To identify the problem lets first look at the current staff of receivers the Giants have to work with. After the departure of long time Giant receiver, Amani Toomer, the Giants are left with very little experience at the receiver position. The most proven of the remaining receivers is third year man, and former USC standout, Steve Smith. While Smith has been very consistant for the Giants, I don't think he is a No. 1 type receiver. He works good in the slot position.
Next would be second year man Mario Manningham who the Giants decided to take a chance with in the third round of the draft last year. Manningham was a celebrated receiver during his time at Michigan, but an injury-plagued rookie season prevented Manningham from proving himself to Giants coaches and fans alike. It should also be noted that this is the same receiver that scored a six on the NFL's Wonderlic test, an I.Q. equivalent of 72. Though, again, he did prove he could be a big time receiver, during his time at Michigan. Lets just hope that carries over to the NFL.
Besides these two hopefuls, the Giants really don't have much else at the receiver position. Sure, they have Super Bowl XLII hero David Tyree still, but he was also plagued with injuries last season. And frankly, he hasn't really done much as a receiver outside of that one game. Domenik Hixon is another name to throw in the mix. He played quite well when Burress was still an active member of the team, but when the Giants called on him to fill in for Burress, Hixon wasn't able to perform at the level he was being asked to.
Because of these problems, the Giants have been the subject of plenty trade talks this offseason to fill that top receiver void. Among the receivers that are being discussed are Cleveland's Braylon Edwards and Arizona's Anquan Boldin. As Much as I appreciate Boldin's toughness - I think he's one of the toughest S.O.B's in the NFL, and as much as I realize that Edwards has serious problems with dropping passes, I think Edwards would be a better fit for the Giants.
When I think of Anquan Boldin, I think of 2005 - one of my favorite years of football. Shaun Alexander had set the then NFL record for the most touchdowns in a season with 28. And fellow teammate and one of my personal favorite receivers, Joe Jurevicius, had an NFL's fifth best 10 receiving touchdowns. The Cardinals were still in their old stadium - Sun Devil Stadium - that they shared with Arizona State. The stadium was almost empty every game because of the team's consistant poor level of play and heat. This October day would have been a brisk autumn one if it were just about anywhere other than the unforgiving heat of Arizona. The Cardinals were facing the Carolina Panthers. Boldin lined up wide left. The ball was hiked by then quarterback Josh "Tears of" McCown (as Chris Berman likes to call him) and he hit Boldin across the middle. Boldin then continued cutting across the field before turning up field and shoulder charging head-on, and absolutely destroying, a Panthers defensive back before reaching the endzone for a touchdown. This is easily one of the most dominating single plays I have ever seen in my 15 or so years following football. The one problem with Boldin is he runs his mouth sometimes. He is not the ideal team player. The Giants don't need anymore off field problems at the receiver position.
Now, when I think of Braylon Edwards, sure, drops are one of the first thing that come to mind. Edwards has been among the top receivers in the dropped passes categories for the past two years. This past season he tied for first in the NFL with the Colts' Dallas Clark with 12 drops. Once you get past the drops, Edwards has proven that he can be an elite receiver in the NFL. In the 2007 season, Edwards went for 1289 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns, which may have been less impressive to some due to Randy Moss' ridiculous 1493 yards and 23 touchdowns that season. And Edwards has not had any trouble with the law or any team conflicts since being drafted 3rd overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2005 NFL Draft. The only off field news I've heard involving Edwards has been about his various acts of charity work. The Giants would be getting a top receiver in the game without the off-the-field problems. Wouldn't that be nice?
Boldin and Edwards clearly aren't the only options the Giants have, though. There has been the idea of former Colts receiver Marvin Harrison signing with the Giants, but I don't see Harrison being the top receiver the Giants are looking for. Don't get me wrong, Harrison was great in his prime, but his career is slowly fading. I don't see him being in the NFL too much longer.
If none of these options work out, the Giants will have the draft to work with. However, this will be much more difficult to work with. The Giants first selection doesn't come until late in the first round with the 29th overall pick. One name that has been thrown around at this selection by draft analysts has been North Carolina's Hakeem Nicks. I don't think holding on to this pick is a wise idea. The only rookie receiver that would help the Giants get back to their pre-Burress incident of last season is Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree. I know not every prospect with his high level of hype works out - Ryan Leaf - but Crabtree's play in his two seasons at Texas Tech makes me confident that he will work out in the NFL. His 3,127 yards and 41 touchdowns (1,922 yards and 22 touchdowns in his freshman year, 1,165 yards and 19 touchdowns in his sophomore year) remind me of another two-year college receiver - Marshall's own, and aforementioned, Randy Moss. Though, Crabtree doesn't have the same off field troubles that Moss had during his college career - being let go by Notre Dame and Florida State because of behavioral issues. What's more impressive about Crabtree is who he put these numbers up against. Crabtree was on a Texas Tech team that was ranked nationally all of his sophomore year, playing several of Division I's best teams, while Randy Moss played at Marshall, which at the time was a Division I-AA school. And it's hard not to picture Crabtree's amazing display of athleticism in Texas Tech's last second win against Texas when you hear his name. You know the play. The near-endzone camera angle showing Crabtree in his pure black uniform grab the ball on the left sidelines, keep his feet in bounds, turn upfield, remain in bounds as if he is on a tightrope while shrugging off a Texas defensive back who is trying to pull him out of bounds and run in for the game winning touchdown. Yeah, that one.
Despite all that Crabtree can be in the NFL as a receiver, the best course of action for the Giants would be to trade for Braylon Edwards. The rumored asking price for Edwards is a first and third round pick. The Giants have five picks in the first three rounds (an extra second round pick coming from the Saints, part of the Jeremy Shockey trade last summer and a compensatory selection in the third round), so parting ways with a first and third round pick isn't too much to give up for a proven elite receiver. If Braylon Edwards isn't a Giant after the draft, then it is very likely that the Giants won't see the success they experienced during the early part of last season.
On another note, during my time writing this, the big news surrounding football has been John Madden's retirement from broadcasting. Madden has contributed a lot to football as a player, a Hall of Fame coach, a commentator and what is most influential to my generation, the Madden NFL videogame series. I have been a big fan of the series for a while now; though, I also enjoyed the ESPN football games as well. Thinking of this made me remember two "Madden: Next Gen" Commercials. I will leave you with these:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/5542.html
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/5541.html
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