Banks on the New York Giants

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Top point: Eli Manning has a new QB coach, and his old QB coach has been promoted to offensive coordinator. Apparently the two coaches have a good working relationship, both with each other and with Tom Coughlin, which can only make Manning's continuing education easier. In much the same way that I think losing Norv Turner will hurt Alex Smith this year, getting a new QB coach could definitely help Manning.

Somehow I missed that (the other, USC) Steve Smith was picked by the Giants. That's a great pick. In my opinion, it's really tough to get a bad player at a skill/speed position from USC. (I'd put Miami in that class as well, though you have to check out the player's character as well (*ahem* Brandon Meriweather)). Smith should fit in great as a third receiver, and could have great rookie season if defenses concentrate more on veterans Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer.

Coughlin thinks they'll be able to replace Tiki Barber's production just fine. Right. In addition to rushing for 1662 yards last season (4th in the NFL), Barber caught 58 passes for 465 yards (8th in the NFL). The Giants will be lucky to get 1200 yards rushing and 200 yards receiving out of Brandon Jacobs.

Lastly, Mike Sando did a great job analyzing relative effects Michael Strahan and Simeon Rice had on their respective teams. My only complaint about the comparison is that it looks at the last three years for Strahan, but only the previous year for Rice. The reason is that Rice played 16 and 15 games in 2005 and 2006, respectively, so there's no data to take from those season. However, Rice did have 12 and 14 sacks in said years, is the difference between the two players over those three years isn't quite as drastic as Sando's comparison may seem to show. However, it is obvious that Rice declined greatly in 2006, and I wouldn't expect him to get much better in 2007, nevermind the chance he may decline. The point: Strahan is incredibly important to the Giants' defense, and Rice, although a big name, won't be an equal replacement.