ATLANTA -- Here are five observations on the New York Giants, gleaned from the 36-24 preseason loss on Saturday against the Atlanta Falcons:

	Carter is just one of the young, promising Giants' receivers.

1. It's clear these are not your father's Giants. Maybe not even your older brother's Giants. Described just a couple of years ago by one rival NFC East coach as a "very good slow team," the New York offense was perceived as stodgy and predictable, and based on the power running game. Very subtly, and largely through the draft, general manager Ernie Accorsi and the personnel staff have infused a cadre of fleet young receivers, all with big-play potential. Of course, the potential is just that at this point, but one could see at times on Saturday that the New York sprint relay team can cause matchup problems for opposing defenses. In third-year veteran Ron Dixon, second-year pro Jonathan Carter and rookies Tim Carter (currently injured) and Daryl Jones, the Giants possess four wideouts, none older than 26, who can flat out run past people. And, of course, there is also the speed of first-round tight end Jeremy Shockey, the former University of Miami star who might capture offensive rookie of the year honors. None of this is to suggest that the Giants are going to immediately resemble roadrunners in '02, because the young receivers, for the most part, are untested. But this is a team that has changed dramatically since its Super Bowl appearance of two years ago, and one of the positive alterations is the added speed. Saturday, Dixon made a 33-yard catch when he beat the Atlanta secondary deep up the right seam. Shockey had a 26-yarder when he overmatched Falcons safety Keith Lyle and Kerry Collins lofted a perfectly thrown ball. Carter had a 16-yard grab and even Ike Hilliard, who could be gone by the start of the season and certainly by the end of this year, authored a 48-yard catch. The Giants averaged 14.5 yards per reception, further evidence of their ability and intention to stretch the field more this season. The top wide receiver remains Amani Toomer, without question, but he's got a stable of racehorses now to accompany him to the track. It may take another season for the transition to a faster, more wide-open attack to take hold, but at least no one can suggest anymore that you time the Giants with sundials. One more thought on the passing game: The Giants secured the future at quarterback by signing Collins to a two-year extension, through 2004, last month. But second-year veteran Jesse Palmer has done some nice things in three preseason games. He's got decent size, some pocket presence and a good arm, and could develop into a starting-caliber player.

2. Now here's the pragmatic disclaimer to the glowing reviews on the New York wide receiver corps: It won't matter how fast the wideouts are if the Giants quarterbacks aren't perpendicular and the running game can't get out of its own backfield. Assistant coach Jim "Mouse" McNally has been one of the NFL's premier offensive line mentors for two decades, and he might have to do his best job ever if he's to fashion a respectable unit in 2002. New York jettisoned venerable tackle Lomas Brown and guard Glenn Parker (total NFL experience: 29 seasons) in the spring and center Dusty Zeigler has yet to get on the field as he continues to rehabilitate from knee surgery. Right tackle Luke Petitgout, who is scheduled to move to the left side to replace Brown, has been suffering from headaches. Hard to imagine that McNally, renowned in the past for his ability to fashion a blocking quintet out of spare parts and rejects, hasn't experienced a few migraines of his own. The unit that opened the game Saturday here totaled 14 regular-season starts. Even if Zeigler gets back in time for the opener, and the Giants are able to put on the field the five players they projected as starters at the outset of camp, the group will still have three players with five or fewer regular-season starts and two with none. It's hard to blame the line for most of the sacks, and the turnovers that resulted from two of them on Saturday, since Collins held the ball too long on several occasions. But time is running out for the line to mesh in preseason. The Giants need to get people healthy, get them lined up in the right places, and get them some "reps" together. That's a lot to try to accomplish in just three weeks and McNally might need a little magic.

3. All those pundits (like me) who claimed that tailback Tiki Barber would never be anything more than a situational player at the NFL level, should be sentenced to 3,167 lashes with a wet noodle. That's the number of yards from scrimmage, rushing and receiving, Barber has posted as the starter in the past two seasons. And that is despite missing seven starts in 2001. Barber has become the centerpiece of the New York offense, a surprisingly stout runner who somehow bleeds yards out of tiny creases, in addition to be an excellent receiver. "The guy," said Atlanta linebacker Keith Brooking, "is a stud." The first play of Saturday's game was vintage Barber, running right, slowing down to allow the flow of the defense to move by him, then making a quick cut back to the left and weaving through the traffic. Remember when the New York tailback situation was supposed to be "Thunder and Lightning," with Ron Dayne and Barber splitting time? Dayne may yet develop into the power back the Giants felt he would be when they chose him in the first round of the 2000 draft, although the odds are growing longer on that, but Barber has made the position his now. He is kind of a poor man's Marshall Faulk and it's hard to fathom where the Giants would be without him.

4. On what was supposed to be one of the NFL's best defensive lines a year ago, it's now time for left tackle Cornelius Griffin, and much more notably right end Kenny Holmes, to step up. Griffin was superb as a reserve during the 2000 season, spelling Christian Peter, providing inside pressure on third down. While his 2001 season was solid enough, with 63 tackles and 2½ sacks, the Giants thought he would do a bit more when elevated to a starting role. Griffin has incredible speed for a 300-pounder, was actually used to drop into coverage in some zone-blitz situations as a rookie, and can help compact the pocket from the inside. The team would like to see a little more passion from him. Holmes was the biggest free-agency signing for the team last spring, but had only 3½ sacks, and had to accept a $1 million pay cut this year to retain his roster spot. In fact, New York officials exposed him in the expansion draft, but the Houston Texans ignored him. The Giants might simply have made a mistake on Holmes, who had eight sacks at Tennessee in 2000, but it's up to him to prove they didn't whiff. How a guy who plays opposite of Michael Strahan and on the weak side can notch just 3½ sacks is a mystery. Holmes, who was replaced for considerable stretches Saturday by former practice squad member Frank Ferrara, had better solve the mystery this year or he's gone after the season.

5. Look for Will Allen, the team's first-round choice in the 2001 draft, to emerge as one of the NFL's top young corners this season. And look for Jason Sehorn, who hasn't been on the field yet as he recovers from knee surgery, to fade one step closer to retirement. Allen possesses great quickness and natural cover skills and is big enough to get physical with wide receivers. On one play Saturday afternoon, Atlanta wide receiver Brian Finneran made at least three moves in an attempt to shake Allen, as Falcons quarterback Doug Johnson scrambled for time. No matter what Finneran did, he could not create separation from Allen, who eventually batted away Johnson's pass attempt. Allen has a nice base on which to build, having started 12 games last season, and led the Giants with four pickoffs. It would be unfair to question Sehorn's motivation, but he seems to show up more on television specials than on the field. A tad harsh? Yeah, definitely. But the 10th-year veteran is 31 years old now and, despite the occasional flashes of brilliance, seems close to the end of the line. Conversely, the talented Allen should soon start earning some of those all-expenses paid trips to Honolulu for the Pro Bowl game.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.