xenophobe

They have been running Wilson with the 1s this week. If Wilson can show he can pick up the blitz, he will be tough to keep off the field.

Giants fans take: QB - Don't expect the offense to throw as much as they did a year ago as they are always looking for balance. The offense should be explosive this year and Eli can be inked in for 4000 yards, 30TD, and 14-16Ints. RB - Bradshaw should be solid and have seen no issues with the foot in camp. He runs hard so expect some dings along the way but he is also tough and can play through. He may see more goalie carries this year with Jacob gone, but don't expect more carries overall. DJ Ware is a veteran who they are comfortable in using and will continue to do so. David Wilson is the most explosive player I have seen in a Giant uniform. He is going to pop some big runs for sure. He will be limited in opportunities by all the little and mental things most importantly blitz pickup (which Bradshaw is great at by the way), no mistakes with the playbook, ball security, things like that. WR - Cruz is a stud. Nicks is cleared off the PUP and will be in week 1 without a setback. 3rd spot is highly contested and some writers are talking committee. I think its between Hixon and Ruben Randle. Hixon is the veteran and very solid, but Randle is going to be a very good player someday. If we are talking ff playoffs, I say Randle is the guy. TE - Dallas fans will tell you Bennett has flashed before but he has never had an opportunity like this before buried behind Witten. I can only comment on what I have seen and that's that they Giants have not had a talent like this at the position since Shockey and M Bennett is going to create some challenges for defenses. I would take him as a fantasy starter and get great value in the deal.

Martinek started out slow in camp, but has picked it up. I think he's going to be a long shot to make the roster though and if he does it will be in part because he can second as the backup fullback to Hynoski (they don't want to move Bear to FB from TE). From a RB standpoint they have Bradshaw as the starter, Wilson as a big play threat, and Ware as the safe veteran who can do a lot of things in a unit full of a lot of young guys. They also have another speed guy in the mix who they drafted in the 7th round a year ago --Da'Rel Scott-- who they have been trying to develop, and Andre Brown who has some tools but has never looked polished or instinctual to me. I sort of thought Martinek's best shot was to show that he is a younger, more talented, version of Ware, but Ware looked quite good out there last night. I think they like Martinek but my guess is they will look to try and stash him on the Practice Squad. Hope this helps.

Giants - lots to like, a few question marks. Offense - The offense is stacked at the skills spots and has potential to be very explosive. Last year the running game was worst in the league, which is troubling considering this staff actually believes in balance and half the league could care less about running the ball. The running game will be improved, and if the o-line can manage to get some push, it could be very strong, but some questions remain. Last year McKenzie who has always been a strength in the running game bottomed out and is not on a roster right now. Diehl will slide into his spot at RT, where he is better suited than on the left provided Beatty's back doesn't remain an issue. Snee and Baas should both rebound and the addition of Bennett at TE will be a big boost in terms of run blocking. What this amounts to is more balance so don't count on as much passing as we saw a year ago. The offense could be very explosive, but the questions that do exist lie on the offensive line. Eli - He turned a corner last year, but is a better NFL QB than fantasy. The passing game is built on timing and the ball if often out WAY before the receiver has completed the route. This makes the passing game so hard to defend, but can also lead to some picks. Cruz, Nicks, and Hixon all have great chemistry with Eli in this offense, but the younger guys, not so much. Eli should be locked in for about 4000 yards, 30 TDs, with 14-16 Ints with zero health concerns. RBs - The foot injury Bradshaw played through a year ago seem to be beyond him, but s small guy who runs as hard as he does is always going to have some tweaks. He's the starter but do not assume an increased workload with Jacobs gone. His value is tied to the o-line getting some push which it simply did not a year ago. There will be other guys in the mix, but the one worth mentioning is first round pick David Wilson. He has a lot to learn, but has physical skillets that jump out at you. He is explosive, shifty, and runs hard. Give him a glimpse of daylight and he is going to pop a few long TDs this year. He can also catch. The thing with him is that his time will be limited by veterans such as DJ Ware who are much more polished and do all the little things right. But Wilson is going to be tough to keep off the field. WRs - No one turns out 1500 yard seasons year in year out, but make no mistake, Cruz is the real deal and no flukes about it. Nicks is also a top Wideout, but the injuries do concern. He'll be there for the opener, but you probably want to count on a couple games he'll miss or be under 100%. But when healthy, he is a top tier WR. Beyond them, I would say it's only a matter of time before Randle takes over the #3 spot. Hixon will probably start the season here and is a solid veteran, but Randle came in looking pro-ready and is on another tier in terms of talent. TEs- Bennett came in with a lot of questions, as Dallas fans can attest. But things so far is looking very promising with him. He is clearly an upgrade in terms of run blocking, as we all knew. He seems determined to make the most of his shot and is more physically gifted than Boss and Ballard were. He has had a strong camp and was a standout in the first preseason game. He will be a factor in the passing game this year and is someone to keep an eye on, for sure.

Cruz plays the slot. Jerrel Jernigan could also see some time in there -having a good 2nd camp, but no fantasy impact. If you are asking about 3rd WRs, Hixon is the guy right now. Solid player and they know what they have in him. But Rueben Randle came in looking pro-ready. It's early, but I would say Randle will no doubt be a starter in the NFL someday with real potential to to be a Nicks/Cruz kind of player -good size, hands, very smooth. I think he's the guy you want and grab him in keepers. Douglas is the guy catching attention in camp. He makes the highlight catches every day. I am alwasy leery of these type of players because they are down the depth chart and often going against guys who will never play a down in the league, plus there is a lot more to NFL WR than making the "oooh aaaah" catch in camp. Can you get separation against a quality NFL cornerback on a regular basis, and can you fight out of the jam? Who knows, but he has gotten mention from the staff, which means MUCH more than the beat writers who seem to notice the acrobatic catches more than real football stuff. Keep an eye in the preseason though as he has been building a resume. Bottom line, this group is very deep and a very heated camp battles. Even a guy like Barden, the coaches like but he doesn't play specials and could be a guy they cut that has a place on another team. Best bet - Cruz is a stud -do not think fluke with this guy as he impressed right away and has never not been very impressive (looks even better this year). Nicks is a top guy too, but I do get concerned that he is hurt a lot. Beyond them, Randle is the guy to watch and my early read is that he is better than Manningham and will overtake Hixon at some point (I've seen enough from college clips and in camp to start getting really excited if he has a big preseason over a few games). But there is a lot of quality depth behind them, but probably not a lot of fantasy value. Don't expect the Giants to pass as much as they did last year. The defense and running game will be improved and this coach believes in balance. The big question is the o-line, which should be better than last year, but starts to get sketchy if Beatty's back becomes an issue and they have to move Diehl back to the left side. If it is not, this offenses will be more explosive than we have seen in a long time. They have't exctly put teams away with thier offense, but **knock on wood** line stays healthy, I think that's what we're going to see against the average joe teams. David Wilson adds an impressive new dimension of speed and explosion and can catch.

Sure, he's an unknown at this point. But the ingredients are all there for this kid to come out and set things on fire provided he stays healthy. We put too far too much emphasis on "proven commodities" for such a volatile spot.

I would start him every week. The Lion's o is going to be good and Best will be a stud so long as he remains healthy.

I'm not saying he's going to be anything significant as a pass catcher. But you should expect some increase in receptions and receiving yardage. We're talking an extra catch or so per game.

He has had some glaring drops, I agree, but I can assure you the team does not agree with you. It's been a priority for them and is something they have worked on significantly to develop. I stand by my statement.

The Raiders have big plans for him. His playmaking ability is obvious and they are going to find ways to feature him. As a running back, as a receiver, out of the wildcat... He's their starting RB, but expect a lot of Reggie Bush and Ronnie Brown looks as well.

He'll be similar to last year. The biggest difference will be in the receiving. They are going to get the backs more involved in the receiving game, including Jacobs.

Here is the thing on Hixon. He is a good young receiver. He doesn't have the dominating size or game changing speed that keeps defensive coordinators up at night. But he's a tough kid with enough speed to go vertical and some shifty moves to make defenders miss and do some things with the ball in hand. He's also developed some decent chemistry with Eli. In camp this season, he was the most consistent receiver on the Giants roster, and will head into the season as one of the starters. Here's the problem. The Giants have a few young up and coming WRs who represent some high round draft picks and will be competing for time. Steve Smith is their most proven receiver and is going to play a big role in the passing game as he has since the playoff run his rookie year. And Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks simply have more playmaking ability. The team is going to find ways to get these two involved early and their rolls will increase as the season progresses. Hixon is also best returner on the team and has played gunner on the coverage teams before. They took him off specials when Plaxico went down last year. He'll start this season as a punt returner, and I expect he'll eventually get passed up by one of the younger guys and will eventually settle into the role of a valuable 3rd or 4th WR and special teams ace. OC Kevin Gilbride from Thursday: Q: I'm sure a lot of people thought going in - training camp, preseason, you figure out who is going to fit where on the depth chart. Is that process still going on? A: Yeah, it definitely is. And I think certainly a lot of questions have been answered in our minds - I don't want to necessarily announce it to them - exactly what we are doing and who is going to be where. But I think some things have clarified themselves. Some things are still definitely ongoing. And quite candidly, I think some guys are in a position they will probably play more this Sunday but as the year goes on maybe other guys will become more and more an integral part of what we are doing. At least, that's kind of what I think is going to happen. Coughlin from yesterday: Q. (Kevin) Gilbride mentioned the other day that your receivers might rotate quite a bit. I am just wondering how long do you expect it to be before Nicks starts to play a major role? A. He is playing it right now. He is involved right now in everything that we are doing. We basically have four guys that will do a lot of rotating and a lot of playing.

The team plans on having the TEs play a bigger role in the passing game. They are looking for a back up TE who can catch balls out of the backfield. The author is reading too much into this. They are set at WR and are merely looking for another pass catching TE/H-back to compliment Kevin Boss. Travis Beckum was supposed to be that guy, but he's a rookie who has missed a lot of time due to injury.

Bogus rumor.

He will be a very valuable slot/move the chains receiver to the team, but I don't see a lot of fantasy value except as a bye week fill in. Between his quickness, hands, and route running, he's a guy who is very difficult to defend. But he doesn't have the explosiveness to be a big after the catch playmaker, the top speed to be a dangerous down the field theat, or the size to be a big redzone threat. He'll probably catch 60-65 balls and be a big asset to the Giants passing game, but less so for fantasy owners for the reasons stated. The Giants will spread the ball around to a lot of guys this year.

I completely disagree. He is a good vertical threat, but he is no where near the football player Nicks is. He was good for a couple catches a game in college -and really only in his junior year- are you expecting him to suddenly be more than that in the pros?

You are never going to convince the guys who draft based on the combine of the value of a guy like Nicks. But all you have to do is watch him play -they guy is a playmaker. He won't be a down field vertical guy, he's often compared to Boldin, but I see a lot of Hines Ward in him also. The guy is a tremendous athelete. No, he's not a burner, but his body control, hands, strength are all very impressive, and the guy just plays with more intensity than the people around him. In the team's recent rookie mini camp he was extremely impressive by all accounts. He seems very confident without being cocky and doing/showing/and saying all the things you would hope to see. Here is what one of the team's beat writers wrote me about him: "I did think he looked quicker than I expected. He looked explosive out of the blocks, which is important." "Nicks burst off the line, had some excellent moves, and a second gear once he got by a corner. Of course, he's only running against rookies -- and low-round or UDFA rookies at that. But he looked like he was way out of their league, so that's good." Its way too early to tell on most of these guys, but Nicks has been off to a very good start. I love Harvin by the way -skills off the chart- but would suggest he has a lot higher chance to bust than Nicks. With both starting WR spots open, he'll get a shot to perform right away, but there are a lot of guys in the mix vying for those spots, so we'll have to see how things progress through the summer.

They'll probably finalize a deal for Edwards by draft day. The Giants really want him, and although the draft is definitlely an option, no rookie is going to come in and make the immediate impact Edwards would. On Cleveland's end, they have a new coach looking to rebuild a team without the draft picks to do so. Edwards is a very nice player, but you don't build a team around a WR, and Edwards, whose contract is up after the season, doesn't sound like he's all that interested in remaining a Brown. As for the draft, trading up is definitely an option, but if that was your primary intent, you certainly wouldn't want to forecast it. This sounds more to me like a message to Cleveland that they aren't desperate and have options outside of Braylon.

http://cbs4denver.com/ Attempts to contact Cutler in the last 10 days have been unsuccessful, so they are publicly stating their intent to trade him.

-----------------------In the works--------------------------- Rocky Benard is talking with the Giants This deal is official. http://www.giants.com/

This notion of hot is rediculous. The Giants had a week finish to their season a year ago. Coming into the playoffs, Arizona was so cold it was a joke they were even in there to begin with. The hot team was Indi, until they lost to SD, who was suddenly crowned the hot team...until they lost. And we've been hearing all along how Carolina and Philly were the "hot teams" until Arizona beat them both. So now suddenly Arizona is the "hot" team??? The whole notion is BS because we decide who the hot team is only after the fact, and change the label from week to week based on what happened the week before. The fact is, if there was any truth to this rediculous theory, Arizona would never be where they are today, and neither would the Giants have been a year ago.

In my opinion, true. I know I wasn't a Warner to the Hall supporter when discussed previously this year, but taking the Cards to the SB makes a huge difference. I look at it in these terms, Warner has now taken two teams to the SB who had zero success prior to his arrival. That should cement things for him IMO.

Nothing better than Philly Giants. NFC East football at its best.

You really can't ask for better games than these. Carolina is the only one where I think there is a clear favorite, but Arizona is a capable team, and it's not a lock. There have been a few times, such as last week, where the Arizona defense came out and really played the run well. If they can play like that, even that game is wide open, because suddenly you see the Carolina passing game on one side and a potent Arizona offense on the other, plus a heavy edge to Arizona at QB. Should be a hell of a weekend.

Well, Philly is without a doubt good enough to do just that, so that should be stated first and foremost. But the trouble with rationalizing things in that manner is that those examples are easy to see only because they stand out. How many times have we seen teams sneak into the playoffs on a late push and win a wild card game, but fall shy of winning the SB? Probably a couple dozen, which would make that more the rule, and what the Giants did a year ago the exception. Since 1990, teams coming off a bye in the playoffs are 55-17. That's an impressive .76 winning percentage, so the facts don't exactly support the notion in favor of lower seeded teams getting hot.