The pre-season game between New York’s two prominent NFL teams (sorry Bills…) previewed their actual showdown in week sixteen of the regular season as the Jets and Giants look to overtake their respective divisions’ favored rivals. The Patriots have consistently been atop the pre-season odds to win the AFC through much of the past decade. Despite their incredible victory in last year’s playoffs, the Jets have yet to officially overtake New England as the AFC East’s powerhouse. Their goal will be the divisional title and, eventually, a playoff run that doesn’t fall short. On the other hand, the Eagles made this off-season’s biggest splash and look to take their faux-dream team to their franchise’s first championship. They edged out the Giants last season by a few minutes in one fatal game, but this season they are expected to beat out the G-Men by the margin of a few games. The Giants are the only recent champion in that division, but one more mediocre season would remove them from contention for NFC East supremacy. Now that the stage is set for their own divisional battles, who is in better shape for this upcoming season? While the rivalry itself is irrelevant in the grand scheme of the NFL, the Giants-Jets debate is fun to have between devoted fans. While both have considerable potential, there are gaping holes in both teams that could be a collective detriment to their success.
Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan, in their only two years as Jets, have taken their team to consecutive AFC championship games, losing to the Colts and Steelers. These additions have clearly launched this franchise among the league’s best. Despite this, I have ironically found that these two may have been the biggest obstacles in the way of the Jets’ ultimate goal. Overall, the talent amassed by GM Mike Tannenbaum is impressive, but they have taken a few steps in the wrong direction this off-season. Defensively, losing Shaun Ellis and James Ihedigbo to the Patriots will be costly on multiple fronts; both were valuable role players on the Jets defense and will also be able to provide some valuable information and experience for the Patriots defense. New England has proved in the past that they can win with a little extra help, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them do it again. The Jets’ defensive weakness has been their pass rush, which puts extra pressure on Revis and company to cover opposing receivers. Losing their best defensive lineman and pass rusher to a divisional rival simply cannot be a good idea. They will still have an elite defense, but will not be a complete one. Offensively, they replaced most of their receiving core. Plaxico Buress will be the new Braylon Edwards, and Derrick Mason will fill the void left by the combined efforts of Jerricho Cotchery and Brad Smith. I actually believe these are slight downgrades, but the difference is marginal enough to not cost the team in the long run. In terms of the running game, each back is a question mark. Shonn Greene has failed to emerge as a top tier runner, and one cannot expect a repeat performance from LT, who was a saving grace for the Jets last year. Despite these many concerns on offense, Mark Sanchez has the power to overcome any difficulties if he has a true breakout year. While he has had success, he has largely been carried by a ship that he has simply managed not to sink. The Jets baby him and ask that he avoids losing games instead of winning them. While this can earn a degree of success, no team aside from the unnatural Ravens team of 2000 has managed to reach the promised land with a similar strategy. I am harder on Sanchez than most, but even I will acknowledge that he has significantly improved when it comes to limiting turnovers, managing the game, and even delivering a clutch performance here and there. With all that said, he still lacks the ability to carry a team, which he will have to for the first time this year. Rex Ryan is another issue, and not because of his press conference antics. From a football standpoint, he simply has not yet become a well-rounded coach (pun intended, seeing as he is most likely the roundest coach in the NFL). He is well liked and respected by his players, but he still cannot draw up an offensive system to even come close to his defensive productivity. He is a defensive genius, but his simple approach on offense does not make the job any easier for an already struggling Mark Sanchez. To me, he is a glorified version of Wade Phillips, who brought a similar persona to Dallas and has since been fired. The reason I have such high hopes for Dallas is while they still have a defensive stud in Rob Ryan, they are also led by an offensive coordinator with head coach Jason Garrett. In order to go any farther than they have in recent years, Mark Sanchez will have to develop into a quarterback worthy of his roster, and Rex Ryan will have to raise his level of thinking to his level of talking. If those two pieces can fall into place, the remaining pieces will be there waiting for them. The Jets have made it to consecutive AFC Championship games with, arguably, sub-par performances from the two most important positions on the team: quarterback and head coach. The brains of the entire operation haven’t even been fully tapped into. If Sanchez and Rex can meet their potential, the Jets may be unstoppable this year.
The Giants are faced with very different problems that are equally troubling and, in many ways, are the polar opposite of their AFC counterpart. Unlike the Jets, they have a dynamic offense and a proven head coach who has a championship ring to his name. However, while their offense can move up and down the field, they are the most turnover prone team in the NFL. Between a pair of running backs that carry the ball like a loaf of bread while fighting for extra yards and a quarterback whose decision making skills couldn’t outsmart Madden on rookie, the G-Men frequently shoot themselves in the foot despite their productivity. The offensive line has gotten progressively worse since their incredible victory over the Patriots, which won’t help matters at all in terms of stabilizing the offense. It would take quite the anchor at head coach to piece this team back together after the many hits they have recently taken. While Tom Coughlin’s credibility surpasses that of Rex Ryan, he is largely disliked among his current and former players. Osi Umenyiora has been a quality example of how excited players are to work for him. The Giants can ill afford disputes with their defensive stars considering the many injuries they have already suffered throughout the pre-season. Their decimated secondary and linebacker core will have to be carried by their defensive line, which has been among best throughout the past decade or so. With Justin Tuck and a strongly emerging Jason Pierre-Paul, and even minimal contributions from Osi, this is actually possible. Things are messy on the Giants’ half of New York, but it is no stretch to predict a strong season. After all, they are coming off of a 10-6 season that was one game away from a division title and a first round bye week in the playoffs. While the roster has gotten slightly worse, the players can be exponentially better. I believe that if Eli could manage to keep his interception total around fifteen, which isn’t exactly MVP material, his yardage and touchdowns would be more than enough to overwhelm NFL defenses. He will likely have a bounce-back season because of targets like Hakeem Nicks, who has potential to propel himself into the top ten receivers this season. Since Plaxico and Steve Smith, or even Amani Toomer, the lesser Manning has always needed a security blanket receiver to succeed. This either comes from a jump ball receiver to hit when no one is open or a reliable slot receiver who can provide yards after a short gain through the air. Nicks can provide both if his play reflects his talent. If Jacobs and Bradshaw can stay on their game and last for sixteen games, the Giants can run behind a ground and pound approach en route to a playoff appearance. The NFC East has briefly lost its exclusive title as the best division in football, but has the potential to claim it once again. With the miraculously assembled Eagles, the Cowboys preparing a season of redemption, and the Redskins possibly not being terrible, the Giants have the chance to complete that higher level of competition that would prepare them well for the playoffs. All the Giants need to do is tighten up the screws and stay as healthy as they can from this point on. While they may not have everything, the Giants have the running game and defensive line necessary to dominate both lines of scrimmage.
Both New York teams have uphill battles to fight in order to even be as good as they were last year; to surpass their last performances would be very impressive. If I had to pick which team was in better shape, I would lean towards the Jets because of team stability, a weaker division, and the fact that their quarterback is still undergoing the improvements and overall development that could significantly help his team. With that said, the Giants aren’t far behind if at all, and could easily be an explosive team if they only limit their mistakes. With the Patriots and Eagles, New York teams are in an unfamiliar position as they lie (relatively) under the radar. When discussing teams that are usually suffocated by hype and scrutiny, sometimes playing the role of an underdog can be a blessing in disguise.
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