New York Giants 2009 Season Preview

The Giants hope they can make a return to the SuperBowl after taking a year off last season. There have been quite a few changes made for this team in the offseason and they hope these changes will bring them to another championship.

One of the bigger stories in the NFL this offseason was the arrest of Plaxico Burress after he shot himself in the leg with an illegal firearm. New York hopes to put this behind them and not let it distract them for this upcoming season. Burress is a big loss to the team seeing as he was the team's best receiver. The Giants also did not re-sign veteran Amani Toomer who has been so solid over the years for the team. The Giant's receiving core now consists of Domenick Hixon, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, and first round pick Hakeem Nicks out of North Carolina. Expect Nicks to have a large impact and possibly be the number two receiver. This a young, talented core and should provide quarterback Eli Manning with many options. Brandon Jacobs returns as the team's starting runningback and should have another terrific season behind the Giant's solid line. New York did however, lose Derrick Ward as he went to Tampa Bay so the team will need more production out of seldom used players such as Ahmad Bradshaw and Danny Ware. Look for rookie Andre Brown to also get some carries. The offensive line should be alright and they have added rookie William Beatty to fill in at tackle. The secondary should have another great year, with cornerbacks Corey Webster and Aaron Ross returning. Also, 2nd year safety Kenny Phillips should see a considerable amount of playing time after showing that he is a more than capable defender in the Giant's minicamp.

There has been some big changes on defense, as Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnolo has left to coach St. Louis. His replacement, Bill Sheridan looks to keep up the great work of Spagnolo and have his defense remain atop the best in the league. Rocky Benard and Chris Canty were signed by the Giants in the offseason and should improve an already very solid defensive line that includes Mathias Kiwanuka and Pro-Bowlers Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora. New York did sign linebacker Michael Boley to upgrade the linebacking core but he is suspended for the first game for testing positive for a banned substance. It is also unknown if linebacker Antonio Pierce will miss any games due to his involvement with the Plaxico Burress situation.

If the Giants young receivers can step up and produce, the offense should do just fine. The defense should remain among the league's best, but that is only if they can stay healthy and Boley and Pierce do no miss a significant amount of time. Expect New York to be contenders in both the NFC East and for the SuperBowl.

2009 Season Prediction: 12-4, 1st NFC East

Source: http://walterfootball.com/offseason2009nyg.php