The only big news from the New York Giants this offseason came from a freak, stupid accident. Jason Pierre-Paul rented a U-Haul van and filled it full of fireworks. He then somehow nearly blew off his hand during the process of lighting said fireworks. I saw pictures of his hand and it looked a lot like this (don’t worry, it’s not the actual picture).
Even thought JPP will miss some time this season, I still like the Giants a lot. Trust me, I would have loved to put a ‘Manning Face’ picture in this post, but since I expect them to take a big leap forward this season, it sadly didn’t fit the narrative.
Why do we love the Giants this season?
Here is the 2015 NFL team preview for the New York Giants.
2014 Win/Loss Record: 6-10
Key Additions: RB Shane Vereen, OLB Jonathan Casillas, OT Marshall Newhouse, DE George Selvie, DT Kenrick Ellis, WR James Jones, S Brandon Mariweather, ILB J.T. Thomas & CB Josh Gordy
Key Losses: RB Peyton Hillis, DE Mathias Kiwanuka, CB Walter Thurmond, S Antrel Rolle, S Quintin Demps, WR Jerrel Jernigan, OT James Brewer, OG Adam Snyder, C J.D. Walton, DT Mike Patterson, OLB Spencer Paysinger, OLB Jacquian Williams, CB Terrell Thomas, CB Zackary Bowman, S Stevie Brown, CB Travis Howard & WR Kevin Olgetree
2015 Draft Picks: OT Ereck Flowers, S Landon Collins, DE Owa Odighizuwa, S Mykkele Thompson, WR Geremy Davis & OT Bobby Hart
Non-Division Schedule: AFC East, NFC South & (San Francisco/Minnesota)
Fantasy Sleeper: RB Andre Williams – There aren’t many ‘sleepers’ that jump out on the Giants. Unless an injury happens, you pretty much know which receivers will be getting all the targets. The running back position is a bit fluid at the moment. Rashad Jennings is projected to be the starter, but he’s never had more than 167 carries in a season. Both Jennings and Williams shared the load last season and Williams was the only back to have at least one run of 20+ yards (he had four). Tom Coughlin loves sharing the rushing load, but Williams was the guy they used the most in the red zone. Newcomer Shane Vereen will also see action, but most likely only used on passing downs. Williams will be boom or bust week-to-week as a touchdown vulture.
Projected Starters
Offense – QB Eli Manning, RB Rashad Jennings, WR Odell Beckham, WR Victor Cruz, WR Rueben Randle, TE Daniel Fells, LT Ereck Flowers, LG Justin Pugh, C Weston Richburg, RG Geoff Schwartz & RT Marshall Newhouse
Defense – DE Kerry Wynn, DT Cullen Jenkins, DT Johnathan Hankins, DE Robert Ayres, OLB J.T. Thomas, MLB Jon Beason, OLB Devon Kennard, CB Prince Amukamara, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, SS Nat Berhe & FS Landon Collins
Team Analysis: The Giants wasn’t a very good team last season. For the most part, they lost to teams they should have lost to and beat the teams they should have beaten (except the bad loss to Jacksonville). They went on a run near the end of the year when wide receiver Odell Beckham exploded for nearly 150+ yards per game. He will be a big factor this year. Also, Victor Cruz and Beckham have only played two games together (early October). Beckham was coming off an injury at that time. I am excited for the pair to line up together this season. Their offense should be quite potent. I also believe their secondary, which was a work in progress last season, has vastly improved with the addition of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and rookie safety Landon Collins. The Giants will take a big leap forward this season. They always seem to do their best when Tom Coughlin is on the hot seat, which seems like every other year.
2015 Wins Over/Under Line: 8.5 (Prediction: OVER)
2015 Projected Win/Loss Record: 11-5 (1st in NFC East)
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.