With training camps starting this week, football is upon us, folks. Read on for everything you need to know about the New York Giants and check out our Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys pieces for more NFC East info.
The New York Giants had a season to forget in 2013, posting their first losing record in a decade and missing the playoffs for the second year running. Intense activity in the free agency market however has fueled Giants fans’ hopes that they will be able to mount a challenge this season and win the Super Bowl for the third time in seven years.
[sc:”Football Articles” ]New York Giants Team Preview for the 2014/2015 NFL Season
Offseason Update (8/5/2014)
The Giants opened their preseason campaign with a morale-boosting 17-13 win over the Buffalo Bills in the Hall of Fame game last Sunday as their rookies stepped up in their come-from-behind victory. Andre Williams, who posted big numbers for Boston College last season, showed that he can bang it with the big boys in the pro ranks as well when he rushed for 48 yards on seven carries, with a three-yard TD run to boot against the Bills to give head coach Tom Coughlin some flexibility when it comes to the running back position.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Williams, who led the nation in rushing last season with 2,177 yards, will be a valuable asset for the Giants who will once again miss the services of David Wilson who suffered a second neck injury in less than a year. If his form continues as such, the Giants’ fourth-round draft pick will slot in perfectly behind newly-acquired starter Rashad Jennings for the No. 2 slot.
What’s encouraging for the Giants though was the performance of quarterback Eli Manning. In his first game calling the West Coast offense of new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, the two-time Super Bowl winner looked confident in what little action he saw, going 6-for-7 with 43 passing yards.
Overview
2013 Regular Season Record: 7-9 SU/7-9 ATS
After following up their 2011 Super Bowl victory against the Patriots by missing the playoffs in 2012, the Giants were looking for a perfect start to their 2013 campaign to re-establish themselves as one of the top playoff teams in the league.
Instead, they started the season with a horrible 0-6 SU record, and were outscored 209-103 by their opponents. They were able to recover somehow, posting a 7-3 SU mark in their remaining ten games. But that disastrous start ensured their first losing record since 2004 as they missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
A big reason why the Giants failed miserably last season was the poor play of their quarterback Eli Manning. The two-time Super Bowl MVP had a league-worst 27 interceptions, five more than his closest competitor. He had his least accurate season (57.5 percent completion rate) of the past six years and he threw fewer than 20 touchdown passes (18) for the first time since he took over starting duties for the Giants back in 2005.
Manning’s ability to return to his Super Bowl-winning form will be a huge factor in the Giants’ upcoming season. New York is +250 to reclaim the NFC East this season and is priced at +4,000 to win the Super Bowl for the third time in seven years.
Offseason Highlights
After missing the playoffs for the second straight season, the New York Giants decided to shake things up by spending well over $100 million in contracts as they signed or re-signed 25 players to their team this offseason in a bid to bolster their lineup.
Much of that money was spent investing in defensive backs from the last year’s Super Bowl teams. The Giants signed former Broncos cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, as well as former Seahawks cornerback Walter Thurmond. They also re-signed incumbent safety Antrel Rolle and corner Prince Amukamara to turn the secondary from what was once a weakness into a position of strength.
The Giants also addressed their offensive shortcomings, first and foremost by appointing Ben McAdoo as their new offensive coordinator in place of Kevin Gilbride. McAdoo, the former tight ends and quarterback coach of the Green Bay Packers, will look to reinvigorate a Giants offense ranked near the bottom in yards per game and points per game last season.
McAdoo will have a new running back to work with in newly-signed Rashad Jennings, who rushed for a career-high 733 yards with six TDs last year with the Oakland Raiders. He will be tasked to boost a Giants rushing game that was fourth-worst in the league last season in rushing yards per game with only 83.3.
Jennings will be running behind a revamped offensive line, headlined by guard Geoff Schawrtz. Schwartz brings in an impressive resume where he tallied an impressive 18.2 PFF rating over 632 snaps last season, most of them at right guard. In 2010, he had a 19.2 PFF rating over 1,016 snaps as a starter at both right tackle and right guard for the Carolina Panthers.
McAdoo will also have the exciting no. 12 overall pick, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., as a dynamic weapon to use alongside no. 1 receiver, Victor Cruz. The Giants expect Beckham to make up for the loss of Hakeem Nicks, who signed with the Indianapolis Colts in the offseason.
Key Betting Matchups of 2014 NFL Season
The Giants have not gone past the nine-win mark in the past three seasons and after setting a losing record of 7-9 last campaign, it is no surprise that their season win totals is set at 8.0. They are in perfect position to end that barren run though with them having the sixth easiest schedule in the league for next season. Two of the games that will define their season next year are:
October 19 – @ Dallas Cowboys
The Giants travel to Dallas to meet the Cowboys as Manning and the Giants hope to continue their fine away form against Dallas. They are 4-1 SU against Dallas in their last five games at Cowboy Stadium.
December 28 – Philadelphia Eagles
The Giants host the defending AFC east winners Philadelphia Eagles in a crucial division matchup. The Giants hope to improve on their home record against Eagles, going 1-4 ATS vs. the Eagles in their last five encounters at New York.
Writer’s Prediction
The Giants with a motivated Eli Manning will go 9-7 and go over their total wins line of 8.0 and qualify for the playoffs for the first time in three years. Create a betting account now to see if you can predict where the Giants will end up in the NFC East.
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