Curiouser and Curiouser

Well, tomorrow's another big football day and things just get curiouser and curiouser in the National Football League. Where's the defense? How many teams really have one worthy of the name? Certainly not the Jets, who, while they won their game against the Pats in overtime, let the Pats and Randy Moss tie it up on the last play of the game.

The Giants, too, would seem to be a little suspect after allowing the Eagles to score as many as they did. I mean, gimme a break, they won much because of overly conservative Herman Edwards-like play calling.

Yeah, I know, both teams are leading their divisions and who cares about defense anyway. Well, besides me, most successful playoff teams of yesteryear have cared rather passionately about defense. Need I mention the '85 Bears? Nah! How about the 2007-08 GEE-Men?

In the Jets case, their coach just overthinks everything. What had been successful against Moss all day was abandoned on that last play. Because he had thought, "well, there's no time on the clock, the qb can't afford to scramble, the ball can't go to the middle of the field, yada, yada, ad infinitum, and he forgot that he had put Moss to sleep all day by smashing him at the line of scrimmage.

Randy looked like a kid who's just gotten his first bike for Christmas. And, when he snared that pass from Cassell (and indeed, Randy was the only guy who could have caught it), he got his bike, and a Christmas goose too. Wait...check that, it was the Jets who got the goose. That they came back to win in OT was great, but somehow that bad taste lingers for me. Can the Jets really go much further?

The G-Men will finally see some real defense played tomorrow. The Ravens are unbelievable, a fierce defense, no over-thinking going on. I don't see Brandon Jacobs or Derek Ward doing much, not that Coughlin won't try. Hopefully, he will change his game somewhat in the face of some furious realities in the forms of Ray Lewis and his band of renown.

What's most curious about football is the emotion involved in the game. The fact that the G-Men have a nice little cushion in their division will surely alter the metabolism of each and every man on that field. The same will apply to the Baltimore crew, of course, and their collective chomping at the bit can only bode well for them.

The other curious thing is the affect of injuries. Who could even figure out who's playing? "Questionable" means everything from "no way" to "definitely in". Take Clinton Portis, for example. He's questionable every week. The G-Men have some questionable secondary people for tomorrow. I have no idea who's playing.

And, speaking of curious, let me turn to baseball for a second. Isn't it a little strange that C.C. Sabathia may be practically forced by the Players Union to accept the highest salary offered? When did the players give up their individuality? Who authorized that?
<>What if C.C. hates the Yankees? I can’t think of a team that less suits him. I have followed C.C. since his first year in the majors, if just for the size of him and the tilt of his cap. Will the Yankees make him straighten it out? Probably. Never was there a more serious bunch than these Yankees. Never was there a group that appears to be having less fun.

Shouldn’t C.C. be allowed to take that Milwaukee offer? Sure, it’s millions less but what about job satisfaction? Shouldn’t that really be the first consideration? C.C. won’t like the Yankees, I know, and, as hard as this may be to believe, I don’t think the Yankees will like him.
<>Money, money, money. It’s keeping Stephon Marbury in limbo, if a very rich and comfortable limbo. Last on the bench, first in the bank account. Isn’t he a basketball player? Doesn’t he care about that?

Whether Stephon may eventually get bought out or not, the Knicks’ fortunes have certainly been changing for the better. They seem reborn, these D’Antonians. Defense once again graces the floor of Madison Square Garden. No more Marbury or Curry, these Knicks have guys who actually leave their feet.
<>Wilson Chandler seems to be the biggest difference, an under-sized power forward who does it all, rebounding, scoring, blocking shots, and yes, thank goodness, defense. The most curious thing, though, is that much of the personnel remains the same, Jamal Crawford, Zak Randolph, yada yada. Oh, and a guy who cares not so much for money, an unselfish point guard named Duhon, Chris Duhon.

On the other side of the river, the Nets look horrible one night, terrific the next. While that inconsistency is supposed to be normal for a young team, a kind of consistent inconsistency, it still seems awfully strange. I’m glad I don’t gamble. I’d never have picked them to beat the Atlanta Hawks.
<>The world of sport is filled with curiosities, of course. New York has no monopoly on strange. The Cowboys could be the weirdest of the bunch (if you don’t count the Raiders and the Lions). How can a premiere team neglect to get themselves a decent backup quarterback?

Tomorrow, we’ll see another curious but interesting phenomenon, the positive affect that the quarterback return can have on a team. The Redskins, though much improved themselves this year under new coach Zorn, will have to deal with a Cowboys team that should be angry, fed up, and just delighted to have good old Tony back behind the center. I think they’ll totally forget the PacMan, and maybe even their crazy owner, even if he does place himself front and center on the sideline.

Enjoy Week 11 (including the bye week, another curious thing), sports fans. I know the fans in Miami will, what with Chad at the helm and in Atlanta, where a Yankee named Ryan seems to be taking the Falcons to the heights.

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QB's - Turning On The Jets (and Boyz)

Everybody's talking about the Jets these days, especially after their stomping of the lowly Rams on Sunday leading up to their AFC East showdown with their perennial nemesis, the New England Patriots on Thursday night. Things looked even brighter when it became apparent that the Pats star linebacker Adalius Thomas would be unable to play. And it seemed like piling on when the Jets picked up free agent and former Patriot All-Star veteran cornerback Ty Law.
<>I should preface all my remarks by first telling you that I’ve soured on the Jets for the past two years. There was all that nonsense with the offensive line for starters last year, and then the genius Mangini proved he couldn’t coach. Then I was very impressed with their free agent pickups in the off-season, Faneca and Woody, Calvin Pace and of course Chris Jenkins, the mammoth defensive tackle.

I was so happy for Pennington at the time. Chad would finally get some help, a LOT of help, on both sides of the ball. No more would I wake up on Monday morning to read about Chad’s failures, when it was really a thinly-disguised team failure. No more would Chad have to be humiliated by sitting while a raw Kellen Clemens got the starts. Surely Chad would excel in this new environment.
<>And then they picked up Brett Favre, the aging wonder from Green Bay. Chad went to Miami and has been terrific for them, so he has at least landed on his feet. Favre has been up and down, in and out, as has been his history. He threw six touchdown passes against a pretty good Arizona team but managed to lose to a horrid Oakland team. Then he managed to eke out a narrow victory against the lowly Chiefs (thank God for Herman Edwards and his conservative nonsense down the stretch) but did beat Buffalo pretty soundly before the pounding of the Rams on Sunday.

So Favre has been Favre. But, to me, it’s really been about Jenkins and Pace and that improved Jets defense. The offensive line has been improving each week as further evidenced on Sunday by the running of Thomas Jones over, under, around and through the Rams.
<>But they did lose to New England in Week Two, 19-10. And Favre was instrumental in the loss. A poorly thrown ball and subsequent interception led directly to a Pats score, while Mangini’s obsessive-compulsive decision to run Jones into the sturdy heart of the Pats defense three times in a row from the three made sure the boys in green wouldn’t catch up.

Of course, that was Week 2. The Jets seem to have come a long way since then. And now for the rematch Adalius Thomas is out. That means it’ll be easier for the Jets to run the ball. There will be less pressure on Favre as well. While I don’t think that Ty Law can significantly change the Jets fortunes in this particular contest, his addition certainly bodes well for the future.
<>But the Pats will still be pretty darned good. Theirs is a Bellichick defense, and that means smart. That means tough. If their defense can stand the pounding of Jones and catch up to the shifty scatback, Leon Washington, they’ll probably be able to win again, even if the Pats are stuck with a rookie running back with a whole lot of names.

This game will be the benchmark for Favre, and Mangini too, the game by which both will eventually be measured. Can Favre show that he’s finally learned the offense? Can he lead the team to victory against that determination that Bellichick seems to inspire? Can Mangini out-think Bellichick…..if just for one day?
<>The game will be in Foxboro. That should make things that much tougher. It could possibly rain, another potential roadblock to what has been a very nice running game the past couple of weeks. The team that takes advantage of the conditions will have the edge. Can Mangini think that far ahead? Can he make the in-game adjustments that his coaching mentor surely will? Can they find a hole in Matt Cassell’s game? Mr. Cassell surely didn’t show much weakness against Buffalo.

Whatever the outcome, it should prove to be a very intense game, a very competitive game, one that may ultimately determine the AFC East winner, and maybe even the AFC representative to the Super Bowl. I’m going to thoroughly enjoy the game, hopefully as much as I’m enjoying just the prospects of the game.
<>Once again, I’ve been down on the Jets. I haven’t liked Mangini and I’ve liked Tanenbaum even less. It seems to me that they’ve focused most of their attention on burying their popular players to solidify their hold on this team. The new emperor buries the sword…..

The Jets game will just be the kickoff to an exciting schedule of NFL games this weekend. I’m most looking forward to the return of Tony Romo to the Cowboys fold. I’m hoping his pinkie will hold up against the outstanding defense that the Skins will bring.
<>It had better. If it doesn’t, the Cowboys will be done. Stick a fork in them. That much-ballyhooed team with all the Pro Bowl representatives may as well go home again. It won’t be easy either. They haven’t been able to stop the run, something the Skins like to do, with Clinton Portis doing most of the damage. It’s a bit hard to believe he won’t play, something that is supposedly a distinct possibility as this is written. And then, of course, there is the disturbing news (for Boys fans) of CB DeAngelo Hall, formerly of the Raiders, joining the Redskins.

Can a quarterback change the entire complexion of a football team? I’m betting that he can, that just the Romo presence on the field will boost not just the Cowboys offfense, but the defense and special teams as well.

I’m a little less sure that Favre can do the same this Thursday.

Of Mets Follies and Football Too!

You're probably asking yourself how anybody could be writing about baseball when there are so many exciting things happening in football, and even basketball. I'm wondering myself actually. My only excuse is that I'm worried bigtime that Mets GM Omar Minaya will make another "brilliant" move, one on the order of his Moises Alou or Luis Castillo ploys.

Who knows if it's true but I keep hearing rumors that the Mets will trade Carlos Beltran and are listening to proposals concerning the Mets great centerfielder. Not only that but I hear the suitors are the Yankees and the principal Yankee for the Mets would be Robinson Cano and a couple of relief pitchers. What a mistake that would be, but just the kind of mistake for which Minaya has become famous.

GM’s sometimes lose the forest for the trees. The Mets need two relief pitchers and a closer. Period. There is Kerry Wood of the Cubs. There is Brian Fuentes. There are a few other short relievers in free agency.

The Mets have second basemen. Damion Easley plays second base as does Luis Castillo and an exciting fellow named Argenis Reyes, all of whom are already on the roster. Second base, while not a comparative strength, was not the reason the Mets folded again.

Need I remind anyone? It was relief pitching. We need relief pitching. Hello Omar, are you there? We need those guys who come out after the starter and before the end of the game. For most teams, Omar, the end of the game was not coincident with the appearance of the first relief pitcher.

To lose Beltran at all would be a grievous loss but to lose him for a disgruntled attitude problem such as Cano would be unforgivable. I'd stop rooting for the Mets. That would be one step over the line for even this stout fan. If Beltran is requesting a trade, I'd be surprised. But, if he indeed is requesting a trade, I'd like to at least be aware of it.

It's not outrageous to think that Beltran may have had enough of Mets fans. He may be ready to move on. And the Mets do have an outfielder down in the minors who's probably ready. If this is the case, if Beltran is begging for a trade, I'd try to accommodate him, if just because the Mets do have a young fellow they've been bragging about for years.

But I'd only accommodate him if we could get equal value, or even nearly equal value. Robinson Cano is a Yankees problem they're trying to unload. Carlos Beltran is a legitimate star, the best all-around centerfielder in Major League Baseball. Equal value would mean a position player acknowledged to be one of the best in the game. Pitchers are too fragile.

The only player out there I'd seriously consider would be the Rockies Matt Holliday. Now he's a star. Not a centerfielder but a star. Holliday could provide even more than Beltran at the plate and adequately cover left field. He could be the clutch hitter the Mets have so desperately needed. There are no second basemen who could compare to Beltran at the plate, certainly not Cano.

It would be totally unacceptable to watch Carlos Beltran cruising around in centerfield for the Yankees, especially knowing that we received Robinson Cano in return. It would be a constant reminder of the Mets incompetence. I couldn't root for a team that had no brains whatsoever at the top.

Okay, enough about the Mets. After all, it’s November. The Giants play the Eagles Sunday night. It should be a nice game, totally different from the first Thursday night game we witnessed last night on NFL Network.

While we did get to witness the remarkable debut of Browns’ quarterback Brady Quinn last night, it was accomplished against a very suspect Broncos defense. That the Broncos managed to win the game was not so much a tribute to the Broncos as it was an indicator of how truly bad is the Browns defense. It was dramatic, though, and a kick in the face for Quinn in his Browns debut.

If you like defense, though, tune in to the Giants game Sunday night. Unlike the Browns-Broncos debacle, the quarterbacks won’t have ten seconds or so to get rid of the ball. There will be plenty of blitzes and plenty of scrambling by McNabb and Manning.

There will be legitimate running games displayed too. Both teams feature huge offensive lines and either powerful running backs, in the Giants case Brandon Jacobs and Derrek Ward, or shifty running backs such as the Eagles Brian Westbrook.

I keep remembering last year’s second game with the Eagles though, a totally boring affair, boring because McNabb had Giants linemen in his face all night long. But the most omnipresent of all was Osi Umenyiora, and he will not be on the field Sunday. That’s why I am picking the Eagles on Sunday to beat the Giants.

The Eagles will stop Jacobs and Ward, the self-styled Thunder and Lightning or Earth, Wind and Fire (with Ahmad Bradshaw). The Giants will try to stop everything the Eagles and McNabb do, but alas, they’ll come up short, if only because the Eagles will be hungrier, and have vivid memories of last year fresh in their minds. Oh, and did I mention the new Eagles cornerback from the Pats, a fellow named Samuel?

Oh, and let me not forget basketball entirely. The Knicks have been just as expected. Playing unevenly, playing out of control many times but they are moving the ball, going nowhere very quickly. The Nets can’t even say that much, at this juncture anyway, with all those young fellows.

Yes sirree…it’ll be a nice November and December, if you don’t expect too much. Most of the football action will center around the Cowboys, what with Tony Romo returning, but the real action will be right here in New York down the stretch.