The Giants open up at home against John Fox’s Panthers in a game in which the starters are only expected to play roughly a quarter before giving way to the younger players. As such, it’s not so much about winning or losing as it is about seeing whether some of these younger players can translate what they’ve accomplished thus far in training camp onto the live playing field.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR ON OFFENSE

The battle – if there ever really was one – at left tackle is over as David Diehl will take all of the snaps with the one. But worth watching still is Guy Whimper, who will work with the two’s. Right now the depth behind Diehl is unproven at best and considering Whimper has had a rough camp so far, the coaches will most likely be looking for him to take his game up a notch. Similarly, rookie Adam Koets, who’s worked at both tackle spots, will get a handful of snaps. Whether one or both alleviate any concerns the coaches might have about the backup depth at tackle remains to be seen.

Another player everyone will focus on is quarterback Eli Manning, who begins his post-Tiki Barber life as one of the undisputed leader of the offense. Manning, who has been up and down through  probably won’t get a lot of snaps this week, but those he does get we’re sure the coaches will be looking to see if his accuracy and decision making under pressure are improved.

We’ll also get our first look at the new receiving threats. Sinorice Moss, in his second year, is fully healthy after being hampered with a quad injury most of last year, but he’s had a very, very strong camp so far. “Sinorice Moss can catch you off guard” said R.W. McQuarters, who’s had to cover the second year player in camp. “He’s so small and so elusive that he can slip under your grasp.”

Other receivers to keep an eye on include free agents Marco Thomas and Brandon London; rookie Steve Smith and second year man Michael Jennings. McQuarters smiled when he spoke of the young receivers, and thinks they’re going to create some serious problems for opposing defenses. “When you look at our receiving corps, a lot of those guys have pretty impressive speed and can get open.  

Finally, the new two-pronged rushing attack of Brandon Jacobs and Rueben Droughns will probably get a significant amount of exposure. Jacobs’ biggest challenge is going to be learning how to avoid unnecessary contact so he can stay fresh and make it through a season; last year in limited snaps he never shied away from contact and he ended up with an assortment of nagging nicks and bruises which he played through but which also slowed him at times.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR ON DEFENSE

The headliner and probably lone exception among the starters who might see more than a series or two is new linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka.  Kiwanuka has been progressing on schedule in his new role, and his athleticism allows the Giants to use him in a variety of different and intriguing ways on passing downs.

“He finally seems like he is getting comfortable with the position and with him everything is just getting repetitions,” said linebackers coach Bill Sheridan. “I have encouraged him to just relax, enjoy it out there and be competitive.  All that stuff will come through repetitions.  Really within the last four or five practices I have seen a significant difference.

While there is no game planning in the preseason games, this preseason opener should give fans a good look at the subtle and not-so-subtle differences new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo brings to the table. According to McQuarters, a very noticeable difference is going to be the aggressiveness shown by the defenders, who last year were more in a “read and react” mode.

“This defense is aggressive and it allows the linebackers to do is run down hill, play faster, and it allows our secondary to get our hands on the receivers and disrupt the timing of the routes while we allow the pressure from the big guys up front to get after the quarterback<” McQuarters said, adding, “The aggressiveness of the defense plays into our strength.”

Other players who could get long looks are William Joseph, who’s been competing at Michael Strahan’s vacant defensive end spot, and Adrian Awasom (ditto). In fact, we’re sure Strahan’s spot will be one that’s closely observed as the team gets a glimpse of what life might be like without their best run-stopper on the field. And don’t forget to watch the starting safeties; this year the Giants have Gibril Wilson over at free safety with James Butler in at strong safety.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR ON SPECIAL TEAMS

So far neither Josh Huston nor Lawrence Tynes has really distinguished himself as the front-runner in the place-kicking derby, so this will definitely be an area the coaches will be watching, especially in terms of kickoff depth

Speaking of kickoffs, the Giants have been auditioning several guys for the role, including Ahmad Bradshaw, Sinorice Moss, Aaron Ross, Michael Jennings, Aaron Ross, and Derek Ward. Of those, we like what we’ve seen from Bradshaw and Jennings and think it could come down to those two if they can show they can be trusted with ball security.

The same could be said of the punt return game, where the candidates have included Bradshaw, Jennings, and Moss.

Another area to watch is long snapper. With Ryan Kuehl sidelined for the rest of the month, Grey Ruegamer and Jay Alford have been taking turns with the short snapping while Zak DeOssie has been doing the long snapping. To say there hasn’t been a drop-off in the quality would be inaccurate, but with additional reps and game experience, someone from that group is likely to emerge.

INJURIES

The following players are not expected to play against the Panthers: WR Amani Toomer (recovering from knee surgery); long-snapper Ryan Kuehl (calf), linebacker Gerris Wilkinson (knee) and center Todd Londot (ankle). Defensive tackle Fred Robbins (calf) and WR Plaxico Burress (ankle) are also doubtful for Saturday’s game.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST: OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH

Linebacker Zak DeOssie. With Gerris Wilkinson sidelined with a knee injury, DeOssie should see additional snaps both on defense and in special teams

Tight end Kevin Boss. Tight ends coach Mike Pope can hardly contain his enthusiasm to see his young pupil in live action. Boss has shown he has good hands as a receiver, but the big question remains just how far his blocking has come along since the start of camp.

His position coach, Mike Pope, is optimistic and says there has been improvement in the big 6-5 rookie’s performance as a blocker so far in camp. “It’s going to be a real learning experience. I think he’ll measure up to the test.  He certainly has worked hard, he’s given a lot of effort, he’s in studying early for the meetings and he’s really, really trying.  I like him because of his work ethic and his pass catching skills.”

Ahmad Bradshaw. Typically people don’t pay much attention to seventh round draft picks, and with good reason. Many times they don’t make the roster and if they do, they don’t’ really contribute much in their first season. Bradshaw, though could be an exception as he’s looked extremely explosive in his developing role as a scat back type of runner.

Corey Webster. To say that Webster struggled in Tim Lewis’ system is to put things mildly. So you’ll pardon him if he can’t contain his glee over the thought of playing in a more aggressive scheme which more closely resembles what he played in college.

“It’s all about getting your hands on the receiver and trying to locate the ball,” he said about the new defense. Of course Webster, who currently lines up behind starters Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters, is looking to gain his new coordinator’s trust that he can be a starter. But he knows that will come in time and with some solid play in the preseason games.