View from The meadowlds- Notes from the Jet-Giant game.

Went to the Jet/ Giant game this weekend. This is what I saw.

• Chad Pennington’s arm is embarrassingly weak. On TV you really do not get a sense of how strong a guy’s arm is. All the talk of Pennington’s arm being weak is something I always dismissed as exaggerated, however, watching him throw in person has changed my perception. The Giants were jumping routes, yes, but with a bit more zip on the ball, the defender would have not had an opportunity to intercept the pass. Pennington’s first INT took a long time to get to the target and the receiver was only about 12 yards away. The second INT was under thrown by about 5 yards. The third INT, well to be honest, I was not watching. The NFL is not a league that you can rely strictly on accuracy and timing. Pennington is a good leader, makes intelligent reads most of the time, but his arm strength will never allow this offense to reach it’s potential. He can not throw the 15 yard out or a 40 yard fly. Coles and Cotchery are playmakers that do not have the QB in Penningtonm to get them the ball.
• Mangini has no faith in his running game or offensive line. Three times this year the Jets have had 4th down and less than a yard in opponent territory, on the first drive of the game, and punted. Against New England they punted from the NE 35 or so and Brady threw a TD to Wes Welker 12 plays later. Two weeks ago the Jets had the ball in Bills territory on the first drive, 4th and short, punted, and eventually lost the game. This past weekend, on 4th and two feet, the Jets pretended like they were going to run a play and them tried to draw the Giants offsides. All the Jet fans, I would say 30-35% of the crowd wanted the Jets to go for it. They punted, and then scored a defensive TD on Jacobs’ fumble, but the point is this. You got Thomas Jones for a reason, you have two studs on your O-line in Mangold and DeBrickeshaw, show your team you have some balls and go for it. Worst case scenario is that the opponent gets the ball at about midfield. OK, but by going for the 1st down, you are not only showing faith in your offense, but also your defense.
• Jet play calling was awful at times, and predictable the rest of the time. The second INT, when the Jets had the ball at the Giant 20, 1st and 10, was ugly. The throw itself, off Pennington’s back foot, was bad. A better throw and maybe you get a TD, but why not run with Jones. Let him be the pile driver you want him to be. How many sweeps were you going to run before you realized they were not going to work? How about a few play-actions out of I-Formation on 1st down after running out of I-Form on first down 8 consecutive times?
• The Giants have two excellent between the tackle running backs. Ward and Jacobs hit the hole hard and make yards when the hole is not there. I was not sold on Jacobs until I watched him this past weekend. The man is physically imposing and runs with anger.
• The Giants can make a lot of noise in a very weak NFC, but Manning needs to stop making boneheaded mistakes. The INT at the end of the 1st half is a typical type of play that happens with alarming frequency. I like Manning and think he can lead the Giants, but those mistakes need to stop.
• This next weekend is one that Tom Coughlin needs to have the Giants ready for. Patrino will have Atlanta ready to go Monday night, but no excuses here for the Giants. They are the more talented team and a win is a must.