With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.
Meet The ... Team that wants you to believe they can win with anybody. That's right, it's the system and not the players. The Giants shed a bulk of their offense in the offseason, some by choice, others ... well not so much. Their franchise QB bid farewell to his top receiving options and a key running back bolted for free agency.
Yet, let's not worry too much. The Giants still have a monster with Brandon Jacobs, a ball-hawking defense that thrives on pressure, and some potential budding stars on offense. Will Eli shake off the tough offseason and put up those solid and consistent numbers we all crave? Well, maybe. Yeah, that's a good theme for owning most of this Giants offense. Do you trust (fill-in-the blank) ... "well, maybe."
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.
Plaxico Burress has yet to make his way through the legal system, but assuming he's a free man this fall, the Giants will gladly welcome him back. General manager Jerry Reese told the New York Daily News that he, head coach Tom Coughlin, and the rest of the organization are "on board" with keeping Burress around -- as long as he's willing to follow the team rules.
You know, the same team rules he so thoughtlessly disregarded right up to the moment he shot himself in the leg last November.
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.
The New York Giants were an afterthought in 2007, but made their way to a Super Bowl title. In 2008, the Giants found a way to earn home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs, only to last one game. Their playoff loss to Philadelphia was certainly disappointing, but the fact that they earned the top seed after the drama they went through was impressive in itself. Now, it's time for the Giants to re-tool, reload, and get back to the Super Bowl.
On Monday, I admitted that I might've been off on the whole "the Giants will be fine without Plax" story line. New York has dropped two in a row and suddenly look very ordinary. And much of that has to do with there being no big-play threat on the field now that Plaxico Burress has been suspended for the rest of the year.
Evidently, I gave Domenik Hixon a little too much credit. And so did head coach Tom Coughlin. Which explains why the team put 36-year-old Joe Horn through the paces earlier this week. The Giants decided not to sign him -- perhaps because he's 36 years old -- and Horn took the news about how you might expect: he accused the organization of using of him.
[Horn] believes the Giants never had any intention of signing him, that they just brought him in to create some sort of "spark" among the young receivers they already have.
"I was told to pack my clothes because I may be staying," Horn told The Monty Show on Sporting News Radio earlier today. ... "However, before I could step in the locker room I had an itinerary with my flight back to Atlanta. The opportunity was there. I appreciate the organization and Coach Coughlin for giving me the opportunity.
FanHouse's resident referee will chime in weekly with thoughts on major topics relating to officiating. We call it The Zebra Report. Matt Snyder is a high school official with eight years experience. While this is like a third-year resident critiquing the work of a world-renowned surgeon, it's still better than someone who has never worn the stripes.
Wow, this was a long weekend to those who support the boys in stripes. That group may only consist of myself at this point, but I still do. Those people who like to call the officials "blind" -- which, by the way, is incredibly uncreative and lame -- or believe they are out to screw a team out of a game, really don't have any idea what it takes to officiate at that level. Hell, I don't. I do know what it's like to be on the field and be a constant scapegoat for people who aren't accountable for themselves and/or their favorite team.
Weeding through those unwieldy waiver wires requires a keen eye and a quick trigger. Thus, Waiver Wire Wonders provides a weekly snapshot of players worthy of consideration who should be available on a good portion of league waiver wires. Enjoy those pickups...
At first glance, this week's options on the waiver wire look a bit like Michael Strahan's teeth: few and far between. Not to worry though, because upon digging a little deeper, we have uncovered a few nice pickups despite the slim pickings. This week's list of waiver wire wonders illustrates a couple of nice noobs on the list, but the better part of our list consist of repeat offenders who solidified themselves as legitimate options given surrounding injuries or changing situations that favor their output for the rest of the regular season.
Domenik Hixon(WR, Giants) -- Clearly, the absence of the Thuggish Ruggish Burress leaves a big void in the Giants passing game, which today looked to benefit Amani Toomer and Domenik Hixon about equally. Although Toomer scored the touchdown, going forward, Hixon looks like the guy with the most upside. He has consistently worked his way into a bigger role in New York and Plaxico's impression of David Silver's friend, should seal the deal. Today, Hixon caught five passes for 71 yards and we can expect bigger games to come.
Mark Clayton (WR, Ravens) -- Don't get your hopes up, this isn't one of those acid flashbacks we've all been patiently awaiting. Despite the fact that it might seem like 1985 given all the talk this season about Dan Marino and now Mark Clayton, this is the new Mark Clayton and today he caught five passes for 164 yards and a long 70-yard touchdown. If that wasn't quite enough, he threw his own 32-yard touchdown pass to really juice the fantasy numbers. Clayton also caught a long touchdown last week, so he might be an interesting add at this point as he is establishing himself as a big-play receiver.
Weeding through those unwieldy waiver wires requires a keen eye and a quick trigger. Thus, Waiver Wire Wonders provides a weekly snapshot of players worthy of consideration who should be available on a good portion of league waiver wires. Enjoy those pickups...
It looks like a pretty slow week for the waiver wires, but depending on needs, there are definitely some promising propositions out there. Since most leagues have passed the dreaded trade deadline, these guys are about the only options at this point to fill any unproductive holes. Thus, from here on out, playing the waiver wires wisely is of the utmost importance.
J.J. Arrington (RB, Cardinals) - While Arrington's numbers were pretty much sub par, his workload is steadily increasing and he looked very good against the Giants this afternoon, particularly on screen passes (5 catches for 38 yards). At this point, he is not startable, but he might be a valuable pickup down the stretch, so keep an eye on Arrington for a potential fantasy playoff pickup.
Maurice Morris (RB, Seahawks) - Earlier in the season, the bulk of the workload looked to be going to Julius Jones, but after a steady descent since his hot start to the season, Jones may have lost the privilege. After Jones went down with an early calf injury, a healthy Maurice Morris carried the ball 14 times for 103 yards and caught three passes for 10 yards and a touchdown. With this performance, Morris looks to see an expanded workload and makes for a compelling add.
The Arizona Cardinals are on the cusp of clinching the NFC West, and it's not even Thanksgiving yet. They received a good litmus test today, as the best team in the NFL visited them in the desert. The Cards found out they aren't quite there yet, but when the dust settles they need to realize this game showed they are quite close to joining the upper echelon in the NFL.
The little things separated them.
- Domenik Hixon averaged 60 yards per return via kickoff, allowing the Giants incredible field position for most of the day.
- A botched extra point meant the Cards were going to have to go for two eventually.
- Neil Rackers duffed a 68 yard free kick chance at the end of the first half. Man, that would have been awesome to see him make it.
- The Cardinals twiced attempted onside kicks, and twice came up empty-handed. On the first attempt, Rackers connected on possible the best onside kick I've ever seen. The ball went far enough airborne for the Cards to get players into position, and it bounced right into the hands of Ralph Brown. Brown dropped it, and the Giants recovered.
Of course, they also lost the turnover battle, 2-0. That is definitely not a "little thing."
With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all. 
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call 
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 
On Monday, I 
FanHouse's resident referee will chime in weekly with thoughts on major topics relating to officiating. We call it The 
Weeding through those unwieldy waiver wires requires a keen eye and a quick trigger. Thus, Waiver Wire Wonders provides a weekly snapshot of players worthy of consideration who should be available on a good portion of league waiver wires. Enjoy those pickups...
Weeding through those unwieldy waiver wires requires a keen eye and a quick trigger. Thus, Waiver Wire Wonders provides a weekly snapshot of players worthy of consideration who should be available on a good portion of league waiver wires. Enjoy those pickups...
The Arizona Cardinals are on the cusp of clinching the NFC West, and it's not even Thanksgiving yet. They received a good litmus test today, as the best team in the NFL visited them in the desert. The Cards found out they aren't quite there yet, but when the dust settles they need to realize this game showed they are quite close to joining the upper echelon in the NFL. 
