PORT JEFF, NY – It’s ugly out there, people. Cold. Wet. Gray. And that’s not just the weather – it’s also what football fans are feeling in the NYC area. Thus, today’s headline: State of the NFL in NYC: Giants and Jets Laid To Rest
Giants
As I previously mentioned, it had looked like the G-Men were going to bench Danny Dimes. it was made official on Monday. Jones will not even be on the active roster for the remaining 7 games of the season. I must admit, watching DJ address the media on Thursday was a sad state of affairs. Growing up as a Jints fan, I could have never imagined any other QB than Eli Manning (who should be a first ballot Hall of Famer btw). I’ve grown to appreciate the toughness and grit that Jones played with, as us fans are staring at another top 5 pick and perhaps another coaching change. It got me thinking of the good times that Jones gave us. His first NFL start in Tampa comes to mind. His 2022 season was one of the most enjoyable seasons we’ve had in NY football since at least 2016.
No matter what you thought of Jones’ play on the field, he always represented the team in a positive manner and played the game the right way. From one Giants fan, I hope he finds some success elsewhere. There will always be a few lingering questions to ponder: What if the Giants were able to finally get the O-Line right? What if after his terrific 2022 season he got a true number 1 receiver? John Mara has said on numerous occasions that they screwed up’ Jones’ development. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter who you put behind the worst offensive line in football – there is ultimately only so much one man can do. From 2019-2023 the Giants O-line was graded the worst unit in football. Perhaps DJ never had a chance.
Jets
The J-E-T-S are cleaning house. In any other city, the Jets crash would be on every front and back page. To us New Yorkers, it’s just another football season. The jets fired GM Joe Douglas after a rocky tenure that saw the highs in superstars like Garret Wilson, Sauce Gardner & Breece Hall. Then to the lows of drafting Zach WilsonandElijah Moore. And also finding all pros DJ Reed and Quincy Williams in free agency. There’s a lot to like about Douglas’ time here but it was reported that this change was facilitated by owner Woody Johnson. This should be no surprise but this leads to a bigger discussion: Where in the world does Gang Green go from here? It was also reported that Johnson wanted to bench Arron Rodgers following a loss to the Broncos in week 4. Instead, they traded for star WR Davante Adams in a last-ditch effort to generate some energy. The team has won once since.
Much like the Giants, the Jets have a core of 6-7 players that you can build your franchise around. Perhaps a full season of Tyrod Taylor next year could push the Jets into a playoff team. There’s simply too much talent on this team for this team simply become an afterthought.
That’s all for now. Comment below, come back tomorrow for Aristotle “Mugsy” Sakellaridis, and check out this EXCELLENT show.
