Can the New York Giants Repeat?

I love this time of year! The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and NFL training camps are in session! Yes, folks, the 2012 football season is upon us!

Of course at this time of year there are tons of questions looking to be answered. Who will be the breakout star this year? What veteran is going to have a career year? Who's going to slump? The list could go on and on, but the first one that needs to be addressed is this:

Can the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants repeat?

I could make this post real short and just say no, but that would make for a pretty boring as well as quick read. Here's why the defending champs are going to be on the outside looking in this season:

They Got Lucky: The team had no rushing game and couldn't stop a passing game-- even with their deadly pass rush-- to save their lives. In the end it was the cool head of quarterback Eli Manning that made the difference leading the team to seven come-from-behind wins. Had they lost just one they would have been sitting at home and the Eagles would have been in the playoffs.

Not Enough Weapons: Losing Mario Manningham and Brandon Jacobs is going to hurt. If the team is ever going to get a running game going (and you know Tom Coughlin is going to try) they need someone to compliment Ahmad Bradshaw; they'll hope that rookie David Wilson is up to the task.

Now that Victor Cruz has shown his moves defenses are going to look to take him out of the game first; while he could still do well he will not be nearly as good as he was last season. Hakeem Nicks will need to pick up his game, but after him the Giants have no proven talent at wide receiver. Tight end Martellus Bennett can complain all he wants about not getting the ball in Dallas, but there was probably a reason for that.

The Defense is Weak: The defensive line makes this group. When these guys start to leave via free agency the Giants are going to nose dive hard. Their incredible speed and tenacity does a lot to mess up opposing quarterbacks, but it is not enough. The secondary was like a sieve last season (255 yards/game), and the linebackers needed most of the regular season to round into shape.

The NFC East: Even with the down years that both Dallas and Philadelphia had, the Giants were lucky to be able to win the division. Neither the Cowboys or Eagles are going to be as bad as they were last year, and even the Redskins could prove tough to beat this year. If they don't get to the post season it doesn't matter how hot they get at the end of the season.

The Giants deserved to win the Super Bowl last year, but they had to have a lot of stars align at the right time just to be eligible to get there. They didn't go looking for help in free agency opting to count on their youngsters to step it up instead. Should another Victor Cruz break out (possibly LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle, Domenik Hixon, Jerrell Jernigan or Ramses Barden), they'll give teams a run for their money, but repeating as champs is asking for a little too much from this group.