"Five Frozen Flings, Four Falling Favres…"

Five days until Christmas and Sunday’s NFC prime-time showdown will be a frozen fling-fest. Temperatures in New York will not be friendly to foes or footballers from home. Eli Manning and the Big Blue front five men will find a frigid Panthers defense.
Out on the west coast, Brett Favre has to find a way to win a game for the Jets. This is the fourth trip west for New York and each of the three previous games were losses. The Seattle Seahawks will try hard to hand the falling Jets their fourth failure on their coast.
All talk in New York this month has been centered on the free falling football teams. The Jets and Giants were headed on a collision course to the championship in February only a month ago. Both teams were on top of their respective divisions and only expected to excel from there. December delivered cold blows to not only residents but also to the football teams. The Jets are coming off a win against Buffalo they should have lost. If not for a blundering Dick Jauron coaching call late in the fourth quarter, the Jets would have walked out of the Meadowlands losers of three straight games. The Gang Green team who defeated the Patriots in Foxboro and the undefeated Titans in Tennessee has been transformed into a defensive-less, mistake-filled, Grinch green. And the New York Giants went down twice to division rivals the Eagles and Cowboys. The Giants are missing rumbling back, Brandon Jacobs, due to knee problems. The offensive line that once looked as solid as any in the league suddenly could not defend the likes of DeMarcus Ware and the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday night. Eli Manning ate turf eight times during the loss to Dallas. Are the New York teams caving or can they bounce back to finish the month on the up?
The Jets are sending seven players to the ProBowl in Hawaii, including Brett Favre. Kris Jenkins was the frontrunner for the team MVP during the first ten weeks of the season. No one is even looking his way now. He has been merely invisible. The entire Jets’ defense has been a non-effective no factor. Brett Favre is opening up the pass more often and making fewer mistakes, but it is not enough. Thomas Jones continues to run well and Eric Mangini needs to get him the ball on more plays. Sunday the Jets are playing in Seattle against one of the toughest teams to face on the road. In addition, the game is Seattle head coach, Mike Holgrem’s, final one. It will be an emotional afternoon when the Seahawks take the field, so the Jets need to limit mistakes and take the crowd out of the game early. Seattle has nothing to play for but will probably bask in playing the spoiler role. The Jets need to win the final two games. They control their own destiny. If they win out, they go to the playoffs as AFC East champions. A loss and a Miami win means the Jets will have to play the Dolphins for the division in week 17. If I were Eric Mangini, I wouldn’t even want that to be a possibility. Chad Pennington returning to New York to knock the Jets out of the playoffs would be the end of his tenure here.
The Giants are not in dire need of a win. However, beating Carolina at home this Sunday night would give them home field throughout the playoffs. It would also cool off the red hot Panthers and retrieve the confidence of the Giants fans. Brandon Jacobs is not 100 percent but he will play. The key to beating Carolina is controlling the line of scrimmage and their powerful dual running attack. Jonathan Stewart and Deangelo Williams are arguably the best backfield in the NFC. The Giants defense has the ability and talent to limit their breakaways. I am confident the Giants will get the job done, but look for a close game. The weather could be the x factor and advantageous to the Giants. The Panthers are not a very good road team either. In the NFL, home field advantage in the playoffs sometimes does not matter as much as getting “hot” at the right time. Right now, the Panthers are a hotter team. But I like the chances against a shaky Jake Delhomme calling plays. And I think the secondary is sufficient enough to cover the slick, Steve Smith at wide receiver.
How much difference a month makes! I am still trying to figure out how the Jets looked so poorly this month. Their weaknesses are glaring. Even if this team creeps into the playoffs, I can’t see them beating teams with strong-armed quarterbacks. The Jets will have to go through Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Jay Cutler or Kerry Collins. The Giants are definitely beatable, as Philadelphia and Dallas proved. The Cowboys are hot right now and a meeting in the post-season would be scary. The Giants need to run the ball or they will not be successful. If Brandon Jacobs is a no-go, Eli Manning needs to be crafty. He has the receivers at his disposal to make big plays but his frozen fingers might be a problem. He tends to fold under those circumstances. Manning must learn to throw the ball with more muscle.

Parting points: Shout-out to my father because tomorrow is his birthday. Happy birthday, dad, and a Happy winter to all.

Going Green

Mass merchandisers and manufactures nationwide are declaring their companies and products “green” this holiday season. Everyone in America is professing and proclaiming themselves green and environmentally-friendly. Save yourself money and save the Earth at the same time is the common mantra. New York’s green team, the Jets, saved themselves and their season last week with a compelling thriller over New England in Foxboro. Everything is finally coming together for Gang Green.
Led by the future Hall of Famer, Brett Favre, the Jets are poised and prepared to crash the Patriots’ AFC East party. New York’s plausible plan to wreck havoc down the stretch of the NFL season is playing out perfectly. A win in Tennessee against a 10-0 top ranked, tied and tested Titans team would help seal the deal for the division. A playoff berth was the objective for New York when Mangini enticed Favre to play for him. Brett bolted the Icelandic Green Bay looking for a chance to carry the crown for another club. Hopes for the conference championship run deep here, with fans already dreaming of a Subway Superbowl (even if both the Jets and Giants play in New Jersey). The Superbowl could be green and blue, like our planet Earth, if the New York teams continue their winning formulas. The Jets are still a long-shot but you have to give credit to the way they have come together since losing to Oakland and sneaking away with a win against the Chiefs.
Kris Jenkins and Leon Washington are the Jets’ most prized possessions. Both players are having MVP-like seasons for a team that has lacked a true star since Curtis Martin retired. Favre is that big time name, but Jenkins and Washington have been just as valuable on both sides of the ball. The smart and consistent runner Washington and the defiant defender Jenkins have emerged as dominators and game changers. Tight end, Dustin Keller, is the uncanny underdog who came out of nowhere to lead this year’s rookie class. Ok, he actually came from Purdue but who knew Keller had this kind of ability? His impact offensively is tremendous as he presents a new weapon for Favre. Keller had 8 catches for 87 yards against the Patriots and his 3 overtime receptions were game winners. Second year cornerback from Pittsburgh, Darrelle Revis, continues to be a secondary shining star slowing stamping his name into Jets lore under Mangini. Revis already has 4 interceptions and can run with any wide receiver in the league confidently.
It certainly is a privilege to watch Brett Favre handle the Jets’ offense. I enjoyed watching him year after year throw for the Packers but to have him in my home state is special. He is picturesque as he guns spirals in that number four green and white jersey. I just hope the Jets can make Kerry Collins see canary yellow stars this Sunday. I still have gripes against Collins for when he defeated the Cowboys as a Carolina Panther in the playoffs. I never warmed up to Kerry as a Giant and if the Jets defense can pressure him this week, the Titans will have a problem on their hand. I would love to see an upset in Tennessee. If the Jets win this game, that will say a lot about how far Mangini has brought them since week one.

Parting points: I don’t know about you, but I am freezing. Today feels like the middle of February. It makes me wonder what kind of winter we are in store for.

I just heard a report Mike Mussina plans on retiring. I think that’s the right move for the Moose.

Teasing Tomlinson Torches Turnover Thomas’ Team

Jets go down 48-29 in mistake-filled loss
The Jets and Chargers are both 1-2 after their Monday Night showdown in week three of the NFL. The equivalent records reveal little about the direction each is heading however. The Chargers are climbing while Gang Green is going downhill. The Jets weren’t expected to be victorious in San Diego coming in to the season. The schedule experts envisioned a loss. But the interceptions and fumbles are what have Jets followers most down today. The offensive line looked lost, the Jets couldn’t establish the run, and receivers were not on the same page as their star quarterback. The Chargers punting unit was seen only once.
LT carried the load on an injured right toe, rushing for two touchdowns. Antonio Cromartie showed his capabilities at cornerback with two interceptions, one for a touchdown. When healthy, there isn’t a more demanding defensive corner in the league. The Chargers are coming off two tough takedowns and rebounded without restraint against the clueless Jets. The season is by no means over for New York. They still have a very good chance to make the playoffs. If they play well against their division rivals, I can see them winning the AFC East. Buffalo is undefeated, the Patriots can never be counted out, and the same Miami team they faced in week one will be tougher later in the season. But the Jets have the talent to excel in a Brett Favre-led offense. The play calling is questionable and the Jets need Thomas Jones and Jericho Cochery to become playmakers on offense. Favre is used to having big time receivers in addition to his solid throwing arm. For all his boldness and radiance in Green Bay, Favre now looks misplaced in Manhattan.
One other Jets note: What is with Mike Nugent? I’ve followed his career since he came out of the national championship Ohio State program, but I have to say, am disappointed and dissatisfied with his overall production.

Hockey, anyone? Preseason hockey loss for the Devils. Rangers won though. Will they choke again?

Parting points: Week three inspires a quote from American Graffiti: “Yeah, three weeks? Besides, it only took me one night to realize if brains were dynamite, you couldn’t blow your nose.”