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Training Camp Preview
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - When the Giants reported to training camp in 2008, Tom Coughlin hoped for some carryover of the lessons from the previous season. No surprise there, considering the Giants were defending Super Bowl champions. Coughlin couldn't guarantee results, of course, but he wanted his team to pursue the values and principles that had led to its success: hard work, focus, determination and an "all-for-one" mentality.

The formula worked for most of the season, as the Giants started 11-1. But they finished 12-5, including a home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Jan. 11 in an NFC Divisional Playoff Game.

So once again, Coughlin and the Giants hope to derive inspiration from the previous season. But in 2009, the reason is far different.

"This year what I am saying is, 'Stop and think about the bitterness of the January situation' ... and you can focus on that as a primary motivational position to take," Coughlin said. "And let that be something that you (strive) for - the idea of getting to and surpassing the circumstance that we were in a year ago.

"You're coming off a huge disappointment, on the part of everybody. There's no presumption here. It's hard work. It's the ability to get things done on the field when the opportunity is there. It's having the opportunity to get into a situation where we can do something about that bad taste we have in our mouth from last year."

The season-ending loss to the Eagles remained with the Giants throughout their offseason workouts. It will still be on their minds when they report Sunday to the University at Albany for the beginning of this year's training camp. And it will not have completely evaporated when the Giants open the 2009 regular season on Sept. 13 against the Washington Redskins.

"We did a good job for most of the season," quarterback Eli Manning said. "But we didn't end the way we wanted. It's not something you want to remember. We had an opportunity last year and we have to make sure if we get that same opportunity we don't let that slip away. We know we have to get back to playing good football and try to make amends for it this year."

"We have a very bitter, bad, disgusting taste," running back Brandon Jacobs said. "It hurts more than anything. And now we have another crack at it."

The Giants have the ingredients to eliminate that taste. They return with their leading passer (Manning), rusher (Jacobs) and leaders in receptions, yards and touchdown catches (Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon and Kevin Boss, respectively), plus the same five offensive linemen who started every regular season game the last two seasons. On defense, the players who led the team in tackles (Antonio Pierce) and sacks (Justin Tuck) are back, as are starting cornerbacks Corey Webster and Aaron Ross, who tied for the team lead in interceptions.

Punter Jeff Feagles is back for his 22nd season and Chase Blackburn, Terrell Thomas and Zak DeOssie - who were the top three on the team in special teams tackles - have all returned.

But the Giants have still undergone several significant changes. Bill Sheridan, the linebackers coach the previous four seasons, has replaced Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator. Spagnuolo is now the head coach of the St. Louis Rams. Jim Herrmann now coaches the linebackers. Jack Bicknell, Jr. (assistant offensive line coach) and Al Holcomb (defensive quality control) are also new to the coaching staff.

The starting wide receivers the previous four seasons, Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress, have moved on, as has 1,000-yard rusher Derrick Ward, safety James Butler, veteran cornerbacks Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters and veteran running back Reuben Droughns.

Their losses have been offset by several important additions, including the return of two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who has settled in at his familiar right end position after missing all of last season with a knee injury. The Giants further bolstered the defense by signing free agent linemen Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard, linebacker Michael Boley and safety C.C. Brown.

The 2009 season will be the Giants' 34th and last in Giants Stadium. Next year, they will move to the state-of-the-art stadium currently under construction next door. The Giants have won three Super Bowls while calling Giants Stadium home and would like nothing more than to exit the building with another Vince Lombardi Trophy. And they believe they have the talent, determination and inspiration to do just that.

"Our locker room, to a man, was not very happy about the way it ended last year," Coughlin said. "I put a sign up in our locker room right away at the start of the offseason program. The work ethic, the effort, would have to outdo the expectations. And those are high. So our guys were in there, grinding away. The response was outstanding, and I think it was done in the right way. It was a quiet, determined group of guys that were in there everyday with a smile on their faces. Really good feelings, there is good motivation. Hopefully, it is going to pay off."

The offense will again be in the capable hands of Manning, who played in his first Pro Bowl after posting outstanding numbers last season. Manning has started the last 71 regular season games for the Giants, the second-longest active streak among NFL quarterbacks behind his brother Peyton's 176. Eli completed 289 of 479 passes (60.3 percent) for 3,238 yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a passer rating of 86.4. The completion percentage and rating were career highs.

Last season was the first time since Manning's rookie season in 2004 - when he started just nine games - that he did not throw at least 500 passes. The 10 interceptions were his lowest total since he threw nine as a rookie and were half his 2007 total.

David Carr will again serve as Manning's backup. The No. 1 overall selection of the 2002 draft threw only 12 passes in three regular season games last year.

The Giants had the NFL's most productive rushing attack in 2008, leading the league and setting franchise records with 157.4 yards a game and 5.0 per carry. Jacobs (1,089) and Ward (1,025) were just the fourth set of running back teammates in history to each rush for more than 1,000 yards. Ward is now in Tampa Bay, but the Giants will still have a productive ground game. Jacobs, who is striving for his third consecutive 1,000-yard season, has 2,620 career rushing yards, which is the 10th-highest total in team history. He has nine career 100-yard games; the Giants are 8-1 in those contests. The 265-pound Jacobs is a strong and powerful runner and the back opposing defenders would most like to avoid.

Third-year pro Ahmad Bradshaw is expected to replace Ward as the No. 2 back. Bradshaw rushed for 355 yards and averaged 5.3 yards a carry in limited duty last year. Danny Ware and fourth-round draft choice Andre Brown could also enter the backfield rotation. Fullback Madison Hedgecock, a Pro Bowl alternate, is one of the league's best blockers at his position.

There is both continuity and change at the wide receiver position. Toomer and Burress, the veteran stalwarts, are no longer with the Giants. But Smith, who led the team with 57 catches, and Hixon, who had a team-best 596 receiving yards, are productive and dependable replacements. Behind them is a cast of promising young wideouts, including Sinorice Moss, Mario Manningham, plus rookies Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden, the first and third-round selections in this year's draft.

Boss is a rapidly-improving third-year tight end who was a first Pro Bowl alternate last year. An able blocker, he caught 33 passes last season, including six for touchdowns. Behind him, Michael Matthews, Darcy Johnson and rookie Travis Beckum should compete for playing time.

The Giants have the most stable offensive line in the league. Shaun O'Hara, Chris Snee, Rich Seubert, Kareem McKenzie and David Diehl are the only group to start every regular season game in 2007 and 2008. O'Hara, the center, and Snee, the right guard, were each selected to their first Pro Bowl last season. Diehl has started all 96 regular season games since he was chosen on the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He is the only one of the 262 players taken in that draft that has started every game since entering the league. Seubert and McKenzie were also important components in helping the Giants lead the NFL in rushing and in keeping Manning upright. The backups include Kevin Boothe, Adam Koets, Guy Whimper and rookie William Beatty.

The defensive line will also be an area of strength. Tuck continued his ascent into the upper echelon of NFL defensive ends last season, when he had a team-high 12.0 sacks and played in his first Pro Bowl. Umenyiora, whose 41.5 career sacks are tops among active Giants, worked very hard for many months to return to the form that made him one of the league's very best ends. Tackles Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield both underwent offseason knee surgery but should be ready to bottle up opposing running games once again.

In Mathias Kiwanuka, Jay Alford, Canty and Bernard, the Giants have a second line that could be a starting unit for many teams. Kiwanuka, an outside linebacker in 2007, moved back to end when Umenyiora went down last year and was second on the team with 8.0 sacks. Alford and Bernard are capable run-stoppers who can also rush the quarterback. Canty, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys, is equally efficient at both end and tackle.

"All those guys will be playing at least 20, 25 snaps," Sheridan said. "Your starters will be playing 40 or more. There are enough snaps (for all the linemen). It is a great problem to have. It was an issue (last year). You know how guys get nicked up during the season. You are going into some games when you are not really in a full two-deep strength. They will be playing hard, too, because they won't be playing 65 straight snaps."

That's what Pierce might be doing at middle linebacker. Last year, he was credited with 113 tackles, the third consecutive season he led the team. Pierce's maniacal study habits help put him in the right position throughout every game. Danny Clark arrived last year uncertain what his role would be, then started every game but one when Kiwanuka moved up front. Clark is a 10-year veteran who knows all the tricks. Boley will take over the weak side at some point, but hip surgery late in the spring forced him to miss most of the summer action. The Giants also have Blackburn, Bryan Kehl, Gerris Wilkinson, Jonathan Goff, Zak DeOssie and second-round draft choice Clint Sintim to fill out the linebacker corps.

The cornerbacks lost a lot of experience and leadership with the departures of Madison and McQuarters, but plenty of talent remains. Webster and Ross form one of the NFL's best young cornerback tandems. The former has played at an extremely high level since regaining his starting position in the 2007 playoffs. Ross scored a touchdown on an interception return in each of his first two seasons. Thomas, a second-year pro, and four-year veteran Kevin Dockery provide skilled depth on the corners.

Butler, who started at strong safety, has joined Spagnuolo in St. Louis. But his replacement is last year's first-round draft choice, Kenny Phillips, who started three games last year and is poised to have a terrific sophomore season. Unheralded Michael Johnson, who tied for second on the team with 76 tackles last year, is the other starting safety. Brown, the former Houston Texan, has 47 career starts.

The kicking game will be capably manned by Lawrence Tynes and Jeff Feagles. Tynes missed almost all of last season after suffering a knee injury in training camp. Veteran John Carney was signed to take his place and set a Giants record by hitting 92.1 percent of his field goal attempts (35 of 38). Tynes made 23 of 27 tries in the Giants' Super Bowl season, plus the game-winning kick in overtime in the NFC Championship Game in Green Bay.

This year, Feagles will become the fourth player in NFL history to play at least 22 seasons. Feagles has never missed a game, playing in a record 336 consecutive regular season games, plus 11 postseason games. The 336 games played places him fourth on the NFL's career list, behind Morten Andersen (382), Gary Anderson (353) and George Blanda (340). Feagles holds the NFL records for career punts (1,649), yards (68,607) and punts inside the 20-yard line (531).

Feagles finished the 2008 season with a gross average of 44.0 yards and a net average of 40.2 yards on 64 punts. The net average was a career high; his previous best net average was 38.2 yards in 1995. Feagles' gross average tied for the second-highest of his career and is just three-tenths of a yard less than the career best of 44.3 yards he set with Arizona in 1997. He averaged 44.0 yards the following year. Feagles was selected to the Pro Bowl and, at age 42, was the second-oldest player to ever play in the game. Carney, 44, was the oldest.

The Giants have had several candidates for the kickoff and punt return jobs. Bradshaw had a team-high 39 kickoff returns last season for a 22.2-yard average. Hixon had returns of 68 and 83 yards in a victory at Arizona. Hixon, Ross, Moss and Manningham are all potential punt returners.