New York Giants Team Report by Chase Stuart
| NYG Projections (9/3) | Passing Stats | Rush Stats | Receiving Stats | Fantasy | |||||||||||
| Change | Name | Pos | Att | Comp | % | Yds | TD | Int | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | Pts |
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#fname# #lname# | #pos# | #NumberFormat("#pts#", '__,_____')# | ||||||||||||
| Totals | #NumberFormat("#tot_patt#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_pcmp#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#evaluate(100*tot_pcmp/tot_patt)#", '_____._')#% | #NumberFormat("#tot_pyds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ptds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_int#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ratt#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ryds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_rtds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_rec#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_cyds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ctds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_pts#", '__,_____')# | ||
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Quarterbacks Starter - Kerry Collins Backups - Jesse Palmer, Jason Garrett Starting Quarterback: At just 29, Kerry Collins has seen quite a few ups and downs in his career. The hope is that all his experience has made him better, and he is the unquestioned starter for New York. In fact, he's the only player in NFL history to attempt every single pass for his team in consecutive seasons. Collins has a great arm, and his physical attributes have never been in question. His propensity to fumble and his woes under pressure are two of the major criticisms of Collins. After a magical 2000, he regressed last year and set an NFL record with his twenty three fumbles. The Giants offensive line woes, and the limited upside for a quarterback in the Giants offense are two of the major reasons we have Collins ranked 18th. They may have the worst offensive line in the league, and it's having injury problems. Still, if Jeremy Shockey can make an immediate impact, Collins could turn into a sleeper as the Giants have talent at all the skill positions on offense. Backup Quarterback(s): Jason Garrett is the experienced man here, and will probably be listed as the number two quarterback on game day because he is the more experienced placekick holder of the two. A good friend of Collins and a smart quarterback for Kerry to discuss his problems with, Garrett would still likely be the number two QB if Collins was injured. That's because of Jason Garrett, the former Florida Gator who was selected in the fourth round of the 2001 draft. Palmer has yet to play outside of preseason, garnering subdued optimism thus far from teammates and coaches. Palmer has the ability to play in this league, but there are questions about his consistency right now. Running Backs Starter - Tiki Barber Backups - Ron Dayne, Damon Washington Starting Running Back: Tiki Barber has taken over as the man on this team, and is the starting running back. While Ron Dayne will surely steal more carries than your average backup RB, Barber is the best player on the offense. Barber has finally lived up to his potential the last two seasons, averaging 106 total yards per game the past two seasons, despite Dayne's presence. While Barber has injured ribs right now, it's nothing to be worried as it looks as though Barber will be 100% for the start of the season. Barber is one of the most underrated RB2s in fantasy football. Backup Running Back(s): At best, Ron Dayne is an enigma. At worst, he's an overweight, overpaid, underperforming bust. Dayne hasn't done much positive yet in the NFL, although his seven touchdowns last year were a good sign. Dayne has come in with a ton of hype, but has problems hitting the hole, dancing too much in the backfield, and despite his size isn't a great short yardage or goal line runner. In fact, Dayne was a lousy four for ten in converting third and short situations, while Barber was eight for ten. After the top two backs got hurt last year, Damon Washington subbed in against Washington in week four, and was effective in rushing for ninety yards in a Giants win. Sean Bennett is likely the team's top fullback, but is an effective runner. Antonio Warren, one of the top players in the CFL is an intriguing sleeper. Dayne will get nearly all the carries that Barber does not, leaving the rest of the backs on the roster with no current fantasy value. Fullback(s): Sean Bennett, Darian Barnes, Charles Stackhouse: Bennett always seems to be hurt or rehabbing, but if he can stay healthy will add another dimension to the Giants offense. Losing Greg Comella does hurt the unit, but if one of the undrafted rookie free agents can block well, Tiki Barber should have another fine year. Wide Receivers / Tight Ends Starters - Amani Toomer, Ike Hilliard Backups - Ron Dixon, Jonathon Carter, Tim Carter Starting Receiver(s): Amani Toomer and Kerry Collins frustrate Giants fans because neither has developed the consistency that the greats have. Toomer is a terrific talent, but has the ability to do more than the 1100/6 to which we have become accustomed. He should be in line for another good season, and Jeremy Shockey may help Toomer have his best season to date. Ike Hilliard had 996 yards in 1999, and then eight touchdowns in 2000. Last year was a down year for him (as for most of the Giants not named Michael Strahan), and he still has lingering toe problems. His public feud with head coach Dan Fassel certainly doesn't help things. Hilliard can be a productive number two wide receiver, and is the type of player that would have his career year in his contract year. It wouldn't be much of a surprise to see Hilliard have a good season, and look for a new team next season. Backup Receiver(s): Ron Dixon and the two Carter's need to develop quickly. With the departure of Joe Jurevicius to Tampa Bay, Dixon becomes the number three wide receiver. He's a prototypical number three: He's got great speed, big play potential and also is an effective kick returner. At least two of the backups need to produce, as their speed and deep play ability is something that Giants lack in starters Toomer and Hilliard. Tight End(s): Jeremy Shockey [r], Dan Campbell, Marcellus Rivers Jeremy Shockey's brief NFL career has been anything but boring. The Giants traded up to grab him, and then couldn't sign him. After holding out for six days, Shockey came to practice and proceeded to get into a fight with LB Brandon Short�in the cafeteria! Then, Shockey had a very impressive performance in his first preseason game against the Texans, including a highlight-reel run after the catch. Shockey's very polished, and the former Hurricane has the tools to be a top flight tight end for years to come. However, recent history with both Giants TEs and first round rookies hasn't been very good for fantasy numbers. None of last four TEs drafted in the top half of the first round have caught more than thirty five balls their rookie year.(Franks, Gonzalez, Dudley, Brady). Place Kicker Owen Pochman: Following Morten Anderson's departure in free agency, Owen Pochman is the Giants new place-kicker. Giants' kickers have historically been poor: the swirling winds in Giants stadium make it very difficult to kick, especially in December. Pochman has yet to prove himself in game conditions, but has a decent leg. He has had a rough training camp and preseason thus far, and unless the Giants offense surprises everyone, won't be of much fantasy value. Defense The Giants had one of the top five defenses in 2000. They grabbed Kenny Holmes, and Will Allen and William Peterson in the draft, to shore up any weaknesses they might have. However, the Giants defense slipped last season, and were nothing more than a mediocre unit. Since then, they lost three major components on their defense. LB Jesse Armstead, the fiery pro bowler, took his act and six-year averages of 110 tackles, 4.5 sacks and three forced turnovers to rival Washington. The 6-3, 225 lb SS Sam Garnes will now be playing his home games in Giants Stadium�with the Jets. Perhaps the biggest loss is that of defensive coordinator John Fox, the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers. The defense still has talent, led by Michael Strahan. Youngsters Peterson, Allen, LB Brandon Short, SS Shaun Williams and DT Cornelius Griffin have great potential and will be trying to prove themselves this year. The Giants D, much like their offense, has talent. It's a question of everyone playing up to their level, and playing as a team. Right now, their defense is a fantasy backup. Coaching Outside of when they were the defending NFC Champions, it seems as if Coach Jim Fassel's job is on the line every season. Fassel is a good coach, and has proven he can take a team to the Super Bowl. In the best of times, Fassel is able to balance out effective offense and a crippling defense. Too often though, Fassel is trying to stop the defense from getting frustrated at the lack of offensive productivity. Losing Defensive Coordinator John Fox hurts, but they still have Sean Payton. Considered one of the brightest offensive minds in the game, Payton was expected to land a job after the Super Bowl season of 2000. Right now, the Giants are fortunate to still have him and the Giants offense has more tools than ever before. The special teams have been atrocious in recent history, something that has been addressed but not fixed. Intangibles The media doesn't have high expectations for the Giants, something that may play to their advantage. The team should come to play each week, as the roster is loaded with young guys trying to make a name for themselves. They still have quite a bit of the players from 2000, and if they can go on any sort of winning streak they may be able to get their swagger back. After sweeping Philadelphia for years, they got swept by Philly last season. That's always a great divisional matchup, and with Washington stealing Jesse Armstead the Giants-Redskins games will pack even more punch. Rounding out the division, the Cowboys and Giants are longtime rivals. The Giants play four national television games, including both Eagles matchups. The start the season before anyone else, after playing more preseason games than everyone else. Thursday, September 5th they host the 49ers to kick-off the regular season. The bottom line on the Giants offense is they have more talent at the skill positions than they have had in years, but with such an awful line this team will be hard pressed to win more games than they lose. |