Are we prepared for a game of football here, man? After several altercations on the practice field this week, the Giants and Jets are prepared to square off at the ugly gray bowl in the Meadowlands on Saturday night. Even though the Giants and Jets played football in the same manner that the Mets and Yankees have been playing baseball lately, they are still eager to play football.
Let’s face it, the likelihood that the Yankees and Mets will be vying for postseason spots by the time the NFL regular season starts is growing more plausible by the day. In baseball, the season was supposed to be a World Series or bust for both teams. Therefore, even if the Jets don’t return to the playoffs for the first time in roughly a century, or if the Giants finish another season in last place, now is a good time to talk about football and whether this season could be the one when things start to improve at MetLife Stadium.
This isn’t the best moment to be enthusiastic about a kid like Jaxson Dart after the way he slung the ball about in his first preseason game in Buffalo, given the way Baseball New York has been going. As with any football-based version of Florida baseball, now is a good time to speculate about if Russell Wilson will still be healthy by early October and when Brian Daboll might run Dart out there once the games really count.
In the previous offseason, the Giants, both out of need and desperation, took the well-worn faded-glory route with Wilson, who was once someone, and Jameis Wilson, who was never quite anyone. The Ole Miss youngster was the entire package—arms, looks, and swagger—before Daboll and his employer, Joe Schoen, fell in love with her.
Giants supporters are now discussing him with excitement. They are discussing Abdul Carter and the possibility that he possesses some Michael Strahan and L.T. They are accomplishing it in spite of a schedule that appears to be so harsh that, by the time the club plays the Cowboys in early January to end the regular season, a 7-10 record would feel like a victory.
The schedule’s first eight games are listed below, followed by a second game versus the Eagles on October 26 in three weeks:
at Commanders.
at the Cowboys.
At home, chiefs.
chargers in the house.
at Saints.
Eagles at home.
at the Broncos.
at Eagles.
And you know what? Additionally, the tail half of the schedule isn’t exactly looking like a pillow fight:
49ers at home.
at Bears.
Packers at home.
at Lions.
at the Patriots.
Home commanders.
Home commanders.
Vikings at home.
at Raiders.
MetLife cowboys.
That kind of schedule is a major factor in the several estimates that have the Giants at 5–12. When everyone starts keeping score for real, you wonder how long they can wait to get Dart on the field. It’s also important to keep in mind that, despite the presence of these talented young players and what appears to be the most athletic Giants defense in recent memory, the team needs to do a little more this season than show promise if supporters are to stop questioning whether John Mara has the right people in charge.
The Jets? Aaron Glenn is clearly in charge over there in Florham Park, and this is evident every day. “It’s not my job to take my team’s temperature for the media every day,” stated his former coach and mentor Bill Parcells. Not one day has Glenn backed down from doing that. If you’re not fond of it? So, is anyone up for facing one of the most formidable Jets ever?
With Aaron Rodgers, the Jets simply followed the faded-glory path, did they ever? We are aware of how that transpired. Even though Justin Fields is only 26 years old and playing on his third NFL squad, they are now placing their bet on a young quarterback of their own. Ultimately, it seems as though they traded Fields, whom the Steelers had given up on the previous season in favor of Wilson, who grew dimmer as the season progressed, like an old snapshot.
Now that he has a fresh start, the Jets are hoping Fields can finally become the player the Bears believed they were drafting out of Ohio State and stand up for them the way an ex-Jet like Sam Darnold did in Minnesota last season.
Additionally, the Jets’ schedule isn’t exactly gentle swirl. They begin with Rodgers and the Steelers. Next, acquire the Bills. Before traveling to Miami, get the Bucs, a club that is very much aiming for the Super Bowl this year. They will start October with three consecutive home games against the Cowboys, Broncos, and Panthers if they can finish September with a 2-2 record, which is not an unrealistic goal. Encourage Glenn to go into the latter part of his schedule with a chance since he is so easy to support.
When Glenn was appointed Jets coach, he said the following:
It truly is going to be an amazing journey.
Pro football has been a rough ride for far too long. Since the Giants’ last Super Bowl victory, two teams have won one postseason game. Naturally, neither of them is in the running for a Super Bowl at the moment. This isn’t the area where the bar is. All we want is for this to be the year that things actually begin to improve. When the Meadowlands teams cease to be, well, swamp things.
