The Giants have a tall task of trying to prove they can win without wideout Plaxico Burress. After the Giants beat Washington to improve to a league-best 11-1, Burress shot himself in his upper leg and now will likely face jailtime for handgun possession. He's since been released, and without him the Giants lost four of five last season, including a 23-11 defeat to Philly at home in the playoffs, where Eli Manning has still yet to win a game. Nevertheless, the Giants recently signed him to a contract that makes him among the richest players in the game. The Giants took two wideouts with their first four draft choices in hopes of someone filling into Burress's role. That's because there aren't a whole lot of other areas where the Giants need improvement. Running back Brandon Jacobs signed a new four-year deal and figures to get more carries outside of the red zone; there are three capable backups that can also run behind one of the best O-lines (5.0 ypc last year!) in the league.

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The defense had a reliable pass rush most of the season, but not late last season. The depth took a big hit when stud DE Osi Umenyiora injured his knee and missed the whole season. Rocky Bernard and Chris Canty were both high-priced free agent acquisitions for the defensive front, which should be one of the better ones in the league. The Giants will likely stick with press coverage under new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, rushing blitzers from all over in mixing man looks and zone blitzes from different defensive fronts, which should be do-able with the versatility from most of the front seven.

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