Big Blue To Miss Playoffs?

The New York Giants are one of those teams that thought they were playoff-bound just a couple of weeks ago that were dealt a harsh dose of reality in week nine. From a quarterback who isn’t forceful enough and a coach that doesn’t trust his players, to a defensive coordinator that cannot make adjustments and an offense that’s laughably predictable in key situations, the New York Giants proved one thing yesterday: they are not a playoff team.

It unfolds like a novel.

Foreword: the previous three games, all losses. The defense constantly coming up short when it matters, the offense unable to gain a yard at critical moments, the coaching staff scratching its collective head as they search for solutions…all leading up to what the head coach described as a “Super Bowl” against San Diego.

Chapter One—We’ve Seen This All Before.
After committing a penalty on the opening kickoff, the Giants drove right down the field, mixing runs and passes to set themselves up on the San Diego 30-yard-line. The drive’s momentum continued with an eight-yard pass to Steve Smith on first down…but that’s where the trouble began: second and two resulted in a Brandon Jacobs one-yard effort and third and one, a predicable no-gainer from Ahmad Bradshaw. Playing at home, against a soft team, in a game described by the team’s head coach as a Super Bowl, on fourth and inches…Tom Coughlin decided to kick a field goal. That Lawrence Tynes didn’t like the snap or hold and thought he’d get a mulligan is pathetic, but the fault lies with the decision to kick the field goal in the first place. The Giants were moving the ball and needed to set the tone for the game by telling San Diego, “We don’t think you can stop us.” Year after year we hear about how wonderful the Giants offensive line is…but where are they on short yardage situations? How many times is this team stopped cold on 3rd and 1? Perhaps that played into Coughlin’s decision to settle for a field goal, but come on—you’re telling your team “I don’t think we can gain a foot” on the first drive of the game? Not what I would have done.

Chapter Two—Rolling out the Red Carpet.
Following an exchange of punts, the Chargers finally took what the Giants gave them—the middle of the field. Philip Rivers fired to a wide open Antonio Gates for 19 yards then hit the underrated Vincent Jackson over the middle for a 10-yard touchdown. How many times do the Giants cornerbacks have to fail to cut off opposing teams’ underneath routes before the coaching staff adjusts and tries Plan B? When there’s an answer to that, I’ll let you all know. For now, all we can do is watch as the next competent quarterback hits another open receiver in the middle of the field. Manning, who played well yesterday, led the Giants on a game-tying drive which took four hours. OK, it took 10:35 of game time. The offense took two steps forward and one step back for 76 yards. Apparently doing that and scoring a touchdown takes a little more than 10 minutes. Manning’s 19-yard pass to Steve Smith on 3rd and 18 should have been all Coughlin needed to trust his quarterback with the game on the line. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Halftime: 7-7.

Chapter Three—The Longest Yard.
On their first possession of the second half, the Giants faced a 3rd and 1 from the San Diego 46. Bradshaw—not the big bruising Jacobs—is stopped cold for no gain. This is a great offensive line? This is “Giants Football”? Nah—THIS is the way to lose games; being predictable on short yardage and making things easy for the opposing defense.

Chapter Four—It’s Not Me, it’s YOU!
After yet another poor Jeff Feagles punt, the Chargers were set up at midfield. It was only a matter of time before Jackson turned Corey Webster inside out and drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone. Rivers hit 10th-string tight end Kris Wilson for a two-yard touchdown and it was 14-7 Chargers. Following the scoring play, Giants “leader” Antonio Pierce thought it would be productive to scream at teammate Danny Clark, on the field. Whether or not Clark missed his assignment (he did) is irrelevant—the Giants aren’t one of those teams, are they? The team that yells at each other, loses focus defensively, and points fingers during a game? Well…they are now.

Chapter Five—Could it Be?
A Tynes field goal—he liked the way this one looked, so decided to kick—and a Kevin Boss touchdown reception, the Giants took a 17-14 lead with nine minutes remaining in the game. San Diego moved the ball to the Giants side of the field and faced a 3rd and 5. Only Norv Turner could call an end around in that situation. The Chargers had receivers wide open all day, yet Turner decides a gimmick is the way to go? With seven minutes left down by a field goal? Are you serious? Man, that guy is terrible. He did everything he could to hand the game to the Giants. New York had the ball and the lead with six minutes left. They could drive the ball down the field and finish the game off…couldn’t they?

Chapter Six—It Looks Like it Could.
Five plays later, Feagles was punting again, and the Chargers had the ball with 3:30 left at their own 23. Would the defense come up with a big play? This time, the answer was a quick “yes”. Terrell Thomas intercepted Rivers on the first play of the drive and returned it to the Chargers four. All the Giants had to do was punch it in from there…but a holding call on...Chris Snee pushed them back to the 14. Still, it was first down and Manning had earned his coach’s trust with his stellar play up to that point. Hadn’t he? He was 24-30 with a pair of touchdowns—surely the ball would be in his hands. The team didn’t give him that huge contract to sit on the ball and play it safe, did they?

Chapter 7—Where Not to Lose means Losing.
You want to talk about playing not to lose? First and goal from the Chargers 14: short pass for no gain. OK, so nothing was there. Second and goal from the 14, Jacobs runs for five yards. OK, kind of…I guess that opens the playbook a bit more for the third down pass play and…wait, what? Coughlin runs the ball on third and goal from the nine? When he has a zillion dollar quarterback who has been ridiculously accurate in the game? Jacobs runs again for five yards and the Giants settle for the field goal to go up 20-14. After the game, Coughlin said he was worried about turning it over because the Chargers were “defending the goal line”. That’s why he decided to take the field goal. He made the decision in his mind immediately after the penalty and if you can find me a better example of playing not to lose, I’d like you to show it to me. Of course it was possible that Manning would throw an interception. But the point is—you’ve made a franchise decision that Manning IS the future. He’s the one you’ve invested an obscene amount of money in; how then, pray tell, do you not trust him in this situation?

Chapter 8—Inevitability.
Was there anyone that didn’t know San Diego was going to drive right down the field and score to win that game? Everyone I was watching the game with did. And how could we not? With the way the secondary had been playing and the fact that the pass rush hasn’t come through when asked during the losing streak, it could be a surprise to no one when Rivers led San Diego to the end zone with little resistance. The defense came up lame, once again. San Diego did not face a third down on that final drive. Rivers used the middle of the field on four of his five completions leading up to the touchdown pass to Jackson, and he did so because there was absolutely no pressure on him, once again. The End.

Epilogue
The Giants are now 5-4 after starting the season 5-0. Losing four in a row is distressing at anytime, but this downturn is particularly so. They keep losing in the same way—offensive uncertainly and a lack of vision defensively. Defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan has to take some heat for his inability to make adjustments, both week to week and during games. Coughlin has to take some heat for decisions he’s made and for the way he’s handled the players during this losing streak; once you see things aren’t working, as a head coach you must adjust. He adjusted when he realized his iron fisted technique wasn’t yielding wins and the team won a Super Bowl. Now he must use this bye week to figure out a way to get the team back together because make no mistake—this team has officially fallen apart. But the fault for all of this lies mainly on the players themselves, as it always does. The weird thing about it is that literally every player has played their part in the collapse. It’s not just the offense or kicker or linebackers or secondary—it’s the whole ball of wax. Perhaps the coaches would be best served by purchasing mirrors for everyone on the team. I guarantee you, if they all looked into their respective mirrors, not one New York Giant would think, “I’m the fairest of them all.”

It’s not too late…the season is slipping away, but it can be salvaged. The Giants host Atlanta following their bye and we’ll see within a quarter of that game whether or not Coughlin’s team is ready to fight, or ready to throw in the towel. Win that game, and they head to Denver for Thanksgiving with a new mindset. Lose it, and the Broncos will be putting a .500 team out of its misery in front of a national audience.

NFL Draft: 2010 Inside Linebacker Rankings

NFL Draft Guru Justin Van Fulpen ranks his top ten senior inside linebackers for the 2010 NFL Draft.

1. Brandon Spikes, Florida - Spikes has good size and rang for an inside linebacker with the ability to go sideline to sideline to make a play. Spikes has a great football IQ, and has the ability to diagnose plays and predict, at times, where the ball is going and takes great angles when pursing the ball carrier. He is not great in coverage, but can do it if he is asked to. Spikes had a better sophomore season then he did last year, but is a productive player who can make game changing plays at the middle linebacker spot, which is hard to find and that is why Spikes will be drafted early if he keeps playing like he is capable of. Spikes has played well this season with 32 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 1 interception.

2. Sean Lee, Penn State - Missed all of last season following surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that happened last April. Lee was a heck of football player before his knee injury and the question will be can he get back to his form in 2007 where he had 138 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 3 recovered fumbles and 1 interception. Before the injury Lee was a very good overall linebacker who make plays all over the field and many thought that he would have been a later first round pick with his ability and football IQ. Now, there are a lot of question marks that come up with Lee. He has only played in 5 games this season, but has 37 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks so far this season.

3. Pat Angerer, Iowa - Angerer came out of nowhere to lead the team in tackles last season with 107 total tackles, after recording just six tackles in his first two seasons. Angerer tied for the Big Ten lead with five interceptions to go along with three pass breakups, to help him earned All-Big Ten second-team honors. Angerer has good size at 6-1 235 pounds, and not only is a good run defender, but as seen last season can play the pass and is effective both in man to man coverage as well as zone. Angerer has had an outstanding season with 77 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 1 interception.

4. Jamar Chaney, Mississippi State - Chaney has good size at 6-0 240 pounds, and shows the ability to play thru traffic and get to the ball carrier. He has some coverage ability, but looks like more of a 4-3 middle linebacker that is a two down linebacker at the next level. This season so far he has 58 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and 1 interception.

5. Micah Johnson, Kentucky - Johnson has great size for a middle linebacker at 6-2 256 and is a thumper in the middle. He is somewhat tight in the hips and needs to show better ability to flip his hips and get back in coverage, but is good overall football player and a leader on the field. This season he has 55 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack so far.

6. Darryl Sharpton, Miami (Fla.) - Some teams have Sharpton playing outside linebacker and some have him playing inside. I think he fits as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. If he gets drafted by a team that plays that defense I think he will be a very good player at the next level. He lacks great size being 5-11 and around 235 pounds, but is a productive player because he is a very good overall athlete. This season has 46 total tackles, and 3.5 tackles for loss.

7. Reggie Carter, UCLA - As a sophomore Carter missed some time with a knee injury, but had 12 tackles for loss, last season played in all the games and had 84 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss. Carter is going to be a steady player at the next level that will be able to play the all the three linebacking spots, because he is a good athlete and takes good angles to the ball and does a good job anticipating where the ball is going to go. This season so far Carter has 51 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack.

8. Mike McLaughlin, Boston College - McLaughlin was a very highly rated linebacker coming into the season, but has only played in 5 games so far this season, with only 27 total tackles. He is a good overall athlete and has decent size at around 6 foot and 250 pounds and is a player that is a two down player at the next level being a 4-3 middle linebacker. He needs to really show well at an All-Star game and the NFL combine to help his stock go back to where it was before the season started.

9. Jacob Cutrera, LSU - Cutrera has the size and ability to be more productive then he is. He is 6-3 240 pounds and right now this season has only 28 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1 interception. He can stop the run and shows and good ability to go side line to side line and can also flip his hips and drop in coverage if asked to. You could see him move up the board as we get into the All-Star games and post season work-outs.

10. Reed Williams, West Virginia - Williams is a two down linebacker at the next level, because he is a good run stopper, but his pass coverage ability needs to improve. He is around 6-0 230 pounds and this season has 32 total tackles, and 1 tackle for loss.

Photos Courtesy of SEC Sports Media, Don Liebig/UCLA,

Jets Snap Three-Game Losing Streak; Lose Leon

The Jets snapped their three-game losing streak against the Oakland Raiders, thrashing the sad sack Silver and Black 38-0. But how much can be learned from such a scrimmage? JaMarcus Russell was finally pulled—or put out of his misery—after turning the ball over on three of Oakland’s first four possessions, and the New Yorkers once again ran the ball for over 300 yards. Unlike the Buffalo game, those yards led to a victory…although it did come with a price. Fan favorite Leon Washington broke his fibula and will be lost for the year, the second devastating injury in two weeks for Gang Green following Kris Jenkins’ torn ACL. However, unlike Jenkins, for whom there is no replacement, the Jets unveiled a new running back and Shonn Greene certainly hit the ground…running. The Jets traded up 12 spots to secure Greene’s services and the former Iowa Hawkeye did not disappoint in his first serious action of the season, carrying the ball 19 times for 144 yards and a pair of touchdowns. I realize it was the Raiders, but 7.6 yards per carry is noteworthy regardless of the opponent. Greene ran with power and confidence on Sunday, taking a bit of the sting out of the Washington injury. And for those of you who curse players for demanding more money and holding out, this is the situation they want the guaranteed money for, and justifiably so. Washington turned down offers from the Jets which would have guaranteed him $5 million and decided to play out the final year of his contract before becoming a restricted free agent. He’ll earn $535,000 this season but is guaranteed nothing going forward.

Now that it appears that the owners are going to opt out of the current CBA, DeMaurice Smith needs to prove he is truly the Executive Director of the NFLPA and get his players guaranteed contracts when a new CBA is negotiated. The NFL’s owners aren’t happy with the current split of revenue, claiming the players make the money while the owners take all of the risk. Really? Tell Leon Washington—who had a BONE BREAK THROUGH HIS SKIN WHILE MAKING YOU MONEY—that he’s not taking any risk. End of side rant.

Mark Sanchez had to throw the ball a mere 15 times, completing nine of those attempts for 143 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a score. But the Jets could have won the game without throwing a single pass; this was not a test for the aerial attack. That will come when they face the Dolphins at home this week. For now, though, Sanchez and the Jets stopped the snowball from rolling downhill with the win. Calvin Pace finally contributed with three sacks and two forced fumbles, and his four-game suspension is now a distant memory. They’ll need more of that from Pace if they expect to make the playoffs—the man was brought in to make a difference. But, back to Sanchez…what a difference a week makes. Last week everyone was criticizing his demeanor on the sidelines. This week everyone—at least everyone without a stick up them—was holding in laughter over the rookie QB’s choice of sideline cuisine. Honestly, who cares if the guy eats a hot dog on the sidelines? Can’t haters find something else to get upset about? And don’t hand me the “he disrespected the game” nonsense. The NFL is about teams building $1 billion dollar stadiums, players making obscene amounts of money, drug use, dog fighting, talks of a work stoppage, non-stop television commercials, embarrassing refereeing, and the Broncos throwback socks…and a hot dog is disrespectful? Child, please.

Speaking of disrespecting the game, consider the Raiders. They’re all pumped up after defeating the Eagles last week. They’re at home with the fans screaming in support…and within two minutes, Russell fumbles on their first play from scrimmage and the Jets waltz into the end zone to take a 7-0 lead. Talk about taking the air out of the balloon. Any momentum gained by the Eagle upset was lost on one play. Russell turned the ball over twice more in the first quarter, leading to seven more Jet points and essentially ending the contest. As many of us have been saying for a year—Russell is not an NFL-caliber quarterback. It’s time for Oakland to admit their Ryan Leaf-esque mistake and go in another direction. The former number one pick was clueless out there against the Jets. He was 6-11 for 61 yards and two interceptions but the saddest part is, that performance was by no means his worst of the season. Bruce Gradkowski isn’t Kenny Stabler, but enough is enough—at least pretend you want to win and give your team a chance. To me, starting Russell is more disrespectful to the game than any hot dog could ever be.

The Jets are 4-3 and have to be looking forward to avenging a week five loss to the Dolphins this Sunday. I expect them to. After a bye and a game against and enigmatic Jacksonville team, Gang Green should be 6-3 when they travel to New England in week 11. I say “should be” because the Jets consider themselves playoff worthy. We’ll see about that over the next month.

Giants Drop Two In A Row

Uh, oh. This is what Giant fans have been afraid of. Now that Big Blue are playing some halfway decent teams, their damaged secondary is being exposed due to a lack of pass rush. It’s costing them games and will continue to do so. Sunday night’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals wasn’t embarrassing, but it was a loss which the Giants deserved. Right now, Arizona is a better team and proved it to me last night. The underrated Cardinal defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions from Eli Manning, and sustained pressure on the Giants’ signal caller all night long. Pro-Bowler Adrian Wilson was everywhere and the Cardinals were able to successfully guard the Giants receivers one-on-one all night, allowing them to blitz without consequence. When Manning did have time to throw a deep ball, it was either off-target or dropped.

The Giants wide outs have performed better than most expected, but their limitations are being exposed as the season wears on. Steve Smith is a terrific player, but he’s not a deep threat. Throughout the game against Arizona, Manning saw man coverage and tried to take advantage of it by throwing over the top. For the second week running, those deep passes could not be completed and Smith’s intermediate routes were somehow forgotten until it was too late. Mario Manningham dropped a touchdown, Smith failed to capitalize on a potential pass interference situation, and Manning was rushed into inaccurate throws. Arizona cleverly mixed up their blitz packages, occasionally dropping eight men into coverage to deny Manning those short passing windows but sending five and six men at Manning often enough to make him uncomfortable all evening. This is how it’s going to be for the rest of the season. When the Giants play good teams—they’ve played only three so far and are 1-2 in those games—they will have to deal with the “We don’t think you have receivers good enough to cost us in one-on-one coverage” mentality.

They must adjust offensively. They ran the ball only 25 times last night. I realize that the Cardinals were playing with eight in the box at times, but the Giants still managed to average over four yards a carry and Brandon Jacobs needs more than 13 carries a game to maximize his effectiveness. But to me, the key to the Giants’ troubles these days is this: they cannot get to opposing quarterbacks. In those three games I mentioned earlier—against Dallas, New Orleans, and Arizona—the Giants have three total sacks. The secondary issues have been unmasked because of this and unless they figure out a way to get to Donovan McNabb, they will have lost three in a row a week from now. Kurt Warner was 26-30 last night because he had time to throw nearly every time he faded back. Teams are able to max protect and send only a couple of receivers out because the Giants secondary—especially the safeties—cannot cover. At all.

It’s all about the pass rush—they Giants can’t get enough of one, and their receivers cannot make other teams pay for theirs. The coaching staff and players have a week to figure out a remedy.

2010 NFL Draft: Outside Linebacker Rankings

NFL Draft Guru Justin Van Fulpen ranks his current top ten senior outside linebacker prospects for the upcoming 2010 NFL Draft.

1. Ricky Sapp, Clemson – Sapp has a great burst of speed off the end, but he is a little undersized for an NFL defensive end and that is why he will be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense at the next level. At 6-4 and 245 pounds, Sapp can add some more bulk as well as strength. Right now Sapp is also pretty one-dimensional in his pass rush and his straight line speed and his initial burst to beat tackles off the line of scrimmage. Last season he had 28 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. He needs to get better being able to drop into coverage in pass defense, to be a more effective overall defender.

2. Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri – Weatherspoon is a good overall linebacker who is a very productive player in the Big 12, and should be a good overall linebacker at the next level. He has very good coverage skills and has the ability to play man to man as well as drop into zone coverage, and had 3 interceptions and 7 pass break-ups last season. He isn’t as good as a pass rusher as fellow Big 12 linebacker Sergio Kindle of Texas but can do it and is an effective blitzer. He had 18.5 tackles for loss last season as well as 5 sacks. Might not end up putting up those stats this season, but he has the ability to be best overall senior linebacker in this group.

3. Sergio Kindle, Texas – When Kindle sent his paperwork to the NFL Draft Advisor Board last season to see what type of draft grade he had when he got his paperwork back they said he was a second- or third-round choice, so Kindle decided to comeback to Texas for his senior season. Kindle is tougher against the run and a better blitzing linebacker than Aaron Curry who was the number four overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. Kindle is a very strong pass rusher who can be a great blitzing strong side linebacker or even defensive end on 3rd downs. He has great speed and aggressiveness, and always plays hard.

4. Eric Norwood, South Carolina – Norwood declared for last years draft and then made the decision to come back for his senior season. So far it looks like it was the right move to make last season he had 75 total tackles and 9 sacks and so far it looks like he will put up better stats this season then last year. He is an all around linebacker that will be a 4-3 outside linebacker at the next level. He has good size and speed and with his size and speed could play the strong side linebacker spot in the NFL.

5. A.J. Edds, Iowa – Edds just seems to get better each week in Iowa’s defense he has great size at 6-3, 246 pounds and good speed, he has been clocked at around 4.6 in the 40. He needs to show improvement in his pass rushing skills but hasn’t been asked to blitz much in Iowa’s defense. He could be a real sleeper in the 2010 NFL draft and someone that gets talked about more as we get closer to the NFL Draft.

6. Daryl Washington, TCU – Washington is a productive linebacker that will be a weakside linebacker at the next level because of size 6-1 215, but he can run (4.5 in the 40). Last season he had 63 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and one interception. Washington is a good overall athlete, and has the ability to make plays both in the running game as well as the passing game, he shows coverage skills both in man to man as well as in zone.

7. Dekoda Watson, Florida State – Watson last season had 46 total tackles with 8 tackles for loss and 1 interception. He has good size at 6-2 226 and like all of Florida State linebackers can run. He has the ability to play both the weak side and strong side linebacker position and does a good job against the run and the pass. This season has been one of Florida States best overall defensive players.

8. Roddrick Muckelroy, Texas –Muckelroy doesn’t get the hype that his fellow linebacker Sergio Kindle gets, but all he does is make tackle and last season end up with 102 total tackles. He isn’t the linebacker that is going to make the huge hit or the game changing sack and forced fumble but what he is going to do is do his job and make very few mistakes. He is a very consistent player and there is no reason to think that he will be any different at the next level.

9. Justin Cole, San Jose State – Cole plays defensive end right now but a number of teams project him to be an outside linebacker in the NFL, because of his size and his athleticism he is 6-3 241. Last season he had 68 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks and 1 interception. The biggest question mark is going to be his overall speed and will he be able to flip his hips and cover as a 3-4 outside linebacker when he is ask to do that in the defensive scheme.

10. Cameron Sheffield, Troy – Sheffield is 6-2 250 and last season had 66 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. A good overall athlete with good pass rushing skills, he has good explosion off the line of scrimmage, but also has good strength and can use that when he bull rushers. He can play the run as well as the pass and will be a good addition to any team.

Photos Courtesy of Clemson SID, SEC Sports Media, University of Texas Athletics

Jets Fall To 3-3

Faith is something I don’t have in the New York Jets. After losing what can only be described as a torturous game to the Buffalo Bills, the once 3-0 Jets are now 3-3. How quickly outlooks change. A few weeks ago, Jet fans were happily debating whether their new quarterback should be nicknamed Sanchise or Franchez. Now, they’re wondering if Kellen Clemens would have been a better choice. Mark Sanchez has a quarterback rating of 26.5 over his last three games. That’s frightening. Worse than that is the obvious loss of confidence that I saw on the field late Sunday afternoon. Not that I blame him; throwing five picks against the Bills would shake anyone’s confidence. It’s not easy to play in the Meadowlands when there’s a wind blowing—which is why Eli Manning plays better on the road—but there’s struggling, and there’s whatever you want to call what Sanchez did on Sunday.

However, to place all of the blame at the rookie’s feet isn’t fair, and it lets too many other people off the hook. Other than Thomas Jones and Leon Washington, the entire Jet offense seemed like they were sleepwalking through this game. Dustin Keller finally got the targets he wanted, but couldn’t respond. Braylon Edwards was the only wide receiver who caught a pass against a depleted Bills’ secondary. Yes, some of that was due to Sanchez’ woes, but not all of it. But the 14 penalties for 96 yards was, to me, the most glaring indicator of the team’s mindset. Too many times a false start or a holding call took the Jets out of a manageable (read—running) situation and forced them to pass. And don’t forget the terrible play-calling. There are so many examples, but let’s take the one at the start of the fourth quarter. It was 3rd and 3 from the Buffalo 35 in a tie game. Everyone in the stadium knew the Jets were struggling in the passing game and that Jones was running wild like Hulk-a-mania…so of course, the play call was a pass. What made that decision even more ridiculous was the fact that the Jets decided to go for it on fourth down! If you know you’re going to have two downs to gain three yards, how can you not run the ball there? When you’re unable to pass and you’re able to run at will...how?

Despite all of that, when Rian Lindell missed a potential game-winning field goal, Gang Green had to feel good about their chances in overtime…until the Jets pulled off a keystone kops field goal attempt. Eventually the Bills scrapped a short drive together and Lindell hit a 47-yarder to end it, and the Jets slide continued. But the game wasn’t the only thing New York lost—Kris Jenkins tore his knee up and will miss the rest of the season. There’s a short list of people the Jets would rather lose. The run defense is going to suffer in a big way…think of a corked bottle held upside down. Now imagine the cork being removed. People don’t pay to see nose tackles play, but the Jets sure do…and life without Jenkins is going to be a problem. Between Sanchez and the loss of Jenkins it’s difficult to imagine this team finishing at .500, let alone making the playoffs, if they don’t win their next three games. They’re at red-hot (!) Oakland, host Miami, then have a bye before taking on Jacksonville at the Meadowlands. The weather won’t be any better in that one, but Sanchez needs to be.

Just before the Giants started their game against the Saints, a friend of mine commented, “We’ll know how this is going to go within five minutes.” How right he was. It was apparent from the get-go that the Saints were more than prepared for the Giants…and that the Giants could do nothing to prepare for the Saints offense. That powerlessness manifested itself in a 48-27 thrashing and honestly, the Saints could have easily put a 60-spot on the board had they wanted to.

New Orleans went deep on their second play from scrimmage and although it fell incomplete, the pattern that decided this game began: the Giants simply could not get to Drew Brees, no matter how long he sat back in the pocket. The total lack of pressure on the quarterback running the most potent offense in the league had a cascading effect on the rest of the Giants. The depleted secondary was exposed because Brees had all day to throw; this wasn’t the Chiefs or Raiders whose pop-gun offenses weren’t a threat. As a result, New Orleans scored on each of its first-half possessions save one, where the Giants stopped Pierre Thomas on a fourth and goal from the one. Because of the non-stop scoring by the home team, the pressure on New York’s offense was turned up and despite the fact that they put 17 points up in the game’s first 30 minutes, it wasn’t nearly enough.

The Giants felt they had to try to score from their own 16 with less than a minute to go in the first half down only ten points. Tom Coughlin realized—as we all did—that his offense was going to have to outscore New Orleans if his team was going to win this game. Of course, Eli Manning fumbled and the Saints marched into the end zone yet again to take a 34-17 halftime lead. There was no way back. Brees finished the day 23-30 for 369 yards and four TDs, and it could have been more. Jeremy Shockey, Robert Meachem, Lance Moore, Marques Colston—Brees spread the wealth, more than willing to take advantage of his offensive line’s fine play and the Giants’ zone coverage.

I can’t be too distressed over Manning’s day. He went 14-31 for 178 yards, one touchdown and one interception. But he had to try to hit grand slams with no one on base all day long because of the defensive no-show. New Orleans was just too versatile, too explosive for the ragged Giant D. When Mark Brunell gets into the game and it isn’t due to an injury, it’s never a good sign. Listen, this loss wasn’t pretty, but it doesn’t signify the end of the Giants’ Super Bowl drive. What it signifies is that the doubters were right to doubt. It was proof that, at least partly, it was the fact that New York had played anemic offensive teams up to this point which led to their shiny unbeaten record. Once they faced a dynamic, well-coached offense it was curtains from the opening bell, and a TKO of massive proportions.

So what now? For starters, try to get healthy. But this debacle cannot be fully attributed to missing players. Chris Canty and Aaron Ross are needed, and Big Blue misses Kenny Phillips big time (C.C. Brown is a backup…a good one, but still a backup), but they wouldn’t have saved the day in this one. Brandon Jacobs needs to step up his game, or be replaced by Ahmad Bradshaw as the team’s primary back. I know the big man ran hard, but there is no try…there is only do. The defensive line has to provide a pass rush and if they can’t, an adjustment must be made to ensure one is provided. Eli needs to get healthy enough to practice—playing a half against the Raiders without practice is one thing, trying to deal with Gregg Williams’ reborn Saints D is quite another. Manning’s timing was off all game. Passes he’d connected on all season were missed opportunities in the Big Easy.

But the Giants have time to deal with these things. There’s no reason to panic—this team is (now) well aware of what it needs to do and I have faith that they’ll do it. They’ve given me no reason to think otherwise. A bad loss to be sure…but still, it’s only one loss.

Jets Fall To Phins

As for the Jets, they received their second consecutive dose of reality against the Miami Dolphins. Just as a defense prepares for an offense, so too did the Dolphins offense prepare for the vaunted Jets defense. It was an entertaining game filled with gadget plays, fake punts, and a fourth quarter scoring bonanza that kept everyone glued to their sets. The Dolphins emerged victorious, 31-27, and closed the gap between themselves and the two division leaders to one game. The game reminded me of the Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez fight. Mayweather would hit Marquez repeatedly, but when Marquez tried to counter, Mayweather simply side-stepped him. It got to the point where everyone watching knew what was going to happen—Mayweather was going to win because he hit Marquez and was able to avoid being hit himself. Money Mayweather had a pretty good fighter on his heels all night and despite the fact that Marquez—a very intelligent fighter—knew what was going on, he was powerless to stop it. And so it was with the Jets against the Wildcat.

Don’t misunderstand—the Dolphins ran for 151 yards on 36 carries, a 4.2 per carry average. That’s good, but not great…it wasn’t even as much as the Jets averaged per carry (4.6), but the WAY the Fish ran the ball made all the difference. The Wildcat, much as I dislike it, kept the Jets defense off-balance throughout the game and allowed newbie Chad Henne to; as Jets linebacker Calvin Pace put it, “look like Dan Marino”. Henne went 20-26 for 241 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. That’s a QB rating of 130.4. To put that rating in perspective, the best rating performance this season against the Jets before last night was Drew Brees’ 78.9, which is average at best. Keeping a blitz-happy defense guessing isn’t easy, but the Dolphins were prepared and set the tone on their opening drive.

The first play Miami ran out of the Wildcat was a pass, and Ronnie Brown’s 21-yard completion to Anthony Fasano on the game’s third play was a stroke of genius. By passing out of that formation—something which they hadn’t done all season—the Dolphins immediately threw the Jets defense off-balance. Now New York had to be ready for a pass out of that formation for the rest of the game, and the attacking attitude of that defense was reduced to a “what are they going to do now?” mindset. The Jets were a half-second slower to react than they had been all season and that was enough for Miami to be effective offensively. Henne wasn’t sacked once and was barely touched all night. He can chalk that up to the hesitation caused by the Wildcat. Henne had time to show off his cannon-arm and his 53-yard touchdown strike to Ted Ginn, Jr. early in the fourth quarter was the culmination of Wildcatting New York for the three previous quarters. The deep ball was unexpected and again, that half-second of hesitation made all the difference.

However, even with all of the gadgetry, the Jets were leading 27-24 with just over five minutes left. That’s when Miami went on their impressive game-winning drive. After a direct snap to Ricky Williams—who was effective all night—the Dolphins brought Pat White out of storage to run the Wildcat. He handed off to Brown, then ran for a first down on a six-yard dash. With less than four minutes left in the game, the Jets were seeing a player that they didn’t expect to see in White, causing more defensive hesitation. White exited after his cameo and a few plays later, Miami was faced with a third and ten from the Jets 16. It was an obvious passing situation, something the Dolphins hadn’t faced much in the game, so the Jets must have been thinking, ‘Finally, we can tee off on this kid!’ But Miami was too clever, shifting the pocket for Henne, giving him time to fire a laser to Greg Camarillo for a 12-yard gain. That set up a first and goal from the Jets four-yard line and there was no way Miami was going to be kept out of the end zone.

We’ve learned that the New York offense is not yet good enough to cover for the defense. It wasn’t that the Jets played a poor game offensively—they were average all around, although it’s pretty clear that Braylon Edwards is going to fit in just fine—but the defense is what makes this team go, and Miami rendered it harmless by keeping it off-balance for 60 minutes. That was some good preparation by the Miami coaching staff and a disappointing performance by the Jets defense, a unit that couldn’t adjust during the game and seemed not-ready-for-primetime. I’d wager New York’s D will be more than ready to take on the anemic Buffalo offense this Sunday…but will Buffalo take a page from the Miami playbook and get the Wildbuff going? With that banged up offensive line and the futility of the Bills offense to this point, one would hope they’d do something different.

Big Blue Win Another Laugher

Week five is complete and the trend continues: the haves keep on having, while the have-nots keep sliding further into the abyss. It’s hard to remember a time when there were so many flat-out bad teams throughout the league as each week brings more point spreads which resemble those of a mismatched college game. Clearly the “spread the wealth” mandate has failed to reach the NFL as well as the general public. But there is much to rejoice in, so let’s get to it.

What can one say about the Giants 44-7 cakewalk over the hapless Raiders? The first couple of things that come to mind are: it wasn’t as close as the score would indicate…that JaMarcus Russell is actually Ryan Leaf in disguise…and how did the Raiders actually win a game this season? The Giants did whatever they wanted to against Oakland in what amounted to nothing more than a scrimmage for them. Yes, it’s nice to win, but the last couple of games have hardly fine-tuned the Giants—it won’t always be easy, especially when they travel to the BIG Easy next weekend to take on the unbeaten Saints.

Eli Manning (did anyone really think he’d fail to start?) got his work in, going 8-10 for 173 yards with a pair of touchdowns. That adds up to a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3, and Manning was just getting started. He had his pick of receivers to throw to, every one of them wide open on almost every play. When they weren’t wide open, Manning threw perfect passes and in the process showed that his heel was just fine. But why risk it? Why take the chance that he might aggravate the injury against a minor league team? Once Big Blue hit 28 points, Tom Coughlin realized there was no way his team could lose that game. The Giants could have left the field and Russell wouldn’t have been able to put 28 points up.

Ahmad Bradshaw ran 11 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns, causing many Giant fans to wonder, ‘Is he now the number one back?’ Bradshaw ran all over the field, while Brandon Jacobs struggled all day. For the season—Bradshaw: 58 carries for 375 yards, Jacobs: 100 carries for 355 yards. That’s a large enough sampling for me to make the following statement: Bradshaw needs the ball more. It doesn’t matter who the “starter” is, but Bradshaw has simply been more effective than the big man and although I’m sure he wouldn’t average 6.5 yards per tote if he had 20 carries a game, I need to see what he can do with 18-20 carries a week instead of 11-14. Give the man a play raise.

The receiving corps kept their momentum going, welcoming rookie Hakeem Nicks (four catches for 49 yards and a TD) back into the fold full-time. Between Nicks, the REAL Steve Smith, and Super Mario Manningham, the Giants front office has justified their “failure” to give up players and picks for the number-one receiver everyone thought they needed to compete. The passing offense is currently ranked 10th in the league and has ten passing TDs and only two interceptions. Oh, and the offensive line has allowed a mere three sacks. Only Atlanta and Indianapolis have allowed fewer (two) and Atlanta has played only four games and Indy has Peyton Manning. What more could be expected from the Giants’ aerial attack?

Defensively, I can’t get that excited over the past two weeks. Those weren’t real tests and I’m concerned that no matter how much the Saints’ potency is pounded into their heads by the coaching staff, the Giants will come out a bit sluggish against New Orleans. Big Blue have yielded only 14 points and 211 yards of offense per game this season, but do not be fooled—they’ve played five teams that haven’t lit it up offensively to say the least in Washington (27th), Dallas (11th), Tampa (29th), Kansas City (24th), and Oakland (31st). Now they’ll have their first major test—the juggernaut Saints offense, ranked number one with a bullet. Weaknesses are easily masked against the minnows of the NFL…time will tell if the defense can hold its own against Brees and Co. Get ready for a week filled with “Battle of the Undefeateds!” hype…

Jets Drop First Game, But Not Same Old Jets

We’re going to see how well-coached the other team in New York is after the Jets suffered their first loss of the season, a 24-10 road defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. This was game we all knew Mark Sanchez had in him; rookie quarterbacks all go through horrific spells in their initial seasons. Trailing 3-0 and driving for the go-ahead score, Sanchez threw an ill-advised pass which was taken the other way by veteran Darren Sharper. OK, 10-0 Saints. The Jets defense was playing well and there was plenty of time left. This was bad, but hardly the end of the game. The problem was Sanchez and the offense went three and out on its next possession. That gave the ball back to New Orleans with all of the momentum from the pick six intact. Drew Brees led the team downfield and the Saints were set up with a first and goal from the Jets’ one after a 36-yard reception by the underrated Pierre Thomas. However, the Gang Green defense made a stand—three times the Saints tried from the one, three times they were stopped. Sean Payton decided to go for it on fourth down, but the Jets were ready and Brees’ pass fell incomplete. With just less than 10 minutes left in the second quarter, the score was still 10-0 and the Jets had the ball after a gutsy goal-line stand. The momentum was shifting. The defense hadn’t allowed a touchdown to Brees and company to this point, an accomplishment in itself, and the team had to be feeling pretty good. However, things would change quickly. After a Thomas Jones three-yard run to escape the shadow of the goalposts, Sanchez was sacked by the free-styling Will Smith. The ball was jarred loose and the Saints’ Remi Ayodele recovered in the end zone. Touchdown New Orleans, 17-0 Saints. The second defensive touchdown by Gregg Williams’ unit was a crushing blow to Sanchez and the Jets and although there was plenty of time remaining, mistakes like the two made by the offense are difficult to overcome. Especially on the road when you’re facing an offense like New Orleans’. But, to his credit, Sanchez got off the mat and led the Jets on a scoring drive. Yes, it was a field goal instead of a touchdown, but something was needed at that point. The score was now 17-3, but it was a weird 17-3. What were the odds of the New Yorkers being down two touchdowns after playing a half without yielding a touchdown to New Orleans’ offense? Sometimes long-shots come in. In the second half, the teams exchanged jabs and punts until New Orleans left its guard down. Reggie Bush fumbled—the mistake the Jets needed, and the type they’ve gotten thus far in 2009—and the Jets capitalized with a Jones 15-yard touchdown run. Halfway through the third quarter, the Jets were down only a touchdown, 17-10. The Jets again stopped New Orleans on fourth down, and at that point I actually thought that was the turning point in the game. All of the momentum was with New York, the Saints’ offense was being held in check, and despite the two devastating turnovers the Jets were still in the game. But the Sanchez-led offense simply couldn’t get anything going. Two three and outs in a row with questionable play-calling were tempting fate; how many times can a team be expected to stop the New Orleans offense? With 13 minutes to go Brees finally led his team into the end zone, a 13-play seven-minute drive that put the home team up 24-10 with just over six minutes left. Game over. Sanchez threw another couple of picks, but the outcome had been determined by Sanchez’ first two giveaways. The undefeated season was over, but there were many positives to be taken from the loss. First of all, even the best quarterbacks have days like these, so losing faith in Sanchez would be ridiculous. The important thing is, after both mistakes which resulted in Saints’ scores, Sanchez looked like a guy who wanted to get back on the field and atone for his mistakes; he didn’t sulk or let the errors destroy his mindset. How quarterbacks bounce back from this kind of adversity, especially rookies, is what matters this early in the season. Sanchez will be fine. There isn’t one member of the Jets who thinks he won’t answer the bell for the next game. Take a look back to 1998, Peyton Manning’s rookie season (I know, can you believe it’s been that long?). In his fourth game for the Colts, Manning coincidentally played the Saints. He threw three interceptions in that game, adding to his total of eight for the season. That’s right—Peyton Manning threw 11 interceptions in his first four games (he threw two in a 44-6 thrashing at the hands of the Jets). So Jet fans calm down. Sanchez will be fine. Focus on the fact that the defense held Brees to less than 200 yards passing and didn’t allow him to throw a touchdown pass. That’s a big deal. Sure, the quarterback took his lumps, but come on—did you really expect him to simply cruise through the season unscathed? The team stood by him and stayed in the game despite the miscues, which is a terrific sign. There will be plenty of more battles to be waged and although I’m not one who believes in moral victories in the NFL, this loss was far from a disaster. There’s no reason the Jets can’t maintain their poise and leave Miami 4-1 this Monday night. Following Miami, they have Buffalo at home, Oakland on the road and a return date with Miami at the Meadowlands. Those are all winnable games for a team that can stay focused. Fans of the green and white need to stay positive—good things are still coming your way, sooner than you think.