By Matthew Frank
For the first time in memory, the Giants defense was a complete mess last year. The entire unit played poorly for most of the year and was an utter disaster. Perry Fewell was brought in to coach this underachieving unit into shape. To show you what type of urgency the Giants gave the defense, all of their draft picks except for one (which was in the later rounds) was for defense. Also, the big off season signings were both to bolster a secondary and linebacking corp that needed drastic help.
However, not of this will help if the Giants defensive line, which is supposed to be its strength, plays like they did last year. Justin Tuck is a true stud, but was never the same after getting tripped and injured by the Cowboys. He is supposedly back to fully strength and is excellent against both the pass and run. Osi Umineyora will hopefully be back at full strength after knee surgery a couple of years ago. It usually takes players two years to come back from that type of injury, so a dominant Umineyora may be in the cards. And hopefully so because last year he was really pushed around; especially on running plays. Teams would consistently target Umineyora and push him back several yards on each play. Mathias Kiwanuka is actually projected to be a starter, but I don’t think anybody knows what to make of him at this point. The one time (and briefly thank God) linebacker definitely has some skills getting to the quarterback, but you have to wonder about his overall play. First round draft choice Jason Pierre-Paul was brought in to possibly replace these players due to injury and contract situations (for next year), but for now don’t expect him to see a lot of playing time on a team with a lot of defensive ends.
The tackles were the major source of concern last year, and were routinely pushed back and battered. Rocky Bernard and Chris Canty must play like their contracts demand it if this unit has a chance. Teams routinely pushed up the middle on running plays, and just pushed the ends to the outside on passing plays. Bernard and Canty have to put their injury history behind them and really get some push up the middle. Linval Joseph was a very smart draft choice and is another big body to clog up the middle. Expect to see him a lot on the rotation.
The linebacking corp is still a major source of concern. The Giants did go out and sign Keith Bulluck, but I’m not sure how much you can count on a player in a new system, that is 33 and coming off of knee surgery. Michael Boley returns to the team after a disappointing first year with the team. If he can play like he did in Atlanta, this will be a major coup for the team. Clint Sintim had a good rookie year, but is going to be counted on a lot more for making big plays. Let’s see if he can make the major transition up. Chase Blackburn should start at MLB which is why Bulluck was signed. Blackburn is an ok-enough player, but I don’t think the Giants feel he is a consistent starter as he can be thrown around. Phillip Dilliard was drafted as a potential backup, but nobody seems to know if he is a good enough player moving forward.
While the secondary was a disaster last year, a lot of it had to do with Kenny Phillips injury and the defensive line applying no pressure to opposing teams quarterback. Phillips is back this year and all reports are that he is back to full strength. Just in case, Antrel Rolle was signed to start this year. Rolle was a great, if not slightly overpriced, signing for a team that drastically needed depth to this unit. He’s a bit undersized, but a good ball hawk. Deon Grant also brings a lot of stability to this unit. The cornerbacks are again a major source of concern. Aaron Ross is already battling injuries and Corey Webster can have issues from game to game.
The Giants definitely upgraded the secondary over the year, but it still comes down to the dominance of the defensive line. If the line can get consistent pressure and push, this unit should be ok. The Giants had a maddening tendency to get a team into a third and long last season, only to give up an easy pass while the opposing quarterback had all the time in the world to scan the field. Hopefully this year, with a refreshed team and defensive scheme, the unit will play cohesively again.
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