The New York Giants are coming into 2014 with a number of questions after missing the playoffs last season and the biggest one is the injury to David Wilson, as he was expected to be the starter before injuring his neck and now Rashad Jennings is the likely starter after he signed a free agent deal, while Victor Cruz has spoken highly of the new offense with coordinator Ben McAdoo for Eli Manning and Ruben Randle.
Last season Cruz was the only consistent player for the Giants, as Hakeem Nicks was a mess and so was the offensive line, which led to Manning throwing over 25 interceptions and having a terrible season. Manning had ankle surgery this offseason, but he is not worried about that injury now, as he says that he will not miss any of the real workouts with the Giants or any of training camp. Getting a full offseason for Manning is essential, as McAdoo is bringing in a new offense and with new receivers coming in as well, the QB needs to be there.
The team signed Josh Freeman as some insurance and any of the early part of offseason workouts that Manning misses can be handled by Freeman. The rushing game was terrible last season and the injury to Wilson didn't help, but adding Jennings and bringing back Peyton Hillis after he filled in last season is a good start and the team has also worked over the offensive line. It remains to be seen how they will play, but adding JD Walton and Geoff Schwartz should be an improvement and it remains to be seen what the team will get out of John Jerry.
Last season Wilson had just 146 yards on the ground and he was done by week five and now Jennings comes in after leading the Oakland Raiders in rushing with Darren McFadden out of action for most of the season. Jennings has less wear and tear on him than other backs his age and that could be big for the Giants this season. On top of that, Jennings is a very solid receiver out of the backfield and that is something that McAdoo wants to improve and he should be able to do some damage as a receiver. The screen game has never worked out great for the Giants, but perhaps that was on Kevin Gilbride.
The Giants are also dealing with some other injuries apart from Wilson, who says that he has no pain anymore, as they have Will Beatty coming back after a broken leg, but he may not be ready for training camp. According to ESPN.com he will be ready for week one, but he is still coming back from that injury. The Giants have Will Hill facing another suspension, making it even more important that they spent on the secondary this offseason with Walter Thurmond and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and that should be able to keep things in line, especially with Stevie Brown coming back from an ACL injury as well.
