EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Plaxico Burress' former locker at Giants Stadium stood empty Tuesday. No name tag. No belongings. No acrobatic 6-foot-6 receiver standing in front of it.

Eli Manning insists he is not worried.

"We've got a lot of weapons in this offense," Manning said. "It's going to be interesting."

Indeed, it is.

Filling the void left by starting receivers Burress and Amani Toomer remains a large obstacle. Unless the Giants bring in a veteran between now and Week 1, Manning will work with a younger, far less proven group next season, including rookies Hakeem Nicks of North Carolina and Ramses Barden of Cal Poly.

Nicks (6-1, 212) has impressive skills, and Barden (6-6, 227) has intriguing size. But only two rookie wide receivers last season had more than 700 yards receiving -- Eddie Royal of the Broncos and DeSean Jackson of the Eagles.

Asking rookie wide receivers to make a major impact might be asking too much. Putting more responsibility on Manning is not.

More will be expected from Manning in '09 -- more accuracy, more consistency, more leadership. Burress, Toomer, Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey are now all ex-Giants, so Manning's role has evolved, as Ben Roethlisberger's role has evolved in Pittsburgh. The more a quarterback grows, the bigger load he is asked to carry. Roethlisberger makes plays, not excuses. Now, more responsibility falls on Manning, and he seems eager to embrace it.

"I'm very confident in the guys we have," Manning said.

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Some believe the Giants cannot win a Super Bowl without an established big-play receiver like Anquan Boldin or Braylon Edwards. General manager Jerry Reese disagrees, and so do I.

The Steelers won the Super Bowl with only one receiver, Hines Ward, who had more than 1,000 yards receiving last season. Santonio Holmes, though, did step up in the playoffs. But the Steelers had a solid defense, a solid running game and veterans used to winning -- all attributes of the Giants, too.

As part of the '04 draft, Roethlisberger and Manning always will be compared. Roethlisberger is ahead, two Super Bowl rings to one. Roethlisberger has made the transition from being just a piece of the offense to being the unquestioned leader.

Manning now faces the same challenge. For the first time since '04, the Giants enter a season without Burress and Toomer. While Burress was the controversial star, always in the headlines, Toomer was the quiet professional, their all-time leader in receptions and a go-to guy for Manning on third down.

The Giants have a host of receivers looking to make a name for themselves, including Dominik Hixon, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, Sinorice Moss, David Tyree and the rookies. The Giants might have to go with that group. They considered trading for Boldin or Edwards during draft weekend, but Boldin wants a lot of money and the Browns want a lot for Edwards.

Asked if the Giants were near a deal for either, Reese said, "We didn't come close at all."

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When they were the best team in the NFC from September through November, the Giants thought they were on the way to winning back-to-back Super Bowls. Then Burress accidently shot himself, the team lost momentum and the chance to repeat ended with a home playoff loss to the Eagles.

The Giants' receivers are eager to prove they can succeed without Burress, to prove to Reese there is no need for reinforcements. After his memorable catch in Super Bowl 42 helped beat the Patriots, Tyree missed all of last season with an injury. He feels the competition for playing time will make all the receivers better.

"The way things have shaped out at our position with last year's starters being gone," Tyree said, "if you're not hungry enough to come in and compete, you don't have the right mindset."

Manning seems to have the right mindset, too, knowing the '09 season represents a new challenge. The Giants' receivers have something to prove, sure. But the better Manning plays, the better they will look.

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