Traning Camp 2015

The G-Men are back. They have suited up again in hopes to improve themselves for the 2015 season. This time of year, it’s reasonable for any fan of any team to pick and choose parts of their team and say “See? If things break our way, we can make the playoffs.” Except for maybe the Browns. They need a Sonny Weaver like miracle to become relevant, even though they made some waves last year. But, again, you never know in August. Remember when this time last year a lot of people were convinced the Cowboys would finish last in the division? You can’t count anyone out. Especially in the NFC East.

Sorry, Sonny Weaver Jr., it'll take more than Vonte Mack, and Ray Jennings to save your season. 

The Giants are no exception to this unbridled optimism. Granted, the only way they’re playing in January is if they win the division. Would anybody really be shocked if they won it? Yes, I know, A LOT of things need to go right for them to win the division. Let’s make a list of what needs to go right.

The offensive line needs to protect Eli and create lanes for the running backs consistently. There were too many times to count last year when Eli was under a Black Friday pass rush, and when the running backs couldn’t get the room to rush for four yards to score a touchdown.

Victor Cruz needs to be healthy. We’ve seen what Cruz and Beckham can do individually, but I’d really like to see what they can do together. Hopefully Cruz’s patellar tendon is healed and he can be as close to his old self as possible.

The defensive line needs to put pressure on the quarterback. I remember a few years ago, when the Giants would play the Cowboys, and in some games by the fourth quarter, you’d see Tony Romo start throwing a fit and yell at his offensive line. I miss seeing that. It would certainly help if Jason Pierre-Paul wasn’t missing from training camp, as well as his index finger. This new, yet familiar, Spagnuolo defense would be perfect for JPP. His strength is just trusting his instincts and running after the ball carrier like a madman, and I think Spags would just give him free range to get after it while the secondary covers. It looks like Damontre Moore might have to take on that mantle. He should fill in nicely considering he’s another physical freak that’s a knucklehead.

Jon Beason needs to stay healthy. This kiddie pool deep linebacking unit is, at best, suspect. If one of the starters goes down, the whole middle of the field might be compromised. The most important person in this unit is Beason. He is the best lineback the Giants have, unfortunately, he is as healthy as an ox... who is always injured.

The secondary has to be reliable. This might be the best secondary Spags has ever had with the Giants. What we might see is an inverted scheme from what we saw back in 2007. This time around, he might have to rely on coverage to give the pass rush more time to make a play, other than using a fast pass rush to mask a weak secondary. This will only work if the secondary stays healthy and does their job. I'm looking at you, Prince and DRC. 

So yeah, if all of those things go right, if the planets align, if the groundhog sees his shadow, etc, etc, the Giants have a shot. But if I realistically look at the Giants this year, if I take off my homer glasses, I’ll be happy if they win eight games this year. I know they can win more than that, though.

Now all he needs is a Rainbow Star so he won't run around like a wounded deer.

What’s my reason for this optimism? The offense. This could very easily be the best offense in the Coughlin/Manning era. According to reports, Eli has been flinging heat like he’s on a steady diet of Super Mario Fire Flowers. This will be the second year under the McAdoo system, and under that system last year Eli’s game improved significantly. I’m excited to see how much more he’ll improve this year.
Everyone talks about Odell being there for all sixteen games, but the addition of Shane Vereen might be a bit overlooked. I think this will play a huge role in the Giants’ success. Eli hasn’t had reliable hands out of the backfield since Tiki Barber, and I don’t think Vereen is a condescending ass-hat like Barber is. With this new piece of the offense, I won't be as nervous on third downs anymore, now that Eli has a reliable safety valve.

Well, I guess I can’t write a blog about Giants’ training camp without talking about Jason Pierre-Paul. I suppose I feel the same way about JPP as Colin Cowherd feels about Dominican ballplayers. Playing with fireworks when you are on the path to signing a sixty million dollar deal, is a worse idea than... well, I guess jumping rope with electrified barbed wire is a worse idea, or maybe feeding a T-Rex cookies from your mouth is worse. But still, in the real world, there may not be a worse idea then messing with explosives while looking at a huge payday. Wait! Punching your quarterback in the face and breaking his jaw! That’s worse!
However, I understand why JPP won’t go to training camp. The Giants hold all the cards now. They could easily evaluate his hand, and send him packing without so much as cab fare. All we can do is hope is gets better, and hope he does it quickly. He’s got a lot to prove to the Giants, and the thirty-one other teams who might want to sign him after this year.

This season could be disappointing. I just hope it’s not True Detective Season 2 disappointing. Otherwise, I’m liable to become a miserable and brooding malcontent like Velcoro, Bezzerides, or Woodrough. I’ll get a corner booth in a dimly lit bar, drink whiskey that’s served to me by a waitress with striking facial scars while some tragic young singer is singing songs that make you want to take a bath with your favorite toaster oven. There I’ll groan about Eli Manning interceptions, opposing QBs getting all day to complete a pass, and inaudibly refer to names and places that nobody remembers or even cares about.

"Pain is inexhaustible. It's only people that get exhausted." Sometimes my loathing for this season was inexhaustible.

Regardless of how this season pans out, I couldn’t be happier now that football is back.