Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

The Super Bowl is over and the offseason has begun, meaning the Giants can start reshaping their roster in the hopes they can make a run at Super Bowl LII. And even though they went 11-5 and returned to the playoffs last season, there's a lot of work to be done.

So here are some of the biggest questions the Giants must answer this offseason. We'll check back in each week to see how the Giants are doing, whether any of the questions have been answered, and whether any have changed:

1.) How are they going to fix their offensive line?

Considering how their poor offense dragged them down this season, this is the Giants' most important question. They have a franchise quarterback in Eli Manning and one of the biggest weapons in the game in Odell Beckham, Jr.. If Manning could get better protection and a few holes could be open in the running game, maybe the offense could live up to the expectations.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

The Giants could have somewhere near $40 million in salary cap space to play with this offseason if the cap rises all the way to $168 million, as some in the NFL project. They might even end up with more, depending on what contracts they restructure and which players they decide to cut.

And while that may not be enough to turn them into big spenders in free agency the way they were a year ago, it certainly is enough for them to re-sign some of their own unrestricted free agents. They have 17 UFAs to deal with, and several other free agents who are restricted. And a few of them could demand and command big money from someone -- particularly the two free agents on the Giants' defensive line.

The following players appeared on the Giants' injury report on Monday...

Did not participate in practice:

• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (core muscle)
• OT Will Beatty (lower leg)
• LB Jonathan Casillas (knee)
• CB Janoris Jenkins (back)
• OT Marshall Newhouse (shoulder)
• RB Shane Vereen (triceps)
• QB Ryan Nassib (elbow)

Giants OC Mike Sullivan gave a vote of confidence to struggling Giants LT Ereck Flowers on Thursday.

"He's our left tackle and our players are our players," Sullivan said. "We have to continue to work hard, there's no magic potion, there's no easy answer in terms of trying to do the things that we can from a technique standpoint, from a fundamental standpoint and schematically, trying to get him and all of our players to be successful."

Sullivan added that the return of Justin Pugh might help Flowers.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

There is no way anyone can underestimate the Giants anymore.

Maybe they did still have a lot to prove when they rode six straight wins against (mostly) inferior opponents to an 8-3 record. But on Sunday night they beat a legitimately good team in the now-11-2 Dallas Cowboys. No team had been hotter. No team is more well-constructed. And the Giants have now beaten them twice.

What does that mean? It means that even if you think the Giants are still flawed (which they are), they have to be considered one of the best teams in their conference (which they are). It also means that, if they play up to their capabilities they can probably beat anyone in the NFL. The Giants were essentially no-shows on offense on Sunday night except for one glorious moment of Odell Beckham being Odell Beckham, and they were still good enough to take the Cowboys down.

The Giants released their injury report on Friday...

The following players will be OUT for Sunday's game against the Steelers

• S Nat Berhe (concussion)
• LB Mark Herzlich (concussion)
• DE Owa Odighizuwa (knee)
• OL Justin Pugh (knee

The Giants released their injury report on Thursday. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• S Nat Berhe (concussion)
• LB Mark Herzlich (concussion)
• DE Owa Odighizuwa (knee)

The Giants released their injury report on Wednesday. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• S Nat Berhe (concussion)
• LB Mark Herzlich (concussion)
• DE Owa Odighizuwa (knee)

Limited Participation in Practice (Less than 100 percent of a player's normal repetitions)

The Giants released their injury report on Friday...

The following players are OUT for Sunday's game against the Browns

• G Justin Pugh (knee)
• LB Brett Jones (calf)
• OL Marshall Newhouse (knee)

The Giants released their injury report on Thursday. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• LB Brett Jones (calf)
• OL Justin Pugh (knee)
• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (knee)
• OL Marshall Newhouse (knee)

Limited Participation in Practice (Less than 100 percent of a player's normal repetitions)

• WR Dwayne Harris (wrist)
• WR Roger Lewis, Jr. (concussion)
• G Adam Gettis -- (Calf )
• RB Orleans Darkwa -- (Lower Leg)

The Giants released their injury report on Wednesday. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• LB Brett Jones (calf)
• WR Roger Lewis, Jr. (concussion)
• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (knee)
• OL Marshall Newhouse (knee)

Giants OL Marshall Newhouse says he partially tore the MCL in his left knee, but he believes he can play on it, according to Zach Braziller of the New York Post.

Newhouse started at left guard for the Giants in Week 11 for the first time in his career, after starting guard Justin Pugh and backup guard Brett Jones were both ruled inactive. 

Newhouse suffered the injury during Sunday's win over Chicago, but only missed one series before returning to the field.

The Giants are on a roll, having won five straight games to move to 7-3 on the season -- the third best record in the NFC. They are handling adversity, winning tight games, and have put themselves in position for their first playoff berth since 2011.

But is it all really as good as it seems?

Maybe it is, but don't forget that the Giants' winning streak has come against teams with a combined 19-30-1 record -- and none better than 5-5. Three of those games were at home. One was in a neutral site. And despite those advantages they've still only won those five games by a combined 23 points.

Ben McAdoo showed confidence in his team, which resulted in a big 21- 20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.

In his first half-season as Giants head coach, Ben McAdoo has won in Dallas, ended a long Giants losing streak against the Eagles, and directed the team to a 5-3 record that puts them squarely in playoff position heading into the second half.

What more could anyone have wanted?

So for now, never mind the controversies that have swarmed around his team, the play-calling some of you hate, the questionable personnel and lack of depth on some parts of the roster. Focus on the three-game winning streak and the way the Giants held on for a 28-23 win over the Eagles on Sunday. There's a lot to digest from the somewhat impressive (and somewhat not impressive) way the Giants came out of their bye week.

The Giants released their injury report on Friday...

The following players are OUT for Sunday's game against the Eagles

• S Darian Thompson (foot)
• DE Kerry Wynn (concussion)

The following players are QUESTIONABLE for Sunday's game

• S Nat Berhe (concussion)
• QB Ryan Nassib (elbow)
• OT Marshall Newhouse (calf)
• RB Bobby Rainey (calf)

THE GAME: The Philadelphia Eagles (4-3) at the Giants (4-3) at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. ET.

THE WEATHER: A pleasant fall day with lots of sun and temperatures in the mid-to-upper 50s and the usual Meadowlands winds of 10-15 m.p.h.

WHAT IT MEANS: It's getting real now. The Giants return from the bye essentially in a three-way tie for the two NFC wild card spots and only two games behind the Dallas Cowboys in the division. That means everything they want to accomplish is right there for the taking. The problem, though, is the Giants have been there before. In the previous seven seasons the Giants had a .500 or better record in the first half five times, but they never once followed that up with a winning record in the second half. No, this isn't officially the start of the second half, but it feels like it coming off the bye and the Giants desperately need to build some momentum. As an added bonus, with a win they might establish themselves as the most likely team to make a run at the Cowboys (6-1), if Dallas ever falls back to the pack.

The Giants released their injury report after Thursday's practice. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• S Darian Thompson (foot)

The Giants have released Wednesday's injury report:

Limited Participation in in practice (Less than 100 percent of a player's normal repetitions)

• WR Odell Beckham (hip) 
• S Nat Berhe (concussion) 
• LS Zak DeOssie (ankle) 
• QB Ryan Nassib (elbow) 
• T Marshall Newhouse (calf)
• RB/KR Bobby Rainey (calf)   
• S Darian Thompson (foot)  

The Giants gained ground in the NFC East this weekend simply by standing still. They entered their bye week at 4-3 and in last place in the division. After Sunday's action, they find themselves heading into Week 9 in second place.The Washington Redskins (4-3-1) are in last now after tying the Cincinnati Bengals, 27-27, in London. The Philadelphia Eagles (4-3) fell to the division-leading Dallas Cowboys (6-1), 29-23, on Sunday Night Football.The Giants hold the tiebreaker over Philadelphia by virtue of division record, 1-1 vs. 0-2, so the Giants are in second place, two games behind Dallas. The Giants defeated the Cowboys in Week 1, so the lead is basically a game and a half.

The optimistic look at Ben McAdoo's first almost-half-season as Giants head coach is that they got to their bye week over .500. They have gutted out two straight wins to reverse a mini-tailspin to put themselves right in the thick of the second-half playoff chase.The pessimistic look is that the journey to 4-3 hasn't exactly been pretty. Also, they were 4-3 last year, too. That was fools' gold, though, as they proved by losing seven of their last nine.So the story of the first season of the post-Tom Coughlin Era hasn't really been written yet. And seven games into McAdoo's tenure, there are as many good signs as there are bad. Here's a look at some of them that may prove to be important as the Giants try to earn their first playoff berth since way back in 2011:

THE GAME: The Giants (3-3) vs. the Los Angeles Rams (3-3) at Twickenham Stadium in London on Sunday, Oct. 23, 9:30 a.m. ET.THE WEATHER: It's exactly what you'd expect in London, but possibly without the fog and the rain. Temperatures will be in the low-to-mid 50s with a bit of wind (10-20 miles per hour) and plenty of clouds.WHAT IT MEANS: The Giants got themselves back on track last weekend with a solid, gutty performance against an undermanned Ravens team, and this is their chance to keep their momentum going heading into the bye. Really, if they are 4-3 at the bye with all the issues that have been swirling around them, and they're only a game-and-a-half behind the idle Cowboys, whom they've already beaten, that puts them in pretty good position at the nearly halfway point. They'll take that. It's certainly better than having two weeks to think about a loss, on top of everything else that's going on.

Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. and CB Eli Apple were listed as limited participants in Thursday's practice, the team announced hours before departing for London.Beckham hurt his hip during last week's win over the Ravens. However offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan said the team is very optimistic that Beckham will play this week.

THE GAME: The Baltimore Ravens (3-2) at the Giants (2-3) at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday, Oct. 16, 1 p.m. ET.THE WEATHER: It's supposed to be so nice that I'm almost sad that the press box is indoors. The temperature is supposed to hover around 70 with plenty of sun, no rain and only the usual light Meadowlands winds.WHAT IT MEANS: If you step back and look at the big picture, the back-to-back losses in Minnesota and Green Bay aren't a huge deal. Those are tough places to win under any circumstances. They just look worse in consecutive weeks, coming off a terrible loss to the Redskins. This, though, is a perfect spot for the Giants to get back on track, at home against a mediocre team with plenty of its own issues. We're still a long ways from must-win territory, but these are the types of games teams are supposed to win if they really want to be considered contenders.PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Victor Cruz. The zero catches from Sunday night is alarming enough, but I can't really get over the two passes thrown his direction. The Giants did a decent job of trying to get the ball to Odell Beckham Jr. (12 targets) and Sterling Shepard (seven), but the beauty of their passing attack is that they're supposed to be three-deep at receiver. No, Cruz wasn't open a ton, but he was open more than twice and they've got to get more creative about finding ways to get the ball in his hands. He's taking most of his snaps on the outside now. No, he's not the same player he was pre-injury, but he still looks pretty good and he might be able to do some damage out of the slot. If the Giants can get him going it's only going to make things easier on Shepard and on Beckham, who has been absolutely swarmed by defenses the last few weeks. So they should try to get the ball to Cruz early. And I think they will.

Giants RB Rashad Jennings expects to play on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens after missing the last three games due to a thumb injury."We're rocking this week," Jennings told reporters after practicing on Thursday.Prior to getting hurt, Jennings picked up 102 yards on 31 carries, to go with three receptions for 16 yards.CB Eli Apple, S Nat Berhe, WR Dwayne Harris, OT Marshall Newhouse, and S Darian Thompson did not practice on Thursday. Thompson did receive some good news when he was told he no longer had to wear the protective boot on his hurt foot. The rookie safety is still considered week-to-week.

Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul was held out early at practice on Wednesday afternoon with a groin injury. 

Also not on the practice field were LB Devon Kennard (concussion), S Nat Berhe (concussion) S Darian Thompson (foot) and RT Marshall Newhouse (calf). 

RB Rashaad Jennings, who missed last week's game against the Packers with a thumb injury, has a better chance to play this week, head coach Ben McAdoo told reporters after practice. 

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THE GAME: The Giants (2-2) at the Green Bay Packers (2-1) at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on Sunday, Oct. 9, 8:30 p.m. ET.

THE WEATHER: Call it the not-so-frozen tundra this time. It'll actually be a nice day in Green Bay with the temperature getting all the way up to 60, but when the sun goes down the temperatures will drop to the mid-40s.

John Fennelly, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | | Archive Posts

In this day and age where perception seamlessly becomes reality, it's always beneficial to peek beyond the veneer and see what's really going on.

Such is the case of the Giants' offensive line, long maligned by critics, a unit that is suddenly rising up the rankings.

Giants rookie CB Eli Apple told reporters his hamstring feels good after participating in individual drills on Thursday.

Apple said he hopes to take part in team drills on Saturday before attempting to suit up for Sunday night's game against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

The rookie cornerback was injured during the Giants' Week 3 loss against the Washington Redskins, and was inactive for Monday's game against the Minnesota Vikings.

John Fennelly, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | | Archive Posts

Looking at this week's matchup between the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, it looks pretty simple to the naked eye. With their running game hit by injuries to RBs Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen, the Giants will have to pass the ball to win against the ninth-ranked pass defense in the NFL.

That won't be easy.

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THE GAME: The Giants (2-1) at Minnesota Vikings (3-0) at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, on Monday, Oct. 3 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

THE WEATHER: It looks like it'll be a really nice fall night in Minnesota with temperatures in the mid-60s … but none of that will matter because the game will be played in a dome.

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The Giants may be very short on safeties when they play in Minnesota on Monday night.

They had already lost rookie Darian Thompson to a sprained foot, and now the status of his replacement, Nat Berhe, is uncertain. Berhe complained of headaches and wasn't feeling well when he reported to work on Wednesday. After doctors evaluated him he was diagnosed with a concussion and did not practice on Thursday.

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Odell Beckham, Jr. was unstoppable on the field on Sunday. Off the field, he was a little out of control.

And don't think Giants head coach Ben McAdoo didn't notice. In fact, he admitted that his star receiver needs to rein in his sideline antics, one day after Beckham had another emotional outburst during the Giants' 29-27 loss to the Redskins. Late in the game, cameras caught a furious Beckham slamming his helmet into the kicking net, which fell over and hit him square in the face.

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The Giants entered the season with plenty of worries about their situation at right tackle. Now they'll head into their game on Sunday against the Redskins worrying even more.

Marshall Newhouse, the starter at right tackle, was officially declared "out" of the Redskins game. He will likely be replaced by second-year pro Bobby Hart, though the newly re-signed Will Beatty is also a possibility. On Thursday, when it looked like Newhouse was unlikely to play, Giants offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan said "We're waiting to see how it plays out."

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The big story this week will undoubtedly be the much-anticipated Josh Norman-Odell Beckham, Jr. rematch, whether it will be as nasty as last time, whether any of them will talk trash, and whether Beckham will be able to control his emotions -- something he was unable to do when they faced off last year.

So what does Ben McAdoo think about that?

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The last time the Giants started 2-0 was in 2009. They actually started 5-0 that season. Then they finished 8-8. So the lesson is that it's not how you start, it's how you finish.

But to the Giants, after too many years of misery, a 2-0 start sure feels pretty good.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Down on the field at MetLife Stadium, it sounded like there were nothing but cheers as Josh Brown's game-winning, 23-yard field goal sailed through the uprights as time expired. Everything felt back to normal for him.

He was a football hero, once again.

Ralph Vacchiano, NFL Insider | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - There was a two-game stretch early in the 2013 season when the Giants' offensive line was so bad, Eli Manning was lucky to escape in one piece. He was hit and rushed and flushed from the pocket so often in those games that Tom Coughlin later said that calling plays had become "like throwing a dart at a board."

There were no holes for the running backs. No blocking for the quarterback. And with Manning on his heels, on his back, or on the run for eight straight quarters, the Giants lost back-to-back games in Carolina and Kansas City by a combined score of 69-7.

When Tom Coughlin ran things in East Rutherford, New Jersey, his main message to his team was to finish. Finish routes, finish blocks, finish drives, finish games. Under new head coach Ben McAdoo, that message hasn't been invoked as much, but center Weston Richburg is reviving it to help straighten out the floundering offensive line.

"It needs to be to 'finish'," Richburg told reporters Monday when asked what the personality of the offensive line needs to be by Week 1. "We want to finish each play and from there finish each game and that consists of being physical, having a mean attitude and really getting after people."

The line's physicality is being questioned after it has struggled to win the trenches in the first two preseason games. Richburg said that it is too early to panic and that there is still plenty of time to right the ship.

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EAST HANOVER, NJ -- A very quiet Giants training camp got mildly disturbed on Wednesday by the shocking news that kicker Josh Brown would be suspended for the season opener for violating the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy. It was surprising enough that the mild-mannered, 37-year-old kicker violated the policy. It was mind-blowing that the reason -- reportedly an arrest on domestic violence charges in May 2015 -- was kept so quiet for so long in the social media age.

Maybe some more on that situation will come out on Thursday as the Giants hold their final practice before they travel to Buffalo for Saturday's game against Rex Ryan's Bills. That will be worth watching. And here are three other things to watch today:

Second-year offensive lineman Bobby Hart is somewhat of the unknown on the New York Giants' offensive line.

The seventh-round draft pick from Florida in 2015 is a lineman with versatility. He can play tackle. He can play guard. He can perform on either side of the line.

The problem is that he does not have a starting job.

Training camp is just days away and readers and fans are beginning to get back into football mode. Over the past few weeks, we have gotten several questions and inquiries regarding the upcoming camp and preseason.

There's a lot of talk the Giants will part ways with several veterans this summer. Who right now is on the roster bubble?

It may be too early to tell, but from where I sit, there won't be many surprises. On offense, the main roster battles will be at running back and possibly at right tackle. With the addition of rookie Paul Perkins and free agent Bobby Rainey, Andre Williams will have to have a stellar camp to remain with the team.

Marshall Newhouse is the current starter at right tackle. His main competition will be second-year player Bobby Hart now that free agent Eugene Monroe decided to retire. The Giants say they are comfortable with Newhouse, but are not deep along the offensive line in general, so if anything, they could be adding, not subtracting, in this unit.

The Giants have been making it known that second-year offensive tackle Ereck Flowers is cemented on the left side of the line. That declaration has scared away several potential free agents this offseason from signing with Big Blue.

The most recent talk has been that former Baltimore Raven Eugene Monroe is still a possibiity for the Giants after resigning himself to the fact that he'll unlikely land a starting left tackle gig with an NFL team this season.

Monroe was let go for financial reasons by Baltimore earlier this month after trade talks with the Giants fell apart. Monroe missed 15 games over the past two seasons and then became expendable after the Ravens selected Notre Dame tackle Ronnie Stanley with the sixth overall pick in the NFL Draft.

The New York Giants will conduct their three-day mandatory minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center beginning today through Thursday.

Teams are allowed two practices totaling 3 1/2 hours on the field per day with the second practice limited to walk through activities only. The Giants had a very high attendance percentage during their organized team activities, so this week will not reveal much as no live contact is permitted. Only 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.

After they break camp on Thursday, the Giants will not reconvene as a team until training camp opens on July 28.

There's no question New York Giants right tackle Marshall Newhouse is considered a weak link on the team's offensive line. He was signed as a free agent last offseason after underperforming as a Cincinnati Bengal in 2014.

The Giants knew that was not the player who had once been a starter for the Green Bay Packers and charged with protecting one of the NFL's most valued assets in Aaron Rodgers. Ben McAdoo, then the Giants' offensive coordinator, sold the team on Newhouse's ability and he was brought in on a flier to see if he could make their roster.

It worked out to the point where Newhouse began getting reps with the starters after Will Beatty was placed on PUP, missing the first half of the season, and then was unable to return. Newhouse ended up starting 14 games for the Giants in 2015.

Justin Pugh has done just about everything for the New York Giants on the offensive line in the three seasons he's been with the club. Big Blue's top selection in the 2013 NFL Draft has played tackle and guard, winning roles at both positions and filling in during times when the line was under the injury siege, something they hope to put an end to in 2016.

Pugh told reporters he's strictly been working at guard, left guard to be more specific.

"I have been a guard all throughout OTAs so it has been good. I am loving that I am able to stay there, really feel at home and get all the reps there," Pugh said on Wednesday. "Sometimes when you go out to different positions you learn different nuances so I am really focusing on getting this left guard down and getting the camaraderie going with these guys up front."

Earlier this month, New York Giants center Weston Richburg was interviewed by CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco and we learned several thinngs about the 43rd overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Speaking primarily about his offseason regimen while training at former NFL lineman LeCharles Bentley's Arizona-based "O-Line Performance Center", we learned he is serious about his craft and is not shy to call others out regarding their lack of dedication.

"The percentage of guys who are just OK to be there (in the league) is pretty high," Richburg told Prisco. "This is pretty rare. The majority of my offensive line is not doing anything right now."