Giants Team Report

Posted: June 30, 2008
Paul Schwartz
For Sporting News

PERSONNEL ANALYSIS: With the signing of RG Chris Snee to a six-year, $43.5 million contract extension, the Giants are in a rare and desirable situation with their offensive line. Barring injury, the unit consisting of David Diehl, Rich Seubert, Shaun O'Hara, Snee and Kareem McKenzie are signed at least through the 2011 season. All are in the prime of their career and remained healthy last season. Incredibly, four of the five started every game and O'Hara missed just one start during the regular season. ...

It appears as if the Giants will not bring any pure long snapper to training camp, meaning they are content to roll the dice again with a tandem of DT Jay Alford snapping for punts and LB Zak DeOssie snapping for extra points. That formula experienced many growing pains last season and certainly was not popular with K Lawrence Tynes and P Jeff Feagles, who had to rely on a pair of rookies to get the ball back to them. Unless a snapper can be developed from within the roster, Alford and DeOssie will be called on again to handle a job best suited to one player.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: Last summer, TE Darcy Johnson was in the process of putting himself in position to earn a roster spot when he went down with a season-ending knee injury. Johnson showed steady improvement on the practice squad in 2006 and after a full year of rehab, he is not only healthy but much bigger, making him more attractive to the coaching staff. Johnson (6-5, 270) added nearly 20 pounds of muscle and will report to training camp looking every bit like a blocking tight end. The roster has a pair of pass-catching tight ends in Jeremy Shockey (if he's not traded) and Kevin Boss and the No. 3 spot is designated for a player who primarily is adept at blocking. Johnson's increased size makes him a natural for that job description. His main competition in camp will come from Michael Matthews, who filled that role as a rookie last season and played reasonably well despite frequent shoulder problems.

SCOUTING REPORT: Last season, RB Reuben Droughns was not the factor in the running game that the Giants envisioned, mainly because of the combined efforts of Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw. Droughns found himself in the unfamiliar role of short-yardage back and although he did rush for a team-high six touchdowns he was not very effective in picking up first downs. With Ward returning from a broken leg and Bradshaw expected to fill a larger role in his second season, Droughns will be hard-pressed to find many meaningful carries. He may be asked to carry the load again in short-yardage situations and if he is not impressive in the summer, or if youngster Danny Ware shows enough to impress the coaching staff, Droughns could find himself on the outside looking in when it comes to determining the final roster.