July is a painfully slow month for NFL fans, and writers. You get lots of lists and predictions, and in general a whole bunch of silliness that makes diehard fans who actually follow their teams run screaming away from the television or the computer.
Read on, and I'm sure you will end up agreeing that a lot of what is mentioned below about the Giants is silliness. Nothing more, nothing less. Good, old July NFL silliness.
- NFL Touchdown has a list of guys it expects to be the top 10 impact players for the Giants in 2010. Eli Manning No. 1 if fine -- he is the team's best player. But, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell at No. 10? C'mon! Aaron Ross, who is probably the third corner at No. 2? Gimme a break! Then there is the assertion that David Diehl is more likely to play right tackle than left guard -- which is just plain incorrect. The Giants have already stated -- clearly -- that Diehl will either remain at left tackle or replace Rich Seubert at left guard.
- Clark Judge of CBS Sports has a piece on training camp battles where he says it is Diehl vs. Seubert for left guard with the Giants. The Giants have already said is not a contest. If everyone is healthy, and Will Beatty wins the left tackle job, Diehl starts at left guard. It's not a competition. It's how things are going to be. I wish these supposed 'experts' would actually pay attention.
- Our good friend 'JimmyK' from Bleeding Green Nation put together a post about the importance of left tackle in the NFC East. Left tackle is important for every team, we agree. But, Jimmy, you ignored the key fact that Diehl may not even be the starting left tackle for the Giants in 2010. By the way, why does everything in this post lead back to Diehl and where he will play?
- WhatIfSports, a site that specializes in sports simulations, has done a simulation of the NFC East season. If we are to believe the fine folks at 'WhatIf,' and I'm sorry but I don't, Dallas will go 15-1, Philadelphia 13-3 and the Redskins and Giants will finish 7-9. Like I said, silliness. I love the work done at WhatIfSports, but I can't put any stock in this simulation.