New York, New York

by Mike Trovato

It's a great time to be a football fan in New York right now.

Two weeks have gone by in this new football season, and nine NFL teams have kicked off the 2009 campaign by starting 2-0. Two of those nine teams hail from New York.

Yes, the Jets and Giants both had their share of critics heading into the new season. Both franchises were in a bit of a transitional period, Gang Green ushering in a new head coach and quarterback, Big Blue auditioning a cast of unproven wide receivers to replace veterans Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress.

So far, so good.


GANG GREEN

Tom Brady went into Sunday's contest having never lost a game to the New York Jets in the Meadowlands in his illustrious career. For a while, it seemed that the Patriots would yet again find a way to pull out a victory; the Jets offense managed just one yard in the first quarter, and just 50 during a first half in which Mark Sanchez was a mere 3 for 5 for 23 yards.

Boy, did the rookie rebound. The former Trojan needed just 3 plays to orchestrate a touchdown drive to start the second half. Backed by the swarming Jets defense, which has not allowed a touchdown this season, Sanchez would lead the offense on two more scoring drives in back-to-back possessions to give New York a 16-9 lead they would not relinquish.
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As impressive as Sanchez was in the second half, the performance of the defense, holding the mighty Patriots scoreless after the break, was the headliner. Tom Brady, usually Tom Terrific, was held below 50% completion percentage, connecting on just 23 of his 47 passing attempts. His 0 touchdowns and 53.1 QB rating were his lowest output in a full game since 2007, a 20-10 victory in Week 15 over guess who- the New York Jets.

All in all, the game was tight from start to finish, the largest lead ended up being the game's final score. But when all was said and done, Gang Green prevailed, and for a second straight season, the New England Patriots perch atop the AFC East was almost as abrupt as a Bill Belichick post game handshake.

I may not have been right about the outcome of last week's game, however, field position- as I suspected it would- did turn out to be a major factor in the game. Each of the first two Jets scoring drives of the second half began within 6 yards of midfield, at the New York 44 and 45 yard line, respectively. More importantly, the dangerous Pats offense- albeit minus Wes Welker- started just three drives at or in front of their own 40. A New England drive that began in the Red Zone (NYJ 17), started by the only Jet turnover of the day, was halted by two 10-yard penalties, resulting in only a Stephen Gostkowski field goal.

Down the stretch, the Patriots never even sniffed Jet territory; the closest they came was their own 40 yard line. After a 79 yard field goal drive near the end of the second quarter, Brady's bunch amassed 67 offensive yards on 27 plays throughout the remainder of the game. The Jets ran 37 plays for 190 yards in the second half.

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The final score may not reflect embarrassment. But when the proud Pats fail to score a touchdown, especially against Gang Green, when Darrelle Revis (right) shuts down Randy Moss to the tune 4 receptions for 24 yards, when Tom Brady completes more passes to the ground than to his teammates, frankly there's nothing for New Englanders to be proud of. Numbers aside, the bottom line is, a win is a win. And when the New York Jets beat the New England Patriots, not much else matters.

The Jets schedule does not get any easier, as they will host the 0-2 Tennessee Titans this weekend before heading to New Orleans to square off against Drew Brees and the lethal Saints offense. The Titans, who were outscored by the same Texans offense the Jets shut down handily the week before, are desperate for a win, especially after the division rival Colts defeated Miami Monday to improve to 2-0. Tennessee's running game is by far their biggest threat, as Chris Johnson exploded for 197 rushing yards (284 total) against Houston. Should Rex Ryan's D contain Johnson, the Jets could very well be heading to the Bayou undefeated.


BIG BLUE

Sticking on the topic of embarrassment mentioned earlier: What do you call a team that opens up a brand new $1.2 billion stadium, runs for 251 yards, and still loses the home opener?

You call them the Dallas Cowboys (If you said the New York Yankees, you were close; their stadium actually cost $1.5 billion, and they didn't stack up any rushing yards because well, they play baseball... I digress).

The new Cowboys Stadium is quite the majestic venue, spanning roughly 1/4 mile, boasting two gigantic arches that would make Ronald McDonald angry, as well as the largest Hi-Def screen in the world. Imagine if the Cowboys hadn't released Terrell Owens, seeing his mug sprawled across 11.5 thousand square feet of technology.

Joking aside, the Cowboys home opening loss was no laughing matter... Who am I kidding? Of course it was, unless of course, you endorse your checks as "Jerry Jones," or are a fan of America's team. That being said, the New York Giants have plenty to be smiling about after Sunday night's win in Big D. Granted, allowing two bucks fifty on the ground is not one of those things, but holding Tony Romo to 13 completions and 3 interceptions was an enjoyable way to break the seal- and Jerry Jones' spirits- at Cowboys Stadium.
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For a team whose wide receivers entered 2009 with 151 receptions and 5 touchdowns combined, they sure didn't look inexperienced. Mario Manningham and Steve Smith (left) accounted for 80% of the team's receptions, recording career highs with 10 receptions apiece, both notching triple-digit yardage for the first time in their respective careers.

The man passing them the ball wasn't too shabby either, showing that he's worth every penny of that $97.5 million extension the Giants rewarded him with this preseason. With 3:34 remaining in the 4th quarter, the Cowboys having just taken a 31-30 lead, Eli led Big Blue on what turned out to be the game-winning drive. Manning was 7 for 9 and 64 passing yards on an 11 play possession that was officially 56 yards (the Giants had committed a 10-yard penalty before running a play, pushing them back to their own 15).

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Plaxico who? Eli connected with Smith 3 times for 29 of those game-winning 66 yards, with Manningham (right) contributing a crucial 8 yard reception on third down with 39 seconds remaining, pulling the G-men to the Cowboys 33, into field goal range. Smith's 12 yard catch that followed brought Big Blue to the Dallas 21, and Manning's 2 yard run set up the Lawrence Tynes 37 yard field goal, sealing the Giants come from behind victory, 33-31.

Tom Coughlin's Giants have a relatively easy schedule over the next few weeks, which should allow them time to lick some wounds, including injuries to DT Justin Tuck, CB Aaron Ross, S Kenny Phillips, WR Domenick Hixon and Hakeem Nicks, and RB Danny Ware. Their next three opponents include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders, three franchises in the rebuilding stage.

Of course, this is not to say that the G-men will take these games lightly, nor should they. However, with so much depth on defense, the Manning-to-Manningham connection rolling just as easily on the field as it does off the tongue, and Steve Smith putting up numbers like the Panthers' Steve Smith, the Giants should be able to keep winning games.