Stamford, CT: Of course I didn’t forget that it’s Tuesday. I’m just crafting my masterpiece about the er, Jets, yeah, and the Yankees. That’s the ticket, and the Giants too. Well, the Yankees lost Game 2 to the Royals with an ineffective offensive display, the Jets canned Robert Saleh, and the Giants might have found a running back. I also want to talk about Daniel Jones and the rush to judgment on QBs.
Same ‘ol Troubles for Yanks
It was not a good sign that the Yanks started Jon Berti at first base, a position he had never played in his entire career. The injury to Rizzo on the last day of the regular season and the continued poor health of DJ LeMahieu has left them with limited options. The other two, Rice and Cabrera, can’t hit lefties, so they rolled the dice with Berti.
The Yankees couldn’t get the big hit and the struggle against lefties is real. A Game 5 matchup against the lefty Ragans, even though he only lasted 4 innings, would not be ideal for the Bombers.
What drives me nuts about the modern game is the lack of situational hitting. Down by two in the bottom of the ninth, Alex Verdugo flied out on a 2-0 pitch. Take a strike, give the pitcher a chance to walk you, and get the tying run to the plate. You can’t hit a two run homer with no one on base. Torres swung at the first pitch, leaving Soto and Judge in the on-deck circle to end the game. You can see why guys like Ohtani hit leadoff. Give your best hitter as many at bats as you can.
Bye Bob
The Jets fired Robert Saleh after an ugly five game stretch. Even though they have stud RB Breece Hall and promising rookie Braelon Allen, they have the league worst running game, averaging a paltry 80 yards a game. So they asked their 40-year old QB to throw it 54 times, which is not a winning formula. Rodgers doesn’t seem to be on the same page with receivers and often tries to force it Garrett Wilson, who had a whopping 22 targets on Sunday in London.
Saleh looked pretty hapless on the sideline and didn’t seem to have the map to righting the ship. The Jets didn’t have the cajones to fire Hackett, and piss off Rodgers. D Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be in charge now, but the offense is what needs a fresh set of eyes. The defense played really well in the second half vs the Vikings, giving the Jets a chance to pull it out.
On the bright side, the Bills have come back to earth after an impressive 3 and 0 start, and sit at 3-2. The Jets are only one game behind ahead of their big Monday night showdown. A win could kickstart the Jets’ season, a loss could put them in a deep hole they might not escape.
QB Judgments
Some QBs just come in and dominate from the drop, like CJ Stroud and Jayden Daniels. But they’re few and far between. The rest need time to learn and mature. They need a coach that can call plays that cater to their strengths, and a solid offensive line and a running game to protect them.
Watching Daniel Jones function as a solid average QB on Sunday has got me thinking about how we rush to judge QBs. They’re a lot of guys that fail because they just don’t have a strong enough supporting cast. For every Jayden Daniels there are probably about 50 Geno Smiths, who could succeed in the right circumstances. I’ve been highly critical of Jones and thought he was the Giants’ third best QB last year. I still don’t think he’s the guy, but there is no denying that poor OL play and a lack of a running games and big time weapons were huge factors in his poor play.
Saquon Who?
I am buying into the Tyrone Tracy Jr hype, I don’t think it was a fluke. Singletary might just have been Wally Pipp’d. Hold up a sec. An explosive rookie RB and WR, decent offensive line and QB play, and a defense leading the league in sacks?
That almost sounds like a playoff team.
Will the G-Men make the playoffs? Let me know if the comments and come back tomorrow for Angry Ward.
