ESPN

Every year during the draft, ESPN The Magazine throws a Pre-Draft party.

And like I have for the last few years, I try to give you a glimpse of what it is like inside the party. This year, the party moved to the The Waterfront.

The party is held the night before the draft and several of the first-round prospects come to celebrate just before being drafted the next day along with several NFL stars.

This year, numerous Giants came out to the party -- 23 in fact -- and were big celebs since they are Super Bowl champs.

Victor Cruz, Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck did several interviews on the red carpet before mingling with people at the party. Cruz could barely move through the crowd without being approached by friends and fans at the party.

Before entering the party, Cruz and Ramses Barden told reporters that the Giants didn’t need to go out and draft another receiver. Of course, the Giants did, taking LSU’s Rueben Randle in the second round.

JPP talked about how he understood exactly how Osi Umenyiora was feeling after Umenyiora had said earlier in the day how he did not think the Giants would be able to give him the type of contract extension he was hoping for and suggested that the Giants might want to trade him for something in return during the draft. Of course, that situation is only starting to heat up now.

“It would hurt a lot,” Pierre-Paul said if the Giants were to move Umenyiora. “All together as one, we are unstoppable. Everybody knows that.”

The Giants' tight ends Jake Ballard, Travis Beckum and Bear Pascoe all showed up together to the party. Ballard told reporters he was pretty sure the Giants were not going to draft a tight end –- Stanford’s Coby Fleener – in the first round and he was right.

Michael Boley, Martellus Bennett, Prince Amukamara, Greg Jones and Chad Jones were among the 23 Giants who attended the party which was held in a long chic warehouse tunnel filled with football players and ESPN personalities.

Everywhere you turned, there was either an NFL player or a new NFL rookie-to-be as first-round talent like Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Morris Claiborne, Mark Barron and other draft prospects attended the party. There was a social media platform stage where ESPN personalities like Michael Smith and Jemele Hill chatted with party-goers.

I’ve been to the Pre-Draft party several years in a row but this one was in, by far, the biggest venue to date. And it also had the biggest crowd I've seen. I also can’t remember any of the draft parties having that many Giants in attendance. The last time I saw almost this many Giants was at the 2008 ESPN Pre-Draft party. Of course, that too was after a Super Bowl victory. It’s good to be the champs and be the toast of every party.

The New York Giants’ title defense will not be easy. In fact, if the Super Bowl champs are going to repeat, they’ll have to earn it by surviving another tough November and December.

The schedule is below, with some early observations. My schedule column, game-by-game predictions and Top Five Games piece are coming shortly.

(All times Eastern.)

SEPTEMBER
Sept. 5 DALLAS (Wednesday night), 8:30 p.m., NBC
Sept. 16 TAMPA BAY, 1 p.m., FOX
Sept. 20 at Carolina (Thursday night), 8:20 p.m., NFL Network
Sept. 30 at Philadelphia (Sunday night), 8:20 p.m., NBC

OCTOBER
Oct. 7 CLEVELAND, 1 p.m., CBS
Oct. 14 at San Francisco, 4:15 p.m., FOX
Oct. 21 WASHINGTON, 1 p.m., FOX
Oct. 28 at Dallas, 4:15 p.m., FOX

NOVEMBER
Nov. 4 PITTSBURGH, 4:15 p.m., CBS
Nov. 11 at Cincinnati, 1 p.m., FOX
Nov. 18 BYE
Nov. 25 GREEN BAY (Sunday night), 8:20 p.m., NBC

DECEMBER
Dec. 3 at Washington (Monday night), 8:30 p.m., ESPN
Dec. 9 NEW ORLEANS, 4:15 p.m., FOX
Dec. 16 at Atlanta, 1 p.m., FOX
Dec. 23 at Baltimore, 1 p.m., FOX
Dec. 30 PHILADELPHIA, 1 p.m., FOX

For openers: The road to repeating begins on Sept. 5 at MetLife Stadium against Dallas. With President Barack Obama delivering his Democratic National Convention speech on Thursday, Sept. 6, the Giants open the season on a Wednesday night instead.

The Cowboys will be looking for some payback after losing twice to the Giants in the final month to lose the NFC East and a playoff spot last year. The Giants won 37-34 in Dallas afterJason Pierre-Paul blocked a potential overtime-forcing field goal on Dec. 11, and they swept the Cowboys with a 31-14 victory in the regular-season finale on Jan. 1 to win the division.

And of course, let’s not forget that the two teams don’t like each other, and new Cowboys corner Brandon Carr has alredy vowed to keep Victor Cruz from salsa dancing. One thing missing will be Brandon Jacobs giving his annual “I hate the Cowboys” quote. At least Justin Tuck is still around to say that.

Trend-wise, the Giants have won five of their last six meetings against the Cowboys.

Strength of schedule: The defending champs own the league’s hardest schedule based on their opponents’ 2011 records. The Giants are the first defending Super Bowl champs to enter a season with the most difficult schedule according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Giants’ 2012 Strength of Schedule Based on Opponents’ 2011:
Opponents’ Win Pct: .547
Opponents’ W-L: 140-116

The Giants will truly have to be road warriors this year. Their road strength of schedule based on opponents’ results from 2011 is a combined .555 -– second only to the Denver Broncos’ road strength of schedule this year.

According to ESPN Stats, the teams that entered the season with the hardest regular-season schedule have finished 6-10 or 7-9 in the past three seasons. Carolina (2011), Tennessee (2010) and Houston (2010) all finished 6-10. Entering 2009, Miami had the toughest schedule based on its opponents’ results in the previous year and finished 7-9. However, in 2008, Pittsburgh went into the season with the most difficult schedule and finished 12-4 before winning Super Bowl XLIII.

Under the lights: The Giants are scheduled to play five prime-time games this season. Besides opening on Wednesday night against the Cowboys, they’ll face Cam Newton’s Panthers on a Thursday night, Sept. 20.

The following week, they travel to face Michael Vick and the Eagles in a Sunday night game. They’ll be back on NBC again on Nov. 25 against the Packers, at home for a Sunday night clash. And the following week, the Giants will be on "Monday Night Football" against NFC East rival Washington in Maryland.

Toughest stretch: What would be a Giants schedule without a brutal stretch to finish the season? Once again, the Giants’ schedule looks tough at the end.

The Giants open November against Pittsburgh at home and then have to face the Bengals in Cincinnati, a place they have never won (0-5). After the bye week, the Giants enter a daunting six-game stretch that includes Green Bay, New Orleans, Atlanta, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Tom Coughlin has often said that the Giants have to beat the best anyway to be the best. Like last season, the Giants will have to save their best for last again if they want to make the playoffs.

Can’t-miss game: Giants against Green Bay at home on Nov. 25. Eli Manning versus Aaron Rodgers. The last two Super Bowl champs square off, and last year’s regular-season meeting between the two teams did not disappoint, with the Packers edging out the Giants, 38-35, at MetLife.

The Giants eliminated the Packers in Green Bay in the playoffs, 37-20. So the Pack will be looking for payback.

This is the second installment in a nine-part series that will analyze the Giants' needs, position by position, in the upcoming draft.

Position: Running back.

Depth chart: Ahmad Bradshaw, D.J. Ware, Da’Rel Scott, Andre Brown, Henry Hynoski.

Not under contract: None.

Scouting report: The running game is coming off a season in which it finished last in the league in the regular season with 1,427 yards. And there’s uncertainty surrounding the Giants running game now with the departure of Brandon Jacobs and Brown’s four-game suspension. Bradshaw is currently recovering from an injection into his ankle to help a fracture heal. He says he is ready to carry a bigger load with Jacobs gone but he also is running on surgically repaired feet and ankles. Ware has seen sporadic time as the third-down back and has been used on draws and screens out of the backfield. Scott has flashed his serious speed in preseason action but has to earn the trust of the coaching staff and show he is ready for some meaningful carries. Unlike last year due to the lockout, Scott will have an entire offseason to work with the coaching staff and veterans this year. Hopefully, Scott will get ample opportunities in camp and the preseason to show what he is capable of. The Giants like Brown but the former fourth-round pick will have to sit out the first four games after violating league policy on performance enhancing substances.

The Giants could use another running back in the case Ware and Scott are not ready to assume a bigger role. At the very least, they can use another back for depth and to groom for the future. Also, the team has to be wary of Bradshaw’s feet acting up again. Tom Coughlin said in February that he likes the formula he had with Bradshaw and Jacobs so ideally the Giants could use a power back but there aren't any 6-4, 265-pound backs readily available. Hynoski should only get better at fullback with more experience and flashed some ability to catch out of the backfield as well late in the season.

The Last Time: The Giants last drafted a running back in 2011 when they selected Scott in the seventh round.

Potential targets: The Giants haven’t spent more than a fourth-round pick on a running back since 2000 when they took Ron Dayne in the first round. Since then, the Giants have taken Jacobs and Brown with fourth-round picks and found Bradshaw and Scott in the seventh round. Jerry Reese might not use his first-round pick on a running back but ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay believes there are quality running backs that will go in the second round (click on the names to see Scouts Inc.'s breakdown of each running back). Boise State’s Doug Martin, Miami's Lamar Miller, Virginia Tech’s David Wilson and Oregon’s Lamichael James all could be drafted in the second round although they could also all be gone by the time the Giants pick last in that round.

After that group, ESPN’s Scouts Inc. ranks Cincinnati’s Isaiah Pead, Washington’s Chris Polk, Temple’s Bernard Pierce and Michigan State’s Edwin Baker in the top 120 overall prospects. The Giants typically go best player available but this is one of their biggest areas of need in the draft.

According to ProFootballTalk.com, the Giants have brought in Texas A&M's Cyrus Gray and Utah State's Michael Smith.

Need Rating (On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being of highest importance): 8.

Next: WR.

This is the first installment in a nine-part series that will analyze the Giants' needs, position by position, in the upcoming draft.

Position: Quarterback.

Depth chart: Eli Manning, David Carr, Ryan Perrilloux.

Not under contract: None.

Scouting report: Manning is coming off the finest season of his career and he no longer has to convince anyone that he is an elite quarterback. He earned Super Bowl MVP honors for the second time since 2007 and is in the prime of his career. Not only did he cut down on his interceptions from a career-high 25 the season before but he also made players around him better. He helped develop undrafted players like Victor Cruz and Jake Ballard into major contributors. He shined behind a new center (David Baas), new left tackle (Will Beatty) and new left guard (David Diehl). When injuries hit the line, Manning and the Giants’ offense still clicked.

And Manning enjoyed his best season without much of a running game. This season, Manning will have a new right tackle with Kareem McKenzie not expected to return. He also will have to work with a new third receiver with Mario Manningham gone and a new tight end in Martellus Bennett. The running game also will be different without Brandon Jacobs. But Manning will have an entire offseason to work on everything with his receivers and coaches unlike last year due to the lockout. If Manning were to ever get hurt, Carr provides the Giants with an experienced backup. The former No. 1 overall pick also is an asset on the scouting team. The Giants liked Perrilloux enough to sign him back to the practice squad so many times that everyone lost track last season.

The Last Time: The Giants last drafted a quarterback in 2009 when they selected Rhett Bomar out of Sam Houston State in the fifth round.

Potential targets: The Giants obviously do not have a need at quarterback other than to potentially develop one for the future. They clearly like Perrilloux’s physical talents. But if the Giants were to consider a developmental quarterback late in the draft, there are quarterbacks like Chattanooga’s B.J. Coleman, Oregon’s Darron Thomas, LSU’s Jordan Jefferson and Monmouth’s Alex Tanney. The Giants have reportedly had Hampton’s David Legree, Tennessee’s Matt Simms and Southern Miss's Austin Davis in for visits.

Need Rating (On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being of highest importance): 1.

Next: RB.

In case you guys missed it over the holiday weekend, Dave Tollefson was the latest Giant to head to the Bay area after signing with the Raiders.

The Giants lost a backup defensive end who provided energy and hustle and was very popular among teammates in the locker room. The Giants, though, are saving their money to pay some of their younger stars down the road. They still could sign some free agents on the cheap. Here's the updated list of their own free agents and free agents signed from elsewhere:

Exclusive rights free agents:
TE Bear Pascoe -- Will return.

Giants unrestricted free agents:
CB Will Blackmon -- Saw some time on special teams as a returner but Giants need to upgrade at returner. Coaching staff likes Blackmon.
DT Rocky Bernard -- Giants brought him back last year on the cheap and could again this year.
DT Jimmy Kennedy -- Largely inactive most of last season.
LB Jonathan Goff -- Trade for Cincinnati LB Keith Rivers and Chase Blackburn's return likely mean Goff will be moving on.
OT Stacy Andrews -- His brother, Shawn, tweeted that Andrews is healthy after a blood-clot scare that landed him in IR. Giants liked him as extra blocker but signed Sean Locklear.
OT Kareem McKenzie -- Long-time RT expected to move on in free agency. David Diehl says he will play LT or RT if needed.
OT Tony Ugoh -- Filled in for Andrews as extra blocker.
S Deon Grant -- Loved by teammates and Perry Fewell's third safety. Giants did sign safeties Chris Horton and Stevie Brown for depth and special teams.
S Derrick Martin -- Giants have added depth in secondary in free agency so far.
WR Michael Clayton -- Veteran contributed on special teams before landing on IR with injury.

Giants free agents re-signed:
CB Terrell Thomas -- Will start opposite Corey Webster once knee is ready.
P Steve Weatherford -- Punter gets five-year deal.
TE Jake Ballard -- Exclusive rights free agent re-signed.
WR Domenik Hixon -- Attempting to come back from second consecutive torn ACL.
CB Bruce Johnson -- Restricted free agent re-signed, adds depth at corner.
QB David Carr -- Re-signed.
CB Michael Coe -- Adds depth at corner.
CB Justin Tryon -- Adds depth at corner.
LB Chase Blackburn -- Huge addition late in the season. Provides leadership, veteran experience and special teams' ability.

Giants free agents departing:
WR Mario Manningham -- Signed a two-year deal with San Francisco. Brandon Jacobs, who was released, joined Manningham in SF as well.
CB Aaron Ross -- Agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $15.3 million with the Jaguars.
WR Devin Thomas -- Signed a one-year deal with Chicago.
DE Dave Tollefson -- Signed a two-year deal with the Raiders.

Free agent signings:
CB Antwaun Molden -- Former Patriot adds more depth in the secondary.
OL Sean Locklear -- Says he wants to play RT, where Giants need a new starter.
S Stevie Brown -- Signs one-year deal to add depth and potentially help on special teams.
S Chris Horton -- Signs a one-year minimum deal, adds depth and potential special teams contributor.
TE Martellus Bennett -- Wants to prove what he can do as a starter.
T Joel Reinders --He is 6-8 and 317 pounds, was in camp with Cleveland in 2010. Started out as a basketball player at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
TE Larry Donnell -- The 6-6, 269-pound tight end had 38 catches for 432 yards and 11 touchdowns at Grambling State from 2007-10.

The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants will open the preseason at Jacksonville.

The preseason schedule was released on Wednesday and the Giants will face the Jets, Bears and Patriots, in addition to the Jaguars.

The game against Chicago at home will be televised before a national audience on Aug. 24 on CBS. Here's the preseason schedule below. The regular-season schedule will be announced later this month.

PRESEASON

Week 1 (Aug. 9-12): At Jacksonville -- Tom Coughlin returns to his old stomping grounds with his second Super Bowl ring.

Week 2 (Aug. 16-19): At Jets -- Giants get their first taste of Tebowmania.

Week 3 (Aug. 24): vs Chicago -- Last time they played in the preseason last year, Giants lost Terrell Thomas, Marvin Austin and Brian Witherspoon to season-ending injuries.

Week 4 (Aug. 29): vs New England -- Likely no Super Bowl rematch between Tom Brady and Eli Manning in this preseason finale.

Nike unveiled its new NFL uniforms at a launch event that felt like one of those Apple events where Steve Jobs would present the newest innovation to the world.

Seemingly every Nike executive was on hand to present the new uniforms and what went into the designs. And there was a player from every team to model the new uniforms. Victor Cruz was the Giants representative and he was the first player to come out and actually be interviewed by a Nike executive (picture here).

There aren't any significant changes to the Giants uniforms (here's a picture of Cruz's jersey). They will still have the white and blue jerseys but their pants will be the road pants all season long. The red alternate jersey was presented to the Giants by Nike but there will only be the white and blue jerseys this season according to equipment manager Joe Skiba. Skiba said Nike worked with the Giants to keep with the franchise's tradition when it came to the uniforms.

“The uniform is great man," Cruz said. "It’s comfortable, it’s light, it feels good to wear.”

Cruz was excited about the shoes he will wear with his uniform this season. Here's a glimpse of his kicks from one of my tweets.

The new ESPN pre-draft power rankings are out and guess who's on top of the world... the New York Giants.

The power ranking rulers (ESPN.com's John Clayton, ESPN.com's Ashley Fox, AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky, NFC West blogger Mike Sando and AFC East blogger James Walker) voted for the defending Super Bowl champs as the top team, up from No. 9 in the previous installment.

Here's Ashley's argument for the Giants being first: "The Giants have lost significant pieces from their Super Bowl team and won only nine regular-season games in 2011, but they are the defending champs. They will be the team to beat."

My take is that the Giants do deserve to be the top team after winning the Super Bowl. And as Ashley points out, they have lost two valuable contributors to the Super Bowl run in Mario Manningham and Aaron Ross in free agency and likely will lose a few more in free agency.

While the main core of playmakers remain intact, the Giants will need some young, unproven players to step up. There will be a new third wide receiver, perhaps a new backup running back if Brandon Jacobs signs elsewhere, likely a new right tackle (David Diehl?) and Terrell Thomas will be returning from a torn ACL. Those are all question marks and on top of all that, the Giants' schedule is expected to be brutal again. It will be difficult repeating. We have to see how Jerry Reese tinkers with the roster (here's the updated list of Giants' free agents).

But for now, the Giants sit atop the throne. Here's the power rankings. Tell us what you think of the Giants being first and how you feel about the team going into their title defense below.

The Giants enter week two of free agency having strengthened the depth in the secondary while also adding a tight end in Martellus Bennett.

They re-signed two of their biggest free agents in Terrell Thomas and Steve Weatherford. The next guy they likely want to re-sign is Jonathan Goff.

They did lose Mario Manningham in free agency, as expected, and Aaron Ross left shortly after for Jacksonville. The Giants could be looking for veterans on the cheap from here on out to remain fiscally responsible since they have to pay some of their young stars down the road.

Below is an constantly updated list of their own free agents and free agents signed from elsewhere:

Exclusive rights free agents:
TE Bear Pascoe -- Will return.

Giants unrestricted free agents:
CB Will Blackmon -- Saw some time on special teams as a returner but Giants need to upgrade at returner. Coaching staff likes Blackmon.
DE Dave Tollefson -- Looking to see what market has to offer. Visited with Seattle and Green Bay. Oakland and Tampa Bay also have interest.
DT Rocky Bernard -- Giants brought him back last year on the cheap and could again this year.
DT Jimmy Kennedy -- Largely inactive most of last season.
LB Chase Blackburn -- Huge addition late in the season. Can the Giants bring him back on the cheap? Giants have had some discussions with the linebacker.
LB Jonathan Goff -- Giants want the MLB, who is coming off an ACL injury. Visited with Cleveland as he looks to see what he can get on the market.
OT Stacy Andrews -- His brother, Shawn, tweeted that Andrews is healthy after a blood-clot scare that landed him in IR. Giants liked him as extra blocker when healthy.
OT Kareem McKenzie -- Long-time RT expected to move on in free agency. David Diehl says he will play LT or RT if needed.
OT Tony Ugoh -- Filled in for Andrews as extra blocker.
S Deon Grant -- Loved by teammates and Perry Fewell's third safety. Giants did sign safeties Chris Horton and Stevie Brown for depth and special teams.
S Derrick Martin -- Giants have added depth in secondary in free agency so far.
WR Michael Clayton -- Veteran contributed on special teams before landing on IR with injury.

Giants free agents re-signed:
CB Terrell Thomas -- Will start opposite Corey Webster once knee is ready.
P Steve Weatherford -- Punter gets five-year deal.
TE Jake Ballard -- Exclusive rights free agent re-signed.
WR Domenik Hixon -- Attempting to come back from second consecutive torn ACL.
CB Bruce Johnson -- Restricted free agent re-signed, adds depth at corner.
QB David Carr -- Re-signed.
CB Michael Coe -- Adds depth at corner.
CB Justin Tryon -- Adds depth at corner.

Giants free agents departing:
WR Mario Manningham -- Signed a two-year deal with San Francisco. Brandon Jacobs, who was released, joined Manningham in SF as well.
CB Aaron Ross -- Agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $15.3 million with the Jaguars.
WR Devin Thomas -- Signed a one-year deal with Chicago.

Free agent signings:
S Stevie Brown -- Signs one-year deal to add depth and potentially help on special teams.
S Chris Horton -- Signs a one-year minimum deal, adds depth and potential special teams contributor.
TE Martellus Bennett -- Wants to prove what he can do as a starter.
T Joel Reinders --He is 6-8 and 317 pounds, was in camp with Cleveland in 2010. Started out as a basketball player at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
TE Larry Donnell -- The 6-6, 269-pound tight end had 38 catches for 432 yards and 11 touchdowns at Grambling State from 2007-10.

We are one day away from free agency. The Giants have cleared nearly $12 million in cap space by restructuring Eli Manning's contract and releasing Brandon Jacobs.

But it remains to be seen exactly where they are cap-wise. ProFootballTalk.com reported on Sunday that the Giants were at $3.8 million over the cap as of 4:00 p.m. ET on Friday, March 9. And as PFT points out, that doesn't include any transactions after that time which likely means Jacobs' release is not reflected in that cap number. It's believed that the Giants are just under the $120.6 million projected salary cap.

And they will be one of 28 teams to receive an additional $1.6 million of cap space because of the punishments handed down to the Cowboys and Redskins for front-loading contracts during the uncapped 2010 season according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.

So Jerry Reese may still need to do some maneuvering but it certainly sounds as if he has some flexibility. Here are some of the biggest questions facing the Giants entering free agency and a quick look at some of the top free agents on the Giants roster and some other free agents that could be on their radar.

Below is a whole list of their own free agents:

Exclusive rights free agents:
TE Jake Ballard -- Re-signed
TE Bear Pascoe -- Will return.

Restricted free agents:
CB Bruce Johnson -- Re-signed

Unrestricted free agents:
CB Will Blackmon -- Saw some time on special teams as a returner but Giants need to upgrade at returner. Coaching staff likes Blackmon.
CB Michael Coe -- Was on IR with an injury but Giants can use depth in secondary.
CB Aaron Ross -- Giants want Terrell Thomas back but what happens if they can't come to terms? They've had discussions with Ross, who likely will be looking for a starting job, but nothing serious yet.
CB Terrell Thomas -- Both sides want each other but at what price coming off ACL injury?
CB Justin Tryon -- Impressed Tom Coughlin before landing on IR.
DE Dave Tollefson -- Popular member of the team and provided great depth but likely could get more on market than Giants willing to offer.
DT Rocky Bernard -- Giants brought him back last year on the cheap and could again this year.
DT Jimmy Kennedy -- Largely inactive most of last season.
LB Chase Blackburn -- Huge addition late in the season. Can the Giants bring him back on the cheap? Giants have had some discussions with the linebacker.
LB Jonathan Goff -- Giants want the MLB, who is coming off an ACL injury. Hard seeing him not returning but then again same could be said about Steve Smith and Kevin Boss last year.
OT Stacy Andrews -- His brother, Shawn, tweeted that Andrews is healthy after a blood-clot scare that landed him in IR. Giants liked him as extra blocker when healthy.
OT Kareem McKenzie -- Long-time RT expected to move on in free agency.
OT Tony Ugoh -- Filled in for Andrews as extra blocker.
P Steve Weatherford -- Franchised so he will be back. Punter wants long-term deal.
S Deon Grant -- Loved by teammates and Perry Fewell's third safety. Can Giants re-sign him for vet minimum?
S Derrick Martin -- Provided team with much-needed depth after injuries to secondary.
QB David Carr -- Quality backup for Manning. Be nice to have him back.
WR Michael Clayton -- Veteran contributed on special teams before landing on IR with injury.
WR Domenik Hixon -- Re-signed.
WR Mario Manningham -- Expected to depart via free agency for bigger money and bigger role.
WR Devin Thomas -- Came up big on special teams in the NFC Championship.

It appears the Giants are looking for Jerrel Jernigan to step up this coming season, especially if Mario Manningham departs in free agency.

On Friday, Tom Coughlin mentioned Jernigan as one of the young players that could potentially step up with opportunity this coming season.

And on Saturday, GM Jerry Reese said the team has expectations for last year’s third-round pick.

“I think we have some good players we still want to come along,” Reese said when asked what the team may do if Manningham leaves. “To name a couple –- we drafted Jernigan in the third round. So we expect him to make the jump. Ramses Barden, who we drafted a couple years ago, had some injury issues, we expect him to contribute as well. Obviously, we’ll continue to look if we can’t bring Mario back.”

Jernigan largely played on special teams and did not have a catch during his rookie season. If Manningham signs elsewhere, the Giants will need a third wide receiver and Barden and Jernigan may battle it out in camp for that spot.

The Giants also need Jernigan to step up as a returner. The special teams needs a spark in the kick return and punt return areas.

A TIGHT SITUATION: Reese was asked about the Giants’ need at tight end after Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum both underwent ACL surgeries on Tuesday.

“Right now, we only have a couple of tight ends that are healthy so that’s definitely a concern for us,” the general manager said. “We have the two guys who had ACL surgeries. We have Bear Pascoe who’s healthy and we have a young practice squad kid that we like, Christian Hopkins. That’s a concern for us.”

“We’ll address it somehow, with the draft or free agency, but we’ll definitely look to address that,” Reese added. “And hopefully those guys [Ballard and Beckum] will be back at some point with the ACLs.”

Both tight ends could start the season on the PUP list.

GIANT CAP: The Giants will have some maneuvering to do to gain cap flexibility.

The Giants are $9 million over the cap at the moment according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter. So Reese and his staff could be restructuring some contracts in the near future.

“You have to do what you have to do to get the players you need on your roster,” he said. “Sometimes you have to renegotiate some contracts and if we have to do that, we’re not afraid to do it. Right now, it looks like the cap is going to be flat. We’re not sure what the total is going to be. If we have to do it, we’re capable of doing it.”

Brandon Jacobs has a $500,000 roster bonus due next month so the Giants will have to make a decision on that in the next few weeks. Osi Umenyiora also is looking for a new contract and Reese said the team is open to the idea of an extension.

The Giants have 21 unrestricted free agents, two restricted free agents and one exclusive rights free agent. Manningham, cornerback Terrell Thomas, middle linebacker Jonathan Goff and punter Steve Weatherford are among the unrestricted free agents.

“We have some work to do in respect to the cap,” Reese said.

I recently gave my report card for the Giants 2011 season position-by-position. But because there was only so much space to discuss each position, I wanted to go more in-depth on each position and spin it forward to next season.

Today we look at the offensive line. Tomorrow: Defensive line.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Grade: C+

The Giants offensive line began the season with the shock of losing two starters at the start of training camp. The team released longtime fixtures C Shaun O’Hara and G Rich Seubert, who was the O-line’s glue in 2010.

Eli Manning needed all of an already hectic post-lockout training camp to adapt to a new offensive line featuring new center David Baas, new left tackle Will Beatty and David Diehl at left guard.

And it was clear early in the season, the offensive line missed O’Hara and Seubert’s grit and attitude, especially when it came to the running game.

The O-line struggled to establish the run until late in the season as the Giants finished last in the run in the NFL. Running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs often ran into their own blockers with little to no space to run through and Jacobs even admitted that it took time to learn the nuances of the new blockers in front of the backs.

Injuries to Baas and Beatty also delayed the learning process. But the versatile Kevin Boothe emerged as a valuable cog in the line, playing center before eventually settling in as the starter at left guard. GM Jerry Reese told everyone back in August when people were clamoring over the loss of Steve Smith and Kevin Boss that Boothe was a big move when the Giants re-signed him. He was right.

Diehl slid back to his old starting spot at left tackle when Beatty’s season ended due to eye surgery and was determined to show everyone he should be the starting left tackle. He ended up starting the final 10 games at left tackle and helped the Giants win a Super Bowl.

Baas, the team’s biggest addition in free agency last year, had an up and down season marred by injuries but should be better in his second season with Manning.

Chris Snee remains the best lineman but the right side could see some change as right tackle Kareem McKenzie is a free agent. Since Beatty has been cleared to return, the Giants have decisions to make. Who will start at left tackle? If Beatty is at left tackle, does Diehl move to right tackle if McKenzie does not return?

The Giants drafted tackle James Brewer in the fourth round and love his size (6-6) and athleticism. But Brewer was drafted as a project to develop.

Guard Mitch Petrus started three games at left guard and showed he can be a starting guard, providing the team with energy and grit.

Stacy Andrews, who was the team’s extra blocker until his season ended due to health reasons, is a free agent. Tony Ugoh was signed to become the extra offensive lineman. Ugoh also is a free agent. Backup center Jim Cordle also saw some action at times as an extra blocker.

Reese could draft another offensive lineman in April since the line can be upgraded and can get younger. The offensive line has to get better at improving the run game to help Manning. The Giants were better at pass-blocking but there were times like the NFC Championship Game when Manning was hit more than the Giants want to see. But overall, the line did a good job of giving Manning time to throw and this is why I gave the line a C+ despite its shortcomings in the running game.

Tell us your assessment of the offensive line below and what you think the Giants should do.

INDIANAPOLIS –- Linebacker Greg Jones did more than just celebrate the New York Giants’ Super Bowl XLVI win over the New England Patriots on Sunday night.

Shortly after the Giants beat the Patriots, 21-17, Jones proposed to his girlfriend, Mandy Piechowski, on the confetti-covered Lucas Oil Stadium field as the celebration was under way.

Click here to view a photo gallery of the proposal.

An emotionally overwhelmed Piechowski said yes.

“She was bawling,” Jones said Monday morning before hopping on the team bus to head to the airport. “Just everything we have been through together ... she has been there since day one.”

Jones, a rookie drafted in the sixth round out of Michigan State, has known Piechowski for three years. She played basketball at Michigan State, and the two became friends first but did not start dating until a year and a half ago. He purchased the engagement ring -- a brilliant round cut diamond ring with several smaller diamonds on the band -- recently and had been waiting for the right moment to pop the question.

When Piechowski ran onto the field looking for Jones to celebrate the Giants' win, she was already emotional. She began crying as soon as she found him and embraced him.

"But then he put me down pretty fast and I was like, 'Oh, OK,'" she said. "And then he is digging in his pants and I am like, 'What are you doing?'"

Piechowski had no idea what was coming.

"He pulls out a box and I am still not comprehending what he was about to do," she said. "First thing I thought of was their ring and that doesn't make sense. Then he opens it.

"We had talked about wanting to get married next year possibly but in terms of this happening last night, no not at all. I didn't know he had a ring."

Jones got down on one knee on the field and said, "Amanda Piechowski, will you spend the rest of your life with me?"

Despite a chaotic celebration going on all around them, Piechowski heard Jones as if they were the only two on the field.

"It honestly felt quiet for a second," she said. "I didn't even know what they were doing with the trophy [celebration]."

What a night it was for Jones, who decided to make the best night of his football career the best night of his life. He had tight end Christian Hopkins, who is on the Giants’ practice squad, hold onto the ring until he proposed.

Jones said he didn't have a speech prepared for his proposal.

“She already knows how I feel,” Jones said. “A speech wasn’t needed.”

It’s 6 pm! Less than 30 minutes before kickoff.

We’ve been blogging some stories to read about the Giants before Super Bowl XLVI. Here's your last link before kickoff.

JET BLUE: As we approach kickoff, figured it would be appropriate to take a look back at the game and the week that turned the Giants season around -- Jets week. So sometime before kickoff, find time to thank Rex Ryan and reminisce about the 15 seconds that turned the fortunes of two franchises.

Who do you think will turn in the biggest play of the Super Bowl tonight? Tell us below.

It’s 4 pm. Two-plus hours to go. Almost crunch time.

We’re blogging some stories to read about the Giants before Super Bowl XLVI. At the top of every hour until 6 pm, there will be a blog posted with a link to another Giants story that came during this Super Bowl run that you might’ve missed either on a Giants player or an angle that could factor into tonight’s game. So check back every hour. Sixth up:

WHERE 'TREL AT? Ever wonder why Antrel Rolle says the things he does? There's a reason behind almost everything he says. And did you know that he actually doesn't like talking and isn't even the most outspoken member of the Rolle family? Here's a look at how Rolle grew up and how he and his family are survivors.

Think Rolle will play a big role tonight? Tell us who you think will have to be big on defense for the Giants below.