Approach to the Game – New York Giants at Atlanta Falcons, August 17, 2002: Things start to get a little more serious, but it is next week’s game that will be the most important preseason game. Coaches around the league always use the next-to-last preseason game as their ultimate tune-up game. Still, this contest against Atlanta will be important. The starters will probably play the entire first half.
Giants on Offense: This will be the first time we will see Kerry Collins play more than a few series in the preseason and this game should provide us with a good opportunity to see if he has truly elevated his game. Collins has been red hot this preseason thus far in limited action. Palmer will probably see some extended playing time in the last preseason game, but against the Falcons and Jets, his reps will start to diminish.
Nagging injuries to Tim Carter (side) and Daryl Jones (knee) will keep them out this week. It was thought that both would contend for the third wideout job, but they have missed too much time in camp and the preseason. The battle appears to have come down to Ron Dixon versus Jonathan Carter. This game will be huge for both.
Tiki Barber (ribs) will probably see a series, but then quickly depart. Ron Dayne will probably play the rest of the first half – being spotted by Sean Bennett at times. It would be nice to see Dayne demonstrate some of the vision and explosion that Antonio Warren demonstrated last week. We keep hearing that Delvin Joyce is a player. Perhaps. But after last week’s performance, I don’t see how the Giants can release Warren unless Joyce comes through with an equally impressive performance.
At fullback, Darian Barnes is clearly ahead of Charles Stackhouse, but now is no time to coast. Barnes needs to keep impressing.
Will the Giants keep Marcellus Rivers now that Darnell Dinkins has been moved to tight end? The pressure is on Rivers.
Finally we should see 4/5’s of the regular starters on the offensive line at their normal positions. Luke Petitgout at left tackle, Rich Seubert at left guard, Jason Whittle at right guard, and Mike Rosenthal at right tackle. Chris Bober starts at center for the injured Dusty Zeigler (knee). I would have liked to have seen Bober compete with Rosenthal for the right tackle job (as was planned), but injuries prevented that. Tam Hopkins has this team made as a reserve, but no one else has. Time is running out to impress.
Giants on Defense: Up front, I want to start seeing Kenny Holmes and Cornelius Griffin make plays. Holmes needs to get to the quarterback…no excuses. Griffin has been solid, but I expected more. He has the tools to dominate, but hasn’t.
Cedric Scott and Frank Ferrara will be the reserve ends. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Ferrara this preseason…he has played well on a consistent basis both against the pass and the run. Cedric Scott needs to disengage better and make more plays. There is a VERY interesting battle at defensive tackle. There are probably two roster spots open and four tackles seriously vying for those jobs: Lance Legree, Ross Kolodziej, Matt Mitrione, and Dwight Johnson. I think Legree has the team made. If I’m right, we’re really talking about three players fighting for one spot. All have flashed.
The starters at linebacker are set with Brandon Short, Mike Barrow, and Dhani Jones forming a nice trio of underrated talent. The Giants appear to have scored a coup in the draft and landed three very capable back-ups in Wes Mallard, Nick Greisen, and Quincy Monk – despite their greenness. If the Giants are going to keep Jody Littleton as their long-snapper, Kevin Lewis is going to have a hard time making it unless he beats out Monk.
At corner, Jason Sehorn, Will Peterson, Will Allen, and Ralph Brown form the core. I don’t see a fifth corner on this team right now if they want to carry one. Shaun Williams and Omar Stoutmire are the starters at safety. There is a very good battle going on between Clarence LeBlanc, DeWayne Patmon, and Ryan Clark for the two remaining spots. There is also the chance the Giants could pick up another safety.
Giants on Special Teams: I get the feeling that the Giants are losing patience with P Rodney Williams and PK Owen Pochman. If either one or both continue their inconsistent ways, look for the Giants to start working out veterans. P Gabe Lindstrom and PK Matt Bryant don’t seem to be in the mix.
Punt coverage was decent last week, but I’d still like to see someone really take the bull by the horns and become a dangerous gunner. Perhaps that will be Dinkins. Kick-off coverage remains a joke and the Giants need to find the proper mix of players to fix this fast. The regular season opener is coming up fast.
Tim Carter was supposed to be the primary kick returner and Daryl Jones the primary punt returner, but both have been hurt. Delvin Joyce and Antonio Warren can help their causes here.