Offense
So this offense is just Odell Beckham Jr. doing ridiculous things that no human being should ever be able to do right? Well either way last season was the most fun I have had watching a wide receiver in the NFL ever. What makes it even crazier is that last year was his rookie season, and he played injured throughout it. This offense is utilizing his talents too. They understand that they have a player of his skills, and they get him the ball whenever they can. Aside Odell Beckham Jr. at wide receiver, the Giants have Victor Cruz. He is coming off of a season in which he played scarcely due to injuries, but he is still a very good wide receiver nonetheless. As their third receiver, New York has Rueben Randle. He played well last year, and had a very strong finish to the season so hopefully he can carry that over to 2015. The Giants have some depth in Corey Washington and Dwayne Harris among others, but the first three receivers will get the bulk of the targets. At tight end, New York has last years breakout player Larry Donnell. The issue with Donnell is that he had flashes of dominance, but he was not consistent at all, and needs to improve desperately in that department this season. As depth, they have Adrien Robinson, who is solid, but not great. Eli Manning was the quarterback for this great group of wide receivers. Eli is known for his playoff runs, and the general consensus is that he isn't good in the regular season. That was definitely wrong for last season, as Eli quietly put forth the best season of his career. In the backfield, Manning has even more weapons in 2015. Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, and Shane Vereen can be one of the most well rounded stable of running backs in the NFL. Rashad Jennings is a talented, well rounded back, and should still get the bulk of the carries. Andre Williams is a big bruiser who can be a terrific backup RB and short yardage back too. Shane Vereen is one of the best pass catching running backs in the NFL, and will be a huge help to a QB who often utilizes dump off passes to RB's. The offensive line for New York has been going through a transformation these past couple years, and it finally looks like it's coming together. The Giants have their staple of a left tackle in Will Beatty, and he is coming off of a pretty good season after struggling the year before. Opposite Beatty at right tackle, the Giants will play either Justin Pugh or Ereck Flowers and move the other to guard. This is a good situation though, as both of these players are very talented, and whoever moves to guard should upgrade that position immediately. The other guard spot will have Geoff Schwartz manning it. Schwartz is coming off of an injured season in which he only played two games, but in 2013 he was stellar and he should bounce back to form in 2015. At center, the young Weston Richburg will take over, and he was a good center prospect coming out of college so he is a solid option there. Update: As I'm writing this I saw that Will Beatty tore his pec and will be out until late in the season. Ouch, that's a big blow for the Giants. They will have to rely on Justin Pugh or Ereck Flowers to play LT for them, and John Jerry will take over at the other guard position opposite Schwartz. Losing Beatty for most of the season is a big blow for what should be an explosive offense. This isn't a season ruiner though, and the Giants O-line should still be improved from last season. Ben McAdoo has done wonders for Eli and this offense, and with a full season of Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz, I still expect a top 10 finish out of this offense. I also expect at least a handful of gravity defying catches from OBJ this season.
Defense
I think this defense as a whole is underrated. The defensive line should be very good this coming year, as the Giants have built one with a lot of talent and depth. They franchise tagged Jason Pierre-Paul, and I think that will pay off in dividends for New York. JPP had 9 sack in his last five games, and he was terrific against the run last season too. He is the best player on this Giants defense, although last season the player directly beside him gave him a run for his money in that department. Johnathan Hankins was quite possibly the most underrated defensive player in all of 2014. Giants fans know how good he was last season. He was really good against both the run and as an interior pass rusher too. Next season he has a chance to join the ranks of the elite defensive tackles, but he might even already be at that level. Cullen Jenkins is going to be playing inside with Hankins this season, and he put up a solid year last year. At the other defensive end spot, the Giants have a few options. Damontre Moore and Robert Ayers are both coming off of solid seasons, and they drafted Owa Odighizuwa too. I expect some sort of rotation, but all three of those players will have an impact on this Giants team. At linebacker, this Giants team is nowhere near as deep as they are on the D-line. Jon Beason is a solid option at ILB, although he is often injured as was the case last season. On both sides of him, the Giants have underwhelming options in Devon Kennard, J.T. Thomas, and Jameel McClain. All three of those players are decent options at best, but aren't at all reliable. In the secondary, this Giants team has a lot of talent at cornerback, but are very thin at safety. At CB, New York has Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara as their two starters. Both of these players are very talented, and should have great seasons. Amukamara especially has a chance to turn into a star this year. In the slot, their best option is Trumaine McBride who was hurt for a lot of last season, but is a reliable starter. At safety, the Giants were completely void of talent until they drafted Landon Collins. The first pick of the 2nd round, Collins is a terrific in the box safety, and will have a huge impact on their defense straight out of the gate. Beside him, Cooper Taylor will probably be the guy. He didn't play at all last year and is a complete question mark, but he is a big and physical player, and might be solid alongside Collins. New York does have some talent though, and they have built quite the defensive line over these past couple of years. The linebacker group is still a glaring weakness, but they young talent across the board and should be even better than last year. I predict a middle of the pack finish for these Giants, although I wouldn't be completely shocked at a top 10 finish for them either. I still think their linebacker and safety depth is troubling, but the talent along the D-line and at cornerback is hard to ignore.
This Giants team will be a lot of people's sleeper division winner for 2015. They have the talent to win the NFC East, and Eli has never had more weapons on offense in his career. Personally, I think they won't win the division, and I predict them to just miss the playoffs and be drafting in the late teens come 2016. I like most of the moves they made this offseason, and I think there team is a lot better than the 2014 Giants, but on paper this team doesn't have the talent that Dallas and Philly have. With that being said, expect OBJ to have another huge year, and if they stay healthy, then this team could easily be a playoff team. On top of that, if this team does make the playoffs, then they are an instant Super Bowl contender because of Eli's postseason prowess.
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