CANTON, Ohio — The Giants certainly weren’t the last team standing and some would say that in 2013 they were the first team to fall, that their season was over and done with in mid-October after they plummeted to 0-6.
They have tried to put that horrid memory behind them and they get to be one of the first two NFL teams to take the field this summer in Sunday night’s Hall of Fame Game.
If you want to catch a glimpse of Eli Manning and the new-look offense, if you want to check out what’s up with Jason Pierre-Paul, if you want to see newcomers such as cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and running back Rashad Jennings, tune in early.
Coach Tom Coughlin said the playing time for the starters will be “a minimal number” of snaps against the Bills, so figure a series or two and then it’s the safety of the Fawcett Stadium sideline for most of the first-teamers.
This is the first of five preseason games for the Giants — the last time they played that many was 2002 — and Coughlin is attempting to keep a positive view of the extra game, focusing on the increased opportunity to incorporate all the new players and trying hard not to think about the added injury risk.
“Well, it’s obvious that you don’t play a game without wanting to win,” Coughlin said. “But it’s the overall picture of the organizational things, the substitutions, the penalties — holding them to a bare minimum; don’t turn the ball over, don’t make the game a sloppy game. Establish some of the things we’d like to do.”
“Coming out of camp — we have not been here very long — have an opportunity to play a game, see what people are like under those circumstances, the enthusiasm, the energy, certainly come out of the game without injuries, all those things.”
There’s plenty the Giants need to see. Here are five areas of utmost importance:
What does the offense look like?
Sure, we have seen glimpses of it in the spring and in the first 10 days of training camp, but there’s no test like the real thing, with a live defense making legit hits.
So far, there has been a whole lot of ragged play, which was not unexpected, with almost none of the down-the-field passing success we’ve come to expect from Manning.
Expect to see a heavy dose of the running game, with veteran newcomer Jennings giving way quickly to rookie Andre Williams and second-year Michael Cox.
How does the offense function behind the scenes?
This is the first time new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo has called plays, and he has been using the walkie-talkie system in practice, relaying the plays into the headset in Manning’s helmet.
“I’m excited to get out there and see all of the mechanics of how this offense is going to go,” Manning said. “Just hearing the plays from Coach McAdoo, just the flow of how he’s going to call things, what his thought process is going to be going into the game. I think all that will be interesting.”
This is the first live look at the revamped secondary, with cornerback Rodgers-Cromartie and nickel back Walter Thurmond joining holdovers Antrel Rolle and Prince Amukamara, along with safety Stevie Brown, back after missing last season following knee surgery.
The Giants expect this group to dominate.
Three-fifths of the offensive line is new, with veteran free agents starting at left guard (Geoff Schwartz) and center (J.D. Walton) plus third-year and seldom-used Brandon Mosley taking retired Chris Snee’s spot at right guard. This was the Achilles’ heel in 2013 and this is the first look at how the rebuilt line works together.
The eye always is drawn to the young players who will be on the field early and often. In addition to Williams carrying the ball, rookie linebacker Devon Kennard has made an impression in camp and now gets to up the ante.
Entering their second years, more is expected from defensive end Damontre Moore and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, who both will get plenty of snaps, as will Ryan Nassib in his bid to win the backup quarterback job.