Infiltrating The Enemy Camp
As a resident of Albany, New York I have the displeasure of hosting the New York Giants' preseason camp. I've done my best to avoid them, and their bandwagon "die-hard" fans, but it's no use; I had to see what these guys were up to, as far as practice is concerned. I got some (a ton of) crap for wearing my old Matt Cassel jersey, and it was hard to be around all the number 10 jerseys (apparently that's the only player anyone knows) but I was there as an inside source to all Patriots fans, to tell you how the Giants are looking, and whether or not we'll finally best them on our way to a Lombardi trophy.
So let me break down what I noticed from the 2 hour session I attended, and whether or not I think New York will be a threat this year.
Short answer: no, not really. From what I saw, the special teams are shaky. I can long snap better than their guys, so expect some punt team flops. Their returners kept dropping balls, minus Domenik Hixon. Steve Weatherford was kicking some booming punts however, so if the awful snappers can get him the ball, he's looking good.
The running backs aren't looking sharp at all. Multiple times, Eli Manning had to tell Ahmad Bradshaw what his assignment was on a few occasions. On top of that, Bradshaw seems to lack explosion in general. While his running flat-out sucked, his pass catching was spot on for the most part. He didn't drop any of the passes that came his way from Eli Manning, who hit him in the flat frequently when there was no defense. But as far as running the ball is concerned, you know, the thing they pay the guy for? It was a pretty laughable showing by the veteran running back.
The wide receivers look... ok. Hakeem Nicks didn't practice, and other than Victor Cruz, the Giants really don't have anyone too good. The tight ends looked awful, slow, dropped a few passes. Guess it's a good thing the we snatched up Jake Ballard, because the Giants have at least one glaring weakness. The offensive line wasn't spectacular, but they didn't play poorly either.
Last but not least, Eli Manning. It pains me to say this, because I hate the guy. A lot. But Eli Manning was nearly flawless. He thread the needle on a pass during 11-on-11 to Rookie Reuben Randle in the end zone on a corner route. He's scary good in this quiet off-season. I'm the first person to talk him down, but he was making all the throws of a truly elite QB.
BUT! The Giants secondary was, let me put it nicely, atrocious. They allowed every completion. Sure they aren't going 100%, but they got burned by New York's receivers on literally every single play. If there's one thing to take out of the session, it's that if we meet the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, Tom Brady will destroy their defense. It's not even funny how poorly that defense played. Even I was embarrassed by their effort. Based on what I've seen and read from both camps, if the two teams meet in Super Bowl 47, I predict a Patriots victory: 38-17
 |
| Public Enemy Number 1 Eli Manning (10) takes a snap from some random coach |
Short answer: no, not really. From what I saw, the special teams are shaky. I can long snap better than their guys, so expect some punt team flops. Their returners kept dropping balls, minus Domenik Hixon. Steve Weatherford was kicking some booming punts however, so if the awful snappers can get him the ball, he's looking good.
The running backs aren't looking sharp at all. Multiple times, Eli Manning had to tell Ahmad Bradshaw what his assignment was on a few occasions. On top of that, Bradshaw seems to lack explosion in general. While his running flat-out sucked, his pass catching was spot on for the most part. He didn't drop any of the passes that came his way from Eli Manning, who hit him in the flat frequently when there was no defense. But as far as running the ball is concerned, you know, the thing they pay the guy for? It was a pretty laughable showing by the veteran running back.
 |
| Victor Cruz is actually tiny; and was not impressive in this session |
The wide receivers look... ok. Hakeem Nicks didn't practice, and other than Victor Cruz, the Giants really don't have anyone too good. The tight ends looked awful, slow, dropped a few passes. Guess it's a good thing the we snatched up Jake Ballard, because the Giants have at least one glaring weakness. The offensive line wasn't spectacular, but they didn't play poorly either.
Last but not least, Eli Manning. It pains me to say this, because I hate the guy. A lot. But Eli Manning was nearly flawless. He thread the needle on a pass during 11-on-11 to Rookie Reuben Randle in the end zone on a corner route. He's scary good in this quiet off-season. I'm the first person to talk him down, but he was making all the throws of a truly elite QB.
BUT! The Giants secondary was, let me put it nicely, atrocious. They allowed every completion. Sure they aren't going 100%, but they got burned by New York's receivers on literally every single play. If there's one thing to take out of the session, it's that if we meet the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, Tom Brady will destroy their defense. It's not even funny how poorly that defense played. Even I was embarrassed by their effort. Based on what I've seen and read from both camps, if the two teams meet in Super Bowl 47, I predict a Patriots victory: 38-17
