The Giants and Jets had disappointing 2012 seasons, but that means little when talking about each team’s 2013 outlook.
The Giants have a proven and high-end quarterback in Eli Manning, while the Jets are forced to start a rookie in Geno Smith, who was losing the preseason competition to Mark Sanchez. That would be the butt-fumbling, only-here-because-of-his-contract Sanchez.
The Jets have been on a severe downward spiral since reaching back-to-back AFC Championship games in Sanchez’s and coach Rex Ryan’s first two seasons in New York, and coach Tom Coughlin’s Giants have not only shown the ability to recover from missing the playoffs, but do so in spectacular fashion with two Super Bowls in the past six seasons.
“If they were playing golf the Giants would be trying to hit it 350 [yards] and make birdies, not out there making pars like at the U.S. Open,” said former Giants quarterback and CBS analyst Phil Simms when asked to explain the boom-or-bust nature of the Giants, who open Sunday night against the Cowboys.
“So, when they get hot, it’s about big plays and hitting the quarterback, turning it over and it becomes contagious. The Giants have a chance to do that again because they have guys that can go get the quarterback.”
Sticking with Simms’ metaphor, Jets fans might just be hoping Smith doesn’t snap-hook his tee shot out of bounds on Sunday afternoon against the Buccaneers and old friend Darrelle Revis. The second-round pick out of West Virginia had his progress slowed by a sprained ankle in the preseason opener against the Lions. His only game experience after that came against the Giants, who picked him off three times.
“With Smith, the expectation and the standard may not be as high as if it was Mark Sanchez, but it’s still there,” said Simms, whose son Matt will be the Jets backup with Sanchez sidelined with a bruised shoulder for at least the first two games of the season.
“The league is crazy. If you are a high draft pick or an incumbent quarterback, you are going to be under a microscope. Especially with the way the Jets are rebuilding, the organization is under a lot of pressure.’’
But few, if any, expect them to be the first team to play host to the Super Bowl when the game comes to MetLife Stadium in February. The Giants are a legitimate threat, but are in a division that most see as wide open.
The Cowboys have been in the mix the past two seasons, but have fallen short on the season’s final day two years in a row. The Redskins, the defending division champs, hope quarterback Robert Griffin III is healthy enough to make it through the season. New coach Chip Kelly is trying to reinvigorate Michael Vick and the Eagles as they try and bounce back from last year’s 4-12 debacle.
“The Giants are trying to go with the blueprint that won them two Super Bowls,” Simms said. “They concentrated on improving the offensive line to protect the quarterback and adding depth to the defensive line to keep that group fresh. … That’s kind of how they built it. You can’t have everything, you have to pick and choose.”