The Giants on Monday gathered for their first offseason workout, the official (although “voluntary’’) start of the long grind preparing for the 2014 season. There is an air of change and urgency around this franchise. Here’s a look at five issues for the Giants to resolve this spring and summer:
Meet and Greet: Eli Manning, out of commission coming off arthroscopic ankle surgery, tried to be productive on Day 1:
“Tried to introduce myself to a lot of guys and start learning a little bit about them — where they’re from, are they married,’’ Manning said. Indeed, the Giants signed 15 free agents who played elsewhere in 2013 and the roster has undergone a drastic upheaval.
“It’s unprecedented, the percentage of change in this locker room,’’ Mathias Kiwanuka said. Turning this collection of newcomers and holdovers into a cohesive team is the greatest challenge awaiting the Giants.
Line Dancing: Can the Giants count on the return of right guard Chris Snee and left tackle Will Beatty? How the offensive line shapes up will be determined by the health of these two starters. Snee is coming off hip and elbow surgery and accepted a hefty pay cut to stay on the team to try to squeeze out a 10th NFL season with the Giants. He is expected to be ready well before the start of training camp but his body has been battered in recent years and even he admits he cannot be the dominating player he once was. Beatty broke his leg in the Dec. 29 regular-season finale and will need most or all of the offseason to heal. He is coming off a terrible 2013 showing and will miss plenty of time on the field from now until camp this summer. The free-agent signings of Geoff Schwartz (left guard), J.D. Walton (center), John Jerry (depth at guard) and Charles Johnson (depth at tackle) mean what was once a stable offensive line is now anything but.
Follow Me: Antrel Rolle is not going to gather his teammates into the center of the locker room and state “Okay guys, I’m the new leader’’ but in many ways he must give even more than he usually does as a respected veteran who players look to for direction. Justin Tuck, the long-time defensive captain, is now with the Raiders. Rolle has cachet as a proven Pro Bowler and has been around longer than linebacker Jon Beason, who figures to be a forceful presence as well. There are a ton of new moving parts, lots of new faces in the defensive backfield. Rolle is not a sit-back kind of guy and in many ways this has evolved into his team as much as it is anyone’s.
Yea or Nay on David Wilson: The most encouraging word anyone around the Giants utters about David Wilson? “Hopeful.’’ That’s it. The third-year running back is coming off neck surgery and there’s a chance he returns unscathed, a chance he never plays again and a chance he resumes his career but cannot sustain it. General manager Jerry Reese admits he cannot count on Wilson’s return — as the signing of Rashad Jennings indicates. Wilson doesn’t have to be full-speed ahead in April but at some point this offseason he’s going to have to get on the field and show he can withstand the pounding an NFL running back must absorb.
