Manning, McAdoo Hold Cards

The Giants got better in the offseason, which is fabulous news right up until the moment it hits you that everybody else got better, at least in their minds. Heck, the Cleveland Browns got better too — just ask them.

Predicting how much better these Giants have gotten might be harder than nailing a Springsteen playlist. What Big Blue and The Boss’ itinerary have in common is that both are written on paper, and that the league can be terribly cruel to teams looking good on tablets. A quick offseason recap:

The Giants got a once big-time prospect, offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, after he was cut by the Chargers.

The Giants got a versatile blocker, Rhett Ellison, in free agency from the Vikings.

In the draft the Giants got a highly acclaimed college receiver, Evan Engram, poorly disguised as a tight end.

And of course the Giants got a proven NFL receiver in Brandon Marshall, who would seem to have fuel in the tank and certainly a penchant for taking on the challenge with his new quarterback.

The Giants could be vastly improved in a league that is consistently evolving and adding postseason threats. You either make sizable annual leaps in the NFL or you plunge into a pit of mediocrity with typically more than a dozen teams staring at six- to nine-win seasons. One, possibly two, of those teams wind up in the playoffs. Most of them end up getting a head start on preparing for the following season.