New York Giants: Analyzing through the Bye

Now that the bye week has come and gone, the Giants find themselves with a small cushion the East and the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL. Matchups against some of the stingiest defenses in the league could prove to be more than a challenge for a team that has shown some inconsistency. However, should history repeat itself the tough loss to New England could be the stepping stone Big Blue needs to persevere and get back to the playoffs.

Pros

The defense showed a lot of fight against the Patriots as they were able to lay a few hits on Tom Brady, something they haven't done much of this season. That trend will need to continue over these next six weeks if they want any chance of winning those tough games. Hopefully the defensive line is emboldened by their performance

Perhaps the most impressive defensive statistic the team has is the 22 turnovers it has forced. Despite the various shortcomings they have gone through, the very fact that the Giants lead the NFL in this category definitely leaves room for optimism going forward.

Odell Beckham seems to be making the most of his second season, dispensing talk of the dreaded sophomore jinx that many believed would grab him. His 868 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns rank in the top 10 and with six weeks left, there is little doubt that he will place himself in the upper echelon of active wideouts by seasons end.

It's been a solid year thus far for Eli Manning as he has thrown for 2700 yards with 21 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions. Now that he has the jist of  Ben McAdoo's offense, he is poised to post even better numbers going forward. While there have been some hiccups along the way (mainly poor late game playcalling) things couldn't be better for Eli and company.

Cons

The injury bug has bit once again this season as the Giants have continually had to shuffle the deck in order to fill several roles (especially on defense). Many hopes that the team would be able to stave this off, However, that turned out to be mere wishful thinking.

The loss of Victor Cruz to calf surgery is a debilitating blow to the hopes of a Beckham-Cruz tandem that could have taken the NFL by storm. Including last season, Cruz will now miss a year and a half of football, which could be detrimental to his overall game if he cannot return to the form he once had. One can only hope for the best for the two-time pro bowler.

Yankees Hot Stove 2015

The Yankees began the offseason with the acquisition of Aaron Hicks from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for catcher John Ryan Murphy. Though the club is not expected to spend big in free agency, there are still some low key moves that could be made to improve the roster. Here are some of the positions they can improve and the players they could target.

Bench

The Yankee bench could use an upgrade after they watched it's strong start to 2015 tail off by the season's midpoint. With aging players such as Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Carlos Beltran it will be important to sure up the bench so they can stay fresh for the duration. There are young players like Heathcott, Bird, and Judge waiting in the wings, which gives the club some flexibility to make a less glamorous move.

Potential Targets: Will Venable, Alejandro De Aza, Matt Joyce, Munenori Kawasaki

Bullpen

Outside of the final month, the Yankees bullpen shined once again this season. The combination of Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller proved to be formidable, along with the development of Justin Wilson and Chasen Shreve (despite his late season struggles). Adding a third arm would be most beneficial as it would allow Girardi to cut down on the innings of a pitch like Betances whom lead has lead all relievers with 174 inning pitched out of the pen. There are rumors that Cashman could go after Craig Kimbrel of the Padres, a player he sought to acquires at the July trade deadline or Aroldis Chapman of the Reds. If those moves are too risky there are other options that could fit the need.

Potential Targets: Tyler Clippard, Jason Motte, Eric O'Flaherty, Joakim Soria, Mark Lowe

Starter

C.C. Sabathia's status on the team appears to be set for now. However, there is no guarantee he will come back and truly be effective after his stint in rehabilitation for alcohol abuse. That leaves the Yankees in a bit of a pickle as to what to do with that spot in the rotation. Should things not work out in enough time and Sabathia has to miss a period of time (or potentially the entire season) the Yankees will need to fill the void quickly. Preliminary talks of a Brett Gardner trade to Seattle could bring them a pitcher that can use, but nothing has happened on that front as of yet. 

Potential Targets: Brett Anderson, J.A. Happ, Tim Lincecum, Mike leake, Brandon Morrow

New York Giants: Analyzing through week 8

After exercising their Dallas Cowboy demons in week 7, the team found itself on the losing end of a historic offensive shootout in New Orleans. The Giants still sit atop the NFC East at 4-4, but things could get interesting as the team has matchups with Patriots, Panthers, and Jets in the coming weeks. This will certainly be a test of the teams merritt and resiliency, one that will either make or break the outcome of the season.

Pros

The offense struggled to get much going against Dallas, However it had no problems in the Big Easy as Eli and the Giants were able to move up and down the field seemingly at will. This is a great sign that the poor performance against their division foes were perhaps an abrupt aberration. If this torrid pace can continue and add a player like Victor Cruz, the sky is definitely the limit for Big Blue.

Dwayne Harris cam on strong in both weeks as he had a game breaking kickoff return score against his former team and two touchdown catches in New Orleans. He's done a nice job filling in the gaps for the offense and should see the ball a lot more gong forward.

Dominique Rodgers Cromartie has been the lone bright spot on a struggling defense. He's done everything he can to he;p, but just can't seem to get anyone else to step up with him. Cromartie is definitely earning his keep out there, so one con't help but imagine what the team would be like without him.

Cons

The Giants defense had a tumultuous two weeks as it surrendered 233 rushing yards against Dallas and 608 total yards to the Saints. With those kinds of numbers going against them, it's safe to say that the defense is completely broken. Jason Pierre-Paul is on his way back, but it's doubtful that his impact will mean anything if this ugly trend continues.

Though there has been improvement, the running game hasn't seen the boost it was supposed to get with the revamped offensive line. The Giants have only managed one 100 yard game this season and are averaging just 94.5 yard per game (27th in the league). Hopefully as the line begins gel the ground game will take off, but for now it's just not enough.