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New York
GIANTS
2002 Record: 10-6
Head Coach: Jim Fassel
54-41-1 overall, 2-3 postseason
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TEAM LEADERS
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Passing
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Kerry Collins
335-545, 4,073 yards, 19 TDs, 14 INTs
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Rushing
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Tiki Barber
304 carries, 1,387 yards, 11 TDs
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Receiving
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Amani Toomer
82 catches, 1,343 yards, 8 TDs
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Kicking
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Matt Bryant
26-32 FGs, 30-32 PATs, 108 points
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Schedule | Roster |
Statistics | Stadium
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By B. Duane Cross, SI.com
Does any team fly under the national radar more than the Giants? Granted, the G-Men did not sign a marquee free agent, but Jim Fassel did a commendable job at plugging holes. Even the release of CB Jason Sehorn didn't create a stir, but that may have more to do with what little Mr. Angie Harmon has left in his tank.
The players New York did add -- notably return specialist Brian Mitchell, P Jeff Feagles and K Mike Hollis -- speak volumes to where the Giants stand offensively and defensively. Special teams were the team's top priority during the offseason, and Fassel gets good reviews for those three signings.
Kerry Collins' career is reaching the level many thought it would before he self-destructed in Carolina and New Orleans, and Tiki Barber is the back Ron Dayne was supposed to be. Toss in second-year TE Jeremy Shockey and the NFL's sixth-ranked offense looks poised for even bigger things.
Defensively, the Giants weren't slackers, coming in at No. 9 (though the No. 16 ranking against the run is a concern). New York's first two draft picks -- DT William Joseph and DE Osi Umenyiora -- will be counted on to contribute in Year 1, but there's plenty of help to curb the youngsters' learning curves.
In the last six games of 2002, including the playoff loss at San Francisco, New York averaged 30.8 points game. Those should be numbers to get the Giants some national recognition, even if no one else notices.
RB Brian Mitchell -- Special teams can make or break a season (of course, Giants fans already know this). The addition of Mitchell -- especially from a division rival -- gives New York and upper hand against the Eagles and Cowboys. The Redskins' Chad Morton gives Washington a push in this department.
Mitchell turns 35 in August, and it is a tribute to his skill that the Giants would give him a four-year, $3.55 million deal. He's coming off a season in which he averaged 12.3 yards on punt returns and a career-best 27 yards on kick returns.
OLs Jason Whittle and Mike Rosenthal -- Losing 40 percent of an offensive line is never a good thing. Too many times the men in the trenches are overlooked, but if Tiki Barber struggles this season, look no further than here.
Whittle started 14 games (the most during his five-year career) and left for Tampa Bay, while Rosenthal started all 16 games last year and signed with the Vikings.
RB Tiki Barber -- He had his best rushing season as a pro last year, going for 1,387 yards and 11 TDs, and adding 69 catches for 597 yards. His receiving skills are what made him valuable in the past (even if he has just one TD catch in the past three seasons), but he finally put it all together as a runner. It helped that the Giants pretty much gave up on Ron Dayne and let Barber run wild. He got 20 or more carries six times in the final eight games, allowing him to pile up the yardage and TDs (seven in that span). Barber is now entrenched as the starting running back, which should mean consistent numbers of carries and plenty of looks at the ball.
WR Ike Hilliard -- He's never broken 1,000 yards for a season, but he had been good for about 50-55 catches and about six or seven TDs the past couple of seasons. However, he played only seven games last season because of a shoulder injury and finished with just two scores. While he should be healthy heading into this season, Amani Toomer has become the main go-to receiver with Ron Dixon slowly developing as an alternative.
RB Dorsey Levens -- While Dayne appears to be on the outs in New York, the Giants did add versatile veteran Levens to the mix in the offseason. Like Barber, Levens is a great runner and receiver, although he has been used primarily as a backup since the 2000 season. He would be a great fill-in should Barber get injured because of his similar skills.
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>> Giants will make the playoffs because ...
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Kerry Collins continues his career revival while Tiki Barber reminds fans that 2000's first-round draft pick is wasting away.
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>> Giants will miss the playoffs because ...
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This defense isn't that good -- is it?. The Giants ranked ninth last year, but were middle of the pack (16th) against the run.
| 2003 Draft Picks |
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| Rd. |
Pick |
Player |
Pos. |
School |
| 1 |
25 (25) |
William Joseph |
DT |
Miami (Fla.) |
| 2 |
24 (56) |
Osi Umenyiora |
DE |
Troy State |
| 3 |
27 (91) |
Vishante Shiancoe |
TE |
Morgan State |
| 4 |
26 (123) |
Rod Babers |
CB |
Texas |
| 5 |
25 (160) |
David Diehl |
OG |
Illinois |
| 6 |
26 (199) |
Willie Ponder |
WR |
SE Missouri |
| 6 |
34 (207) |
Frank Walker |
CB |
Tuskegee |
| 6 |
38 (211) |
David Tyree |
WR |
Syracuse |
| 7 |
26 (240) |
Charles Drake |
S |
Michigan |
| 7 |
35 (249) |
Wayne Lucier |
C |
Colorado |
| 7 |
41 (255) |
Kevin Walter |
WR |
E. Michigan |
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