Niagara Falls, NY – Happy Monday. I had a decent weekend playing with the kids, as we get ready for the end of summer and the start of school. Anyway, thanks for asking… Today’s topics are: Mets Update and Jets Preseason Recap
New York Mets Update
The Mets had a tough past week, losing to the Washington Nationals and then losing last night to the Braves, after winning three in a row. But they still seem to get timely hits with runners on base, helping bust open a game. This might be the worst thing I’ve seen bullpen-wise after the trade deadline. Moves were made to bolster the pen for an end-of-season run and playoffs, and the team seems to have actually gotten worse. It’s not necessarily the caliber of players as much as the overall performance. It’s just been harmful. Relievers are coming in and giving up one, two, three runs. Home runs are still happening. They’ve got to figure out a set-up man. You can’t keep the score close and then they give up a run or two. This one or two runs is too much for the offense to overcome – even though the team will have bases loaded with nobody out, yet they still fail to drive in the runs. It’s not entertaining.
Currently, the Mets need a lot to succeed in the playoffs. They need to get hot. They need to go into the playoffs running games and looking good like they did last year. This historic losing streak of 12 or 13 out of 15 and 16 games has been terrible and has caused such a falloff from the lead that I think the best they can d0 is get a Wild Card. The Phillies are unlikely to cough-up a seven-game lead. So we’ll see if the Mets can perform and hold on to their playoff spot over the next couple of weeks.
New York Jets Preseason Recap
The Jets made their roster cuts, down to 53 over the week. One of the shocking moves was an NFL star. If we added an extra regular-season game, the roster shouldn’t have been cut; it should be bumped up. I was thinking maybe even more so guys could have a few extra bodies for the physically demanding season. Here are my thoughts:
QB: I don’t like the fact that they let Adrian Martinez go and chose Brady Cook over him. Plus, with Tyrod Taylor injured, who is going to be the QB? The Eagles just made a trade for Sam Howell, who isn’t great but was the starter for Washington. The Jets need to make a move and get themselves a serviceable backup QB. Maybe Tyler Huntley, who was just cut by the Browns, is an option, but we need a veteran guy who can still hold the ship together for a couple of games. We’ve seen what happens without adequate quarterback play.
RB: One fullback makes sense because they don’t do sets with a fullback, and he’s very situational. I think the front three spots were pretty much all picked out: Hall, Allen, and Davis. So who they pick in the fourth spot was Ngonywu; I’m not very impressed that much, but I didn’t see the daily practices.
WR: I’ve been looking outside of Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard; this is a real weak point. But I guess the logic is if we get solid QB play, a rebuilt offensive line, and lots of running, then the receivers don’t have to be great, as they’ll be likely facing a lot of single coverage thanks to the defense having to put seven men in the box.
TE: Disappointingly, Jeremy Ruckard is listed as number two when this is his chance to step up to number one, but we’ll see if he can become the guy they need.
OL: Joe Tippmann has become a quality center. And if Alijah Vera-Tucker stays healthy, he is really one of the best guards in the league, The Jets have spent back to back 1st round picks on tackles. Last year’s pick has come good, hopefully this year’s pick does similar. I think they also did a good job getting another serviceable tackle and a couple of guys who have started games to be the backup. This is a key concern. They didn’t get top-notch players, but they got guys who have played at least 5 to 10 games in the league. In the back of my mind, experience means they are not going to be deer in headlights. This should definitely be a benefit.
DL: They made a trade for two defensive tackles in the offseason, which you would think makes sense because last year they didn’t really have true fat boys in the middle. They had a couple of pretend fat boys but got stuffed on the run. The depth of defensive power is a concern once you get past Quinnen Johnson and Jermaine Johnson, so we’ll see what happens.
LB: Thank God this group is a little younger here. I think the guys are fast enough and bring a ton of energy with an attacking style, but how they come together as a unit is going to be the concern.
DB: I’m not concerned. The head coach is a former star cornerback for the franchise. This is reasonably the deepest part of the team, but they’re still going to be tested all over. They only have a couple of proven players at nickel in terms of bodies, but they have the starters playing at a high level.
ST: Nick Folk definitely needs to stay healthy and make his kicks. That would be huge; special teams was a problem last year. The better the field position, the more likely this team can thrive, as it’s not 100% built for making long drives.
Thanks for reading and please share your thoughts in the comments the comments. Coming up tomorrow is Ben Whitney he mixes bad sport tanks and trips down memory lane better than any Uncle you’ve ever had. I also can’t confirm if he’s drunk like your uncle as he makes his post.
