<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>2007 season recap Getting hot at the right time: Entering Week 16, the Giants were in danger of not even making the playoffs. After they fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter at Buffalo their playoff hopes looked even bleaker. Then something clicked. They scored 17 unanswered points in the second quarter and went on to beat the Bills. They then almost dropped the Patriots in Week 17, before making a remarkable run through the postseason and winning the rematch against the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Training camp Location: University at Albany, Albany, NY Dates: July 25-Aug. 17 Official Site: www.giants.com For more: Training camp dates 2008 preseason schedule Date Opponent Time Aug. 7 at Detroit 7 p.m. ET Aug. 18 Cleveland 8 p.m. ET Aug. 22 at New York Jets 7 p.m. ET Aug. 28 New England 7 p.m. ET Key comings and goings Veteran additions David Carr, QB Danny Clark, LB Sammy Knight, S Veteran departures Kawika Mitchell, LB Michael Strahan, DE Reggie Torbor, LB Gibril Wilson, S » Free agency tracker | Transactions 2008 NFL Draft class Rd No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. School 1 31 Kenny Phillips FS 6-2 208 Miami (Fla.) 2 63 Terrell Thomas CB 6-1 198 Southern California 3 95 Mario Manningham WR 6-0 181 Michigan 4 123 Bryan Kehl OLB 6-2 242 BYU 5 165 Jonathan Goff LB 6-2 245 Vanderbilt 6 198 Andre Woodson QB 6-5 224 Kentucky 6 199 Robert Henderson DE 6-3 278 Southern Mississippi Key camp questions Can last year's rookies build on their playoff success? All but one of the Giants' eight 2007 draft picks became significant contributors during the team's stunning Super Bowl run. Training camp will be a vital proving ground for those players to show that they are ready to play at their playoff level for an entire season. None of the rookies was ready at the start of last season to play a major role and the Giants were able to allow them to ease into the season due to their depth. This year, they will need the second-year players to show their maturation in training camp as they will have more pressure to be immediately productive given their heightened prominence on the team. Is Kiwanuka fully recovered from his broken leg? The Giants lost starting linebackers Kawika Mitchell and Reggie Torbor to free agency in the offseason and did not add any replacements. That puts the onus on Mathias Kiwanuka to come back strong from the season-ending leg injury he suffered in Week 11 last season. In his third year, Kiwanuka has yet to be the dominant force the Giants envision him to be, but he has shown glimpses of his talent and has the ability to be a force. Training camp is Kiwanuka's time to demonstrate not only that he is completely healthy, but that he is ready to fulfill his immense potential. What will come of the Jeremy Shockey saga? The Pro Bowl tight end is unhappy with his contract and role in the offense. The Giants went on their Super Bowl run without him after he suffered a broken leg in Week 15, so they are in no rush to accomodate all of his demands. Shockey skipped voluntary offseason practices and though he attended the team's mandatory minicamp, he refused to take part. There was talk at draft time that the Giants were considering trading Shockey to the Saints. What all of this leads to is a potentially distracting standoff at training camp. As long as the drama remains unresolved, the situation could cast a cloud over training camp. NFL.com columnist Thomas George says the Giants have the leverage, but if the issue becomes too untenable, they may be forced to make a move. Giants offensive lineman Shaun O'Hara seemed less concerned with the situation when he spoke with NFL.com, saying "Once he gets healthy, once he gets out onto the field and can play football, everything else will take care of itself. " Key position battle CB Sam Madison vs. CB Corey Webster: The veteran Madison was the starter for the final 15 games of the regular season before suffering an abdominal injury in Week 17. He did not play in the Giants' first two playoff victories and when he did return in the NFC Championship Game, it was as Webster's backup. Webster on the other hand, started Week 1 before losing his job to Madison for poor performance. He got the job back in the playoffs due to Madison's injury and was great in four postseason starts. Now, Madison appears to have the starting spot back, but if Webster is able to continue his strong postseason play in training camp, he may win the job from Madison for good. Rookie spotlight WR Marion Manningham: Once considered a surefire first-round pick, off-field issues and a slow 40 time caused Manningham's stock to plummet. The Giants snatched him late in the third round and hope his college production at Michigan translates to the pro level. He will be competing with Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss and David Tyree for a backup receiver spot and his progress on the field, as well as his conduct off of it, will be closely monitored. Player on the spot DE Justin Tuck: One of the Giants' Super Bowl heroes suddenly finds himself replacing the legendary Strahan at defensive end. Tuck had a career year in 2007, splitting time between end and tackle and providing the Giants with a versatile playmaker. He capped his season with six tackles and two sacks in the Super Bowl. His role is different now, though, as he becomes the starter. He is equipped to meet the expectations, but the spotlight will be on him as he replaces Strahan. Fantasy focus RB Brandon Jacobs: Jacobs posted good numbers in his first season as the Giants’ top running back, but injuries limited him to 11 games. He’ll be seen as a No. 2 fantasy runner in most drafts, but owners who land Jacobs should handcuff him with Ahmad Bradshaw or Derrick Ward.</div>
You'd think that, after our Super Bowl run, we were built to win now but that's just not the case. I still consider us as a young, re-tooling team that will reach our full potential a couple years down the road (which makes our Super Bowl victory that much sweeter). The Giants' success this season will depend a lot on young players like Ahmad Bradshaw, Justin Tuck, Matthias Kiwanuka, Eli Manning, and Corey Webster building on last season's success and continuing to grow. If this year's rookie class can have a similar impact to last year (I think it's possible), then our team will arguably more formidable this year.
