Empire State of Decline: Jets and Giants Are Two Average Football Teams

In the recent and very popular song, "Empire State of Mind," there are the following lyrics: "In New York, concrete jungles where dreams are made of, there is nothing you can't do, now you're in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you, let's hear it for New York ..." and so on and so fourth as Jay-Z and Alicia Keys tell all of us how big dreams can come true by living or working in or near New York City.

That sounds about right for the New York Yankees right about now, as they are having a parade down the Cannon of Heroes after clinching their 27th World Championship, but don't recite those lyrics to two NFL franchises that happen to call New York City and Northern New Jersey home.

The "bright lights" are not exactly inspiring the Jets and Giants right now; both teams are mired in unpredictable and somewhat shocking slumps as we move along in the month of November.

In some respects, the Jets and Giants should thank the Yankees for their long postseason run, because without the Bronx Bombers, the Jets and Giants would be getting plastered on the talk radio circuit on a 24/7 loop.

Funny, too, considering almost a year ago, fans were going gaga over the possibility of a Subway Super Bowl, and just two months ago when the Jets and Giants were undefeated, fans were starting to get that perky feeling once again.

Don't get me wrong, I am a life long Jets fan, and when the Giants are on, I will watch and root for them too; having two winning football teams in New York is better than having one or none.

But the fact is that neither team is very good right now.

Let's start with the Giants.

Big Blue got off to an incredible 5-0 start, pounding the life out of the likes of the Raiders, Chiefs, Buccaneers, and Redskins. Only problem is those four teams are currently the dregs of the NFL. Even Rutgers could beat the Skins, Raiders, Bucs, and Chiefs now.

Since that time, the Giants have faced a great deal of adversity. They suffered blowout losses to the Saints and Eagles, along with a disturbing home loss to the Cardinals two weeks ago. Many have begged the question whether new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan is in over his head, but the fact remains it isn't easy to lead a group that is missing a bunch of its key players.

Jay Alfred is out for the year with a knee injury. Kenny Phillips is lost with a hamstring tear. Michael Boley, the prized off-season free agent signing, has missed a lot of time due to various injuries, Chris Canty and Aaron Ross are lost for the year as well. Add to that the fact that Justin Tuck has been hobbled by a arm injury for most of the year, and more recently, wide receiver Mario Manningham has been bothered by a bum shoulder.

Hence, the formula for disaster.

It makes one wonder about the legitimacy of the Giants medical training staff. The G-Men use the same hospital that the New York Mets use for their players, the same Mets who lost every single starting player in its lineup this year due to various bizarre injuries.

The health of the Giants is a huge concern moving forward toward the stretch run. If none of the lost players return, it could spell doom for Big Blue when it comes time to clinch a playoff spot.

In two of the Giants last three losses, the defense has been carved up for a combined 884 yards of offense, while surrendering a combined 88 points. The Giants, who used to have one of the games most punishing D's in football, have looked pretty ordinary.

On the offensive side of the ball, Eli Manning has been shockingly awful. Against the Eagles, Manning was sacked twice and picked off two more times in the 40-17 defeat. He just hasn't looked like the Eli that torched the Dallas Cowboys in week 2.

One reason for Manning's struggles is the fact that the Giants have gotten away from their bread and butter: the running game. Last week against Philly, Brandon Jacobs carried the ball only 20 times, while Ahmad Bradshaw got nine touches. Against the Cardinals, Jacobs had 13 carries, while Bradshaw got 12 carries. If the Giants are going to turn things around, they have got to get the ground game going.

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