FanHouse Sinorice Moss

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

In 2007, the New York Giants found a way to peak at the right time. After barely making the playoffs, Eli Manning led his charges on an amazing ride, one that included three straight road wins and an upset of the previously unbeaten Patriots in the Super Bowl. 2008 wasn't so great for the Giants. A nightclub shooting took out their best receiver, crippled the passing game, and left the team vulnerable for the Philadelphia Eagles, who ended their season in the NFC Divisional Playoff.

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."

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The most exciting thing that happened at New York Giants minicamp Wednesday was a press conference to announce Timex as the naming-rights sponsor for the team's new training facility here -- the "Timex Performance Center." It's a beautiful complex, but unless you're the ones pocketing $35 million from the deal over the next 15 years, this wasn't exactly the stuff of big headlines.

That's fine with the Giants, who got their fill of headlines at last year's minicamp.

Coming off a Super Bowl championship, the Giants convened last year amid loud, obnoxious Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress contract controversies. Neither of those players was on the team by year's end, but they were here a year ago, and they were making it noisy. This year ... not so much. And Tom Coughlin couldn't be happier about it.

Plaxico Burress' immediate future remains uncertain -- there's still a decent chance he spends some time in the clink -- but this much is clear: the Giants have moved on. They released Plax in early April, and then used two of their first four draft picks on wide receivers at the end of the month. The Giants selected Hakeem Nicks 29th overall, and took Ramses Barden two rounds later.

Both are big receivers -- Nicks, 6-1, 215, has been compared to Anquan Boldin; Barden, 6-6, 226, is more physically similar to Burress -- but rookie wideouts are notoriously slow to transition to the NFL, sometimes taking two or three years to get acclimated. There are exceptions -- Dwayne Bowe and Marques Colston come to mind -- but I don't think the Giants are expecting Pro Bowl-type performances from Nicks or Barden next season.

Instead of trading a bunch of draft picks for either Anquan Boldin or Braylon Edwards, the Giants elected to address the need to replace Plaxico Burress via draft. Nicks is a solid possession receiver and should see the field with regularity in 2009. Of course, the Giants have spent several draft picks on receiver in recent years -- Steve Smith (2nd round), Sinorice Moss (2nd), Mario Manningham (3rd) -- and they also added Domenik Hixon, so it's really tough to tell how everything shakes out as of now.

They'll be hoping Nicks develops into their go-to guy in the future, but the transition to that role in the pros will take more than a season. Let's check out the fantasy spin on the passing game after the jump.

In recent years, the Giants have good success with finding competent pass catchers to surround Eli Manning. Off-field baggage aside, Jeremy Shockey was among the league's best tight ends, and Plaxico Burress quickly became a favorite target when he arrived in 2005. And there's Amani Toomer and most recently, 2007 second-rounderSteve Smith.

One player who has had yet to fulfill the promise the Giants envisioned when they drafted him in '06 is Sinorice Moss. The former University of Miami star has had an uneven NFL career, and his biggest professional accomplishment to date is that his brother happens to be Santana.

Despite his struggles, Moss is hopeful:

"I mean, honestly, I don't know what to think about [being the only active player not to play against the Rams]," Moss told the Daily News Friday. "I'm going to keep working and stay positive, like I've been since Day 1. And when that times come, just be a humble person and go out there and shine." ...

"I haven't spoken to anyone about being traded," Moss said. "That's not even on my mind. My mind is to do what I have to do for the team, and when I get my opportunities, make some plays. I would love to be here. This is where I want to be."

Man, Andre Woodson has had a tough go of it, dating back to the Senior Bowl when his draft stock commenced downward spiral. At one time thought to be a first-round pick, the former Kentucky star fell to the Giants in the sixth round, proceeded to struggle mightily during the preseason, and now finds himself released.

According to the Star-Ledger Giants blog, Woodson and backup Anthony Wright didn't make the final cut, which means that ... wait, what? David Carr is the only other quarterback on the roster after Eli Manning? Really? Wow, that's a lot of faith in the Giants offensive line and Elisha's ability to take a hit.

In any event, New York will probably try to sneak Woodson onto the practice squad, which should be pretty easy given the glut of mediocre quarterbacks currently flooding the market.

In other Giants personnel news, both R.W. McQuarters and Sam Madison made the roster despite speculation that one or both of the cornerbacks might be on the wrong side of the final 53 today. Sinorice Moss, the team's 2006 second-round pick, also avoided the Turk, which probably had a lot to do with New York releasing Brandon London.

But seriously, Mr. Mittens?

Yesterday, we were reminded of Jeremy Shockey's promise to a bunch of unsuspecting kids that he'd make the Giants pay for trading him. Today, The New York Post's Paul Schwartz writes that head coach Tom Coughlin is ready to move on in a post-Shockey World.

Coughlin's message ... was simple and resounding - "Team over self is why we win" - and, asked if Shockey's inability to adhere to that mantra was a factor in the trade, he admitted, "I am sure at some point in time that was part of the consideration."

Coughlin's right, of course, and he points out the obvious in about as harmless a way as one could expect. And although Shockey is a top-5 NFL tight end, I'm not sure the Giants will miss his on-field production particularly when you take into account his off-field bellyaching.

Of course, this assumes second-year tight end Kevin Boss will be able to replicate his surprisingly successful rookie season, or that other downfield threats -- Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss, and Mario Manningham come to mind -- pick up the slack.

Whatever happens, the Giants and their fans have moved on. While I think the Saints are even more explosive with Shockey catching passes from Drew Brees, New York made out alright, too, getting a second- and fifth-round pick in the trade. And one less distraction.

Next up: extending Plaxico Burress' deal.

Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.

Meet The ...
David who slayed Goliath ... and you know how that goes in the world of fantasy football. At least you should. The residue of a strong post-season run by a team almost certainly means several players are going to be overrated the next fantasy season. I'm looking right at you, Thomas Jones. So the question with the Giants is, can you look past the post-season and judge flatly on what you think they'll do in this regular season? Imagine the Giants had lost in the first round at Tampa Bay. Now judge their fantasy players. That should be an accurate rating system. For example, settle down about Eli Manning. Sure, you can believe he's taken a giant (pun unintended, but I'm keeping the word choice) step forward in terms of maturity and taking care of the football. You also should remember that 13 QBs outscored him in fantasy points in '07. His last name doesn't do him any favors either. Hypnotize yourself into believing that Eli Smith lost in the first round to the Bucs. Now do you like him as a top ten QB? Me neither.

The Breakout
Brandon Jacobs ... I already covered him.

There is no denying it now; the injury bug that has plagued the Giants for the last four seasons is back.

After a relatively healthy start to the year, New York suddenly finds themselves riddled with damning injuries that could spell disaster from here on out.

In addition to Brandon Jacobs, who will miss his second consecutive game due to a hamstring injury, the Giants are likely to be without safety Gibril Wilson (knee), cornerback Aaron Ross (hamstring) and wide receiver Plaxico Burress (ankle/knee) tomorrow against the Chicago Bears.

Wilson and Ross are both listed as doubtful, with Burress securing his normal place on the injury report under "questionable."

Rookie Michael Johnson is the leading candidate to replace Wilson at safety, while R.W. McQuarters would get the starting nod against his former team if Ross doesn't make an amazing 24-hour recovering. Additionally, Sinorice Moss would replace Plax if he does end up missing his first game of the season.