I write this latest column on my Blackberry from a plane headed to Idaho for the NBA D-League Showcase. If you’ve never written 1,000-plus words on a keyboard that small, don’t.
Before we get to your playoff bound New York Jets, let’s touch on the New York Giants. After all, finishing on a positive note only seems right to start the New Year.
The Giants are a prime example of a team with high hopes that just couldn’t capitalize on them. Their failure in the NFC East wasn’t just hard to watch, it was agonizing. The Giants started off the season 5-0, rendering comparisons to their championship team of two years ago. Then, New York traveled to New Orleans, were mauled 48-27 and sent on a downward spiral that they couldn’t play themselves out of.
The Giants’ defense is, without a doubt, why their season finished in early January. For the last three years, defense is what the Giants were known for. This season, however, the unit was porous and anything but intimidating. Defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, is to blame and was, as the Giants fired him on Monday. I’d like to think that Sheridan had the talent; then again, maybe not if they gave up more than 40 points a game over the last four matchups of the season. Sure, cornerback Aaron Ross missed a chunk of the season, as did defensive leader Antonio Pierce, but you can’t tell me those two pieces being absent equaled eight losses. Head coach Tom Coughlin even tried benching Osi Umenyiora a game or two, but that tough love did absolutely nothing.
A lot of the offensive problems had to do with the running game. The last two seasons, the Giants had the thunder and lightening the team had hoped for with Tiki Barber and Ron Dayne. Brandon Jacobs, the thunder, was a bruising back with size and speed, a rare combination in the game today. Ahmad Bradshaw, the lightening, had tackle-breaking abilities. Jacobs, fresh off a new contract, was just average – 835 yards and five touchdowns isn’t exactly superstar material — while Bradshaw (778 yards, seven touchdowns) was above average considering he played almost the entire year with injuries to both of his legs.
I’m not going to throw Eli Manning under the bus. He threw for over 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns this season, numbers that would please any fantasy owner. He’s a Top 15 quarterback with the ability to crack the Top 10. His interceptions (14 in 2009) are no longer a major issue and his decision making continues to improve year after year.
Before this season, if you told me that Manning would throw for 4,021 yards, I would have taken the under, but his receivers stepped up huge. Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon, Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks and a few others who you probably never heard of prior to this year got the job done. Smith especially made a name for himself, wrapping up the year eighth in receiving yards with 1,220.
The Giants must go back to the drawing board this off season and dissect most of the talent on their roster. General manager Jerry Reese is one of the best in the league at evaluating players and 2010 will be his chance again to show just how good he is.
The Jets Are Playoff Bound
Standing at his locker after a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis said his team needs to stop worrying about making the playoffs and instead work towards getting a win. That was when New York was 4-5 and all but written off from making the playoffs.
Seven weeks later, the wins came in bunches. Five of them to be exact, the perfect number needed to push them into the post season as a Wild Card entrant. It was through the league’s number-one ranked defense and running game that this was all made possible.
The Jets too struggled at points this season, although not nearly as much as their co-Giants Stadium tenants. With a top-ranked defense and running game, any faults must be placed squarely on the shoulders of rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. The USC product was fabulous in his first game as a pro, but has since been either the losing factor or close to it in many of their defeats. Look how head coach Rex Ryan used him in Sunday’s sudden-death game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Sanchez threw just 16 passes in that contest, his second lowest total of the season, and most of his passes were either slants or short passes to the outside. In other words, Ryan just didn’t want Sanchez to mess things up. Interestingly, in the five games this season that Sanchez threw less than 20 passes, the Jets won all of them.
New York already had many of the pieces in place for a strong defense; they just needed a stronger leader. In comes Ryan, who for years coached the Baltimore Ravens defense to the top of the NFL. From the Ravens, Ryan also brought safety Jim Leonhard and lineman Bart Scott, two key components to their success this year. The strong play from emerging star Darrelle Reevis also helped prevent big plays by several top receivers, including Terrell Owens, Randy Moss and Andre Johnson. Mix that trio with Calvin Pace and David Harris and that’s one heavy unit.
Seven games into the season, the Jets took a huge hit when they lost versatile running back Leon Washington for the remainder of the year with a broken right leg. The kick returner/running back fits into the same category of Devin Hester and Josh Cribbs – he may even be better than both, in fact. Losing Washington’s play-making abilities created more opportunities for Thomas Jones and rookie Shonn Greene. Jones, who in my opinion is one of the most underrated backs in the NFL, broke several Jets rushing records this season after picking up 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns. Greene, meanwhile, was impressive (540 yards, two touchdowns) enough to now fit himself into the Jets’ plans for 2010.
The Jets may surprise some folks during the playoffs. Ryan found his winning formula down the stretch and needs to stick with it as his team fights to stay alive through the rest of the month. Regardless of how New York finishes, a trip to the post season can be considered a successful campaign, now it’s up to Ryan and his staff to build on what’s been accomplished. After all, making the playoffs one year is a great feat, but being bounced early a second year is often looked at as a failure.