New Season, New Drama For Big Blue

New year, new drama for the New York Giants. What was once of the more squeaky clean organizations in sports has suffered through a monsoon of me-first personalities, legal issues and players whining to the media in the last few years. The latest distraction came last night when RB Brandon Jacobs voiced his growing displeasure to an ESPN reporter.

Following last night’s preseason finale in which he didn’t get a single carry, Jacobs made his discontent very clear.

"No question," Jacobs said. "To be in this business you have to know that. No one's your friend in this business. This is a cutthroat, backstabbing business. That's just the way it goes. It's been like that before me. If you expect anything else out of a business like this you're crazy."

Jacobs has obviously been leapfrogged in the backfield rotation by third-year pro Ahmad Bradshaw. It’s understandable that Jacobs would be disappointed in his demotion, but the reasons are clear. Jacobs was awful last year and has been unable to return to form following a string of injuries. Anyone who watches the Giants would agree that Bradshaw is simply the better player right now. Jacobs can whine all he wants, but it’s the truth.

The problem is that the Jacobs situation seems well on its way to becoming a major distraction, the latest in a run of recent off-the-field issues the G-men have endured.

It’s hard to pinpoint when this all began, but Jeremy Shockey’s rookie season is a good place to start. The electrifying tight end thrilled the team on the field where he frequently bowled over opponents and sought physical play every time he touched the ball. But Shockey couldn’t limit his devil-may-care attitude to the field and frequently called out members of the organization to the media and made more than a few eyebrow raising comments about lifestyles---his own, and others’.

Next Tiki Barber, once the poster-boy of New York sports, made comments following a 2005 playoff game about how the Giants (and Tom Coughlin) had been out-coached by John Fox and the Panthers. Barber turned into more and more of a dissenting personality from that point on and was a constant critic of Eli Manning upon his retirement in 2006.

Everyone knows about the Plaxico Burress incident in 2008 when he shot himself in the league. Without Burress, the Giants were upset by the Eagles in the playoffs despite having a first-round-bye.

And last year, Osi Umenyiora turned to the media when he lost his starting job and made his frustration with the organization very clear. Umenyiora indicated that he’d rather retire than be a second-stringer.

Though none of these issues have really destroyed the Giants, and they’re certainly minor compared to the actions of some NFL players, they are part of a disturbing trend. Big Blue gets enough attention simply because of the team’s location and history. Though the team has had plenty of success this decade in spite of distractions, it hasn’t been the same since the Burress incident. And last year, the G-men had one of the worst defensive performances in team history.

In 2010, the Giants are mostly healthy and have plenty of reinforcements. Last season’s embarrassment should be fresh in the players’ minds and barring injury, they should be ready to compete for a division title again. Hopefully that’s the case, but Jacobs’ me-first attitude is exactly what the Giants don’t need. One would hope that Jacobs and the rest of the Giants would have learned their lesson about staying in line. But Jacobs' ego is obviously greater than the team.

Maybe this won’t turn into a season-long issue, and maybe it will. The problem is that there shouldn’t be trouble in the first place. The ball is in Jacobs’ court. Perform, and you’ll play. The Giants have made that very clear. So instead of crying to the media, Jacobs should get himself back into elite form and show the coaches why he should be the starter. It’ll be up to Jacobs and the rest of the team to show some maturity and recognize that one player can, and has, disrupted the team’s chemistry and momentum. If Jacobs has paid any attention to recent history, he’d know that. Tom Coughlin better shut Jacobs up, because the Giants season could well hinge on whether the organization can avoid distractions like Jacobs.

Previewing The Giants Offense

The Giants will look very similar on offense to last year, but they’re not without questions. The Giants must be able to run the ball, the offensive line must stay healthy and the young core of receivers must continue to improve.

Because of all the problems the Giants had defensively last year, the ineffective running game got less criticism than it deserved. Not only did the group fail to show any sense of consistency, but it really hurt the defense by not being able to control the clock. With all the injuries and issues on the other side of the ball, an effective ground game could have saved the season. The Giants made plenty of changes to the D, but a revived ground attack could be just as much of a help.

Big Blue made a huge error in allowing Derrick Ward to leave via free agency last year, and with injury concerns surrounding Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, the team could look to add a running back very early in next April’s draft. Jacobs has never been spry, but nagging injuries have further hindered his mobility. He’s at his best running downhill and plowing over defenders, but far too often he struggles to make it past the line where he can square his shoulders. Until he gets himself completely set, Jacobs is much, much easier for defenders to take down by simply getting their hands on his ankles and chipping his knees. Because of injuries, Jacobs isn’t able to turn up-field quickly enough now, and his career has rapidly declined as a result. He had a couple impressive moments during the preseason but it remains to be seen if Jacobs can approach his past productivity. As for Bradshaw, the question has never been about his skills, it’s all about his durability. Bradshaw has seen his workload increase from 23 carries in his rookie year, to 67 in 2008, to 163 last season. He averaged a stellar 4.8 yards per carry last year, but 163 carries is nowhere near a full workload. The Giants will depend more on Bradshaw this season whether Jacobs stays healthy or not, and it’s up to Bradshaw to show that he can be a feature back. He has already endured several nagging injuries in his career and because he relies so much on stop-on-a-dime cutbacks, the Giants better hope his ankles hold up. There’s no denying Bradshaw’s talent, but I’m not very confident he can handle a bigger role. Beyond Bradshaw and Jacobs, it will be interesting to see what the Giants get out of second-year RB Andre Brown. He was impressive last summer and again this year, so we’ll see if he gets a few carries as the year goes on. At fullback, Madison Hedgecock will continue to pave the way for the backs, but he’s no threat whatsoever running the ball or in the passing game.

I’m not the biggest Eli Manning fan in the world, but there’s no question he’s better than at least 20 of the league’s quarterbacks. The season flashed before our eyes when blood spouted from Manning’s forehead after being crushed by two Jets defenders. Manning has taken it easy since the injury but he should be ready to go for the start of the season. As I wrote yesterday, if Manning misses any time the Giants would be forced to rely on Rhett Bhomar or a veteran they may soon add, but they would be basically writing off any games Manning missed.

The Giants passing game could be dynamic if Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks catch up to Steve Smith. Smith had an incredible year despite absorbing huge responsibility with the departures of Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress. Smith had a team record 107 catches and over 1,200 yards, but Manning became a little too reliant on Smith at times. He showed the capability to perform like a No. 1 receiver but the Giants will really thrive when Nicks takes that role. The Giants could drop Manningham to permanent slot receiver, where they wouldn’t have to depend on him as much and his inconsistencies could be masked. Nicks got better with every game in his rookie season and has emerged as the team’s best big-play threat in years. If he continues to earn Manning’s trust, he could score double-digit touchdowns. Though everyone raves about Ramses Barden’s abilities, he’s done nothing in any game situations to indicate that he’ll have any success in the NFL. UMass rookie Victor Cruz had arguably the best preseason of any player in the league, albeit against second and third-stringers. Manning hasn’t worked with Cruz in game situations of yet, but it looks like it will be difficult to keep the dazzling freshman off the field.

The Giants made a huge move to add to their offensive line depth with the acquisition of three-time Pro Bowler Shawn Andrews. Andrews is probably a ways away from returning to his once dominant form, but he could be a huge buoy as the year goes on and especially if the Giants continue to battle injuries. The starting line of David Diehl, Rich Seubert, Shaun O’Hara, Chris Snee, and Kareem McKenzie has been together seemingly forever, but there are significant cracks in their armor. They’ve battled injuries all summer and Seubert’s job has been threatened by Will Beatty. It’s likely that the five will start off the year together, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Andrews and Beatty move into starting spots at some point during the season. In any event, this year will likely be the last together for the quintet.

Kevin Boss is steady if unspectacular at tight end. He’s earned much respect from Manning, the fans, and the coaches with his tough play across the middle. Boss is reckless almost to a fault with his body, but he’s exactly the type of player teams need to win and teammates love to have around. Bear Pascoe should see an expanded role as he’s proving more and more valuable as a blocker. More was expected of Travis Beckum by this point, but the kid can’t stay on the field and has been inconsistent. If he ever gets fully healthy, he could be a weapon.

Compared to the defense, the Giants attack has seen few changes in recent years. It’s rare for New York’s offense to carry the defense and face higher expectations than the Big Blue D, but GM Jerry Reese has collected an enviable array of weapons. With all the questions facing the D, Manning and company had better put points on the board.