NY GIANTS The Giants went 5-0 in the preseason, but it was a soft 5-0. They led only one of those games at halftime. Somebody must finish 2nd behind the Eagles in the NFC East (the worst of the eight divisions). So there’s that. But this looks like a lesser team. ... The passing game looks completely inept. The offensive line isn’t good enough, and that probably will really result in another down year for Eli Manning. He has no mobility, so he needs good protection to perform adequately. He also might not be a good fit with this offense, which requires more quick decisions and throws. New offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, who came over from Green Bay, says he’d like to...
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... get Manning up around 70 percent completions. That simply isn’t going to happen. Manning has never completed 63 percent in an NFL season, and he’s been under 60 percent the last two years. In the preseason he completed only 20 of 41 -- 49 percent. Manning is best suited for more of a Norv Turner type offense, holding the ball longer and trying long shots downfield. But in this offense, they’ve got him throwing a lot more dumpoff balls. He averaged only 9.4 yards per completion in the preseason. We want no part of Manning or the passing game. ... The running game, on the other hand, looks surprisingly good, which is odd considering the same lesser line is in place. Both Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams averaged over 5.0 yards per carry in the exhibition games. Not that the Giants are going to make it 2008 again; that was the year the team had two 1,000-yard rushers (Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward). But Jennings and Williams should be an effective combo. Jennings is definitely the starter, and he’ll be a much bigger part of the passing game. In this offense, he might catch 40 passes. Williams might get almost as many carries, and he should be the weapon of choice in goal-line situations. ... New York selected Odell Beckham with the 12th pick of the draft, and maybe he’ll be a great player someday. But for 2014 he might not start a game all year. Beckham has sat out almost all summer with a hamstring injury, and there are three capable receivers ahead of him. Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle and Jerrel Jernigan. Those guys are all good players. Jernigan played well enough late last year that it was a surprise (we thought) when the Giants selected Beckham rather than addressing their offensive line with Zack Martin, who ended up at Dallas four picks later. For this season, we expect Beckham probably will used primarily as a kick returner. New York put Trindon Holliday on injured reserve, so it needs somebody dangerous who can handle returns. ... The Giants are going with Larry Donnell at tight end, at least for now. He’s a nominal receiving threat, and the team doesn’t seem sold on him. He started the first three preseason games, but in the last two (including the dress rehearsal game) they instead went with Kellen Davis working with the first-unit offense. Now Davis has been cut, so it should be back to Donnell. They’ve also got Daniel Fells and Adrien Robinson, but none of these guys are going to put up viable numbers. The eventual starter could be a player not currently on the roster. ... Corey Washington was one of the surprise performers of the preseason, catching 10 passes for 155 yards and 4 TDs. (He’s one of the guys who helped the team go undefeated in the exhibition games, even while the first unit was being outplayed every week.) But Washington doesn’t look likely to ever develop into a starter. He doesn’t seem to be fast enough. In the preseason, he caught a 73-yard touchdown against Buffalo when a defensive back fell down while misplaying a long ball. Washington’s other 9 catches went for only 82 yards. We haven’t seen enough evidence that he can get separation and make plays downfield. On a team loaded with wide receivers, he looks unlikely to get on the field this season.