MADDEN 2010 ON SALE NOW / Panthers @ Giants Preview / Preseason Game # 1

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By Coalition Staff Writer Eric Quackenbush

The moment we've all been waiting for with baited breath has finally arrived. Even though it's only preseason, we get to quench our collective football thirsts with some preseason ball, giving us a taste of what we might look forward to expecting from our respective teams.

In Week One of preseason, the Panthers jump right into the fray of things, going up to Giants Stadium and giving the G-Men a taste of what they can expect later in the regular season.

The Giants on the other hand, have some questions to be answered, like who's going to fill former receiver Plaxico Burress' shoes? There's no question the Giants have a lot of depth at the receiver position. But up until now, they have no proven No. one threat at the position.

The Panthers No. one receiver option, Steve Smith, will likely miss the preseason due to a shoulder injury sustained during the team's Monday evening practice, when he went up to grab the ball, knocking into defensive back Chris Gamble, and fell hard on his right shoulder.

This will give third-year receiver Dwayne Jarrett an opportunity to showcase what unfound talent he has, since he's basically been ineffective thusfar in his professional career.

Ahead of Jarrett will be the old faithful veteran receiver, Muhsin Muhammad, taking over Smith's "X" spot. Jarrett will fill Muhammad's "Y" spot.

Occupying the third receiver slot will be either Jason Carter or Kenneth Moore.

The last time the Giants and Panthers met, it was December. The Panthers once again travel to the Meadowlands, this time in much warmer weather, to attempt to avenge their loss.

In their last meeting, Giants quarterback Eli Manning went 17-of-27 for 181 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions.

Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme also had a good showing, going 11-of-19 for 185 yards, and no interceptions.

The Giants offensive line allowed the Panthers defense (without defensive tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu) to register three sacks on Manning.

On the flipside, the Panthers' offensive line held tough, even without right guard Keydrick Vincent. They didn't allow the Giants defense to touch Delhomme, and opened up gaps for the Panthers running game to amass 158 rushing yards on 35 carries.

The trouble for Carolina was on defense, which allowed Manning to pass for 181 yards and a touchdown, while the Giants running game amassed 301 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, including the overtime winning score by running back Brandon Jacobs.

While the Panthers did limit Jacobs, the Giants bruiser in rushing yards, they allowed him to score three times from within the red zone.

The other problem was the defense allowed running back Derrick Ward to run all over for 215 yards that night.

Hopefully we'll see a little more resistance in the Panthers run defense this time around, and while a win doesn't mean as much as how players progress in the game in the battle to win a roster spot, it would still be nice to see the Panthers return to the scene of the crime and steal a win.

Even though the Giants are without their flashy running back Derrick Ward, who was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason, the Giants retain Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, who should see his production increase significantly, if he can stay upright.

In the end, while it won't be a popular pick among Panthers fans, I am taking the Giants to win this round again. The Giants defense is still dominating, and the G-Men added the talent of rookie receivers Hakeem Nicks out of North Carolina and Ramses Barden of Cal-Poly.

I can only hope that by picking the Giants, the Panthers will prove me wrong. Game time is 8 p.m. on the East Coast on ESPN.

Giants by three.

Preseason Week One Picks:

Thursday August 13

7:30 p Redskins at Ravens: Ravens by 6
7:30 p Patriots at Eagles: Eagles by 3
8 p.m. Cardinals at Steelers: Cardinals by 2 ESPN
10p.m. Cowboys at Raiders: Raiders by 3

Friday August 14

7 p.m. Rams at Jets: Jets by 5 NFL Network
7:30 p Vikings at Colts: Colts by 6
8 p.m. Bengals at Saints: Saints by 6
10p.m. Broncos at 49ers: Broncos by 3 NFL Network

Saturday August 15

4 p.m. Falcons at Lions: Falcons by 7 NFL Network
7 p.m. Bears at Bills: Bears by 6 NFL Network
8 p.m. Texans at Chiefs: Texans by 3
8 p.m. Browns at Packers: Browns by 2
8 p.m. Buccaneers at Titans: Buccaneers by 2
10p.m. Seahawks at Chargers: Seahawks by 3 NFL Network

Monday Night

7:30 p.m. Jaguars at Dolphins: Dolphins by 3