TroyNolan Posts -- FanHouse

The Perfect Draft: New York Giants

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

Success has its advantages. In a draft like this, the successful teams can get comparable talent for a mere fraction of the price. Teams picking in the bottom of the first round will gladly take the available players and be thrilled about it. There will be starter-caliber talent on the board, and teams like the New York Giants appear ready to reap the benefits.

Pac 10 Preview: Arizona State, Contender

Pac 10 contender, as in USC, right? Sure, but they don't stand completely alone this year. Yes, there is another team lying in the weeds that could give the Trojans a run for the outright conference title. After all, ASU did in fact tie USC last season at 7-2 in the conference, so, it's certainly not out of the question. Arizona State looks like a team that could make a legit run at the USC dynasty.

WHY THEY'LL WIN

You can start with the senior trigger man, Rudy Carpenter. Under the watch of new head coach Dennis Erickson, Carpenter was excellent in the one-back offense, throwing for 3202 yards and 25 TD's while finishing second in the conference in passer rating.

However, Carpenter was on the receiving end of the majority of the well-publicized school record of 55 sacks allowed, plus repeated other blows absorbed by the opposing pass rush. ASU's O-line is sure sick of hearing about it, and while that unit will feature three new starters, they should have a real chip on their shoulder this season. But Erickson is no dummy, and realized that Carpenter cannot survive another year absorbing that much punishment. So, aside from getting better O-line play, another way to minimize the pain is to simply get rid of the ball quicker. Faster developing pass patterns, shorter QB drops on pass plays, whatever it takes to keep Carpenter upright and productive this season.

Two of the top three running backs return in Keegan Herring and Dimitri Nance. Nance led the team with seven rushing TD's, and is more of a physical guy of the two. Herring is the big-play type, leading the team with 815 rushing yards and a solid 5.3 yards per carry. Three of the top four receivers are back, led by Chris McGaha and a big-time deep threat in Michael Jones. Jones averaged 16.7 yards per catch and was second in the conference with 10 TD catches. ASU should be a difficult match-up for any Pac 10 defense this season.

Defensively the pass rush should be fierce. Three starters are back on the line, with Dexter Davis and Luis Vasquez two of the most productive defensive ends in the country. Davis had 10 1/2 sacks last year while Vasquez stood his ground with 43 tackles, tops among ASU linemen. Free safety Troy Nolan is the leader of the secondary and a legit all-conference candidate after winning second-team honors last year.