July 21st, 2009 
Jeremy Fuchs 
Posted in 
Matt Williamson of ESPN has broken down the 5 most interesting NFC training camp battles. The Giants wide receiver battle is number two. Here is what Williamson has to say:
As it sits today, Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith probably would start the season. Smith is a possession guy who would do his best work as a slot receiver and a third option. The Giants at present lack a true No. 1 wideout, but first-round pick Hakeem Nicks probably has the best chance to approach that status. As with all these battles, the preseason will be of great importance, but Nicks should get the benefit of the doubt because of his upside. None of these guys is Plaxico Burress, but Hixon’s deep speed would complement Nicks’ strength and possession skills while allowing Smith to work out of the slot. Mario Manningham could factor in as well.
Williamson is right. There is no true Number 1 on this team. However, there are guys very capable of producing. Steve Smith was the teams leading receiver a year ago. Domenik Hixon has a ton of talent. Is it a big question mark? Yeah. A huge one.
The Giants success will hinge on the success of the wide receivers. But, if Smith gets his 80 catches, if Hixon can effectively become the deep receiver, if Mario Manningham can break out, if Sinorice Moss finds the light, if Hakeem Nicks can contribute, they will be fine. It’s a lot of ifs. But, it’s not like there is no talent. Fans have to be patient. The Giants have a good enough defense and running game to be fine.
It sounds like the NY Giants are really going to be missing Plaxico Burress this season. Manningham was a great WR in college and would have become a household name had he and Lloyd Carr stayed at the University of Michigan. If he steps in a picks up some of the slack left from Burress suspension I think the Giants will be alright at receiver.
Sure, the Giants will miss the presence of Plax on the field. He is a top tier WR, and defenses shaded toward him in coverage, opening up Smith and Toomer for catches they might not have otherwise had. Plax also kept that 8th man out of the box, so the running game was all the more effective. What Plax did against Harris in the 2007 NFC Championship won’t be repeated by any of the WRs on the roster today. So, Gilbride and Coughlin will conspire to feature no top tier go-to WR, but instead rely on Eli to progress through his reads and spread the ball around to his young talent. His O-line will provide him the time, so the stable of good, young, talented WRs with speed, who can create separation, and play making tight ends/H-back, and maybe a little more of what we saw when Tiki was on the field will present a different offensive scheme in 2009. Plax took himself out, but Toomer didn’t. He just won’t fit the new scheme. Hixon, Smith, Moss, Manningham, Tyree, Nicks, Barden, with pass catching talents Boss and Beckum, and Bradshaw, Ware and Brown out of the backfield. Lots of competition at WR, with pass catching talent at TE and RB. Jacobs and Bradshaw will apply pressure to bring that 8th man up into the box to stop the run, telling Gilbride and Coughlin they’ll have to beat ’em in the air. They will. BTW, while I have little faith in Gilbride as a cerebral OC, the coaching ace in the hole is Coughlin, who has spent many years as a WR coach.