NY Giants First Quarter Report Card

Since I haven't posted much about the NY Giants this season, I thought I'd give my opinion on how they have done so far, one quarter into the season.

At the moment they currently sit on top of the toughest division in football, NFC East, at 4-0, 2 games ahead of their nearest competitor. This record has also put them at or near the top of some power rankings (CBS, ESPN to name a few). They have played hurt and with injuries, but to this point haven't been challenged, other than the Dallas game. Given their record, if they can win 1 more than 50% of their remaining games, they will make the playoffs at 11-5. The bad news is that their schedule gets much tougher after this week (Oakland at home) with games against New Orleans (4-0), Philadelphia (2-1), Arizona (1-2), San Diego (2-2) before reaching their bye week. They need to be somewhere around 7-2 to guarantee themselves a playoff spots. New Orleans high powered offense should be the deciding factor. If they can beat them then there shouldn't be a problem beating the other 3 teams. A loss there and things get interesting as Philadelphia always plays tough against NY.

Offense
Eli has played very well and the passing game is keeping teams on their guard. The running backs haven't had that breakout game, but it hasn't been needed. The amount that they do run has opened up the passing game. The offensive line has protected Eli nicely and are mostly healthy, so that should continue. The only negative side to the offense is the fact that they are having problems scoring in the "red" zone (inside the opponents 20 yard line) only converting touchdowns on 2 out of 11 attempts. This will need to change if they plan on making a run to the Superbowl.

Defense
To this point, the defense hasn't been stellar, but other than the Dallas game, haven't really been challenged. They have kept their opponents to minimal yards, which has made it easier for the offense. With only 7 sacks to this point, the absence of Coach Spagnolo is being felt and with a few injuries in the secondary, it will be crucial to see how they fare against New Orleans and Arizona who like to throw plenty. If they can pressure these teams and get a few more sacks, then the secondary should be fine. The coming weeks will be the real test for this defense.

Special Teams and kicking
I would have to say that kick defense is probably their weakest point as they seem to give more yards back than they should. Although no team has run back a touchdown on kickoffs, they are starting at better than their 20 yard line on average. Punts have been great, as Jeff Feagles is a master as pinning teams deep in their end zone . Field goals haven't been awesome as Lawrence Tynes has missed a few inside the 20 yard line. I will give him the benefit of the doubt as he is coming off an injury season.

Overall I would give the Giants an A-. They haven't been perfect and there are areas that need to improve, but they are 4-0 and are winning easily.

Check back in a few weeks to see my mid-season report card.