As the 2013 NFL Season is set to begin tomorrow night with the Denver Broncos hosting the 2012 Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens, there are still many uncertainties regarding the New York Jets as well as the New York Giants. The Giants are in Dallas for NBC’s Sunday Night Football, while the Jets host Darrelle Revis and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Jets officially announced today that Geno Smith will start week 1. Sources have indicated that Sanchez will not be available until at least the 3rd game of the season. If Smith performs well, look for him to continue to be the starter for the rest of the season. After facing a tough defense in Tampa, week 1, the Jets face Tom Brady and the Patriots week 2 at Foxboro. If the Jets start 0-2, it will be interesting to see if the Jets brass is still on board with Geno at the helm. Maybe there will be chatter of starting Sanchez week 3 when they host the Buffalo Bills, and maybe there will be chatter to start Matt Simms week 3. Who knows when it comes to the Jets. Quarterback is not their only question mark, as ESPN.Com has them ranked dead last in the power rankings; which came as a shock to me. I do not think they are worse than the Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders and the St. Louis Rams to name a few.
The Giants know who their quarterback will be, but the bigger question remains who will be their ‘3rd down back’. David Wilson has been impressive all preseason, however the Giants still don’t feel comfortable with him protecting Eli on 3rd downs (not to mention 1st and 2nd downs). He has shown improvement, and with Andre Brown on the designated IR (not eligible to play the first 8 games), the Giants must find another back to take his place. They have some in house options such as 7th round pick Michael Cox, who also was impressive this preseason. They also have Da’rel Scott who the Giants selected with the 221st pick overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. They also have taken looks at Tim Hightower, Beanie Wells and Jonathon Dwyer. Will Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz be the same dynamic duo that wrecked havoc on opposing defenses in their 2011 run to the Super Bowl? Will the ‘castoff’ linebackers surprise the nay-sayers wrong? Do the Giants have enough effective defensive backs and will Corey Webster bounce back from a down year? Will Terrell Thomas be able to play all 16 games coming off back to back ACL surgeries? Finally, will Justin Tuck and JPP return to their dynamic duo as well, and get to the quarterback?
There is no doubt that there are major questions that cloud both the Giants and the Jets. While the Giants are expected to contend for a playoff spot, the Jets have virtually no expectations. If Geno Smith fails, it will be intersting to see if new GM John Idzik takes the blame or if it falls on sitting duck coach Rex Ryan. All these questions are one step closer be being answered when the season kicks off this week.
Justin Lerner: PureSportsNY