Frank Mazzola

The New York Jets beat the world champion New York Giants10-7 on Saturday.  Granted, it was a pre-season game, but it was an important one for Gang Green.  This annual affair is usually hotly contested and there is a certain air of rivalry that accompanies it.  It’s their chance to stand up to their bullying big brothers whose name currently graces the stadium they play in.  The game is always viewed as a war between Old School vs. New School.  The Jets must constantly vie for sports coverage in the New York area, so they wanted to take advantage of this contest.

Here are my thoughts on the game:

- Calvin Pace may yet prove to be a Free Agent steal.  He was very active on the defense, recording a sack and providing constant pressure on Giants’ QB Eli Manning.

- Thus far, I am not terribly impressed with the retooled, very expensive offensive line.  Of course, the Giants do sport one of the league’s best pass rushes, but if Alan Faneca and Co. continue to let Brett Favre get knocked around, his soon to be 39 year old body will not withstand the rigors of the season.

- LB David Harris continues to develop nicely.  He had a sack and  was extremely active all over the field.

- I could see TE Dustin Keller having a good rookie campaign.  Favre loves throwing to his tight ends and looked for Keller, Chris Baker and Bubba Franks often.

- The Jets are going to need to get RB Leon Washington more involved.  Thomas Jones does not look like the same player from a year ago and Washington provides a burst that Jones can’t match.

- WR Brad Smith is an example of a player who makes the most out of his limited opportunities.  You’ll see his name on the scoresheet more this season.

- The defensive line did a fine job stuffing the run early on but seemed to wear down as the game progressed.  The team needs to address the depth here to keep their starters fresh.

- CB Dwight Lowery has really had a notable pre-season.  If Justin Miller’s injury shelves him for a period of time, Lowery has an excellent shot at remaining the starter.

Frank Mazzola

Kellen Clemens started camp as the favorite in many people’s eyes to start at quarterback for the New York Jets this upcoming season.  Obviously, those plans changed once Brett Favre was acquired, but he thought he could at least count on being the backup.  Now, thanks to “The Other Brett”, even that notion may be farfetched.

Brett Ratliff, the unheralded player from Utah, has performed brilliantly during the Jets’ two preseason games, clearly out-playing the assumed backup Clemens.  He has drawn rave reviews for his decision making, his throws and his ability to run a complicated offense.  While Clemens has experience on his side, it is not out of the realm of possibility that Ratliff could manage to steal the job from him.

At that point, a bigger question will rear it’s head:  Should events transpire that result in Ratliff becoming the number two guy, where does that leave Erik Ainge, the 5th round pick from this year’s draft with the impressive collegiate resume?  Do the Jets simply cast him aside or do they carry four quarterbacks, leaving themselves short in another area of the roster?

Saturday’s game will be very telling.  The third preseason contest traditionally sees the starters play well into the third quarter.  Clearly, that means Favre gets the bulk of the work.  But who gets the mop up duty?

The answer to that question may just be the backup this season.  One thing is for sure:  Kellen Clemens ought to be very nervous right now.

Frank Mazzola

That was a pretty darn good punch that Chris Jericho threw at HBK’s wife’s face, wasn’t it?  Fake or not, it appeared to have at least connected.

The WWE is famous for involving a wrestler’s real life family in storylines.  Some of these storylines turn out to be violent ones.  Note that I am not necessarily taking them to task for this.  The McMahons themselves have all been involved at one point or another (remember when Kane infamously powerbombed Linda McMahon on the steel ramp?) and they haven’t asked anyone to do anything that they wouldn’t do.

Wrestling is supposed to be about the illusion of violence.  As Mick Foley pointed out in his book, Foley Is Good, you never see a reverse Irish whip take place in a real fight.  Wrestlers are trained professionals who make their living pretending to hurt one another (though many actual injuries do occur, despite the good intentions.)

My question is:  Why would any wrestler allow his spouse to even be put in the position where something could go wrong?  For the most part, these women do not have the training to defend themselves properly and are entirely dependent upon the “assailant” to keep them safe (a notable exception to this point would be the Undertaker’s ex-wife Sara, who clearly had some martial arts training prior to engaging in her storyline’s activity).

My wife is the most important person in my life.  I don’t care how much I trusted Chris Jericho, there is no way I’d ever let her be on the receiving end of even a fake punch.  Who would I have to blame if, tragically, the illusion became real? 

My philosophy has always been that you never gamble with what you cannot afford to lose.

Other thoughts from last night’s show:

- Mike Adamle has been an announcer for many years and, from what I understand, is well regarded in the industry.  Having said that, it’s simply painful to watch him, week after week, stumble through his duties as commissioner of RAW.  When he can’t even correctly read from a sheet of paper without letting his nerves cause him to bungle simple words, the time has come to reassess this dubious appointment.

- Perhaps he was just jazzed to be in Chicago, but CM Punk certainly put on a show last night.  He performed better than I have ever seen him do so.  It always breaks my heart when a wrestler is forced to “do the job” in his hometown.

- I don’t know where the writers are going with this “Lovable Loser” angle with Jamie Noble, but it’s starting to annoy me.  He is a talented wrestler who I would love to see go against someone like Rey Mysterio, but consistently letting him get squashed by the likes of JBL is just a waste of time.

- You’d think someone would have told Kane that he had what looked like a piece of broccoli stuck in his teeth before his closeup.  I could barely watch the big guy because I was trying to hold back the waves of nausea that threatened to overcome me (Perhaps I’m a little sensitive, but food stuck in the teeth is a huge pet peeve with me.)

- I would have much rather had Cryme Tyme take the belts from Rhodes/Lil’ Dibiase in an actual match, but at least we’re heading in the right direction with this storyline.

- I’d love to see a three way (get your mind out of the gutter) dance involving Beth Phoenix, Mickie James and Katie Lea Burchill.  When you watch Katie Lea in the ring, you get a sense of what a great Ring General she is.  Kelly Kelly wouldn’t have pulled off half of those moves without her assistance.  

- Speaking of Burchills, I know I’ve been tough on the “Human Ironing Board”, Paul Burchill…and with good cause.  However, he did impress me a little bit against Batista last night.  Still, it did my heart good to watch him get planted with that powerbomb, though.

- Finally, it’s nice to see D. Lo Brown back in action.  He went through unbelievable anguish when he accidentally paralyzed Darren Drozdov years ago during a match.  The fact that he is even able to step back into a ring is a testament to his courage and character.