Opening night for the defending champs was a rough start to a long season. The New York Giant lost Wednesday night to the Dallas Cowboys 24-17. Tony Romo has one of his best games and took advantage of the lack of depth in the Giants secondary. The Giants had a very difficult time running the ball. Ahmad Bradshaw was able to have only one run of 20 yards or more. The offensive line failed time after time to open up holes for the Giants running backs. The Giants now have a week and a half to get healthy and get ready for Tampa Bay.

Positives

Interior defensive line – Linval Joseph and Rocky Bernard both registered a sack. Both also swallowed a lot of room on the line and made it difficult for the Cowboys to run up the middle.

Keith Rivers – With Michael Boley nursing a hamstring injury, Rivers got the start. Rivers had a solid performance flying around the field and making tackles. He had a very nice one arm tackle on DeMarco Murray while he was being blocked. He made several tackles in the gaps. Look for him to get more playing time next week.

Michael Boley – Even though he was hurt, Boley did play some. He came up big picking off Romo before being illegally tackled right before the endzone. Almost a pick six for Boley.

Martellus Bennett – Bennett had one of the tougher assignments for the Giants. With Will Beatty not playing at left tackle, Bennett had to help Sean Locklear block Pro Bowl linebacker DeMarcus Ware. Bennett had some nice receptions and brought one in for a touchdown.

Eli Manning – Manning had a fine game. He did not turn the ball over and did not force any bad passes. He was consistent with his accuracy. He fell victim to his receivers dropping passes, running the wrong routes or not looking at him. His line also was no help allowing him to be sacked time after time and not allowing him to have any time to look down field.

Negatives

Rush defense- The run defense was solid in the first half. Murray had nowhere to go and he was constantly swallowed up by the Giants line. The second half was a different story as Murray was able to find cut back lanes and the Giants decided they didn’t feel the need to wrap up and make tackles.

Run blocking – One of the biggest question marks on the season was the offensive line. The line did nothing on Wednesday to justify themselves as a solid unit. They look miserable. They could not open up a hole for Bradshaw anywhere. It took until the fourth quarter for Bradshaw to get a significant gain, which came on a shotgun draw play while down 14 points.

David Wilson – Wilson got a chance to run with the ball a little, but then coughed up a fumble on his second carry ever. Needless to say that was the last time we saw Wilson at all on the field.

Victor Cruz – Cruz was constantly open and if he wasn’t, Eli manning was throwing perfect passes his way. Cruz had his worst game ever as a NFL receiver. He has several penalties and dropped numerous passes that stalled pivotal drives. The Biggest drop came in the fourth while trying to get back in the game when the ball hit him square in the chest and he could not hold on.

Secondary – The Giants secondary is a mess. With three cornerbacks now hurt, this team must look for some help elsewhere. We are all hoping Prince Amukamara can make a speedy recovery from his high ankle sprain for next weeks game. However, Corey Webster looked slow and sluggish and had trouble covering anyone on the Cowboys. Hopefully Webster can turn this around and turn back into the underrated cornerback the Giants have molded.

It is officially here. The NFL is set to begin Wednesday evening at 8:30 at MetLife stadium where the New York Giants will host the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants beat the Cowboys twice in December last season, including the season finale which decided the division and started the thrilling run to the Super Bowl. The Giants look to get their season started with a showdown between division rival Dallas Cowboys.

New York Gameplan

Test the Dallas offensive line early

The weakest point of the Cowboy’s offense is their offensive line. The Giants have enough in the front four to put the Cowboys offensive line in distress early and often. The Giants need to blitz and blitz often. If you overwhelm the offensive line of the Cowboys they will crack. Tony Romo also plays worse under pressure. See chart below for his extensive stats against the blitz and pressure. With constant pressure, the Cowboys line needs to prove to the Giants that they can handle the pressure.

Tony Romo: Pressure vs. No Pressure (2011)

Lock Down DeMarcus Ware

Sean Locklear has been named the starter at left tackle for the Giants against the Cowboys. That is where DeMarcus Ware likes to prowl. Ware likes to move around the field and can choose which side he wants to rush. Ware is one of the top two or three pass rushers in the game, and the results of the game will have a lot to do with how successful the Giants are through the air. Expect some tight end helpl on the left side. Martellus Bennett was brought in to try and be a pass catching tight end, but he may have to put his dreams on hold for one game.

Corey Webster Needs to Cover Dez Bryant

Miles Austin missed the entire preseason with a hamstring injury and is not 100%. It would be ridiculous for Corey Webster, the Giants best cornerback, to cover Miles Austin. The Giants usually play with Webster on the left and someone else on the right. In this instance Webster needs to play man to man defense against Dez Bryant. The Giants are thin in their secondary and Bryant seems to be the Cowboys best option at wide out. Last time the Giants and Cowboys met, Webster allowed Bryant to catch five passes when targeted seven times. Bryant only had 59 yards receiving with those five catches, which is a good number to keep Bryant at.

Dez Bryant vs. Corey Webster, Week 17, 2011

Attack the Dallas Secondary Deep

Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz are both very capable and dangerous on deep patterns. The Cowboys secondary is a new unit that has never faced Eli manning before. If the Giants can get the ball deep early, they can push the safeties back and work on the run game. It would also help take away the blitz heavy packages that Rob Ryan is going to throw at the Giants. Dallas is coming in very focused on getting revenge on the Giants. The big play through the air is one of the most deflating plays in the game for an opposing team. An early shot at this defense is what the Giants need to deliver to bring Dallas down to earth.

Key Matchup

Giants Receivers vs. Dallas Cornerbacks

The Giants have one of the best tandems in football and have become a pass first football team. Dallas has done everything this offseason to try and keep up with the high flying offenses of the Eagles and the Giants. They signed Brandon Carr to a five year deal and moved up to get Morris Claiborne in this year’s draft. The Giants must win this matchup in order to win the game. The deep ball and the aerial attack means everything to the Giants.

Prediction

Dallas is going to come out of the gate with rage. This is a huge opportunity for both teams to come out huge against a divisional rival. For the Giants, it’s their chance to start the road to defending their championship run. The Giants pass rush is likely to be tough for the Cowboys offense to deal with. If the Giants can get their offense clicking early they can put this game away fast.

Giants 24, Cowboys 17                                

As the season approaches, we will take an in depth look at the defending champions.

Projected starters: K Lawrence Tynes, P Steve Weatherford and LS Zak DeOssie.

Player to watch: Steve Weatherford. Two years ago the Giants had one of the best punters in the business with Jeff Feagles. He was accurate, consistent and had a huge leg. When he retired the Giants went out and drafted Matt Dodge. All of you Giant fans know the story of this guy. After having a very tough rookie season, the Giants opted to have a competition last season at the punter position.

Steve Weatherford won the job and turned a position of weakness back into a strength for the Giants with his outstanding performance last season. Weatherford averaged 45.7 yards per punt with 25 punts landing inside the 20 yard line. He also landed five punts inside the 20 yards line in the playoffs against San Francisco and New England.

The Giants recently resigned the punter to a deal worth $12.75 million over five years. It’s a lot of money for a punter, but well worth it for a guy so accurate, and for a position that can change the outcome of any game.

Strength: Looking for help outside of the kickers. One reason why the Giants were in it last season as opposed to the season before was because of Weatherford’s punting. The battle of field position was won more times by the Giants than other teams they faced. Weatherford wasn’t the only one who upgraded a poor punting unit. The coverage team was upgraded with youth by adding Tyler sash, Mark Herzlich, Greg Jones and Jacquian Williams. A coverage team so good, they did not allow a single punt or kickoff return for a touchdown last season.

Considering those coverage rookies are now second year players with more experience, this unit could be better this year. The Giants also utilized their front line’s long arms by trying to block field goals and punts. It paid off with Jason Pierre-Paul blocking a potential overtime forcing field goal against Dallas in December.

Weakness: The return game. The Return game for the Giants has been nothing short of abysmal over the past few seasons. Domenik Hixon burst out of the scene and provided a reliable return man for the Giants in 2009, but was lost to back to back ACL injuries the last two seasons.

The Giants drafted Rueben Randle and Jayron Hosley knowing they have punt return experience. David Wilson has experience returning kickoffs as well. Jerrell Jernigan, Hixon and Hosley should compete throughout the season at the punt return position. Da’Rel Scott is the speedster on the team and he should work alongside Wilson returning kickoffs. The Giants don’t have terrible return men. They just need to find a consistent strategy that works best for themselves.

Hit or miss: Domenik Hixon. He is attempting to come back from his second ACL injury in the past two years. The Giants are going to take it slow with him and will be cautious about how much time he gets on the field. If the Giants don’t think Hosley or Jernigan can handle the punting duties, Hixon will be implanted as the return specialist. Hixon was a star on this team back in 2009 and racked up 1,291 kickoff return yards. A number the Giants haven’t seen or come close to since then. If he can get back to his old form and continue to return at a high level then the Giants will be fine. But if the Giants don’t want to risk losing him to injury, they may need to look for help elsewhere.

As the season approaches, we will take an in depth look at the defending champions.

Projected Starter: Martellus Bennett

Backups: Bear Pascoe and Adrien Robinson

Player to watch: Martellus Bennett. The Giants made tight end a priority during free agency after losing both Travis Beckum and Jake Ballard to long term injuries during the Super Bowl. Bennett was targeted heavily by the Giants and he has big potential. He has a massive frame of 6’6”. He has soft hands and athleticism. He is a fantastic blocker and wants to get out in the field more. After backing up Jason Witten for four years in Dallas, Bennett is primed to fulfill his potential now that he has a chance to start. With Eli Manning and tight end coach Mike Pope at his side, Bennett has a chance to shine under the New York lights.

Strength: A combination of Manning and Pope, the tight ends coach, can make players better and develop unknown players into reliable options for the Giants offense. Pope is the best in the business and there is a chance that Bennett, Bear Pascoe or rookie Adrien Robinson emerges as a difference maker this season.

Bennett has cleared the way for himself this preseason and secured the starting spot on the roster. Eli Manning is known to like his tight ends and loves to look for them over the middle.

Robinson, the team’s fourth round draft choice, has been labeled by general manager Jerry Reese as the “JPP of tight ends”. Robinson is probably a year away from being a major contributor to this team. By the end of the season we should see him on the field, flashing his potential and making a contribution.

Weakness: Lack of experience. Pascoe is the only one on this roster that has NFL experience with the Giants. He has started 11 games in the past two seasons as either a tight end or a fullback. Bennett played in 31 games with the Cowboys over four years, but has not experience with Giants other than the preseason. Robinson, being a rookie, obviously has zero NFL experience.

Hit or miss: The entire squad. This entire unit will either be contributors or dead weight. It remains to be seen how good Bennett can be as a pass catching tight end. He was primarily a blocking tight end in Dallas. Bear Pascoe ha only 22 receptions in the past two years with the Giants. Tight ends on the Giants are no longer meant for only blocking. This team has become pass heavy and Manning relies heavily on his tight ends to come up big on third down and over the middle of the field.

Mike Pope took Ballard and Pascoe and developed them into starters. Both were relatively unknown and he could do the same with Bennett and Robinson. If either can grasp the play book quickly and gain Manning’s trust, both could be major contributors this season.

As the season approaches, we will take an in depth look at the defending champions.

Projected starters: Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz

Backups: Domenik Hixon, Rueben Randle, Ramses Barden and Jerrel Jernigan

Player to watch: Victor Cruz. Cruz exploded onto the NFL scene last year while having a record setting year for the Giants. He has become one of the most well-known and popular Giants players out there. Cruz is motivated to get out there and prove that he in no one-hit wonder. It will be difficult trying to top 82 receptions for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns. Cruz has yet another season under his belt and has officially had his first training camp as a veteran player. Due to the lockout last year, Cruz did not have time to practice with the team as a whole, but look how that turned out. Cruz has been taking reps as the starting wide receiver with Hakeem Nicks out and Eli Manning has incredible trust in Cruz. It will be interesting to see if Cruz gets any more attention this year because of his tremendous season last year. If he does, it only helps the Giants out. With large targets in Nicks, Martellus Bennett and Rueben Randle, it will be tough for any defense to lock onto just on player.

Strength: The Giants have one of the best receiving tandems in the NFL with Nicks and Cruz. Nicks is expected to be ready for the season opener and when he is healthy he is capable of being one of the league most dominant receivers. With Nicks and Cruz at his disposal, Manning has two playmakers that can break a big play at any moment. Both Nicks and Cruz combined for 14 plays of 40 yards gained or more on catches last season.

After Nicks and Cruz, Domenik Hixon has the most experience of the backups. He has won the third receiver position and has great speed, good hands, and excellent route running ability. Ramses Barden has a great preseason and was one of the more dominant Giant receivers during the four games. Rueben Randle brings size and speed. It remains to be seen how much he will contribute to the Giants in his first season with the team.

Weakness: The loss of Mario Manningham will hurt this team if they cannot find a viable third receiver. Right now the Giants have two veterans starting and nothing in depth. They have good players but no one that can jump in and be a starter at any point in time. Manningham allowed Nicks or Cruz to take a play off, or to fill in when injury occurred. Manningham also took attention off of Nicks and Cruz when he was on the field. He dropped passes and was inconsistent, but had big playmaking ability.

If the Giants can’t find someone to replace Manningham, then there could be some trouble. The Giants drafted Randle with hopes that the rookie could replace Manningham. Until he has proved himself, Hixon will be the starting third receiver. Hixon is reliable and has a bond with Manning, but is also returning from a torn ACL for the second straight season. Barden could also slide in and make an impression. He is a massive receiver at 6’6” and is a good target for the red zone.

Hot or miss: Rueben Randle. If Randle is everything he is advertised to be, the Giants will have a new weapon at their disposal. It remains to be seen how long it will take Randle to become comfortable with the Giants system and play book. He did not win the third receiver position and will need some more time to grow and build with Manning. He could still emerge as a factor during the season. Remember, Cruz was a non-factor until week three against the Eagles.

Saturday was a rough day for offensive lineman Mitch Petrus. After he survived the final cuts on Friday night, he started to prepare with the rest of the team for the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. The 2010 fifth round draft pick was informed by the team that he was being replaced by D.J. Jones who had been claimed off of waivers by the Giants.

Jones had been waived by the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday and picked up by the Giants. Jones failed his physical for undisclosed reasons, leaving the Giants with only 52 men on their roster. Just 24 hours after Petrus left the building he was called and ask to re-join the team. This now leaves the Giants with two interior linemen heading into Wednesdays game against the Cowboys.

As the season approaches, we will take an in depth look at the defending champions.

Projected starters: LT Will Beatty, LG Kevin Boothe, C David Baas, RG Chris Snee, RT David Diehl.

Backups: T James Brewer, T D.J. Jones, C Jim Cordle, T Sean Locklear

Player to watch: Will Beatty. His back has kept him out of minicamp, training camp and preseason games. He participated in all classes and took plenty of mental reps. But head coach Tom Coughlin was concerned about his starting left tackles injury, and if Beatty can’t suit up on game day, the Giants are in trouble. The entire makeup of the offensive line rests on Beatty’s shoulders. If he cannot overcome the injury, then David Diehl will have to move back to the left side and either James Brewer or Sean Locklear will take over the right side.

Strength: Health. For the Giants, the thing that will help them the most is the fact that everyone but Beatty is healthy and ready to go for the opener. Beatty has been practicing which is always a good sign. Last season the Giants had a new offensive line every single game while Bass, Snee, Diehl and Beatty all dealt with injuries during the season. Beatty was eventually lost for the season due to an eye injury.

The Giants have moved Diehl to right tackle and let the aging Kareem McKenzie go during free agency. Will Beatty is penciled in as the starter at left tackle and the Giants believe he is the answer. Boothe will start at left guard but can play anywhere on the line which increases his value. Bass had an up and down season due to injury. If he can stay healthy the line looks to be a more physical line this year.

If the offensive line can stay healthy, it should be a better unit with a full offseason of work behind them. The Giants won the Super Bowl with a shaky line, and Eli Manning had his best season yet as well. If the Giants have a consistent and healthy line throughout the season, just imagine what that can do.

Weakness: The running game. The passing game last year was tremendous and the Giants did not allow a lot of sacks. It was the running game that kept the Giants to a pedestrian 9-7 record. The Giants finished last in the league in rushing and started to pick it up late in the season. But if the line can’t dominate the line and be more physical, Eli Manning will have to shoulder the load once again. If Manning is given a consistent running game, he will be able to work with his play action and be even deadlier down field.

Hit or miss: Sean Locklear. If Beatty’s back continues to be a problem, Locklear will be getting the start at left tackle. He has been working with the starters and has started the preseason games on the left side. There has been no word as to David Diehl moving back to the left side, so it is safe to assume Diehl will be staying on the right. James Brewer was a fourth round draft pick and the Giants have high hopes for him. But I see Locklear, the veteran, stepping into the starting role if Beatty can’t suit up.

New York Giants rookie running back David Wilson has released his goal list for the upcoming season. He does this every year and posts it in his locker to remind him daily. Wilson has shared his goals with the public and here they are:

• No fumbles
• Gain 5 yards per carry
• Score at least 10 touchdowns
• Allows no sacks on his behalf
• Have at least one play of 20 yards or more per game
• Rush for 100 yards in at least six games

Although the official depth chart has not been released, it seems as if Wilson has won the backup role to Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants were high on Wilson and needed a running back to replace the bruising Brandon Jacobs. Wilson brings electricity, energy and physical play to the Giants roster. The goals seem attainable since Bradshaw is an injury prone running back. I would not be surprised if Wilson won the starting role at some point this season due to a Bradshaw injury or from Wilson being a big play running back.

It has been rumored for some time that if the New York Giants waived wide receiver David Douglas, the Dallas Cowboys would be interested in him. Fortunately for the Giants that did not happen. Fan favorite David Douglas had a tremendous preseason and shined during training camp. Douglas and many other players cleared waivers and were invited to join the Giants’ practice squad this season.

Douglas is joined by tight end Larry Donnell, defensive back Laron Scott, offensive lineman Matt McCants, Selvish Capers and Stephan Goodin, and defensive ends Craig Marshall and Matt Broha. Matt Broha drew interest from other team but opted to stay with the Giants because he felt comfortable.

New York Giants linebacker Michael Boley returned to practice Saturday after missing almost all of the preseason with a hamstring injury. Boley went through limited practice and hopes to be ready for the season opener. If Boley does not play against Dallas on Wednesday, he will have a week and a half to recover before the Giants host Tampa Bay September 16^th.

Cornerback Jayron Hosley went through individual reps and some team reps on Saturday and said his turf toe injury feels good. It will be a day to day progress and no word has been made on if Hosley can play against Dallas in the home opener.

Cornerback prince Amukamara was on the sideline at the beginning of practice and head coach Tom Coughlin said he does not expect Amukamara to play against Dallas.

As for defensive tackle Marvin Austin, he will most likely miss the season opener as well even though he has been making good progress. Austin hurt his back during training camp in Albany.

Offensive Tackle Will Beatty has made it a point to get out on the field and work at returning in time for Dallas.