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Life is meaningless and full of pain.
The NFL is back. And with it, the weekly torment that is the lot of all New York Jets fans.
Gang Green has played two games now. They are 1-1. And they hung in with the Patriots until the last minute of tonight's game. Doesn't sound too bad.
Except it is. That record is deceptive. The Jets had lost that Tampa Bay game. The clock was running out, and the Bucs had the W safely in hand when a Tampa Bay linebacker gave the Jets an inexplicable gift, committing an egregious and entirely unnecessary out of bounds hit that moved Nick Folk into range for the winning field goal. Tampa had actually tried to give away the game half a dozen times before that, committing one blunder after another in the first quarter, but the Jets never cashed in… until the last second, and that was enough. "We'll take it," Rex said. Okay, I'll take it too. But I won't crow about it.
And tonight? Oh, god. What a wretched game. The Patriots looked as bad as I have ever seen them. Tom Brady has no wideouts but Edelman. His receivers were dropping balls all over the field. We should have been able to beat him tonight. We didn't. For every ball the Pats dropped, the Jets dropped two, and added a fumble and an interception.
The Jets have a new GM, a new offensive coordinator, and a new quarterback… but they're still the same team we saw last year. Staunch defense, one of the best in the league. Pathetic offense. Our RBs looked good… but the passing game isn't any better than it was when Mark Sanchez was under center and Tony Sparano was calling the plays. Geno Smith was 15 for 35 with 3 INTs. Those are grim numbers. Last year, Mark Sanchez led the NFL in turnovers. If Geno keeps throwing to the other team at the present rate, he may earn that same dubious honor. He was sacked three times as well. In at least two of those cases, it was because he held the ball way too long. The only bright spot was that Geno did not lose the ball when sacked, which is more than you can say about Mark.
I wish I could be more optimistic. But I fear this is going to be a long, painful season.
And the Giants?
No, please, don't ask me about the Giants.
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The Giants draft is looking very strong. No spectacular moves, but solid players who will make solid contributions. Grabbing Nassib in round four to back up Eli and groom as his successor was a great move.
The Jets draft… two defensive players in round one look okay, but considering how high they were taken, you had to hope for more. Neither one looks like a game-changer. And taking Geno Smith will set back the club years. Sanchez is likely to be released now, which means we are starting all over, and with a much iffier prospect than Mark was when he was first drafted.
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Round two of the NFL Draft kicks off in about an hour. Rumors are flying on the sports sites that the Jets are trying to trade up from the seventh slot to draft a QB. Boy, I sure hope not. None of the QBs available this year impress me as being much of an upgrade over Sanchez and Garrard. Maybe if one fell into their laps in, say, the third round… but in the second? When the team desperately needs help at so many positions? And trading UP to get him, which means giving up a lower round pick? That would be as foolish as trading away Revis.
The Jets flourished when Rex could run a ground-and-pound O. They have lost Shonn Greene, their starting RB. They should stay where they are and take the RB out of Alabama if he’s still there at seven.
And don’t get me started on the first round picks. All the mock drafts had the Jets getting Mingo and Austin at #9 and #13 in the first round. Wrong and wrong. The Browns took Mingo, and the the Rams traded up into the #8 slot ahead of the Jets to get Tavon. Once more, another team drank our milkshake.
Let us not compound the problems by chasing any of these QBs. Not one of them is a sure thing. Give me Eddie Lacy instead, and bring back the ground-and-pound. Sanchez plays best with play action, and that requires a strong ground game.
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It is hard to be a fan of the New York Jets.
They have hardly done anything right since Joe Willie Namath won SuperBowl III, and every time you think maybe they are finally turning the corner, they find some new way to screw things up.
Today the Jets traded Darrelle Revis, the best cornerback in the NFL and far and away the best player on the team. It is never a good idea to trade the best player on your team. The Jets desperately need a shut-down corner, since they do not have a real pass-rush threat, and the only way they ever get any pressure on the opponent’s QB is by shutting down his receivers long enough for the rushers to get there. Revis was a huge part of the reason why Rex Ryan’s defense has been so good (ups and downs, sure, but still one of the better defenses in the league). So they get rid of him Right.
Only the Jets. They have a pretty good defense and a godawful offense, so what’s their big offseason move? “Hey, let’s get rid of our best player, bring the D down to the same level as the O.”
Now, maybe, MAYBE, you can make a case for trading Revis if you get a “Herschel Walker” deal. That is, a deal as rich as the one where the Dallas Cowboys traded RB Herschel Walker to the Vikings, and got so many players and draft choices that it won them three SuperBowls. And it is worth noting that Herschel Walker, while a damn good player, was neither the best player on the Cowboys nor the best running back in the NFL at that time.
But the Jets did not get a Herschel Walker deal. Revis is going to Tampa Bay. In return, the Jets get Tampa’s first round draft choice this year (#13 overall, not even a top ten pick) and a conditional fourth round pick next year. Yeah, NEXT YEAR. Yeah, I said FOURTH round. Maybe it becomes a third. Whoop-de-doo.
The Jets, in short, got rooked. Congrats, Tampa Bay GM, you drank our milkshake.
And what about the new Jets GM? Fire his ass now. Bring back Mike Tannenbaum. Bring back the guy before Mike Tannenbaum. Hell, bring back Harry Wismer.
The best theory about this trade is that the Jets want the #1 pick overall in the 2014 draft. Cause this next season is going to be bloody painful. After which our new whizz-bang “let’s give away our best player for a bag of old jockstraps” GM is going to fire Rex Ryan because, after all, that 2 – 14 record is clearly Rex’s fault.
The year after that is likely to be even worse, even with that swell fourth-round-maybe-it-becomes-a-third we’ll be getting from Tampa Bay. That is, assuming Kal-El Son of Jor-El isn’t coming out in next year’s draft. And even if he was, the Jets wouldn’t take him. All that green would remind him too much of kryptonite.
Sigh.
Excuse me, while I go weep into my beer.
(It is not all bad. I will always have Paris. And Parris. And the Giants)
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Free agency has opened in the NFL, but someone forgot to tell my New York teams.
The Giants have resigned Aaron Ross, a cornerback they drafted a few years back, then lost in last year’s free agency. Otherwise they seem to be asleep. They just lost Kenny Phillips, their starting safety. Phillips has been hurt a lot, and last year his replacement Stevie Brown outplayed him, but when he was healthy he was staunch against the run. The G-Men have also have Osi on the free agent market, though so far no one has signed him, so maybe he will be back.
The Jets… don’t get me started about the Jets. So far they have lost their starting RB, their best TE, a solid part of the defensive line rotation, both starting safeties. And rumors persist that they are about to trade Darrelle Revis, their best player. The Jets finished 6-10 last year, fired their GM, and brought in a new one. They kept Rex Ryan, which I think was good… Rex has only had one bad season in his four with Gang Green, and has proved himself to be a good coach… but this new GM seems to be setting him up to fail. The Jets were 6-10 last year, but instead of improving, it appears they are aiming for the number one overall draft choice in 2014. You can’t win games without players. If the Jets crash and burn next year, Rex will get the blame, but Vince Lombardi could return from the dead and he still wouldn’t win a game with the roster the new management is handing Ryan.
Pfui, I say.
Oh, and the Patriots… what a vile thing is Evil Little Bill. The way he treated Wes Welker is disgraceful. Man has absolutely no loyalty to anyone. Watch and see, when Tom Brady’s talents start to fade — and they will, it happens to all of them — Evil Little Bill will ship him out as well.
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Congrats to the Baltimore Ravens and their fans, and condolences to the fans of the 49ers.
Another exciting Superbowl. Used to be that the big game was a blowout more often than not, but the last few years have seen some exciting contests. For once, it was a great defensive goal line stand that won the game. Something fans of D like me see all too seldom. (Of course, the Niners playcalling on first-and-goal from the five left much to be desired. Too many passes to Crabtree. I would have gone with Gore Up the Gut four times. If they had, I’d be congratulating San Francisco right now, I suspect).
Of course, this year can’t compare with last year’s thrilling Giants win, but hey, that’s the NFL. Glory is fleeting. The G-Men will be back.
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So the AFC and NFC championship games have been played, and it turns out this year’s Superbowl will be the Bro-Bowl. Say, are there any other Harbaughs at home? I know plenty of NFL teams in need of better coaches.
With both of my beloved New York teams out of the playoffs, I have a lot less emotionally invested in the games, but I still watch. I am a fan of good football… especially good defense… no matter who is playing. This year’s playoffs did not feature much in the way of defense, sadly, but there have been some very exciting games, for those who enjoy a lot of scoring. Today’s championship games were both terrific. I can’t believe that Atlanta blew the morning game after opening up a 17-0 lead, must confess… if it had been the Giants or Jets, I would still be frothing at the mouth. I did enjoy the late game. Though I no longer have anyone to root for in these playoffs, so long as the Patriots were in the hunt I had a villain to root against… and now they are gone, thanks to Flacco and Ray-Ray. Goodbye, Evil Little Bill.
(The real stunner was last week’s Denver-Baltimore game. It still boggles me that the Ravens tied that one and won it in OT. I mean, down a touchdown, no timeouts, only 35 seconds left, on their own twenty. All the Denver D needed to do was make sure no one got behind them for a touchdown. Even if Flacco had tossed a 70-yard bomb, so long as they kept the receiver out of the endzone, the Broncos were fine… with the time remaining, the clock would have run out before the Ravens could sprint downfield and set up for another play. But no, somehow, somehow, they give up the tying TD. Sigh. Whatever happened to DEFENSE??? No one plays it any more).
The other unbelievable NFL news comes from my Jets. So at the end of the season they fire Mike Tannenbaum, their GM. Tanny was a salary cap specialist, and everyone says Gang Green’s draft and free agent moves suffered as a result. They needed a real football guy to evaluate personnel, supposedly, not a bean counter. So the Jets interview half the bloody league, candidate after candidate, many with great credentials in personnel, and what do they finally do?? They hire another bean counter, a salary cap specialist from the Seahawks. Oh, he has “attended some personnel meetings,” we are told. Only the Jets.
They also fired Tony Sparano as offensive coordinator, because, after all, the Jets were 6-10. To replaced him, they bring in the OC from the Eagles, who finished 4-12. Only the Jets.
And then there is Manti T’eo and his imaginary girlfriend. The way things are going, the Jets are probably going to take him with their first round pick in the draft. You saw it here first.
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