EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- With one of the NFLs better top offenses, the New York Giants went on a spending spree in free agency to shore up the defense. They hope to give rookie coach Ben McAdoo a shot at ending the franchises four-year playoff drought.The strategy was simple: Fill all the holes on the leagues worst defense and the days of consecutive 6-10 seasons would end.The plan has the Giants returning to the glory days that saw Tom Coughlin lead them to Super Bowls titles in the 2007 and 11 seasons.A funny thing happened in the preseason. The defense, led by newcomers Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison and Janoris Jenkins, lived up to all the expectations. It stopped the run and forced turnovers.The offense went south, though. Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr. and the rest of the group were simply horrible. She Giants once again are a question mark heading into the season opener at Dallas on Sept. 11.Even playing in the weak NFC East wont help if the offense doesnt wake up.Everybody is excited, Manning said after the Giants (2-2) wrapped up the preseason. We are excited for this year. ... We know we have some quality players on this team. The defense has been playing great football, so hopefully they can continue to do that, and the offense, we will pick it up and score some points.The defense has come a long way since blowing six games either in the fourth quarter or overtime last season.Honestly, we are going to have to wait and see come Dallas, said Vernon, who signed a five-year, $85 million contract. Thats a good team. They have a lot of weapons. You know its going to be rocking. Its our first division game, against one of the big-time rivals. Well see how it pans out and go from there.Here are some keys to the Giants season:OFFENSIVE LINE: With the starting group returning, the Giants did nothing to help the line either in the draft or free agency. It was believed that left tackle Ereck Flowers, left guard Justin Pugh, center Weston Richburg, right guard John Jerry and right tackle Marshall Newhouse would get better. They havent.The players insist they will improve once the team starts game planning. Perhaps.Veteran Will Beatty, who missed all of last season and then was cut in a cap move early this year, was re-signed last week in an effort to help.DEFENSIVE LINE: The addition of Vernon and Harrison has transformed this group into a force. Vernon is one of the leagues top pass rushers and Harrison stuffs the middle. Added to end Jason Pierre-Paul and tackle Johnathan Hankins, and reserves Owa Odighizuwa and Kerry Wynn, this group has the capability to control games like the lines in the Super Bowl days. Thats a gift for the linebackers who have been able to run free, and for the secondary, which benefits from quarterbacks under duress.ROOKS: This might be one of general manager Jerry Reeses best draft classes. Top three picks cornerback Eli Apple, receiver Sterling Shepard and safety Darian Thompson are going to get big playing time. Thompson was expected to start, but has been slowed by a shoulder injury. Tight end Jerrell Adams, the sixth-round pick, has been making strides.COMPANY FOR BECKHAM: Odell Beckham Jr. has been the teams big-play threat in his two seasons. Last year, he did it almost by himself because the team didnt have a consistent No. 2 receiver. This year is going to be different. Shepard is a sure-handed threat and Victor Cruz seems ready to contribute after missing last season. Dwayne Harris, Tavarres King and Roger Lewis Jr. also are available, all good news for Manning.THE NEW COACH: McAdoo has done and said all the right things since being hired to replace Coughlin in January. The former offensive coordinator now must lead the whole team and find ways not to blow late leads. The 39-year-old McAdoo has yet to say whether hell continue calling offensive plays or hand it over to Mike Sullivan. His biggest decision will come in Week 2: Does he keep placekicker Josh Brown? The steady veteran who had a career year in 2015 is suspended for the first game because of a domestic violence incident in 2015. No charges were filed but the team has been under pressure. Randy Bullock has been signed to kick against Dallas and the team said there is now a competition between Brown and Bullock for the job.---AP NFL websites: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Adidas NHL Jerseys From China . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. Authentic Adidas NHL Jerseys . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. http://www.nhljerseys.us/ . Emery skated the length of the ice and fought an unwilling Holtby during the third period of the Flyers 7-0 loss Friday night in Philadelphia. He was given 29 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct. But Emery did not face even a disciplinary hearing with NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan because rules 46. Discount Adidas NHL Jerseys . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys China . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. HOUSTON -- Doug Fister had trouble locating his pitches on Tuesday night and it doomed the Houston Astros in a 6-3 loss to the New York Yankees.Fister (10-7) allowed nine hits and six runs, which both tied season highs, in 4 2/3 innings.I didnt execute today, Fister said. Basically, I let my team down. It was execution. I left balls over the middle.The Astros led by 1 when Mark Teixeira doubled in the second inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by Didi Gregorius to tie it. Chase Headley hit an RBI single later in the inning to put New York on top.Starlin Castros run-scoring single with two outs in the third pushed the lead to 3-1.Fister plunked Brian McCann to start the fifth inning before Teixeira singled. The Astros intentionally walked Castro with one out to load the bases before McCann scored on a sacrifice fly by Headley. The first triple of the season for Aaron Hicks came next to score two more and chase Fister.They came up pretty hot with the hits, manager A.J. Hinch said. They were clearly aggressive, hes always in the strike zone, and hes pretty bullish with his fastball. He escaped it a little bit early, but then obviously, they opened it up in the fifth.CC Sabathia allowed just two runs in 6 2/3 innings to get back on track after a tough stretch and help the Yankees to the victory.Sabathia (6-8) allowed four hits and struck out five to pick up his first win since June 16 after going 0-4 and allowing 31 runs -- 29 earned -- combined in his past six starts.Things didnt look good early on Tuesday night when he allowed a solo home run to Marwin Gonzalez in the first inning. But he settled in after that, allowing only one single over the next five innings.The Yankees led by five when Evan Gattis homered to start Houstons seventh and cut it to 6-2. Sabathia was lifted after a two-out single by Carlos Gomez in that inning.Andrew Miller allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth for his second save since Aroldis Chapman was traded Monday and ninth overall.Gonzalez added a solo homer in the eighth for his first career multi-home run game. His first home run was right-handed and the second one from the left to make the switch-hitter the first Houston player to homer from both siddes in the same game since Lance Berkman did it in 2006.ddddddddddddThe Astros loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth, but Dellin Betances struck out Jason Castro on three pitches to end the threat.TRAINERS ROOMAstros: Houston 3B Luis Valbuena left Tuesdays game in the second inning with a strained right hamstring. Valbuena pulled up after hitting a grounder and fell face down on to the dirt halfway between home plate and first base. Trainers looked at him for a minute before he was helped to his feet and limped off the field.A DIFFERENT PATH?NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson, who spent his entire 14-year career with the San Antonio Spurs, attended the game with some students he provided scholarships for. He lamented a baseball career that was cut short while watching batting practice.It was my favorite sport up until my senior year of high school. I played first base, pitched some, he said. (But) all through high school I grew like three inches a year so it killed my baseball career. Which now being out here Im really sad about that, but basketball turned out OK.WHOS ON FIRSTJason Castro, who was getting a day off from catching with Evan Gattis behind the plate, made his first career appearance at first base in the third inning after Valbuena left the game and Hinch moved Gonzalez from first base to third. Before Tuesday, Castro had only played catcher and been the designated hitter in his six-year career.It had been a while since Castro played there, Hinch said. Thats a lot of baseball left to play a National League game by losing the DH. Not knowing where that game was going, I felt comfortable with Castro stepping in there.UP NEXTYankees: Masahiro Tanaka (7-2, 3.00) will start in the series finale on Wednesday. Tanaka, who leads the majors with a 1.50 ERA on the road this season, enters the game with an 11-inning scoreless streak.Astros: Lance McCullers (5-4, 3.33) is scheduled to start for Houston on Wednesday. McCullers allowed one run and struck out 10 in a season-high eight-plus innings in a win over the Angels in his previous start. Jerseys NFL China Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Discount Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China China NCAA Jerseys Cheap Cheap Nike Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Nike Patriots Jerseys Cheap Nike Jets Jerseys Cheap Nike Bengals Jerseys Cheap Nike Browns Jerseys Cheap Nike Steelers Jerseys Cheap Nike Texans Jerseys Cheap Nike Colts Jerseys Cheap Nike Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Nike Titans Jerseys Cheap Nike Broncos Jerseys ' ' '