So now here are five things to watch out for for Big blue and Gang Green over the course of Training Camp.
For the New York Giants, there are a lot of things that have changed around. New offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo has a full plate to work with this year. The Giants have a whole new Offensive line to work with, a new running system, new tight ends and a new receivers for Eli Manning to work with this year. A lot of that had to do with the workings of General Manager Jerry Reese, who had to make moves to try and put a competitive team on the field once the season gets going. Both the offense and defense got a bit of a face lift, now they just have to see how well everything clicks for the G-Men.
Here are five things to really keep an eye on during Giants camp.
1. Line Production (Offense and Defense)
Both the offensive and defensive lines for the Giants look a little different this year. One of the biggest weak spots for the Giants a season ago was their offensive line, which wasn't very good at protecting the Giants backfield. Now there are a whole gang of new faces on the Giants offensive line, with Will Beatty, Geoff Schwartz, JD Walton, Jerry John and Justin Pough. With how poor the line was last year for the Giants, this new group of projected starters is going to have a tough task ahead of it. They have to learn the new blocking schemes and get used to how the running backs and even Eli Manning operate. They have a big hill to climb, but at least on paper this line is improved over a season ago.
As far as the defensive line is concerned, they have a tough task ahead too. Justin Tuck isn't around anymore, which is putting a little more pressure on Jason Pierre-Paul. JPP is coming off an injury last year and, to make things a little more interesting, is going into a contract year this year. So he has a lot to play for and will look to have a return to form kind of year. Now with Tuck gone, one thing I want to know is can the combination of Robert Ayers and Damontre Moore replace that production. There are quite a few question marks with this Giants line heading into camp.
2. Rotation of Tight Ends
Last year there wasn't much hope from the Tight End position for the Giants. This year, it really doesn't look much better. Right now, there are five guys on the roster who can play tight end: Kellen Davis, Larry Donnell, Daniel Fells, Xavier Grimble and Adrien Robinson. None of those guys have proven experience at this position in the NFL, which really makes Giants fans nervous. You have no idea what your going to be able to get, either as pass blockers or as pass catchers. This job is probably the most wide open position in camp for the Giants.
3. The Deep Threat
Losing Hakeem Nicks hurt the Giants in the passing game, he was a good deep threat, and helped take the pressure off Victor Cruz. Now Nicks is gone, but the team has brought in Mario Manningham and drafted Odell Beckham, Jr. to take some of the pressure off Cruz and add more threats for Manning to throw to. The receiving game was good last year, but now with a few new faces thrown into the mix, its going to see how well things are going to play out.
4. Pound and Ground Running Attack
If you thought the tight end rotation was going to be interesting, the running game has the exact same problem. There are six total backs on the roster heading into camp: Michael Cox, Kendall Gaskins, Peyton Hillis, Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams and David Wilson. Out of that group, Jennings and Hillis have been the only proven ones in the group, but those two and David Wilson all have question marks. Hillis hasn't played a full workload since he was with the Browns, leaving you to wonder if he can handle it again. Jennings hasn't had the full load to work on so there is no way to see if he can handle it. With Wilson, he had trouble hanging onto the football last year, and is coming off a neck injury, so there's no lock with him either. The running game needs a healthy reliable back and that's up in the air right now.
5. Eli Manning Returning To Form
It was well documented last season that Eli Manning had a bad year. In fact, it was one of his worst seasons as a pro quarterback, throwing a league high 27 interceptions and having his worst passer rating in a full season ever at 69.4. This is a guy who was twice a Super Bowl MVP and is a top tier QB in this league. He really needs to be able to get his game back again to be able to lead this Giants team if they really want to have any chance at all to make the playoffs. So its going to be interesting to see if Eli Manning can return to MVP form or will the Eli from last year be back in camp again this year.
It's been well documented the struggles of the Giants from a season ago. Lets also not forget the other metro area team in the area, the New York Jets, who managed to finish the season with an 8-8 record, despite having what some would consider a lackluster football team. This offseason, much like the Giants, Jets General Manager John Idzik went out making improvements to the ball team. The offense got a major upgrade, which is something the team could have used a year ago, but the secondary still leaves a lot to be desired. Getting wins in three of the final four games to close out last year helped save the job, for this year at least, of head coach Rex Ryan. If Rex can backup his claim that he will give the Patriots a run for their money and the Jets will get into the playoffs, then critics of him will be silenced. If the team can't get into the playoffs, then I feel that Rex is going to be in real hot water going into next offseason. He now has more offensive weapons to work with and a fail safe at Quarterback, just in case. With all the new faces for Gang Green, to go along with the high expectations again on the team, there are a lot of things to look at during training camp.
Here are five storylines to watch during Jets camp.
1. Thunder and Lightning In The Running Game
For the most part, Jets teams have been known, under Rex Ryan, as a ground and pound running team. Last year the run game seemed to return to form a bit, thanks to the 833 rushing yards from Chris Ivory. Over the offseason, the Jets upgraded the running game by adding Chris Johnson, a former 2,000 yard runner. there is plenty of talent at halfback with both Johnson and Ivory, which gives the team plenty of talent to work with in the running game. I know that Johnson isn't the same guy as he was when he ran for 2,000 yards, but he can still be very effective as a healthy back. So now with those two guys and Bilal Powell, it gives the team plenty of options and different looks. So its going to be interesting to see who going to take the majority of the workload at back.
2. Is There A Quarterback Competition In Camp?
Some people are speculating that there might be a competition between Geno Smith and Michael Vick in camp this year. I really don't think that's the case. From every indication I'm hearing, Geno will take the bulk of the reps with the starting offense. Vick was brought in to be a safety net for Smith, just in case he either gets hurt or begins to falter. Vick was also brought in due to his familiarity with Marty Mornhinweg's offensive system. To make things easier on everybody, it would make more sense for the Jets to avoid the same circus they had the last few years and just name a starter at Quarterback already. By doing that it could really help out Geno in his progression as a NFL starter. So there isn't,or shouldn't be, a competition in camp. Let Geno be the starter he supposed to be and keep Vick as the backup and mentor.
3. Who Will Step Up At Wide Receiver?
It's no secret that Eric Decker is the #1 man in the receiving group with the Jets this year. He is the key to that wide out group for the Jets, as he adds a playmaker element to the team that they didn't really have established at that position a season ago. A big thing to watch with him is how well he will be able to mix with Smith and/or Vick. A big knock on Decker is that he spent the last few years playing with Payton Manning. So getting him into a groove with his new quarterback will be big. Also the other thing to look at is who is going to step up and become established as the other primary target behind Decker. It seems that Jeremy Kerley will be the slot receiver, which most NFL teams view as their #3 receiver. But who will take the #2 role, behind Decker. That is up in the air, a position to be fought for between Stephen Hill, David Nelson, and Clyde Gates. Nelso had a good year last year, and will be looking to build on that this year. Stephen Hill has pressure on him in camp this year, as he really hasn't shown to be the big target he was pegged to be when he was drafted. So it's going to be interesting to see how things play out among the pass catchers.
4. Who Will Step Up On The Offensive Line?
This isn't as big a weakness as it was a year ago with the Giants. Gang Green still has two pro bowl linemen in center Nick Mangold and left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Other than those two though, the depth gets a little questionable. Austin Howard, who had a good impact on the line, wasn't brought back and went to sign with the Raiders. So now to replace him, the Jets brought in Breno Giacomini, a tackle who played for the Seattle Seahawks championship team last year. Also, Brian Winters is the most likely candidate to fill the left guard position, to replace Howard. Throw those guys in along with Willie Colon, who started every game last year, leaves the Jets with good competition for the line. If they can solidify the line, then the offense should have no problem clicking.
5. Secondary Shakeup: Will They Be Better?
The Jets secondary last year was a big weakness. This year it actually looks a little worse off than it was a year ago, which is a big surprise from a Rex Ryan lead defense. While I was quite happy the Jets upgraded the offense, I was kind of disappointed that they missed the boat on getting secondary help. With Antonio Cromartie gone, Dee Milliner will be called upon to shut down opponents’ top receivers. The Jets must feel very confident in Milliner because behind him there are many question marks. After Milliner the Jets have Dimitri Patterson at the #2 CB spot, and Kyle Wilson maintaining the Nickel. There is plenty of depth for the Jets secondary, but its lack of proven talent that makes me really nervous. Plus the Jets are also putting a lot of stock in Calvin Pryor after taking him with their first pick in the Draft. So the Jets are putting a lot of stock in the young, unproven talent in their secondary, which is going to be a big question when they have to play the better passing teams like Detroit Denver and New England.
So there are some of the big storylines to look at during training camp this year!
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