The first pre-season game for Big Blue is tonight against Carolina which means football season has officially begun in New York…. Or at least its beginning for the New York Giants.

Football has been back for a while now in New York but it has been the Jets who have made most of the pre-season headlines.  That is just what Rex Ryan wants. But Giant fans don’t really care what Rex Ryan wants.

It would be foolish and pointless to break down every single player and position at this point because it is too early to tell anything and with the lockout, more injuries could be expected this year.

So I’m going to keep things really general about the Giants and I will take you through the whirlwind of emotions you should expect to feel this year. Feel free to refer to this post as much as you want throughout the year so that way you don’t need to get angrier than expected.

Let us start with the record. The Giants will go 8-8. I say that as if I am some sort of “future-predicting wizard” but it is in fact just a predcition.

It is also important we keep in mind common trends with the Giants and that we expect the same trends to continue. It feels like year after year, the Giants get off to a hot start, have a bye, and then “collapse” at the end of the season.

This could quite possibly happen yet again this year. But keep in mind it will not be a “collapse” at the end of the year but more of a “fluke” at the beginning of the year. The reality though, is the schedule gets harder at the end of the year, so it will seem like a collapse. But many Giants fans aren’t going into the year with a lot of confidence because the team is not that good. So wins in the beginning of the season might seem like a “pleasant surprise” but all it is, is an easy schedule.

Lets take a look along with my prediction of the outcome:

@WAS – Win

STL – Win

@PHI – Loss

@ARI – Win

SEA – Win

BUF – Win

BYE

MIA- Win

@NE – Loss

@SF – Win

PHI – Loss

@NO – Loss

GB – Loss

@DAL – Loss

WAS – Win

@NYJ – Loss

Dallas – Loss

So as you can see you will begin the season ecstatic trying to prove to your best friend who is a Jet fan that he was wrong and to football fans everywhere that they were wrong because the Giants are 6-2. But you shouldn’t do that because that 4 game losing streak in the second half of the season will have you calling in sick from work and trying to avoid everyone you know at the end of the year. So just enjoy the 6-2 start quietly.

At the end of the year you will also be calling for Tom Coughlin’s job again because the Giants “collapsed” and didn’t come through at the end of the year. But as I do every year, I will defend Tom Coughlin because he is one of the most intelligent coaches in football and it is hard to imagine anyone to replace him. Tom Coughlin was the coach when the Giants beat Bill Belichick and the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl. Sure it took some luck such as a career special teamer catching a ball on his helmet, but credit goes out to the coach too. I don’t care what teams do what this year. Tom Coughlin regardless of the Giants success is one of the best coaches in the NFL.

And last but not least, you may experience some excitement throughout the year. Some young guys may surprise you. Victor Cruz, a Umass alum, is getting a lot of attention from people for some reason. I think he is talented and we’ll see how much playing time he gets. With Nicks, Manningham and Hixon in the mix, I don’t understand how Victor Cruz can get a lot of opportunities. But he will get opportunities I am sure and you may like what you see from him. So you can look forward to the future.

Kenny Ingram is a young linebacker who has stood out at times in training camp so maybe you will like what you see out of him too. I’m not sure how much playing time Mark Herzlich will see, but that man was an unstoppable force in college before his cancer scare. If he can get back to that, and show it at the NFL level, that will excite fans too.

That excitement will mix with frustration though. Eli Manning will throw interceptions, and Jacobs and Bradshaw will fumble the football. So when these happen, don’t punch any holes in any walls. Just remember that I told you so.

So just to sum everything up:

The Giants will get off to a hot start due to a favorable schedule, but you need to celebrate quietly because the tough second half will send you into a depressed and angered state. Don’t blame Tom Coughlin because it isn’t his fault. Don’t be angry at Jerry Reese either. I don’t know why it has been a quiet off-season but nobody drafts like Jerry Reese does. He seems to know what he’s doing. Expect a down year, expect more signings/trades next year, and expect the young guys you get excited about this year to really step it up next year. You should also expect turnovers and possibly some more penalties with a revamped offensive line.

If for some reason the Giants finish with under 8 wins (and key players are NOT injured) I will consider re-thinking my opinion on Coughlin. But chances are it is the multiple interceptions, fumbles, and awful linebacking corp that will hurt the Giants and result in under 8 wins. Tom Coughlin has no control over any of those things. Hopefully the Giants can split with the Eagles and/or Cowboys and maybe pull out a win against the Jets and get themselves between 9 and 11 wins which would be a nice surprise.

Just remember:

In Week 9 –>

In Week 17 –>

Expect it.