As the new NFL season is hours upon us, there are many story lines that surely need answering. And perhaps none more than the questions at wide receiver for the New York Giants.
Since Plaxico Burress shot himself, the wideout problems for New York have fully come to light. This was especially true during the Divisional Playoff loss to the hated Philadelphia Eagles last January. That game only magnified the dearth in talent when Giants fans watched in horror as Burress’s replacement, Domenik Hixon, dropped a sure touchdown with no one near him early in the game. From then on, the Eagles simply loaded the seven-man box, focused its attention on the Giants’ vaunted rushing attack, and allowed the G-Men receivers to receive man-to-man looks, daring Eli Manning to beat them in the air. He couldn’t do it alone and the Giants’ title defense ended on that blustery Northern New Jersey day.
Fast forward to present day. Within the Giants locker room their faith is strong in their talented yet green wideouts…critics be damned! It doesn’t matter that fourth-year player Sinorice Moss is the elder statesman and more of a specialty guy [re: return man] than legit starting wideout. The opening day starters will be third-year player Steve Smith and Hixon, who’s entering his fourth season. Neither, with all due respect, strike fear into opposing defenses yet but they’re all quietly chomping at the bit to prove the doubters wrong.
Moss may not be in the regular rotation but he thinks his unit can make an impact. He bristled some at the popular perception that they’re the weak links.
“I feel to a certain degree that it’s kind of disrespectful,” Moss said. “We’ve put in the time and done what we had to do to improve and put ourselves in position to prove that we’re NFL-caliber receivers.”
Hixon has taken a more humbled approach and kind of sees where the flack is coming from. He agrees that opponents should stack the box until the passing game can show itself.
“With our running game being as strong as it is, to me it only makes sense,” Hixon said with a shrug. “But when they’re doing that, we just have to make plays on the outside.”
Giant receivers, to a man, do understand why opposing defenses key on the run but are also very confident they can make plays when their numbers are called. And leave it to stellar rookie Hakeem Nicks to show a little swagger in thinking that he and his mates can be difference makers. Nicks is either very confident or too green but he’s actually embracing all that New York has to offer its pro athletes – good and bad. The good-natured Nicks, who admittedly is “quiet and laid back by nature” really isn’t buying into all the anti-Giant-receiver hype and thinks his unit will shock some.
“I really don’t give it much thought, what other teams say about us,” Nicks said.
When asked if the laid-back Carolinian was ready for the New York “heat” Nicks chuckled and said he was confident.
“Everybody warned me about it,” he said of the fanbase’s fervor and media scrutiny. “[But] I’m just gonna be me. I think I can calm that down a little bit [with his play].”
The Giants own perhaps the league’s best offensive line, a punishing running game, a Super Bowl MVP at quarterback, and a defensive line that’s second to none. Yet, it’s up to its greenest unit to grow up quickly and make people forget about ol’ what’s his name.
