Subway….Super Bowl???

Okay, so you wouldn’t actually need your Metrocards. In fact the game wouldn’t even be played at the Meadowlands, but as a New York football fan, one can’t ignore the types of seasons that the Jets and Giants are having.

The Giants improved to 10-1 Sunday, but even more impressive was the Jets absolute dismantling of the Tennesee Titans. A lopsided 34-13 win handed the Titans their first loss of the season, and the Jets with their biggest win.

For the Jets, Sunday’s win made it five in a row, and none of the wins were small.

We begin in week 8, in which the Jets were stuck at .500, and had just come off a heartbreaking loss to a team they should’ve beat, the Raiders. The Jets gutted out a win against the Chiefs to go above .500.

The next week, they beat their division rivals, the Buffalo Bills, handly. The Jets followed that with a 44 point win over St. Louis.

With the whole country watching on a Thursday night, they picked up a grueling OT win against the defending AFC champions, the Patriots.

This brings us to last week – as the Jets took on the undefeated Titans, and won by three touchdowns.

As for the G-Men, they’ve quietly gone a spectacular 10-1.

Both of these teams are for real. We know about the Giants, and they’ve actually played better this season than in their Super Bowl season last year. But the Jets are for real. They have the most experienced quarterback every to grace the gridiron leading them, and he has a solid receiving core to throw to.

As for the running backs, Leon Washington is the best playmaker in the NFL this season. He had a 61 yard touchdown run Sunday. The Jets’ starting RB, Thomas Jones has been an old-school bruiser this year. He has 9 touchdowns, and is the Jets’ “between the tackles” back.

Throw in Kris Jenkins, and a solid defense, and you’ve got a recipe for success.

Folks, it’s 4:22 p.m. on November 25, and I’m calling it now. The first ever Jets vs. Giants Super Bowl. Not because I’m a Jet fan, or even because I’m a New Yorker. Because these are the two best football teams in the NFL right now.

Sources:

www.jets.com

www.giants.com

Knicks trade top two scorers to free up cap space

Al Harrington, one of 3 newly acquired Knicks, addresses the media.

The New York Knicks have traded their two top scorers for a trio of journeymen. Last week, Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford were traded along with Mardy Collins for forwards Al Harrington, Tim Thomas, and guard Cuttino Mobley in a 3 way deal.

Knick fans, you may be pulling out your hair right now – wondering why Knicks’ GM Donnie Walsh would make such a deal. The Knicks are above .500 in the weak Eastern Conference. As of right now, if the season ended today, the Knicks would qualify for the playoffs.

Does Donnie Walsh really think this trade will make this Knicks better this season? No. This deal had one thing in mind: freeing up salary cap room for 2010.

The Knicks were a financial mess, and Crawford and Randolph each had long-term deals which would carry beyond 2010. This trade frees up cap room, and for the biggest free agent market in over a decade. Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Steve Nash – four NBA All-Stars will be available. Three of those: James, Wade, and Bosh will be in the prime of their careers. Nash, though getting older, still might consider a trip to New York to reunite with his old coach, Mike D’Antoni.

So, where does this leave the Knicks this year? Can they still compete? Perhaps not as much as they would have, but all three acquisitions: Harrington, Thomas, and Mobley fit right in to Mike D’Antoni’s up-tempo system. Harrington and Thomas are big guys who can run, and Mobley is an excellent perimeter shooter. All three are weathered veterans who know the league, and could be a good influence on the younger players.

As for the rest of this Knicks squad, where will the rest of this team fit in to the lineup? Tonight marks the Knick debut of Harrington, Thomas, and Mobley. Mobley will likely be the shooting guard, Harrington the center. As for Tim Thomas, he join Quentin Richardson, Wilson Chandler, and David Lee in the fight for the forward positions.

I’d like to see more of Lee, as the Knicks (especially after losing Randolph) have nobody to guard the low post, and Lee is the only player who stands a chance against any decent post players.

The Knicks may win regular season games with speed and shooting, but the only way to win postseason games is through defense and rebounding. Without Zach Randolph, New York lacks a dominant force down low. Lee is now the Knicks’ only answer to the Duncans and Garnets of this league, so he needs to see more playing time.

To see the debut of the newest Knicks, tune in to MSG Network at 7:30 p.m. E.T. They play against Lebron James (the man they intend to pursue in 2010) and the Cavaliers.

Sources:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=txknickswarriorstrade&prov=st&type=lgns

www.knicks.com

D’Antoni’s Knicks have simple formula…

The new-look Knickerbockers are a surprising 4-2 heading into tonight’s game against the Spurs. Their secret? Score 100 points. The Knicks are 4-0 this season when they’ve done so. Mike D’Antoni has never been known to preach defense, and the style of play that the Knicks are using doesn’t call for much of it. They’ve been using a remarkably undersized starting 5 the past two games: Wilson Chandler, and Quentin Richardson – two players who have the ability to play shooting guard, were the forwards. As we’ve seen in Phoenix in recent years, D’Antoni loves to use an undersized squad that can run, and while we’ve seen success from this, another huge key to New York’s success has been Nate Robinson. A prime candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year Award, Nate Rob is averaging 15 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and a remarkable 2.8 steals per game off the bench. He’s serving as a real spark plug for this team, and is being used similarly to how Leandro Barbosa (the 06-07 Sixth Man of the Year) was used on Phoenix. Keep an eye on Nate tonight against the Spurs. San Antonio easily outsizes New York, so the Knicks will be relying mostly on speed, and Robinson has plenty of that. Also, look for the Knicks to take advantage of the Tony Parker-less Spurs by using the more explosive Robinson, rather than Chris Duhon, a pass-oriented point guard. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. ET and will be in San Antonio at the Alamodome.

source: www.knicks.com

Nate Robinson has been a key part of the Knicks' success this season.

A time for reflection…

So, it’s election day, we’re halfway through the NFL season…time for some reflection:

• The New York Jets are 5-3 despite looking completely out of sync on offense. They’re getting by simply on talent: Favre’s arm,  Laverneus Coles’ and Jerricho Cotchery’s hands, and Thomas Jones’ newly acquired nose for the endzone. Their future-hall-of-fame QB still hasn’t gotten the hang of this offense, but the team has managed to get by, largely because of their defense. And this defense is, in a word: solid. Kris Jenkins is a monster nose tackle – the kind the Jets have been missing since switching to the 3-4 defense. Darrelle Revis has developed into a nice little cornerback, and Kerry Rhodes has quietly become an elite safety in this league. A huge road win against the tough Buffalo Bills was a tremendous boost. If Favre can master this system, these Jets may make some serious noise come postseason.

Brett Favre, despite learning a new offense, has still seen success this season with the Jets.

Justin Tuck has played a key role in the Giants’ success this season.

• The 7-1 New York Giants have the best record in the NFC. They’ve managed to follow up their Super Bowl Championship with a remarkable first half, and in my opinion are the team to beat in the NFL. While the Tennesee Titans remain the NFL’s only undefeated team, the Giants are built for more than just 16 games; they have postseason success written all over them. Why? This team has the most well-balanced attack of any team I’ve seen in recent NFL history. Their ground game is truly scary. Brandon Jacobs is a monster who can come out of the gate running the ball right at you, and just when the defense is getting fatigued, the G-Men can give the ball to a guy who is averaging 6.1 yards per carry, Derrick Ward. Throw in an occasional Ahmad Bradshaw, and there’s no stopping their rushing game. Eli Manning has been impressive, and he spreads the ball around extremely well: 7 different Giants have a receiving touchdown this season. As far as the defense, despite losing Osi Umeniora, and Michael Strahan, they still have the best pass-rushing unit in football. Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, and Fred Robbins have combined for 19.5 sacks. Antonio Pierce has been solid at linebacker, and the secondary has been above-average. Don’t be surprised to see Tom Coughlin’s squad repeat this year.

Sources: nfl.com, nyjets.com, giants.com