2012 NFL Offseason Prospectus: New York Giants

Not since the last time the Giants won the Super Bowl has such a flawed team won the Lombardi trophy. The narrative was that the Super Bowl was won by the arm of Eli Manning, but the season was nearly torpedo's by that same limb.

New York wasn't a particularly dominant passing team in 2011, based mostly on the erratic play of its quarterback and an inconsistent running game.

New York lost to the Seahawks and the Redskins twice thanks to heinous play from Manning, but beat New England twice, Green Bay in Lambeau and San Francisco thanks in large part to the clutch plays made by Eli. 

As power continues to shift toward the NFC, the odds that New York can make another run in 2012 without making some changes seems particularly unlikely. 

Furthermore, New York will be picking much later in the draft than their record (9-7) dictates they should. The Giants are also right up against a tight salary cap. 

Defensively, the Giants regressed considerably last year and the running game will have to get better if the Giants have any chance of repeating. 

Offense

New York seemed to hit its stride in the postseason running the football after finishing last in the league during the regular season. Both Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs averaged better than 4 yards per carry, getting a combined 100 attempts in four games.

Manning and the Giants' trio of wide receivers took advantage with a huge postseason run. After throwing 16 interceptions in the regular season, Manning threw just 1 the entire postseason while also tossing 9 touchdowns while completing 65% of his passes.

Brandon Jacobs was released, Mario Manningham is not expected back, both of New York's top tight ends are recovering from ACL injuries and the offensive line needs work. An injection of young into the line and tight end could help both Manning and the running game. 

Key Free Agents: Mario Manningham WR, Kareem McKenzie OT  

Defense 

Don't be fooled into thinking New York's run this season was thanks to the defense either. It's just not true. The Giants pass rush can be devastating, but they managed just 11 sacks in 4 postseason games and were lackluster for most of the season, finishing 29th in the NFL against the pass, 27th in yards allowed and 25th in point allowed. 

That's hardly championship defense. The good news for the Giants is Jason Pierre-Paul is only going to get better and he's already one of the most singularly-dominant defensive talents in football. On the other hand, Football Outsiders ranks the Giants as the 10th best pass rushing team by efficiency last season and 20th against the run.

Furthermore, the secondary is vulnerable, not to mention fragile. Terrell Thomas missed all of last year with an ACL injury and will be a free agent this offseason. Aaron Ross played through injuries and 2010 1st round pick Prince Amukamara broke his foot, missing much of last season. 

New York's linebacker group is also nothing to write home about and benefits from playing behind such a solid defensive front. Two starters from that group will be free agents this summer and    

Key Free Agens: Terrell Thomas CB, Jonathan Goff LB, Chase Blackburn LB, Dave Tollefson DE, Aaron Ross CB

Draft Targets

Needs: OL,CB,TE,LB,RB,WR

Round 1 (Pick 32): Levonte David LB Nebraska (Pos. Rank 2, Overall Rank: 33)
David has been one of the more underrated prospects all year. He's athletic, instinctive and if he were a few pounds bigger, would probably be a lock for the first round. With the Giants linebacker situation in such flux, grabbing David at the end of the first would allow New York to take advantage of the depth in this draft at other positions of need.

Round 2 (Pick 64): Orson Charles TE Georgia  (Pos. Rank: 3, Overall Rank: 59)
With no dependable tight end on the roster, the Giants have a chance to grab the most physically gifted of the tight ends in this year's class. Charles is the smooth athlete Beckham is, but still has much of the size and strength Ballard provides. Charles would be a perfect fit in this offense opening up the middle of the field for Nicks and Cruz.

Round 3 (Pick 95): Mike Brewster G/C Ohio State (Pos. Rank 3, Overall Rank: 99)
A little bit of a reach here, but New York struggled running the ball last year in part because the offensive line play regressed. All three interior starters along the front are over 30 and getting a smart, physical player from a big-time program could help provide some depth in the short term, as well as be a starter down the road.

Overall 
From a value standpoint and based on my rankings, this draft is a solid one for the Giants. Unfortunately for New York, some of the deepest positions in this draft aren't in areas of need. Still though, the above picks represent a net value of 0, a sum of the difference between where they were drafted and where they were ranked overall. For a well-balanced team coming off a Super Bowl win and picking last in most rounds, that's a pretty solid number while still addressing areas of need. 

Final Thought

Winning the NFC East next year will be even more difficult given the pressure on the Cowboys and Eagles to make serious noise or risk massive shake-ups to the organization. New York has an elite quarterback who can win you games, but will also melt down a handful of times a season. Getting better in the back end defensively and upfront offensively will go a long way to helping the Giants enter 2012 as front-runners for the NFC title.