jazzeum
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From all the permutations I've seen, I don't think that's been taken into account.
N.f.l. 2012 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter sammy719
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From all the permutations I've seen, I don't think that's been taken into account.
jazzeum
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Who is the top team in NY? More from the NY Times Fifth Down Blog, by Brian Bassett of the Jets Blog and Ed Valentine of Dyed in Blue.
Bleeding Green: Jets Barge in on Tradition
It is indisputable that the Giants are the firstborns of football in the New York area. Big Blue existed before even Joe Namath or Y. A. Tittle roamed the earth. As early members of the N.F.L., the Giants are steeped in tradition. Their legacy cannot be questioned.
But being the firstborn does not guarantee they are the favorite. Rex Ryan’s arrival and his intention to make the Jets the area’s favored team happened in a New York minute. Ryan’s brash but charming demeanor has siphoned attention and praise away from the Jets’ painfully goal-oriented older sibling. Ryan’s affinity for feeding the news media controversial sound bites or bold predictions has created a city eager to see “What will Rex do next?”
Of course, staying the focus of attention requires an occasional display of bad behavior. So while the Jets have not always been in the spotlight for the most noble of reasons during Ryan’s tenure, they have managed to stay at the center of things. It also requires that the Jets stay relevant when it comes to contention for the postseason, which they have done in each of the past two seasons.
Predictably, older siblings tend to lash out, and Pat Hanlon, the Giants’ vice president for communications, is no exception. In the past year, he has sparred with Jets fans on Twitter.
New York demands respect to receive it in return. New York is a city that prizes pursuit of one’s dreams but equally appreciates one’s achievements. New York loves a good steak, but not without its sizzle.
For all those reasons, Rex Ryan and the rest of the Jets best embody those ideals. That is why tradition does not matter when it comes to current events.
Dyed in Blue: Giants are N.F.L. Royalty
Which team does the New York area love more, the Giants or the Jets? The answer really depends on whom you ask.
The reality is, Giants fans will always love the Giants and think of the Jets as the annoying little brother. The Jets can never be what the Giants are: N.F.L. royalty, one of the league’s oldest and most successful franchises. Jets fans will always love the Jets and think of Giants fans as snobs who lean on history and ignore the current reality that the Jets have been better in recent seasons.
Which team does the metropolitan area love more? Well, everyone loves a winner. Period.
The team that is on top will get the love from Madison Avenue, from radio and TV personalities, from the casual fan who does not have a vested interest in either team (yes, there are some). That is how it works. You win and you get all the accouterments that come with it. You lose and nobody loves you. You are yesterday’s news. Sure, sports radio talk shows on WFAN or ESPN Radio New York can profit from ranting about the losers, but Madison Avenue cannot.
Die-hard fans of either team will never switch sides. The love of the city, though? That depends on which team it can sell. And that, simply, means whichever team is winning.
****
My take? Giants and Yankees will always be considered number one over Jets and Mets. To me, growing up in the 60s being a Giants and Yankees fan was like rooting for the old establishment, where Jets and Mets, but particularly the Jets because they were from the AFC was rooting for the upstarts, the rebels. Still not happy the merger took place and although I'm happy that I don't have to travel to Long Island to see the Jets (the only time I want to go back there is when I visit Louis, otherwise I hate the place), it was a mistake to come to NJ and share a stadium with the Giants.
Bleeding Green: Jets Barge in on Tradition
It is indisputable that the Giants are the firstborns of football in the New York area. Big Blue existed before even Joe Namath or Y. A. Tittle roamed the earth. As early members of the N.F.L., the Giants are steeped in tradition. Their legacy cannot be questioned.
But being the firstborn does not guarantee they are the favorite. Rex Ryan’s arrival and his intention to make the Jets the area’s favored team happened in a New York minute. Ryan’s brash but charming demeanor has siphoned attention and praise away from the Jets’ painfully goal-oriented older sibling. Ryan’s affinity for feeding the news media controversial sound bites or bold predictions has created a city eager to see “What will Rex do next?”
Of course, staying the focus of attention requires an occasional display of bad behavior. So while the Jets have not always been in the spotlight for the most noble of reasons during Ryan’s tenure, they have managed to stay at the center of things. It also requires that the Jets stay relevant when it comes to contention for the postseason, which they have done in each of the past two seasons.
Predictably, older siblings tend to lash out, and Pat Hanlon, the Giants’ vice president for communications, is no exception. In the past year, he has sparred with Jets fans on Twitter.
New York demands respect to receive it in return. New York is a city that prizes pursuit of one’s dreams but equally appreciates one’s achievements. New York loves a good steak, but not without its sizzle.
For all those reasons, Rex Ryan and the rest of the Jets best embody those ideals. That is why tradition does not matter when it comes to current events.
Dyed in Blue: Giants are N.F.L. Royalty
Which team does the New York area love more, the Giants or the Jets? The answer really depends on whom you ask.
The reality is, Giants fans will always love the Giants and think of the Jets as the annoying little brother. The Jets can never be what the Giants are: N.F.L. royalty, one of the league’s oldest and most successful franchises. Jets fans will always love the Jets and think of Giants fans as snobs who lean on history and ignore the current reality that the Jets have been better in recent seasons.
Which team does the metropolitan area love more? Well, everyone loves a winner. Period.
The team that is on top will get the love from Madison Avenue, from radio and TV personalities, from the casual fan who does not have a vested interest in either team (yes, there are some). That is how it works. You win and you get all the accouterments that come with it. You lose and nobody loves you. You are yesterday’s news. Sure, sports radio talk shows on WFAN or ESPN Radio New York can profit from ranting about the losers, but Madison Avenue cannot.
Die-hard fans of either team will never switch sides. The love of the city, though? That depends on which team it can sell. And that, simply, means whichever team is winning.
****
My take? Giants and Yankees will always be considered number one over Jets and Mets. To me, growing up in the 60s being a Giants and Yankees fan was like rooting for the old establishment, where Jets and Mets, but particularly the Jets because they were from the AFC was rooting for the upstarts, the rebels. Still not happy the merger took place and although I'm happy that I don't have to travel to Long Island to see the Jets (the only time I want to go back there is when I visit Louis, otherwise I hate the place), it was a mistake to come to NJ and share a stadium with the Giants.
jazzeum
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How they became fans of their teams. Interesting thoughts.
Dyed in Blue: Wincing with Ups and Downs
I learned what it was to be a Giants fan at my father’s side. During the 1960s and ’70s, we spent parts of our Sunday afternoons together watching mostly bad football.
My dad, a former all-city fullback and nose tackle, would sit down to watch the game on TV each week, and invariably wind up muttering about the incompetent defense the Giants were playing before wandering out to the garage to putter around. Another in a line of many Giants losses that made for completely lost Sundays.
Fast forward to today. Giants fans are still muttering about incomprehensibly bad defense and wondering why they waste so many hours watching their team disappoint them.
The reason, of course, is those three Super Bowl titles.
There seems to be perennial optimism. The Giants always seem to give you hope, always seem to be on the verge of something great. Then they rip your heart out. There are, however, those rare occasions when the Giants take their fans to the promised land.
This, I think, is why it is so often quiet and uncomfortable when the Giants play at MetLife Stadium. Fans know their team has taken them to the ultimate high, and could do so again. But they also know that more often than not, they will be disappointed. The home crowd often embodies that: hopeful, yet not wanting to go all in because they have been burned on many occasions.
With two weeks left in this season, Giants fans are again in that familiar place. Hopeful, but not daring to be optimistic. And expecting to be left at the altar.
Bleeding Green: Inspirational Beginnings
In comic books, superheroes always seem to have tragic origins. I believe most sports fans can relate to that.
Cheering on a team when it is doing well and winning big games does not demonstrate loyalty. Instead, it is doing so during the lows that proves devotion.
I grew up in suburbs of New York, the product of an extended family of Giants fans. Until high school, football and the Jets were an afterthought. I was always pondering questions like: Why does my best friend imitate Ken O’Brien by taking a snap and immediately falling on his back? Why does Grandma’s coffee table have a Sports Illustrated with Lawrence Taylor and Mark Gastineau on the cover that is telling me that the Jets are second banana in the Big Apple?
It wasn’t until my father and godfather took me to my first N.F.L. game — between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jets at the Meadowlands on Nov. 29, 1992 — that a Jets-related question seemed truly urgent. It was: Is that player going to be O.K.? Like many around me that day, I was worried about Jets defensive lineman Dennis Byrd, who had collided with a teammate on an attempted sack and was not getting up. We were puzzled.
Minutes passed before Byrd was carried off the field on a stretcher. It wasn’t until later, on the ride home, that my dad and I heard that Byrd had injured his neck. It was feared that he would be paralyzed for life.
We prayed for Byrd while driving across the Tappan Zee Bridge. I tracked news of Byrd’s progress in the days and weeks that followed. Before I knew it, I had become a Jets fan, one who cheered when Byrd eventually walked again.
Tragedy marks the origins of superheroes and of fans. I’m a Jets fan because of a superhero named Dennis Byrd.
Dyed in Blue: Wincing with Ups and Downs
I learned what it was to be a Giants fan at my father’s side. During the 1960s and ’70s, we spent parts of our Sunday afternoons together watching mostly bad football.
My dad, a former all-city fullback and nose tackle, would sit down to watch the game on TV each week, and invariably wind up muttering about the incompetent defense the Giants were playing before wandering out to the garage to putter around. Another in a line of many Giants losses that made for completely lost Sundays.
Fast forward to today. Giants fans are still muttering about incomprehensibly bad defense and wondering why they waste so many hours watching their team disappoint them.
The reason, of course, is those three Super Bowl titles.
There seems to be perennial optimism. The Giants always seem to give you hope, always seem to be on the verge of something great. Then they rip your heart out. There are, however, those rare occasions when the Giants take their fans to the promised land.
This, I think, is why it is so often quiet and uncomfortable when the Giants play at MetLife Stadium. Fans know their team has taken them to the ultimate high, and could do so again. But they also know that more often than not, they will be disappointed. The home crowd often embodies that: hopeful, yet not wanting to go all in because they have been burned on many occasions.
With two weeks left in this season, Giants fans are again in that familiar place. Hopeful, but not daring to be optimistic. And expecting to be left at the altar.
Bleeding Green: Inspirational Beginnings
In comic books, superheroes always seem to have tragic origins. I believe most sports fans can relate to that.
Cheering on a team when it is doing well and winning big games does not demonstrate loyalty. Instead, it is doing so during the lows that proves devotion.
I grew up in suburbs of New York, the product of an extended family of Giants fans. Until high school, football and the Jets were an afterthought. I was always pondering questions like: Why does my best friend imitate Ken O’Brien by taking a snap and immediately falling on his back? Why does Grandma’s coffee table have a Sports Illustrated with Lawrence Taylor and Mark Gastineau on the cover that is telling me that the Jets are second banana in the Big Apple?
It wasn’t until my father and godfather took me to my first N.F.L. game — between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jets at the Meadowlands on Nov. 29, 1992 — that a Jets-related question seemed truly urgent. It was: Is that player going to be O.K.? Like many around me that day, I was worried about Jets defensive lineman Dennis Byrd, who had collided with a teammate on an attempted sack and was not getting up. We were puzzled.
Minutes passed before Byrd was carried off the field on a stretcher. It wasn’t until later, on the ride home, that my dad and I heard that Byrd had injured his neck. It was feared that he would be paralyzed for life.
We prayed for Byrd while driving across the Tappan Zee Bridge. I tracked news of Byrd’s progress in the days and weeks that followed. Before I knew it, I had become a Jets fan, one who cheered when Byrd eventually walked again.
Tragedy marks the origins of superheroes and of fans. I’m a Jets fan because of a superhero named Dennis Byrd.
As a Baltimore fan (Orioles, Colts, Ravens), the NY teams have all played huge parts in my memory. I am a NYY fan, but I have also followed the other NY franchises as big rivals. I grew up watching the football Giants during their great run from 1956-65 when they went to the NL Championship Game 6 times in those 10 years. They won in '56, lost to my Colts in '58 and '59 and then lost 3 straight, '61, '62, and '63. he Giants always seemed to be in the title game. I followed them through the Allie Sherman years and I remember players such as Spider Lockhart, Homer Jones, Tucker Fredrickson, and the like. While I am NOT a Giants fan, I keep track of them because of the ongoing rivalry with the Redskins and the history that I developed watching them play my teams. I have also had occasion to root against the Mets and Jets but have not developed the interest in them because of the lack of a consistent rivalry with my teams, although 1969 is burned into my brain like no other year, as a Baltimore fan. Oddly enough, I have rooted for the Giants in 2 of their SB wins, '87 (hated Elway) and '08. Wanted the Bills in '91 and went crazy-happy when the Ravens crushed them in '01. Overall, the Giants fans have a lot to be proud of, having been to the championship game 18 times (6-12 in those games and 0-3 against Baltimore teams^&grin). I haven't counted other teams appearences, but 18 has got to be the most in NFL history. All that said, I will be watching the Giants-Jets game without a real favorite so I can just enjoy it without getting torked up. I will say this, I despise Dallas, so a Giant win won't hurt my feelings. -- Al
Louis Badolato
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The Jets, like the Mets, will perineally be second class citizens in New York. On the rare (or in the case of the Jets unique) occasion when they win a title, they will capture the town for a few months, and will capture a new group of frontrunners (most Jets fans are of the age group that were becoming fans in 69 (or their poor children), just like most Mets fans are of the age group that were becoming fans in 69 or 86. Those of us who became Yankees and Giants fans of that same (mid 40's to early 50's) age group (when both teams stunk on ice, and the only players worth routing for on the teams were Bobby Mercer and Fran Tarkenton) have been rewarded with a combined 10 championships, while the Jets/Mets fans have 1 Met title in '86. But give them a couple of seasons where they make the playoffs and the Giants don't (ignoring the fact that the Giants won it all a couple of years earlier) and Jets fans will tell you they own the town. Good luck to them. When they actually win a superbowl, and can sell out their PSL's and season tickets, then maybe they can talk about being the number one team in New York.
tdubel
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Priceless and I thought I provided comic relief on this board between the Steelers, Figure Makers, the Confederacy and Conspiracy theories, but man, I have nothing on you and Louis!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, glad I am not a NY fan, way too much going on there!!
Happy Holidays
TD
tdubel
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Brad,
Truer words never spoken. I love a good debate!! Seriously, regarding "you just can't make it up", wow, you should see what I see during the course of my job in dealing with Public Officials and Politicians from all levels of government. I am going to commission an author when I retire and I need to really start keeping a diary. Consulting from a technical stance is dry and only folks in my game would get some of it, but I am telling you, the anecdotes, I swear I will have a best seller.
Ok, back on topic, HOW ABOUT THOSE COLTS??????????????? WOW, nice finish to a game, kind of felt good to see Orlovsky win one with his arm, it has been a long season!
Mind you I am not a Colts fan, but my hat goes off to this guy.
TD
jazzeum
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Tom,
Yes back to the topic of this thread. I saw the last part of the game. Hope the Colts didn't cost themselves the number one pick. Pete and other Viking fans may be getting excited. They said on the pregame show that had the Colts lost, they would have guaranteed themselves the number one pick.
Brad
Yes back to the topic of this thread. I saw the last part of the game. Hope the Colts didn't cost themselves the number one pick. Pete and other Viking fans may be getting excited. They said on the pregame show that had the Colts lost, they would have guaranteed themselves the number one pick.
Brad
jazzeum
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Today's installments from the Times' Fifth Down Blog. First, the Giants, since some amongst us have tender sensibilities :wink2::rolleyes2:
Dyed in Blue: Unable to Stand a House Divided
As a Giants fan I hate the idea that my team shares a stadium with the Jets.
I hate seeing the stadium decked out in green. It just looks wrong. I hate those green end zones emblazoned with J-E-T-S. I hate seeing the maniacal fan Fireman Ed inside the building whooping it up. I hate that “J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!” chant.
Unfortunately, when the Giants and the Jets meet on Saturday, that is what I am going to have to look at on my television screen and listen to coming out of my speakers.
I know that without the fancy new stadium the 2014 Super Bowl would never be coming to New York/New Jersey, and that is an incredible thing. But I don’t have to like how it came about.
I don’t have to like that the Giants gave up Giants Stadium, a building that made it obvious who was the big brother and who was the wannabe.
Sure, it’s cool to watch how MetLife Stadium transforms from green to blue. Sure, when the Giants are the home team, it is “their” home. Still, it’s not the same.
It’s a beautiful building. I have toured it, and I know building it required the cooperation of the two franchises.
I’m still allowed to hate sharing it, though.
Ed Valentine's blog is bigblueview.com
Bleeding Green: Jets Fans Have a Home at Last
The Jets have always been nomads. From the Polo Grounds to Shea Stadium to Giants Stadium.
Until last year, there was never a true home for Jets fans. Giants Stadium might have provided succor, but always at a high price. Many Jets fans refused to invoke its dreaded name, often referring to it simply as the Meadowlands.
“MetLife Stadium feels like it’s ours,” Erik Manassy, who writes for JetsTwit.com, said of the team’s new home. “The major difference is we’re not looking at the Giants logo every time we’re walking into the stadium.”
The Jets were merely tenants of Giants Stadium, while now they are equal partners in the operating company that runs MetLife Stadium. The game-day experience for fans reflects the arrangement. The concourses, sight lines, food choices and multimedia displays have all improved significantly, and for Jets fans, the red seats and blue paint are gone.
Fans do pay more for the experience, and some nostalgia remains for well-worn seats and old neighbors. The personal seat license shuffle precipitated new faces and traditions, but many will remember the days of Giants Stadium as a badge of courage. “I bought two red seats from the old stadium,” Manassy said. “I wanted to remind myself that I used to sit in these for 10 years. Even if they were red, I made them mine.”
Brian Bassett's blog is thejetsblog.com
****
I have been to Met Life Stadium three times and my own take is that it doesn't seem as nice as other stadiums but a bit better than the old Giants Stadium. I do like the fact that it's team neutral and am amazed that when you go there everything is in green and you see no reference to the Giants, which means that when the Giants play there, you don't see any reference to the Jets. In other words, the people who maintain it do an amazing job in switching it around. For example, the Jets team store is huge. I assume they empty it out and put Giants gear in. That's a big job.
Dyed in Blue: Unable to Stand a House Divided
As a Giants fan I hate the idea that my team shares a stadium with the Jets.
I hate seeing the stadium decked out in green. It just looks wrong. I hate those green end zones emblazoned with J-E-T-S. I hate seeing the maniacal fan Fireman Ed inside the building whooping it up. I hate that “J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!” chant.
Unfortunately, when the Giants and the Jets meet on Saturday, that is what I am going to have to look at on my television screen and listen to coming out of my speakers.
I know that without the fancy new stadium the 2014 Super Bowl would never be coming to New York/New Jersey, and that is an incredible thing. But I don’t have to like how it came about.
I don’t have to like that the Giants gave up Giants Stadium, a building that made it obvious who was the big brother and who was the wannabe.
Sure, it’s cool to watch how MetLife Stadium transforms from green to blue. Sure, when the Giants are the home team, it is “their” home. Still, it’s not the same.
It’s a beautiful building. I have toured it, and I know building it required the cooperation of the two franchises.
I’m still allowed to hate sharing it, though.
Ed Valentine's blog is bigblueview.com
Bleeding Green: Jets Fans Have a Home at Last
The Jets have always been nomads. From the Polo Grounds to Shea Stadium to Giants Stadium.
Until last year, there was never a true home for Jets fans. Giants Stadium might have provided succor, but always at a high price. Many Jets fans refused to invoke its dreaded name, often referring to it simply as the Meadowlands.
“MetLife Stadium feels like it’s ours,” Erik Manassy, who writes for JetsTwit.com, said of the team’s new home. “The major difference is we’re not looking at the Giants logo every time we’re walking into the stadium.”
The Jets were merely tenants of Giants Stadium, while now they are equal partners in the operating company that runs MetLife Stadium. The game-day experience for fans reflects the arrangement. The concourses, sight lines, food choices and multimedia displays have all improved significantly, and for Jets fans, the red seats and blue paint are gone.
Fans do pay more for the experience, and some nostalgia remains for well-worn seats and old neighbors. The personal seat license shuffle precipitated new faces and traditions, but many will remember the days of Giants Stadium as a badge of courage. “I bought two red seats from the old stadium,” Manassy said. “I wanted to remind myself that I used to sit in these for 10 years. Even if they were red, I made them mine.”
Brian Bassett's blog is thejetsblog.com
****
I have been to Met Life Stadium three times and my own take is that it doesn't seem as nice as other stadiums but a bit better than the old Giants Stadium. I do like the fact that it's team neutral and am amazed that when you go there everything is in green and you see no reference to the Giants, which means that when the Giants play there, you don't see any reference to the Jets. In other words, the people who maintain it do an amazing job in switching it around. For example, the Jets team store is huge. I assume they empty it out and put Giants gear in. That's a big job.
Louis Badolato
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I better hope the Giants lose, or I am going to have to take computer classes!:tongue:
jazzeum
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You seemed to have missed the point. It's not the game result. As you said, both teams are really not that good and it's really a pick em game. They're not SB material. Not the end of the world if one wins and the other loses.
Louis Badolato
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We are in complete agreement on that.:wink2:
jazzeum
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Here's today's columns. Predictably each blogger picks his own team to win. Might have been more interesting had they been forced to say why the other one should.
Dyed in Blue: Alive Until the End: That's the Giants Way
How do you predict the unpredictable? That is what you are faced with when trying to forecast the outcome of a Giants game in 2011.
The Giants, of course, play the Jets on Saturday. Giants fans, obviously, want their team to win. After the incomprehensible, schizophrenic play we have seen from the Giants this season, though, how can one predict with any conviction that they will win?
Since the season began, Coach Tom Coughlin has preached the mantra of finishing strong to a team that has a history of collapsing at the end. We will find out Saturday, and maybe next week, if the constant reminders have helped.
The Giants have been wildly inconsistent this season. They have won games they should have lost and lost games they should have won. They have won six games in which they were tied or behind in the fourth quarter. They have come up short on other occasions and watched the Green Bay Packers beat them with a field goal on the final play.
Still, Coughlin’s mantra is why I believe the Giants will beat the Jets.
After Saturday, there is one week left in this roller-coaster ride of a regular season. The way things have gone for the Giants, it is too early for them to be eliminated from playoff contention, which could happen if they lose to the Jets and the Dallas Cowboys defeat the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants will beat the Jets because their season is destined, I believe, to go down to the final moments of their game next weekend against the Cowboys.
For the Giants, that would be the only fitting way for this unpredictable season to end.
Bleeding Green: Protecing the Outside is the Jets Bright Side
No matter how much any N.F.L. analyst, point-spread wizard or current Jets head coach may enjoy making guarantees about football games, no one can see the future.
That is especially true when it comes to a game like the one between the Jets and the Giants on Saturday. Still, the Jets have some distinct advantages over the Giants.
The Giants’ biggest offensive strength is their passing game, an area the Jets are well equipped to contain because of cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. While playing on the outside, Revis matches up nicely with the physical receiver Hakeem Nicks, while the less-physical Cromartie should be able to bully Mario Manningham (if Manningham can play with an injured knee) in press coverage. Victor Cruz has had an impressive season, but the Giants would be wise to push him inside to take advantage of Kyle Wilson, the Jets’ second-year cornerback. Look for the Jets to provide safety help to Wilson in those instances.
Defensively, the Giants are fiercest when they are pressuring the quarterback. The best way for the Jets to protect against Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul is to run the ball or to get their running backs involved in the passing game as much as possible. The Giants have struggled against the run, so if the Jets can stay out of long-yardage situations, they may be able to neutralize Tuck and Pierre-Paul.
If the Jets can slow the Giants’ passing game, and prevent their defensive ends from hitting Mark Sanchez all day, it will be a green-and-white Christmas in New York.
*****
Keys to the game:
Giants passing game vs. Jets corners. I don't think Revis has been as good this year as in the past although he's probably still the top corner. Obviously, Eli has to throw his receivers.
Jets running game. If they can't run the game, could be a long game. Conversely, if Justin Tuck is a little healthy (and he's had a very tough year due to injuries), that could make it tough for the Jets. The Jets right tackle had better made a deal with the devil.
Passion. Giants seem to be lacking in that department this year. Why? Who knows. Several commentators and fans have observed this. This might be a reason for a coaching change, regardless of the outcome.
Dyed in Blue: Alive Until the End: That's the Giants Way
How do you predict the unpredictable? That is what you are faced with when trying to forecast the outcome of a Giants game in 2011.
The Giants, of course, play the Jets on Saturday. Giants fans, obviously, want their team to win. After the incomprehensible, schizophrenic play we have seen from the Giants this season, though, how can one predict with any conviction that they will win?
Since the season began, Coach Tom Coughlin has preached the mantra of finishing strong to a team that has a history of collapsing at the end. We will find out Saturday, and maybe next week, if the constant reminders have helped.
The Giants have been wildly inconsistent this season. They have won games they should have lost and lost games they should have won. They have won six games in which they were tied or behind in the fourth quarter. They have come up short on other occasions and watched the Green Bay Packers beat them with a field goal on the final play.
Still, Coughlin’s mantra is why I believe the Giants will beat the Jets.
After Saturday, there is one week left in this roller-coaster ride of a regular season. The way things have gone for the Giants, it is too early for them to be eliminated from playoff contention, which could happen if they lose to the Jets and the Dallas Cowboys defeat the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants will beat the Jets because their season is destined, I believe, to go down to the final moments of their game next weekend against the Cowboys.
For the Giants, that would be the only fitting way for this unpredictable season to end.
Bleeding Green: Protecing the Outside is the Jets Bright Side
No matter how much any N.F.L. analyst, point-spread wizard or current Jets head coach may enjoy making guarantees about football games, no one can see the future.
That is especially true when it comes to a game like the one between the Jets and the Giants on Saturday. Still, the Jets have some distinct advantages over the Giants.
The Giants’ biggest offensive strength is their passing game, an area the Jets are well equipped to contain because of cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. While playing on the outside, Revis matches up nicely with the physical receiver Hakeem Nicks, while the less-physical Cromartie should be able to bully Mario Manningham (if Manningham can play with an injured knee) in press coverage. Victor Cruz has had an impressive season, but the Giants would be wise to push him inside to take advantage of Kyle Wilson, the Jets’ second-year cornerback. Look for the Jets to provide safety help to Wilson in those instances.
Defensively, the Giants are fiercest when they are pressuring the quarterback. The best way for the Jets to protect against Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul is to run the ball or to get their running backs involved in the passing game as much as possible. The Giants have struggled against the run, so if the Jets can stay out of long-yardage situations, they may be able to neutralize Tuck and Pierre-Paul.
If the Jets can slow the Giants’ passing game, and prevent their defensive ends from hitting Mark Sanchez all day, it will be a green-and-white Christmas in New York.
*****
Keys to the game:
Giants passing game vs. Jets corners. I don't think Revis has been as good this year as in the past although he's probably still the top corner. Obviously, Eli has to throw his receivers.
Jets running game. If they can't run the game, could be a long game. Conversely, if Justin Tuck is a little healthy (and he's had a very tough year due to injuries), that could make it tough for the Jets. The Jets right tackle had better made a deal with the devil.
Passion. Giants seem to be lacking in that department this year. Why? Who knows. Several commentators and fans have observed this. This might be a reason for a coaching change, regardless of the outcome.
Louis Badolato
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The Jets got two early Christmas presents: both Manningham & Ballard are out, so the Giants are down two of their top 4 receivers. Despite this fact, I still can't see the Jets winning this game. The Jets defense has been unable to stop anyone, especially at crunch time, while the Jets running game and run defense are also in the bottom third of the league. The Giants running game has been dominant the last 4 weeks, ever since Baas went out and they reshuffled the O-line. Outside of Revis island (where I would not attempt a single pass today, just have the receiver covered by Revis (probably Nicks) run deep posts and take Revis out of the play and throw to someone else), the Jets pass defense is below average (they cannot cover an inside route or a tightend).
I see the Giants establishing the run with Bradshaw and Jacobs, then using play action passes down the seam of the Jets pass defense to score pretty much at will. They can only take deep shots against Cromartie, and have to stay away from Revis. On defense, the Giants need to flood the box, and completely shut down the run. Once the Jets are forced to pass, the Giants have to pin back their ears and come after Sanchez, because the can't cover anyone. As weak as the Jets offensive line is other than Mangold, they should be able to hit Sanchez (who has been sacked 7 times in the last 2 weeks) all day. If you hit Sanchez, he has a tendency to get happy feet and miss open receivers.
But, like everything else about this game on this thread and in the media, its all talk, and the game will be played on the field. At the end of this day, one of these teams playoff hopes will be on life support.
I see the Giants establishing the run with Bradshaw and Jacobs, then using play action passes down the seam of the Jets pass defense to score pretty much at will. They can only take deep shots against Cromartie, and have to stay away from Revis. On defense, the Giants need to flood the box, and completely shut down the run. Once the Jets are forced to pass, the Giants have to pin back their ears and come after Sanchez, because the can't cover anyone. As weak as the Jets offensive line is other than Mangold, they should be able to hit Sanchez (who has been sacked 7 times in the last 2 weeks) all day. If you hit Sanchez, he has a tendency to get happy feet and miss open receivers.
But, like everything else about this game on this thread and in the media, its all talk, and the game will be played on the field. At the end of this day, one of these teams playoff hopes will be on life support.
Louis Badolato
Lieutenant General
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As a Giants fan, I am not going to break my arm patting myself on the back over this game. The Giants coaching staff and receivers did everything they could to blow this game, and, frankly, they didn't deserve to win. First of all, the Giants have been rushing the ball well for 4 weeks with Baas out, and Petrus playing Guard. So what do the coaches do, they bench Petrus, and return to the line that has been unable to open a hole for the backs all year. The result: they rush for 5 yards in the first half. Second, the receivers, particularly Hakeem Nicks and the back up tight end, drop no less than five (5) easy catches, one of which is tipped up in the air for the interception that got the Jets back in the game.
If Eli Manning, Victor Cruz, Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, the rest of the Giants D-Line and the Giants secondary didn't play over their collective heads, I would be cursing a blue streak right now.
One final note: the officiating was uniformly abyssmal against both teams. In addition to the two fumble calls which were correctly reversed in the second half, the officials blew at least a half dozen other calls (about equally split against both teams so, thankfully, they didn't really seem to effect the outcome).
The Giants will still probably blow it against Dallas next week, although they might not if Romo really did mess up his throwing hand in the meaningless game against the Eagles.
If Eli Manning, Victor Cruz, Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, the rest of the Giants D-Line and the Giants secondary didn't play over their collective heads, I would be cursing a blue streak right now.
One final note: the officiating was uniformly abyssmal against both teams. In addition to the two fumble calls which were correctly reversed in the second half, the officials blew at least a half dozen other calls (about equally split against both teams so, thankfully, they didn't really seem to effect the outcome).
The Giants will still probably blow it against Dallas next week, although they might not if Romo really did mess up his throwing hand in the meaningless game against the Eagles.