In preparation of the 2006 NFL season, the Giants sized up another defensive liability with the release of CB Will Peterson. With the addition of R.W. McQuarters, and Sam Madison, the Giants ended the reign of the two Wills in their defense backfield. While Will Allen wasnt re-signed due to his incompetence against some of the better WRs in the NFL, Will Peterson was cut for other reasons. With a bright future and a promising rookie season, Peterson was unable to stay on the field for most of his career with the Giants, which ultimately culminated with Peterson appearing in less than three games in the 2005-06 season. After the embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Carolina Panthers, which exposed the Giants defensive backfield weaknesses, which was its depth, the Giants have essentially cleaned house in the backfield. Will Allen, Will Peterson, Brent Alexander, and thankfully, Terrell Buckley are all gone from the team. The Giants addressed these defensive liabilities by signing Sam Madison, R.W. McQuarters, Will Demps, and Quentin Harris. Will Demps will complement Gibril Wilson, a budding impact player at safety, very well. Demps is considered to be one of the smartest, and hardest-working players in the NFL, a perfect fit for the Giants and Tom Coughlins system. Although Brent Alexander provided great leadership skills at safety the past year, his age and lack of mobility hurt the Giants coverage, which will instantly be improved upon with the signing of Demps. Sam Madison will immediately assume the role as #1 CB for the Giants. Madison is an established veteran who will immediately provide some more turnovers for the Giants, something that Will Allen failed to do so. Allen was always better than any teams #2 WR, but he was often looked upon as a weakness, matched up against a teams #1 WR. Giants fans can only hope that Madison will intercept a couple of more balls than what Allen was able to do, which was very little. Corey Webster will probably assume the role of #2 CB, as he displayed some signs of promise in his rookie season. R.W. McQuarters and Curtis DeLoatch arent bad #3 and #4 CBs either, for the Giants. For the Giants to go deep into the playoffs, and even win the Super Bowl, the defensive backs will be relied upon heavily. Their burden will be lessened with the addition of LaVar Arrington, who is regarded to be one of the premier linebackers and pass rushers in the game. Throw him into the mix of Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan, two Pro-Bowl defensive ends, and you have the best pass rush in all of the NFL. With the upgrades made to the front seven of the Giants, there are no excuses this year for the DBs, as they must step up for the Giants. |
