Football Notes

Luke, would you calm down please? Yes, I'm a Giants fan, but I had nothing to do with what happened to the Jets Quarterbacks!! Why would I jinx Pennington and Fiedler and not McNabb? It had to be Darth Shula...it had to be!!! Now would you come on down from there, please? At least Vinnie will start this week.... Luke, don't jump...Luke? Luke?

What do you if you're the New York Jets? You think your franchise QB is back from shoulder surgery, but just in case, you sign a very solid backup in Jay Fiedler. And what happens? You lose both in a span of five minutes! In just a couple of weeks, you go from being one of the teams to beat in the AFC to the team most likely to pick Matt Leinart in next year's draft. I've heard long time Jet fans like WFAN's Joe Benigno talk about the Jets being cursed. Now I'm starting to believe them.....

Sunday's game versus the Ravens showed that Brooks Bollinger clearly isn't the answer. How did this guy get drafted as a quarterback? He can't throw!! The Ravens defense is pretty good. But when you know a guy can't throw more 20 yards down the field, even the worst defense is going to look like the Steel Curtain. Benigno is killing Curtis Martin, screaming about how Lamont Jordan has in Oakland... saying that Martin is done. But it doesn't hurt Jordan's situation that he has Collins Moss and Porter to spread the field for him. And he's forgetting the fact when you have a QB that can't make the most basic throws (Bollinger), you can put eight in the box and key in on the run. No back can deal with that. Not even a hall of famer. Add the fact that the Offensive line isn't as good as it's been in years past, and you have a formula for a 2-14 record.

There was a rumor going around about the Jets possibly trading Jonathan Vilma for Phillip Rivers. Every Jets fan I talked to about to was vehemently against this trade. I'm not so sure about that. I know Vilma is an excellent linebacker and Rivers has played much in two years. But I don't think it's as far fetched as some make it out to be. As good as Vilma is (and he's very good), if you have a chance to get a franchise QB, you have to do it. Many scouts thought that Rivers was as good as Manning or Roethlisberger in last year's draft. The only reason he's not starting already is because Drew Brees decided to his best Joe Montana imitation and the Giants who drafted him used him as trade bait to get Manning. Giants GM Ernie Acorsi was very high on him and had no problem keeping him if the Eli deal fell through.

Acorsi's point was that franchise QBs only come around once every 10 years or so. And if you have an opportunity to acquire one, you have to jump on it. It's the reason the Chargers were willing to jettison only after a couple of years. It's the reason Kerry Collins became a ex-Giant as soon as Manning became available. It's not because Kerry or Drew weren't good pros. But their teams determined that they would only be able to go so far with them at the helm. Collins still has a cannon for an arm, but he's not able to check off after the first option is covered as well as a 10 year veteran should. Brees for whatever reason was never a Marty guy but considering that Schottenheimer is an idiot, I wouldn't take anything he does seriously.

My point is that with Pennington possibly being finished, you have to explore your options. And if Rivers is out there, then you have to at least consider it. Unless you're willing to tank the season and go after Leinart, he might be the best long term option available. These stop-gap moves are fine for a couple of games, but unless you have a stiffling defense, you're only going as far as your QB takes you. The Jets defense is very good, but look the teams they've had to play in the last couple of weeks. Outside of Kansas City, none of these teams are exactly world-beaters on offense. When they have to face teams like San Diego, with their offense stagnant, you could see some playstation scores put up against them in the next few weeks.

So as attached as the Jets are to Vilma, if the Chargers are willing to deal Rivers...they should seriously listen. You can draft another top flight LB in the first few rounds. Franchise QBs are much tougher to come by.

Speaking of franchise QBs, I think we're seeing a coming of age for Eli Manning. Yes, he's put up numbers against two very awful defenses. But that doesn't mean that it's a fluke. He's playing behind a much improved offensive line and he has some absolutely lethal weapons at his disposal. He's already developed a repoire with Burress and Shockey. Once he gets a feel for Amani Toomer and speedsters Tim Carter and David Tyree, it could be off to the races for the Giants. Add Tiki Barber and rookie Brandon Jacobs in the backfield, it's going to be tough to key in on just the pass with Big Blue. I just wish that Coughlin and the coaching staff would find way to work Jacobs into schemes outside of short yardage. By doing that, you can keep defenses honest because they have to honor the run while he's in there. You've got the horses, Tom. Now use some imagination with them.

It could be a long year for the Patriots defense. Losing Ty Law, Tedy Bruschi and Ted Johnson is bad enough. Now they've lost Poole and Harrison for the year. Unless their front seven applies more pressure against up front, you could see more 41-17 blowouts in their future. I, for one, can't wait.