NFC EAST - NEW YORK GIANTS

2006 PREVIEW

The Giants are the defending division champions, but we feel that they overachieved in winning 11 games last season, and we see them regress this year to a third place finish that will keep them out of the playoffs.

Quarterback Eli Manning improved in his second season, but he still makes way too many young mistakes, and he looked like a deer in headlights in the brutal home playoff loss to Carolina. Even with his improvement, the 17 interceptions he threw last year is just too many. Now Tiki Barber had an MVP-type season at running back, but that had “career year” written all over it and we doubt that he could repeat that performance again. They do have a nice go-to receiver in Plaxico Burress and one of the better tight ends in the league in Jeremy Shockey, but the rest of the receiving corps is just average. This should cause problems for Manning when Burress sees double coverage, and it does not help that the Giants have offensive line issues.

The defensive front seven is the best part of this team, and as that group goes, so does the team. The addition of linebacker LaVar Arrington makes this unit that much better. However the front seven had better do its part because the secondary looks very shaky. That is an area that can be exploited if opposing quarterbacks can somehow get enough time in the pocket. The bottom line is that the Giants are good but not as good as they looked last season. The signing of Terrell Owens by the Cowboys immediately turns New York into the third best team in the division.

2006 Prediction: 3 rd Place NFC East