The game that cost me multiple parlays and straight up bets Week 2 of the preseason...it’s always one game off.
I hoped/planned for it to be a battle of 2nd-team units...thinking that the physical Jets non-1st-teams would submit/tap-out the Giants non-1st-team units, and I would have coffee money for the month with my parlay hits.
Basically, the opposite of that happened.
The Jets ran some 1st-team offense, which is not as good as most team’s 2nd-team offenses (more on that in a moment)...as the Giants countered with their full-throttled 1st-team defense against this terrible Jets starting offense. Disadvantage, big-time to the Jets.
The Giants, for some reason, decided to run Russell Wilson for almost an entire half...against the Jets 2nd/3rd-team defense...and after the big 80-yard pass by Wilson on the game’s 2nd-play, to set up a short TD right after, the Giants 1st-team really did nothing against the Jets backups from there. It was only 7-6 Giants at the half.
But then the Giants dropped to their 2nd-team things and the Jets countered with 3rd-team things and it all fell apart for my NYJ bets. The Giants won big on the scoreboard...but in reality, in the details...there were no winners here.
Two of the worst teams in football were on display, sadly, in this preseason game. The Jets have an excuse...they didn’t really try in this game...using deep backups most of the time. The Giants acted like a baseball analogy...they got on base by an infield error but think they hit a homerun...they think they ‘shined’ in this game. Home TV announcer Phil Simms about had multiple on-air orgasms over how wonderful and great everything was that the Giants did or might have thought about doing. It was embarrassing to listen to, but it’s that time of year...everybody’s favorite team is a ‘sleeper’ or ‘contender’.
The Giants are OK-ish but will be consumed by their schedule...and Brian Daboll’s itchy trigger finger to go to Daniel Jones 2.0...a.k.a. Jaxson Dart.
The Jets stink out loud but have a decent defense that has been trained like angry, fighting pit bulls...so, they will likely ‘will’ themselves to some wins through physicality.
Both of these teams should just tank and full rebuild now, but they’re as delusional as many of NFL fans are about everything in the preseason. The regular season will be a rude wake-up call. It’s a shame, because the Giants have some talent...but the Jets and Giants have the same core issue -- they never address/fix/correct the O-Line...they try to spruce up everything around it, however. Like they paint their car every year and put new upholstery in and a new upgraded sound system annually...but never address the fact that the engine exploded and died three years ago and they cannot use the vehicle.
New York football is gonna be once again...not good.
Player Notes...
-- The most glaring note here, and I don’t even really want to go into any more detail about it because I’m just repeating myself and watering down the message... But Justin Fields (1-5 for 4 yards, 1-5-0) is the single worst starting QB in the NFL Week 1 this season...and the Jets paid $40M for this, on purpose!!! Apologies to Bryce Young, Drake Maye, and Daniel Jones...Fields is worse.
Fields gets worse, as a passer, every year. Look at who he has been passed around by in the NFL, look at the offensive dolts he’s been with, in his career -- the Matt Eberflus regime, the Mike Tomlin regime, now the Aaron Glenn regime...three defensive-background head coaches, and three of the worst impact of offense coaches in the league in this decade. Fields was already no good to start...but it gets confirmed by offensively-ignorant head coaches latching onto him for some reason. Kevin O’Connell, Sean McVay, Ben Johnson, Kyle Shanahan...they would quit football before they entertained Justin Fields as their starting QB. But the Jets are smart, they saw an opportunity...a $40M opportunity cost at the great Justin Fields.
The passes Fields threw in this game were an embarrassment.
Tyrod Taylor will be this team’s starting QB at some point around Weeks 3-6 range, I absolutely believe.
-- Jets WR report...
Let me address the entire Jets WR group:
Gentleman,
You’re all screwed for FF.
Justin Fields is terrible, but before you let that sink in...note most all of you are terrible as WRs as well and don’t deserve to be on NFL rosters.
Garrett Wilson (0-0-0/3) is going to be a massive bust for FF 2025. And the rest of you...how are Josh Reynolds and Allen Lazard still even on NFL rosters...much less starting? Arian Smith (2-39-0/6)...you can’t catch the ball well, even if Fields could hit you.
Brandon Smith (5-48-0/6)...I hope somebody notices you after the Jets cut you, but what’s it been...4-5+ years now of grinding in anonymity? And Tyler Johnson (DNP), you had to take the money to go here...I get it. You’re the best WR on the team, but that’s not the compliment you think.
UDFA rookie Jamaal Pritchett (2-10-0/5), you had a golden chance to move up the depth chart here...but you can’t drop two passes in this game with your big opportunity.
Collectively, you might be the worst WR group in the league.
-- Giants QB report...
Russell Wilson (4-7 for 108 yards, 0 TD/1 INT) hit that one 80-yard pass on the 2nd play of the game...and then went 3-6 for 28 yards passing and no TDs AGAINST THE JETS 2nd/3rd-string defense in over a quarter+ of play.
Why was Russ in the game that long? I have no idea.
Jaxson Dart (14-16 for 137 yards, 1 TD/0 INT) came in and did his combination screen passes and 7-on-7 passing fraud...thriving with no pressure against the Jets 3rd/4th-team defense. Mostly simple stuff that is turning him into a preseason legend.
There was another rookie QB in New York that got the fans whipped into a frenzy early in his career...so good his first 2 starts (they said) that he got a cool new nickname and his jersey sales went bananas...whatever happened to that guy?
https://nypost.com/2019/09/19/daniel-jones-making-his-teammates-smile-on-the-field-and-off-it/
https://nypost.com/2019/09/22/daniel-jones-is-giants-hero-in-incredible-comeback-win/
Rookies are so magical...they’re never gonna fail to live up to preseason hype.
Will the media and fans ever stop falling for this in the preseason about rookies?
Answer: They ain’t neva gonna stop (read in William Montgomery’s screaming voice...or you may know him as The Memphis Strangler, or The Vanilla Gorilla).
-- The Jets defense is salty for the 2nd showing in a row. Their 2nd-team D took the Giants 1st-team initial punch and then made life kinda rough from Russ & Friends from there. Their offense is putrid, but their defense ain’t bad.
-- Giants UDFA WR Beaux Collins (1-80-0/3) caught the 80-yard pass early on and looked good doing it. I’ve been a fan of his work from his Notre Dame tape. He’s a legit NFL WR. And he likely makes the 53-man, but as a #5-6 WR...awaiting a Malik Nabers injury to maybe open a spot for work for him.
But if Nabers goes down, Jalin Hyatt (1-21-0/2) is gonna rise...he has good chemistry with Russ. Not sure about his relationship with Dart.
-- Giants RBs...
Dante Miller (4-43-0/4) is doing great for NYG in the screen pass game this preseason, two game tally for him in receiving: 11 rec., 123 rec. yards on 11 targets. He’s caught 100% of his targets and put up numbers in about a full game's worth of play total snaps-wise.
Will Brian Daboll use this as a weapon in the regular season? Probably not. Probably pushes Cam Skattebo instead.
-- Jets RB report...
Bad QB. Bad O-Line. How do you think this is gonna go for Breece Hall (7-26-0, 0-0-0/1)?
Even worse, for Braelon Allen (7-34-0).
-- IDP notes...
One defensive note, I was surprised to watch Abdul Carter (1 tackle) get the snot beat of him by Jets blockers in this game. Welcome to the NFL this game. TE Stone Smartt (2-10-0/3) came off the edge to pick up an on-rushing Carter on one play and Smartt hit him like prime era Mike Tyson...a huge hit and DOWN goes Carter, down goes Carter...like a proverbial sack of potatoes.
Carter didn’t look so hot in this game.
