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| Jason O. Watson/US Presswire |
By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)
Last
Season:
A 9-7 season can rarely be categorized
as a disappointment but that is exactly what 2012 was for the New York Giants; 2012
was a difficult one for Big Blue in more way than one. The defending Super Bowl
champs had to face the most difficult schedule in the NFL and struggled with
injuries once again throughout the season. Prince Amukamara and Kenny Phillips missed
time throughout the season and Terrell Thomas was lost in the preseason once
again to decimate an already thin defensive backfield. Justin Tuck battled a
number of injuries all season and was ineffective, not registering a sack until
the seventh game of the season.
All of this led to an underwhelming
performance on defense for the Giants last season. They were atrocious all season
long, ranking 31st in yards allowed with 383.4 yards per game; 28th
in passing yards per game at 254.3 yards per game and 25th in
rushing at 129.1 yards per game. They did give up only 21.5 points per game,
good for 12th in the league, but they had a penchant for giving up
big plays. The Giants actually gave up the most plays of 20+ yards in the NFL. Where
the biggest problem for the Giants occurred was in the sack department. The Giants,
whose defense relies on pressuring the quarterback, finished last in the NFL
with only 20 sacks last season. A big drop-off from Jason Pierre-Paul and Tuck
being hurt really hurt the Giants.
