Category Archives: New York Jets
From Greg Hanlon, our man at Capital New York….
When it comes to profanity-laced exultations of joy that are caught on camera, Steve Weatherford’s reaction to Lawrence Tynes’ game winning-field goal in the conference championship game against the 49ers last week might not have had the significance of, say, Joe Biden’s reaction to universal health care.
But to Giants fans, the field goal—which was made possible by Weatherford’s nifty hold of a bad snap, and which Weatherford reacted to by screaming in view of Fox’s camera that the Giants were going to the “mother—— Super Bowl”—was a pretty big deal in its own right.
Tagged New York Giants, New York Jets, Steve Weatherford |
The Giants’ 29-14 win over the Jets on Christmas Eve at MetLife Stadium has been pinpointed as the catalyst for this latest run at the Super Bowl. The Giants have been running roughshod over everyone since then. After disposing of the Jets in surprisingly easy fashion, the Giants have dominated Dallas, Atlanta and Green Bay in the ensuing weeks.
The Giants rediscovered the running game vs the Jets and the offense started to gel. The defensive front four was finally back together for the first time all year.
The WheelHouse discusses the hottest topics involving the Giants’ playoff run in a game of “Hit or Miss”, including Jets’ coach Rex Ryan possibly sparking the Giants’ sudden success….
Tagged New York Giants, New York Jets |
Meeting New York Jets’ wide receiver Santonio Holmes at a fundraiser on December 12th at the Fresh Meadow Country Club on Long Island had temporarily changed my perception of the Jets’ star (temporarily being the key word).
Like most, viewing him from a distance over his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Jets, had caused me to (fairly or unfairly) assume certain things about Holmes based on the media-shaped perception of him.
I knew of the great talent Holmes was on the field, but I was also aware of the marijuana-related four-game suspension, and the Pittsburgh Steelers being forced to release the former Super Bowl MVP after they ran out of patience with an apparent selfish player who couldn’t put his team first nor stay out of trouble off the field.
Yet, while interviewing him along with Dr. Bill Chachkes, the founder of Giants Football Blog’s affiliate site, Football Reporters Online, I found Holmes to be gracious, accommodating, patient, and engaging while answering both football-related questions and those about his III & Long foundation, which Holmes started after his son Santonio III was diagnosed with sickle cell disease in 2009.
The Jets were 8-5 then, riding a three-game winning streak. And, Holmes was telling me that as long as the Jets had the opportunity they had the past two years as a wild-card team, they could make another serious run at reaching the AFC title game for a third straight year, and perhaps their first Super Bowl in 43 years.
Tagged New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL |
Jets’ QB Mark Sanchez threw the football 59 times in yesterday’s game. For a team that prides itself on running the football, that says a lot about how much of the game was dictated by the Giants. The Jets were forced to play 21st century football and found they were not equipped to do so.
The Jets held the football for 36 minutes, but did little with it in the 89 plays they ran. The Jets’ “ground and pound” gameplan went nowhere. They gained only 3.7 yards per play. The Giants, who got the memo that the NFL is a quick strike league, only had the rock for only 24 minutes.
The Jets tried to move the ball with short passes, but the Giants’ defensive line was savvy – getting their arms up to disrupt Sanchez – and batting down five passes at the line.
The Jets received loads of help from the officials, too, getting back two lost fumbles (one actually went for a TD) after the plays were reversed by replay. This could have been a blowout.
The Jets took an early 7-0 lead, but only after they were bailed out by the Giants on a 4th-and-4 play by a penalty (12 men on the field). Sanchez’ bang-bang sideline pass to RB Shonn Greene fell incomplete and had nothing to do with the Giants having an extra man in bounds.
The Jets other TD came courtesy of the Giants as well. In the fourth quarter, the Jets went on a 15-play drive, culminating with them fumbling the ball away at the goal line. The Giants, instead of turning to the run, inexplicably passed on the first play. The ball caromed off WR Hakeem Nicks’ chest and into the hands of Jets LB David Harris’ arms.
Sanchez would score five plays later, but not after the Jets were aided for a third time by a call on the field being reversed after review. On 1st and 20, Giants’ DT Linval Joseph slapped the ball from Sanchez’ hand while he was attempting to pass. The Jets fell on the loose ball. The officials ruled the play a fumble on the field but reversed it after review, calling it an incomplete pass. Based on the angles presented, a case could be made for either side.
On 3rd and 12, the Giants chased Sanchez into running for a 2-yard gain. Antrel Rolle was flagged for holding on the play, giving the Jets a first down on the one-yard line. Sanchez snuck in on a bootleg the next play. They would not score again.
Tagged New York Giants |
Yesterday, the Giants held true to their pedigree. They did not play a stellar game nor did their opponent, but they gutted out a win. There are enough leftovers and remnants of the Super Bowl XLII squad at times to pick up the pieces when things do not go as planned. They are personified by their head coach, who has heart and integrity and is a class act. They followed his lead and came out on top.
Tom Coughlin even took one for the team yesterday, getting his knee taken out on the sideline, but he remained true to form refusing to surrender.
“I got it on the knee but I think it is up higher,” the coach said. “You can imagine what the players said when they went by, ‘No toughness, no championship.’ I said, ‘You are exactly right.’”
He was asked if he was going for an MRI.
“I am not going anywhere or checking anything,” Coughlin answered staunchly.
The Jets were too concerned about who was the better team in New York, forgetting there are 30 other cities they would have to master as well if they are ever to return to a Super Bowl. In the end, it’s about execution, and the Giants – in spite of having EVERY review go against them – managed to capitalize on enough Jet mistakes to make them pay and most likely send them home for the postseason.
“They did a lot of talking and we let our play do the talking for us. We will just leave it at that,” said Giants safety Kenny Phillips.
From Geico SportsNite:
Tagged New York Giants, New York Jets |
Jason Pierre Paul sacked Jets QB Mark Sanchez twice yesterday (Getty Images)
by Jon Wagner
The New York Giants proved they’re New York football’s finest. Now, they’ll have a good chance to finish with the much greater reward of a division title.
For the Giants, it was a perfect way to close the calendar year. With a single victory, they ended the season of one rival, put another’s in serious jeopardy, and gained momentum for a first-place, regular season finale showdown with a third.
After spotting the New York Jets (8-7) an early 7-0 lead, the Giants (8-7) scored the next 20 points, and ultimately, the final nine points, to beat their co-tenants for a fifth straight time, 29-14, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on Saturday.
The Giants’ victory puts the Jets’ postseason hopes in peril. To make the playoffs, the Jets will need to win at Miami, and have both Cincinnati and Tennessee, and either Denver or Oakland lose next week.
Tagged New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL Week 16 |
From Andy Furman of Ultimate NYG…
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
And so it was when a mediocre team played against another mediocre team in a must win situation, one of the two teams must win. The NY Giants prevailed. But let’s be honest and objective about this contest- both teams s*cked. Dropped balls, penalties, dead ball fouls, crazy plays, screwball turnovers that weren’t and were, insane playcalls… there was a lot of bad football out there. The Giants came out on top, proving that yes indeed, they are the best football team in NY. This is not something I’d be bragging about a whole helluva lot.
Tagged New York Giants, New York Jets |
In a game that didn’t unfold quite as expected, but the Giants topped the Jets, 29-14 at MetLife Stadium this afternoon in the most anticipated game of this uneven season. They survived a subpar performance by their star QB and were further deterred by several overturned calls by the officials, but prevailed in the end over their crosstown rivals.
The win means the Giants will play for the NFC East title next Sunday vs Dallas. The Philadelphia Eagles, who have been hot of late, were eliminated from the playoffs by virtue of the Giants’ victory.
The Giants (8-7) won the battle for New York by throttling the Jets’ running game and forcing the Jets to put Mark Sanchez in passing situations. Sanchez attempted a career-high 59 passes, completing 30 of them for 258 yards and a TD. He threw 2 INTs and avoided several others as he was harassed by Giant defenders all day.
Eli Manning (9-27, 225 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT) hit Victor Cruz on a record 99-yard pass play to get the Giants going in the first half. He seemed out of his element all day, but to fair, he had a few dropped on him and just missed Cruz on another deep pass in the end zone
Cruz’ 99-yard pass play is the longest in in Giants’ history. The previous long was a 98-yarder from Earl Morrall to Homer Jones vs the Steelers in 1966.
Cruz had 164 yards on three catches, giving him 1,358 yards on the year, breaking the Giants’ single-season mark for receiving yards, previously held by Amani Toomer (1,343 in 2002).
The Giants rushed the ball fairly well against the Jets defense, gaining 115 yards on 26 carries. Ahmad Bradshaw had 58 yards and two TDs, including a 19 yarder in the fourth quarter to seal the game. Brandon Jacobs had 42 yards on seven carries.
The defense stepped up and played a terrific game. DE Justin Tuck was back to his old self, and DE Jason Pierre-Paul recorded two sacks. DT Chris Canty had a sack for a safety, which basically iced the game for Big Blue.
Head coach Tom Coughlin was bowled over on the Giants sidelines by RB Danny Ware, who was hit late out of bounds. Coughlin’s leg was visibly bent back and he was attended to briefly by the medical staff on the bench, but then limped back up to the field for the end of the game.
When asked how he felt after the game, Coughlin said, “Never better. Never better.”
Tagged New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL |
In 1988, the 10-5 Giants played the 7-7-1 Jets at Giants Stadium. Like today, the Giants needed a win to make the playoffs (technically, they don’t today) and the Jets were riding out a .500 season. The Jets were the home team and their fans wanted their team to stick a crowbar in the Giants’ spokes and trip them up.
The fans were rabid and the Jets were winning the game until the 4th quarter when Phil Simms hit Lionel Manual for a 9-yard TD, which put the Giants ahead, 21-20.
The fans needed their biggest backer – Fireman Ed – to rally the fans and fuel a Jet comeback. The crowd scanned the stadium for Ed, but they could not find him. Someone else was sitting in his seat.
It was me.
Ed Anzalone and his brother, Frank, have been friends of myself and my brother Tom for as long as I can remember. That week, the Anzalone brothers had a family function they could not miss. They gave their tickets to that game to their favorite Giant fans.
Tommy and I were not stupid enough to wear any type of Giants apparel. Not that we were afraid of being harassed, but out of respect for the Anzalones. We didn’t want the other fans to know they gave their tix to Giant fans. (We also took the bus from Runyon’s in midtown that day and planned on hitting the town after the game).
All game long, fans would come down the aisle looking for them, too. It wasn’t like any of this would have gone unnoticed.
The game was one the Anzalones would have loved. Their seats were in the lower tier on the goal line. That is where the biggest play took place. QB Ken O’Brien found WR Al Toon open in the corner of the end zone in a big mismatch. The Giants had backup veteran DB Tom Flynn guarding Toon due to injuries. O’Brien saw that and made the play.
That was a disappointing game for us, but it was not meant to be. The fans around us knew we were not Jet fans, and treated us well due to the fact that we were friends of Frank and Eddie. Hard to believe that was 23 years ago…
Here is a highlight reel from that day…
Tagged New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL |
The Giants visit the Jets this afternoon at MetLife Stadium with a lot on the line for once. You can thank Rex Ryan for some of that. His boastful ways have created a divisive atmosphere where there was once none.
He blew into New York and staked his claim to the city, not knowing the full lay of the land. He declared to the world that “if you take out one of our guys, we’re gonna take out two of yours.” Which is all well and good from wherever he came from.
But in New York if you talk the talk, you better be able to walk the walk – or you’re going to end up walking the plank. You’re own supporters will see to that.
The truth of the matter is that this is football. Every team goes to the draft, signs free agents, yada, yada, yada. Every team has a weight room and big, tough guys. No one is solely scared of talk. In fact, it usually works in the opponents’ favor.
Today, the Giants, with some scary customers of their own, will show the Jets they do not fear them. The Jets will want to play some smashmouth and the Giants will oblige. It will be a war. Watching the way Philadelphia emasculated the Jets last week, I’d say the Giants have a good shot at doing the same.
The numbers in this game (Jets by 3, O/U 46.5) are simply there to tell you that they expect the game to be close and low-scoring. The cold temperatures will help keep the scoring down, but who ends up on top will be the question.
The Giants have lost five of their last six and game they won was in the final seconds on a blocked FG. The Jets have delivered some turkeys as well of late. The Philly lass was disturbing. That letdown came after three straight wins but before that, they let Tim Tebow beat them in the final minute in Denver.
Here’s some trends for you to chew on courtesy of covers.com…
Tagged New York Giants, New York Jets | ← Older posts
