Big Statement by the New York Jets

The Tennessee Titans were undefeated this season just hours ago. They still were 10-0 until they met the New York Jets who put an end to that streak. Gang Green completely dominated the Titans at home, by record the best team in football, and made a statement to the entire NFL that they are for real and in there for bigger things. Eric Mangini outcoached Jim Fisher, Brett Favre picked the vaunted Titans defense apart and if that wouldn't be enough, the Jets also ran all over one of the finest defensive units in the AFC. Their very own defense, again led by the monstrous and mean Kris Jenkins, made Kerry Collins and the Tennessee offense look as average as they are and at times even worse. All around this was one hell of a performance! Congrats JETS!!!

Knicks Clear House, Randolph Gone Too

At the beginning of the season, with many of Isiah Thomas' players or should I say losers, were still on board. One might have wondered if the New York Knicks are really serious about rebuilding. Now, after they shipped out Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph in a matter of hours, there's no doubt left. Pain, losses and scandals from the recent history seem forgotten. It's the true beginning of a new era in New York. The Knicks under Donnie Walsh have set the sights on the future, on superstar free agents and potential championships after 2010.

Crawford went to Golden State for Al Harrington and Zach Randolph along with Mardy Collins was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas. All the contracts the Knicks received in those deals will end either in 2010 or before and it will help them to get way under the cap that year, a summer in which the likes of LeBron James, Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade are looking at potential new homes. While losing Randolph and Crawford, the two best scorers they had, may hurt them in the next one and a half years, no Knicks fan around the world will shed a tear as these guys were symbolic for the team's demise in recent years. We don't have to go into detail but it was evident that the group of franchise cornerstones former GM and coach Isiah Thomas assembled, Randolph, Crawford, Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry, wouldn't take this team anywhere. Under new coach Mike D'Antoni they might have made the first playoff round this year. But this time around the Knicks aren't about playoff berths or short term success. Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni are serious about winning, real winning, which in the NBA equals only one goal: Championships. A lot of stuff needs to happen, sure, but with a plan on their minds and pieces falling into place, things haven't looked better in New York in almost a decade. And now Mike D'Antoni's comments that are shown on the video screen before every home game at Madison Square Garden don't seem that far fetched anymore. He talks about bringing championship ball back to New York. And after last night, we surely believe him...

Knicks Deal Crawford For Al Harrington

Donnie Walsh's interest in Al Harrington wasn't surprising, given the history between the two and Harrington's bad situation over in Oakland. But that the deal would send Jamal Crawford to the Warriors for the combo forward was pretty suprising yet it makes a lot of sense for the Knicks. They get rid of Crawford's contract which would have ended in 2011 for a contract that that ends in 2010. As we all know, this is the year that Donnie Walsh and the Knicks want to make the big splash in free agency. With this deal they clearly make a step to that goal and in the upcoming days and months we will likely see more moves regarding the long term future.
All future talks and scenarios aside, Harrington is a player that should flourish in D'Antoni's offense and he will give the Knicks a much needed frontcourt player with other bigs like Jared Jeffries and Eddy Curry out. He is a versatile, athletic forward with a good outside shot. He tends to fall in love with it though and forget about his inside game. Crawford's scoring and ball handling will be missed yet nobody will have a problem with sending his erratic play and inconsistent performances out of town. All Knicks fans should wish him well though, he always was a good, likable guy, just not a winner.

Jets Prevent Themselves From Dominance

The New York Jets and their fans couldn't feel any better than they do right now. They are sitting at the top of the AFC East and they are just about a week removed from a classic overtime win against the hated New England Patriots. But there's still something that's giving Gang Green headaches these days with a clash against the unbeaten Tennessee Titans and hopefully even bigger games on the horizon. The Jets have one of the worst pass defenses in the entire NFL and if they can't get that corrected in the next few weeks, a potentially special season could end sooner than expected.

You just can't help but wonder why the Jets can't put it together. On paper, their defense has everything you need to be right their at the top with other feared defenses like the ones from Baltimore, Pittsburgh or the New York Giants. The Jets have a dominant defensive line, anchored by nose tackle Kris Jenkins, that ranks among the best units against the run in the entire NFL. The Jets pass rush, non existant last year, is also among the league's best (3rd in the NFL with 34 sacks, even ahead of the great Giants pass rush). In the secondary you have cornerback Darrelle Revis and safety Kerry Rhodes who are both among the best the league has to offer at their respective positions. Yet the Jets still give up the 3rd most first downs passing, they allow the 5th most passing yards per game and they have allowed the 5th most completions this season.
Of course there are some weak links in te Jets lineup too. Rookie corner Dwight Lowery, after playing terrific early on, goes through some struggles in his first year. Opposing teams pick on him as they won't dare to throw near Darrelle Revis. Behind Lowery you got many names but no real solutions. No wonder New York signed oldie Ty Law last week to help out in the secondary. The Jets linebackers aren't the most gifted or most athletic in coverage and have trouble defending short routes, especially against tight ends. But no defense in the world has every position secured perfectly with an all pro stud yet they still manage to put fear into opposing offenses. While Eric Mangini definitely could use a few new players for his defense, personnel isn't the problem with these Jets.

It is the defensive mindset that is killing them. Since the first day of the season they have been almost scared to death to give up the big play. That's why they drop their corners and safeties way back into zone coverage, yet forget to cover the zone right behind the defensive line. Drop off passes become huge gains for even the most average of tight ends. With their dominant run defense the Jets have their opponents in third and long more often than not but even in these situations, they aren't aggressive or force the issue. No, they just wait until they allow the 10 yard completion. It doesn't seem like a big deal but in the big picture, this bend but don't break approach will tire out the defense and give every opponent a huge amount of confidence. And some players, like New England's Matt Cassell, start to play way above their heads with that newfound confidence.
Eric Mangini has to change this passive approach if he ever wants to send a true dominant defense on the field. Don't be afraid of giving up the big play. Darrelle Revis and Kerry Rhodes are two guys that will make a big play on a deep ball more often than not. The pass rush will make it hard for the opposing QBs to step into long throws. So unleash the players! More blitzes, more people at the line of scrimmage, more man to man play (on every down) and less zone coverage. Only then we will see the entire potential of this defensive group and only then, when Mangini and defensive coordinator Bob Sutton forget about their scared approach, this defense will win entire games for you. And as we all know, this part of your team becomes more and more important with the cold January days looming.

Hopefully we will see adjustments in the next couple of weeks. This season, the Jets and their fans have seen enough completions, enough passive playcalling and enough prevent defense. It's time for a different approach or the Jets will prevent themselves from being as good a team as they can be.

Jets Win Monumental Battle At Foxboro

On a cold and windy night at Foxboro, a ball sailed through the uprights at Gillette Stadium and turned a monumental game into a night to remember for the New York Jets. In an epic battle with the New England Patriots, the Jets prevailed 34-31 in overtime and took a stranglehold of the AFC East Division. Not only did it keep all hopes alive for this season, by beating the Patriots the Jets finally put an end to what has been a nemesis to them for so many years. And now as a franchise, they can move on, to greater heigths and even bigger games.

This was the game that should seal their fate, and the Jets took every shot they could from the proud Patriots. And probably a few more. But they stood strong in hours of struggle, heart breaking plays and near defeat. They bended but didn't break. Brett Favre, the living legend, brought to New York for battles just like this one, put the team on his back and just wouldn't let them down. After Randy Moss tied the game with 1 second to go in regulation, it seemed like the Jets' long time rivals would once again hammer them in as cruel a loss as you can imagine. Yet Brett Favre, aided by incredible rookie tight end Dustin Keller and a gutsy offensive line, drove his team down the field to set up a game winning field goal by Jay Feely. A night that had many heroes for the Jets, all they can do is breath a giant sigh of relief and after that understand that they are now on their way to a special season. Special seasons take special efforts, and there were many turned in by the Green and White tonight. In these moments, just cherish the victory and move on, for the New England Patriots are finally left behind. J-E-T-S!

Knicks Leaving Good Impression

Now before we start to jump up and down over the good 5-3 start by the New York Knicks, let's remember we already had a few ups and downs this year with them as well. We just have to think back to the humiliating loss at Philly or the complete no shows at San Antonio and against the Bucks. But wait, those are already all the Knicks losses. And they still have won five other contests which in recent years might have already been the quarter of their win total for the entire season. So as a Knicks fan to have a good feeling about this year's team is more than just understandable.

Last night in Memphis (132-103) the Knicks once again showed improved team work, confidence and the new found positivity around the team that has helped them to a more than solid season start. The players are smiling, cheering each other up and they are all working together for the one goal which in the game of basketball is winning. Even if many of these guys won't be here in a couple of months and rightfully so, it's refreshing to see the team atleast give it all they got and play solid team basketball. That hasn't been the case on many occasions in recent years and probably won't be for the entire season. But it's still a good start and an enjoyable, too. Keep it up fellas!

Jets Head North To Meet Their Fate

Eric Mangini is known for getting his team up for big games with a little trickery. He likes to show his players legendary boxing matches or other motivational videos in order to raise their intensity level. We don't know what he will show these days but it better be something gutsy and heroic. That's exactly the kind of effort it will take this Thursday, when the New York Jets head north to Foxboro for a deciding clash with their long time rivals, the New England Patriots.

Both teams will enter the game with a record of 6-3, sitting at the top of the AFC East standings. With a win on Thursday night either team would take control of the division and propably wouldn't look back anymore. The loser will be lost in the wild card hunt and his playoff or Super Bowl dreams may be gone for atleast another year. Especially for the Jets this game is more than just another contest with a division foe. The Patriots have dominated the Jets for many years and now Gang Green has the chance to atleast make some of the pain from recent years go away. With a revamped roster that is developing better chemistry by the day and Tom Brady on the sidelines with a knee injury, the chances couldn't be better. This Jets team has one goal and that is go deep into the playoffs. The talent is there but there's one giant mountain left to climb, which is wearing blue, red and silver and is led by Bill Belichick from the sidelines. No matter what the gameplan is, no matter who will be out there on the field or not, this game will be decided in the minds of the 22 men on the field. And in the mind of the 2 men on the sidelines. The Jets cannot come out scared, they cannot wait for New England to make a mistake or hand them the victory. If they want to turn this campaign into a special season, here is your chance. Go out there and take this game with everything you got!

The great sports writer Grantland Rice once wrote: "For When the One Great Scorer comes to write against your name, He marks - not that you won or lost - But how you played the game." With Thursday night's affair being kind of a life and death situation for each team's season, nobody will care how you played the game. All that matters is the win. No moral victories, no excuses. Just win, whatever it takes!