Giants Blog: What To Watch

By Paul Dottino

Everybody knows the drill about how the starters usually play no more than a quarter in the preseason opener. Giants coach Tom Coughlin doesn't even have that luxury against the Jets, with at least a dozen injured regulars expected to be held out for precautionary reasons.

Nonetheless, here are three interesting things to watch for in the first-ever football game at the New Meadowlands Stadium (By the way, memo to Corporate America: If I don't like the name of the product you want to slap onto this building, I'll just buy the naming rights myself and call it Garden State Field!):

• Former Colts backup QB Jim Sorgi vs. 2009 practice squad QB Rhett Bomar. It's hard to say that the Giants suffered a significant loss after last season's ugly 8-8 finish, but backup quarterback David Carr signed a free-agent contract with San Francisco, where he's competing for a starting job. Carr not only had the skills to run the Giants' offense, he was a team player, who understood his role behind franchise quarterback Eli Manning. Sorgi and Bomar know the deal as well, but it's uncertain whether either is capable of handling the offense with adequate efficiency, if called upon. Sorgi's got a solid arm and Bomar appears to have improved his accuracy since last year. They will share a lot of reps in this game and Coughlin said there's competition for the No. 2 slot – despite Bomar working as the No. 3 throughout training camp.

• Special teams. Placekicker Lawrence Tynes is the only one not on an audition. Seventh-round punter Matt Dodge, who has a strong leg, has been inconsistent since he was drafted and has to show he can at least angle a punt while tutor Jeff Feagles teaches him how to hit the coffin corner. D.J. Ware and Andre Brown, battling for to be the third-down specialist, also will battle for kickoff return duties, although Coughlin says Ware will get the first crack at it. Aaron Ross and rookie free agent Victor Cruz may be joined by a cast of others, each trying to win punt return duties.

• Second-year left tackle William Beatty. This is his first significant step in attempting to forge a long career as the Giants' starting left tackle. He's got the tools and the smarts, but he's got to show enough in game situations for Coughlin to follow through on moving LT David Diehl into Rich Seubert's spot at left guard. Seubert is a battler but his injured left wrist has afforded Beatty the opportunity to get more snaps in the proposed alignment.

One more thing. The Jets – from the top of the organization on down - appear very comfortable riding the publicity wave of high-energy coach Rex Ryan. The franchise hasn't created this much buzz since the days of the Sack Exchange in the 1980s. And we heard a few barbs exchanged between Jets LB Bart Scott and Giants CB Terrell Thomas last week. The Jets' coaches and players may be apt to inject a bit more intensity into the game than otherwise would be expected; perhaps re-igniting the flame in this once very heated rivalry (Ah, yes, those blistering hot August days at the Yale Bowl! Who could forget!)

And still one more thing. Officials from both teams have inspected the new field after engineers leveled the pellets and installed a universal NFL logo on the 50 in order to reduce field issues that may or may not have been an issue when WR Domenik Hixon (knee surgery) was injured in minicamp.