Usually I hate to be wrong. But being wrong about the outcome of the Jets-Giants showdown last week was great. That collection of misfits in green lost to the less-talented Giants.
And they did it in totally embarrassing fashion, from beginning to end. From sending out Plaxico as the sole captain for the coin toss to having their head coach get in a shouting match with Brandon Jacobs at the end of the game, the Jets showed their, um, character.
First of all, the Giants can’t be blamed for letting Burress get away. And the man did carry an illegal firearm and shoot himself in the leg. Picking him up in free agency was fine with me but is he really the man you want as the figurehead for your franchise? Was his sole presence at midfield supposed to scare the Giants? If anything, it gave every Giant the affirmation that they toiled for good sane people while their opponents, at least the ownership and management, were idiots.
I’m one of those people who try to root for both New York teams, at least in football. But it’s been difficult to root for these Jets. Surely they have many players worthy of my respect but those aren’t the players I hear about. I hear about the low-lifes, from Santonio Holmes to that disgusting Scott on defense.
And it was great to see them lose. It was great to see them practically eliminated from contention.
I say “practically” only because we’ve seen these Jets be “practically” eliminated before. As unworthy as the Jets are of having any good luck whatsoever, their cup overflows with good fortune, seemingly every year. Three games this weekend have to go the Jets way, along with a Jets win over Miami, in order for the Jets to get into the wildcard. And, with the Jets luck, those eventualities will very likely occur.
And the Giants finally simplified their pass defense, a move that paid off bigtime. All game long, Giants defenders were only a step away from the receivers. Getting any separation at all from their defenders was too much to ask of guys like Burress, who always thinks he’s open, and Holmes, who’s only interested in the red zone.
The things I feared the most, that the Giants wouldn’t be able to stop the pass or the run, didn’t happen. The media is blaming Schottenheimer, the offensive coordinator, for calling so many pass plays and not taking advantage of their strong running game. But the Jets seemed all game to be running out of time.
And how many times did Sanchez drop back only to hold onto the ball? That situation only arises from receivers not getting open, from low-life guys not trying too hard. After all, aren’t their skills quite sufficient to justify being thrown the ball whether they appear to be open or not?
The Jets offensive line took some heat too but it’s been mostly unjustified. No offensive line can function long enough to prevent pressure when the QB can’t really bring himself to release the ball. The Jets just don’t have it, not the talent, not the character, not the inspiration. No, the team that showed all those things were those guys decked out in blue.
The personification of all those qualities was, undoubtedly, Jason Pierre-Paul, who provided one more clinic on how to play defensive end. He was too fast, too strong, too ridiculously athletic for the Jets offensive line, even going against Pro-Bowlers like Ferguson. Pierre-Paul played as huge as his stature, and Tuck and the rest of that Giants front seven played well enough to prevent a lot of double and triple teaming on Pierre-Paul.
So the Jets are almost dead. The Giants are alive.
I wish I could think the G-Men will prevail at home this weekend versus the Cowboys. Their QB is no Sanchez. Their receivers are not named Burress and Holmes. They can put points on the board with the best of them, Romo to Austin and Bryant and Witten. But their defense can be awful, and, waddaya know?, there’s another Ryan, Rex’s brother Rob, running that defense into the ground, blitz after ill-conceived blitz leaving receivers open all over the place down the field.
Theirs is a defense that truly mirrors their defensive coach…..bold…..and stupid, characteristics of all the Ryans, it would seem. This was very clearly evident in the first Giants-Cowboys encounter, a game that Dallas led by two scores with just about 5 minutes left, a game situation that called for a careful defensive approach against a team with Eli and Nicks and Cruz and Manningham.
Instead, the Giants saw blitz after blitz and took full advantage, coming back to take a 3-point lead, and then held it by icing the kicker and then blocking the second kick, a guy named Pierre-Paul once again doing the honors.
Most prognosticators are predicting another shootout for this final but I’m not so sure of that. Will Rob Ryan be that stupid again? Can even a disciplined Giants pass defense deal with all those fine Dallas receivers? I have my doubts. But there certainly have been encouraging signs.
Can Pierre-Paul be a monster again? Will the addition of Osi Umenyiora give the Giants DL even a better pass rush? Is Felix Jones, the Dallas running back, really hurt? All indications so far point to another Giants win.
Maybe that’s what makes me nervous. Might it finally be Romo’s time to do something in the playoffs? Bad hand, bad record, bad defense, can’t Romo finally pull one out? Against all odds? If anybody’s ever been due for some good luck, it would have to be Tony Romo.
The Giants are favored by 3 points. The over-under is 46½. I figure that’s just about right. If so, it won’t be a high-scoring affair and not really a defensive battle either, rather somewhere in between, 25-22 or so, a game decided by turnovers and mistakes.
Who’ll make them?
Showing posts with label Ryan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryan. Show all posts
Friday, December 30, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Same Old Steelers
It was the same old Steelers. Run the ball, run it some more, stop the run, make a big play on defense, and don’t make the big mistake. Terrible towels, the whole deal. Same crap every year. Big quarterback too, like Bradshaw used to be a little bit. But quarterback seems always to be just another position on the Steelers.
It never seems to matter who makes up the opposition. Yesterday it was the Jets who couldn’t stop the run early, who could never get on the field, who had the ball come out at the worst possible time, and who couldn’t score from the two in four tries.
I had said earlier that it would be motivation and focus that decided this game; that a game plan wouldn’t win or lose it. But I was wrong. I would have thought surely that containing Roethlisberger would be a focus. It wasn’t. I would have thought that stopping the run would have been a paramount matter too. But it wasn’t.
And I would have thought that a tough team, a ground and pound team, would have run that ball into the end zone from the two. They didn’t.
I was really angry with Schottenheimer after the Jets tried those two passes. Then, of course, there was the safety and regaining possession and eventually scoring but it just wasn’t the same from then on. And, even then, the Jets could have turned the game around if they could have just stopped the Steelers on that fateful last possession. But they couldn’t.
That was the real story of the game, I suppose. When the Jets needed to do something, they couldn’t do it.
The Jets made a bold statement early by electing to kick off rather than receive the ball. The gauntlet was thrown down, so to speak. The Steelers said ok, challenge received, now take that and that and that and that ad friggin’ infinitum all the way down the field for the score. I couldn’t think of a worse way to start a game. In my mind’s eye, I could see the albatross circling.
Then the Jets did nothing much but maybe more than could have been expected after sitting on the sidelines for as long as they had. They gained 30 yards and punted. Bryan Thomas later intercepted Roethlisberger to stop another Steelers drive.
Oh, what’s the use? The Jets couldn’t stop Mendenhall and they couldn’t run. Later on, Sanchez got stripped and all of a sudden it was 24-0. I was saying it was “game over”.
That the Jets made a game of it at all was heartening, very much so. That they couldn’t score from the two yard line changed the game though. Even though the Jets got the safety and then scored again, there was another five minutes or so burned up when time was of the essence.
From there on, it became just a matter of getting the ball back. They couldn’t do it. They let Big Ben get out of the pocket once again and he made that critical completion to hold the ball and finally sink Gang Green. It was at that point that Rex finally lost it and threw down his clipboard in disgust.
The Jets couldn’t tackle, especially early in the game. It’s that kind of inexplicable thing that decides games. To me as I watched, I remember thinking that the Jets looked as if they were playing on ice, that they were trying to tackle without leaving their feet, that the cold and the surface were really making them look like a bunch of old guys. And some of them are old guys. The Jets will have to deal with that.
So the Jets won’t be going to Dallas. I can deal with that. What I’m going to have trouble dealing with is the future. I just wish everybody’d stop thinking about the next AFC Championship and the next Super Bowl. Guess what? It’s a long hard road to get into the game at all.
There are Patriots looming, and Colts and maybe even the Raiders in the future. And none of them will be easy to beat, at least not as easy as they had been this year. The Pats were kind of young, the Colts were kind of hurt and the Raiders, well, who knows with the Raiders?
A lot depends upon what moves the Jets will be making, of course. So far, even though their General Manager Tannenbaum is probably one of my least favorite people in the world, their moves have been great. Nobody could argue with that. But will they be able to keep Braylon and Santonio, LaDainian and other established stars with less colorful names, like Jason Taylor and Calvin Pace and Shaun Ellis?
Darrell, D’Brickashaw…..they do have some great names, don’t they?
As I write this, Mike Francesa is lambasting Rex Ryan again. Rex obviously doesn’t kiss Mike’s flabby butt. Much to Rex’s credit, he hasn’t changed his behavior at Francesa’s behest. If anything, he’s totally disregarding him, which is probably the biggest slight of all to someone with Francesa’s huge ego.
Giants coach Coughlin hasn’t made that mistake. Coughlin kisses Francesa’s butt at every opportunity, much to his advantage. You won’t hear Francesa going after Coughlin, who perfectly fits Francesa’s image of the perfect football world, one in which only coaches speak, players don’t celebrate and players say nothing but “yes sir”.
Guaging the Jets organization’s success only on AFC Championships and Super Bowls plays right into Francesa’s hands though, and to all those who think like Francesa. Jets fans can expect only tough defensive football teams who win more often than not. You need luck as much as anything, with injuries and ball bounces, to advance any farther than that.
The Steelers are the standard though…same old Steelers. They’ll continue to be too. They’ll run the ball, stop the run, and have tough guys who can make plays.
It never seems to matter who makes up the opposition. Yesterday it was the Jets who couldn’t stop the run early, who could never get on the field, who had the ball come out at the worst possible time, and who couldn’t score from the two in four tries.
I had said earlier that it would be motivation and focus that decided this game; that a game plan wouldn’t win or lose it. But I was wrong. I would have thought surely that containing Roethlisberger would be a focus. It wasn’t. I would have thought that stopping the run would have been a paramount matter too. But it wasn’t.
And I would have thought that a tough team, a ground and pound team, would have run that ball into the end zone from the two. They didn’t.
I was really angry with Schottenheimer after the Jets tried those two passes. Then, of course, there was the safety and regaining possession and eventually scoring but it just wasn’t the same from then on. And, even then, the Jets could have turned the game around if they could have just stopped the Steelers on that fateful last possession. But they couldn’t.
That was the real story of the game, I suppose. When the Jets needed to do something, they couldn’t do it.
The Jets made a bold statement early by electing to kick off rather than receive the ball. The gauntlet was thrown down, so to speak. The Steelers said ok, challenge received, now take that and that and that and that ad friggin’ infinitum all the way down the field for the score. I couldn’t think of a worse way to start a game. In my mind’s eye, I could see the albatross circling.
Then the Jets did nothing much but maybe more than could have been expected after sitting on the sidelines for as long as they had. They gained 30 yards and punted. Bryan Thomas later intercepted Roethlisberger to stop another Steelers drive.
Oh, what’s the use? The Jets couldn’t stop Mendenhall and they couldn’t run. Later on, Sanchez got stripped and all of a sudden it was 24-0. I was saying it was “game over”.
That the Jets made a game of it at all was heartening, very much so. That they couldn’t score from the two yard line changed the game though. Even though the Jets got the safety and then scored again, there was another five minutes or so burned up when time was of the essence.
From there on, it became just a matter of getting the ball back. They couldn’t do it. They let Big Ben get out of the pocket once again and he made that critical completion to hold the ball and finally sink Gang Green. It was at that point that Rex finally lost it and threw down his clipboard in disgust.
The Jets couldn’t tackle, especially early in the game. It’s that kind of inexplicable thing that decides games. To me as I watched, I remember thinking that the Jets looked as if they were playing on ice, that they were trying to tackle without leaving their feet, that the cold and the surface were really making them look like a bunch of old guys. And some of them are old guys. The Jets will have to deal with that.
So the Jets won’t be going to Dallas. I can deal with that. What I’m going to have trouble dealing with is the future. I just wish everybody’d stop thinking about the next AFC Championship and the next Super Bowl. Guess what? It’s a long hard road to get into the game at all.
There are Patriots looming, and Colts and maybe even the Raiders in the future. And none of them will be easy to beat, at least not as easy as they had been this year. The Pats were kind of young, the Colts were kind of hurt and the Raiders, well, who knows with the Raiders?
A lot depends upon what moves the Jets will be making, of course. So far, even though their General Manager Tannenbaum is probably one of my least favorite people in the world, their moves have been great. Nobody could argue with that. But will they be able to keep Braylon and Santonio, LaDainian and other established stars with less colorful names, like Jason Taylor and Calvin Pace and Shaun Ellis?
Darrell, D’Brickashaw…..they do have some great names, don’t they?
As I write this, Mike Francesa is lambasting Rex Ryan again. Rex obviously doesn’t kiss Mike’s flabby butt. Much to Rex’s credit, he hasn’t changed his behavior at Francesa’s behest. If anything, he’s totally disregarding him, which is probably the biggest slight of all to someone with Francesa’s huge ego.
Giants coach Coughlin hasn’t made that mistake. Coughlin kisses Francesa’s butt at every opportunity, much to his advantage. You won’t hear Francesa going after Coughlin, who perfectly fits Francesa’s image of the perfect football world, one in which only coaches speak, players don’t celebrate and players say nothing but “yes sir”.
Guaging the Jets organization’s success only on AFC Championships and Super Bowls plays right into Francesa’s hands though, and to all those who think like Francesa. Jets fans can expect only tough defensive football teams who win more often than not. You need luck as much as anything, with injuries and ball bounces, to advance any farther than that.
The Steelers are the standard though…same old Steelers. They’ll continue to be too. They’ll run the ball, stop the run, and have tough guys who can make plays.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Jets Beat Pats? It's Not Inconceivable!
Okay, I’ve had a few days to cogitate on this big Jets-Pats matchup in Foxborough and I keep coming up with the same answer…the Jets are and should be a prohibitive underdog. Why? Well, the easy answer is it’s the Jets-Pats in Foxborough.
The Jets did everything right last week in Indianapolis (following my prescription for winning exactly…ahem) except for that ridiculous third down pass, and thus emerged victorious. I’ve been enjoying the game even more immensely this week via the courtesy of the NFL Network and Inside the NFL.
But alas, the Pats are not the Colts. Belichick is not Caldwell and the Pats receivers are not the Colts receivers. They run the ball a little better too. I don’t give Brady much of an advantage over Peyton Manning but, when you consider the difference in their respective receivers, the Pats have a pretty fair-sized plus on their side of the ledger.
The Jets stopped the Colts wideouts virtually cold, allowing just the one long TD to Pierre Garcon. There were no other Colts receivers that could really be considered a threat, Tamme, the tight end or Blair White or well, anybody. The Pats biggest threats are at tight end and in the slot. When they play the two tight ends together, they’re really scary.
This game won’t be 45-3 but the spread is 8 ½ and it’ll be difficult for the Jets to keep it even that close. They can, of course, if they do everything right two weeks in a row. They can probably stop the Pats running game, or, at the very least, keep Green-Ellis and Woodhead in check.
But they’ll still have trouble covering everybody. After Revis and Cromartie, it’s just Brodney Pool and Eric Smith who can avert disaster. And, yes, the Jets can field as many d-backs as they want, but then they’ll leave themselves open to a Pats running game that’s scarier than that of the Colts.
The Pats defense, in terms of yards allowed, looks statistically to be pretty pedestrian. But their scoring defense is statistically much better. Their last two games were easy wins, against Buffalo and Miami, when they allowed just 7 points and then 3 points, but before that they laid one on the Packers 31-27. So the Pats defense can be had.
But the same cannot be said about their offense. The Packers have the best defense in the NFL and they gave up 31 to Brady and company. There are just too many weapons. But the Pats had extraordinarily good luck in that contest. Not only was Aaron Rodgers out, but they got a 71-yard kickoff return from a 303 pound offensive lineman too, after which Brady hit Aaron Hernandez for 6.
While it’s easy to say the Jets should just use the same formula Sunday as they used last week against the Colts, that is, run the ball, play keep away, jam the receivers, mess up Brady’s timing and keep the pressure on him at all times, I think that Sanchez will have to have a much better game and a much bigger impact on the game than he had in Indianapolis.
You’d have to figure the Pats scoring at least 30 points. Unless Sanchez can hit a few to several big plays in the passing game, I can’t imagine the Jets putting up 31. And, if Sanchez can’t throw the ball any better than he did against the Colts, this one could be over very early.
But the Packers reserve quarterback, one Matt Flynn, was the guy throwing three TD’s against the Pats 3 weeks ago, to Jones and Jennings and Kuhn. I could just as easily see Sanchez throwing 3 of his own, to Edwards and Holmes and Tomlinson, for example. Throw in a rushing TD along the way and you’re just a field goal away from 31. It’s not inconceivable.
So it’s conceivable that the Jets could win. It’s just not the most likely outcome. The preceding example, three TD’s passing and one rushing, would assume the Jets were doing everything right offensively, both running the ball and throwing a few over the top every once in a while. The Pats would probably have to make some mistakes…..not inconceivable.
I’d think the Jets would have to get off to a good start as well. That first play of the game sets the tone. A good play, then a good series, then a nice quarter, well, you get the idea, the Jets need to stay close from the opening kickoff, playing aggressively but under control, just like a good team.
At least two other factors might swing this game in a decidedly Green direction. One is hate. The other is Ryan’s unpredictability.
These teams’ hate for each other has been well-documented. In fact you could make a case for nothing ever having been as documented as has been the Jets hate for the Patriots and vice-versa. Brady hates the Jets, Cromartie hates Brady, it’s personal for Ryan, and on and on. One has to wonder what falls under the category of business as usual for Rex Ryan.
Hate can be a tricky thing though. In my own experience, some players just want to pummel their opponent, not particularly caring whether or not they make the play. Others channel that hate towards beating the opponent on the scoreboard, the place where it hurts the most. If the Jets can focus that unhealthy dislike on imagining the Patriots humiliation at having lost this playoff game, then only good things can come of it.
As for unpredictability, Belichick could be expected to have a clear advantage over just about any coach who acts as a reasonable person would act in similar circumstances. Rex Ryan doesn’t fit that mold. He might run because his butt hurts or pass because his pants are falling down. He proved that in the Colts game.
A passing game, hate and ridiculous coaching decisions might just make the difference. It’s not inconceivable.
The Jets did everything right last week in Indianapolis (following my prescription for winning exactly…ahem) except for that ridiculous third down pass, and thus emerged victorious. I’ve been enjoying the game even more immensely this week via the courtesy of the NFL Network and Inside the NFL.
But alas, the Pats are not the Colts. Belichick is not Caldwell and the Pats receivers are not the Colts receivers. They run the ball a little better too. I don’t give Brady much of an advantage over Peyton Manning but, when you consider the difference in their respective receivers, the Pats have a pretty fair-sized plus on their side of the ledger.
The Jets stopped the Colts wideouts virtually cold, allowing just the one long TD to Pierre Garcon. There were no other Colts receivers that could really be considered a threat, Tamme, the tight end or Blair White or well, anybody. The Pats biggest threats are at tight end and in the slot. When they play the two tight ends together, they’re really scary.
This game won’t be 45-3 but the spread is 8 ½ and it’ll be difficult for the Jets to keep it even that close. They can, of course, if they do everything right two weeks in a row. They can probably stop the Pats running game, or, at the very least, keep Green-Ellis and Woodhead in check.
But they’ll still have trouble covering everybody. After Revis and Cromartie, it’s just Brodney Pool and Eric Smith who can avert disaster. And, yes, the Jets can field as many d-backs as they want, but then they’ll leave themselves open to a Pats running game that’s scarier than that of the Colts.
The Pats defense, in terms of yards allowed, looks statistically to be pretty pedestrian. But their scoring defense is statistically much better. Their last two games were easy wins, against Buffalo and Miami, when they allowed just 7 points and then 3 points, but before that they laid one on the Packers 31-27. So the Pats defense can be had.
But the same cannot be said about their offense. The Packers have the best defense in the NFL and they gave up 31 to Brady and company. There are just too many weapons. But the Pats had extraordinarily good luck in that contest. Not only was Aaron Rodgers out, but they got a 71-yard kickoff return from a 303 pound offensive lineman too, after which Brady hit Aaron Hernandez for 6.
While it’s easy to say the Jets should just use the same formula Sunday as they used last week against the Colts, that is, run the ball, play keep away, jam the receivers, mess up Brady’s timing and keep the pressure on him at all times, I think that Sanchez will have to have a much better game and a much bigger impact on the game than he had in Indianapolis.
You’d have to figure the Pats scoring at least 30 points. Unless Sanchez can hit a few to several big plays in the passing game, I can’t imagine the Jets putting up 31. And, if Sanchez can’t throw the ball any better than he did against the Colts, this one could be over very early.
But the Packers reserve quarterback, one Matt Flynn, was the guy throwing three TD’s against the Pats 3 weeks ago, to Jones and Jennings and Kuhn. I could just as easily see Sanchez throwing 3 of his own, to Edwards and Holmes and Tomlinson, for example. Throw in a rushing TD along the way and you’re just a field goal away from 31. It’s not inconceivable.
So it’s conceivable that the Jets could win. It’s just not the most likely outcome. The preceding example, three TD’s passing and one rushing, would assume the Jets were doing everything right offensively, both running the ball and throwing a few over the top every once in a while. The Pats would probably have to make some mistakes…..not inconceivable.
I’d think the Jets would have to get off to a good start as well. That first play of the game sets the tone. A good play, then a good series, then a nice quarter, well, you get the idea, the Jets need to stay close from the opening kickoff, playing aggressively but under control, just like a good team.
At least two other factors might swing this game in a decidedly Green direction. One is hate. The other is Ryan’s unpredictability.
These teams’ hate for each other has been well-documented. In fact you could make a case for nothing ever having been as documented as has been the Jets hate for the Patriots and vice-versa. Brady hates the Jets, Cromartie hates Brady, it’s personal for Ryan, and on and on. One has to wonder what falls under the category of business as usual for Rex Ryan.
Hate can be a tricky thing though. In my own experience, some players just want to pummel their opponent, not particularly caring whether or not they make the play. Others channel that hate towards beating the opponent on the scoreboard, the place where it hurts the most. If the Jets can focus that unhealthy dislike on imagining the Patriots humiliation at having lost this playoff game, then only good things can come of it.
As for unpredictability, Belichick could be expected to have a clear advantage over just about any coach who acts as a reasonable person would act in similar circumstances. Rex Ryan doesn’t fit that mold. He might run because his butt hurts or pass because his pants are falling down. He proved that in the Colts game.
A passing game, hate and ridiculous coaching decisions might just make the difference. It’s not inconceivable.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Winning the Hard Way
Well, that was satisfying.
The Jets played some of their best football of the year to beat those damned Indianapolis Colts and their infuriating quarterback, Peyton Manning, 17-16, last night. That was the best part.
I would’ve been even happier if they had won 14-13 and I didn’t have to spend a few minutes cursing Brian Schottenheimer for calling the ridiculous long pass to Braylon Edwards on third and five with a little over two minutes left and the Colts with just 1 timeout left.
But they did jeopardize the game, they did have to give the ball back to Peyton Manning with all that time left, and Manning did come through for the Colts, leading them down the field for another Adam Vinatieri work of art that sailed directly through the uprights with 57 seconds left, giving the Colts what should have been a 16-14 victory.
I figured that was the end. It would take a miracle for these Jets to work their way all the way down the field to regain the lead. Sanchez hadn’t been exactly lights out the whole game and he had just finished badly overthrowing Edwards on that ridiculous third down pass. I figured the Jets had wasted 58 minutes of really good football. They’d be done in by their failure to make that third and five.
But I hadn’t figured on Antonio Cromartie running the ensuing kickoff back 47 yards. I hadn’t figured the Colts laying back on receivers and letting Sanchez make a couple of easy completions to shorten the field even more. And I really couldn’t have figured the Colts calling a timeout to give the Jets even more time to collect themselves and strategize how best to work their way even farther down the field.
But the Colts really did allow Cromartie to make that run, they did play soft and they did call a timeout. Right after that timeout, the Jets called the same play that had gotten them in this situation in the first place.
But this time it worked! Sanchez threw it up, Edwards went up and grabbed the football and it was all over but the shoutin’. Surely even Nick Folk couldn’t blow one from that close. (I did have a minute or so to contemplate that no distance was short enough for Nick Folk). But Folk put it through to save everybody’s ass and make me a happy New Jerseyan once again.
Later on, Rex Ryan was asked about that third down call. He responded that it was a good call based on the coverage and the matchup or words to that effect so I guess he has more confidence in Sanchez and Edwards than I do. But my point is, why throw a thirty yard pass when you need just five yards? What about a nice five yard pass?
That the Jets won is besides the point. They shouldn’t have had to win that way. They really need to re-think their short yardage options when the defense stacks the line with 9 bodies. They’ll never beat the Patriots that way.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m really happy the Jets pulled it out. And maybe you lose the forest for the trees a little bit when you see Sanchez make that same pass to Edwards time after time in practice. I don’t know. I just know it’s a really poor percentage decision. If you need five, go for five.
But Jim Caldwell helped lose that game by calling that timeout. It was obvious that Peyton Manning thought so. I have a feeling we might not see the same Colts coaching staff next year. I know I wouldn’t rehire them.
And how many times will you get a long kickoff return from Antonio Cromartie? And how many times will you run into a bad coaching staff? I know it won’t be next week, that’s for sure.
If I were a different sort of person, I’d just be happy that they won, I guess. There certainly was a lot of great football being played by those Jets last night. I was especially impressed by that 10-minute drive ending in the touchdown that gave them the lead.
But all throughout the game, the Jets had played it just the way I thought they should, by running the ball and stopping the run, by playing conservative and jamming those receivers. They did blow the coverage on the Manning touchdown pass to Garcon but you had to figure they’d get beat for at least one Manning touchdown.
Their offensive line was pushin’ em back all night long. Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson were running hard and running smart. And they had only lost the football one time on a Sanchez interception just 45 seconds before the half that was devastating in that it had wasted a nice long time-eating drive.
But, except for that one mistake, the Jets played brilliantly. They were the better team and they proved it on the field. Offense, defense, special teams, the Jets were all in line. It was beautiful. Rex Ryan had his team ready to go.
Much to Ryan’s credit too, he ripped Cromartie a new butt for giving up the Garcon touchdown and let his guys know at halfime how upset he was. There’s probably nobody in football better than Rex Ryan at motivating a team, both before the game and during the game. The Jets will certainly need all that and more when they once again have to face the Patriots next week.
The Pats are not the Colts. They’re a better team with a much better coaching staff. And I don’t even want to think about how tough they’ll be yet. But, on a day when the Seattle Seahawks upset the Super Bowl Champion Saints, anything seems possible.
Besides, one of the two Pats losses this season was to these Jets. Yeah, the Jets lost 45-3 in the other one but the Jets defense is back, Tom Brady.
The Jets played some of their best football of the year to beat those damned Indianapolis Colts and their infuriating quarterback, Peyton Manning, 17-16, last night. That was the best part.
I would’ve been even happier if they had won 14-13 and I didn’t have to spend a few minutes cursing Brian Schottenheimer for calling the ridiculous long pass to Braylon Edwards on third and five with a little over two minutes left and the Colts with just 1 timeout left.
But they did jeopardize the game, they did have to give the ball back to Peyton Manning with all that time left, and Manning did come through for the Colts, leading them down the field for another Adam Vinatieri work of art that sailed directly through the uprights with 57 seconds left, giving the Colts what should have been a 16-14 victory.
I figured that was the end. It would take a miracle for these Jets to work their way all the way down the field to regain the lead. Sanchez hadn’t been exactly lights out the whole game and he had just finished badly overthrowing Edwards on that ridiculous third down pass. I figured the Jets had wasted 58 minutes of really good football. They’d be done in by their failure to make that third and five.
But I hadn’t figured on Antonio Cromartie running the ensuing kickoff back 47 yards. I hadn’t figured the Colts laying back on receivers and letting Sanchez make a couple of easy completions to shorten the field even more. And I really couldn’t have figured the Colts calling a timeout to give the Jets even more time to collect themselves and strategize how best to work their way even farther down the field.
But the Colts really did allow Cromartie to make that run, they did play soft and they did call a timeout. Right after that timeout, the Jets called the same play that had gotten them in this situation in the first place.
But this time it worked! Sanchez threw it up, Edwards went up and grabbed the football and it was all over but the shoutin’. Surely even Nick Folk couldn’t blow one from that close. (I did have a minute or so to contemplate that no distance was short enough for Nick Folk). But Folk put it through to save everybody’s ass and make me a happy New Jerseyan once again.
Later on, Rex Ryan was asked about that third down call. He responded that it was a good call based on the coverage and the matchup or words to that effect so I guess he has more confidence in Sanchez and Edwards than I do. But my point is, why throw a thirty yard pass when you need just five yards? What about a nice five yard pass?
That the Jets won is besides the point. They shouldn’t have had to win that way. They really need to re-think their short yardage options when the defense stacks the line with 9 bodies. They’ll never beat the Patriots that way.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m really happy the Jets pulled it out. And maybe you lose the forest for the trees a little bit when you see Sanchez make that same pass to Edwards time after time in practice. I don’t know. I just know it’s a really poor percentage decision. If you need five, go for five.
But Jim Caldwell helped lose that game by calling that timeout. It was obvious that Peyton Manning thought so. I have a feeling we might not see the same Colts coaching staff next year. I know I wouldn’t rehire them.
And how many times will you get a long kickoff return from Antonio Cromartie? And how many times will you run into a bad coaching staff? I know it won’t be next week, that’s for sure.
If I were a different sort of person, I’d just be happy that they won, I guess. There certainly was a lot of great football being played by those Jets last night. I was especially impressed by that 10-minute drive ending in the touchdown that gave them the lead.
But all throughout the game, the Jets had played it just the way I thought they should, by running the ball and stopping the run, by playing conservative and jamming those receivers. They did blow the coverage on the Manning touchdown pass to Garcon but you had to figure they’d get beat for at least one Manning touchdown.
Their offensive line was pushin’ em back all night long. Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson were running hard and running smart. And they had only lost the football one time on a Sanchez interception just 45 seconds before the half that was devastating in that it had wasted a nice long time-eating drive.
But, except for that one mistake, the Jets played brilliantly. They were the better team and they proved it on the field. Offense, defense, special teams, the Jets were all in line. It was beautiful. Rex Ryan had his team ready to go.
Much to Ryan’s credit too, he ripped Cromartie a new butt for giving up the Garcon touchdown and let his guys know at halfime how upset he was. There’s probably nobody in football better than Rex Ryan at motivating a team, both before the game and during the game. The Jets will certainly need all that and more when they once again have to face the Patriots next week.
The Pats are not the Colts. They’re a better team with a much better coaching staff. And I don’t even want to think about how tough they’ll be yet. But, on a day when the Seattle Seahawks upset the Super Bowl Champion Saints, anything seems possible.
Besides, one of the two Pats losses this season was to these Jets. Yeah, the Jets lost 45-3 in the other one but the Jets defense is back, Tom Brady.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
A Prescription For Violence
I know this is supposed to be about sports but does anything feel better than finally not being sick anymore? Everything matters again, at least a little bit anyway. I just wish things were going my way a little bit more.
I mean…the Giants are going nowhere but home and the Jets will be facing the Colts. Except for the great Ohio State victory over Arkansas last night, all the Northern and Eastern teams got beat in the Bowl Games. Teams I rooted for, like the Rams to beat the lowly Seahawks, went down in a flurry of dropped passes.
And there’s no baseball news to get excited about, not if you’re a Mets fan. If you’re a Mets fan, the only question about who’ll win the NL East is whether it’ll be the Phillies or the Braves. The latest Mets acquisitions have been strictly lower-level at best.
But maybe the most depressing thing of all for a defensively-minded football fan is that I can’t fathom the Jets giving the Colts a run for their money. They’ve got the really accurate Manning, the one who figures everything out at the line of scrimmage and just picks a defense apart, especially the ones being tricky.
I remember feeling the same way about the Niners offense back in Joe Montana’s heyday. The Niners threw all those short passes that required no time at all to throw, using precision and timing to frustrate the best defenses of the day.
But our very own Giants team did beat that Montana-led offense. Guys like Leonard Marshall and Lawrence Taylor wouldn’t let Montana finish the game and just creamed those Niners receivers all day long.
You just can’t assume anything in football. The favorites tend to win most of the time but any of those locks can go down in a wave of violence and momentum. Arkansas showed that last night before finally succumbing to a brilliantly-executed zone blitz.
I don’t expect the Jets to beat the Colts. That is, not unless they just do the following:
1. Knock the crap out of anything they see in blue.
2. Hit those wideouts and tight end right off the line. Mess up that timing. If you give up something along the way (and it’s almost inevitable but just once would be acceptable), so be it.
3. Go for the 3 and outs. Get that defense off the field.
4. Don’t try to outsmart Peyton Manning.
5. Swipe at that ball when it makes sense. Otherwise just make the hard tackle.
6. Run the ball. Use Joe McKnight if necessary.
7. Protect Sanchez, use max protect if necessary, he only sees one or two receivers anyway.
8. Continue with step 6.
Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes seeking redemption won’t beat the Colts, Mark Sanchez’s suddenly good shoulder won’t make the difference, Rex Ryan’s making it a personal battle won’t carry the day. What’ll beat the Colts is a 60-minute football ass-kicking.
The Jets need to feel insulted going in there. They have to be pissed off. They should remember that Peyton didn’t recognize any personal battle with Rex. He wasn’t aware of it. Rex was below his radar on awareness. The Jets have to hit this guy. Clearly.
That ballyhooed offensive line has to perform, Ferguson and Mangold and Woody have to show up. If they think in terms of long drives and clock-killing and 3 and outs, they can outperform those guys in blue. They can hold the ball forever. LaDainian Tomlinson isn’t chopped liver. This is the game for which he was picked up in the first place.
The game plan is so important. It should be conservative.
For Reggie Wayne there is Darrelle Revis and for Garcon there is Cromartie. There will be no Austin Collie or Clark to worry about. There is every reason to believe the Colts passing game can be held in check.
It goes without saying (and I’ve tried up to now not to say it), the Jets have to stop any sniveling Colts attempts to run the football. I mean, it’s Addai and Rhodes, not Arian Foster or, dare I say it, LaDainian Tomlinson. And hell, isn’t that what Rex Ryan really knows how to do?
Peyton Manning can get flustered. The Saints proved that last year. If you keep the pressure on Manning (or really just about anyone not wearing a big S on his chest), he can go bust. Of course, the Saints were a lot smarter than this Jets defense has yet shown itself to be. But they definitely gave Manning less time to think as the game wore on, and yet they still covered everybody.
The Jets can’t be the Saints but they can be a smarter Jets. Rex Ryan can’t try to be Sean Payton but he doesn’t have to be Herman Edwards either. He has to rely on his “best team in the AFC”, play conservatively and not make the big mistake. He has to concentrate on making the first down in three attempts, and, if not, punt.
Peyton Manning has to feel the pressure on every pass attempt. Let him know there will be no downs off when he can stand back there and survey the field. There must always be someone coming for him. But, in addition to the pressure of every down, Manning has to be made to feel the pressure of the game situation.
If the Jets play the physical game they’re noted for and keep the pressure on Manning and that precision-passing game, they can be assured of either staying close or maintaining a lead very late into the game.
If they make no obvious mistakes, if they can get Brad Smith free just one time, or maybe even get another safety out of a Jason Taylor, if they can just “out-football” that Indianapolis team for 60 minutes, that Colts team can be beaten.
I’d love to see it, to make Peyton Manning “aware” of Rex Ryan and the Jets.
I mean…the Giants are going nowhere but home and the Jets will be facing the Colts. Except for the great Ohio State victory over Arkansas last night, all the Northern and Eastern teams got beat in the Bowl Games. Teams I rooted for, like the Rams to beat the lowly Seahawks, went down in a flurry of dropped passes.
And there’s no baseball news to get excited about, not if you’re a Mets fan. If you’re a Mets fan, the only question about who’ll win the NL East is whether it’ll be the Phillies or the Braves. The latest Mets acquisitions have been strictly lower-level at best.
But maybe the most depressing thing of all for a defensively-minded football fan is that I can’t fathom the Jets giving the Colts a run for their money. They’ve got the really accurate Manning, the one who figures everything out at the line of scrimmage and just picks a defense apart, especially the ones being tricky.
I remember feeling the same way about the Niners offense back in Joe Montana’s heyday. The Niners threw all those short passes that required no time at all to throw, using precision and timing to frustrate the best defenses of the day.
But our very own Giants team did beat that Montana-led offense. Guys like Leonard Marshall and Lawrence Taylor wouldn’t let Montana finish the game and just creamed those Niners receivers all day long.
You just can’t assume anything in football. The favorites tend to win most of the time but any of those locks can go down in a wave of violence and momentum. Arkansas showed that last night before finally succumbing to a brilliantly-executed zone blitz.
I don’t expect the Jets to beat the Colts. That is, not unless they just do the following:
1. Knock the crap out of anything they see in blue.
2. Hit those wideouts and tight end right off the line. Mess up that timing. If you give up something along the way (and it’s almost inevitable but just once would be acceptable), so be it.
3. Go for the 3 and outs. Get that defense off the field.
4. Don’t try to outsmart Peyton Manning.
5. Swipe at that ball when it makes sense. Otherwise just make the hard tackle.
6. Run the ball. Use Joe McKnight if necessary.
7. Protect Sanchez, use max protect if necessary, he only sees one or two receivers anyway.
8. Continue with step 6.
Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes seeking redemption won’t beat the Colts, Mark Sanchez’s suddenly good shoulder won’t make the difference, Rex Ryan’s making it a personal battle won’t carry the day. What’ll beat the Colts is a 60-minute football ass-kicking.
The Jets need to feel insulted going in there. They have to be pissed off. They should remember that Peyton didn’t recognize any personal battle with Rex. He wasn’t aware of it. Rex was below his radar on awareness. The Jets have to hit this guy. Clearly.
That ballyhooed offensive line has to perform, Ferguson and Mangold and Woody have to show up. If they think in terms of long drives and clock-killing and 3 and outs, they can outperform those guys in blue. They can hold the ball forever. LaDainian Tomlinson isn’t chopped liver. This is the game for which he was picked up in the first place.
The game plan is so important. It should be conservative.
For Reggie Wayne there is Darrelle Revis and for Garcon there is Cromartie. There will be no Austin Collie or Clark to worry about. There is every reason to believe the Colts passing game can be held in check.
It goes without saying (and I’ve tried up to now not to say it), the Jets have to stop any sniveling Colts attempts to run the football. I mean, it’s Addai and Rhodes, not Arian Foster or, dare I say it, LaDainian Tomlinson. And hell, isn’t that what Rex Ryan really knows how to do?
Peyton Manning can get flustered. The Saints proved that last year. If you keep the pressure on Manning (or really just about anyone not wearing a big S on his chest), he can go bust. Of course, the Saints were a lot smarter than this Jets defense has yet shown itself to be. But they definitely gave Manning less time to think as the game wore on, and yet they still covered everybody.
The Jets can’t be the Saints but they can be a smarter Jets. Rex Ryan can’t try to be Sean Payton but he doesn’t have to be Herman Edwards either. He has to rely on his “best team in the AFC”, play conservatively and not make the big mistake. He has to concentrate on making the first down in three attempts, and, if not, punt.
Peyton Manning has to feel the pressure on every pass attempt. Let him know there will be no downs off when he can stand back there and survey the field. There must always be someone coming for him. But, in addition to the pressure of every down, Manning has to be made to feel the pressure of the game situation.
If the Jets play the physical game they’re noted for and keep the pressure on Manning and that precision-passing game, they can be assured of either staying close or maintaining a lead very late into the game.
If they make no obvious mistakes, if they can get Brad Smith free just one time, or maybe even get another safety out of a Jason Taylor, if they can just “out-football” that Indianapolis team for 60 minutes, that Colts team can be beaten.
I’d love to see it, to make Peyton Manning “aware” of Rex Ryan and the Jets.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
I'd Dump Them Both........except...
The feelings around town are definitely mixed. Fire Coughlin or not, get rid of Eli or not, dump Ryan, bench Sanchez. The only things to which all agree is that the Giants and Jets may not stink, but they are surely not smelling that sweet these days either.
I’ll buy that last sentiment for sure. But guess what? It’s the players. Even though I do pin the Eagles loss squarely on Coughlin, for the most part it’s the players who are to blame for the losses. Not all the players, of course, but for the Giants it’s the linebackers and corners and for the Jets, it’s the defensive line.
Even though the Jets already clinched a playoff spot, it’s not as if they’re likely to get out of the first round, not with that defense. The Giants threw away their playoff spot in that horrible meltdown against the Eagles but, even if that hadn’t happened, the same goes for them. They’re just not that good. They would have folded in the wildcard round.
But just because neither coach is the worst in the league, that doesn’t mean they should be retained.
Ryan has become a clown and an embarrassment. How can he hold the respect of his team after committing dumb thing after dumb thing? Coughlin should be held accountable for throwing away that Eagles game. Never has a defense played so recklessly, never has a return team been so oblivious and never has a punter been so scared.
Imagine waking up some Monday morning to read that Coughlin is retiring! Oh baby! What a breath of fresh air! No canned responses at press conferences, no confused countenance on the sideline, no listening to him blame every other thing, usually turnovers, for losses rather than just actually admitting to anything.
His public chastising of that rookie punter, Matt Dodge, after the Eagles game was pure Coughlin. His only object was to make it clear to the television audience that he instructed that punter correctly. With Coughlin it’s never his fault (although he does his false humility thing taking responsibility for every damned thing under the sun when things aren’t his fault). In short, Coughlin is the biggest phony in the New York area, which is saying a lot.
As for Ryan, reading of his ousting would be a sad thing. He’s a terrific personality and great with the defensive x’s and o’s but how many times can you have your lead guy embarrass the entire organization? How can the players respect that?
I’d say dump them both…..except….
The only sobering aspect of firing each coach is that the replacement could definitely be worse. These are both “football guys”. Although it’s very unlikely that anyone could be more embarrassing than Ryan, or that anybody could be more annoying than Coughlin, it’s hard to imagine anyone being more qualified than either as a head football coach.
Of course, I’d rather have Gruden, I’d rather have Cowher, I’d rather see Tomlin jump over here from Pittsburgh, and I wouldn’t mind having Spagnola back at all. Other than that select group though, there really isn’t anyone to get excited about. (Don’t even try talking me into Billick).
So any coaching move would be fraught with peril. A lot of guys could be worse. Maybe we should forgive Coughlin for the Eagles debacle, for the boring press conferences, for the Mom and apple pie feeling he gives to everything. And maybe we could give Ryan a little time to straighten out his act and his life too.
As for the quarterbacks, all we hear about are Eli’s turnovers, never mind that half of them have bounced off some receiver’s hands or head or shoulder pads. Never mind that he almost never has any time in the pocket, he does have some great receivers, right? Oh, and never mind that he seems to have everyone’s respect in the locker room.
Is Eli fast? Well, no. Is he elusive? Um, that would be a big no too (except for one notable Super Bowl exception). Is he really accurate? Well, he’s getting better. But Unitas wasn’t any of those things (except for accurate), Starr wasn’t either (except for accurate), or Jurgensen or a lot of other signal-callers of great renown(except for accurate).
I’d hang on to Eli. I’d concentrate on getting him some time in the pocket though, on the order of the time his brother seems to get in Indianapolis.
As for Sanchez, he surely looks like a keeper to me. His football instincts aren’t always in evidence but that could be a disconnect between that wacky offensive coordinator and himself. He just needs a little more experience, not to mention some receivers who catch the ball each and every game, not only when they really try to focus.
Yeah, I’d hang on to Sanchez. I might look into getting him a new offensive coordinator though.
So I hope cooler heads prevail in both cases. The lion’s share of the problems for either team have nothing to do with coaching, at least not at the head, except for one notable game, or two if you count the Jets total meltdown in Foxboro.
Get a couple of corners for the G-Men and maybe some help for that offensive line that only got worse when O’Hara returned. Get a couple of defensive linemen for the boys in green. Get rid of some of that high-priced help that in many cases hasn’t delivered.
Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to mimic the Belichick drafting strategy a bit, successively trading down for more lower picks, pretty much guaranteeing a whole lot of talent on the field at all times, if a little more distributed.
And, for both teams, try to decide what your team does best and then go out and do that. It seems the Ground and Pound isn’t working. And it’s hard to tell sometimes just what the Giants are trying to do.
Maybe both teams could acquire a resident shrink.
I’ll buy that last sentiment for sure. But guess what? It’s the players. Even though I do pin the Eagles loss squarely on Coughlin, for the most part it’s the players who are to blame for the losses. Not all the players, of course, but for the Giants it’s the linebackers and corners and for the Jets, it’s the defensive line.
Even though the Jets already clinched a playoff spot, it’s not as if they’re likely to get out of the first round, not with that defense. The Giants threw away their playoff spot in that horrible meltdown against the Eagles but, even if that hadn’t happened, the same goes for them. They’re just not that good. They would have folded in the wildcard round.
But just because neither coach is the worst in the league, that doesn’t mean they should be retained.
Ryan has become a clown and an embarrassment. How can he hold the respect of his team after committing dumb thing after dumb thing? Coughlin should be held accountable for throwing away that Eagles game. Never has a defense played so recklessly, never has a return team been so oblivious and never has a punter been so scared.
Imagine waking up some Monday morning to read that Coughlin is retiring! Oh baby! What a breath of fresh air! No canned responses at press conferences, no confused countenance on the sideline, no listening to him blame every other thing, usually turnovers, for losses rather than just actually admitting to anything.
His public chastising of that rookie punter, Matt Dodge, after the Eagles game was pure Coughlin. His only object was to make it clear to the television audience that he instructed that punter correctly. With Coughlin it’s never his fault (although he does his false humility thing taking responsibility for every damned thing under the sun when things aren’t his fault). In short, Coughlin is the biggest phony in the New York area, which is saying a lot.
As for Ryan, reading of his ousting would be a sad thing. He’s a terrific personality and great with the defensive x’s and o’s but how many times can you have your lead guy embarrass the entire organization? How can the players respect that?
I’d say dump them both…..except….
The only sobering aspect of firing each coach is that the replacement could definitely be worse. These are both “football guys”. Although it’s very unlikely that anyone could be more embarrassing than Ryan, or that anybody could be more annoying than Coughlin, it’s hard to imagine anyone being more qualified than either as a head football coach.
Of course, I’d rather have Gruden, I’d rather have Cowher, I’d rather see Tomlin jump over here from Pittsburgh, and I wouldn’t mind having Spagnola back at all. Other than that select group though, there really isn’t anyone to get excited about. (Don’t even try talking me into Billick).
So any coaching move would be fraught with peril. A lot of guys could be worse. Maybe we should forgive Coughlin for the Eagles debacle, for the boring press conferences, for the Mom and apple pie feeling he gives to everything. And maybe we could give Ryan a little time to straighten out his act and his life too.
As for the quarterbacks, all we hear about are Eli’s turnovers, never mind that half of them have bounced off some receiver’s hands or head or shoulder pads. Never mind that he almost never has any time in the pocket, he does have some great receivers, right? Oh, and never mind that he seems to have everyone’s respect in the locker room.
Is Eli fast? Well, no. Is he elusive? Um, that would be a big no too (except for one notable Super Bowl exception). Is he really accurate? Well, he’s getting better. But Unitas wasn’t any of those things (except for accurate), Starr wasn’t either (except for accurate), or Jurgensen or a lot of other signal-callers of great renown(except for accurate).
I’d hang on to Eli. I’d concentrate on getting him some time in the pocket though, on the order of the time his brother seems to get in Indianapolis.
As for Sanchez, he surely looks like a keeper to me. His football instincts aren’t always in evidence but that could be a disconnect between that wacky offensive coordinator and himself. He just needs a little more experience, not to mention some receivers who catch the ball each and every game, not only when they really try to focus.
Yeah, I’d hang on to Sanchez. I might look into getting him a new offensive coordinator though.
So I hope cooler heads prevail in both cases. The lion’s share of the problems for either team have nothing to do with coaching, at least not at the head, except for one notable game, or two if you count the Jets total meltdown in Foxboro.
Get a couple of corners for the G-Men and maybe some help for that offensive line that only got worse when O’Hara returned. Get a couple of defensive linemen for the boys in green. Get rid of some of that high-priced help that in many cases hasn’t delivered.
Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to mimic the Belichick drafting strategy a bit, successively trading down for more lower picks, pretty much guaranteeing a whole lot of talent on the field at all times, if a little more distributed.
And, for both teams, try to decide what your team does best and then go out and do that. It seems the Ground and Pound isn’t working. And it’s hard to tell sometimes just what the Giants are trying to do.
Maybe both teams could acquire a resident shrink.
Monday, December 20, 2010
What A Difference A Week Makes
Never in the pro football annals of New York has there ever been such a clear reversal of fortunes as there was yesterday. One week ago, the Jets were awful and the Giants were great. Prospects for the Jets to beat Pittsburgh were horrible while the Giants were picked by several NFL analysts to do away with those Eagles, no matter that they had Michael Vick and all those speedsters.
And, of course, as head coaches share their team’s failure or success, Rex Ryan looked like a complete dummy while Tom Coughlin was lauded right here in this column for his stability, especially in comparison to the nut down the road.
What a difference a week makes!
The Jets played 60 grueling minutes of what seemed to be Steeler football. The Giants played 52 minutes of great Giants football and then quit. The coaches quit, the players quit and even the fates seemed to quit. For the final 8 minutes of the game, the Giants were a who’s who of stupidity and maybe fatigue. Whatever they were, they really stunk.
As bad as the Jets have ever played, the Giants were five times as bad as the Jets ever were for those final 8 minutes. Rex Ryan had his guys ready to play for the whole game; Coughlin had his guys ready for 52 minutes. What a shame.
Just to recap, the Giants were up 21 with 8 minutes left. They then let Brent Celek, the Eagles tight end, catch a pass for about 70 yards. Immediately after that, they didn’t cover an onsides kick and watched Michael Vick work his wonders for another easy score. Then they did absolutely nothing on offense. Then they watched Vick destroy them again for the tying touchdown. Then they punted the ball on a line to the best damned punt returner in the game for the loss.
Everybody’s likening yesterday’s game to the Miracle of the Meadowlands in which the Eagles Herman Edwards grabbed a Joe Pisarcik fumble and ran for the winning TD on a play that should have been a kneel-down, a play that lives in infamy as the Giants coaching staff was summarily fired in almost that very instant.
But yesterday’s collapse, or I should say “Cough-lapse” was much worse than that game. It wasn’t just one play that killed them. It was a series of events that was caused by coaches who had stopped coaching and players who had stopped playing. And who can we blame for that?
Complacency can be a terrible thing. Or maybe it could be called “Cough-mplacency”. The Giants acted in every way as if the game was in hand. The 67-yard Celek TD because of a missed tackle wasn’t enough to rattle them. The failure of their return team to be aware of the possibility of an onsides kick is inexcusable. To this reviewer, it was the absolutely worst failure of the entire series of failures.
That their “hands” return team was not on the field was bad but not the most critical mistake. What was much worse was the up-front players’ total obliviousness to the ball. Even the “return” team’s up-front players should have been coached to first look for the ball. The Giants on that field were not prepared at all for that eventuality.
Two egregious failures in a row was, in retrospect, too much for the Giants defense to handle. From then on, they seemed to just watch as Eagles ran over, around and through them to tie the score. And of course the Giants offense did nothing but take time off the clock. As things turned out, it wasn’t enough.
Then there was the final Giants punt. The rookie punter did in fact try to kick the ball out-of-bounds but failed to do so. The replay showed that the rookie was aiming for the sidelines but the ball seemed to drop on the inside of his foot and the punt became a liner to the most dangerous man on the field. Those things happen, especially to rookies in tight spots. (Why a serious contender for the Super Bowl has a rookie in that spot has been a puzzler for me all season).
I won’t chastise Coughlin too much for berating his punter on the field after his ridiculously poor effort put the final nail into the Giants coffin, or “Cough-in”, but I thought it showed a lack of composure. For Coughlin, it was exercising restraint, or his own idea of “Cough-mposure”.
Gee, I hope I’m being fair to Coughlin. He did after all coach one hell of a game for 52 minutes. And it’s a damned shame that the game goes for 60. And I should say that it’s not typical of a Coughlin-coached team to quit in the final minutes. Maybe he’s just getting a little old for this game.
The bright side of yesterday’s action was that the Giants are still in the hunt, the Jets were terrific and my fantasy team won again, this despite Knowshon Moreno hurting his side, Austin Collie suffering another concussion and Vernon Davis having the misfortune to be coached by Mike Singletary, who has become the new Herman Edwards. (Not in the sense of the Meadowlands Miracle but in the sense of the player who went on to coach 10-6 teams into 6-10 teams).
Okay, enough Giants-bashing. The Jets were terrific from the opening kickoff to the final gun, much to the credit of Rex and the entire Jets team. Brad Smith’s taking of the opening kickoff for a touchdown set the tone for the game while the secondary’s sticky coverage of every Steeler receiver down-field in the closing seconds sealed the victory and staved off what could easily have been a dual New York disaster yesterday.
And, between those remarkable opening and closing plays, the play-calling was brilliant, Sanchez executed those plays to perfection and still another Edwards, one Braylon, made brilliant catches all day.
What a difference a week makes.
And, of course, as head coaches share their team’s failure or success, Rex Ryan looked like a complete dummy while Tom Coughlin was lauded right here in this column for his stability, especially in comparison to the nut down the road.
What a difference a week makes!
The Jets played 60 grueling minutes of what seemed to be Steeler football. The Giants played 52 minutes of great Giants football and then quit. The coaches quit, the players quit and even the fates seemed to quit. For the final 8 minutes of the game, the Giants were a who’s who of stupidity and maybe fatigue. Whatever they were, they really stunk.
As bad as the Jets have ever played, the Giants were five times as bad as the Jets ever were for those final 8 minutes. Rex Ryan had his guys ready to play for the whole game; Coughlin had his guys ready for 52 minutes. What a shame.
Just to recap, the Giants were up 21 with 8 minutes left. They then let Brent Celek, the Eagles tight end, catch a pass for about 70 yards. Immediately after that, they didn’t cover an onsides kick and watched Michael Vick work his wonders for another easy score. Then they did absolutely nothing on offense. Then they watched Vick destroy them again for the tying touchdown. Then they punted the ball on a line to the best damned punt returner in the game for the loss.
Everybody’s likening yesterday’s game to the Miracle of the Meadowlands in which the Eagles Herman Edwards grabbed a Joe Pisarcik fumble and ran for the winning TD on a play that should have been a kneel-down, a play that lives in infamy as the Giants coaching staff was summarily fired in almost that very instant.
But yesterday’s collapse, or I should say “Cough-lapse” was much worse than that game. It wasn’t just one play that killed them. It was a series of events that was caused by coaches who had stopped coaching and players who had stopped playing. And who can we blame for that?
Complacency can be a terrible thing. Or maybe it could be called “Cough-mplacency”. The Giants acted in every way as if the game was in hand. The 67-yard Celek TD because of a missed tackle wasn’t enough to rattle them. The failure of their return team to be aware of the possibility of an onsides kick is inexcusable. To this reviewer, it was the absolutely worst failure of the entire series of failures.
That their “hands” return team was not on the field was bad but not the most critical mistake. What was much worse was the up-front players’ total obliviousness to the ball. Even the “return” team’s up-front players should have been coached to first look for the ball. The Giants on that field were not prepared at all for that eventuality.
Two egregious failures in a row was, in retrospect, too much for the Giants defense to handle. From then on, they seemed to just watch as Eagles ran over, around and through them to tie the score. And of course the Giants offense did nothing but take time off the clock. As things turned out, it wasn’t enough.
Then there was the final Giants punt. The rookie punter did in fact try to kick the ball out-of-bounds but failed to do so. The replay showed that the rookie was aiming for the sidelines but the ball seemed to drop on the inside of his foot and the punt became a liner to the most dangerous man on the field. Those things happen, especially to rookies in tight spots. (Why a serious contender for the Super Bowl has a rookie in that spot has been a puzzler for me all season).
I won’t chastise Coughlin too much for berating his punter on the field after his ridiculously poor effort put the final nail into the Giants coffin, or “Cough-in”, but I thought it showed a lack of composure. For Coughlin, it was exercising restraint, or his own idea of “Cough-mposure”.
Gee, I hope I’m being fair to Coughlin. He did after all coach one hell of a game for 52 minutes. And it’s a damned shame that the game goes for 60. And I should say that it’s not typical of a Coughlin-coached team to quit in the final minutes. Maybe he’s just getting a little old for this game.
The bright side of yesterday’s action was that the Giants are still in the hunt, the Jets were terrific and my fantasy team won again, this despite Knowshon Moreno hurting his side, Austin Collie suffering another concussion and Vernon Davis having the misfortune to be coached by Mike Singletary, who has become the new Herman Edwards. (Not in the sense of the Meadowlands Miracle but in the sense of the player who went on to coach 10-6 teams into 6-10 teams).
Okay, enough Giants-bashing. The Jets were terrific from the opening kickoff to the final gun, much to the credit of Rex and the entire Jets team. Brad Smith’s taking of the opening kickoff for a touchdown set the tone for the game while the secondary’s sticky coverage of every Steeler receiver down-field in the closing seconds sealed the victory and staved off what could easily have been a dual New York disaster yesterday.
And, between those remarkable opening and closing plays, the play-calling was brilliant, Sanchez executed those plays to perfection and still another Edwards, one Braylon, made brilliant catches all day.
What a difference a week makes.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
On Football and Stability
There’s so much to say since last week that I can’t quite focus on any one thing. There’s the ascendancy of the Giants, the bumbling of the Jets in just about every way, the end of Brett Favre’s starting streak and, for many of us, there are the fantasy football playoffs.
I should first say that I’m not a Jets fan anymore. Everybody seems to think I am. It bugs me. Brett Favre and Eric Mangini pretty much killed any feeling I may have had for them. When they rid themselves of those two clowns, they still had Tannenbaum running things and Woody Johnson at the helm so the Jets are just a team that I can’t root for.
I do like Rex Ryan, of course, and how could I not like Mark Sanchez and LaDainian Tomlinson and even Santonio Holmes? The rest of that bunch you can have, from Braylon Edwards and Jason Taylor to Shonn Greene and Jericho Cotchery.
Contrast them with the Giants. They’re a lot easier on my psyche. I mean, what’s not to like about the Maras? They’ve owned the team forever, they treat everybody with respect and they didn’t even make the taxpayers fund their new stadium.
Of course, sometimes I take issue with how slow they are to react to obvious bad things. That horrible defensive coordinator of last year, for example, should have been dumped around the middle of the season along with some of the horrible non-coverage people in their secondary.
But giving people an entire year to prove or disprove their competence is all wrapped up with showing consideration and respect. You have to take the good with the bad. It’s part and parcel of stability.
I hate to say it but stability is exactly what the Jets seem to be missing right now. It was understandable that they would lose to the Patriots, especially playing without their defensive stalwart Leonhard, but one could have expected them to bounce back against the Dolphins, even a Dolphins team playing for their playoffs lives.
They did not come remotely close to bouncing back, not unless you take only the narrowest possible definition of bouncing back. Their defense wasn’t bad at all. It was just everything else about their game that was lacking. Their running game was non-existent, that ballyhooed offensive line seemed lacking, their receivers stunk out the joint and the game plan in general seemed discordant. I defy anyone to tell me what their plan was.
Then there are the other disturbing signs, the behavioral issues of not just their players but the management as well. More and more it seems that, as a head coach, Rex makes one hell of a defensive coordinator. He still seems to accept overall responsibility for the whole team only grudgingly.
Don’t expect the Jets to beat the Steelers this Sunday. I certainly don’t. I’ll bet the Steelers don’t either, which, come to think of it, might be the only thing working in the Jets favor. The Steelers aren’t impervious to problems either. They have their own offensive problems. The Jets chances will hinge on their ability to run the ball and Santonio Holmes, the discarded Steeler who may just love to stick it to his old team.
As for the G-Men, they really have their work cut out for them with Mike Vick and the high-flying Eagles on tap. It wasn’t a good sign that the Cowboys couldn’t run against what had been a suspect run defense before their game. If the Giants can’t get impressive numbers from the Bradshaw-Jacobs duo, it could be all over but the shouting. But if they can run, they’ll keep Vick off the field, not to mention DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy.
It always comes down to those two things, running and stopping the run, especially in December. Not even the great ones at quarterback can overcome those deficiencies consistently. And the fact that the G-Men just shut down Adrian Peterson bodes well for their chances on Sunday. But the Eagles have an offensive line that the Vikings did not.
But, and this is significant, one can expect the Giants to overcome their problems, whatever they may be. They have already dealt with the secondary, the pass rush, defending the run, and changed their offensive tactics to incorporate more running and the heavy use of the tight end.
But their resiliency has never included coaches tripping up opponents on the sidelines. You get the feeling they are rock solid in every way.
Of course, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. And Ryan may be able to salvage his situation, much as he did last year when he used red and green colors to easily direct his rookie QB in avoiding turnovers. I’m rooting for him to do it too.
But there may be only so many rabbits in his hat. And his other problem players may not be as responsive as was Mark Sanchez. You get the feeling they’ll break if you press them.
I might be firmly in the Giants corner but my heart lies with my fantasy team this weekend. My Crabs have an up-hill battle too as Drew Brees will be facing the tough Ravens, Ahmad Bradshaw has a hurt wrist, Knowshon Moreno has a new coach and Miles Austin can’t seem to get on Jon Kitna’s good side. Vernon Davis, my tight end, should continue getting good numbers. Those are my definite starters. It gets tougher after that.
Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin are really talented receivers but, with Tarvaris Jackson on the other end, things are really iffy. But Austin Collie may not play, Jahvid Best seems to never get the ball, and Tashard Choice may still be starry-eyed over Michael Vick. The usually reliable Brandon Lloyd has been decidedly less so as defenses have adapted to the Broncos long passing game.
Things will clear up by Sunday morning though. They always do. As a team, these Crabs are solid.
I should first say that I’m not a Jets fan anymore. Everybody seems to think I am. It bugs me. Brett Favre and Eric Mangini pretty much killed any feeling I may have had for them. When they rid themselves of those two clowns, they still had Tannenbaum running things and Woody Johnson at the helm so the Jets are just a team that I can’t root for.
I do like Rex Ryan, of course, and how could I not like Mark Sanchez and LaDainian Tomlinson and even Santonio Holmes? The rest of that bunch you can have, from Braylon Edwards and Jason Taylor to Shonn Greene and Jericho Cotchery.
Contrast them with the Giants. They’re a lot easier on my psyche. I mean, what’s not to like about the Maras? They’ve owned the team forever, they treat everybody with respect and they didn’t even make the taxpayers fund their new stadium.
Of course, sometimes I take issue with how slow they are to react to obvious bad things. That horrible defensive coordinator of last year, for example, should have been dumped around the middle of the season along with some of the horrible non-coverage people in their secondary.
But giving people an entire year to prove or disprove their competence is all wrapped up with showing consideration and respect. You have to take the good with the bad. It’s part and parcel of stability.
I hate to say it but stability is exactly what the Jets seem to be missing right now. It was understandable that they would lose to the Patriots, especially playing without their defensive stalwart Leonhard, but one could have expected them to bounce back against the Dolphins, even a Dolphins team playing for their playoffs lives.
They did not come remotely close to bouncing back, not unless you take only the narrowest possible definition of bouncing back. Their defense wasn’t bad at all. It was just everything else about their game that was lacking. Their running game was non-existent, that ballyhooed offensive line seemed lacking, their receivers stunk out the joint and the game plan in general seemed discordant. I defy anyone to tell me what their plan was.
Then there are the other disturbing signs, the behavioral issues of not just their players but the management as well. More and more it seems that, as a head coach, Rex makes one hell of a defensive coordinator. He still seems to accept overall responsibility for the whole team only grudgingly.
Don’t expect the Jets to beat the Steelers this Sunday. I certainly don’t. I’ll bet the Steelers don’t either, which, come to think of it, might be the only thing working in the Jets favor. The Steelers aren’t impervious to problems either. They have their own offensive problems. The Jets chances will hinge on their ability to run the ball and Santonio Holmes, the discarded Steeler who may just love to stick it to his old team.
As for the G-Men, they really have their work cut out for them with Mike Vick and the high-flying Eagles on tap. It wasn’t a good sign that the Cowboys couldn’t run against what had been a suspect run defense before their game. If the Giants can’t get impressive numbers from the Bradshaw-Jacobs duo, it could be all over but the shouting. But if they can run, they’ll keep Vick off the field, not to mention DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy.
It always comes down to those two things, running and stopping the run, especially in December. Not even the great ones at quarterback can overcome those deficiencies consistently. And the fact that the G-Men just shut down Adrian Peterson bodes well for their chances on Sunday. But the Eagles have an offensive line that the Vikings did not.
But, and this is significant, one can expect the Giants to overcome their problems, whatever they may be. They have already dealt with the secondary, the pass rush, defending the run, and changed their offensive tactics to incorporate more running and the heavy use of the tight end.
But their resiliency has never included coaches tripping up opponents on the sidelines. You get the feeling they are rock solid in every way.
Of course, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. And Ryan may be able to salvage his situation, much as he did last year when he used red and green colors to easily direct his rookie QB in avoiding turnovers. I’m rooting for him to do it too.
But there may be only so many rabbits in his hat. And his other problem players may not be as responsive as was Mark Sanchez. You get the feeling they’ll break if you press them.
I might be firmly in the Giants corner but my heart lies with my fantasy team this weekend. My Crabs have an up-hill battle too as Drew Brees will be facing the tough Ravens, Ahmad Bradshaw has a hurt wrist, Knowshon Moreno has a new coach and Miles Austin can’t seem to get on Jon Kitna’s good side. Vernon Davis, my tight end, should continue getting good numbers. Those are my definite starters. It gets tougher after that.
Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin are really talented receivers but, with Tarvaris Jackson on the other end, things are really iffy. But Austin Collie may not play, Jahvid Best seems to never get the ball, and Tashard Choice may still be starry-eyed over Michael Vick. The usually reliable Brandon Lloyd has been decidedly less so as defenses have adapted to the Broncos long passing game.
Things will clear up by Sunday morning though. They always do. As a team, these Crabs are solid.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Getting What You Deserve
How often have you said to yourself, “he (or she) needs to have his ass kicked” when confronted with an arrogant, stupid person on the street, or in a car, or just about anywhere. You know, one of those unruly pampered brats who says and does whatever he wants with no thought given to how it might affect somebody else, good or bad but especially bad.
That’s pretty much the way I felt about the Jets drubbing by the Pats Monday night. They’re a hard bunch to feel sorry for. No team in any sport I can think of has ever deserved a sorry beating more than these 2010-2011 Jets.
So they got what they deserved. And Tom Brady seemed to think so too. In fact, that whole Boston team seemed to buy in. Whether it was their offensive line, or their little Jets-rejected running back, Danny Woodhead, either of their two tight ends, the fast one and the really fast one, or heck, just about everybody on that team.
They turned the tables on the Jets. They did what they wanted whenever they wanted. They kicked the Jets ass….in every way you could ever think of.
It was totally predictable too. Even though the Pats were only 3 ½ point favorites going into the game, any informed observer would or should have taken note of the fact that the Jets had just lost their defensive captain and leader, safety Jim Leonhard, and remember what happened to our Giants when Antonio Pierce went down?
Sometimes, it’s always the least likely guys who really make all the difference. Only a couple of analysts even took note of Leonhard’s absence. After all, he’s not that talented, right?
The Jets were flustered clearly, starting with QB Mark Sanchez. On at least one pass, he didn’t even bother to check the coverage. Braylon Edwards dropped his first two passes, not that he needs to be flustered to do that. Then it just seemed that all the guys in the red and blue had super powers.
Brady, Welker, Woodhead, Aaron Hernandez, Gronkowski, oh hell, just everybody from Boston was kickin’ Jet butt. It must’ve been so much fun.
It’s just one game though, no matter how bad the Jets stunk it up. It’s an emotional game and the Jets were beaten soundly last night even before the opening coin flip.
How many teams from week to week have been proclaimed the best team in the NFL? I know the Giants were. So were the Jets. But that also goes for Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Baltimore and…well, you get the idea. The Chargers looked great there for a while too before absolutely smelling up the airwaves versus the Raiders.
So the Jets will live to see another day. But their defense especially must improve. They need desperately to figure out their coverage, without Jim Leonhard being on the field. Sanchez needs to settle down and his receivers need to catch the ball. Their kicking game needs to improve dramatically. And they must run the ball.
If they can’t recover immediately against Miami, their wildcard spot will be in jeopardy as, after the Fish, it’ll be Pittsburgh at their place and the Bears in Chicago. If their record is only 9-6 going into Buffalo for the final regular-season game, it could be all over but the shouting. They need to finish 10-6 to my mind to secure the final wildcard. Either Pittsburgh or Baltimore, Jacksonville or Indianapolis will be right up there with them at 10-6.
A 180 degree different team than the brash Jets are the Giants. They have exceeded my expectations in the last couple of weeks particularly, defeating Jacksonville and then Washington handily, despite the loss of their top two receivers and all kinds of people on the offensive line. They too have gotten what they deserved but in a totally different way than the Jets.
And they absolutely needed those victories too. The Giants must face the Vikings, the Eagles and the Packers before once again facing Washington in the final game. Any of those first three teams is capable of beating the Giants, especially the Eagles and Vick and Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers.
There are at least eight teams vying for the 6-team playoff spots in the NFC and all of them might in truth be better than the Giants, especially in their injury-riddled configuration. For now, this tight-end and running back oriented offense seems to be working, especially since their defense has dominated when it has had to.
But all you can ask as a sports fan is that your team will be competitive deep into the season. Both our local football teams have certainly been that, and, barring a total collapse, an unlikely event even for the Jets coming off the worst beating of their lives, they should keep us interested until well into the New Year.
For Mets fans, who have had their post-season hopes dashed right around the middle of July the last few years, the “hot stove” portion of our baseball year has been a vacuum, which is almost a blessing for fans who have been mostly disappointed by the free-agent acquisitions of our past.
Sometimes doing nothing looks pretty good, although I wouldn’t at all mind trading some high-end butts right outta here, beginning with Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran. But if the 2011 season started with the same butts in the dugout as in 2010, it wouldn’t be too terrible. An outfield of Bay, a healthy Beltran and Pagan, and an infield of Wright, Reyes, and the two rookies on the right hand side could be very interesting.
Of course the Yankees are a different story. Their fans’ expectations never end. The Yanks relative inactivity thus far, except for the re-signings of Jeter and Mariano, has got to be disappointing. Cliff Lee is the foremost target and the Yanks are just biding their time, awaiting Lee’s other offers to come in before putting their money on the table, a really clever thing, although I hate to give them the credit.
For the most part, all these sports teams get what they deserve in the end, except in cases of a ridiculous number of injuries, something the Giants seem to have overcome for now.
Let’s hope the Jets can learn to deserve something other than an ass-kicking.
And rest in peace, Dandy Don........
That’s pretty much the way I felt about the Jets drubbing by the Pats Monday night. They’re a hard bunch to feel sorry for. No team in any sport I can think of has ever deserved a sorry beating more than these 2010-2011 Jets.
So they got what they deserved. And Tom Brady seemed to think so too. In fact, that whole Boston team seemed to buy in. Whether it was their offensive line, or their little Jets-rejected running back, Danny Woodhead, either of their two tight ends, the fast one and the really fast one, or heck, just about everybody on that team.
They turned the tables on the Jets. They did what they wanted whenever they wanted. They kicked the Jets ass….in every way you could ever think of.
It was totally predictable too. Even though the Pats were only 3 ½ point favorites going into the game, any informed observer would or should have taken note of the fact that the Jets had just lost their defensive captain and leader, safety Jim Leonhard, and remember what happened to our Giants when Antonio Pierce went down?
Sometimes, it’s always the least likely guys who really make all the difference. Only a couple of analysts even took note of Leonhard’s absence. After all, he’s not that talented, right?
The Jets were flustered clearly, starting with QB Mark Sanchez. On at least one pass, he didn’t even bother to check the coverage. Braylon Edwards dropped his first two passes, not that he needs to be flustered to do that. Then it just seemed that all the guys in the red and blue had super powers.
Brady, Welker, Woodhead, Aaron Hernandez, Gronkowski, oh hell, just everybody from Boston was kickin’ Jet butt. It must’ve been so much fun.
It’s just one game though, no matter how bad the Jets stunk it up. It’s an emotional game and the Jets were beaten soundly last night even before the opening coin flip.
How many teams from week to week have been proclaimed the best team in the NFL? I know the Giants were. So were the Jets. But that also goes for Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Baltimore and…well, you get the idea. The Chargers looked great there for a while too before absolutely smelling up the airwaves versus the Raiders.
So the Jets will live to see another day. But their defense especially must improve. They need desperately to figure out their coverage, without Jim Leonhard being on the field. Sanchez needs to settle down and his receivers need to catch the ball. Their kicking game needs to improve dramatically. And they must run the ball.
If they can’t recover immediately against Miami, their wildcard spot will be in jeopardy as, after the Fish, it’ll be Pittsburgh at their place and the Bears in Chicago. If their record is only 9-6 going into Buffalo for the final regular-season game, it could be all over but the shouting. They need to finish 10-6 to my mind to secure the final wildcard. Either Pittsburgh or Baltimore, Jacksonville or Indianapolis will be right up there with them at 10-6.
A 180 degree different team than the brash Jets are the Giants. They have exceeded my expectations in the last couple of weeks particularly, defeating Jacksonville and then Washington handily, despite the loss of their top two receivers and all kinds of people on the offensive line. They too have gotten what they deserved but in a totally different way than the Jets.
And they absolutely needed those victories too. The Giants must face the Vikings, the Eagles and the Packers before once again facing Washington in the final game. Any of those first three teams is capable of beating the Giants, especially the Eagles and Vick and Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers.
There are at least eight teams vying for the 6-team playoff spots in the NFC and all of them might in truth be better than the Giants, especially in their injury-riddled configuration. For now, this tight-end and running back oriented offense seems to be working, especially since their defense has dominated when it has had to.
But all you can ask as a sports fan is that your team will be competitive deep into the season. Both our local football teams have certainly been that, and, barring a total collapse, an unlikely event even for the Jets coming off the worst beating of their lives, they should keep us interested until well into the New Year.
For Mets fans, who have had their post-season hopes dashed right around the middle of July the last few years, the “hot stove” portion of our baseball year has been a vacuum, which is almost a blessing for fans who have been mostly disappointed by the free-agent acquisitions of our past.
Sometimes doing nothing looks pretty good, although I wouldn’t at all mind trading some high-end butts right outta here, beginning with Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran. But if the 2011 season started with the same butts in the dugout as in 2010, it wouldn’t be too terrible. An outfield of Bay, a healthy Beltran and Pagan, and an infield of Wright, Reyes, and the two rookies on the right hand side could be very interesting.
Of course the Yankees are a different story. Their fans’ expectations never end. The Yanks relative inactivity thus far, except for the re-signings of Jeter and Mariano, has got to be disappointing. Cliff Lee is the foremost target and the Yanks are just biding their time, awaiting Lee’s other offers to come in before putting their money on the table, a really clever thing, although I hate to give them the credit.
For the most part, all these sports teams get what they deserve in the end, except in cases of a ridiculous number of injuries, something the Giants seem to have overcome for now.
Let’s hope the Jets can learn to deserve something other than an ass-kicking.
And rest in peace, Dandy Don........
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Ground and Pound or Lost and Found
Well, these 2010 playoffs continue Sunday afternoon with Jets-Colts at 3 PM followed by the Vikings-Saints at 6:40 PM. I've been doing better than okay with these playoff picks so far, at 5-3 for the two weeks, but that doesn't minimize the effect on me of the surprising nature of some of these games.
Last week I had the Saints and my score prediction was even pretty close but, even though I had joked that it was possible, I didn't expect the enormity of the Saints rout of the Cardinals. I had the Jets to cover but certainly not to win and, of course, they pulled it out. I had the Cowboys and Ravens too and both teams were awful, more awful than I thought possible., the biggest surprises being the ferocity of the Vikings and Colts defenses, against both run and pass.
So here they come again....those very tough defenses facing off against very different teams and very different circumstances too. The Colts were home against the Ravens and they'll still be home for the Jets. The Vikings have to travel to New Orleans to face the Saints.
Sat 6:40PM – New Orleans Superdome
SAINTS -3 1/2 Vikings
The Saints will be at home again but can be had, especially if Darren Sharper is limited. If the Vikings can run the ball all day, the game will be over. If that Saints offense is on the sidelines for long stretches and then, when they do take the field, they find the likes of the Vikings defense facing them, it'll be a very tough day, home or away.
So, for the Saints, they'll need big days from Jonathan Vilma, and no-names Sedrick Ellis and (a real tongue-twister now) and Remi Ayodele in the middle. Somehow, I don't get an extraordinary boost from that lineup, especially if Sharper is limited. (Who knows really with these injury reports)?
I'm pretty sure Reggie Bush won't have quite the success he had last week (vs the Cards) against the Vikings. Brees will do the best he can without a running game, but the pressure from the Vikings, not to mention the situation, will wear on him. And my least favorite quarterback, Brett Favre, won't find the pass rush from the Saints any more troublesome than was that of the Cowboys. He may even have time to throw some kisses to his fans in the stands, yes, even in New Orleans.
The Vikings can run the ball too, bigtime, with a big, strong, fast fellow named Adrian Peterson.
Percy Harvin's supposed to be sick. I believe it but how sick can he really be? Sharper will probably be his old self too, but Favre won't have to throw. Third and three, he can still give it to Adrian. (as in yo). Can we say the same thing for Reggie Bush? I don't think so.
The over-under is at 53, with a 3 1/2 spread, so the great betting populace is saying the score will be around 28-25 in favor of the Saints. I say, "Nah."
The Vikes run and run and run some more. Favre will pass off the run, of course, if just to bolster his stats, and get a couple of TD's. Figure Peterson for two and they might even get a field goal here and there. I'm figuring the Vikes can score 31.
The Saints will have big trouble on the ground, and then there'll be all those big and fast Vikes defensive linemen in his face. I figure they can score 3 TD's tops and a field goal or two. That's 27.
I hope I'm wrong but logic says the Vikings take this game. I hate logic too. I'd love to pick the Saints. But all those Saints I mentioned will have to play better than I give them credit for right now. So, sadly.....it'll be:
Vikings 31-27
Sunday 3PM – Mall of America Field, Minneapolis
COLTS -8 Jets
I saved the best for last. I can't even call them "my Jets" although I would like to. My sorry-ass team is the Giants.
The Jets played their best game of the season Sunday to overtake the Chargers, who couldn't stop the run at all. I'd expect the Colts to do a better job. The pressure will then be on the rook to produce in the face of some very mean defensive linemen that even those big and talented Jets offensive linemen will have trouble handling.
Peyton Manning will be looking at the same situation (trouble running the ball) but he's been through it before. He'll be careful with the ball more often than not, and he may even throw it to some Jets once, but if he limits the INT's to 1, I figure he'll be able to put two in the endzone (to any of his receivers) at least and add a couple of field goals. That'd make 20.
Not that the Jets won't make a lot of stops. They'll have to. I'm expecting a lot of Jets punts because they'll need to pass more than run against these Colts, especially towards the end of the game. They'll run with some success and will most likely get a TD or even two, but only because they are pretty tough in the red zone. I just don't expect that many drives to take them into Colts territory.
I'd figure the Jets to get in scoring position a maximum of five times. But I'd be guilty of over-optimism if I didn't expect either a fumble or INT on one or two of those drives. Shonn Greene hasn't fumbled recently but that could easily change. And Sanchez had just the one pick against the Chargers but these are the Colts.
I figure the Jets for 2 or 3 field goals and 2 or just 1 touchdown. It'll be that kind of day. Figure the Jets to get 20 points tops. That result would take the game into an overtime period. More likely than not, though, there'll be some "lost and found" to go with that "ground and pound." And the Jets will get around 16.
But the game still has to be played and this game is almost eerily similar to the last two playoff games these Jets have played. They were about the same class of dog against the Chargers away and a lesser dog vs. the Bengals away but a dog nonetheless.
But they didn't play like dogs. They just played relentlessly. Ground and pound indeed. The Colts are a little undersized, they say. And I guess they could get ground down by this Jets running game too. But I just think the Colts won't fold. They faced a pretty tough Ravens running game and came out on top.
And then there's the outrageous fortune the Jets have experienced, with the ball bouncing crazily and the field goals going hither and yon. And there's crazy Rex Ryan to turn up the Jets. And I think he's just lucky too.
But, if I had to pick just one team, it'd be the Colts in a close one. Logic says the Jets will cover, as I picked them to cover and not win versus the Bengals and to cover but not win versus the Chargers. Geez, how many times can you roll seven? (And I sure hope they can do it one more time). But my brain says:
Colts 20 - 16
But if it can stay "ground and pound" rather than "lost and found" for the Jets, they'll do it one more laughingly ridiculous time.
Last week I had the Saints and my score prediction was even pretty close but, even though I had joked that it was possible, I didn't expect the enormity of the Saints rout of the Cardinals. I had the Jets to cover but certainly not to win and, of course, they pulled it out. I had the Cowboys and Ravens too and both teams were awful, more awful than I thought possible., the biggest surprises being the ferocity of the Vikings and Colts defenses, against both run and pass.
So here they come again....those very tough defenses facing off against very different teams and very different circumstances too. The Colts were home against the Ravens and they'll still be home for the Jets. The Vikings have to travel to New Orleans to face the Saints.
Sat 6:40PM – New Orleans Superdome
SAINTS -3 1/2 Vikings
The Saints will be at home again but can be had, especially if Darren Sharper is limited. If the Vikings can run the ball all day, the game will be over. If that Saints offense is on the sidelines for long stretches and then, when they do take the field, they find the likes of the Vikings defense facing them, it'll be a very tough day, home or away.
So, for the Saints, they'll need big days from Jonathan Vilma, and no-names Sedrick Ellis and (a real tongue-twister now) and Remi Ayodele in the middle. Somehow, I don't get an extraordinary boost from that lineup, especially if Sharper is limited. (Who knows really with these injury reports)?
I'm pretty sure Reggie Bush won't have quite the success he had last week (vs the Cards) against the Vikings. Brees will do the best he can without a running game, but the pressure from the Vikings, not to mention the situation, will wear on him. And my least favorite quarterback, Brett Favre, won't find the pass rush from the Saints any more troublesome than was that of the Cowboys. He may even have time to throw some kisses to his fans in the stands, yes, even in New Orleans.
The Vikings can run the ball too, bigtime, with a big, strong, fast fellow named Adrian Peterson.
Percy Harvin's supposed to be sick. I believe it but how sick can he really be? Sharper will probably be his old self too, but Favre won't have to throw. Third and three, he can still give it to Adrian. (as in yo). Can we say the same thing for Reggie Bush? I don't think so.
The over-under is at 53, with a 3 1/2 spread, so the great betting populace is saying the score will be around 28-25 in favor of the Saints. I say, "Nah."
The Vikes run and run and run some more. Favre will pass off the run, of course, if just to bolster his stats, and get a couple of TD's. Figure Peterson for two and they might even get a field goal here and there. I'm figuring the Vikes can score 31.
The Saints will have big trouble on the ground, and then there'll be all those big and fast Vikes defensive linemen in his face. I figure they can score 3 TD's tops and a field goal or two. That's 27.
I hope I'm wrong but logic says the Vikings take this game. I hate logic too. I'd love to pick the Saints. But all those Saints I mentioned will have to play better than I give them credit for right now. So, sadly.....it'll be:
Vikings 31-27
Sunday 3PM – Mall of America Field, Minneapolis
COLTS -8 Jets
I saved the best for last. I can't even call them "my Jets" although I would like to. My sorry-ass team is the Giants.
The Jets played their best game of the season Sunday to overtake the Chargers, who couldn't stop the run at all. I'd expect the Colts to do a better job. The pressure will then be on the rook to produce in the face of some very mean defensive linemen that even those big and talented Jets offensive linemen will have trouble handling.
Peyton Manning will be looking at the same situation (trouble running the ball) but he's been through it before. He'll be careful with the ball more often than not, and he may even throw it to some Jets once, but if he limits the INT's to 1, I figure he'll be able to put two in the endzone (to any of his receivers) at least and add a couple of field goals. That'd make 20.
Not that the Jets won't make a lot of stops. They'll have to. I'm expecting a lot of Jets punts because they'll need to pass more than run against these Colts, especially towards the end of the game. They'll run with some success and will most likely get a TD or even two, but only because they are pretty tough in the red zone. I just don't expect that many drives to take them into Colts territory.
I'd figure the Jets to get in scoring position a maximum of five times. But I'd be guilty of over-optimism if I didn't expect either a fumble or INT on one or two of those drives. Shonn Greene hasn't fumbled recently but that could easily change. And Sanchez had just the one pick against the Chargers but these are the Colts.
I figure the Jets for 2 or 3 field goals and 2 or just 1 touchdown. It'll be that kind of day. Figure the Jets to get 20 points tops. That result would take the game into an overtime period. More likely than not, though, there'll be some "lost and found" to go with that "ground and pound." And the Jets will get around 16.
But the game still has to be played and this game is almost eerily similar to the last two playoff games these Jets have played. They were about the same class of dog against the Chargers away and a lesser dog vs. the Bengals away but a dog nonetheless.
But they didn't play like dogs. They just played relentlessly. Ground and pound indeed. The Colts are a little undersized, they say. And I guess they could get ground down by this Jets running game too. But I just think the Colts won't fold. They faced a pretty tough Ravens running game and came out on top.
And then there's the outrageous fortune the Jets have experienced, with the ball bouncing crazily and the field goals going hither and yon. And there's crazy Rex Ryan to turn up the Jets. And I think he's just lucky too.
But, if I had to pick just one team, it'd be the Colts in a close one. Logic says the Jets will cover, as I picked them to cover and not win versus the Bengals and to cover but not win versus the Chargers. Geez, how many times can you roll seven? (And I sure hope they can do it one more time). But my brain says:
Colts 20 - 16
But if it can stay "ground and pound" rather than "lost and found" for the Jets, they'll do it one more laughingly ridiculous time.
Monday, January 11, 2010
On Good and Bad Coaches
I kept wondering yesterday as I watched the Arizona-Green Bay match, “how many times could I hit Mike McCarthy in the head with a 2x4 before he covered up”? After Warner’s first TD pass, I would have been thinking, “maybe I should rush this guy”. After the second, it would have been, “ok, the very next TD he throws, I’m going to start putting the heat on this sonova gun”.
And then I would have really started bringing linebackers, safeties, corners at Warner…..and you know what? Maybe he beats the blitz a couple of times but maybe he doesn’t finish the game either. In no event does he continue carving up my defense with absolutely no ramifications.
If I knew McCarthy was going to sit back, rush three and play a friggin’ zone, there is absolutely no way I would have picked Green Bay to win that game. You couldn’t have given me enough points. The NFL makes teams divulge injuries but not gameplans. There is no reporting requirement for stupidity.
It was painful for me to watch the heroic effort of Aaron Rodgers in the face of a rush, scrambling around, making impossible throws to an almost equally adept group of receivers. That Jennings catch on the sidelines was one of the best I’ve ever seen. Green Bay did not deserve to lose. Only McCarthy did.
So Mike McCarthy joins my list of bad coaches, along with the memorable Herm Edwards, Rich Kotite and other numbskulls from the past. Thankfully for me, he was not on the Jets sideline. We had a guy who isn’t a real deep thinker. He’s just a guy who reacts to what’s right there in front of him.
And what was in front of Rex Ryan Saturday were the Cincinnati Bengals….those poor bastards. They didn’t stand a chance. Ryan’s pound-the-rock offense and his grinding defense made the Bengals paper tigers. And, while I had picked the Jets to cover, I thought that they’d lose in the end; I thought they’d lose to a veteran quarterback, Carson Palmer, while their rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez would finally succumb to the gravity of the moment and throw a pick or two.
But it wasn’t just pounding that ground down the Bengals. It was misdirection. The Jets watched the films, DVD’s probably….whatever. They saw a pursuing defense, some might have said an over-pursuing defense, and they took advantage. They took the lead and held it. But you can’t misdirect without the threat of pounding. And that threat was taken very seriously by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Of course, much of that strategy went unreported. That telecast was one of the worst ever on television. Joe Gibbs is a color guy? I still can’t remember anything the play-by-play fella said; in fact, I still can’t remember his name. (I looked it up..Tom Hammond?) The color guy was Joe Theisman. To most football fans, I’ll have to say no more. Somebody called him the human filibuster. He was being kind. Theisman didn’t even know the rules for a catch. It was either that or his mouth was moving waay faster than his brain could kick in.
Of course, none of that’s important. The Jets won. They romped. And they talked. Then they talked some more. But that’s okay. Rex is strong on visualization. What the hell, it seems to be working. I can see him at work behind the scenes, “Now, Mark, I want you to picture Dustin Keller all alone behind the defense, you’re running right with nobody in your face and all you have to do is throw the ball to him.” If anything like that did in fact happen, I wouldn’t be surprised.
The Pats lost, of course, to a Ravens team that used a lot of the same Jets tactics to overwhelm their opponent. This was another game that I picked for the Ravens to cover but not win. I gave too much credit to Brady and Belichick and the Pats being home and all that meant absolutely nothing, nada, zilch to the Ravens. They just kicked butt. And it surely was a sweet thing to see.
Those Ravens were ready and the readiest Raven was Ray Rice. (Say that 5 times fast). Ray just started off by scooting through an opening and then turning on the jets for an 83-yard touchdown. Then their defensive end on just a 3-man front gets around his blocker and swipes the ball out of Brady’s hand resulting in another touchdown. And that was pretty much all she wrote.
I must say though that I’m somewhat surprised that some people are thinking that that game might mark the end of the Patriots dominance. That’s pretty crazy. Belichick will analyze and measure to the nth degree, make the changes he must, and the Pats will be back. Then the Pats fans will say, “Geez, it’s so nice not to have Vrabel and Seau and……”.
I’m working backwards here somewhat as the game I cared about most, except for the Jets game, is the one I’m covering last. It wasn’t much of a game though. McNabb had no time to throw and his fleet of fleet receivers never got open. DeSean Jackson…erased, Jeremy Maclin…who?, Brent Celek….huh? The Cowboys made them disappear.
I have to admit that Wade Phillips used to be on my list of horrible coaches, stemming mostly from his alleged contention that he could devise a defense that could consist of nobodies….that his brilliant strategy of spacing and discipline could totally frustrate any opponent. No stars would be required. I guess years of failure at Denver may have changed his mind. His defense now seems to have been adapted so that his stars are used in his defense to fully showcase their abilities…..but within the scheme of his overall strategy. It was his defense that beat Philadelphia. And it was his defense that got the Cowboys into the game at all.
J-E-T-S….Jets…..Jets….JETS!! Next stop San Diego and more later on that.
And then I would have really started bringing linebackers, safeties, corners at Warner…..and you know what? Maybe he beats the blitz a couple of times but maybe he doesn’t finish the game either. In no event does he continue carving up my defense with absolutely no ramifications.
If I knew McCarthy was going to sit back, rush three and play a friggin’ zone, there is absolutely no way I would have picked Green Bay to win that game. You couldn’t have given me enough points. The NFL makes teams divulge injuries but not gameplans. There is no reporting requirement for stupidity.
It was painful for me to watch the heroic effort of Aaron Rodgers in the face of a rush, scrambling around, making impossible throws to an almost equally adept group of receivers. That Jennings catch on the sidelines was one of the best I’ve ever seen. Green Bay did not deserve to lose. Only McCarthy did.
So Mike McCarthy joins my list of bad coaches, along with the memorable Herm Edwards, Rich Kotite and other numbskulls from the past. Thankfully for me, he was not on the Jets sideline. We had a guy who isn’t a real deep thinker. He’s just a guy who reacts to what’s right there in front of him.
And what was in front of Rex Ryan Saturday were the Cincinnati Bengals….those poor bastards. They didn’t stand a chance. Ryan’s pound-the-rock offense and his grinding defense made the Bengals paper tigers. And, while I had picked the Jets to cover, I thought that they’d lose in the end; I thought they’d lose to a veteran quarterback, Carson Palmer, while their rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez would finally succumb to the gravity of the moment and throw a pick or two.
But it wasn’t just pounding that ground down the Bengals. It was misdirection. The Jets watched the films, DVD’s probably….whatever. They saw a pursuing defense, some might have said an over-pursuing defense, and they took advantage. They took the lead and held it. But you can’t misdirect without the threat of pounding. And that threat was taken very seriously by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Of course, much of that strategy went unreported. That telecast was one of the worst ever on television. Joe Gibbs is a color guy? I still can’t remember anything the play-by-play fella said; in fact, I still can’t remember his name. (I looked it up..Tom Hammond?) The color guy was Joe Theisman. To most football fans, I’ll have to say no more. Somebody called him the human filibuster. He was being kind. Theisman didn’t even know the rules for a catch. It was either that or his mouth was moving waay faster than his brain could kick in.
Of course, none of that’s important. The Jets won. They romped. And they talked. Then they talked some more. But that’s okay. Rex is strong on visualization. What the hell, it seems to be working. I can see him at work behind the scenes, “Now, Mark, I want you to picture Dustin Keller all alone behind the defense, you’re running right with nobody in your face and all you have to do is throw the ball to him.” If anything like that did in fact happen, I wouldn’t be surprised.
The Pats lost, of course, to a Ravens team that used a lot of the same Jets tactics to overwhelm their opponent. This was another game that I picked for the Ravens to cover but not win. I gave too much credit to Brady and Belichick and the Pats being home and all that meant absolutely nothing, nada, zilch to the Ravens. They just kicked butt. And it surely was a sweet thing to see.
Those Ravens were ready and the readiest Raven was Ray Rice. (Say that 5 times fast). Ray just started off by scooting through an opening and then turning on the jets for an 83-yard touchdown. Then their defensive end on just a 3-man front gets around his blocker and swipes the ball out of Brady’s hand resulting in another touchdown. And that was pretty much all she wrote.
I must say though that I’m somewhat surprised that some people are thinking that that game might mark the end of the Patriots dominance. That’s pretty crazy. Belichick will analyze and measure to the nth degree, make the changes he must, and the Pats will be back. Then the Pats fans will say, “Geez, it’s so nice not to have Vrabel and Seau and……”.
I’m working backwards here somewhat as the game I cared about most, except for the Jets game, is the one I’m covering last. It wasn’t much of a game though. McNabb had no time to throw and his fleet of fleet receivers never got open. DeSean Jackson…erased, Jeremy Maclin…who?, Brent Celek….huh? The Cowboys made them disappear.
I have to admit that Wade Phillips used to be on my list of horrible coaches, stemming mostly from his alleged contention that he could devise a defense that could consist of nobodies….that his brilliant strategy of spacing and discipline could totally frustrate any opponent. No stars would be required. I guess years of failure at Denver may have changed his mind. His defense now seems to have been adapted so that his stars are used in his defense to fully showcase their abilities…..but within the scheme of his overall strategy. It was his defense that beat Philadelphia. And it was his defense that got the Cowboys into the game at all.
J-E-T-S….Jets…..Jets….JETS!! Next stop San Diego and more later on that.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Results Beat Process Anytime
Thank God for John Mara. The Giants boss was just as fed up as I was with the horrid pass defense, finally pulling the plug on the defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan . Judging by his rather harsh (but then it had to be) words, he must have been remarkably patient all year.
While I’m happy that the Giants finally made a move in that direction (I’ve been calling for Sheridan’s ouster for quite some time now), I think there’s certainly more that could be done. The secondary coach, the linebacker coach, and even the GM could also be considered for the boot.
Even considering the injuries and lack of pressure on the passer, the Giants corners and safeties were deplorable. If they weren’t totally out of position, they just stood by while the receiver made the catch. I’ve blamed the coordinator all year because nothing seemed coordinated. But surely the GM bears responsibility for the talent he brought in. And surely the secondary coach could have imparted some useful information as to how to cover people.
What saves the GM, Jerry Reese, in my eyes is the fact that he had that fantastic draft class of a few years ago. And the Giants certainly have plenty of talent on offense. Except for the front four though, there isn’t really much talent on defense at all. His very few high draft choices in the secondary, Kenny Phillips and Aaron Ross, were both hurt this year. Safety Michael Johnson was the 224th pick in 2007. Corner Terrell Thomas was pick 63 in 2008 but was only marginally competent. The rest of the acquisitions (free agents) were awful all year…CC Brown, any of the multitude of Johnsons, Aaron Rouse….if he played the secondary, he was incompetent.
The head coach, Tom Coughlin, also gets a mulligan, but only for now. His retention should definitely be considered temporary. He’s been the Giants head coach for a long time. Maybe the players have had it with him. They certainly haven’t responded to his pleas for playing hard.
All that being said, I really think the problems are fixable. With a good defensive scheme (what was wrong with Spagnuolo’s?), and Phillips and Ross returning in good health, half the secondary problems go away. The rest of the secondary roster, except perhaps for Terrell Thomas, have to go. A change in scheme should go a long way towards fixing any pass rush problems.
It’s to be hoped the new defensive coordinator will pay more attention to the effects of his teaching on a week-to-week basis than his predecessor, who was proudest of his consistency in his teaching method without regard to the results. (This last is almost too preposterous a position on which to comment).
Process is great. You will hear a lot about process from guys like Eric Mangini, whose Cleveland team finished strongly but still wound up with 4 or 5 wins (who’s counting?). Process gets you a situation such as the one that totally shut down Newark Airport yesterday. Process gets you the New Orleans situation after Katrina. And I’m sure process has a lot to do with the ridiculous war in Afghanistan.
Give me Rex Ryan anytime. Rex had a huge problem, quite literally, when his defensive tackle, Kris Jenkins, went down. He brought somebody in, coached him up, and the Jets soon resumed their proficiency in defending the run. When Mark Sanchez, his rookie QB, started turning the ball over, he initiated a simple color-coded sideline communications system to keep the QB on track.
When the Giants run into problems, they try to hide them. Actually, the hiding comes only after the denial that there is a problem at all. When Coughlin was forced into a corner to comment on his defense, he first obfuscated the problem by shunting some of the difficulty over to his offense. Then he said he wasn’t making excuses.
Keep it simple, make it work. Forget process. And, if we have one more year of uninspired play from the Giants, I’d say forget Coughlin too. And maybe Jerry Reese isn’t quite as brilliant as I had originally thought. He seems a lot better at the draft than he is at picking up replacement players in a pinch. No doubt he has a process for the draft. Heh-heh.
Well, that’s quite enough about those disappointing Giants, especially when we have a playoff contender in the New York Jets. Their impressive win over the Bengals on Sunday was a really good sign. I don’t care that neither the Bengals nor the Colts before them had anything to gain from the game. The Jets could have still lost. They could have assumed an easy contest and mailed it in. They didn’t. They played 120 minutes over two games of playoff football. Kudos to the Jets.
While I don’t think their rematch with the Bengals next Sunday will go nearly as well as the first game, I do think the Jets will win it. The injury to David Harris will definitely hurt though. He’s been the leading tackler for the Green and White for quite some time now. And while the Bengals will run more effectively with Cedric Benson rather than Larry Johnson, I can’t imagine it making a huge difference in the final result.
Meanwhile, speaking of management, kudos to Mets GM Omar Minaya for finally locking up Jason Bay, filling that left field slot with a pretty terrific hitter. If he can indeed get Molina to catch, the Mets will have a pretty awesome lineup as Beltran, Delgado and Wright all return. And Jeff Francoeur should be ok after his thumb problem.
The pitching is a different story. Kelvim Escobar is a good pitcher if he can get healthy but it seems like a shot in the dark. I would hope they still try to get a better arm for that up and down starting rotation. It’d be a big shot in the arm for a young and erratic staff.
While I’m happy that the Giants finally made a move in that direction (I’ve been calling for Sheridan’s ouster for quite some time now), I think there’s certainly more that could be done. The secondary coach, the linebacker coach, and even the GM could also be considered for the boot.
Even considering the injuries and lack of pressure on the passer, the Giants corners and safeties were deplorable. If they weren’t totally out of position, they just stood by while the receiver made the catch. I’ve blamed the coordinator all year because nothing seemed coordinated. But surely the GM bears responsibility for the talent he brought in. And surely the secondary coach could have imparted some useful information as to how to cover people.
What saves the GM, Jerry Reese, in my eyes is the fact that he had that fantastic draft class of a few years ago. And the Giants certainly have plenty of talent on offense. Except for the front four though, there isn’t really much talent on defense at all. His very few high draft choices in the secondary, Kenny Phillips and Aaron Ross, were both hurt this year. Safety Michael Johnson was the 224th pick in 2007. Corner Terrell Thomas was pick 63 in 2008 but was only marginally competent. The rest of the acquisitions (free agents) were awful all year…CC Brown, any of the multitude of Johnsons, Aaron Rouse….if he played the secondary, he was incompetent.
The head coach, Tom Coughlin, also gets a mulligan, but only for now. His retention should definitely be considered temporary. He’s been the Giants head coach for a long time. Maybe the players have had it with him. They certainly haven’t responded to his pleas for playing hard.
All that being said, I really think the problems are fixable. With a good defensive scheme (what was wrong with Spagnuolo’s?), and Phillips and Ross returning in good health, half the secondary problems go away. The rest of the secondary roster, except perhaps for Terrell Thomas, have to go. A change in scheme should go a long way towards fixing any pass rush problems.
It’s to be hoped the new defensive coordinator will pay more attention to the effects of his teaching on a week-to-week basis than his predecessor, who was proudest of his consistency in his teaching method without regard to the results. (This last is almost too preposterous a position on which to comment).
Process is great. You will hear a lot about process from guys like Eric Mangini, whose Cleveland team finished strongly but still wound up with 4 or 5 wins (who’s counting?). Process gets you a situation such as the one that totally shut down Newark Airport yesterday. Process gets you the New Orleans situation after Katrina. And I’m sure process has a lot to do with the ridiculous war in Afghanistan.
Give me Rex Ryan anytime. Rex had a huge problem, quite literally, when his defensive tackle, Kris Jenkins, went down. He brought somebody in, coached him up, and the Jets soon resumed their proficiency in defending the run. When Mark Sanchez, his rookie QB, started turning the ball over, he initiated a simple color-coded sideline communications system to keep the QB on track.
When the Giants run into problems, they try to hide them. Actually, the hiding comes only after the denial that there is a problem at all. When Coughlin was forced into a corner to comment on his defense, he first obfuscated the problem by shunting some of the difficulty over to his offense. Then he said he wasn’t making excuses.
Keep it simple, make it work. Forget process. And, if we have one more year of uninspired play from the Giants, I’d say forget Coughlin too. And maybe Jerry Reese isn’t quite as brilliant as I had originally thought. He seems a lot better at the draft than he is at picking up replacement players in a pinch. No doubt he has a process for the draft. Heh-heh.
Well, that’s quite enough about those disappointing Giants, especially when we have a playoff contender in the New York Jets. Their impressive win over the Bengals on Sunday was a really good sign. I don’t care that neither the Bengals nor the Colts before them had anything to gain from the game. The Jets could have still lost. They could have assumed an easy contest and mailed it in. They didn’t. They played 120 minutes over two games of playoff football. Kudos to the Jets.
While I don’t think their rematch with the Bengals next Sunday will go nearly as well as the first game, I do think the Jets will win it. The injury to David Harris will definitely hurt though. He’s been the leading tackler for the Green and White for quite some time now. And while the Bengals will run more effectively with Cedric Benson rather than Larry Johnson, I can’t imagine it making a huge difference in the final result.
Meanwhile, speaking of management, kudos to Mets GM Omar Minaya for finally locking up Jason Bay, filling that left field slot with a pretty terrific hitter. If he can indeed get Molina to catch, the Mets will have a pretty awesome lineup as Beltran, Delgado and Wright all return. And Jeff Francoeur should be ok after his thumb problem.
The pitching is a different story. Kelvim Escobar is a good pitcher if he can get healthy but it seems like a shot in the dark. I would hope they still try to get a better arm for that up and down starting rotation. It’d be a big shot in the arm for a young and erratic staff.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Giants Embarassment
I’ve about had it with the Giants. That Sunday night display of clueless defense was just too much for an old cornerback. I mean…where was the coverage? I could understand a breakdown in coverage on a single play. On a bad night I could understand even a couple of mistakes. After all, these are supposed to be pros.
What a sad joke they are! What a poor excuse for a football team! Except for the offense, which, to their credit performed admirably all night long (except for Manningham), this team stinks out loud. Last night was not an isolated incident. This team’s defense has been horrible ever since Spagnuolo went to St Louis to coach the Rams.
We could have expected a period of transition, similar to the beginning of the Giants Super Bowl season of 2007, when the defense turned it around after three weeks of horrible coverage and awful losses. After all, a professional defense is a complicated thing. You’d expect that a few weeks would be needed to digest it.
But what you wouldn’t expect was what happened last night. Let’s review:
FIRST HALF
First Philly possession – 7 plays to a Brent Celek TD, big 32 yard completion to DeSean Jackson, Philly needed no third downs in the drive.
Second Philly score – starts with Jacobs fumble after Giants were moving the ball. Fumble scooped up and returned 60 yards for a TD.
Second actual offensive possession - Philly actually had to punt.
Third Philly possession – 12-plays, Philly settles for a field goal.
Fourth Philly “possession” – 72-yard punt return for TD.
Fifth Philly possession – 8 plays, 2 third downs, one went for 23 yards down the middle to Celek, one to DeSean Jackson for 44 yards. Vick scored the TD.
Second HALF
First Philly possession – The new guy in the defense (Jonathan Goff) gets an interception! Manning fumbled shortly thereafter.
Second Philly possession – Philly had to punt AGAIN (holy cow)
Third Philly possession – 60-yard TD to Jackson on first play after Giants score
Fourth Philly possession – another punt – WooHoo!
Fifth Philly possession – 12 plays, 91 yards, TD, McNabb passes to just about anybody wearing green, they were all open.
Sixth Philly possession – Philly just burning time – punt, meaningless possession
Every time Philly needed a score, they got one. Philly could score at will. The Giants were helpless. McNabb had all day to throw. Almost literally. The secondary couldn’t cover anybody. Again.
I’ve been saying all year long that this new defensive coordinator was not working out. Now I’m saying Coughlin isn’t working out. The man did nothing, through all the blown coverages, through all the losses, through all the embarassments, he’s done NOTHING, except to protect his horrible defensive coordinator.
I said several weeks ago the Giants wouldn’t make the playoffs with that defense. (It doesn’t take a rocket scientist after all). The only reason they have a chance at making the playoffs at all is that Dallas is faltering and has a tough remaining schedule.
But they were actually favored against the Eagles, a remarkable fact that indicates how over-rated the Giants really are. They are no match for the Eagles.
The Eagles have a coach who actually knows how to coach. When there’s a problem, he fixes it. He responds to changes in his environment. Reid may pass too often and forget about his running game but he realizes his mistakes and reacts. Coughlin just stands there looking confused and making excuses.
Maybe I’m being too hard on Coughlin. I wonder if this clueless DC was his choice. I wonder if keeping him is within his realm of empowerment…perhaps not, and, if not, I apologize.
But somebody has to take the hit for these year-long failures.
The G.M. has certainly done nothing, either to adequately replace the safety that went down or to replace the middle linebacker when he went down. Let’s give him some of the blame too.
But maybe he can’t spend any money. After all, the Giants haven’t sold nearly all the PSL’s they’ve needed.
So maybe it’s the fan’s fault. Ownership is punishing its fans for not buying up the seat licenses, for moving from mezzanine sections to the upper deck, for not drinking the tres cher Kool-Aid.
In any event, I’m through even rooting for this team. It’s tough to keep pulling for those who don’t even try to help themselves. The Giants are as bad now as they were in the sad years before George Young was hired, when the Mara brothers were fighting each other and neither one knew what he was doing.
And it’s not just the defense. The special teams have been almost as bad. At least two of the wide receivers look as if they’ve never played football before, Manningham and Moss.
About 90% of high school receivers know how to drag a leg after making a catch near the sideline. Manningham is uncoachable, apparently. Either that or the coach(es) don’t know how to teach. Sinorice Moss just never picked up route-running or anything else.
Okay, I’ve said enough about that sorry organization.
In lighter matters, the Jets looked really solid yesterday. I know the Bucs aren’t very good but the Jets beat them slowly and inexorably to the end. Their second-string QB didn’t take any chances and the running game under Thomas Jones wore those Bucs down. Their defense was unbelievable. In fact, statistically, they have the best defense in the league.
They get Atlanta next at home and the Falcons haven’t shown much; they’re all banged up. Then they get two ridiculously tough opponents, the Colts and the Bengals, but both those teams may be coasting by the time the Jets come to town.
But, even then, they could easily miss the playoffs as there are so many other teams in the hunt.
But, playoffs or not, I like the Ryan-led Jets. Ryan has made mistakes but he’s admitted them and then taken action to change things for the better.
The Giants simply have not.
What a sad joke they are! What a poor excuse for a football team! Except for the offense, which, to their credit performed admirably all night long (except for Manningham), this team stinks out loud. Last night was not an isolated incident. This team’s defense has been horrible ever since Spagnuolo went to St Louis to coach the Rams.
We could have expected a period of transition, similar to the beginning of the Giants Super Bowl season of 2007, when the defense turned it around after three weeks of horrible coverage and awful losses. After all, a professional defense is a complicated thing. You’d expect that a few weeks would be needed to digest it.
But what you wouldn’t expect was what happened last night. Let’s review:
FIRST HALF
First Philly possession – 7 plays to a Brent Celek TD, big 32 yard completion to DeSean Jackson, Philly needed no third downs in the drive.
Second Philly score – starts with Jacobs fumble after Giants were moving the ball. Fumble scooped up and returned 60 yards for a TD.
Second actual offensive possession - Philly actually had to punt.
Third Philly possession – 12-plays, Philly settles for a field goal.
Fourth Philly “possession” – 72-yard punt return for TD.
Fifth Philly possession – 8 plays, 2 third downs, one went for 23 yards down the middle to Celek, one to DeSean Jackson for 44 yards. Vick scored the TD.
Second HALF
First Philly possession – The new guy in the defense (Jonathan Goff) gets an interception! Manning fumbled shortly thereafter.
Second Philly possession – Philly had to punt AGAIN (holy cow)
Third Philly possession – 60-yard TD to Jackson on first play after Giants score
Fourth Philly possession – another punt – WooHoo!
Fifth Philly possession – 12 plays, 91 yards, TD, McNabb passes to just about anybody wearing green, they were all open.
Sixth Philly possession – Philly just burning time – punt, meaningless possession
Every time Philly needed a score, they got one. Philly could score at will. The Giants were helpless. McNabb had all day to throw. Almost literally. The secondary couldn’t cover anybody. Again.
I’ve been saying all year long that this new defensive coordinator was not working out. Now I’m saying Coughlin isn’t working out. The man did nothing, through all the blown coverages, through all the losses, through all the embarassments, he’s done NOTHING, except to protect his horrible defensive coordinator.
I said several weeks ago the Giants wouldn’t make the playoffs with that defense. (It doesn’t take a rocket scientist after all). The only reason they have a chance at making the playoffs at all is that Dallas is faltering and has a tough remaining schedule.
But they were actually favored against the Eagles, a remarkable fact that indicates how over-rated the Giants really are. They are no match for the Eagles.
The Eagles have a coach who actually knows how to coach. When there’s a problem, he fixes it. He responds to changes in his environment. Reid may pass too often and forget about his running game but he realizes his mistakes and reacts. Coughlin just stands there looking confused and making excuses.
Maybe I’m being too hard on Coughlin. I wonder if this clueless DC was his choice. I wonder if keeping him is within his realm of empowerment…perhaps not, and, if not, I apologize.
But somebody has to take the hit for these year-long failures.
The G.M. has certainly done nothing, either to adequately replace the safety that went down or to replace the middle linebacker when he went down. Let’s give him some of the blame too.
But maybe he can’t spend any money. After all, the Giants haven’t sold nearly all the PSL’s they’ve needed.
So maybe it’s the fan’s fault. Ownership is punishing its fans for not buying up the seat licenses, for moving from mezzanine sections to the upper deck, for not drinking the tres cher Kool-Aid.
In any event, I’m through even rooting for this team. It’s tough to keep pulling for those who don’t even try to help themselves. The Giants are as bad now as they were in the sad years before George Young was hired, when the Mara brothers were fighting each other and neither one knew what he was doing.
And it’s not just the defense. The special teams have been almost as bad. At least two of the wide receivers look as if they’ve never played football before, Manningham and Moss.
About 90% of high school receivers know how to drag a leg after making a catch near the sideline. Manningham is uncoachable, apparently. Either that or the coach(es) don’t know how to teach. Sinorice Moss just never picked up route-running or anything else.
Okay, I’ve said enough about that sorry organization.
In lighter matters, the Jets looked really solid yesterday. I know the Bucs aren’t very good but the Jets beat them slowly and inexorably to the end. Their second-string QB didn’t take any chances and the running game under Thomas Jones wore those Bucs down. Their defense was unbelievable. In fact, statistically, they have the best defense in the league.
They get Atlanta next at home and the Falcons haven’t shown much; they’re all banged up. Then they get two ridiculously tough opponents, the Colts and the Bengals, but both those teams may be coasting by the time the Jets come to town.
But, even then, they could easily miss the playoffs as there are so many other teams in the hunt.
But, playoffs or not, I like the Ryan-led Jets. Ryan has made mistakes but he’s admitted them and then taken action to change things for the better.
The Giants simply have not.
Monday, November 30, 2009
A Simple System Simply Works
Wow, what can I write about on a weekend when Charlie Weis and Lawrence Frank both got fired, the Jets earned a hard-fought victory against Carolina using some seemingly cockamamie color-code system to direct their rookie QB, and two NFL games were decided by last-minute touchdowns thrown by the likes of Vince Young and Chris Redman? And let’s not forget Dennis Dixon.
Well, it’s easy really. I don’t really care that much about Notre Dame or Charlie Weis. I figure both parties will make out just fine, thank you. And Lawrence Frank is better off going elsewhere, given the bad roster and bad luck he has been handed. Lawrence Frank will come up roses if it’s true that good things happen to good people.
And all I can say about Vince Young is that I was wrong about him. I’ve been thinking for five weeks now that he’d be a total failure. I’ve been thinking he’s just another one of these great college QB’s who couldn’t make it in the big time. But he lead that Titans team down the field twice from deep, deep in his own team’s territory to ultimately come back and win the game…twice.
And it was great that a backup QB you never hear “boo” about stepped up in a big situation to lead his Falcons team to victory, and on fourth down no less. Chris Redman did just that yesterday to keep the Falcons in the playoff picture, for at least one more week anyway.
And I was amazed as Dixon kept the Steelers in the game against the Ravens for about 4 ½ quarters. He did it on short notice too, as Big Ben Roethlisberger’s headaches occurred only Saturday.
But, without a doubt, the best prospect for discussion is the color-code system that Rex Ryan and the Jets concocted to keep a rein on their rambunctious quarterback, Mark Sanchez. It seemed too simple and a little silly. How confident could we be that the Jets made the right pick? I mean, did this guy ever play football? Was USC always ahead?
For his part, Sanchez was exultant after the victory and was only too happy to heartily accept the color-codes. That at least shows some humility. He may eat franks on the sideline and he might “diss” the entire NYC media population but he does readily accept direction and, too often this season, blame.
But for once there was no blame. Not that he lit up the joint, an impossible feat given the conservative plan, but he did throw for some yardage, not a lot, and he only threw one interception. He didn’t fumble one time.
Two things bother me a little though.
For one, this system worked great in a game their defense easily controlled. Jake Delhomme, as I had foreseen in my last words on the subject, threw the ball all over the yard. His only problem was he didn’t discriminate on the color uniforms to which he threw the ball. The Jets were only too happy to catch it when he did. The Jets took the early lead. The closest the game got was 7-3.
So when was the code any color but red? I mean, maybe he had an amber somewhere along the line, but the predominant color all night had to be red. What happens when they have to give him the green?
The only other troubling thing is that he’d need the system at all. But hey, maybe a rookie QB, who’s had to digest all this new information week after week, needs the focus, needs the hand-holding, to keep his tenuous hold on reality in a game that can be chaotic at best.
I just hope he understands the game a little. A lot of millions went his way. There were reservations from his USC coach Pete Carroll as to whether Sanchez was ready for the NFL at all. Hopefully, Pete was wrong about Sanchez. He’ll be the face and future of our New York Jets for many years to come. He started the season on fire but has stumbled through too many games, games his very tough defense deserved to win.
It’s great to have an athletic quarterback though. Just watching him avoid the rush and take off once in a while gives me hope for the Jets in the future. He’s really not all that accurate, at least not thus far, but he throws very well on the run, and, hell, Eli Manning isn’t all that accurate either, not like his big brother.
And some NFL experts would undoubtedly say he’s too short.
(As this is written, Drew Brees has been beating up the Patriots. Drew is just a hair over 6 feet and seems to manage quite well. They’re now ahead by 38-17 and it’s great to see the Pats get their noses rubbed in it a little. The Saints are now just running the ball into the line so as not to embarrass them any more than they’ve already been. I love sweet justice).
But the point is that, short or tall, a real quarterback has other resources to beat you with. Sanchez seems to have some of them, if not all of them just yet.
Rex Ryan seemed to think so too, and was challenged to find a way to deal with Sanchez’s wilder impulses. He seems to have found just the thing. If it takes a little more communication with the sideline to make the rookie a top-flight quarterback, I’m on board with that.
Maybe when the color does change to green, he’ll respond. The last two Jets games will be against the undefeated Colts and the top defense right now, the Cincinnati Bengals. But the next three, at Buffalo, and then against Atlanta and Tampa Bay, are certainly winnable, especially if Sanchez is working in red mode, or even amber.
Sometimes things that work very simply simply work. Rex Ryan has found a system that’s a lot like that.
Well, it’s easy really. I don’t really care that much about Notre Dame or Charlie Weis. I figure both parties will make out just fine, thank you. And Lawrence Frank is better off going elsewhere, given the bad roster and bad luck he has been handed. Lawrence Frank will come up roses if it’s true that good things happen to good people.
And all I can say about Vince Young is that I was wrong about him. I’ve been thinking for five weeks now that he’d be a total failure. I’ve been thinking he’s just another one of these great college QB’s who couldn’t make it in the big time. But he lead that Titans team down the field twice from deep, deep in his own team’s territory to ultimately come back and win the game…twice.
And it was great that a backup QB you never hear “boo” about stepped up in a big situation to lead his Falcons team to victory, and on fourth down no less. Chris Redman did just that yesterday to keep the Falcons in the playoff picture, for at least one more week anyway.
And I was amazed as Dixon kept the Steelers in the game against the Ravens for about 4 ½ quarters. He did it on short notice too, as Big Ben Roethlisberger’s headaches occurred only Saturday.
But, without a doubt, the best prospect for discussion is the color-code system that Rex Ryan and the Jets concocted to keep a rein on their rambunctious quarterback, Mark Sanchez. It seemed too simple and a little silly. How confident could we be that the Jets made the right pick? I mean, did this guy ever play football? Was USC always ahead?
For his part, Sanchez was exultant after the victory and was only too happy to heartily accept the color-codes. That at least shows some humility. He may eat franks on the sideline and he might “diss” the entire NYC media population but he does readily accept direction and, too often this season, blame.
But for once there was no blame. Not that he lit up the joint, an impossible feat given the conservative plan, but he did throw for some yardage, not a lot, and he only threw one interception. He didn’t fumble one time.
Two things bother me a little though.
For one, this system worked great in a game their defense easily controlled. Jake Delhomme, as I had foreseen in my last words on the subject, threw the ball all over the yard. His only problem was he didn’t discriminate on the color uniforms to which he threw the ball. The Jets were only too happy to catch it when he did. The Jets took the early lead. The closest the game got was 7-3.
So when was the code any color but red? I mean, maybe he had an amber somewhere along the line, but the predominant color all night had to be red. What happens when they have to give him the green?
The only other troubling thing is that he’d need the system at all. But hey, maybe a rookie QB, who’s had to digest all this new information week after week, needs the focus, needs the hand-holding, to keep his tenuous hold on reality in a game that can be chaotic at best.
I just hope he understands the game a little. A lot of millions went his way. There were reservations from his USC coach Pete Carroll as to whether Sanchez was ready for the NFL at all. Hopefully, Pete was wrong about Sanchez. He’ll be the face and future of our New York Jets for many years to come. He started the season on fire but has stumbled through too many games, games his very tough defense deserved to win.
It’s great to have an athletic quarterback though. Just watching him avoid the rush and take off once in a while gives me hope for the Jets in the future. He’s really not all that accurate, at least not thus far, but he throws very well on the run, and, hell, Eli Manning isn’t all that accurate either, not like his big brother.
And some NFL experts would undoubtedly say he’s too short.
(As this is written, Drew Brees has been beating up the Patriots. Drew is just a hair over 6 feet and seems to manage quite well. They’re now ahead by 38-17 and it’s great to see the Pats get their noses rubbed in it a little. The Saints are now just running the ball into the line so as not to embarrass them any more than they’ve already been. I love sweet justice).
But the point is that, short or tall, a real quarterback has other resources to beat you with. Sanchez seems to have some of them, if not all of them just yet.
Rex Ryan seemed to think so too, and was challenged to find a way to deal with Sanchez’s wilder impulses. He seems to have found just the thing. If it takes a little more communication with the sideline to make the rookie a top-flight quarterback, I’m on board with that.
Maybe when the color does change to green, he’ll respond. The last two Jets games will be against the undefeated Colts and the top defense right now, the Cincinnati Bengals. But the next three, at Buffalo, and then against Atlanta and Tampa Bay, are certainly winnable, especially if Sanchez is working in red mode, or even amber.
Sometimes things that work very simply simply work. Rex Ryan has found a system that’s a lot like that.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Good But Boring-Bad But Funny
You can’t say it hasn’t been entertaining. The Jets are a bad soap opera. The Giants are just, well, I don’t really know what they are. They beat the Falcons. That’s definitely a good thing. But, beyond that, it’s really hard to say anything more.
But you know I will.
Even a casual observer would have to agree that, at the very least, the Jets are a very entertaining team. The quarterback is a nut job, the head coach is even funnier and everybody else just tries to keep their heads up. And that’s okay. Anybody who really expected playoffs this year was just dreaming.
The Giants’ defense stinks. That’s really all you can say. But, with Eli firing bullets and lobs and showing a magnificent touch, and with his bevy of receivers seemingly open all the time, we could really see some shootouts in our future, and that’s not a bad thing either.
I guess that’s the biggest difference between these two teams. The Giants play a great football game, on one side of the ball at least, but they’re a bore off the field. The Jets turn in stinker after stinker on the field, but they’re a barrel of laughs off of it.
Did anybody expect the Jets to beat the Patriots again? I know I didn’t. I did think they’d beat the spread, which was 10 ½, a ridiculous spread, given that the Jets beat them the first time they played.
My mistake was that I thought they’d attempt to cover Wes Welker. At the very least, I figured they’d harass him coming off the line, or knock the bejeezus out of him when he caught the ball, thus discouraging him from perpetrating any further aerial offenses against them.
But that didn’t happen. Welker ran here and there unmolested. When he caught the ball, which was quite often, he either ran for big yardage or hit the ground before he could be pummeled.
And, last but certainly not least, the rookie quarterback started bad, came back a little, and then totally came undone.
But that’s what Bill Belichick teams do to rookie quarterbacks. That Sanchez somehow escaped that fate in the season’s first matchup with New England was nothing short of miraculous. Sanchez tried to win the game, though, and along the way, he threw a perfect long pass to Cotchery in the end zone that brought the Jets back to within 10.
But he started the game very badly by throwing that INT that went for a touchdown. That’s a killer for a team to start the game in a 7-point hole right off the bat. But he brought the team back before imploding and, all in all, I’d rather watch him than his backup. The kid still shows a lot of promise. He reminds me of Joe Montana in a lot of ways, the scrambling, the arm, the demeanor….he just needs the same head, and that will come.
Rex has promised to address his young QB’s turnover problem personally. That’s what makes you love him. It may not be the right thing to do but ya gotta love the attitude. Rex has taken as many shots as has Sanchez, and he’s apparently taken them to heart.
So the Jets are a riot, if not a successful one.
The G-Men are a playoff contender but a boring one. I still don’t think they’ll make it to the playoffs though. Their defense won’t allow it. When their opponent has needed to score, they have scored. That’s not a good sign. And, while Eli was able to take advantage of the sieve of a Falcons pass defense, I can’t imagine he’ll be able to do the same this Thanksgiving against the Broncos.
Philip Rivers and his Chargers did though. But they have a strong defense and a better running game. They have LaDainian, we have Twinkletoes. They have Sproles, we have Bradshaw. Their offensive line blocks for the run as well as the pass. Ours blocks quite well for the passing game but the holes just aren’t there in the running game, and even the powerful Bradshaw can’t run through a wall.
Regular readers may wonder why I keep picking on Jacobs. Well, aside from picking up that 4th and 1 against the Pats in that wonder-filled Super Bowl, he’s done nothing up the middle. He has no explosiveness whatsoever, runs high and doesn’t have that much leg strength. What he can do is build up a head of steam and really roll, once he gets an opening.
That’d be great if they used him a little differently, I guess, but the Giants don’t. And they usually have better options in Smith and Manningham, Nicks and Boss and, well, just about anybody else….Hedgecock?
So I can’t be bullish on this Broncos game. We won’t be seeing Simms, we’ll get their first string of Kyle Orton, and the Broncs do have some receivers who can hurt us, Marshall and Gaffney and Royal and a nice tight end who can catch. The Broncs will be able to pass and they may even be able to run. They also have some nice defenders against the passing game, aka Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins. Hell, Ty Law is their second-string corner.
Can our G-Men win in a shootout? I don’t think so. The only way they win this game is if they’re able to run the ball and stop the passing game. I don’t think they can do either. (I just deleted a whole passage ripping Sheridan, the defensive coordinator in name only, a new butt-hole). But who’s to blame when the defense has no clue?
Almost everything else NFL-wise went my way though this past weekend so I’m not complaining. My picks against the spread went 9-6, and, better yet, my best bets were flawless and I finally won my imaginary ten bucks. I won in both my fantasy leagues and still have a shot at the playoffs.
Not the Giants.
But you know I will.
Even a casual observer would have to agree that, at the very least, the Jets are a very entertaining team. The quarterback is a nut job, the head coach is even funnier and everybody else just tries to keep their heads up. And that’s okay. Anybody who really expected playoffs this year was just dreaming.
The Giants’ defense stinks. That’s really all you can say. But, with Eli firing bullets and lobs and showing a magnificent touch, and with his bevy of receivers seemingly open all the time, we could really see some shootouts in our future, and that’s not a bad thing either.
I guess that’s the biggest difference between these two teams. The Giants play a great football game, on one side of the ball at least, but they’re a bore off the field. The Jets turn in stinker after stinker on the field, but they’re a barrel of laughs off of it.
Did anybody expect the Jets to beat the Patriots again? I know I didn’t. I did think they’d beat the spread, which was 10 ½, a ridiculous spread, given that the Jets beat them the first time they played.
My mistake was that I thought they’d attempt to cover Wes Welker. At the very least, I figured they’d harass him coming off the line, or knock the bejeezus out of him when he caught the ball, thus discouraging him from perpetrating any further aerial offenses against them.
But that didn’t happen. Welker ran here and there unmolested. When he caught the ball, which was quite often, he either ran for big yardage or hit the ground before he could be pummeled.
And, last but certainly not least, the rookie quarterback started bad, came back a little, and then totally came undone.
But that’s what Bill Belichick teams do to rookie quarterbacks. That Sanchez somehow escaped that fate in the season’s first matchup with New England was nothing short of miraculous. Sanchez tried to win the game, though, and along the way, he threw a perfect long pass to Cotchery in the end zone that brought the Jets back to within 10.
But he started the game very badly by throwing that INT that went for a touchdown. That’s a killer for a team to start the game in a 7-point hole right off the bat. But he brought the team back before imploding and, all in all, I’d rather watch him than his backup. The kid still shows a lot of promise. He reminds me of Joe Montana in a lot of ways, the scrambling, the arm, the demeanor….he just needs the same head, and that will come.
Rex has promised to address his young QB’s turnover problem personally. That’s what makes you love him. It may not be the right thing to do but ya gotta love the attitude. Rex has taken as many shots as has Sanchez, and he’s apparently taken them to heart.
So the Jets are a riot, if not a successful one.
The G-Men are a playoff contender but a boring one. I still don’t think they’ll make it to the playoffs though. Their defense won’t allow it. When their opponent has needed to score, they have scored. That’s not a good sign. And, while Eli was able to take advantage of the sieve of a Falcons pass defense, I can’t imagine he’ll be able to do the same this Thanksgiving against the Broncos.
Philip Rivers and his Chargers did though. But they have a strong defense and a better running game. They have LaDainian, we have Twinkletoes. They have Sproles, we have Bradshaw. Their offensive line blocks for the run as well as the pass. Ours blocks quite well for the passing game but the holes just aren’t there in the running game, and even the powerful Bradshaw can’t run through a wall.
Regular readers may wonder why I keep picking on Jacobs. Well, aside from picking up that 4th and 1 against the Pats in that wonder-filled Super Bowl, he’s done nothing up the middle. He has no explosiveness whatsoever, runs high and doesn’t have that much leg strength. What he can do is build up a head of steam and really roll, once he gets an opening.
That’d be great if they used him a little differently, I guess, but the Giants don’t. And they usually have better options in Smith and Manningham, Nicks and Boss and, well, just about anybody else….Hedgecock?
So I can’t be bullish on this Broncos game. We won’t be seeing Simms, we’ll get their first string of Kyle Orton, and the Broncs do have some receivers who can hurt us, Marshall and Gaffney and Royal and a nice tight end who can catch. The Broncs will be able to pass and they may even be able to run. They also have some nice defenders against the passing game, aka Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins. Hell, Ty Law is their second-string corner.
Can our G-Men win in a shootout? I don’t think so. The only way they win this game is if they’re able to run the ball and stop the passing game. I don’t think they can do either. (I just deleted a whole passage ripping Sheridan, the defensive coordinator in name only, a new butt-hole). But who’s to blame when the defense has no clue?
Almost everything else NFL-wise went my way though this past weekend so I’m not complaining. My picks against the spread went 9-6, and, better yet, my best bets were flawless and I finally won my imaginary ten bucks. I won in both my fantasy leagues and still have a shot at the playoffs.
Not the Giants.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Getting Serious in the NFL
It’s been one of those days here hard by the Short Hills Arboretum as chimney cleaners scurry in and out, up and down, all around la casa. Then the sofa we never needed arrived, the delivery people for it avoiding the chimney sweeps and their ladders by just inches. And all of that happened only after some tedious negotiation and Web searching made it all seem worthwhile.
So I’m already worn out but I did want to throw my two cents in for Rex Ryan, who had a darker day and week than I’ve had. Rex managed to leave ‘em laughin’ after firing his long-time friend and defensive line coach, parrying what had to be annoying questions as to his talented yet brash quarterback and all the time mindful that his audience knew full well that he had cried in front of his team in a post-game meeting, the game that all but broke the Jets’ backs in the AFC playoff picture.
Dick Vermeil made it okay, if not quite fashionable, to cry in front of your players. When you show somebody how much you care, you tend to make them care, and that can’t hurt results at all. Of course, Vermeil was also a hell of a football coach. And while we can’t be quite sure yet whether Ryan is or isn’t, we can be quite certain any failures won’t be because he doesn’t care.
The G-Men had their bye week and all you hear is how players are coming back from injury and hopes are higher for a playoff spot after losses by Dallas and Philadelphia. The Eagles especially will find some tough going without Brian Westbrook and the Boyz looked bad in their loss to the Packers. Roy Williams couldn’t make a big catch or three and the Pack must’ve found at least a partial answer for Miles Austin.
Atlanta lost too, I know, but I still can’t get too excited about the possibility of backing into the playoffs. I want to see them beat Atlanta this Sunday and then beat the Broncos on Thanksgiving. Then I’ll be happy. Let me see that big horse Jacobs finally start running over some people. Let me see Manning go back to Hakeem Nicks or Mario Manningham for some big gainers. Let me see a hurried opposing QB throw some picks. Then there might be some hope for a meaningful playoff game.
Serious teams replace their injured players before it’s too late to make any difference. The Bengals are a perfect example. Cedric Benson went down and they replaced him with Larry Johnson. When Kenny Phillips, the Giants starting safety, was lost for the season, the Giants did nothing. Only when C.C. Brown stunk the place out for two games did the G-Men decide to do anything. And Aaron Rouse may be the answer, but it may not be a strong affirmative one.
I was actually kind of dumbstruck to learn that C.C. Brown was never considered a coverage guy but that he could tackle. Hell, anybody can tackle. Those guys are all over the place. You expect a secondary player to be able to cover a wide receiver. If he can’t do that, he belongs on special teams….only.
That big hole the G-Men allowed to go unfilled for two weeks makes me wonder a bit about the seriousness of their intent. They’re playing the season to get by, to not look totally foolish out there on the field. But that attitude didn’t beat the Chargers, in the final analysis, and it may not be good enough to beat the Falcons or Broncos either.
The G-Men may have caught a break when Falcon RB Michael Turner went down with a high ankle sprain, though, and Jerious Norwood, his backup, is out too. The Giants may be able to throw some extra defensive backs (not that they have them) in there to stop Matt Ryan, as I don’t see the Falcons running a lot.
Then the Broncos’ Kyle Orton went down too in Week 10 and, while he may be the starter against them on Thanksgiving in Denver, he may be hampered some. And we all know what that seemed to do to Eli when he was hurt. Chris Simms would otherwise go for the Broncos and Mr. Simms hasn’t really been lighting it up.
Word in Denver is that even Orton couldn’t have had good numbers with their banged-up offensive line. Well, that’s a bit specious, I think, since Orton did throw two TD passes in the first quarter before he was hurt. But, in any event, with a banged-up Orton and a rusty Simms, the G-Men’s chances seem really good. Of course, they’ll still have the same defensive coordinator. (Just one more dig won’t hurt).
But do ya think Roddy White and Brandon Marshall might take advantage of that secondary, especially if there’s no pressure from the defensive front? I think so, no matter who’s at quarterback.
Okay, that’s enough about the local contingents. They’ve made their beds and they’ve been lying in them. And they didn’t add any support when the springs sort of fell apart. It’ll be hard to feel sorry for them when they find themselves sleeping on the floor, so to speak.
A couple of other NFL teams got serious this week. Buffalo’s head coach Dick Jauron won’t be circlin’ the wagons anymore and the Skins staff will have Sherm Lewis staring over their shoulders throughout. That’s in addition to the Jets parting ways with their defensive line coach. It’s a tough league and at least some teams are making tough choices.
The next tough choice might be made in Cleveland. Our own Eric Mangini (if he was ever truly one of us), has been hugely ineffective there and his GM has already bitten the dust. You know he’ll start getting very serious indeed (assuming he has ever been anything else.
Week 11 should start answering whether the Giants and Jets have been serious enough.
So I’m already worn out but I did want to throw my two cents in for Rex Ryan, who had a darker day and week than I’ve had. Rex managed to leave ‘em laughin’ after firing his long-time friend and defensive line coach, parrying what had to be annoying questions as to his talented yet brash quarterback and all the time mindful that his audience knew full well that he had cried in front of his team in a post-game meeting, the game that all but broke the Jets’ backs in the AFC playoff picture.
Dick Vermeil made it okay, if not quite fashionable, to cry in front of your players. When you show somebody how much you care, you tend to make them care, and that can’t hurt results at all. Of course, Vermeil was also a hell of a football coach. And while we can’t be quite sure yet whether Ryan is or isn’t, we can be quite certain any failures won’t be because he doesn’t care.
The G-Men had their bye week and all you hear is how players are coming back from injury and hopes are higher for a playoff spot after losses by Dallas and Philadelphia. The Eagles especially will find some tough going without Brian Westbrook and the Boyz looked bad in their loss to the Packers. Roy Williams couldn’t make a big catch or three and the Pack must’ve found at least a partial answer for Miles Austin.
Atlanta lost too, I know, but I still can’t get too excited about the possibility of backing into the playoffs. I want to see them beat Atlanta this Sunday and then beat the Broncos on Thanksgiving. Then I’ll be happy. Let me see that big horse Jacobs finally start running over some people. Let me see Manning go back to Hakeem Nicks or Mario Manningham for some big gainers. Let me see a hurried opposing QB throw some picks. Then there might be some hope for a meaningful playoff game.
Serious teams replace their injured players before it’s too late to make any difference. The Bengals are a perfect example. Cedric Benson went down and they replaced him with Larry Johnson. When Kenny Phillips, the Giants starting safety, was lost for the season, the Giants did nothing. Only when C.C. Brown stunk the place out for two games did the G-Men decide to do anything. And Aaron Rouse may be the answer, but it may not be a strong affirmative one.
I was actually kind of dumbstruck to learn that C.C. Brown was never considered a coverage guy but that he could tackle. Hell, anybody can tackle. Those guys are all over the place. You expect a secondary player to be able to cover a wide receiver. If he can’t do that, he belongs on special teams….only.
That big hole the G-Men allowed to go unfilled for two weeks makes me wonder a bit about the seriousness of their intent. They’re playing the season to get by, to not look totally foolish out there on the field. But that attitude didn’t beat the Chargers, in the final analysis, and it may not be good enough to beat the Falcons or Broncos either.
The G-Men may have caught a break when Falcon RB Michael Turner went down with a high ankle sprain, though, and Jerious Norwood, his backup, is out too. The Giants may be able to throw some extra defensive backs (not that they have them) in there to stop Matt Ryan, as I don’t see the Falcons running a lot.
Then the Broncos’ Kyle Orton went down too in Week 10 and, while he may be the starter against them on Thanksgiving in Denver, he may be hampered some. And we all know what that seemed to do to Eli when he was hurt. Chris Simms would otherwise go for the Broncos and Mr. Simms hasn’t really been lighting it up.
Word in Denver is that even Orton couldn’t have had good numbers with their banged-up offensive line. Well, that’s a bit specious, I think, since Orton did throw two TD passes in the first quarter before he was hurt. But, in any event, with a banged-up Orton and a rusty Simms, the G-Men’s chances seem really good. Of course, they’ll still have the same defensive coordinator. (Just one more dig won’t hurt).
But do ya think Roddy White and Brandon Marshall might take advantage of that secondary, especially if there’s no pressure from the defensive front? I think so, no matter who’s at quarterback.
Okay, that’s enough about the local contingents. They’ve made their beds and they’ve been lying in them. And they didn’t add any support when the springs sort of fell apart. It’ll be hard to feel sorry for them when they find themselves sleeping on the floor, so to speak.
A couple of other NFL teams got serious this week. Buffalo’s head coach Dick Jauron won’t be circlin’ the wagons anymore and the Skins staff will have Sherm Lewis staring over their shoulders throughout. That’s in addition to the Jets parting ways with their defensive line coach. It’s a tough league and at least some teams are making tough choices.
The next tough choice might be made in Cleveland. Our own Eric Mangini (if he was ever truly one of us), has been hugely ineffective there and his GM has already bitten the dust. You know he’ll start getting very serious indeed (assuming he has ever been anything else.
Week 11 should start answering whether the Giants and Jets have been serious enough.
Monday, November 16, 2009
An NFL Upside Down Day
The world turned upside down yesterday. I didn’t even notice until I saw a team that was behind trying not to score against a team that was ahead trying to let them score. Then I watched a press conference that kicked off with the subject presenting a statement that outlined the key points of the game, followed by his implication that no further questions could be expected after his fine exposition.
Then, as if to reaffirm a ridiculous point, I watched a good defensive team with a 6-point lead go for a 4th and 2 from their own 28 yard line with just a little more than 2 minutes left on the clock. The team’s gamble went down the tubes as their delighted opponent scored a touchdown and extra point, leaving their bewildered opponent just 13 seconds to do something about it.
Of course, everybody knows what I’m talking about. The Jets defense, blah blah blah, wonders of the modern football world, whose spokesman just about a month ago asked how the media could dare to ask a question that didn’t hint at his team’s greatness, were trying their best to allow the Jaguars to score.
The Jags were down by two points with time swiftly running down. They were driving through the Jets defense as if they were seashells caught in a wave from a Nor’easter. They couldn’t stop the run and they were clueless against the pass, a team on the run, a beaten defense whose best option was to concede the touchdown quickly so that their offense would have time left to score.
Of course, they screwed that tactic up too. The Jags, immediately detecting the ruse and needing just a field goal to win, proceeded to fall down at the one, and then run around in circles for a few downs so as to totally run out the clock as they kicked the winning field goal.
Witnessing this whole thing was disgusting if you had any good feeling for the Jets at all after their high-mindedness of the preceding weeks. That they could continue their braggadocio even after having lost several games in every conceivable fashion seemed unreal. They were a team in denial.
Well, they know who they are now. Thank all the football gods. They found out who they were in that last Jacksonville drive when they went belly up. Their self-proclaimed great defense had no thoughts of forcing a fumble or getting a pick, or stopping the Jags dead in their tracks to force a long field goal. They just gave up.
Yeah, I know all about the strategy. I know it could have worked out, as unlikely as that seems to me now. But I hate the whole idea. It stinks, it smells bad. If I were a true Jets fan, I’d be embarrassed by the very notion.
A team has to have a personality. The Jets personality had become that of a strong defensive team. After three undefeated weeks followed by strong defensive efforts in several unfortunate losses, that personality was still largely intact….but not after yesterday. Now, they’re just a bad team, no good on offense, no good on defense and certainly no good on special teams.
The theme I kept hearing after yesterday’s disgraceful exhibition was that the team needed to finish, meaning that they had to stop losing games in the fourth quarter. And while that is certainly true, it isn’t the whole story. The Jets need better discipline all around. They need better communications before, during and after the game. They need to somehow accommodate for their lost presence in the middle of their defensive line. And they need to catch the ball.
They probably can’t accomplish all those things this season. But what they can do is try to re-establish a personality, even if it’s that of a brash but formidable defense. The Jets can either fortify that defensive line or change their schemes somewhat to make up for that weakness. They’ll then be something again, that something being a strong defensive team.
I won’t mind terribly if the Jets have a losing season. I rather expect one now. What I would mind is to see a team that is lost, a team that doesn’t know what it is or what it is trying to be. Yesterday’s tactics smelled of that.
As unlikely as it seems to me, Bill Belichick was guilty of the same mistake. He drank whatever Kool-Aid Peyton Manning was handing out and decided that the probability of his offense making a fourth and two exceeded that of his defense stopping Peyton Manning and the rest of the Colts offense on a final drive.
By doing so, he fired up the Colts defense and, unavoidably really, alienated his own defense. That may play into the hands of the Jets or some other opponent down the road for the Pats. If he punted, he may still have lost the game. But Manning would have had to be great once again against a strong defense. And he’d have had to take his Colts a long way, probably around 65 to 70 yards.
But he didn’t give his defense that opportunity. It’s too bad really. It’s out of character too. A man noted for his brilliant defensive schemes decided to gamble it all away on one offensive play, and in so doing, he challenged another good defensive team to be great. It was upside down, inside out and backwards, for anyone really, but especially for Bill Belichick.
And that’s probably the reason it didn’t work.
I’d like to see the world righted again. Rex Ryan should have a dominant defense and so should Belichick. A rookie quarterback shouldn’t be dictating terms to the media, even if he were a good quarterback, which Sanchez so far hasn’t really shown.
I’m quite sure Belichick would have punted against the Jets.
And Horse of the Year should be a tie. Both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra proved their greatness.
.
Then, as if to reaffirm a ridiculous point, I watched a good defensive team with a 6-point lead go for a 4th and 2 from their own 28 yard line with just a little more than 2 minutes left on the clock. The team’s gamble went down the tubes as their delighted opponent scored a touchdown and extra point, leaving their bewildered opponent just 13 seconds to do something about it.
Of course, everybody knows what I’m talking about. The Jets defense, blah blah blah, wonders of the modern football world, whose spokesman just about a month ago asked how the media could dare to ask a question that didn’t hint at his team’s greatness, were trying their best to allow the Jaguars to score.
The Jags were down by two points with time swiftly running down. They were driving through the Jets defense as if they were seashells caught in a wave from a Nor’easter. They couldn’t stop the run and they were clueless against the pass, a team on the run, a beaten defense whose best option was to concede the touchdown quickly so that their offense would have time left to score.
Of course, they screwed that tactic up too. The Jags, immediately detecting the ruse and needing just a field goal to win, proceeded to fall down at the one, and then run around in circles for a few downs so as to totally run out the clock as they kicked the winning field goal.
Witnessing this whole thing was disgusting if you had any good feeling for the Jets at all after their high-mindedness of the preceding weeks. That they could continue their braggadocio even after having lost several games in every conceivable fashion seemed unreal. They were a team in denial.
Well, they know who they are now. Thank all the football gods. They found out who they were in that last Jacksonville drive when they went belly up. Their self-proclaimed great defense had no thoughts of forcing a fumble or getting a pick, or stopping the Jags dead in their tracks to force a long field goal. They just gave up.
Yeah, I know all about the strategy. I know it could have worked out, as unlikely as that seems to me now. But I hate the whole idea. It stinks, it smells bad. If I were a true Jets fan, I’d be embarrassed by the very notion.
A team has to have a personality. The Jets personality had become that of a strong defensive team. After three undefeated weeks followed by strong defensive efforts in several unfortunate losses, that personality was still largely intact….but not after yesterday. Now, they’re just a bad team, no good on offense, no good on defense and certainly no good on special teams.
The theme I kept hearing after yesterday’s disgraceful exhibition was that the team needed to finish, meaning that they had to stop losing games in the fourth quarter. And while that is certainly true, it isn’t the whole story. The Jets need better discipline all around. They need better communications before, during and after the game. They need to somehow accommodate for their lost presence in the middle of their defensive line. And they need to catch the ball.
They probably can’t accomplish all those things this season. But what they can do is try to re-establish a personality, even if it’s that of a brash but formidable defense. The Jets can either fortify that defensive line or change their schemes somewhat to make up for that weakness. They’ll then be something again, that something being a strong defensive team.
I won’t mind terribly if the Jets have a losing season. I rather expect one now. What I would mind is to see a team that is lost, a team that doesn’t know what it is or what it is trying to be. Yesterday’s tactics smelled of that.
As unlikely as it seems to me, Bill Belichick was guilty of the same mistake. He drank whatever Kool-Aid Peyton Manning was handing out and decided that the probability of his offense making a fourth and two exceeded that of his defense stopping Peyton Manning and the rest of the Colts offense on a final drive.
By doing so, he fired up the Colts defense and, unavoidably really, alienated his own defense. That may play into the hands of the Jets or some other opponent down the road for the Pats. If he punted, he may still have lost the game. But Manning would have had to be great once again against a strong defense. And he’d have had to take his Colts a long way, probably around 65 to 70 yards.
But he didn’t give his defense that opportunity. It’s too bad really. It’s out of character too. A man noted for his brilliant defensive schemes decided to gamble it all away on one offensive play, and in so doing, he challenged another good defensive team to be great. It was upside down, inside out and backwards, for anyone really, but especially for Bill Belichick.
And that’s probably the reason it didn’t work.
I’d like to see the world righted again. Rex Ryan should have a dominant defense and so should Belichick. A rookie quarterback shouldn’t be dictating terms to the media, even if he were a good quarterback, which Sanchez so far hasn’t really shown.
I’m quite sure Belichick would have punted against the Jets.
And Horse of the Year should be a tie. Both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra proved their greatness.
.
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