Training camp is the time to answer any questions about the upcoming season’s roster.
The Super Bowl champion New York Giants have their share of question marks, but they also have plenty of answers.
Count quarterback Eli Manning in the latter category.
When the 2008 Giants training camp opens this morning at 8:40 on University at Albany’s Dutch Quad training field, Manning will be one of the players the Giants should be able to count on as both a playmaker and leader. Last season, after a slow start, he led the Giants into the playoffs and to the Super Bowl XLII title. He started all 16 games and completed 297 of 529 passes for 3,336 yards and 23 touchdowns. In the four-game playoffs, he was even stronger, completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 854 yards, six TD passes and only one interception.
Quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer was asked if he’s seen any change in Manning, especially in the leadership department, compared to last season.
“He’s the same guy I saw in the locker room a year ago. He’s got to be himself and lead his own way,”
said Palmer. “He wants to be better, and that’s a great sign. There are also some things that I’d like to see him get better at, as well.”
Another department in which the Giants appear to have more answers than questions is at running back, where Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, Reuben Doughns and Ahmad Bradshaw helped the team average 134.3 yards rushing per game.
Jacobs, a 6-foot-4, 264-pound bruiser, led the way with 1,009 yards on 202 carries (5.0 average) and four touchdowns. Ward chipped in with 602 yards on 125 carries (4.8 average), while Droughns scored six times and produced 275 yards on 85 carries.
Bradshaw, who broke loose for an 88-yard score in the regular season, where he saw limited duty, was a big surprise in the postseason, rushing for 208 yards and a touchdown.
“We learned that you never have too many running backs,”
said offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. “We got spoiled by Tiki’s [Barber] durability all those years. You just hope that all the guys we have stay healthy. Having all four of them means we can keep them fresh and healthy. They each have their own strengths.”
Losing tight end Jeremy Shockey in a trade to the New Orleans Saints for a couple of draft picks this week weakened the team’s overall receiving corps, but with wideouts Plaxico Burress (70 receptions, 1,025 yards, 12 touchdowns) and Amani Toomer (59 catches, 760 yards, three touchdowns) coming back, Manning will still have plenty of targets to throw to, especially if tight end Kevin Boss continues to play the way he did during the playoffs. Wideout Dave Tyree will also help out, once he returns from the disabled list, where he was placed on Thursday.
Signing 6-3, 317-pound guard Chris Snee to a six-year, $43 million contract as the team’s anchor on the offensive line really solidifies that department, which also includes veterans Shawn O’Hara at center and David Diehl at tackle.
Even with the loss of retired defensive lineman Michael Strahan, one of the team’s all-time greats, the Giants look to be strong on the D-line with end Osi Umenyiora (13 quarterback sacks) and tackles Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins.
Antonio Pierce will lead a linebacking unit that has some newcomers, and the secondary, led by veterans Sam Madison and Sammy Knight, will be strengthened by rookie safety Kenny Phillips from Miami, who has yet to sign.
“We are very excited about starting the 2008 season,”
said Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. “We hope to continue the momentum we had during our playoff run, and we want to continue to emphasize team above self."
“No two years are the same, and no two teams are the same,”
Coughlin added. “We’re moving forward. We had some doubters about us last year, and there are still some doubters. That’s fine and healthy. But the fire is the same and the drive is the same. We know that it is difficult to stay on top, but we take the position that there is a higher mountain to climb.”
Parking tickets for Giants training camp are $5 for a single day or $15 for the entire camp. Most days in the first week or so will have double-session practices, in the morning and the afternoon. The first evening practice will be Monday from 6:10 to 8:10 p.m.
