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Here’s a review of the final week of training camp and a final look back at the 24-10 loss to the Ravens.

The Good

Defensive Line Play: The unit remains the deepest part of the roster.  Justin Tuck and Rocky Bernard starred with 2 sacks each.  Bernard’s play in particular needed to be mentioned as he was missing in action for all of 2009. 

Matt Dodge: After making the Ugly list for the first three weeks of the preseason, Dodge played well against the Ravens.  He had a lot of practice, punting nine times for a 49.1 average (including a 73-yard blast), but only a net of 38.3.  Part of that is due to a relatively low hang time.  A lot has to do with poor coverage (see Ugly)

G Shawn Andrews: After missing 30 out of the last 32 games, Andrews looked surprisingly sharp coming on in relief in the second half.  In particular, there was a stretch of a couple of plays where he was able to win the one-on-one battle against the Ravens’ Ngata. 

The Bad

Defense’s Mental Toughness and Depth:  Injuries are a part of football.  Those teams that are better able to withstand injuries are the ones that find themselves continuously in the playoffs.  The Giants faced injuries to four of their top five defensive players (Tuck, Ross, Phillips, Pierce) and were never able to adequately replace them.  Worse than that, the 2009 team appeared apathetic, particularly in the loss to the Panthers to close out Giants Stadium. 

Fast forward to the Ravens game.  The blueprint for beating the Giants remains unchanged from last season.  Open up with three or four wide receivers and exploit the Giants in the middle of the field. 

After the game, the players and coaches tried to chalk this up to the typical experiments that occur in the preseason.  Fewell IS trying to figure out how to best assemble the linebackers and trying to assimilate Ross and Phillips back into the secondary.  What I don’t see or hear from anyone on the team is a sense of urgency. 

The Ugly

Not So Special Teams:  The coverage teams on both kick offs and punt returns remains a source of worry.  The Giants will face several elite special teams this season, and you can put it down now that they will give up at least three scores on specials. 

Offensive Line: There is no push on this line.  The unit as a whole could not win the battle of the trenches at any point against the Ravens.  If the Giants are to return to the playoffs, the line will need to come together quickly.  Andrews will be a starter by Week 3 at the latest.  McKenzie looks to be the weakest link.  Unfortunately, his back-up, Beatty, was a turnstile allowing everyone to have their turn. 

Linebackers:  Put simply, the unit does not have the speed needed in today’s NFL.  This is squarely on GM Jerry Reese.  He is picking the wrong players both in free agency and in the draft to man the second line of defense. 

Summary

The offense better score early and often because the Giants are going to be in a lot of shootouts.  This is not what the ownership dreamed of when opening their new $1.5 billion home. 

If the Giants offensive line can settle down quickly, the offense looks to be one of the league’s better options. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Fewell may be able to mask some of the team’s deficiencies.  The NFL is a copycat league.  Until the Giants are able to stop passing attacks, the linebackers and secondary will continue to be targeted. 

Expected Finish: 9-7, a bubble team for the playoffs.

The record could be better if the Giants are able to beat either Indianapolis or Tennessee to start the season. 

I see a split against the NFC East (4 wins).  Wins at home against Carolina, Chicago, Detroit, and Jacksonville (4 wins).  Win on the road against Seattle (1 win). 

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With the bitter taste of last year’s 8-8 season still fresh in their mouths, the New York Giants came into their 2010 training camp determined to prove that last year’s injury-filled, shattered season was an aberration.

In seeking to accomplish that objective, almost all of the players became born-again disciples of the weight and film rooms, as they set about strengthening not only their bodies but also their minds. More importantly, though, they developed a plan that would see them re-establish their physical presence on offense and defense, and affirm that they have strong leadership in their locker room.

Their plans, however, have come together slowly. Right from the start, the same injury bug that wiped out their physical toughness and ability last season proved to be…

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Billy Cundiff has been diligently applying the same philosophy toward the Baltimore…

While a longer season seems inevitable, players need to push for becoming free agents after three seasons.

With today’s rumored trade rumblings surrounding Matt Leinart, the New York Football Giants may now have found the veteran quarterback they wanted to backup Eli Manning. The question, though, is Leinart the right veteran quarterback for the Giants? I say no.

However considering Eli Manning’s ironman nature Leinart probably wont see field anyway if the trade happens so it almost doesn’t matter.

Two things that jump out about Leinart when breaking down his first years in the league; Leinart loves the things that football affords him and Leinart believes himself to be a starting caliber NFL quarterback.

From the Giants perspective I find both these things troubling. Eli is not going anywhere, and the last thing the Giants need is a whiny man-boy quarterback walking around the locker room with a sense of entitlement. Eli doesn’t do it, why would the Giants accept that attitude from Eli’s backup?

The other part of the equation is that Leinart loves the nightlife, but does he love the game? The fact that people were making it a big deal this offseason that Leinart was training in MMA with Foxsports analyst Jay Glazer, to me was telling.

Was it a big deal because he previously just partied all offseason? Was it a big deal because that was the first time Leinart actually endured a tough training program in the offseason? Based upon his play on the field I would imagine the answer to that question to be yes.

But to be clear those two issues aren’t the main reasons why I believe Leinart might be a bad fit for the Giants. The main issue is that Leinart’s skill set does not match up well with what the Giants do offensively or with where they play, the east coast.

The Giants are a power running team but they rely on Eli Manning to get them out of tough spots. Close game; go win it in the fourth quarter. Third and eight, go get us the first down no excuses. I don’t think Leinart has the moxie to play in such a high-pressure offensive style.

Then there is the issue of Leinart’s arm strength, which is just ok. On the west coast where a cloudy day is bad weather Leinart’s arm strength is just fine. However on the east coast where bad weather is normal, and 20mph gusts of wind standard, I don’t think he has the arm to muscle the ball through those conditions.

Lastly there is the Tom Coughlin issue. Leinart likes to carry himself about like a star, yet on the field he still makes bad mistakes. Those are two things Tom Coughlin hates, arrogant people and mistake prone players. 

If Leinart ever mouthed back to Coughlin, or if he acts holier than thou in the locker room of the Giants he might find himself cut after getting traded. However if Leinart shuts his mouth, sits on the bench and learns from a Class-A quarterback and coaching staff maybe Leinart could become a starter after he left the Giants. 

Now do I think that will happen if the trade goes through? No. While Leinart is a smart player who has decent size and physical skills, the NFL is all about taking advantage of opportunities. Several times Leinart had a chance to be the Arizona Cardinal’s starting quarterback and he failed to capitalize every time. 

Leinart is a check-down player on the field and in life. Instead of taking the bull by the horns and going deep, he constantly checks down.

From the Giants’ perspective this deal does make a modicum of sense. Jim Sorgi is on the IR and Rhett Bomar is not ready to even be a backup quarterback let alone play. Leinart offers a backup with actual game experience. To top it off Eli Manning’s backup is as pointless as Peyton’s. In other words they are both ironmen, they never miss games so a backup is almost a pointless thing. Almost.

Now a lot of Giants fans are thinking, “Given the David Carr experience trading for Leinart makes sense.”

And I say to that, “No it doesn’t.”

Carr was a sad story, you could write a book on how to ruin a quarterback focusing on just Carr’s time with the Texans. He tried as hard as he could on the field, never partied and always tried to improve. Can you say the same thing about Leinart?

No. So while Carr was a great locker room presence, Leinart has the chance to be the exact opposite of that. Carr was affable, charismatic and a leader. Leinart by all accounts is grumpy, mercurial and entitled. Carr and Leinart are two different players with two different situations.

Now this is not to say that I believe Leinart’s failure with the Cardinals was his entire fault. Once upon a time he showed great promise his rookie year against a Bears’ team that was a powerhouse at the time.

But from the moment Ken Whisenhunt was hired as their head coach it was obvious that Leinart was not his guy. Had Whisenhunt actually attempted to establish a real rapport with his young QB maybe things would have turned out differently.

But that didn’t happen so here we are with Leinart’s career in the dumps and his future prospects looking dim. Can Leinart salvage his career with the Giants if this rumored trade goes down? Sure. Will he? Probably not.

So while the Giants are in blatant need of a veteran backup quarterback, trading for Leinart is probably not the right move.

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Start spreading the news, Matt Leinart’s leaving Arizona real soon.  

Reports have surfaced that the Cardinals are actively trying to deal the Heisman winner, and the New York Giants are one of three teams that have expressed interest in Leinart.

The G-Men are in desperate need of a second-string quarterback; expected backup Jim Sorgi was placed on injured reserve on Monday, and current reserves Rhett Bomar and Dominic Randolph have never taken an NFL snap.

At first glance, this possible acquisition might look like a no-brainer for both parties.  

However, several key questions loom, such as how long Leinart will be satisfied playing second fiddle to Eli Manning.  

In the pages that follow are a few reasons why Leinart would be an ideal Giant…and a few reasons why he would be a disaster.

Begin Slideshow

As the ego of unproven quarterback Matt Leinart continues to grow, so too do his chances of becoming a New York Giant.

News has arisen that the Arizona Cardinals placed Leinart on the trading block and three teams were immediately thrown into the mix—the Buffalo Bills, the Oakland Raiders, and the Giants.

Clearly the Cardinals are fed up with Leinart who has done nothing but disappoint during his NFL career. After being selected with the 10th pick in the 2006 draft, the former Heisman-winning USC Trojan has lost his starting job multiple times to a couple of quarterbacks who were supposed to be “done.”

And during this roughly four-year tenure, Leinart has put up an unimpressive quarterback rating of 70.8 with a 57.1 completion percentage, 3,893 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

At times, his passes look as unimpressive as former Miami Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian.

And while preseason doesn’t bear much importance, it was Leinart’s 2008 week three of the preseason performance that ultimately gave Kurt Warner the opportunity to lead the Cardinals to the Super Bowl.

Leinart went four-for-12 with three interceptions, and these picks weren’t just your average, run-of-the-mill turnovers. They were so noticeably painful that even UCLA and Notre Dame fans had to begin to feel sympathy for this sworn enemy. On Leinart’s second interception he threw while rolling out to the right right to a Raiders defender. It wasn’t a little mistake that the defender jumped.

It was right to him.

Despite all of this there are three teams rumoured to have interest in Leinart so far. It’s a toss up between the Raiders and Bills for the better fit, while the reported Giants’ interest is a bit puzzling.

The Raiders are waiting for answers on their big off-season acquisition Jason Campbell who left the team’s third preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers with a stinger, and also suffered a wrist injury on the previous drive. If he is healthy for the season opener, Campbell will definitely be the starter, but Leinart would arguably be an upgrade over Bruce Gradkowski.

Meanwhile, the Bills have a slew of unproven quarterbacks at the professional level and might be the best fit for a quarterback who wants to play now.

Projected starter, Trent Edwards, had a celebrated career at Stanford led by his passing strength and play-reading abilities, but has has had a mediocre career in the NFL. Yes, he unseated J.P. Losman, but was that really a surprise?

The rest of the quarterback committee includes former Louisville star Brian Brohm, Harvard grad Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Troy rookie Levi Brown. None of these quarterbacks have proven they can be a starter in Buffalo for years to come, though Brown hasn’t had as much time.

Leinart could only be seen as an upgrade here as well.

And then there’s the Giants.

Eli Manning is undoubtedly the starter; it’s not even a question. Manning has been the team’s iron man and had his best statistical year when he was supposed to have his worst. And even though Big Blue doesn’t have much experience behind Manning, a quarterback who has the third-longest active streak of consecutive starts at the position, the team isn’t exactly in dire need for Leinart’s questionable services as a fail-safe.

Yes, Jim Sorgi was placed on IR, but he wasn’t really expected to contribute much to the team in the regular season.

So that leaves second-year man Rhett Bomar as the most plausible option, and he hasn’t played all that bad this preseason. Through the first three games Bomar is 29-for-53 (54.7 percent) with 374 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. While the completion percentage could be higher, those aren’t terrible numbers for games that don’t matter.

Now, upon reading New York I expected to see the Jets follow, but that wasn’t the case. While the Jets seem to believe in second-year Mark Sanchez as he helped the team reach the AFC Championship game in 2009 with solid play, he still has a lot to prove, and second-year struggles certainly aren’t out of the realm of possibilities.

With the chance of a Sanchez slump, the Jets should entertain the idea of Leinart, as their backup quarterback situation includes aging Mark Brunell, Kellen Clemens and Erik Ainge, the last of whom is hurt.

Brunell isn’t a bad quarterback by any means, but having Leinart would be a definite upgrade over Brunell who might not be in the league much longer.

Clemens is a lot like Leinart as he has also had several chances to win the starting quarterback job but was constantly beat out by the likes of Chad Pennington, Brett Favre, and the rookie Sanchez. Leinart hasn’t shown that he is better than Clemens, but he would be a nice change for New York’s AFC team.

The bottom line is the Giants simply have too many other areas of concern to give up anything to the Cardinals for an overpaid backup quarterback. Regardless of what the Giants give Arizona, it would be a waste because there is no foreseeable outcome where Leinart would be that helpful of an addition to Big Blue.

With Leinart already complaining to the media about playing time, bringing him to a team with a less likely chance of playing and a larger media market isn’t a wise idea. However, bringing him into the same media-heavy city with a more uncertain quarterback situation could pay off.

Plus the Cardinals would be pretty rude not to thank the Jets somehow for Kerry Rhodes.

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The battle may be over, but the war has just begun. With eight days to go until the start of the 2010 NFL…

Matt Leinart? Really? Are the Giants that desperate for a competent backup to Eli Manning that they would actually trade people to get someone who has looked downright awful in his short stint with the Arizona Cardinals?

With Jim Sorgi being placed on IR yesterday they are in desperate need for a backup, but they can’t be that desperate, can they? The funny thing is the Giants probably won’t need the services of a backup, but to have their name leaked like this reeks of desperation.

For the team’s sake, I hope they find a suitable backup before they have to pull off this trade. Especially considering the fact that they really don’t have anyone on the team that I would like to see moved just for depth behind Manning, who has shown he is very durable by never missing a start.

Earlier today, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported three teams that had contacted the Cardinals about Leinart’s services, the Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills being the other two.

The other two teams make sense since the problems Leinart and the organization are having is due to him not starting, so I don’t know why the Giants would bring him in to be the backup. It seems fairly obvious that the situation would not work in New York.

Buffalo has also come out and adamantly denied wanting to trade for Leinart, despite inquiring about him earlier this summer. 

The Raiders brought in Jason Campbell and all indications are that he is going to be the starter, but the move for Leinart could provide some much needed competition that will impact Campbell’s play in the regular season.

This wouldn’t bode well for the locker room if they bring in someone who doesn’t want to be there, and, as expected, recent updates to the story claim that the talks have basically been shut down in the organization.

Giants beat writer Vinny DiTrani tweeted earlier claiming the Giants have all but ended discussions about the troubled former USC standout.

This is good news because frankly the Giants don’t need a high profile backup given Manning’s ability to stay on the field.

Rhett Bomar will have to do for now, and they may even go to the 53-man roster with just two QBs, rather than the traditional three, to make room for all the weapons that seem to be surrounding Manning at the moment.

Follow Jeff on Twitter @NYG_Central, and find more updates on the story as well as any Giants news at NY Giants Central, a product of Rant Sports.

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