New York Giants (12-4, 1st NFC East)

After a surprising run to a Super Bowl title in 2007-08, the Giants came into last season with expectations as high as the Empire State Building, and for the most part, they didn’t disappoint. Obviously, their early departure from the NFC playoff picture at the hands of their division rivals from Philadelphia was a bitter pill to swallow, but overall, there was much to like about New York’s season in 2008, and if the early indications prove to be correct, we should see more of the same this fall.

Draft Selections: WR Hakeem Nicks, OLB Clint Sintim, OT William Beatty, WR Ramses Barden, TE Travis Beckum, RB Andre Brown, QB Rhett Bomar, CB DeAndre Wright, CB Stoney Woodson

Key Additions: TE George Wrighster, DT Chris Canty, DT Rocky Bernard, OLB Michael Boley, S C.C. Brown

Key Subtractions: RB Derrick Ward, RB Reuben Droughns, WR Plaxico Burress, WR Amani Toomer, TE Darcy Johnson, TE Martrez Milner, OT Shane Olivea, C Grey Ruegamer, DE Jerome McDougle, CB R.W. McQuarters, CB Sam Madison, S James Butler, S Sammy Knight, K John Carney

The Giants lost three of their top offensive performers from the past few seasons in RB Derrick Ward, WR Plaxico Burress, and WR Amani Toomer during the off-season, but Tom Coughlin and Co. are confident that their replacements will be as capable if not more. Out of the three, Ward will probably hurt the most, as he provided a perfect compliment to RB Brandon Jacobs, but with RB Ahmad Bradshaw still around, the loss won’t be felt nearly as much as it would on a lesser team.

New York did an amazing job with their draft class, snagging several talented playmakers on both sides of the ball, and quality depth with the rest of their picks. WR Hakeem Nicks catches everything thrown in his general direction, making him the early favorite to take over as QB Eli Manning’s top target this fall, and LB Clint Sintim is no slouch either on the defensive side of things.

On paper, the Giants look to be good enough to repeat as division champions, but they’ll need to navigate the league’s most treacherous division to do so, and given all their losses in the off-season, it’s doubtful right now if that will happen. Then again, no one expected them to pose any threat two seasons ago, and all they did was shock the world by winning the Super Bowl, so anything can happen. Overall though, this team is likely to disappoint somewhat, and depending on how they play down the stretch, they could be in jeopardy of missing the playoffs alltogether, especially if the rest of their division turns it on.

Projected 2009 Finish: 10-6, T-2nd NFC East

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