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Thursday, August 31 By Michael Eisen Pro Football Weekly | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Giants' history of success is getting ancient.
The Giants have mostly stumbled through the subsequent seasons. They've had as many head coaches (three) as winning seasons. New York has reached the playoffs just twice, in 1993 and '97, and has not won a postseason game since defeating Minnesota in a wild-card playoff game following the '93 season. The franchise had high hopes after its surprise NFC East title in '97, Jim Fassel's first year as head coach. But the Giants were 8-8 and 7-9 the last two seasons, including a 2-6 wrap-up to the second half of the '99 campaign. In the offseason, management gave Fassel just a one-year contract extension, which forces him to win this season or face expulsion. The Giants will sport a different look this season, in more ways than one. They have redesigned their uniforms, going with a retro look that includes the return of the old "ny" logo on their helmets. More important, they have restructured their roster in a radical departure from previous team policy. Throughout the free-agency era, the Giants have concentrated on signing their own players. This year they opened the doors and let many of them leave. "We tried to sign our players the last two years, and we went 15-17," general manager Ernie Accorsi said. "We had to turn over this team, because it wasn't good enough." When the purge ended, 16 players who had at least a moderately significant role with the team last year were gone, including QB Kent Graham, OLs Roman Oben and Brian Williams and DBs Phillippi Sparks and Percy Ellsworth. The Giants signed six veteran free agents, five of whom will start: OLs Lomas Brown, Dusty Zeigler and Glenn Parker, LB Micheal Barrow and CB Dave Thomas. Heisman Trophy-winning RB Ron Dayne leads a draft class that is expected to make an immediate impact. That's not all. New offensive coordinator Sean Payton plans to use unexpected formations and personnel groupings to enliven what had become a stale offense. "We've changed this team," Fassel said. "I said there would be some changes, and we've made them. We've changed the personnel, as well as the way we're doing some things." Starting Sept. 3, the Giants will find out if it's enough to escape the treadmill of mediocrity they've been stuck on for a decade. "We believe it's going to be different (this year)," RB Tiki Barber said. "We can't make people believe we're going to do well. We're going to have to go out and show them. It's got to start with us and our belief."
Offense
Grade: B-
Running backs: In three seasons under Fassel, the Giants' rushing attack has dropped from seventh in the league (124.3 yards a game) to 12th to last year's No. 24 ranking (88 yards). Their leading rusher in '99 was Joe Montgomery, with a lowly total of 348 yards. The Giants addressed the shortcoming by using the 11th pick in the draft on Dayne, the NCAA career rushing leader. Dayne immediately steps in as the starter. Montgomery will likely open the season at fullback. Barber gives the Giants depth and a nice change of pace.
Receivers: The franchise that hasn't had a Pro Bowl receiver since before the merger (Homer Jones, 1968) finally has some star power at the position. Amani Toomer set a team record with 79 receptions last year and is on the cusp of stardom. Collins-to-Toomer could emerge as one of the better duos in the league this season. Ike Hilliard (72 catches) is a reliable target on the other side. The Giants need third-year pro Joe Jurevicius to step up as a third receiver. TE Pete Mitchell, a key player in the new offensive scheme, will miss the first two games with a sprained knee suffered in the preseason opener.
Offensive linemen: Perhaps the foremost goal for Accorsi and Fassel when the offseason began was to rebuild an offensive line that underachieved in '99. The result is four new starters and lingering uncertainty about whether the unit is actually better. Brown, 37, replaces Oben at left tackle. Parker is the new left guard. A third free agent, Zeigler, takes over for Williams at center. Luke Petitgout, the 1999 first-round draft choice who flopped at guard, steps in for Scott Gragg at right tackle. ORG Ron Stone is the lone holdover.
Defense
Linebackers: Barrow arrived from Carolina and stepped into the MLB job next to his former University of Miami (Fla.) teammate, Jessie Armstead, who has joined Strahan at the last three Pro Bowls. With Barrow and Armstead, the Giants have above-average speed and skill behind the defensive line. Unspectacular Ryan Phillips mans the strong side. Pete Monty is a capable backup.
Defensive backs: CB Jason Sehorn is healthy after two injury-plagued seasons and seems poised to play as well as he did in '97, when he was one of the NFL's best cornerbacks. SS Sam Garnes is a solid, underrated player. But Dave Thomas is lightly regarded at the other corner, and new FS Shaun Williams missed most of the preseason with a sprained toe. The depth in the secondary is dangerously thin.
Special teams
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