Two of the most stunning members of the New York Jets Flight Crew cheerleading squad stood perched at the front doors to Italian restaurant Lugo Cucina Italiana on Saturday evening. While the Patriots and Seahawks were gearing up for a riveting run in the Super Bowl, members of Gang Green assembled over the course of the weekend for “Jets House II,” an interactive opportunity for fans and players to meet, drink and chat it up. Though the event was decidedly high end, fans donning their favorite green and white jerseys were more than appropriately dressed for the exclusive atmosphere inside.

As an idea that spawned in 2014 when the New York area played host to the Big Game, the second annual “Jets House” transformed the traditional Italian restaurant into a Jets fan’s dream. Live action game day photos were plastered on each wall around the space with team helmets and other knick-knacks methodically decorating just about every inch of the Midtown eatery. The most appropriate piece on display was the team’s actual trophy from their first and only Super Bowl victory back in 1968.

When attendees weren’t posing for photos with cheerleaders or hob-nobbing with the likes of Nick Mangold and Demario Davis, they were free to enjoy a premium open bar and all inclusive tastes from the restaurant . The smells of delicious trays of rigatoni, flatbread pizzas and sauce covered meatballs were superceded only by the tastes that accomapnied them as the evening’s house DJ filled in the surrounding mood with the use of his turntable. Despite current and former players in attendance, most fans in the house remained calm, taking in their surroundings and making sure to enjoy the special evening.

Other stars from the team’s storied past and present made the rounds over the course of the weekend from Geno Smith and Muhummad Wilkerson to Joe Klecko and Freeman McNeil. We managed to spot guard Brian Winters and former quarterback Ray Lucas during the busy Saturday session chatting casually and posing for fan photographs here and there. Although there wasn’t much for fans to celebrate during the season, the New York Jets often find other ways to give back to some of their most avid supporters. At the second annual “Jets House,” there wasn’t a fan or a player in attendence that wasn’t enjoying his or herself- a testament to the team’s commitment to their loyal fanbase, despite a disappointing year.

- Dave Gendelson

Though it’s the middle of January, throngs of New York sports fans flocked to Times Square Wednesday night donning their favorite baseball jerseys, hats and t-shirts as the hot stove talk was heating up a chilly winter night in New York City. The famed B.B. King’s would be transformed from intimate concert venue to a lengthy and detailed discussion of all things Major League Baseball, hosted by some of the country’s most acclaimed sportswriters and talking heads on the subject. The evening titled ‘Pitch: Talks on Baseball’ was the sole local stop for the traveling panel which originated in Toronto but is poised to stop at different baseball hotbeds around the country with a shuffling lineup of notable speakers.
The evening kicked off with the introduction of Boston Globe writer Pete Abraham, who would serve as the program’s moderator for each of the three separate panel discussions. To his credit, Abraham kept the discourse moving along smoothly as he posed a litany of questions at each of the writers that surrounded him and kept each of the participants engaged throughout the course of the evening. ‘Pitch: Talks’ kicked off with the arrival of three of baseball’s nationally recognized personalities- ESPN Senior Writer Buster Olney, FOX Sports Senior Writer Ken Rosenthal and Sports Illustrated contributor and Hall of Fame aficionado Jay Jaffe. For nearly forty-five minutes, the quartet kicked around the rumor mill from the remaining free agents – nobody knows which team will emerge from the fray to pay Max Scherzer or James Shields- to the pending backlog of Hall of Famers and prospective users of performance enhancing drugs. (Olney believes that once Mike Piazza is voted in- likely next year- that the dam will break on all suspected PED users)

Following a brief intermission, the talk turned to the local teams. A room filled with disgruntled New York Mets fans expressed their displeasure first as the enthusiastic crowd clamored for the Wilpons to sell the team. Buster Olney returned to the stage, flanked by ESPN’s Adam Rubin and Sportsnet NY’s Matthew Cerrone to quell much of the sentiment- proclaiming that Commissioner Bud Selig‘s relationship with the Wilpon family and their strident content with owning the Mets would prevent a change of ownership from ever taking place. The questions from there shifted to the Mets’ farm system, general manager Sandy Alderson‘s unwillingness to trade the team’s young pitching and the contingency plan at shortstop heading into 2015. The panel managed to agree that this is the make or break year for manager Terry Collins and that the team projects to be above .500 and potentially be in the hunt in September, which would make this season a successful one for the perennially disappointing Flushing team.

Closing out the evening, Abraham welcomed Jaffe back to the stage for another 45 minutes of conversation about the New York Yankees. The New York Times’ Tyler Kepner and WFAN’s Sweeny Murti would commiserate over the state of the Bronx Bombers, who seem to enter spring training with a multitude of question marks despite the team’s best infield defense in years. Unsurprisingly, much of the early chatter revolved around the return of Alex Rodriquez, suspended for 2014 for a number of performance enhancing drug related reasons. Kepner implied that if Rodriquez could return to fairly pedestrian numbers (.250, 15 home runs, 60 rbis), then this season would be deemed a satisfying one, despite a contract that pays him $61 million over the next three years. The guessing continued on the bounce back years for veterans Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and the recovery of Masahiro Tanaka to stabilize a team that has lost its identity with the retirement of its four home grown stars Jeter, Rivera, Posada and Pettitte over the last few years.

Each of the three sessions was both fun and informative, giving fans their own personal window to watch an episode of Baseball Tonight unfold right in front of them. Best of all, attendees were able to ask their own questions of each panel which was particularly revelatory in that it seems all New York baseball fans are hungry for a winner and are frustrated with some of the decisions made by ownership and the selfishness of some players. In the country’s largest market, our baseball teams owe the fans more than medicority on the diamond and only time will tell if things will be any different in 2015.

- Dave Gendelson

There’s no reason to look back at the 2014 New York Jets season. It was a disaster from Week Two onward. The offense never clicked regardless of which ineffective quarterback was under center and the defense, try as it might, couldn’t save the team on its own. Coming off the promise of an 8-8 season a year ago, there was hope that quarterback Geno Smith would mature and adapt to the fast-paced pressure of NFL defenses and head coach Rex Ryan, despite minimal personnel upgrades by general manager John Idzik, would continue to be a motivating force for the entire roster. Whether the latter happened is a little too metaphysical to discuss here, but the prior most certainly did not. That’s why today- Ryan and Idzik are out and Smith’s future, at least as the starting quarterback, remains up in the air. However, the team’s future is starting to come into focus.

On Tuesday, the Jets announced the hiring of Houston Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan to be their new general manager just as news leaked that Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator, and former Jets assistant, Todd Bowles would become their new head coach. Both moves are very positive, from this seat. Maccagnan should be a huge boon to the Jets’ draft this year and beyond, something with which they desperately need help. While they have made some outstanding selections high in the draft in recent years, such as Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson, they have also missed badly with the likes of Dee Milliner, Kyle Wilson and Vernon Gholston, who, in fairness, was not drafted by the most recent regime.

That’s just on the defensive side of the ball. Offensively, they have almost nothing to show from recent drafts. Smith doesn’t appear to be, just as Mark Sanchez wasn’t, the answer at quarterback. Wide receiver Stephen Hill, drafted during the second round in 2012, couldn’t stay on the field and former USC running back, and 2010 draftee, Joe McKnight wasn’t handled properly. It seems everyone wants the Jets to draft University of Oregon star quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, Marcus Mariota, should he be available, but that’s another Band-Aid for a bullet wound. Don’t get me wrong, Mariota has the makings of a good pro, but the Jets need so much help everywhere that they must first get younger at, believe it or not, more dire positions. It’s also highly unlikely that Mariota, who just declared his eligibility for the 2015 draft this week, will be available when the Jets make their selection with the sixth pick.

The goal for Maccagnan should be to get stronger on the offensive line, find cornerbacks who can cover as well as play the ball and score a running back around whom to build the offense. The latter would relieve the pressure on Smith or whichever quarterback Maccagnan signs, perhaps Ryan Mallett, with whom the new general manager is familiar from Houston, or Shaun Hill, previously of the Rams- as short term stop gaps. Mallett and Hill aren’t franchise-changing quarterbacks, but both are serviceable for the time being. Certainly not all of this rebuilding can be done with draft picks of course, but the Jets are in a good position with plenty of salary cap space heading into the offseason with a solid crop of free agents available. Once the Jets can show they are in the midst of a successful youth movement, then maybe it’s time that they find their quarterback of the future.

For first-time head coach Bowles, the goal will be similar to that of his predecessor as Bowles may be the pre-eminent defensive coach in the game today, having turned around both the Eagles and Cardinals. Once there is talent in the secondary, there isn’t much doubt that Bowles will be able to scheme to his team’s strengths. The bigger question mark lies on the other side of the ball, which is a surprise to absolutely no one. Offensively, Bowles will rely on former Bills head coach Chan Gailey, who hasn’t coached since 2012. The positive for Jets fans is that Gailey’s biggest missteps as Bills coach was with the defense, so without the need to split his focus, he should be able to make something out of the nothing that is the Jets offense, which he did without a star quarterback in Buffalo.

All in all, the Jets are set up for the future in three different ways. Everyone will get a glimpse of said future just a few months from now at the 2015 NFL Draft, when Maccagnan will have his first opportunity to show the Gang Green faithful why he’s the man for the job. And that’s exactly what everyone involved with the Jets wants: a reason to look forward.

My 2014 New York Jets Prediction: 9-7

- Jordan Rubenstein

While the uncertainty continues to swarm around more than a handful of NFL franchises as the final games of 2015 are played out, New York Giants co-owner John Mara made sure that the head of his team remains entrenched- at least for next season- following a disappointing 6-10 campaign.  With news that both head coach Tom Coughlin and General Manager Jerry Reese will return, there is at least some structure in place for an organization that’s been in steady decline for two straight years.  But news of defensive coordinator Perry Fewell’s departure- once the organization’s crowd jewel of coaching- has begun the rumor mill campaigning for former coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to return Big Blue to defensive dominance.  That coaching hire is just one of the lingering offseason questions that plagues the New York Giants, a team that rattled off three of four wins to close out the season following seven straight losses in the middle of their schedule.

The 2014 campaign will prove to be significant for one reason: the unearthing of New York’s next big star.  Rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr., exploded on the scene to the tune of 91 catches, 1300 yards and 12 touchdowns despite missing 12 games.  Fans will undoubtedly be drooling at the prospects of Beckham torching cornerbacks in 2015 alongside Victor Cruz who missed a good portion of the season with a serious knee injury.  But there’s no guarantee that Cruz will be able to return to form, despite a positive prognosis thus far in early 2015.  Time will most surely tell.  Injuries aside, there’s plenty of decisions that the team needs to make to return to glory in the NFC East.

GM Jerry Reese’s biggest decision comes in the form of the team’s biggest defensive playmaker.  Jason Pierre-Paul, a disappearing act of a difference maker is an unrestricted free agent and one that rose to prominence in his rookie season, attacked opposing quarterbacks for nine sacks in this past season’s final five games, and did little of note in between.  Although the Franchise Tag is certainly in play, after seeing names like Strahan, Tuck, Umenyiora and Kiwanuka leave town in recent years, the team would be best suited to lock up the 26 year old Defensive End to a long term, if not overly onerous deal.  With a lack of star power currently on the defensive side of the ball, keeping JPP in town is likely priority number one- and short of luring Ndamukong Suh to New York (and paying his likely $20 million tab) aside, it would be a big blow to have Pierre-Paul donning a different jersey in 2015.

Since the Giants aren’t stocked at every position- can you name their starting linebackers for next season?- they’ll have to restock the roster through careful free agent signings and shrewd low-cost options.  Selected the 9^th pick of the 2015 NFL Draft will surely be a boon.  While Suh would certainly find a home here stabilizing the defense, it’s doubtful that the team will be able to succumb to his salary demands.  The same goes for cornerback Darrelle Revis.  The list of unrestricted free agents though does offer up some hope.  Could the team take a shot on Greg Hardy, the Panthers defensive end suspended indefinitely for domestic abuse?  Could big name linebackers like Justin Houston (gulp!), Brian Orakpo or the more affordable Brooks Reed be brought into town?  Couldn’t you see Chargers running back Ryan Mathews taking handoffs from Eli Manning next year?  Or Knowshon Moreno at the right price?  Once the coaching carousel finishes spinning many of these questions will be answered- and swiftly.  But for now, let’s enjoy the speculating- anything to take our minds off of that dreadful 6-10 season, which I predicted accurately here.

My 2014 New York Giants Prediction: 6-10

- Tim Sachs

Well the wheels have certainly fallen off in 2014 for the New York Giants.  With each game being a must win just to keep pace with the Eagles and Cowboys who are running away with the NFC East, the Giants rolled off four straight losses – and a whopping seven straight in all – to bring three quarters of their season to a merciful close.  Painful as it’s been for Big Blue this season, the glimmers of hope for the future are but a mere point of solace for a group of players that have been outplayed, outcoached and for much of the year have underperformed.

It’s not unfair to say that this appears to be the swan song for Head Coach Tom Coughlin, who returned the Giants to their defensively minded, power running glory days that the team enjoyed in the 1980′s and early 1990′s.  Two Super Bowl rings is certainly nothing to scoff at and Coughlin’s resume has likely been sufficient enough to grant him a seat in Canton one day, where the Pro Football Hall of Fame awaits.  But now putting pleasantries aside, it’s time for the team to head in a new direction.

With a quarterback that can pass with surgical precision and also make bonehead throws during the same drive, Eli Manning has certainly done enough to plant his flag in New York for years to come despite some maddening periods of inconsistency.  While the addition of new Offensive Coordinator Bob McAdoo has been an adjustment, the pair has seemed to mesh fairly well in recent weeks despite a schedule of games against some of the league’s stingiest defenses.  Typically, new coaches like to bring in their own staffs and only time will tell if McAdoo will be granted another year to utilize a full compliment of healthy position players.  As you recall, just as newly annointed New York darling Odell Beckham Jr. was getting ready to debut this season, fellow wideout Victor Cruz went down for the year with a knee injury.  It’s just been that kind of year for the Giants.

Unfortunately, while the offense has been hot and cold, the defense has been an outright disappointment.  Their lack of pass rush has never shown signs of turning around and 2014 bottomed out with a loss to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars where the team left a 21 point lead on the field in Florida.  The middle of the road defense (15th in points allowed, 14th in yards, 13th in pass yards) should be able to feast on the likes of the Tennessee Titans (editor’s note: the team trounced Tennessee 36-7 on Sunday), Washington and the Rams before a tough end of season matchup with division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles puts 2014 to bed.  But this year, even the gimmes have been tough battles for the Giants.

At 3-9, the Giants and their stadium mates the Jets haven’t given the New York/New Jersey area much to cheer for in 2014.  But the downward trend under Coughlin’s reign has to put his future in New York in jeopardy.  And given the team’s recent failures to attract quality free agents and ones that play effectively, it might be time to bring in a defensive guru to really overhaul what’s been a mostly disappointing unit.  Perhaps a certain head coach that is already in town, maybe?  Nonetheless, the team doesn’t have much left to play for than its pride.  Although spoiling the season for Philadelphia in the season’s final week might just give any remaining Giants fans cause to celebrate something in a lost 2014 campaign.

My 2014 New York Giants Prediction: 6-10

- Tim Sachs

Since there aren’t enough printable adjectives to describe the 2014 New York Jets season in full, it’s a good thing Rex Ryan’s facial expressions tell the tale.

It’s been an abomination, an embarrassment, a train wreck.

Rehashing what’s obvious to even the casual viewer is an exercise in stupidity. It’s become abundantly clear that the Jets have no passing game, a terrible secondary and no clear direction for the future. It’s beginning to look like the mid 1990s all over again. Where’s Keyshawn Johnson? Heck, where’s Adrian Murrell?

The Jets sit at 2-10 as they await the final quarter of their season. The good news for Jets fans? There’s only one home game remaining. This past Monday, Gang Green actually played admirably against the rival Miami Dolphins before collapsing and losing, 16-13. So what are the reasons for Jets fans to tune in these final four weeks? Are there any other than to spend more time with their heads in their hands?

For one, it’s an important test for Chris Ivory. Can he regain his form from the early part of the season? He’s shown signs of slowing down of late with Chris Johnson switching to the role of featured back. Johnson has looked like the cutting runner the Jets expected when they signed him to a two-year deal last offseason. However, Johnson is getting old – for a running back, anyway – and by letting him go, the Jets salary cap hit will be significantly reduced ($2MM in dead money if he’s released versus a $5.25MM cap hit if he stays). And the Jets need all the cap space they can drum up.

Ivory is the more likely of the two to get better from one season to the next, but also may not be able to handle the workload as the man. With the team in rebuilding mode, it’ll be tough to attract top-tier free agents, so if Ivory can provide consistent productivity as the season grows long, he’s a good option over Johnson for next season.

Continuing on the offensive side of the ball, can newly-acquired Percy Harvin stay healthy? If so, he provides a great speed complement to the size of Eric Decker. Where Harvin fits in this year’s offense doesn’t matter much, with Ryan and his staff surely on their way out on Black Monday, but just keeping Harvin on the field is the key. A receiver with a history of concussions is a dangerous situation. First and foremost, for the health of player and secondly, and less importantly, for the team that relies on him to provide a spark. If Harvin can get back to regular playing time, the new coaching staff will inherit a player with playmaking ability, something the Jets have lacked from the wide receiver position since the Santana Moss days.

Defensively, you may be getting your final look at some players. The likes of Dawan Landry and Kyle Wilson probably won’t be missed, but linebacker David Harris is a different story entirely. The seven-year veteran is due to become an unrestricted free agent and he’s someone the Jets cannot afford to lose. This season, he’s registered three sacks and 90 tackles, good for second on the team. He hasn’t lost a step and is still a force in the middle. But he’s going to be coveted in free agency and might look for a team that currently considers itself a contender.

Though under team control for another year, now may be a good time to try to lock up defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson. Since coming into the league in 2011, he’s been a beast for the Jets, creating an exceptional bookend duo with Sheldon Richardson. The Jets absolutely must keep Harris, Wilkerson and Richardson together. With an overhaul of the secondary, the defense would then be a strength in 2015.

Finding positives in a season like this is difficult. The best thing Jets fans have going for them right now is that Giants fans aren’t running their mouths about the greatness of their football team. There’s plenty of misery to go around the New York and New Jersey area- south of Buffalo anyway. Want evidence? Just look at Rex Ryan’s face over the next four weeks.

My 2014 New York Jets Prediction: 9-7

- Jordan Rubenstein

When my last report ran, the New York Giants were 3-2 and things looked on the upswing in East Rutherford, New Jersey following a strong 30-20 victory over a now much less impressive Atlanta Falcons. But what a change a month can make and at the halfway point in the 2014 campaign, the Giants have been pummeled in three straight games and have fallen to 3-5 on the year. Despite a brief breath of optimism, the roller coaster ride has continued for Big Blue and with their most challenging portion of the schedule over the next three weeks, the team is going to need to work quickly to patch up a group that seems to be sprouting leaks from every side.

We waited patiently for first round draft pick Odell Beckham Jr. to suit up for the first time this year and join a stable corps of wideouts- only to lose Victor Cruz for the season with a career threatening knee injury. We watched as running back Rashad Jennings seemed to become the yard gobbling machine that we had hoped- only to watch him go down with a knee sprain that has prevented him from playing in each of the team’s last three games and counting. We annointed tight end Larry Donnell the second coming of Mark Bavaro only to watch him disappear for much of the last four games amid a fog of drops, fumbles and ineffectiveness.

After eight weeks of play, it’s fairly obvious to even the most untrained eye that the New York Giants remain an inconsistent and unbalanced football team. Offensively, quarterback Eli Manning looks poised for his finest season as a signal-caller yet- and still, the team only seems to score touchdowns when the games are already out of reach. Though the offense isn’t always getting blanked, the defense hasn’t held up its end of the bargain punctuated by Monday night’s fresh 40-24 throttling by the Indianapolis Colts that makes the score sound much closer than the game tape showed.

Though injuries are a big part of a team’s success year after year- there aren’t reinforcements on the way back that are likely to salvage what appears to be another lost season in New York. Prince Amukamara is now gone for the year joining Walter Thurmond III, Trumaine McBride and Jon Beason among the 11 players lost on the defensive side and Jennings is likely to return over the next few weeks- matchups against the Seahawks, 49ers and even the Cowboys are among some monumental challenges that the Giants will face in running the ball. Unfortunately for the team, the schedule softens at a time that’s probably far too late in the year for the Giants to make much headway in a division where the Cowboys and Eagles have proven to be ensconced as its frontrunners. And if head coach Tom Coughlin and offensive coordinator Bob McAdoo don’t figure out a way to right this ship and put some points on the scoreboard, the result is likely to be terminal for both. With the likelihood of a fifth season out of the playoffs over the last six- and a second consecutive record of under .500- not even the team’s end of season heroics will be able to salvage the respected coach this time.  It’s hard to be a football fan in this town right now.

My 2014 New York Giants Prediction: 6-10

- Tim Sachs

Forget the spin. Forget the statistics. Forget anything even remotely positive. The New York Jets are officially a train wreck. Undeniably, it has been written in this space that quarterback Geno Smith deserves time and that certain expectations bestowed upon him have been unfair. And that still holds true as of this writing. However, the fact that he has regressed so dramatically even in four short weeks is inexcusable.

To his credit, Smith isn’t making any excuses. He faces the media firing squad with humility and an acknowledgement of his deficiencies, but also with a somewhat defiant tone. He won’t give up, he won’t quit and he still believes in himself even though he’s been benched for the infamous Michael Vick. Whether his self-confidence is legitimate, no one really knows, perhaps not even the man himself. But you simply cannot throw three interceptions in eight pass attempts as Smith did this past Sunday during a brutal 42-23 loss at home to the Buffalo Bills, dropping Gang Green’s record to an abysmal 1-7.

Candidly, this is the kind of season I expected last year when I predicted the Jets would finish 4-12 due to an inexperienced Smith, a lack of offensive weaponry and a suspect secondary. The Jets managed to do the unthinkable and surprised everyone when they competed above their talent level to an 8-8 finish, ensuring another season for embattled coach Rex Ryan. Now with a second year of coming-into-his-own running back Chris Ivory, the addition of receiver Eric Decker and an established defensive front anchored by Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson, the Jets surely should not have regressed. We’re not talking about wins and losses here. We’re talking about level of play.

Coming into 2014, everyone knew the schedule was going to be tough to navigate, so there was always a lingering possibility that their record would be worse than last year. That’s simply the nature of playing elite-level opponents. What has happened throughout the first half of the season, though, is mindboggling. The defense has allowed less than 24 points just once, against the miserable, winless Oakland Raiders. In equally futile fashion, the offense has scored more than 24 also just once. That’s really all that needs to be said. It’s a clear-as-day indication that the Jets are suffering on both sides of the ball. Hmmm, I’m not sure about you, but that generally makes it tough to win football games.

Head Coach Rex Ryan is quickly molding into the second incarnation of Rich Kotite. You remember Kotite, right? The former Jets coach who led the organization to a 3-13 season in 1995 only to follow that up with an even less successful 1-15 campaign in 1996. Oh, and then he never coached in the NFL again. Will Ryan suffer the same post-Jets fate as Kotite when he’s eventually fired after the season? No, probably not. At the very least, Ryan will be hired somewhere as a defensive coordinator and will likely find success yet again. That’s his sweet spot and one that he should stick with. He can motivate and, when he actually has talent in the secondary, he can scheme with the best of them, like his father before him. Plenty of axed head coaches have gone back to being successful coordinators. There’s no shame in that. But does that mean for the head coaching vacancy here in New York?

Much of that depends on whether General Manager John Idzik makes it past Black Monday, but based on his awkward, rambling press conference this past week, in which he sounded more like he was admitting to a crime than taking blame for a football team’s shortcomings, it’s clear Idzik thinks his job is in jeopardy. Idzik needs to go, period. End of story, end of quotation. He was brought in as a salary cap guru and has done little to improve the on-field product. Some players have underperformed and that’s on them individually, but it’s clear the Jets need a new direction at the top. The current plan just isn’t working and with one step forward, eight steps backward results, that’s not likely to change soon.

If Idzik is let go along with Ryan, what does that mean for Smith? How about veteran players like Dawan Landry, Nick Mangold and David Harris? Time will tell, but as that time goes by, this team will only get older. The future isn’t now, not by a long shot. And if owner Woody Johnson wants to have a successful future, the planning begins now. Clean house, rebuild and start from the bottom.  After all, how much lower can these Jets go anyway?

My 2014 New York Jets Prediction: 9-7

- Jordan Rubenstein

(Editor’s Note: This column was filed prior to the Giants’ 30-20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, bringing the team to 3-2)

What are we to make of this roller coaster ride that is the four month NFL regular season, where each week talking heads and avid fans are either walking their way into the playoffs or walking off of a bridge with each win and loss? What are we to make of a New York Giants squad coming off of two ugly losses to open the season, followed by two convincing victories against a potential playoff team and a division rival? Or of a new-look offense that looked more lost than found just a few weeks ago before turning into a scoring juggernaut in weeks 3 and 4 (And 5!) with back to back games of 30 points or more? Is it possible all that the Giants needed to do was to take Aaron Rodgers’ advice and simply ‘Relax?’

More often than not a team lives and dies with its quarterback play, but although Eli Manning has played mostly mistake free football against Houston and Washington, he’s not entirely the reason for the team’s success. That would fall on the team’s defense who opened 2014 in pedestrian fashion before holding the same two teams to under twenty points in back to back weeks. The tale of two teams continues when you consider that the Giants faced the likes of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Kirk Cousins in weeks 3 and 4- not exactly the Rodgers and Bradys of the world after posting losses to likely playoff contenders Detroit and Arizona to start the season. But formulaically, the team does appear to be setting itself on the right track by not turning the ball over and by holding teams to stops where it needs to- the methodical means by which most teams find success in the NFL.

While the road to week 5 does seem to have been a bit windy at 2-2, the weeks ahead will prove pivotal to unearth where the 2014 New York Giants are headed. And unfortunately, this schedule is not getting any easier. The explosive Atlanta Falcons might prove to be the easiest of the team’s upcoming games- beginning a slate of back to back road games with NFC East adversaries- first at 3-1 Philadelphia and then at 3-1 Dallas, both of whom looked poised to be competitive in December and January. The week 8 bye will likely be just what the doctor ordered before another challenging foursome against the Colts, Seahawks, 49ers and again against Dallas- an absolutely brutal schedule for any team to encounter.

Help is most certainly on the way though for the Giants. After the lengthiest hamstring related hold out in the history of sports, first round draft pick Odell Beckham, Jr. plans to suit up this weekend and MLB Jon Beason shouldn’t be far behind. With the emergence of tight end Larry Donnell and a rejuvenated receiving corps, Manning has completed more than 70% of his passes over the last two weeks, an encouraging upward trend based on the quarterback’s own lofty preseason goals. The run game meanwhile has looked equally impressive with free agent signee Rashad Jennings rumbling for 176 yards against Houston and, paired with rookie running back Andre Williams, the twosome worked for for 111 yards in the 31 point blowout in Washington.

It’s tough to say definitively whether the Giants have turned the corner- it’s much too early in the season and the schedule dictates that the team’s most difficult challenges are yet to come. But I am most certainly impressed by the way their defense has responded after a rough start and Manning looks to be adapting to new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo‘s schemes after some shaky performances to open the year. If the Giants can manage to take down the Eagles and Cowboys before their bye-week, then we can start considering the potential of what may come. But for now, at 2-2 I still have my doubts that this team can hang with the big boys in the NFC. We’ll certainly have a better feel for Big Blue come November.

My 2014 New York Giants Prediction: 6-10

- Tim Sachs

(Editor’s Note: This column was filed prior to the Jets’ 31-0 drubbing by the San Diego Chargers, dropping the team to 1-4)

The start to Geno Smith’s 2014 season has been feverishly and ferociously frantic. What? What other words beginning with “F” did you expect? In all seriousness, Smith has looked much like the quarterback that led the Jets last season: inconsistent, panicked and unsure of himself. Come to think of it, the Jets as a whole resemble their 2013 selves. In some ways, that’s a positive. In most though, it’s not.

Problems at Quarterback

Regarding Smith in particular, Jets fans seem to have expected a major leap forward from him this season. No one can really explain the rationale behind that, though. Remember that Smith was thrown into the starting role last season by default because there was no one else capable of handling the position. So it was trial by fire all season long. It could take Smith the rest of this season to fully understand his role in a pro-style offense. Most quarterbacks don’t have the type of immediate impacts that Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger have had early on. The Cincinnati Bengals gave their signal-caller Andy Dalton a six-year extension before this season and he threw one less interception than Smith did in 2013, his third as a starter. There are also legitimate questions that remain about Dalton’s ability to be successful in clutch moments. So let’s not act as if every quarterback is setting the league on fire except for Smith.

Other than his number of fumbles, Smith is on pace to better his statistics from last season, including his completion percentage, touchdowns and passing yards. And, yes, if things hold, he’ll actually throw one less interception. Unfortunately, patience and the New York market do not necessarily go hand in hand. Ask the Wilpons about that. But one must recognize that Smith is improving and all in the face of a brutal first quarter of the season. This team could be 2-2 as opposed to 1-3 with either some better defense at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers or without some early mistakes – yes, including a pick-6 by Smith – against the Chicago Bears.

Smith should lean on his running attack of veteran Chris Johnson and standout Chris Ivory until he becomes more comfortable as a drop-back passer. The Jets currently rank second in the NFL with 151.2 rushing yards per game. Offensive coordinator and chief timeout officer Marty Mornhinweg cannot ignore that fact. A confident quarterback breeds a confident offense.

The Defense

Speaking of the ground game, defensively the Jets have done a great job, taking the top spot in the league after four weeks, allowing just 63.2 yards per game. However, that does not excuse the fact that the defensive unit has just two takeaways thus far. Basic football tells you that you have to create turnovers at some point to be a winning team. And while Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler and Matthew Stafford are all exceptional quarterbacks, at some point, you have to pull down some interceptions. Like last season, the Jets continue to get to the quarterback, totaling 14 sacks thus far, led, of course, by Muhammad Wilkerson as well as Demario Davis and Sheldon Richardson. But the secondary struggles are also no different than last year, surrendering nine scores through the air already, enough for third-worst in football.

Where’s the improved coverage? Where’s the boastful Dee Milliner? Both are missing in action and if they don’t show up soon, Phillip Rivers, Peyton Manning and even the recently-struggling Tom Brady will carve the Jets up for some ugly scores over the next few weeks. At that point, the Jets will be staring at a 1-6 hole, playing for draft positioning in the 2015 NFL Draft. That’s not a good thing.

Use Ivory and Johnson, play two tight ends to give Smith some added security and get help from the cornerbacks. Then, maybe, the Jets could turn this around. But if something doesn’t change quickly, there are going to be a lot more words beginning with “F” thrown around at MetLife Stadium in the days ahead.

My 2014 New York Jets Prediction: 9-7

- Jordan Rubenstein