New York Times Bitches

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Team Assessment:

Quarterback: A
After a spectacular first 6 games to the season, Romo went down with injury. Upon his return he wasnt the same and slumped in the final four games throwing for only 5 TDs and 6 INTs. Despite the terrible sendoff to a disappointing Cowboys campaign, Romo still managed a 91.4 Passer Rating, which is quite remarkable considering the drama centered around Pacman Jones, Terrell Owens and of course Jessica Simpson.

Runningback: A+
Steven Jackson is a top 5 HB, his dreadful season seems to be the doings of a faulty offensive line which was supposed to be a managable force up front. However key Free Agency signings turned out to be big disappointments for the organization and once again they struggled. Jackson sat out a total of 4 games, while out the St. Louis Rams averaged a mere 9 points per game, testament to how much he was missed. Ontop of S-Jax, the Giants are the proud owners of Chris Johnson, who was attained for a late 1st round pick in the 09 draft. Johnsons lightning fast moves earned him the nickname "Dash" in Tennessee's halfback duo "Smash and Dash". Johnson came up big in the divisional round, posting 72 yards on 11 carries and a TD against one of the best defenses in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens. Johnson suffered an injury mid-way through the game sidelining him, the Titans werent able to recover from this loss as they were unable to find the endzone for the remainder of the game.

Receivers: A-
Greg Jennings showed that he doesnt need Favre's cannon arm to be a deep threat, he spend his 08/09 campaign burning secondarys just as he did last year. He's beginning to become a real go-to-guy, his receptions have jumped by 27 since last season. Derrick Mason shined under the rookie Joe Flacco, the complete turnaround of the franchise since last year has finally landed Mason a well-deserved 91 rating. Mason certainly showed a good balance of speed and posession this year, but at the age of 35 one is left wondering how much gas he has left in the tank. With that concern Lance Moore was brought in, a pleasant surprise for New Orleans. While Moore is probably merely the product of an amazing QB (Drew Brees) as long as hes got Brees throwing to him, its doubtful that his numbers will decline. Finally at TE the Giants bolster Randy McMichael, really hes just an average Tight End, unfortunately injury sidelined him for 3/4 of the season so he wasnt able to show anything special this season.

Offensive Line: A
New Yorks offensive line is led by pro-bowl center Shaun O'Hara. Certainly one of the best linemen in the league, contributed significantly to the Giants dominant run game throughout the season. In addition to O'Hara, Rich Seubert, another Giant, who's stupendous run blocking skills helped launch the Giants into the playoffs. The Denver Broncos were a force in the pass attack this season, the only team I can think of that dropped back more often is the Saints. However unlike the Saints, the Broncos allowed few sacks all season despite passing on 35+ players per game, Ryan Clady played an enormous role in the success of the Broncos passblock, was projected as a pro-bowl candidate but fell short of the voting. Clady turned out to be one of the best selections in the 08 draft. At the other tackle side is another Giant, Kareem Mackenzie, off-field troubles aside, the man can block, I could go off saying how he was a big part of the Giants success running to the outside, but thats fairly obvious. Finally theres Jason Spitz, an all around solid guard in the NFL, at the young age of 25 hes sure to learn and improve in the NFL. At 87 overall hes the weakest link in the Giants offensive line, and when a guy that goods your weakest link you better watch out.

Defense will be posted later

Defensive Line B+
One could argue that a B+ is a little low considering 3/4 of the line are over 90 and ive got a top 10 pick playing backup at DT. However RE is a huge hole to me, I hate having an incomplete line, White is the weakest link and I like the trenches to be as good as possible. With that being said I still have immense talent on the DL, Justin Tuck had another spectacular season, Fred Robbins seems to have enterred his prime at the age of 31 and Shaun Rogers turned out to be an overwhelming NT. Sedrick Ellis also seemed to come into his own near the end of the 09 season. While White did manage a solid 6.5 sacks and 3 FFs despite missing 4 games, hes still not the elite RE that im looking for. That and the lack of any depth at DE motivates me to give the defensive line a bit of a disappointing rating.

Linebackers A+
Now A+ may seem like a bit much, but honestly I couldnt be happier with the linebackers I have now, Woodley and Sims provide an intense pass rush while Kirk Morrison is superb in coverage and also brings the heat on blitzes. Keeping Takeo Spikes allows me to switch things up and play a 3-4 from time to time, as he was an absolute beast in the 49ers 3-4 scheme.

Secondary A+
Having the best man-to-man corner in the league [Nnamdi Asomugha] is definately a bonus, but having him AND Cortland Finnegan is just plain scary. While Nick Harper was getting burned Cortland would hold his own and did so all season long. Despite going on a harsh INT-less drought to end off the season, he was still a big reason why the Titans succeeded this season. Ontop of the spectacular cornerback duo, the Giants have attained star safety Chris Harris, who'll knock your head off your shoulders if you arent careful, and Michael Griffin, one of the biggest fears a CB can face. The sheer power of Chris Harris and playmaking abilities of Michael Griffin are nice compliments at the safety position.

Special Teams B
Jeff Feagles had a great season but hes pretty old, Lawrence Tynes isnt the main guy in New York anymore, so im not very happy with either my kicker or punter. However Ive got plenty of very talented kick and punt returners, overall im not completely satisfied with my special teams.