Half of the New York Metro area had a great Christmas while the other half did not. That's what happens when the Giants and the Jets play on Christmas Eve with the playoffs on the line. There was a lot of talk going into this game, mostly coming from the Jets camp and led by the Great Bloviator Rex Ryan whose mouth is actually bigger than his stomach but whose team's heart isn't nearly as big. OK, OK. So I took a shot at the Jets there. Sorry. Call it leftover hostility from some Jet fans who paraded into this season like they were the big dogs on the block in this city when it came to football. It was only made worse after the Jets beat the Giants in the preseason. Well, now that fifteen games are behind us there is only one team in New York in control of their own playoff destiny, the New York Giants.
OK, now I shall begin the objectivity.
If someone told me Eli Manning would be 9 for 27 I would have told you the Giants would lose. Enter Victor Cruz, the most prolific receiver the Giants have ever had. He saved the Giants and deflated the Jets with his 99 yard TD catch and run.
If you would have told me Mark Sanchez would complete 30 passes and have a worse QB rating than Eli Manning in this game I would have asked you when you were going to rehab. But, Eli had a 61.5 rating and Sanchez owned a 54.2 rating.
I can't understand why the Jets coaching staff thought it was a good idea to pass the ball 59 times. 59! And, that's not including the five sacks Sanchez took. What went through the heads of the Jets coaching staff to drop Sanchez back 64 times in a game? Why wouldn't they run the ball more? It made no sense. This isn't Sanchez's fault. His offensive line has been awful most of the season and the Giants are one of the better pass rushing teams in the NFL. Sure, the Giants secondary has been exploited a lot this year but you don't drop your QB back 64 times. That is insane. It's not like Shonn Greene and LaDanian Tomlinson were doing a bad job running the football. The Jets as a team rushed the ball 25 times for 105 yards. The failure of the Jets coaching staff to adapt their strategy during the game shows that they didn't know how to adapt. Maybe they don't.
During the first half, the Giants were held to 6 rushing yards. At the end of the game they had accumulated 115 yards on 26 carries. Whatever was working for the Jets defense obviously didn't translate into the second half. Again, it comes back to the Jets coaching staff. They weren't able to adapt to the Giants game plan.
Darrelle Revis talked a good game all week and backed it up. He is the best corner in football. He spent the afternoon shutting down Hakeem Nicks who only had one catch for twenty yards. Revis, for the most part, looked like he was a part of Nicks' jersey. The rest of the Jets secondary did a very good job...with the exception of a few plays. One of those being Cruz's 99-yard TD. Cruz was the target of a lot of criticism from some Jets going into this week. They made it seem like he was a nobody. Now, he will haunt their dreams.
The Jets, overall, are a good football team. There is talent on the roster. However, they are not a Super Bowl contending team. They are far from it. Their offensive line needs a lot of work. Their defensive line does not get to the quarterback often enough, causing the Jets to blitz too much. Aside from Darrelle Revis, the Jets secondary can be either very good or very bad. The loss of Jim Leonhard hurts a lot. He was the QB of that secondary. There doesn't seem to be any consistency in the unit after Revis.
The Jets linebackers are excellent. However, they are asked to pick up the slack too often for a line that can't get to the quarterback. This opens up the middle of the field for opponents to exploit. If the Jets want to be Super Bowl contenders they need a monster like Jared Allen, Jason Pierre-Paul, Jason Babin...someone like that who can create havoc on the opposing quarterback. Right now Aaron Maybin is their leader in sacks with 6. That is nowhere near good enough. The Jets as a team have 34 sacks, most coming from linebackers and blitz packages. That is not a good sign. It's not like they have DeMarcus Ware back there, someone who can get to the QB when sent on a blitz. David Harris, Calvin Pace, and Bart Scott are all good linebackers. However, they are not QB killers. If the Giants, for example, had those three linebackers to go along with the front four, the Giants defense would be head and shoulders better than they are now.
The bottom line is the Jets are taking steps backwards this season. The Giants, meanwhile seem to be running in place.
Injuries have decimated the Giants this season. They lost their best corner in Terrell Thomas before they even played a single regular season game. Then they lost their starting middle linebacker in Jon Goff. Then one of their more dynamic wide receivers in Domenik Hixon. Their big free-agent pick-up, center David Baas has spent a bunch of time on the sidelines with neck and head injuries. Marvin Austin, a rookie who was to be counted on to fill the middle was lost for the season before he even played a game. First round pick, Prince Amukamara, didn't play in his first game until November 20th and the lack of practice and game experience are showing in the limited amount of playing time he has had. However, he has shown glimpses of being a very good corner and should only improve going into next season.
Despite all the injuries, the Giants have once again proven to be a first-half team. The second half collapses the Giants have continued to undergo while under Tom Coughlin's leadership are mind-boggling. The talent is there. they ran with Green Bay and could have beaten them. They beat New England. The talent is there, contrary to the Jets. But, for whatever reason, the Giants come up wanting in the second half of the season year in and year out. They are, however, still the better team in New York. That, however, isn't saying much these days. Once again, New York will be watching two teams from outside the city (or Jersey as the case is) competing for the Lombardi trophy.
What's funny is if you combine Rex Ryan and Tom Coughlin you have the ultimate coach. Unfortunately, that won't happen, just like a Super Bowl...or the playoffs, for either team.
That's right, I said the Giants won't make the playoffs. They have had their chances time and time again and have come up short this season. Dallas comes into Giants Stadium, or MetLife Stadium as it is now formally called, and will beat the Giants. Not because Dallas is a better team. Not on paper they aren't. Dallas will win because Giants fans are riding high right now. Giants players are patting themselves on the back. And, worst of all, Giants players are talking smack about Dallas. So far this season, the Giants have disappointed every time they raise expectations. This week will be no different. This will be the third straight year the Giants miss the playoffs and Tom Coughlin will retire at the end of the year. I don't know who will replace him. I doubt it would be someone like Rob Ryan because he isn't the Mara type. Whomever it is, he will have a very good team to take over and will guide the Giants to the playoffs because this team is the most playoff ready team in New York. The New York Giants are the most Super Bowl ready team in New York...sadly, that isn't saying too much.
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