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| Dan Troisi. 15th June, 2010 - 1:50 pm
 What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
That?s the approach most Giant fans have taken in regard to last season?s disappointing 8-8 campaign.
Two years removed from a Super Bowl victory, and coming off of an impressive 12-win season in 08-09, the 2009-10 season played out much like a night out on the Las Vegas Strip with your boys.
Like most nights on the Strip, it started out well. Real well. Tom Coughlin?s crew sprinted out of the gates by having their way on the craps and blackjack tables, winning their first five regular season games in impressive fashion. This included a dramatic 33-31 Week 2 victory to open up the new Cowboys Stadium and a 44-7 thrashing of the Raiders, Week 5 at the Meadowlands.
With their swag turned up to full-blast, Eli Manning and company moved their party to the high-stakes poker table, Week 6 in New Orleans against the eventual Super Bowl champs. That?s where the fun all-ended and the night turned sour.
Drew Brees tore up the Giants? then league-leading defense for 369 yards and 4 touchdowns en route to a colossal 48-27 beat-down.
The Giants had blacked-out, only to wake up three months later bruised and beaten both physically and mentally, 8-8, lying face down in a metaphorical pool of their own vomit.
Except that there were no embarrassing Facebook albums to mull over the next morning. Only video clip after video clip of safety C.C. Brown watching touchdown passes fly over his head like an air-traffic controller at JFK.
The Giants dropped 8 of their last 11, including a thoroughly embarrassing 44-9 loss to the Carolina Panthers to close out Giant Stadium.
This team was not as bad as the 8-8 team that completely fell apart midseason, leaving players, coaches, fans, and front office to members to wonder, ?What the heck just happened last night?? At the same time, this definitely wasn?t the case of a serious contender that was simply nicked by the injury bug.
Heading into this offseason, General Manager Jerry Reese didn?t need to re-invent the wheel but definitely needed to make some upgrades on both sides of the ball and on the coaching staff. Reese did exactly that with three key off-season maneuvers:
1) January 14: Perry Fewell named Giants new defensive coordinator
Bill Sheridan?s first and only season as Giants? defensive coordinator was, in a word, abysmal. Sheridan took over Steve Spagnuolo?s unit which ranked fifth in the NFL in 2008 in total yards (292 per game) and points allowed (18.1 per game) and seemingly ran it into the ground.
Yes, there was a shortage of able bodies, with debilitating injuries to linebacker Antonio Pierce, cornerback Aaron Ross, safety Kenny Phillips, and defensive tackle Chris Canty. But the effort and schemes just weren?t there. Sheridan?s unit surrendered 427 points on the season, second most in franchise history.
Essentially, the Giant?s defense was stripped of its main strength, their devastating pass-rush. Time and time again, defensive ends Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck were seen dropping back into coverage, creating a huge mismatch for opposing offenses. At the end of the day, it just wasn?t smart football. Michael Johnson and C.C. Brown getting the majority of the snaps at the safety positions didn?t exactly help Sheridan?s case either.
Enter Perry Fewell.
The 47-year-old Fewell will indeed restore pride and integrity to a defensive unit that earned a reputation in ?09 for blown tackles, blown coverages, and getting blown out.
Fewell?s Buffalo defenses were known for being extra stingy against the pass, ranking second in the NFL last season in passing yards allowed (184.2 per game) and second in interceptions with 28.
Under Fewell, the Giants defense will be the personification of their coordinator: fiery, energetic, and aggressive. Fewell is known for creative blitz packages and giving his secondary free reign to be aggressive and make plays.
It is safe to say the days of Justin Tuck covering slot receivers are most definitely over.
2) March 6: Giants sign Antrel Rolle to 5 year/$37 million deal
While the Giants catastrophic struggles at the safety position have already been noted (see C.C. Brown), going out and getting the best defensive back available was an obvious priority. Jerry Reese did exactly that by making Antrel Rolle the highest-paid safety in league history.
The 27-year-old Rolle brings supreme athleticism and playmaking ability to the Giants secondary. Rolle is coming off his only Pro Bowl year in ?09, in which he recorded 72 tackles and four interceptions. Not too shabby for a guy that has only been playing the safety position for two years.
It?s a safe bet that there won?t be too many more missed tackles in the Giants secondary with Rolle patrolling. The former Miami Hurricane does not shy away from contact, known for delivering punishing hits and always wrapping up tackles.
Assuming Kenny Philips can return to form following offseason microfracture surgery on his injured left knee, the Giants could have a potentially dominating secondary for years to come.
3) April 22: Giants select South Florida DE Jason Pierre-Paul, 15th overall
Going into April?s draft, it was clear that Reese needed to go with a solid, surefire pick at 15. With clear holes at the safety and linebacker, many believed the team would trade up for Texas? Earl Thomas or Alabama?s Rolando McClain. That never materialized.
On the clock at 15, there was plenty of proven studs left on the board: Georgia Tech DE Derrick Morgan, Missouri LB Sean Witherspoon, USC S Taylor Mays. Instead, Reese shocked everyone by gambling on South Florida?s Jason Pierre-Paul, a 6-foot-5, 270 pound defensive end with enormous potential.
Potential may not have exactly been what the Giants needed at 15. But if Pierre-Paul ever does fulfill his freak potential, the Giants will have yet another pass-rushing monster to their arsenal.
While the stats and experiences aren?t necessarily there (6.5 sacks in one season of college football), the size, speed, and length most certainly are. The Florida native has drawn comparisons to Mario Williams and Jevon Kearse.
Adding either of those players to a defensive which already features Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, and Mathias Kiwanuka is a downright terrifying thought for opposing quarterbacks. |
