Preseason Game Preview: New York Giants at New York Jets, August 27, 2004

Approach to the Game – New York Giants at New York Jets, August 27, 2004: My preseason game reviews always sound repetitive because unlike the regular season, (1) I don’t really focus on the opponent, and (2) the main purpose of the preseason is to evaluate talent. So you’re not going to hear a lot of new stuff from me and this preview will be on the short side. The most important thing about this game (other than not getting anyone hurt) is that some pretty serious roster decisions are going to be made soon. Starting jobs will be awarded, roster spots lost. There may be some big surprises.

Giants on Offense: The quarterback duel is getting very serious now. Heading into camp, I would have bet the house that Kurt Warner would be starting in Philadelphia. Now, I’m not so sure. Yes, the blitzes and coverages Eli Manning will see in the regular season will be much more difficult than in the preseason. And yes, the offensive is likely to struggle early as it has yet to achieve a comfortable level of cohesion. But Manning is developing faster than I think the Giants had even expected. Don’t get me wrong, there will be plenty of stupid rookie mistakes. And fans are not patient. But I am not convinced any longer that Kurt will be starting opening day. The wild card in all of this is how the coaching staff truly feels about the capabilities of the offensive line. It’s likely that David Diehl and Chris Snee will have problems with picking up stunts and complicated blitzes early on. Because of this, Coughlin may not want Manning to suffer as a result. Regardless, this game against the Jets is very important for both Warner and Manning. It could possibly seal up the starting quarterback job.

I have already touched on it, but the starting offensive line is a concern. Personally, I think the talent is there to be a decent and perhaps very good line, but there is still a growing process that is only in its infancy. Diehl has only been a right tackle for a couple of weeks. Snee is a rookie. Barry Stokes is missing valuable practice and game time (and thus missing time to build cohesion with Luke Petitgout and Shaun O’Hara). All the blitzes the Giants have seen in the preseason are a God-send. I hope the Jets do the same. Because the more these guys see it now, the more they will be ready for it during the regular season. And the Giants are going to see a ton of blitzes this year.

What will be interesting to watch is the back-up situation. I’m hearing that Rich Seubert will be placed on the regular season PUP list, not Injured Reserve. That means there is still a chance he could return during the season. It’s fairly safe to say that Wayne Lucier (who will start at left guard against the Jets) is going to be on this team. But I don’t think anyone else is completely assured of a job. The Giants brought in Brandon Winey and Solomon Page this week and they are likely to keep scanning the waiver wire, especially as the talent level on that waiver wire improves as we get close to larger cut down dates. The Jets game will be very important to a guy like Greg Walker.

The big battles for roster spots behind Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard at wide receiver also continue. James McKnight is now out of the picture (Injured Reserve). Willie Ponder and Avion Black are helping themselves with the return ability. David Tyree is a special teams ace. Tim Carter and Jamaar Taylor remain medical question marks. Do JaJuan Dawson and Atavius Cash have a legitimate chance to make the team?

The Giants are going to hold Jeremy Shockey out the rest of the preseason and that is fine with me. Get him healed up for Philadelphia. He changes the very nature of the Giants’ offense with his presence as he opens up everything for the receivers and backs. This has been a good camp for Visanthe Shiancoe and Marcellus Rivers.

I’m still not convinced that Ron Dayne has a safe spot on this roster. I think the Giants are going to be keeping an eye on the market. Dayne has to keep improving or he may find himself off this team.

Giants on Defense: The thing that has scared most Giants’ fans the most this preseason has been the performance of the defense. The optimists argue that the defense is looking bad because (1) the players are still learning the new system, (2) a lot of starters have been out of the line-up, and (3) Defensive Coordinator Tim Lewis isn’t showing all of his cards. The pessimists insist that the Giants’ talent level on defense stinks. I’m afraid we won’t know the real answer until the regular season starts.

Up front, with Keith Washington still out with the eye injury, Osi Umenyiora needs to prove that he can defend the running game at the point-of-attack. It will also be interesting to see if DT William Joseph sees his first action of the preseason and he does. There is a big battle being waged for the final defensive tackle spot between Mario Monds, Martin Chase, Lance Legree, and Delbert Cowsette. Outside, among the reserves, it appears it will be Radell Lockhart versus Khaleed Vaughn on the strongside. I’m hearing that DE Lorenzo Bromell, like Seubert, will likely land on the PUP.

WLB Barrett Green and SLB Carlos Emmons may see some snaps with the starting unit, but they won’t play much. Kevin Lewis will start at middle linebacker as Nick Greisen is still nursing his hamstring injury. Reggie Torbor needs to improve his instincts against the run. Look for the Giants to pick up someone on the waiver wire here soon.

In the secondary, the primary concern is getting CB Will Allen back into form. The Giants need him to be on top of his game. The battle at free safety continues, but Brent Alexander and Omar Stoutmire haven’t made much noise this preseason.

Giants on Special Teams: I still wonder what is going to happen at place kicker. Todd France was impressive last week in his two field goal attempts. Will the Giants be scanning the waiver wire?

Willie Ponder really has a good chance to lock up a roster spot with another solid outing returning kickoffs. Avion Black’s hold on a roster spot is somewhat more tenuous.

It will be interesting to see what kind of special teams player Jason Doering is.