Ron Borges

Eli Manning, more than anyone else in New York, will decide what kind of season the Giants have.

Manning faded down the stretch last season, as much from bad mechanics as from anything else. His tendency to throw off his back foot leads him to be inaccurate at times (52.8 completion percentage), especially in the red zone, where his passes sometimes end up in the wrong hands. After a solid first half, Manning imploded when the Giants needed him most, throwing four touchdown passes and 10 interceptions in the final six games. Twelve of his 17 picks came in the second half of the seasion, so he must prove that was more a statistical fluke than that defenses began to figure out his weaknesses, especially a tendency not to look defenders off, and exploited them.

Manning did lead the Giants to 11 wins and enough points to finish third in the NFL in scoring, so critics shouldn't get carried away. They will, though, because this is New York. Manning has to develop enough maturity not to get swept away with them because if he does, he'll take the Giants overboard, too.

The Giants' heavy reliance on running back Tiki Barber is dangerous but understandable. Now over 30, Barber rushed for 1,860 yards and 11 touchdowns, caught 54 passes for 530 more and showed no signs of slippage, but his body is taking a pounding. His explosiveness was made clear by his five rushes of 55 yards or more, but he is carrying a massive workload with little help behind him. There is talk of lightening that load, but we'll see how long that lasts.

Defensively, offseason moves were made to shore up a defense that finished 24th overall despite having the league's best pass rushing tandem in defensive ends in Michael Strahan (11.5 sacks) and Osi Umenyiora (14.5 sacks). GM Ernie Accorsi brought in three new defensive backs (cornerbacks Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters and safety Will Demps) and all will start in a secondary where the corners produced only two interceptions a year ago, none by the starters.

The Giants are hoping a second straight Redskins' retread will blossom in Gotham the way his predecessor did to bolster that defense. A year ago, the Giants signed middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, and he turned into a one-man run stoppage crew. With two less than stalwart tackles in front of him, Pierce was the key component in stuffing the run. Now Accorsi hopes mercurial outside linebacker LaVar Arrington will do the same and more at strongside linebacker after the ’Skins soured on the three-time Pro Bowler. Arrington can make spectacular plays, especially against the pass, but he can also freelance too often and wreck a defense.

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The Giants hope he'll combine with Strahan and Umenyiora to give them an overpowering pass rush that will help a rebuilt secondary whose starting corners did not intercept a single pass a year ago. Madison is not what he was, but he's better than Will Allen or Will Peterson. Second-year man Corey Webster needs to show the same is true of him after a year as the nickel back.

Hot seat
Eli Manning. Everything revolves around his progress. All eyes will be on him as he enters his third season, because this is the year many quarterbacks blossom. He'll have a tough matchup early against his brother, Peyton, but he won't be judged by one game. He will be judged by this season though.

Overheard
Coach Tom Coughlin believes he has to find a way to improve the team's red zone offense. The Giants scored touchdowns less than half the time they were inside the 20 (27 of 59) in 2005, and with a tougher schedule, they'll need to improve that to have an edge in what probably will be many close games. Manning is the key there. He must improve his play and find secondary receivers more often in close, where everything happens quickly. If he can't come up with ways to avoid the offense settling for field goals, it will make his life, and Coughlin's, a lot more difficult.

Outlook
As long as Barber stays healthy and doesn't appear to grow weary from all he's asked to do, the Giants should be a factor. That's especially true if Arrington responds to the challenge of the Redskins letting him leave. If the secondary improves with new faces and the pass rush becomes more nerve-wracking for opponents, it will take some heat off Manning, who won't feel he has to make so many plays. In the end, his play will decide their season because he is surrounded by good, big receivers, a stout defense and a very explosive runner. Other than more experience himself, what else could he ask for?

Prediction
Second.

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