@DanGrazianoESPN: The Giants' ideal plan calls for
Jon Beason as the middle linebacker and on-field leader and captain of the defense. If he's fully healthy, that's his spot. If not, they believe
Jameel McClain can be a quality backup and that
Devon Kennard can play there in a pinch. Assuming Beason is playing, then it's either McClain or Kennard on the strong side, and that could vary depending on situations. The Giants like Kennard as a guy who can play any of the three linebacker positions, but as of last December they didn't think he had the speed necessary to play on the weak side in coverage. They believe they can deploy him effectively in pass-rush situations, and if he shows improvement in his speed and coverage ability in the offseason, it's not out of the question to think he could play on the weak side. They will be looking for help there, though free-agent signee
J.T. Thomas (who played all three spots in Jacksonville's defense) is probably the leading candidate to start on the weak side at this point.
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/giants/post/_/id/41983/twitter-mailbag-giants-sputter-early-in-free-agency