New York Giants Camp Preview: Defensive Line

A new NFL season is right around the corner as training camp is quickly approaching.  Leading up to the start of training camp, we will have a run down position-by-position for the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. 

The first position we will take a look at is the defensive line.

The projected starters along the defensive line are Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Chris Canty and Linval Joseph.  Projected reserves expected to make an impact are ends Osi Umenyiora, Justin Trattou and Adrian Tracy and at tackle Rocky Bernard, Marvin Austin, and Shaun Rogers. 

The new additions to the line are Rogers and Markus Kuhn, as the Giants saw defensive end Dave Tollefson and defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy leave.

The player to watch out of this group is Pierre-Paul.  Pierre-Paul had a breakout season in 2011-2012, racking up 16.5 sacks.  He joined Michael Strahan and Lawrence Taylor as the only Giants to ever get 16 or more sacks in a season.  Pierre-Paul will have all eyes on him as teammates and opponents will be looking out to see if he can have another successful season piggybacking off his first Pro Bowl appearance.

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Duplicating his previous season will be no small task for Pierre-Paul, who made big plays on more than just defense.  Giant fans have fond memories of Pierre-Paul blocking the Dallas Cowboys field goal attempt to seal a win.  

It is scary to think that Pierre-Paul is still coming into his own and growing as an NFL player.  He is just still scratching the surface of his potential and it will be interesting to see how he grows and develops this season against teams that will surely be game-planning against him this season.

The Giants have arguably the best pass rush in the NFL and there is no reason to believe this strength will change this coming season.  Umenyiora for the first time in what seems forever will actually be in camp not complaining about his contract after agreeing to a restructuring earlier in the off-season.  Tuck has fixed his shoulder which gave him problems last season and is highly motivated to reach the level of play he is accustomed to playing at before injuries ravaged him.  JPP is an emerging star and factor in Mathias Kiwanuka being a situational pass rusher, the pass rush of the Giants remains their biggest strength nest to Eli Manning.

With every great thing, there is almost always a negative to follow and the same goes for the Giants defensive line.  Stopping the run is potentially a problem for this unit; opponents topped the 100 yard mark in 11 of 16 regular season games.  Canty and Joseph are solid tackles and with Bernard back and Austin returning after missing his whole rookie season should help shore up the run defense.  Rogers is a veteran and can handle himself.  The use of more linebackers on the field should also help in stopping the run game, as the Giants should look like a more traditional defense this season using three linebackers instead of three safeties.

The wild card of this group is Marvin Austin.  Austin has not played in a football game in two seasons, having to sit out his last year at North Carolina University and suffering an injury his rookie season in camp.  The Giants are eager to see what they have in Austin, as they used a second round pick on him last year with the thinking that he was a first round talent had it not been for the NCAA violations.  Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is excited to add Austin into the mix, saying he adds a dimension to the team with quickness that could proof troublesome for offensive lineman from the defensive tackle position.  

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New York Giants Draft Preview: Linebackers

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This is the 8^th installment in the series of posts breaking down the Giants position by position for the upcoming NFL Draft.  The next position up is linebacker.

The Giants currently have Michael Boley, Keith Rivers, Mathias Kiwanuka, Chase Blackburn, Jacquian Williams, Greg Jones, Mark Herzlich, Clint Sintim, Spencer Paysinger and Adrian Tracy on the depth chart at linebacker.  The only linebacker that remains unsigned for the Giants is Jonathan Goff.

Last season the Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell was most comfortable going with two linebackers on the field, opting to using a third safety instead.  The addition of Keith Rivers should have an effect on that philosophy, enabling the Giants to go to a more traditional three linebacker set.  Rivers gives the Giants a third true linebacker to go along with Boley and Kiwanuka.  Rivers had a rough go of it in Cincinnati, but was a top 10 pick when he came out of USC in 2008.  The Giants like his speed and the sideline to sideline ability Rivers has and are hoping that a change of scenery in combination to a fresh start can help him reach his potential.  The acquisition of Rivers gives the Giants new found flexibility at the linebacker position giving them plenty of options.

Kiwanuka could be seeing more action at his more natural defensive end position this season.  The loss of Dave Tollefson and the addition of Rivers, the defensive line is in need of Kiwanuka more than the linebacking corps. 

Jacquian Williams was a nice surprise last season for the Giants.  A product coming out of USF like Pierre-Paul the season prior, showed elite athleticism.  His speed and ability to play coverage really helps the Giants, and should only get better with a full season behind him and his first full training camp ahead of him.

GM Jerry Reese is also very high on the potential middle linebackers Jones and Herzlich posses.  They were pressed into action last season because of injuries and responded much better than you would expect from a 6^th round rookie and an undrafted free agent.  Look for them to have their biggest impact on special teams throughout the season. 

Another player to keep an eye on is Clint Sintim.  He will be returning from his second consecutive season ended prematurely because of an ACL tear.  Sintim was penciled in as one of the starting outside linebackers last season and should come out aggressive wanting to get his spot back. 

Paysinger and Tracy are two more young players the Giants like and will add competition in training camp.  Paysinger had his biggest impact on the team last year as a valuable member of the coverage teams.

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The last time the Giants drafted a linebacker was last year, when they took Williams out of USF and Jones out of Michigan State, both in the 6^th round.  This time around, the Giants are well stocked at linebacker, but that does not mean they still are not looking.  Draft experts have the Giants linked to a number of linebackers.  One is Dont’a Hightower out of Alabama, who if falls in the draft is expected to be snapped up for the Giants.  Another name to pay attention to is Lavonte David of Nebraska.  Draft expert Todd McShay is very high on him and very well could be available to the Giants at 32 or in the second round.  I would place the necessity of the Giants adding a linebacker at a 3 on a scale of 1-10.