Exclusive Look Into Giants Practice

Howard and Williams Detail Landmark year
By "Hunter Levesque"

Pre-Season 2088 (New York) - It was only a few minutes after 8 a.m. and thermometers were already closing in on the one hundred degree mark. The heat was also rising in Albany, as veteran defensive tackle Tim Stinson tore past second-year guard Jay Lee to absolutely destroy the first pick in the 2088 rookie draft, running back Evan Green from North Carolina State.

'Welcome to the big leagues, kid,' said the monstrous lineman with a grin as he offered his hand to the future of the New York Giant's offense.

I was afforded the extreme luxury of spending this day with new head coach Freeman Williams and assistant general manager Ryan Howard, thanks to general manager Joe Malloy. Accordng to both Howard and Williams, this could be the year that a dynasty starts in New York.

Amidst the conversations and demonstrations, I noticed four distinct characteristics of the current Giants' line-up.

1. These kids are playing hard.

'I'm kinda surprised I haven't received any grievance notices from the players' association, to be honest,' says Williams, a former Giant himself. Known for the big hits he would waylay on opponents, Williams is now incorporating the same hard-nosed philosophy into a team that has, for the better part of a decade, been labled as 'soft' and 'underachievers.' 'I'm especially impressed with the enthusiasm I see in our two-a-days in pads. These kids are putting in Tim Reeser-level effort, and if you think about it, Reeser carried this team for years on his own back. With everyone putting in as much, I think we really could turn some heads around the league.'

'It's been a war out there, man,' according to veteran wide receiver Darryl Kennedy, who led the team in receiving with 948 yards last season. 'But it's all good -- we're pushing each other on both sides of the line. It's tough love, man, we're making each other better.'

2. The offensive line is playing beyond expectations.

Lee, who man feel is the future of line, could not be happier with pace of practice. According to Lee, 'There was a lot of pressure for this line to perform before the draft, and now that we went out and picked up the best back available in years, just multiply that pressure by 100 percent.'

The amount of youth on the line is encouraging to both the linemen and Green himself. According to the first pick in the 2088 draft, 'We're getting the opportunity to grow together. We all go through the same hardships, but we also get to share the same learning curve. We push each other to be devestating.'

According to Howard, 'Both myself and Joe [Malloy] are incredibly excited with what we see on the field. We've been talking with Coach Williams about opening up the offense a bit, as well. There's a lot going on with our backfield that I'm not exactly privvy to speak of, but if everything comes to fruition.. wow, the New York fans are in for a treat.'

3. Evan Green starting.

Right now, the major news coming out of the Giants' camp is that Evan Green will likely be first on the depth chart at the halfback position and that Duane Brooks, the incumbent, will be moving to fullback.

'Whatever Coach decides, I am behind him fully,' said Brooks, who led the team with 948 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns last season.

The current talk is that Brooks may be moved to fullback, where he would become a second rushing threat and above-average blocker, as well as a receiving threat out of the backfield. Brooks, who had nearly 400 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdown passes last season, as always been a bit underrated as a receiver.

'The way our backfield performs will be the punctuation of our season. We're aiming for an exclamation point. A period will do. What we don't want is a question mark,' said Williams.

4. This team is much better than the last Giants squad to make the playoffs.

'The last time we made the playoffs, we were relying far too much on our defense,' says Howard. 'We really want to open up the offense and become explosive -- make the other team take chances and exploit them. In the past, I think we've been far too passive.'

'Nothing against my former teammates, but this is the hungriest squad I've had the opportunity to be a part of,' said Lazar Kato, the anchor of the Giants offensive line and 10-year veteran. 'We're making daily progress in leaps and bounds and a lot of our new schemes are just brilliant.'

'Our time is quickly approaching,' said Howard. 'If not this year, it's going to be soon. Real soon. My job depends on it.'

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