With the Giants and Jets set to begin another season this week, here are the top five questions facing the franchises. These will affect not only 2010, but beyond.
1. Eli Manning: Franchise quarterback? It appeared as if the Giants had been correct to wager so much on Manning when he led them to a Super Bowl title two years ago. But there were puzzling regression games last season. Few QBs are on for every game, but the Giants should get a better read this season on whether Manning is Phil Simms or merely Mark Rypien.
2. Is Mark Sanchez a playoff-caliber QB? Lost in the revelry of the Jets' run to the AFC Championship were his numbers for most of the season, which were downright ugly. He appeared to make a ton of progress late, but the unstated issue here is that the Jets are counting on the success he had in relatively few games to carry over full-time in 2010.
3. Did the Giants fix their defense? They have a new coordinator, a mostly new secondary, but many of the pieces that participated in last season's defensive meltdowns return. If the results stay the same, the team will need a complete defensive teardown and rebuild, a process that could take years.
4. Will no preseason affect Darelle Revis? I mean, probably not, but consider that the Jets have two early-season tests. In what is likely to be a competitive division, Revis being in less than midseason form could be the difference between a home playoff game or two.
5. What is the deal with Brandon Jacobs? No carries in a preseason game, battling with the coach? If Jacobs isn't punishing defenses, much of what the Giants do on offense will suffer.
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