Fantasy Football

I guess it’s appropriate that the Giants are our inaugural NFC team for our 2009 preview before any team finalizes their roster, since they’ve more or less been the face of the conference for the better part of three years, if not longer. Who else would it have been? The Seahawks? Jesus, the NFC is downright pitiable in that case, might as well relinquish the crown and hand it over to the New York team,

Anyways, the Giants have been through its share of ups (what the layman refers to as the “biggest Super Bowl upset of all time”) and downs (Tom Coughlin pissing all of his players off and accidentally running the problem children out of town, Plaxico Burress capping himself in the thigh while wearing sweatpants in a nightclub), but for the past two years they’ve managed to be the NFC’s best team, and there isn’t much reason for that to change, unless you’re an unreasonable cynic.

Fortunately and unfortunately, that’s what I tend to be when it comes to the longevity of success with NFL franchises. Forgive me, but Eli Manning is no Peyton or Tom Brady, and that’s generally what you need to exceed five years of NFL dominance. And even though there are exceptions, I don’t think this Giants team is one of them. For starters, their defense is good, great even; but it can’t hold a candle to the defenses that have gotten by with marginal quarterback play, like the Ravens and Bucs of this decade, the Bears of the 80’s and the Steelers and  of the 90’s.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a durable fantasy option, the sack machine that is their front seven can carry anyone through a season. But is it good enough to make them regular Super Bowl contenders?…I’ll say yes, but I have a hard time believing that the losses of Derrick Ward and Plaxico Burress can be filled by Hakeem Nicks (we loved the pick, but he’s six feet tall and a rookie) and something called Danny Ware.

I think Jacobs is handily a top ten back, and his productivity has been depreciated by the likes of Ward and Bradshaw, now that at least one of them is gone, he should skyrocket in value but he won’t, because he’s injury prone. And Bradshaw is a good backup but also limited if expected to start. You might as well bring Cedric Benson in at that point…if the Bengals didn’t jump on him like he was Barry fucking Sanders. This guy has a criminal record? What are we waiting for?! Go, Go, Go!

The more I ponder the question of the Giants 2009 prospects, the less encouraged I feel. This team was never particularly dominant, relied on Burress far more than they’re ever willing to admit (But they beat the Seahawks without him!) and their front seven can’t average three dozen sacks a game forever. There is obviously still plenty to like about this team, but you’re insane if you think everyone else in their conference isn’t catching up to them.

I know no one wants to believe it, but this is going to be difficult to replace.

Can’t Miss (for what one could reasonably expect): Brandon Jacobs. Yes, he’s injury prone, but so is everyone else in the league. In short, if all things are equal and he stays healthy, he could have an LDT circa 2006 season if he gets the carries. Which he will, since Eli doesn’t have a gangly 6′6 receiver to bail him out with jump balls anymore. Kevin Boss is going to be a regular target now, but is now a viable draftee at tight end. I wouldn’t want to put all my eggs in his basket (that’s not an analogy for anything, by the way), but odds are he’s sufficient enough as a starter in a 10+ league.

Tread Lightly: Eli Manning. I’m sorry, but I just don’t see him getting it done in cold weather games frequently enough, and unfortunately he plays in New York. I know he won a Super Bowl and all with them and pulled off a full highlight reel while doing so, but maybe he should have reconisdered the logistics of turning down the Chargers.

Dark Horses: The rest of the fucking roster. There isn’t much bad you can say about guys like Amani Toomer, Ahmad Bradshaw, Mario Manningham, Domenik Hixon or Hakeem Nicks; but there isn’t much good to say about them either. Assuming you don’t pick any of them before the 9th or 10th round of your draft, you’re probably getting good value, but then again the odds of any of these guys sinking like a stone is too high for not reconsidering.

The NFC is remarkably improved heading into 2009. The Saints, Packers and Bears are just three of the teams that will strongly vie for one of those playoff births that they missed last year. I’d imagine the Giants will compete for the divisional title, but if the fall asleep at the wheel and te Cowboys or Eagles manage to steal it from them, I’m not going to be the least bit surprised, and they will be left clinging to the unmerciful force of the NFL Wild Card.

Tomorrow: our Philadelphia Eagles. I use the phrase “our” in the loosest possible sense (both gramatically and emotionally).