| It
would be unfair and clichéd to call the New York Giants "sleeping," when
"sluggish" is more appropriate. Or to be exact, they are a team with one eye
open and one eye closed. Mixed vision leads to mixed results. The team is a near-perfect
.500 (63-64-1) since winning Super Bowl XXV following the 1990 season. The defense has
been wide-awake for most of the decade with stellar play from marquee players like Michael
Strahan, Jason Sehorn and Jessie Armstead. In 1997, the Giants were the first team ever to
go undefeated in NFC East play, a feat accomplished in part by an amazing plus-25 turnover
margin. Last season they compiled a league-leading 54 sacks.
The offense, however, has found it easier to count sheep than first downs. In the first
two seasons under head coach Jim Fassel, the Giants have finished 27th and 29th
in total offense. This season Kent Graham becomes the third opening-day starting
quarterback during Fassel’s tenure. Ironically, Fassel was hired primarily for his
offensive mind, but unlike the defense, the offense has lacked overall talent. The first
five players selected by the Giants in the 1999 draft all play on the offensive side of
the ball.
Fassel has been quoted as saying he wants his team to have more explosiveness, and that
did begin to happen late last season when Graham replaced Danny Kanell. The Giants
finished a strong 5-1 to wind up at 8-8. Included in that stretch was a 20-16 victory over
the previously undefeated Broncos. Graham, an eight-year vet from Ohio State, sealed the
win with a 37-yard touchdown strike to Amani Toomer with 48 seconds to play.
Toomer, the University of Michigan’s second all-time leading receiver
(second-round pick in 1996 draft), was a bust at wide receiver his first two years in the
league but displayed exciting potential returning two punts for touchdowns, one a
team-record 87 yards in the 1996 season opener. But can a Buckeye play alongside a
Wolverine?
Much like the Big Ten, a Penn State Nittany Lion was added to further make things
interesting. In the offseason the Giants released Kanell and signed free-agent QB Kerry
Collins to a four-year, $16 million deal with a $5 million signing bonus.
"Kent is in a different position than anybody else on the team right now,"
said WR coach Jimmy Rogers. "He’s gonna prove it’s his job and hold on to
it. Competition is good for anybody; it makes you stronger, and we are a better team for
it." Graham knows that the time is now, as he enters the second year of a three-year,
$4 million contract.
With Gary Brown, the Giants’ leading rusher of a season ago, out for 3-4 weeks
with a sprained medial collateral ligament, the onus for the offense may rest squarely on
its passing game.
"Yes, we want to run the ball, sure, but we felt we needed to pass all along. We
need to do a better job on third-down conversions and help give our defense a rest,"
said Rogers, a former (1976-79) Giants receiver himself who returned last season.
Also acquired in the offseason was TE Pete Mitchell, a sure-handed receiving threat who
could be the spark the offense needs. "Pete is an excellent catcher and gives us some
versatility. We anticipate defenses having matchup problems; there are not many
linebackers that can cover him effectively," Rogers said. Successful medium-range
passes up the middle to Mitchell will force safeties off the line of scrimmage and make
life a little easier for other receivers, as well as the running game.
"I don’t know if we have a go-to guy right now, but we do have options,"
Rogers said.
In an attempt to make the offense more dynamic, the Giants released Chris Calloway,
their leading receiver the past four seasons. This will create more playing time for a
solid group of younger players. Foremost among them is 1997 first-round draft pick Ike
Hilliard, who had the team’s only 100-yard receiving game last year.
"Last year was really Ike’s rookie year, and he struggled at times,"
Rogers said. He’s had a good camp, and I think he will be a big-time performer for
us."
Also figuring prominently is Toomer, fresh off a regional cover of TV Guide.
"We really hope this will be Amani’s breakout year. With Tiki Barber handling
punt returns, he is really ready to show us what he can do on a full-time basis. He is
picking up right where he left off last year," Rogers said.
Rounding out the rest of the Giants’ receiving corps is third-year player David
Patten and second-year men Joe Jurevicius and Brian Alford. "Right now Joe is in the
developmental stages, but he is a gamer. He’s a big, strong guy, and it will be
interesting to see what happens when the real bullets start flying."
The one player to watch may be Brian Alford, who could be the team’s fastest
player. "Out of the five (receivers), Brian is running fifth. But we have high
expectations because he has a lot of potential, especially to be a deep threat. We would
love to see that realized. To be more explosive as a team, we need to shorten the field
with more big plays."
The Giants found big plays in a Week One victory over Tampa Bay. But as usual, it was
the defense that was making them. DT Christian Peter scored on a 38-yard fumble return,
and rookie CB Andre Weathers ran back one of New York’s four interceptions for a
touchdown.
Although the Giants won their fifth straight game with Graham at quarterback, the
offense was anemic, reaching for the snooze button with a mere 107 total yards. |
