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Carolina Panthers vs. New York Giants
Betting Odds: Giants -6.5 O/U 41
By
John J. Raspanti
9/12/10
The Panthers invade New Jersey to take on the G-men. Both teams are coming off
disappointing seasons and desperately want to get off to a good start. The
Giants have Eli Manning at quarterback who's coming off his best season
statistically. Manning threw 27 touchdown passes last year and is rarely
called Peyton's little brother anymore. He's poised and prepared but does he
have enough help to get the job done? Both teams have a Smith at wide receiver. Steve
Smith of the Giants grabbed 107 passes last year in a season that surprised
many. Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks are reliable as is tight end Kevin Bass.
The running game
was lacking last year and has a big question mark hanging over
it. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw struggled all year but I think they will
run the ball a bit better this year.
Matt Moore took over for a struggling quarterback Jake Delhomme last year and
proceeded to lead the team to victories over New York and New Orleans. His mobility
and decision making were a big improvement over Delhomme who seemed to be
forcing the ball all year. There is some pressure on Moore to get off to a good
start as rookie Jimmy Clauson is breathing down his neck. Moore has the other
Steve Smith to throw to and Smith can take over a game at times. Last season
Smith caught 65 balls for 982 yards in what was considered an average season for
him.
RB's Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams have to take the pressure off the
passing game. Stewart and Williams each had over 1,100 yards rushing and
combined for 17 TD's. Look for Stewart and Williams to continue their good play.
The question mark surrounding the Giants is their defense. New York signed
free-agent safety Antrel Rolle away from Arizona to help shore up a weak
secondary, while accomplished veteran Keith Bulluck was signed in July in an
effort to bolster a shaky linebacker corps. They also brought Perry Fewell as
their new defensive coordinator. Fewell brings a lot of energy and passion to
the job as well as a record as a coordinator.
The Panthers lost sack artist Julius Peppers to the Bears in the offseason. Jon
Beason, Thomas Davis, and Chris Gamble are all very good players. The Panthers
have some solid corners but still the question is...how much will they miss
Peppers? The Panthers were 22nd against the run last year and it looks like they
will go even further backwards in 2010. All in all this team will have 36 new
faces on their roster for 2010-2011. John Fox is a good coach, but he'll have
his work cut out for him this year. In fact, this is the last year of his
contract, and considering the last 4 years have seen just one winning season,
with two years at 8-8 and another year at 7-9, Mr. Fox could find himself on the
outside looking in when all is said and done.
The Giants are the better team here. Despite the fact that the Panthers have
given the Giants fits in big games over the years, we think the Giants win their
first regular season game at the new Giants Stadium in a big way. Lay it.
Giants -6.5