Jaworski on the Giants

But the Giants pretty much kept everybody. Jim Fassel is still the head coach, and defensive coordinator John Fox and offensive coordinator Sean Payton are still on the coaching staff. Like most Super Bowl teams, the Giants didn't lose any of their marquee players. In fact, they have gotten better with the acquisition of defensive end Kenny Holmes, who will be a great complement to Michael Strahan, giving them two solid pass rushers. The Giants also drafted cornerbacks Will Allen and William Peterson to address a questionable area on defense.

Despite how people may be picking, the Giants remain a strong contender in the NFC.

Five keys for the Giants:
1. Avoid early miscues. In the first quarter, the Giants must not make mistakes and fall behind. They will be playing in the Broncos' new stadium on Monday night. The Broncos will have more of an adrenaline rush. The Giants need to weather the storm early. Last year they played big playoff games and the Super Bowl, so they are conditioned to having the spotlight on the them.

2. Patience is a virtue. The Giants need to take their time and be patient. They don't need to go for the big home-run play early, especially on offense. The Broncos' defense has gone from the blitzing scheme of Greg Robinson to the more conservative approach of Ray Rhodes. In the preseason, teams can't get a feel for one another because no one shows anything significant. The Giants will need to adjust to Rhodes' style of defense and get a read on it as the game goes on.

3. Focus on formations. Rhodes can be predictable with his coverage schemes against a certain formation. So the Giants will show a lot of formations early. They would like to get into a situation where they can dictate a coverage and a matchup that will favor them and then attack.

4. Stay conservative. What Mike Shanahan does as well as any offensive coach in football is manufacture points through creating matchups by design. The Giants need to be conservative and to be careful not to give up the big play early. They shouldn't use their blitz packages early. If the Broncos are going to score, the Giants must make them methodically drive the ball down the field 80 yards.

5. The other guys. The Giants need production from their receivers, especially since Ike Hilliard is questionable. That means Ron Dixon and Joe Jurevicius must step up. If they don't, the Broncos will double-cover Amani Toomer and make someone else beat them. The known quantities on the Giants' offense are Tiki Barber, Ron Dayne and Toomer. The key is getting production from their complementary receivers.

Salisbury on the Broncos

Find me a position where the Broncos are weak. They upgraded their secondary with Denard Walker and Eric Davis. They have solid linebackers, with Al Wilson in the middle and Bill Romanowski and John Mobley outside. The only question is what kind of performance they will get from Leon Lett and Chester McGlockton. People will say they are underachievers, but when they play, they are both excellent defensive tackles.

Denver has the makings for a special season. Plus, to open the season, the Broncos have the emotion of a Monday night game at a new stadium and the return of Terrell Davis.

Five keys for the Broncos:
1. Strong inside. The Giants will try to run the football, so the Broncos need great plays from their inside tackles, Lett and McGlockton, in their 4-3 scheme. The Giants will run Tiki Barber and Ron Dayne. The Broncos need to be stout and establish their ability to control the Giants' run game.

2. Touches for Terrell. Emotionally, I'm saying Davis will be the starter, but we will see both him and Mike Anderson. If TD starts, the Broncos will do what they do best -- zone-block, get up in the hole and give him the ball. Then the crowd will take over. The Broncos need to get them into the game right away. And Davis needs to prove he's back. Physically, I don't think it's a major issue. For him, it's the emotional feeling of being OK. He may get the ball the first play of the game.

3. Run and pass. The Giants' defense is a solid all-around unit and won't be beaten with one-dimensional football. The Broncos will win the game if they get balance in their offense, equal run and pass. They are far from being a one-dimensional team, and they can't allow the Giants to turn them into one.

4. Put the onus on Collins. The last big memory in Kerry Collins' mind was the Super Bowl defeat. I think he has overcome it because he has overcome tougher things in his life. But in this game, the Broncos need to make him beat them. If the Giants run the ball well, Collins will be stellar. The Broncos must play an eight-man front and let Toomer and Jurevicius beat them. They can, but the Broncos must make Collins prove he has overcome the Super Bowl defeat.

5. Go to the midsection. The Giants have good corners, so the Broncos will have to attack the middle of the field. That means running a lot of play-action crossing routes with Ed McCaffrey and Rod Smith and getting tight ends Dwayne Carswell and Desmond Clark and their slot backs down the field. That will force the Giants' defense to squeeze the middle, giving McCaffrey and Smith more room outside as the game wears on.