season, limiting his availability to eight games.

He can fly. So can Carter. But are these speedsters capable of mounting a full season with all-out intensity?

If they are, Toomer can help them on the field and on the sideline and he can help Eli Manning with his sure-handed receiving, good speed and nine years of experience. But if the kids can't do it, and if Toomer isn't the real answer, then the Giants will have to spend time shifting the receivers around, using three and sometimes four of them, using tight end Jeremy Shockey in a wideout-like role and, overall, settling for something less than optimum.

There are going to be some fine wide receivers in the second round, where the Giants will make their first choice (43rd overall). But maybe they have the one they need on the roster. Carter? Taylor? Toomer? That's what training camp is all about.

Check out Dave's website at E-GIANTS where you can subscribe to his newsletters which run much more frequently than what is available here.
- Team Giants

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