NFL New York Giants

New York Giants Need Key Injured Players To Bounce Back In 2015

Fresh Videos

By @AnthonyBeers

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

With the NFL offseason officially underway, many fans of the New York Giants are already beginning to speculate about the 2015 season. Who will the Giants look to draft? Are there any free agents who fit in what the Giants are trying to do? While those are both valid concerns, the largest factor leading up to the Giants’ season will be players returning from their injuries.

The secondary took two huge hits when cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Walter Thurmond were lost for the year. Amukamara suffered a torn bicep and Thurmond, a torn pectoral muscle. Both are significant injuries that take time to come back from. While Amukamara’s return is inevitable due to his contract situation, Thurmond’s future remains undecided as he enters free agency. Amukamara had started showing flashes of extremely dominant play prior to his devastating injury. Thurmond was unable to show much at all due to his injury occurring in September. The Giants have to hope that Amukamara will return to his exciting level of play and decide whether or not Thurmond is worth re-signing.

Offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz was a major commitment the Giants inked prior to the 2014 season. Unfortunately following an injury in preseason, Schwartz was only able to play in two games throughout the year. Schwartz’s physique makes him all but a guarantee to be a force on the line, but the Giants have no choice but to hope his nagging injuries don’t hurt their investment in him. In an area like the offensive line that requires improvement, Schwartz’s health will remain a great concern for the battle up front in 2015.

The most scarring injury of 2014 occurred in Philadelphia on national television. Wide receiver and captain Victor Cruz tore his patellar tendon on an attempted touchdown reception on fourth down. The severity of the injury left the Giants shell shocked and arguably was the down slide of their season.

Cruz is in the midst of a five-year contract with the Giants that may or may not be restructured in the near future. While Cruz has taken the liberty of using social media to broadcast his recovery process, his capabilities remain to be seen. Odds are he will not be the explosive player he once was, but if he can contribute alongside star teammate Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants’ passing game may be a serious force to be reckoned with.

Linebacker Jon Beason did not play a single game for the Giants in 2014, making him another captain to be sidelined with a serious injury. While fellow linebackers Jameel McClain and Mark Herzlich performed honorably without their leader in 2014, the Giants still desperately need that on-field general to help them in the trenches. Beason had battled many injuries prior to his return in 2013, so he is no stranger to the comeback story. One can only wonder if these injuries are taking a toll on him, but similarly to Schwartz and Cruz, his contract situation all but guarantees another opportunity with the Giants.

The toughest decisions in 2015 for Giants head coach Tom Coughlin will be whether or not to pull the plug on these veterans fighting for their roster spots. In the past Coughlin has often dismissed the potential of an up-and-coming youngster and sided with his veterans. If the Giants wish to make the playoffs, Coughlin and general manager Jerry Reese need to be ready for the fact that some of these players may never be the same.

The Giants are almost always known as the comeback team or the underdogs that aren’t expected to win. These individual stories may positively impact this reputation that the Giants and their fans so heavily embrace. Can players like Amukamara, Cruz and Beason return to the level of play the Giants need them to? If not, Coughlin will be forced to act fast. And in the meantime, Reese has to have backup plans ready for the team in case of emergency.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on