Dickey Joins Elite Company With 20th Win

A season to forget for the New York Mets ended with a game to remember at Citi Field on Thursday.  The second half failures were put in the past Thursday afternoon when R.A. Dickey took the mound in front of an excited, enthusiastic 31,506 fans going for his 20th win of the season.

The author, mountain climber, and baseball's most unlikely star became the first Mets pitcher since Frank Viola in 1990 to win 20 games in a season.  Dickey beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-5, in the Mets final home game of the season.  The 37-year-old became just the 6th pitcher in franchise history to reach 20 victories and is on his way to becoming the first knuckleballer to win a Cy Young Award.  

Despite giving up three earned runs, Dickey had a career high 13 strikeouts in 7.2 innings throwing 128 pitches.  The 128 pitches was a season-high for the knuckleballer and Dickey's 13 strikeouts puts him at 222 on the season, which leads the National League.  Dickey's 2.69 ERA is second in the National League.

The journeyman knuckler brought an atmosphere to Citi Field that has been non-existent in the Mets second half downfall.  It has been another tough season for Terry Collins' team, but Dickey has brought something special to a team that hasn't had much to write home about since the All Star break.  Thursday afternoon was about R.A. Dickey.  

Thursday in Queens was just the next chapter of the R.A. Dickey saga. The man who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro last winter for charity, wrote a personal memoir, will be writing three children's books, came out on top once again.  The final chapter of the memorable 2012 season continues when Dickey makes his final start in Miami Tuesday against the Marlins as he chases his 21st win, which should lock up a Cy Young Award.

Jets Escape Miami With Overtime Win

The Jets were given a gift Sunday afternoon by the Miami Dolphins.  Kicker Dan Carpenter missed his second field goal of the game in overtime giving the Jets yet another opportunity.  They would finally take advantage with 6:04 left in overtime as Nick Folk nailed a 33 yard field goal to propel the Jets to a 23-20 victory.

It was in no way pretty, but Mark Sanchez and company left Miami with their second win of the season.  While Sanchez ended up throwing for 306 yards and a touchdown, his overall numbers and a lot of his throws were ugly.  He was 21 for 45 with an interception and an awful quarterback rating of 32.4.  Sanchez had a lot of overthrown balls and a lot of open receivers he could not get it to.  The Jets' starter missed a wide open Chaz Schilens for a touchdown and a wide open Jeff Cumberland in the endzone.  Also, on a 1st and goal at the one, Sanchez and the Jets failed to get it in the endzone and were forced to go for a field goal.  Luckily, Santonio Holmes had a clutch performance catching 9 passes for 147 yards for Gang Green.

The Jets running game was ineffective with just 88 yards on 33 carries.  A major issue was the lack of use in the redzone of Tim Tebow.  The Jets brought in Tebow to score touchdowns for them in the redzone.  He had two carries all day.  One of those carries was a game changing fake punt where Tebow ran it for five yards on 4th and 3 to get the first down.  It was a perfect playcall and the Jets would get a field goal in the drive.

The other big offseason acquisition, LaRon Landry had a pivotal interception that he ran back 18 yards for a touchdown in the first minute of the second half.  It was a momentum changer and a spark the Jets needed after an abysmal first half of football.  The two newest Jets helped to lead them to ten points that would change the game entirely.  It was a game the Jets needed with the 49ers and Texans coming up next on the schedule.

While it was a big win to improve to 2-1, they suffered a huge loss with their star cornerback Darrelle Revis tearing his ACL.  Revis will be out for the remainder of the season leaving the Jets with a huge hole on defense.  Kyle Wilson will have some big shoes to fill at cornerback.  The Jets will be heavily relying on Wilson and Antonio Cromartie to have big time seasons if they want a chance at the playoffs.  Trying to replace the best cornerback in the league is impossible, but the team needs to come together and step it up on defense without the Pro Bowl defender.

The team will have to rally around each other and find a way to win without Revis.  They return home for three straight games starting with the 49ers Sunday, who are coming off a bad loss to the Vikings.  Gang Green's offense is going to have to see much better production from Sanchez and the running game if they want to win games.  They were given a gift wrapped victory by the Dolphins Sunday that good teams won't allow to happen.  The Jets will need to have some sort of pass rush and see the offense get the ball in the endzone if they want success down the road.  Tebow will be a big part of that happening.

Big Blue Blows by Carolina

The Giants were playing without starting running back Ahmad Bradshaw and starting wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, wide receiver Domenik Nixon, and right tackle David Diehl. 

That would not be an issue Thursday night in Charlotte.

The Giants played a nearly perfect game of football against the Panthers Thursday.  Big Blue crushed the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium, 36-7.  The Giants' defense showed up for the first time this season only allowing one touchdown.  They forced Cam Newton into 3 interceptions.  If that was not enough, the Giants' offense was absolutely stellar.  

The offense got big performances from running back Andre Brown and wide receiver Ramses Barden.  Brown, who had a breakout performance last week running for 71 yards and a touchdown, showed the NFL that he could be a big time running back in this league.  Brown had a career night running for 113 yards and two touchdowns.  Keep in mind, this guy had negative one career rushing yards before last week.  Barden also had a career performance catching 9 passes for 138 yards.  The Giants have been waiting for Barden to break on the scene and they saw it Thursday.  Barden filled in very nicely for the injured Nicks.  

Of course the offense all starts with Eli Manning, though.  Manning was 27 for 35 for 288 yards and a touchdown.  Manning was breezing by the Panthers' defense in the first half.  His throws were perfect hitting his targets all over the field.  Even a couple of wobbly throws from Manning ended up in one of his receivers' hands.  It was a perfect night for Manning and his offense as they shredded Carolina's defense.  

The Giants needed this type of performance tonight after the scare in week two at home against Tampa Bay.  They came out firing and Cam Newton had no answer for the defense that forced three interceptions and two fumbles.  The Giants improve to 2-1 with the win and will get a couple of extra days to rest before they get back to work next week.  

Big Blue hopes to keep the momentum going as they travel to Philadelphia for a big primetime matchup with the first place Eagles.

Man-ning the Comeback

Eli Manning had a first half to forget throwing three interceptions.  The Giants lost their running back Ahmad Bradshaw, their right tackle David Diehl, and wide receiver Domenik Nixon all to injuries.  It seemed as if the Giants were on their way to an 0-2 start to the season.

Then the fourth quarter began and that's when Manning and his offense came alive as they have done so many times before.

The Giants would score 25 points in the fourth quarter and go on to win their first game of the season, 41-34 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  The two-time Super Bowl Champion quarterback had a career day throwing for 510 yards to go with three touchdowns.  His top two receivers also had career days.  Hakeem Nicks caught 10 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown while Victor Cruz had 11 receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown.  Manning went 7 for 9 with 229 yards and two touchdowns in the last 7:41 of the game.  If that's not clutch, I don't know what is.

Sparingly used running back Andre Brown filled in very nicely for Bradshaw carrying the ball 13 times for 71 yards and a touchdown.  Amazingly enough, Brown came into the game with negative one career rushing yards on just two carries.  Yeah that's right, less than zero career rushing yards.  The inexperienced tailback looked like a ten-year veteran when he dove to the ground at the two yard line allowing the Giants to run more clock off.  Brown would go on to run in the game-winning touchdown leaving the Buccaneers with just 31 seconds remaining on the clock.  That would turn out to be pivotal as Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman would make it interesting in the final drive getting the ball in Giants' territory.

A huge 80-yard touchdown from Manning to Cruz on a gorgeous connection ignited the Giants' offense with 7:41 remaining.  The salsa was broken out.  MetLife Stadium had finally come alive.  The Giants' defense would force a three-and-out to give the fired up defending Super Bowl MVP a chance at the lead.  He would do just that.  Manning hooked up with tight end Martellus Bennett for the score.  After Tampa Bay scored their only touchdown of the second half, the Giants would get the ball back and Brown would take it to the endzone for the victory.

It was a big game for the Giants to take after trailing early and dealing with key injuries to starters.  They evened their record to 1-1 on the season.  There are definitely a lot of concerns the Giants have going forward with their defense.  They need to get improved play from their secondary.  They cannot be giving up as many points as they have every week.  There is a lot this team has to work on.

Despite the loss to the Cowboys and the bad first half Sunday, Big Blue heads down to Charlotte for a Thursday night matchup with the Panthers riding high with a big win.  Both teams are coming off their first wins of the season.  The Giants could be playing without Bradshaw, Nixon, and Diehl Thursday against Cam Newton's squad.  Tom Coughlin's resilient team hopes to get their second straight win in an anticipated NFC primetime matchup.

09/16/2012-The 5th Quarter in New York Sports

Here is the podcast of the debut of my sports radio show "The 5th Quarter in New York Sports." The show aired Sunday September 16th from 9:00-10:00 PM on AM1240-WGBB and online at SportsRadioNY.com.  Me and my co-host Ty Hardamon discussed the Giants comeback win, the Jets loss in Pittsburgh, the rest of the NFL week two games, and the Yankees playoff chase, while responding to caller's questions and comments.

09/16/2012 The 5th Quarter in New York Sports

Jets On The Mark in Rout of Bills

Sunday at the Meadowlands was proof that the preseason just does not matter.

The Jets' offense exploded for four touchdowns in the season opener this afternoon against the Bills.  Gang Green crushed Buffalo, 48-28 in a wild game at MetLife Stadium.  Mark Sanchez had a sparkling debut throwing for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Rookie Stephen Hill caught 5 passes for 89 yards to go with 2 touchdowns.  Jeremy Kerley had a breakout performance with a 12 yard touchdown catch and a 68 yard punt return for a touchdown.  Tim Tebow came in for the wildcat and carried the ball 5 times for 11 yards.

The Jets' offense was in cruise control and their defense was absolutely dominant for the first 40 minutes of the game.  After Sanchez made a poor throw that was intercepted on the Jets' opening drive, it seemed like the "Te-Bow" chants were on the way.  That would be the only mistake Sanchez would make all day.  Darrelle Revis would intercept Ryan Fitzpatrick and it was all Jets from there.  

Sanchez was spot-on with his passes all afternoon.  It was something that Jets fans hope to get used to.  Hill, Kerley, and Santonio Holmes were his main targets on the day catching a combined 13 passes for 202 yards.  Tight end Dustin Keller was not very effective, but is expected to have a major role in the offense this season.

The ground and pound was successful as Shonn Greene carried the ball 27 times for 94 yards and a touchdown.  Tebow came in as a tight end on the first offensive play of the game.  He carried the ball for 11 yards.  The run game complemented the pass game very well Sunday afternoon.  Tebow should see more carries and more options in the wildcat as the season goes on.

Most importantly, the Jets' secondary was very impressive for the most part.  They started to fall apart in the fourth quarter, but for the most part they held Fitzpatrick in check.  They forced him into three interceptions with one of them turning into a pick six from Antonio Cromartie.  Revis left the game with an injury, but will be fine to play Sunday.

It was an electric atmosphere at the Meadowlands Sunday.  The crowd was ready for a fresh start.  The beginning of the season always brings new hope.  Not one person out of the 79,088 people expected a 48-point performance from the Jets, which happens to be the most in franchise history in the season opener.  It was a good showing in a season where the Jets are looking to redeem themselves and get back to the playoffs.

It was definitely a good performance by the offense, defense, and special teams, but there are definitely a lot of things the Jets need to work on.  Their defense had trouble stopping C.J. Spiller and the running game allowing him to run for 169 yards and a touchdown.  Also, the pass rush was awful for Gang Green.  Fitzpatrick had all day to throw allowing him to get some of those late touchdowns.  Pass rushing was the Jets' weakness last season and could be this year.  Look for Rex Ryan's team to put some more pressure on the quarterback throughout the season if they want to be successful.

The Jets head to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers Sunday.  Ben Roethlisberger should play, unless the birth of his child ends up happening that day.  While the Jets still have a lot to work on, their performance against Buffalo was a good sign.  The offense can put up points and move the ball.  The defense can force turnovers with their impressive secondary.  Let's see if Sanchez can go on the road to Pittsburgh and have a repeat performance of his brilliance in the 2012 season opener.  

2012 Jets Season Preview

There's more to the New York Jets in 2012 than Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez.  There actually is 51 other players on this team.

The talk of Jets' training camp thus far has been the lack of offense that they had in the preseason.  The starting offense with Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow under center were scoreless throughout the preseason.  Gang Green did not see a fully healthy squad though.  The wildcat formation was also not broken out.  This offense will be good enough to win them some games.

The Jets will be running the ball a lot this season.  Shonn Greene will be getting most of the carries with Joe McKnight backing him up.  Tebow will be a big playmaker with the wildcat under new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano.  Sparano will provide the Jets a more aggressive playbook that they did not have under Brian Schottenheimer.  Sanchez does not have many targets, but he still has Santonio Holmes and Dustin Keller.  Expect Holmes and Keller to have career years this season.  Both will be Sanchez's favorite target.  Gang Green hopes for Jeremy Kerley, Stephen Hill, and Chaz Schilens to be solid contributors after Holmes.

The Jets are heavily relying on their defense to lead them in the 2012 season.  Bart Scott said that his could be the best Jets' defense ever.  Their secondary is improved with new safeties LaRon Landry and Yeremiah Bell.  Their pass rush is improved with rookie Quinton Coples at defensive end.  Their linebackers, Bryan Thomas, Bart Scott, David Harris, and Calvin Pace are back and ready to lead this 3-4 defense.  Most importantly, they have the best cornerback in the NFL in Darrelle Revis.  This defense is one of the best in recent memory.  Expect them to carry the Jets throughout the season.

Prediction
10-6
6th seed in AFC
Beat Ravens in Wild Card Round
Divisional Round loss to Patriots

2012 Giants Season Preview

The New York Giants are riding high going into the 2012 season.  Big Blue is coming off their second Super Bowl victory in the last four years.  Tom Coughlin's resilient squad comes into this season being overlooked by many.  The Eagles and Cowboys are being picked by many to finish ahead of Big Blue.  While the G-Men have lost Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham, they still have one ELI-te man behind center.

Eli Manning led the Giants down the stretch last season living up to his word of being an elite quarterback.  Manning has lost one of his targets in Mario Manningham as well as his tight end, Jake Ballard.  Ballard was replaced by former Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett.  Big Blue did not do much this offseason to improve their receiving depth, but Ramses Barden and Domenik Hixon should see bigger roles this season.  With Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz starting, Manning will be just fine.

Manning also lost his backup running back, Brandon Jacobs, who signed with the 49ers this offseason.  Jacobs was replaced by rookie running back David Wilson.  Wilson has a very similar running style to starting running back, Ahmad Bradshaw.  The Giants lose their power back in Jacobs, but Wilson will provide a spark off the bench and is just 21 years old.

The Giants main weakness this season is their secondary.  The offense will score points and their pass rush is arguably the best in the NFL.  Their starting corners are Corey Webster and Michael Coe, who did not see much playing time last season.  If Prince Amukamara can stay healthy and see an improvement this season, they should be fine, but that has yet to be soon.  Kenny Phillips and Antrel Rolle give the Giants suitable options at safety.  The only question is truly at cornerback for the G-Men.   There is not a lot of depth there, but their defensive line should make up for that.

The Giants' schedule will be nowhere near easy this season.  Outside of the division, they will play the 49ers, Packers, Steelers, Saints, Falcons, and Ravens.  Those six games to go with four against the Cowboys and Eagles will make it tough for the G-Men to win this division, but this team has too much talent to miss out on the playoffs.

PREDICTION:
10-6
2nd place in NFC East
Winning one of the two NFC Wild Card spots
Losing to 49ers in NFC playoffs.