The Giants' locker room was bracing for big changes after the way their miserable 2009 ended. Big Blue wasn't even competitive in its final two games. Their owner was furious. Management could've torn apart everything and nobody would've blinked.
Yet as angry as he was, as embarrassed as football jersey
he was, Jerry Reese refused to join the panic.
"We were 8-8," the Giants GM said. "Not 1-15."
Maybe that's true, but what hovers over the 2010 season is the fact that the Giants' 8-8 record "felt a lot more like 2-14" to co-owner John Mara - a record that would cost most GMs and coaches their jobs. Still, before training camp began, Mara told the Daily News that he had faith in both Reese and coach Tom Coughlin. And he insisted that neither of them would be on "the hot seat" this year.
But it's hard to imagine that another embarrassing season won't cause him to change his mind. Even the players admit that a shake-up could be in order if they flop again this season. But barring a disaster, the Giants are still a young team with most of their key players signed to long-term contracts.
If all goes well, the championship window for this group could still be open for years to come. "I think we're still young," said defensive end Justin Tuck. "I think we've got a few more years together here. After a while, yes, the window will close. But I think Minnesota Vikings jersey
our organization did a great job of bringing in new people, new faces."
"We brought in youth," added defensive tackle Barry Cofield. "And as long as you continue to build through the draft, stay healthy, and you have that franchise quarterback, the window's not closing on us."
That quarterback, of course, is Eli Manning, who despite last year's team struggles is coming off his finest statistical season, with career highs in yards (4,021), touchdowns (27) and completion percentage (62.3). He also is only 29 years old and signed through 2015. And the Giants are convinced he's the biggest piece to any championship puzzle.
"Honestly, when you have a franchise quarterback like we have, I think that window stays open for a while," Cofield said. "I think this is a quarterback-driven league. As long as we have a guy like Eli healthy I think we're going to be competitive."
And it's not as if Manning is all the Giants have. They have a talented group of receivers, led by the 25-year-old Steve Smith, who is the elder statesman. Their top two running backs (Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw) are 28 and 24. The oldest player on Dallas Cowboys jersey
their vaunted defensive line is Rocky Bernard (31). The oldest player in their secondary is Deon Grant (31). And no one else is older than 28 at either position.
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