subject: 21 New York Giants - Looking Ahead To The 2010 Season [print this page] It doesn't take a football genius to figure out that the New York Giants football team desperately needed some help on the defensive side of the ball. 2009 saw the team give up a total of 427 points on their way to a worse than expected 8-8 finish. As they entered the 2010 NFL Draft, it was clear to everyone involved that something had to be done about a defense that was the Giants' worst since 1966.
Looking for stability
This year's Draft involved the Giants using five of their picks to bring in young, talented defensive players. With the selection of Jason Pierre-Paul out of South Florida, the Giants have picked up a prospect that could evolve into one of the better defensive ends in the League. In addition, the team selected Linval Joseph, a defensive tackle who played for East Carolina, and Phillip Dillard out of Nebraska. All are young players who come into the League somewhat under the radar, and who are almost sure picks to beat expectations.
Money grows on trees
Of course, the Giants made other moves in the last two years in an attempt to get their defense back to the dominating status it held during their title-winning campaign of 2007. Michael Boley, Rocky Bernard, and Chris Canty will continue to help anchor a defense that has nowhere to go but up. Along with Antrel Rolle, the talented safety for whom the team spent nearly $40 million, the newcomers should provide more assistance to the already consistent offense than they have over the last two seasons.
It's not all Eli
And there's a lesson here for every fan of the game who might have thought that the presence of Eli Manning on the team ensured that the Giants' 2007 Super Bowl win would keep them among the League's elite. The fact is that even a good quarterback - and Eli could yet be more than good - is not enough to guarantee competitiveness. To do that, you need talented teamwork on both sides of the ball, and that is what the Giants are attempting to put together.
