Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
Quarterback: Who would have thought a year ago that the perception of Eli Manning would have changed so drastically? That's what happens when you win a Super Bowl. But can you really expect Manning to be as precise as he was during that improbable championship run? Either the light finally went on for Manning, or he simply found a zone. Or a combination of the two. Last year was a step forward, for sure, but I expect Eli Manning v.2008 to resemble something in between the lows and highs of the two Eli Mannings circa 2007. Still, that's good enough to win games. What isn't good enough to win games is David Carr, the team's new backup, so Manning better stay upright for all 16. Heat Index: 7
Running back: The Giants found out exactly how critical depth at running back is, and they also found out that they luckily have it. Great contributions came from Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, Derrick Ward, and Reuben Droughns. Danny Ware will likely take Droughns' place this year, but the team is still set in the backfield. Jacobs' combination of speed and power is pretty unstoppable, and while punishing backs don't typically have long shelf lives, Jacobs is in his prime now if he stays healthy this year. Heat Index: 8
When the Vikings have the ball: Minnesota's gameplan is a simple one: run, run and run. They have the best ground attack in the entire league and it doesn't matter who they put back there; both Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor get the job done.
However, they have a bit of a challenge this week. The casual fan may not realize this, but the New York Giants have one of the best rush defenses in the NFL, allowing only 91.3 yards per game. And if they have any chance at winning this game, that unit, led by Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield, will have to step-up huge.
With running backs Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward sidelined due to injury, the New York Giants suddenly found themselves in a hole. And while Reuben Droughns appears ready to step up and carry the load, the team still needed to find some depth behind him and rookie Ahmad Bradshaw.
Pass, who is known as a do-it-everything kind of player, spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Patriots before having a cup of coffee with the Houston Texans earlier this year. And while he's never carried the bulk of the load, he's proven the ability to get the job done when called upon.
He will replace linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka on the Giants who roster, who recently became the 10th player to find themselves on the season-ending injured reserve list.
When the Eagles have the ball: What Philadelphia does on Sunday night will be decided by the status of running back Brian Westbrook. If he's able to play, the Eagles will no doubt turn to him as their primary offensive threat. If he's not, the onus will be on Donovan McNabb and the wide receivers. And although McNabb really lit it up last week, he did so against the league's worst secondary. Then again, the Giants secondary hasn't played much better.
Defensively, the Giants will gameplan as if Westbrook is playing. Their main objective will be stopping him, and should he sit out, they'll be forced to adapt on the fly. Luckily for them, that would be the ideal situation. But in either case, they must play like they did in the second half versus Washington, and not the way they did for the first 10 quarters of the season.
Status Check is FanHouse's conversation with fans from the rest of the blogosphere. Every week during the NFL season we'll be focusing on a big rivalry. Today, it's the Broncos, who face the Super Bowl Champ Colts this weekend. The Sports Guru, the guy behind Mile High Report, answers a few questions.
FanHouse:Jay Cutler enters his first full season as Denver's starting quarterback. For the most part, he's played well, but has had a few "what the... ?" moments. Did you have any reservations about Mike Shanahan giving him the reins as a rookie? Any part of his game concern you now?
MHR: Absolutely not!! No doubt he has made some throws that make me want to pull my hair out but you can tell the kid has IT. All young quarterbacks go through the growing pains of becoming a starting quarterback in the NFL and one need look no further than across the field this Sunday for proof. The Broncos were not going anywhere last season, even at 7-4 under Jake Plummer. Jake simply didn't love the game as much as you have to be in the upper echelon.
I think Shanahan realized after the AFC Championship game loss to Pittsburgh that he needed to go another direction because Jake was just aloof enough to up and retire at any moment. Jay, on the other hand, lives and breathes football. He is a student of the game and football is the #1 thing in his life. That just wasn't the case for Plummer, and while that may work in Arizona, It doesn't in the building that Elway built. While there have been growing pains, Cutler has started 8 games and already lead 5 come-from-behind drives in the 4th quarter to win or tie a game. I'll take that kind of success anytime.
Due to an overwhelming amount of injuries, it's hard to grasp exactly what to expect from New York this weekend. The loss of Brandon Jacobs will severely alter their gameplan, and if Manning can't play due to his injured shoulder, it will change that much more. If you were the Packers, your best bet would be to throw all the possibilities up on a wall and go with whichever one sticks.
It looks like the Reuben Droughns at fullback experiment is over in New York after only one week. According to Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger, the Giants have been awarded fullbackMadison Hedgecock off of waivers from the St. Louis Rams.
In order to make room for the 6-3, 266 pound back, the Giants have released Robert Douglas.
In addition to that announcement, the Giants also received good news on running back Brandon Jacobs today. Although a doctor didn't come right out and say it, Jacobs claimed that his knee is feeling better and he'll be back much sooner than expected.
"It sure won't be five weeks," Jacobs said.
Apparently, he was walking around without a limp and appeared to be in good spirits. Which, obviously, is excellent news for the Giants and their fans.
Forget about everything that happened tonight; this game was all about one play. On a 33 yard run by Reuben Droughns, one of the New York Giants was hustling unlike anyone I'd ever seen before. They shot up the field so fast that they literally passed Droughns on the way. So, who was this extremely intense player? It was none other than back-up quarterback J-Load, Jared Lorenzen! If you didn't see the game, I kid you not; Lorenzen sprinted up the field in effort to make a lead block for the very man he had just handed the ball to. What more can you say? It was very inspiring to see -- it's obvious Lorenzen is constantly giving his all.
Unfortunately, that was the only highlight of the night for Lorenzen. Although he's had a rather impressive preseason to date, his weak points were made abundantly clear tonight. He seems to struggle under pressure and holds onto the ball entirely too long. Many people will probably attribute that to the substitute offensive lineman, but J-Load certainly didn't help his case.
On the other hand, Eli Manning ended his preseason on a high note. He only played the first series, but was able to go five of eight (two drops) for 58 yards and led the Giants down the field for a touchdown. Manning really appears to be primed for that breakout season everyone says they are waiting for.
Missed tackles, costly penalties, undisciplined play, inconsistency and game-ending turnovers. Does this sound familiar? No, we're not talking about the 2006 New York Giants; we're talking about the 2007 New York Giants -- at least after one preseason game.
While it may be far too early to become pessimistic, the Giants sure do have a lot of work to do if they want to compete this year. As I noted above, they were extremely undisciplined, the game seemed too fast for most of the players and the tackling was horrendous. Sadly, all of those things are a recipe for disaster.
Prior to the game, head coach Tom Coughlin said that he just wanted to gauge where his team stands and where they need work. I'll venture a guess and say he's not very pleased and will express that tomorrow during the team meeting.
Fear not, Giants Training Camp Notebook has not been discontinued, it just went on a short hiatus. In the off chance it's actually something you enjoy, prepare to get your fill.
- Rookie cornerback Aaron Ross had a decent day today and had moments that reminded the Giants why they drafted him in the first round. Unfortunately, his evening practice was cut short when he went down with a hamstring injury.
- The Giants have been searching for some trickery over the last few practices, but it hasn't worked well and if today was any indication on how it's going to be, they should just forget about it.
Eli Manning lateraled the ball to second-year wide receiver Sinorice Moss who was supposed to throw it down field to Michael Jennings. Well, things didn't work out as they were planned and Moss ended up tossing the ball back toward Manning, only to have it intercepted by defensive tackle Fred Robbins.
Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
To get you ready for week 12, 
With running backs 
To get you ready for week 4, 
To get you ready for week 2, 
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Fear not, 
