It didn’t quite have the gravitas or significance of a presidential State of the Union address, but the oratory of Jerry Reese, the senior vice president and general manager of the new Giants, in delivering an unequivocal assessment of the team, was nonetheless substantive and ominous.
On the official opening of the Giants’ training camp this past weekend, Reese addressed the media with a mixed tone of disappointment, optimism and determination. After a laborious 9-7 finish last season, including blowout losses (52-27 to the New Orleans Saints, 34-0 to the Atlanta Falcons and 33-14 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens) in three of their final six games, the Giants were shut out of the postseason again.
“All I know is we’ve been in the playoffs one time in the last four years,” said Reese on Saturday. “And that really is not acceptable for us. That’s not our standards … And we want to put everybody on notice—myself, everybody’s on notice.”
As it stands today, the Giants’ probability of winning the NFC East and making a return to what is known as “The Tournament” is as high as any franchise in the division. The Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, the other teams vying for the top spot and guaranteed playoff invitation, all have equal or more uncertainties than the Giants have on their entering the 2013 campaign.
Most of the Giants’ issues reside on the defensive side of the ball. The staple of that unit during their two recent Super Bowl wins in February of 2008 and 2012 was a dominating front seven, who pressured opposing quarterbacks better than any collective in the NFL.
Last season, the Giants’ pass rush was suspect. The uber-talented defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul led the team with a mere 6.5 sacks. Slightly behind him was Osi Umenyiora with six. However, Umenyiora has since moved on, signing a free-agent deal with the Falcons during the offseason.
As the proud veteran Justin Tuck looks to regain an effective level of productivity and Pierre-Paul sits out training camp recovering from back surgery, the status of the D-line will garner much attention in the weeks ahead.
