Eli Manning should be confident with an array of players returning to a Giants offense that performed better than last year’s 8-8 record indicates.
There’s a good chance the quarterback will have every starter from his 2009 attack. But that doesn’t mean he’ll be in a comfort zone today, when the Giants open a three-day mandatory minicamp.
The morning practice, as usual, will be held on the Timex Performance Center fields, where the recently completed OTAs took place.
But in the afternoon, Manning and the Giants get their first opportunity to practice at the new Meadowlands Stadium in a workout that is open to the public.
The Giants expect upwards of 20,000 to attend the first-ever football activity in the $1.7 billion stadium.
“It’s exciting — it gets you excited for the start of the season,” Manning said. “We’ll get a practice in there, so when you play that first game you have a little bit of an advantage.”
The Giants knew every inch of Giants Stadium, and Manning learned to navigate his passing game through sometimes treacherous winds.
The new stadium sits in the parking lot adjacent to where the old stadium once sat — only one undemolished section remains. But there’s no guarantee what Manning knew in the old place will be any help to him in the new digs.
“You got to see where the windy spots are,” Manning said. “In the old stadium, there were certain spots that were windier than others. We’ll see if it has that same trend in the new stadium.”
As he gets his first chance to study the conditions, Manning will be able to lean on recognizable personnel around him.
The thrust in free agency for the second consecutive offseason was fortifying the defense. In the draft, the Giants used just one of their seven picks on an offensive player, guard Mitch Petrus, taken in the fifth round.
What you saw last year on offense is what you’ll see this year. The key will be how running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw return from injuries that deeply cut into their effectiveness last season.
Jacobs had knee surgery and Bradshaw underwent procedures on both feet and one ankle. Both should be cleared for action during this minicamp. Another running back, Andre Brown, also will be under scrutiny, as he missed his entire rookie year with a torn Achilles but is now mended.