Training Camp

Look, the last thing I want to do is rush the summer away. Especially after living in the movie Frozen all winter long. But the Giants are back at the Timex Performance Center for Training Camp and I couldn’t be more excited for the season to begin. This might come as a shock considering how horrible the Giants were last year, but I am (somewhat naively) optimistic about the 2014 season.

He can't hit free throws, but he can kick your bean bag.

op-ti-mism: a feeling or belief that good things will happen in the future : a feeling or belief that what you hope for will happen.

That is the Merriam-Webster definition of optimism. By that definition, you would say it’s a positive thing. However, when it comes to pre-season NFL, optimism can be dangerous. Like a deep sea diving while tripping on shrooms kind of dangerous. When you believe with all your heart that your team can make noise in the playoffs and it doesn't work out, it can feel like like getting kicked in the nuts by Shaq while he's wearing size twenty-three, brick Reeboks.

I can only be as optimistic as history will allow me to be. As a football fan, believing a team will do well can be a bad idea considering how quickly and easily seasons can totally implode. Take, for example, Rex Ryan. His optimism paid off early in his tenure with the Jets. However, now he seems like a kid who thinks his way-too-hot ex-girlfriend will come back to him.

But why should I be so optimistic? I mean how could I be? Last season, the Giants were as useful as contraceptives in the Duggar household. From the quarterback to the return game, Big Blue had so many issues.

Would it kill you guys to put a goalie in the net?

There are a few reasons why I feel optimistic about the upcoming season.

1) The Giants offensive line, with the additions of Geoff Schwartz and rookie Weston Richburg, help plug some holes in the offensive line. If you don’t remember, much of the Giants’ problems stemmed from their inability to give Eli time in the pocket and to create holes for the running game. And at the goal line, the front five got as much push as Emmanuel Lewis moving a refrigerator.

2) The running game looks to be improved a bit with the addition of Rashard Jennings, the drafting of Andre Williams, and with David Wilson being cleared to play. This could be the reincarnated three-headed monster of the “Earth, Wind and Fire” days.

3) The defense added some players that hopefully won’t make them suck so hard this year. The additions of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Jameel McClain will help strengthen the defense, and rookie linebacker Devon Kennard is picking up the defense very quickly. JPP feels the best that he’s felt since 2012, and hopefully Jon Beason can return back to full form by the start of the season.

4) The Giants return game should finally be effective for the first time since the Matt Dodge era. With Quintin Demps, Trindon Holliday, David Wilson, and Odell Beckham Jr. as potential return men, the Giants will improve their field position, and maybe, just maybe, they can score on kick or punt returns, because they haven’t done that since 2009!

But the real reason behind my optimism is the new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. What he brings is a simpler offensive game plan. If Gilbride’s offense was the Hayden Planetarium, McAdoo’s offense is a bedroom ceiling covered with glow-in-the-dark star stickers. Now that doesn’t mean I’m saying McAdoo’s offense is only for idiots;  I’m saying that if everyone buys in, it’s idiot proof. This new west coast offense won’t contain all of those option routes that were problematic for the Giants last season. This offense will have mid-range, concise routes that you only have to learn. As a receiver you don’t have to worry about reading the safeties and running the right route. As a quarterback, you don’t have to assess what every receiver is going to do and hope they make the same choice as you.

So you're saying that if I don't throw as many picks, the offense will be better? Dang! That's brilliant!

McAdoo’s offense seemed to work pretty well with his former team, the Green Bay Packers. Now will the Giants’ offense be as prolific as the Packers’ offense? No. Will Eli play to the level of Aaron Rodgers? No way. But it’s safe to say there will be a considerable, maybe even vast, improvement.
A lot of mistakes were made in the passing game due to Eli and his receivers, especially Rueben Randle, not making the same reads on the receiving routes. This new offense should limit the amount of mistakes made in the passing game.

So I’m going to go out on the ledge and be optimistic for Eli Manning. And while I’m at it, I might as well take my grandmother to a Skrillex concert. I really do think he is going to be a much better quarterback this upcoming season. Having a new offense did wonders for Jay Culter and Phillip Rivers last year, and I think the nervous excitement that comes with learning a new offense is a terrific thing for the offense players that were so accustomed to Gilbride’s offense.

So what have I learned?

Coughlin is still the lovable red ass as he always is. During OTAs, Coach compared the new Giants’ offense to his grandkids playing soccer for the first time. He is also upset with first round pick Odell Beckham Jr, because he is sidelined with a hamstring injury.

The tight end situation for the Giants is a messy one to say the least. Among the five, yes five, tight ends fighting for a spot on the team, not one has answered the call to become a favorite. At least one of them has to step up and become a reliable target in the passing game. Eli loves reliable tight ends like the Kardashians love to not work.

Optimism can quickly turn into delusion if you don’t manage your expectations. It’s easy to buy into all of this positivity, and ignore all of the warning signs. Like how everyone was so concerned about David Wilson's injury that they forgot all about his severe case of fumblitis. However, optimism for an NFC East team are rarely delusionial, especially since the division is so competitive. In fact, the only thing you can be certain about is that the fight to win the East will look like something out of Braveheart.

Nobody gives a pre-game speech like William Wallace. Not even Ray Lewis.