Thursday, January 31, 2013
The Giants' changes on D
By Tim Kavanagh
Though the New York Giants finished the 2012 regular season with the same record (9-7) as they did in 2011, that was not good enough to qualify for the postseason and so their efforts have been tossed into the "disappointing" category. In order to improve for 2013, some believe the club must invest in some new additions on defense, while others believe that the fundamental pieces are already in place.
Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com takes up the latter case in a post this week:
"This is the same defense and same defensive coordinator that won a Super Bowl just one year ago. And if the defense had played better late in any of the losses to the Redskins, Steelers or Eagles, the Giants would've been playoff bound. If they had shown up in Baltimore or Atlanta, the Giants might've been able get into the postseason as well. If the Giants are going to get back to the Super Bowl, they need Fewell and his players to regain that all-in mentality, steady and clutch play that they had when they won their final six games last year. And they need to add a few more pieces to a core that knows what it takes to get to the Super Bowl."
On the flip side, ESPN NFC East blogger Dan Graziano is of the belief that the personnel on defense needs some work:
Dan Graziano
Can the Giants fix their defense?"I think the fact that they got their act together and played at a championship level in January and February of 2011 might be obscuring some deeper issues, and staying the course on defense might not be the best way for the Giants to approach things this offseason. The defense finished 31st in the league this past regular season under defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. They finished 27th the year before. A hard look at what they have and where they're going at cornerback, linebacker and on the defensive line is likely in order, and it might be a good idea for the Giants to start from the position that their defense simply isn't as good as they believed it would be."
