Tuesday Morning StruggleBack...

Time to press the panic button NY. No, not the Yankees-they're cruising towards a 27th World Series and the jubilation of their psychotic fan base. No, it's time to panic for New York's football fans. The Giants are reeling with three straight losses (two of which were routes) and a lack of direction. The Jets have left fans and football pundits in the limbo all year. Are they the blitzing, smash mouth team that beat the Patriots convincingly? Or the inconsistent, mediocre team that's 1-3 in Division play? First, New York's bastard child, the Jets (4-4, 1-3 AFC EAST)..

The Good: They've proven they can play with solid teams. They've beaten the Patriots and Texans, and played away at New Orleans in a tough loss. This team also has all the pieces in place to be great for years. Every single department of their team has at least one marquee player. The question every Jets fan finds themselves asking, How long will Mark Sanchez' maturation take?

The Bad: Mark Sanchez. I'll give any rookie a break, but this team is built to win now-ish. The only reason I would attach -ish to the end of that sentence, is because of Mark Sanchez unsteady play. He's not ready for NFL speed or tenacity. He played a season and a half as a starter at USC. A USC QB playing against more often than not marginal Pac-10 teams, is like Rambo vs. Yosemite Sam. Mark Sanchez' stats for the year are abysmal: 53% Complete Pct., 1,443 YDS Passing, 8 TD's, 10 INTS!!!, and a QB rating 67.9. These stats don't get you into the play-offs. If Sanchez doesn't improve or at least become adequate, expect the Jets to finish south of .500 this season

The Ugly: RULE FUCKING ONE IN ANY PROFESSIONAL SPORT: Don't shit the fucking bed in division. DON'T LET YOUR OPPONENTS MAN-HANDLE YOU. Sorry, I blacked out. But it's the truth. You beat the Pats too kick-off your divisional campaign. Then you let Ronnie Brown Wildcat away your soul in Miami causing a loss to the Dolphins away. Then Coach Ryan allows his young quarterback to throw five interceptions in a narrow defeat to the Bills. And this past weekend falling short to Miami again, in your own house. Getting dropped in division is a one way ticket to watching football in January and not playing it.

And now, the Superior Older Brother, The Giants (5-3, 2-1 NFC East)...

The Good: Well thankfully the Giants pummeled the dregs of the league to open up at 5-0. Taking a dramatic lead in the NFC East. However, as we know, the devil is in the details. The Giants won against the Redskins, Buccaneers, Raiders, Cowboys, and Kansas City. Those teams are now a combined 10-26. Five of those ten wins from that lovely stat in the previous sentence are from the Dallas Cowboys. For the laymen, the Giants played the NFL's worst and adequately dismantled them. For Giants fans, this provided a false sense of hope and confidence in what would prove to be a shaky squad. The Giants since going 5-0 have tail spun and lost three straight, causing angst ridden Giants fans to panic.

The Bad: Eli Manning aka Deer in the Head Lights, aka Down Syndrome Boy, aka Elisha Manning. Eli Manning amazed all the skeptics coming out of the gate 5-0, with a 5-1 TD/Interception Ratio. In the last three games (all losses), Eli's TD/Interception ratio has been 1/2 and his completion percentage has been below 50%. Watching the Giants/Eagles game this past Sunday, Eli should have legitimately thrown three picks in his first six attempts. Luckily he only threw one in the first quarter. His turnovers are not misjudgments or poor reading of the coverage, he's been flat out wild with the football. Blame this on the plantar fasciitis, blame this on tougher secondaries in the last three games, or just blame it on the fact that he'll never be close to as good as his brother-combine all three of those options, and Eli's recent struggles will make more than enough sense to you.

The Ugly: Coaching. The Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin has never been known to be a offensive/defensive guru, an innovator, or tactician. His strength seems to derive from his flush red cheeks. Either he's a degenerate alcoholic or had frost bite for the last thirty years. Whatever the case may be, he's proven to be more of a task master than in-game general. The Giants have been slow to adjust there game plans to the vertical offenses of the Saints, Cardinals, and Eagles. Lack of planning and the inevitable lack of adjustments has caused the Giants to literally be out of games prior to the second half. Blame also must be placed on Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride and Defensive Coordinator Bill Sheridan. Coach Coughlin doesn't call any plays, so this lack of imagination can also be attributed to his coordinators and assistants. When you're team is trailing by 21 points in the first half, it might be time to stop calling 3&6 draws. One might also consider a hurry up offense, when you need to overcome a 28 point deficit. And is just me, or does every other team in the NFL call gadget plays or run the "Wildcat" while the Giants play book can be found in Madden '96?

Prop Bets of the Week:
Knicks Losses Despite Scoring 120 Points - 8.5
Punches Exchanged by Cole Hamels and Bretty Meyers - 2.5
Chances of me Getting this article in before Five O'clock PM - Even Money

Gambling Tip of the Week: Don't trust/bet on any team that would A) Make you Chain Smoke B) Induce blacking out from alcohol or C) Smoke more weed than normal

Until Next time..