[EmpireWF]

Looking at the Giants personnel, the new general manager and head coach Tom Coughlin will have a lot of work to do filling the holes on the team. As things stand now, I will assume all injured players are healthy for training camp and all contracted players return (ie. Strahan and Feagles don't retire).

The biggest needs for the Giants are RB, WR, LB, CB/S. Other desires should center around offensive and defensive line depth along with a veteran back-up quarterback.

Running Back: Tiki Barber, arguably the franchises greatest RB of all-time is gone. That leaves Brandon Jacobs as the only serious back on the roster. Whether or not the coaching staff sees Jacobs as a potential NFL starting back, they need to go out and bring in someone who can combine with Jacobs to form a dual threat backfield. Free-agency or the draft will be the destination.

Wide Receiver: One of the problems in the second half of the season, without Amani Toomer, the Giants offense was exploited for what it was. Besides Plaxico Burress, there are no threats. David Tyree is a special teams MVP. Sinorice Moss spent nearly all year injured and returned to barely make some catches during the 2006 season. He'll have to stay healthy if he wants to make an impact next year. Tim Carter is a waste of speed and I'd be surprised if he is on the team in 2007. That leaves a major hole, without counting on Moss. A serious slot receiver will be needed.

LineBackers: The poor Giants defense hasn't had very impactful linebackers in over a decade. The best out of the bunch, Antonio Pierce took a step back from his great 2005. Big free-agent signing LaVar Arrington was injured early and missed the rest of the year. Carlos Emmons continued his rapid decline and shouldn't be counted on as a starter (if he doesn't get cut beforehand). Back-ups Reggie Torbor, Gerris Wilkerson and Chase Blackburn have potential but the best case scenario is they serve in slight substition packages and won't be counted on to be starters. With Pierce firmly planted at the MLB spot, the Giants will need to improve the WLB and SLB spots, even with Arrington expected to return. Youth, speed, hard hitting and most of all, intelligence should be something held in priority here.

Secondary: Another year passes and again, the Giants secondary is as inconsistant as the offense is at scoring inside the redzone. Cornerback play has been horrendous. Sam Madison spent nearly a quarter of the year trying to heal a hammy injury and was anything but the impactful corner he was with the Dolphins. Still, he should return and be the #1 corner in 2007. Corey Webster has been a major dissapointment in his young NFL career. RW McQuarters provided some nice depth but was counted on way too much, for a good chunk of the year he was the #2 corner on the team. I believe it's safe to say Frank Walker won't be a Giant next year. His (remote) play in 2006 will be remembered most for the dumb personal foul on Vince Young in the infamous loss to the Titans. The Giants need a serious #2, starting corner caliber player.

As for the safeties...they can be improved. Gibril Wilson is learning and a young favorite of Giant fans. He is a restricted free-agent and expected to return. Starting free-safety, Will Demps had a rollercoaster season but the majority of which was spent on the low-end. He had a few solid games late in the year, which can be attributed to the fact that he was coming off an injury early in the year. He will likely have the opportunity to start again in 2007, but healthy. Still, the team should look to improve in any way possible. Back-up safeties included Jason Bell (who saw time as corner due to injuries) and James Butler (a special teams player).


So to recap, the Giants will need:

-running back to pair with Brandon Jacobs
-slot receiver
-#2 cornerback
-Outside linebackers
-Safety (to compete with Demps)

[ThePundit]

Good post, Empire. I agree with everything you said. The Giants also need a genie to direct Eli Manning's passes once they leave his hand.

[azrael492]

I don't see QB on your list. Do you really see Manning as a leader for this team?

[EmpireWF]

Manning is this team's QB.

What I think may have hindered him is Hufnagel's offense. We'll see how he does under new coaches next year. Gilbride as the offensive coordinator and whomever Coughlin brings in as a QB coach. Simpler offenses always are better for younger QBs.

[mervinout]

the giants are in good shape, but i think they need to spend some money on nate clements. Samulels from the pats wouldnt be bad the question is will the pats pay to keep a player. you guys think they will draft a rb in the draft maybe a mike bush?

[EmpireWF]

This is just a guess but I think they will go defense with most of their draft picks.

If guys like ILB Patrick Willis, S Reggie Nelson, CB Revis (from Pitt I think) are available, it'd be tought to pass up.

[jimmyhoffa]

I'd prefer the Giants to pick up a CB whos played a few seasons in the NFL. Whats the draft like this year for LBs?