What the Giants did to improve the team.
Well, they didn't sign any big name free agents to replace all those players, not a one. The most important thing the Giants did to improve the team was to give up a fourth-round draft pick in order to secure getting tight end Jeremy Shockey in the first round. General Manager Ernie Accorsi describes him as, "a playmaker who runs faster than most of the wide receivers we've had here. He's bigger, and has exceptional hands".
The Giants also picked up Auburn wide receiver Tim Carter, Penn tackle Jeff Hatch (since placed on injured reserve for the season), linebackers Nick Greisen of Wisconsin and Wesly Mallard of Oregon, receiver Daryl Jones of Miami and linebacker Quincy Monk of North Carolina.

Was that enough?
Can you replace all those players just by adding one sure-fire draft pick and a bunch of others, hope that all your previous draft picks have turned into solid veterans, and that your veterans will somehow just get even better with age?
If you say the Giants came off a 7-9 season, so why is there so much concern about losing players off the team? If you say that the Giants for the most part kept the nucleus that got them to the Super Bowl, and have added guys that can run. If you say that this is a different world now, because you have to come in and play and play quick. If you add that the Giants are improved because they're now faster, younger and more athletic than they were before.
If you say all that, then you are a very big fan of the Giants. You are in fact a big fan, and the Giants General Manager.

More good stuff or maybe just spin.
The Giants lost defensive coordinator John Fox, and replaced him (as they did with many of the players they lost) with one of their own, former secondary coach Johnnie Lynn. The spin, I mean the good stuff, is that Johnnie Lynn is well respected by the players and runs a more simplified defense, though it's still based on the great one set forth by John Fox.
Still, you don't need all that complicated stuff that Fox was forcing on the poor defensive players. Lynn has crossed out all those overly complicated plays, and he has simplified it all so much, that even the Cliffs Notes people are thinking of signing him in 2003. Now all the defensive players know what they are collectively doing each and every moment when they're out there on the field, as if they were the Borg.

Even more good stuff or maybe just spin.
The Giants have replaced their special teams coach once again, this time with Bruce Read. He is very good. The bad part is that Read has nothing more to work with than the last guy, unless you buy that earlier spin about athleticism and speed. A lot of that speed showed up when these guys were running past their assignments in the preseason games. That's where the youth aspect shows up. Anyway, they can learn from someone like Read, and the biggest problem really lies with the kicking game. The Giants will play with a kicker (Matt Bryant), punter (Matt Allen) and long snapper (Bob Jones) that have never before played in an NFL regular season game.
If you say that the offseason loss that bothers you the most is Morten Andersen, because he's one of the greatest kickers, if not the greatest kicker, and then you go on to say that he was money in the bank when he went out there, and that having him on your team gave you a great deal of peace of mind, then you are once again, the General Manager of the Giants.

All hopes rest with Jeremy Shockey
Remember how exciting it was just to have tight end Pete Mitchell play for the Giants for a little while? Even better, remember how great it was when Mark Bavaro played for the Giants? A pass catching tight end is a great weapon for a team. Bavaro puts it this way, "A good tight end can open the offense up a whole lot. He can take a lot of pressure off the wide receivers and a lot of pressure off the running backs. It gives you another dimension that a lot of teams don't have."
OK, so now the Giants have a shot at a better offense. We're skipping over the fact that three new players have moved up to starting roles - left guard Jason Whittle, right guard Rich Seubert and right tackle Chris Bober. Between them they've started five games in the NFL, all by Whittle, (throw quickly Kerry Collins and be nimble of foot) and that Jeremy Shockey is just a rookie. It takes time to get used to things in the pros, and he barely got any playing time in during the preseason. Shockey only had eight receptions because of prolonged contract negotiations and an ankle injury. The Giants are putting a lot of their chips on Jeremy Shockey. He does look good what we've seen so far, but it looks like the Giants have put all their off season chips on Jeremy Shockey.
Let's hope he stays healthy.

Dhani Makalani Jones replaces Jessie Armstead.
Can Dhani Jones replace Jessie Armstead at weak-side linebacker? Jones was a sixth-round draft pick out of Michigan in 2000, and he was injured for all of 2000 after tearing an ACL in camp. Dhani says he learned a lot by watching Armstead play, but then again, who wouldn't. Here's what they list as Armstead's credits in the years he played for the Giants.
- Selected to play in fifth consecutive Pro Bowl last season.
- Started all 16 games in 2001 for the sixth straight year.
- Has 96 consecutive starts and has played in all 150 regular season and postseason games since 1993.
- Has not missed a game in eight professional seasons.
- From 1996-2000, led the NY Giants in tackles, exceeding 100 stops in each season.
- Was named Giants Rookie of the Year in 1993, Defensive MVP in 1996 and Most Valuable Player in 1997.

Big shoes to fill.
These are pretty big shoes to fill for Dhani Jones, whose only extended action on defense came in parts of two midseason games when Armstead was injured. So now, can this sixth round draft pick replace Jessie Armstead?
First off, you have to remember that Armstead was selected by the Giants, in the eighth round, even lower than Dhani Jones.
In his rookie year, 1993, Armstead appeared in all 16 games and led the team in special teams tackles with 13.
Sort of matching that, coming off his rookie injury year in 2000, Dhani Jones lead the Giants with 16 special-teams tackles. The Giants are high on this kid, and for better or worse, he's in there, replacing an aging Jessie Armstead, who despite his overall credits, went from nine sacks in '99, to 5 in '00, and was down to 1.5 last season.
We know that Armstead was nursing an injury for quite a while last year, but the overall consensus is that Armstead has lost a step and is now no longer as much of a pass-rushing threat as he once used to be. Was it just his injury holding him back? One thing is for sure, the Giants will find out when they go up against Washington on Nov 17.

More big shoes.
How important is the kicking game to the Giants? Right now they're using Matt Bryant from the practice squad for their kicker. He wasn't even on the practice squad until earlier this week, and was suddenly promoted to the starting lineup the very same day, only because Owen Pochman's injury was starting to look worse. Last season the Giants scored 294 points. Their kicker at the time, Morten Andersen, scored 98 of those points. The defense also scored a number of these points. Take away Jeremy Shockey, and the Giants makeup on offense isn't much different than it was last year. Now you see what I'm getting at? The offense doesn't score a lot of points, and the kicking game is very important.

Where they stand.
OK, just about all the starters will be at full strength for this game. Kerry Collins always has a good arm, and the Giant have two good backups now in Jesse Palmer and Jason Garrett. There is more overall speed, and the new offensive line seems to be holding up well (at least in preseason) despite their inexperience. Jeremy Shockey is an extremely big plus. Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard are even bigger threats with Shockey around. The running game (Ron Dayne, Sean Bennett) is better with Shockey around. Tiki Barber is always fantastic (with or without Jeremy Shockey).
On defense Shaun Williams has moved from free safety to the strong side which is a better position for him. The second-year cornerbacks, Will Allen and Will Peterson, are extremely talented and now they have a degree of experience to go with it. They have the gifted Jason Sehorn in there to assist them in what ever fashion the Giants have decided to use him this year. The Giants still have sack king Michael Strahan and if only they could get more of a pass rush from the other side, they'd be devastating overall on defense.

The competition.
The Giants face only three playoff teams, playing only one, the Eagles twice, and only five of their games are against teams that finished above .500 last season. Still, three of the Giants first five games are on the road and they don't play back-to-back home games all season long. Based on this, I see the Giants at 11-5 if Jeremy Shockey stays healthy. Shockey is that important to this team,
If Shockey is out and they're smart enough to use someone else at tight end in his place (Sean Bennett?) I see them at 9-6. Will they though? In Jim Fassel's first five years with the Giants, tight ends have caught an average of 33.6 passes per season, only that high, because by the 1999 season they had 67, thanks to Pete Mitchell's 58 catches . If the Giants can't, or won't use a tight end, I see them at 7-9.

For this game.
Key match ups will be Michael Strahan facing tackle Scott Gragg, a former Giants player. Giants tackle Cornelius Griffin will be up against against Ron Stone, another former Giants player, and cornerback Jason Sehorn against Terrell Owens for some passing situations.
Anyway, forget all the analysis stuff. Forget that the Niners were 12-4 and an NFC Wild Card team last season, and the Giants were 7-9. It's really all just one game at a time. Enjoy the big Times Square gala event that precedes the game and pops up again during halftime.
Enjoy watching your team with Tiki Barber doing what he does so well. Enjoy Jeremy Shockey, the new offensive threat. Enjoy Collins throwing completions to Hilliard and Toomer. Watch Strahan rushing the passer, and the Giants skilled secondary taking advantage of those hurried throws caused by Strahan rushing the passer. Enjoy every thing you can about being a Giants fan on this very special opening night for the NFL.

Next Game
Sept 15, Giants at St Louis (the defending NFC Champion) at 4PM.

Last Week's review, preseason game 5 Giants 13 - Ravens 0

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