2012 Giants Season Preview

The New York Giants are riding high going into the 2012 season.  Big Blue is coming off their second Super Bowl victory in the last four years.  Tom Coughlin's resilient squad comes into this season being overlooked by many.  The Eagles and Cowboys are being picked by many to finish ahead of Big Blue.  While the G-Men have lost Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham, they still have one ELI-te man behind center.

Eli Manning led the Giants down the stretch last season living up to his word of being an elite quarterback.  Manning has lost one of his targets in Mario Manningham as well as his tight end, Jake Ballard.  Ballard was replaced by former Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett.  Big Blue did not do much this offseason to improve their receiving depth, but Ramses Barden and Domenik Hixon should see bigger roles this season.  With Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz starting, Manning will be just fine.

Manning also lost his backup running back, Brandon Jacobs, who signed with the 49ers this offseason.  Jacobs was replaced by rookie running back David Wilson.  Wilson has a very similar running style to starting running back, Ahmad Bradshaw.  The Giants lose their power back in Jacobs, but Wilson will provide a spark off the bench and is just 21 years old.

The Giants main weakness this season is their secondary.  The offense will score points and their pass rush is arguably the best in the NFL.  Their starting corners are Corey Webster and Michael Coe, who did not see much playing time last season.  If Prince Amukamara can stay healthy and see an improvement this season, they should be fine, but that has yet to be soon.  Kenny Phillips and Antrel Rolle give the Giants suitable options at safety.  The only question is truly at cornerback for the G-Men.   There is not a lot of depth there, but their defensive line should make up for that.

The Giants' schedule will be nowhere near easy this season.  Outside of the division, they will play the 49ers, Packers, Steelers, Saints, Falcons, and Ravens.  Those six games to go with four against the Cowboys and Eagles will make it tough for the G-Men to win this division, but this team has too much talent to miss out on the playoffs.

PREDICTION:
10-6
2nd place in NFC East
Winning one of the two NFC Wild Card spots
Losing to 49ers in NFC playoffs.