The Giants won. The Jets lost. Both teams have long been eliminated from playoff contention, so it did not truly matter in either case, but still… it was good to see the G-Men win, and it stung to see Gang Green lose again, especially to the hated Patriots.
The Giants pretty well dominated the St. Louis Rams from start to finish, though there were a few spots in the middle where the score got closer and I worried that Big Blue might be letting this one slip away. But no, though the defense was shaky at times, the offense looked great. It has become more than apparent that the Giants have a new star in Odell Beckham Jr. Barring injury, he may turn out to be the best wideout the team has ever had in its long and storied history. He already seems to be in a class with Megatron and Dez Bryant as one of the very best in the NFL, and he should be a cinch for Rookie of the Year. Next year, with Victor Cruz back to play beside him, the Giants' offense should be truly dangerous. But we need to do something in the draft and free agency to shore up the defense before Big Blue can hope to contend.
And yes, I think Tom Coughlin and Jerry Reese should both be back.
One last comment on the game. I have never hated the Rams, the way I hate the Cowboys and the Patriots (though I certainly feared to play them when they were the Greatest Show on Turf), but under their present coaching staff, they have become the dirtiest team in the NFL. The late hits and general nastiness today were so flagrant even the commentators had to take note of it. I hope the NFL does as well. Big fines, please.
As for Jets v. Patriots… sigh… well, they blew another one. Or, to be more precise, Geno Smith blew another one. Some people were calling this a blowout, but Gang Green actually outplayed Evil Little Bill and his minions for most of the game, and held a slim lead late into the second half. Rex Ryan's defense played lights out, harassing Tom Brady all morning, sacking him several times, and Geno was playing decently on the other side of the ball. Until the fourth quarter, that is. Until it really counted. Then he served up an INT to set up the Patriots go-ahead touchdown. Still, New England was only ahead by one point, all the Jets needed was a field goal, and they drove down into field goal range, and things were looking good… until Geno took a sack on a crucial third-down play, and the game-winning 40-odd-yard field goal attempt became a 52-yarder. Which got blocked, of course. Game over.
One more game on the schedule, then the house cleaning begins. Win or lose next week, I think Rex Ryan should be retained as Jets coach. THe team still plays hard for him, he's a great defensive mind, and … most crucially… I don't see where the Jets are going to find anyone better. Evil Little Bill is not leaving his Evil Empire to coach the NYJ. Bill Parcells is not coming out of retirement. Vince Lombardi is not returning from the dead. I would rather have Rex than the latest phenom from the college ranks, or the hot coordinator from some playoff team.
I do, however, hope that John Idzik gets his walking papers next Monday. And they need to get rid of Geno Smith and Michael Vick as well. The Jets will never contend with either of them at quarterback.
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