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Kurt Warner helped bring Eli Manning along in his rookie season in the NFL. Now Warner gets to see firsthand just how much his protege has learned when his Arizona Cardinals face the New York Giants in the teams' season opener.

Looking for a way to revive his career after being cut by St. Louis, Warner signed on with New York before last season to give the Giants a veteran quarterback and a tutor for Manning, the top overall pick in the 2004 draft.

Understanding that his time with the Giants wasn't expected to last more than a season, Warner earned the No. 1 job and led New York to a 5-2 start. But after he played poorly in consecutive losses to Chicago and Arizona the next two weeks, coach Tom Coughlin chose to make the inevitable switch to Manning.

The rookie struggled badly in his first few games and went 1-6 overall, but showed signs of progress in his last three starts, posting passer ratings over 100 in two of those games -- and giving the Giants hope that their big investment in him was beginning to pay off.

Tiki Barber will again carry the running game after rushing for a club-record 1,518 yards last season, and Coughlin may finally have someone to give the 30-year-old back a breather in Brandon Jacobs. The 6-4, 256-pound rookie is expected to help the Giants improve in short-yardage situations, one of their biggest weaknesses last season.

The return of Michael Strahan, who missed the final eight games of 2004 with a torn pectoral muscle, should toughen a defense that also added middle linebacker Antonio Pierce from Washington and impressive rookie cornerback Corey Webster and defensive end Justin Tuck through the draft. Lack of depth, though, could be a problem for New York's defensive unit, especially along the line.

Green, known for the high-powered offenses that were the hallmark of his Minnesota Vikings teams, agreed.

Green will look to rookie J.J. Arrington to lead the ground game. The second-round pick out of California was the only collegian to rush for 2,000 yards last season.

Arizona has won the last two meetings with New York.