Eisen's Mailbag: Answering fan questions

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Today's edition of The Mailbag on Giants.com:

How is 's eye coming along? will he be ready for the start of camp?

Dear Quadir:

Will Beatty's surgically-repair eye is fine. That is not expected to be an issue going forward. But Beatty did not participate in the Giants' minicamp because of a sore back he sustained while lifting weights. Beatty was confident he would be on the field at the start of training camp, but the players have been on vacation since he made that statement. The injury was not considered serious, so Beatty is expected to reclaim his left tackle position.

When is Eli going to get the respect he deserves? Toomer comes out and says Romo is a better QB and ESPN sportscaster arguing the point. We should be arguing if Eli is as good as his brother or Rodgers. It's insulting to compare him to Romo at this point.

Dear Michael:

Frankly, I think all such comparisons are pointless. Does it really matter whether someone outside the organization thinks Eli is better than Peyton or Aaron Rodgers is better than Eli? Really, who cares? All that matters is how Eli produces. He's won two Super Bowls and threw for just under 5,000 yards last season. He is clearly a tremendous quarterback and perfect for the Giants. He gets all the respect he needs from his coaches and teammates. Outside opinions and comparisons are meaningless. Having said that, I have no idea where Toomer was coming from. He seems to be trying to get that spotlight directed back at him with controversial comments. It seems to me that benefits no one.

What are the Giants doing to improve return yardage and kick coverage? These were two glaring weaknesses last year, in my opinion.

Dear Vernon:

When? Well, how about his year - though I disagree with you assertion regarding kickoff coverage. The Giants ranked 11th in the NFL in 2011, allowing an average of 22.9 yards per return. They did not allow a kickoff return longer than 42 yards, despite facing a dangerous return man seemingly every week. Conversely, they did not have a return longer than 40 yards. It's no secret the Giants would like to increase their upgrade their punt and kickoff return averages. They seem to have plenty of candidates who can help them do that, including , , , and the returning (whose 11.0-yard career punt return average is tied for the second-highest in franchise history). I really believe 2012 will be the season in which the Giants' return game takes a great leap forward.

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