Is coach Tom Coughlin back on the hot seat? If you believe former Giants linebacker Antoni Pierce, than yes, he is. Pierce makes some good points, and the NFL is a "what have you done for me lately" league, but unless the Giants have an awful season this year, I just can't see them firing Coughlin. They were patient with him a few years ago, when everyone was calling for his head, and he rewarded them with a Super Bowl team. If the Giants get off to another slow start, look for the "fire Coughlin" calls to start up again, but for right now I think he's still pretty safe.
One of the biggest topics of the offseason has been the status of Osi Umenyiora. Now that he's here to stay, the Giants are expecting big things out of him. I've been critical of Osi over the past couple of months, but he's still one of my favorite players and I'm really rooting for him to prove the doubters wrong this upcoming season. If Osi and Justin Tuck are both healthy and playing up to potential, the defense will be Super Bowl caliber again.
Giants fans have gotten pretty used to a starting offensive line that has remained pretty static over the past few years, with the same 5 guys starting 38 consecutive games prior to a few missed games in the middle of last season. There have been signs, however, that there might be an actual shakeup on the line this year. Offensive line coach Pat Flaherty says that nothing is concrete.
New QB coach (and former WR coach) Mike Sullivan faces a difficult task: trying to make a Pro Bowl/Super Bowl MVP even better. Sullivan did a great job with the receivers over the past few seasons, and Eli is a guy who seems willing to continue to learn, so this could be a great setup. I won't be upset if he just helps Eli maintain the level he's already at, because that's pretty darn good.
Speaking of Giants receivers, here's some more on second year receiver Ramses Barden. Considering how good the Giants receiving corps was last year, it's almost scary to think how good they could be if Barden has a breakout year. The defense and running game are key if the Giants want to win the Super Bowl, but even if they both stink, the passing game promises to be very entertaining.