National Football League

GM: Giants need to make more playoffs

Published Jul. 27, 2013 7:29 p.m. ET

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One Super Bowl victory doesn't offset missing the playoffs three other times.

That's Giants general manager Jerry Reese's view. He wants to see more reliability from his team, which won the 2011 NFL championship, but failed to get to the postseason in 2009, `10 and `12.

Reese greeted the media at New York's first training camp practice Saturday with some strong words about the team' needing to achieve more.

''That never takes away the sting,'' Reese says of the 2011 Super Bowl title perhaps minimizing falling far short the other three seasons. ''We want to do better and we will do better.''

In 2011, the Giants won the NFC East on the final night of the season, and then stormed to four playoffs wins and the championship over New England. Otherwise, not much.

Last year was particularly disturbing as the Giants finished 9-7 after a 6-2 start.

''Close is not good enough,'' he said. ''You need consistency. At times last year we looked like a good football team, and at times we looked like a bad football team.

''We want to put everyone on notice that is not our standard. Being to the playoffs one time in four years is below our standards.''

Actually, Reese has set a standard as Giants GM that many of his peers should envy. He took over from Ernie Accorsi after the 2006 season, and the team promptly won the 2007 title - capped by that memorable upset of undefeated New England in the Super Bowl. His Giants are 8-1 in the postseason in his tenure.

Obviously, though, there's that significant blemish that in half of his six seasons as general manager, the Giants went home after Game 16.

There's also added incentive for the Giants to get to the NFL's big game this time around: The Super Bowl will be played at MetLife Stadium, which was in full sight as Reese spoke Saturday.

''It's 190 days until the Super Bowl over there,'' Reese noted. ''There is a sense of urgency for our team.''

Like most teams, the Giants have loads of questions to answer in training camp. Their best pass rusher, Jason Pierre-Paul, is coming off June back surgery. With Ahmad Bradshaw now in Indianapolis, they are entrusting explosive second-year running back David Wilson to be the starter. But Wilson must show he can pass protect and hold onto the ball.

They're also unproven at tight end, and regular fullback Henry Hynoski (knee) is on the physically unable to perform list.

Uncertainty at linebacker is an issue, and two-time Super Bowl-winning kicker Lawrence Tynes is gone.

New York has signed all its draft picks and brought in more than the usual load of veteran free agents such as defensive tackles Cullen Jenkins and Mike Patterson, linebackers Dan Connor and Aaron Curry, safety Ryan Mundy, receiver Louis Murphy and tight end Brandon Myers. And there still are plenty of players who led the team to two Super Bowl victories - Eli Manning, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, David Diehl - who will play key roles again this year.

''There is no template on how to do things,'' Reese said. ''We improve the roster any way we can do that. ... 190 days is not that far away.''

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