The Giants’ 5-0 start to the 2009 regular season seems almost as long ago as David Tyree’s catch. After going 3-8 to end the regular season last year, there are more questions than answers for Big Blue. Beyond knowing Eli Manning will start at quarterback, and Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw will be taking care of the running game, the Giants have some serious issues with the exit of Antonio Pierce and a defense that gave up 142 points in the final four games of the regular season.

If the Giants are going to bounce back from their very poor end to last season, it is going to start and end with their defense. Questions surround newly acquired cornerback Antrel Rolle, who came from a secondary in Arizona where he was a young talent mixed in with a much different bunch of guys than the Giants will surround him with. Both Kenny Phillips and Corey Webster will get some relief in the secondary with the addition of Rolle, but the front four will have to be the reason why this secondary succeeds next season. With the drafting of Jason Pierre-Paul, and hopefully getting a healthy Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka for all 16 games next season, the Giants’ defense should get back to their 2008 Super Bowl dominance.

This Giants defense will be extremely tested in the first week of the season, facing the Carolina Panthers’ running back duo of DeAnglo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, who helped Carolina beat the Giants 41-9 in the Giants’ last game at the Meadowlands, ending their playoff chances last season. The Giants’ defense will also have to face Peyton Manning’s Colts and Chris Johnson’s Titans in the first 3 weeks of the season, which is no small task with Peyton being a 2-time NFL MVP and Johnson breaking Marshall Faulks’ single season yards from scrimmage record last season. Looking at next seasons schedule, you quickly see the possible struggle ahead for this talented group, but what must be seen is the opportunity. With no division games until week 7 at the Dallas Cowboys (and a bye in week 8), the Giants have a chance to get a head start on the season and this time finish it the right way.

Antonio Pierce – a stronghold at the MLB position for the Giants during the last 5 years, officially retired from football on Thursday, and will join ESPN as an analyst. When Pierce fell to injury last season, the Giants defense suffered tremendously – from a lack of leadership, and a lack of strong tackling prescence in the linebacking corps. Coming into the offseason, the Giants had one giant gap to fill in thier defense, and that was not on the line or in the secondary, but in their linebackers. Pierce was released, leaving their defensive captain and starting middle linebacker position to be filled by mostly unproven players. The Giants signed former Atlanta Falcon Michael Boley, which was a start – but still only meant one proven linebacker, on the weak side.  Former Arizona Cardinal Karlos Dansby looked like a promising option, until he signed with the Miami Dolphins. The NFL Draft came and went, and GM Jerry Reese missed out on shoring up the linebacking corps – waiting until the 4th round to select Phillip Dillard.

So now the G-Men have to find an able starting Middle Linebacker amongst a group of familiar, yet unproven players. Jonathan Goff started the last five games for the Giants – so he has some experience. But, in those five games the Giants allowed a total of 149 points in those five games. Chase Blackburn has been  a stable on kickoffs and special teams, as well as a fan favorite, but hasn’t played in big games. Phillip Dillard has to learn the defense first, before he can command it from a central position. Gerris Wilkinson, one of the main competitors for the starting job, has started 7 games for the Giants over his career, and thinks he can gain the starting job. In an interview with Michael Fensom of the Star-Ledger, Wilkinson said this after being asked what his goals were this season:

To be the starting MIKE (middle) linebacker. I want to go to the Pro Bowl, man. That’s a personal goal that I have: to be a Pro Bowler. I have some very specific tackle goals … 100. If I start everything else will take care of itself, though. That’s the main goal: just to be the starting MIKE linebacker.

Wilkinson has the drive of a competitor, and is promising for Giants fans who are skeptical about how a defense that was destroyed down the stretch can bounce back to their super bowl form. Perry Fewell, the new defensive coordinator, is hopefully an upgrade over last seasons atrocious defensive schemes and lack of blitzing and pressure, that former defensive co-ordinator Steve Spagnoulo lived on. When camp starts on August 1st, the Giants need someone on the defense to step up and fill the gap in the middle of the defense, and also Pierce’s leadership – a priceless intangible that so many times is looked over at the proffessional level.

Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger has reported that the Giants have cut veteran linebacker Antonio Pierce. Pierce had one year remaining on his contract and missed the second half of the 2009 season due to a bulging disk in his neck. 

Pierce told Garafolo, “Looking forward to endless possibilities. Loved every moment as a NY Giants.”

Garafolo believes Pierce’s injury factored into the Giants decision.

The Giants linebacking corps needs to be overhauled. They need to get some fresh, youthful players in there. With the 15th pick in the draft, I’d like to see the Giants select Brandon Spikes, a middle linebacker from Florida.

Pat Hanlon of the New York Giants has reported that linebacker Antonio Pierce is out indefinitely with a bulging disc in his neck. The Giants have ruled Pierce out for Sunday’s game against the Falcons. An MRI revealed the bulging disk today. The initial injury dates back to the Giants game against the Cardinals on October 25.

Pierce said in a statement released by the Giants, “I’m shocked with what I heard from the doctors this afternoon. I had no idea that what happened a few weeks ago could keep me off the field. I didn’t think it was that serious. I’m going to do everything the doctors tell me to do so I can get back out on the field as soon as possible.”

Aaron Ross is back and should be active this Sunday. Ross injured his hamstring back in August and has reinjured it a couple of times trying to work back. Ross was practicing as a safety with the second-team defense this week.

Eli Manning yelled at Ahmad Bradshaw after Bradshaw missed a block in pass protection. Very un-Eli like.

Drew Brees torched the Giants secondary for 369 yards and four touchdowns.

“At this level, if you’re going to stop the pass, you’ve got to get pressure,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “You’ve got to force the quarterback not to throw it on his tempo.”

“Yeah, I didn’t see this game coming. I didn’t see 48 points,” Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce said. “And I didn’t see Drew Brees being able to complete passes at the rate he was completing them.”

Osi Umenyiora said, “It’s still early in the season and anything can happen. I’m just real happy this happened to us now, rather than later. Because later would’ve been a real disaster.”

It’s time for the New York Giants to buckle up the chin straps.  The Giants have done all the right things in order to get their staff and players focused on football.  Getting rid of the distractions will allow everyone in the Giants organization to focus on the game and working to improve their football team.  All of the off-field nonsense has been taken care of smartly by Giants brass.  They got rid of the controversial Plaxico Burress and his legal issues, they let Antonio Pierce address the media about his legal issue and then put an end to it there, and they reportedly have reached a contract extension with their franchise quarterback, Eli Manning.   

The Giants don’t want these issues to linger during camp and into the regular season.  They want to cut the distractions out and focus on playing football.  I know the Giants signed some players this offseason who have had some legal troubles in the past but I don’t foresee a problem with them.  The organization has handled sticky situations well and should be rewarded with a strong team effort in the upcoming season.