This is a bit late, but it’s actually a pretty fitting time to write this piece, as the Knicks are currently on a six-game winning streak after dropping six in a row right before it. During the losing streak, all hell broke loose. Haters began emerging from the woodwork, either doubling back on their initial euphoria of pairing Melo with Amar’e, or using the losses as further proof that the Knicks “gave up way too much.” Me? My view has remained constant from the start. With the new CBA likely to drastically slash the cap, Anthony wasn’t going to wait for free agency to sign with New York, allowing the Knicks to keep all their young assets and boast two superstars. Wasn’t happening. We’ll never know what would have happened if the Knicks had refused to blink on their original offer, which didn’t include Danilo Gallinari, but I think he would have either buckled and accepted the trade to the Nets, or inked the extension with Denver after all. For all the bluster about it “not being about the money,” athletes are really…all about the money. Would ‘Melo have passed up 4-5 mil to play for the Knicks? Probably. 20+? Not a chance.

So, that left New York with two options: stay firm and hope either Denver caved first in the game of chicken, relinquishing Anthony to his preferred destination for .40 on the dollar, or up the ante and ensure that they’d have two superstars to go to war with for the next 3-4 years. For me, it was a no-brainer. Suppose the Knicks didn’t bite, and Denver dealt Carmelo to New Jersey (yes, yes, I know New York would have theoretically had a chance to get Deron Williams in a trade, but nobody knew he was available until after the Carmelo deal, and I’m not convinced Utah would have parted with him for a package like Denver dealt Carmelo for). Where would the Knicks have stood? They’d still have a fun young core, but one that was basically a .500 team. They would have been forced to overpay Wilson Chandler in restricted free agency, clogging up cap room on a very good player who’s really a 4th option on a great team. Raymond Felton is signed through 2011-2012, and then becomes an unrestricted FA: with inflated numbers from D’Antoni’ s system, the Knicks would have had to overpay him to keep him if they struck out on Chris Paul or Williams. And this coming summer, the cupboard is bare with regards to max-worthy players beyond ‘Melo. So New York would have gone to war in that year with the same core plus a few tweaks, and played the same game all over again, praying that Howard, Paul or Deron come to save the day…in 2012-2013? No thanks! Listen, Anthony isn’t LeBron. He’s not perfect by any means. But he’s probably the best pure scorer in basketball, and he and Amar’e are a load to stop. Get the two studs and build around them. It’s much easier to find excellent role players to fill out a roster bolstered by two superstars than finding that second superstar, as Knicks fans should have learned in the summer of 2010. So John Hollinger can break down Carmelo’s PER all he wants: it doesn’t change the fact that the Knicks are drastically better positioned to compete in the future than they were before the deal.

And what have we seen so far? Exactly what I expected to see: this trade wasn’t made with this year in mind. The Knicks knew that they’d have an unbalanced roster, woefully short on size and with little time to gel. And so we’ve seen a slew of woeful losses: twice to Cleveland, twice to Indiana, Detroit. But they’ve also hung in every single game against a contender until the very end, other than one in Dallas, and really should have beaten Orlando twice and Boston. No team is too big for this squad now, even with their flaws. And as Carmelo finds his rhythm, and motion becomes more prevalent, and the team starts to know where to find each other on the floors, we’re starting to see a hint of what to look forward to the next several years. This season? I expect an exciting 1st-round series with either Miami or Boston that ends with the Knicks going home losers in 6. But next year? Armed with a mid-1st round draft pick and cap space to add size (Marc Gasol would be perfect; Tyson Chandler would work too), and a full off-season for Landry Fields and Toney Douglas to continue to improve, the sky’s the limit. Boston’s window is closing, and Orlando’s lost its luster, so the door is wide open for a new team to join Chicago and Miami as the beasts of the East. With a smart offseason and good health, I expect that team to be the Knicks as soon 2011-2012, thanks to the trade. And kudos to Denver for their smooth adaption to life-after-’Melo: they’ve done a great job capitalizing on going ten-deep and reinventing themselves. Sometimes, trades really do work for both sides, and this is one of those times. See you in the playoffs!

Boy, was that a sloppy game. I’m still sort of awed we came away with the win, as it felt like a loss for several hours after the game. But hey, great teams find ways to win games like this. Everything felt off: the short week, altitude, upcoming bye…the Jets were completely out of sync. Notes:

• Mark Sanchez was erratic, but played great in the 4th quarter, leading the Jets to two scoring drives. The first half was probably his worst of the year (despite a few great throws), as he was picked twice and could have been picked two more. It’s easy to forget, what with all the strides he’s made this year, that he’s just 23 with very little playing experience. There will be days like this, and worse ones as well. But we can’t ask for much more than a 9-2 TD/INT ratio.
• The bye is coming at the right time—there’s much to be cleaned up. I expect Santonio Holmes to emerge from the off week starting opposite Braylon Edwards. We need both in the game regularly, with Cotchery sliding inside to the slot. I thought Darrelle Revis looked much better yesterday: even on the plays he was beaten, he was in their hip pocket. He should be at full strength for Green Bay, which we badly need. With GB, Detroit and Cleveland next up, there’s a reasonable chance we could be 8-1, though I’ll say 7-2 is the most likely outcome.
• One disturbing trend is the lack of QB pressure. Rex is sending the heat as always—and we did hold Orton to a woeful completion percentage—but we’re just not hitting the quarterback enough. This coming offseason, we absolutely must make it a priority to add some talented rushers at 3-4 DE.
• Holmes’s fumble was nearly a killer, but he’s such a versatile, dynamic threat. The pass-interference call he drew was completely legitimate: I’m not a fan of flags having that sort of impact under normal circumstances, but that play was blatant. Not only did Renaldo Hill grab his facemask, which is what everyone’s talking about, but he also never turned to face the ball and had a handful of jersey. A non-call would have been the travesty there.
• The running game was a step slow most of the day, but came to life in the 4th. Really, that could be said for much of the team. I’ll chalk it up to circumstances/an off day, and fully expect to see a much crisper team after the bye.

A very gutsy win, one I don’t think we pull out last year. Minnesota was a desperate team, obviously extremely talented—especially with Randy Moss now in the fold—and we weren’t sharp on offense. And yet we managed to pull it out. Some thoughts:

• I thought Mark Sanchez played better than his numbers indicated in the first half. He was victimized by multiple drops, and just missed on a few long bombs. In the second half, he wasn’t on his game, though he did convert some key third downs. In many ways, this game was a great learning experience for Sanchez. Until now, teams like New England and Miami have tried to rattle him by firing blitzes and tons of pressure at him; he’s handled them beautifully, refusing to lock into a primary receiver and spreading the ball around. The result: plenty of open receivers, and Sanchez was finding them every time. Minnesota, though, presented a bend-but-don’t-break Cover 2, and generated most of their pressure for that fearsome front four. Because of that, the windows were very small, and it felt like Holmes, Edwards, Cotchery, et al were covered on most plays. Sanchez forced a few throws, and some others sailed on him. The wet ball didn’t help. Once again, though, there were no turnovers, though he got away with one that Lito Sheppard dropped (but really, if you counted every “could have been picked” throw, most quarterbacks’ numbers would look a lot worse). I’m not concerned about him going forward. He should step up with a stronger game against Denver next week.
• The Jets were the first team in 51 games to rush for 150 yards against the Williams Wall and Co. LaDainian Tomlinson’s resurgence has been something to see, perhaps the craziest part of a crazy season and crazy team. He looks circa 2005. The burst, vision, hands, power…it’s all there. He’s been so good that Shonn Greeene’s solid play since his week 1 debacle has gone unnoticed, mostly because he just hasn’t had the opportunity for carries with LT dominating. But Greene’s 23-yard TD burst showed excellent recognition of the holes, and he looked powerful throughout. This is a much more explosive duo than the Jones/Greene tandem from last year. As long as everyone stays healthy, this should be a dominant run attack all year.
• They say that the offensive line is only mentioned when they mess up, which means we’re not going to hear much about them. D’Brickashaw Ferguson won his matchup with Jared Allen handily, though Ray Edwards did beat Damien Woody a few times. The run blocking was absolutely mauling. That the Jets dominating the point of attack against perhaps the best front four in football bodes very well for our chances to continue our strong play. Matt Slauson has fit in well at LG. The move to let the aging Faneca go has seemed like the right move so far.
• To me, the star of the game was Antonio Cromartie. Favre threw about 8 bombs to Moss, and Cromartie was step-for-step with him on every single one. The lone touchdown was one of the best throws I’ve seen, a rainbow with perfect arc that no defensive back in the NFL could have stopped. It’s a good thing Cromartie was so sharp, because Darrelle Revis didn’t seem himself as the night went on, unable to stay with Percy Harvin on a crossing route that led to a TD, and all-in-all tentative. It was unsurprising to hear after the game that his hamstring was sore. With Denver (who does boast a potent passing attack, but we need to think long-term) up followed by the bye, I’d sit him so he can have 21 days before he plays next. Barring some sort of aggravation, that should get him to 100%.
• Santonio Holmes is going to add a ton to this offense. The timing wasn’t fully there yet, but his combination of speed and route running will make him the Jets 1b to Dustin Keller’s 1a.
• I was one of the people who was very concerned about letting Jay Feely go and bringing in Nick Folk. Well, thusfar, Folk has shut me and a lot of other people up, playing practically perfect football. In fact, the entire Jets’ special teams unit has been lights out all year. Brad Smith remains the Jets’ most underappreciated weapon, and his 86-yard kickoff return after the Favre-to-Moss TD strike was a really big momentum play. Steve Weatherford has been outstanding punting all year. The coverage units have been mostly fantastic, though they did allow Percy Harvin to get near midfield late on a kick return.
• Once again, Rex had his team ready to go. For all the talk about distractions, the Jets have come ready to play every quarter of every game this year.

All in all, 4-1 is a pretty sweet spot to be in, and the best part is that I think there’s tons of room for improvement. On to Denver!

This postseason has a predestined feel to it—Yankees/Phillies redux?—but one never knows. My picks for round 1:

• Yankees over Twins in 4. The Yankees have the Twins’ number, and without Justin Morneau, I just don’t think Minnesota has the firepower to take out the Yankees. I will say, though, that Game 1 is very important for New York with C.C. Sabathia on the mound. Their Achilles heel is their starting pitching beyond Sabathia, especially with Andy Pettitte having barely pitched over the past month, and a Twins win tonight against Sabathia could put the Yankees on their heels a bit. Francisco Liriano is the only Twins starter who has dominant stuff, so he’s as good a bet as any to do it. Still, despite their impressive W/L record and the Yankees’ late struggles, I  can’t pick Minnesota. As a proud Yankee-hater, however, I hope I’m proven wrong!

• Rays over Rangers in 5. I don’t feel as confident about this pick, and I sort of want to change it. I think Texas is being slept on because they’ve been a pretty average team since July, which is somewhat understandable…but remember that they basically had the division locked up then. The AL West was brutal this year. Now that they’re healthy and in the playoffs for the first time in forever, they’re going to be focused, and the 2-in-5-games Cliff Lee factor can’t be overlooked. I’m going with the Rays because they have a deeper bullpen and more balanced lineup, but not by much when Texas is clicking. A coin flip, in my opinion.

• Phillies over Reds in 3. This would be the largest upset of any series if it goes the other way. The Phillies have been absolutely scorching over the past few months, and their Halladay/Hamels/Oswalt trio is downright unfair. Meanwhile, they face a Reds team that’s talented and has a bright future, but they’re starting a pitcher in Game 1 who’s coming off Tommy John surgery and missed the first 50 games with a PED suspension. I’d love to see Cincinnati pulls of the monumental shocker, but unless Philadelphia implodes, it’s hard for me to see Cincinnati’s path to winning three of five.

• Giants over Braves in 5. An interesting series. The Giants should win—they have much stronger starting pitching, and have played much better over the past month—but Atlanta has more experience and motivation to win for a longtime manager who’s retiring after the season. The Giant offense can be pitched to, but Atlanta’s starters have been very inconsistent, and their offense is banged up. I do think the Braves could win this, but I think Lincecum and Cain step up to the plate and carry San Francisco to a hard-fought win, and the privilege to get stomped by the Phillies in the divisional round.

Didn’t get a chance to write a preview, which is just as well as I would have been way off. I have absolutely no idea what happened to our defense in this one. Props to Miami for a creative play-calling approach and strong performances from Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams…but there was no excuse for how flat we looked on that side of the ball. To give up three fourth quarter leads with how dominant our D has been in the first four games…simply inexplicable and excruciating.

Still….IF that was a one game blip caused by a gimmicky team [Wildcat] and we resume our stingy ways, the offense should be VASTLY improved the rest of the way with the addition of Braylon Edwards. The #’s (5-65, TD) don’t begin to tell the story of his impact. Edwards dominated this game. The touchdown, in the first quarter, was on a short slant near the goal line where he used his 6’3″ frame to block out the defender. He just missed a second touchdown on a 30 yard dart from Sanchez, where Edwards made a circus, leaping grab to get his feet in at the half yard line, setting up a touchdown. And he drew a 49 yard PI on another bomb from Sanchez, setting up ANOTHER touchdown. The entire offense could breathe. It’s all we could have hoped for.

With Buffalo and Oakland on the docket, there’s no excuse for us to be anything but 5-2 heading into our rematch with the Dolphins at the Meadowlands. I look forward to it…

A day late, but I promise; these were my original predictions!

Cardinals over Dodgers in 4 [after last night, I'll need the Cards to win three straight for this one to come true. I felt St. Louis' pitching was just too good, but LA turned in a strong effort last night, especially their bullpen.]

Yankees over Twins in 3 [just too powerful for Minnesota, despite the glass slipper.]

Angels over Red Sox in 5 [a total coin flip that I could see going either way. I trust Anaheim's starting pitching a bit more right now.]

Rockies over Phillies in 5 [with De La Rosa out, this might be flipped, but since I hate the Goddamn Phils, I'll stick with it.]

A bit late, but…ugly game from Mark Sanchez, his first as a pro. This was going to happen, of course. Sanchez was going to lose us a few games this year as he learns the NFL craft. This was the first, but it won’t be the last. Some notes:

• While Sanchez deserves blame for poor ball protection, it should be noted that the Saints defense did an outstanding job, and nobody other than Jerricho Cotchery was able to get open. I also disliked Brian Schottenheimer’s playcalling (a rare complaint); on two 3rd-and-1′s from midfield with the Jets trailing by only a touchdown in the fourth quarter, he put Sanchez in the shotgun. I appreciate the trust he has in his rookie, but we need to either pound it for a yard or do a quick play action/screen there. Asking Sanchez to hit a quick slant on a three-step drop doesn’t seem the optimal choice in the Superdome.
• Our defense was fantastic despite being short-handed, limiting the most explosive offense to a single, 4th quarter touchdown. The swagger is beautiful to watch, and I’m hungry for Monday Night when Calvin Pace and Lito Sheppard should be back on the field.
• The addition of Braylon Edwards yesterday should help the running game get going, as well as offer Sanchez a deep option that he just didn’t have with Chansi Stuckey across from Cotchery. Edwards’ impact will be felt more in giving Thomas Jones, Leon Washington & Shonn Greene room to breathe than dominant numbers…and that’s fine with me.

All in all, I’ll live with this loss as a learning experience. We hung with a dominant team on the road when our rookie QB made two huge mistakes. I’m confident we’re here all year, baby!

Everyone, and I mean everyone, is picking the Saints here. I’m not surprised the majority of analysts and pundits are going with New Orleans, given that a) they’re at home, b) they’ve been dominant thusfar and are deserving of all the accolades, and c) the Jets will be without two of their top three cornerbacks against a lights-out passing game. Still…the Jets have made enough of a statement thusfar with their blitz-happy defense and workmanlike offense that I’d think a FEW experts would go our way. I certainly expect a close, hard-fought game. Three keys:

1) Establish the run game. Take away a few long runs in the second half against Houston, and our rushing attack has been downright pedestrian. There’s no excuse for that, given the talent on the offensive line and at running back. However, the Pats and Titans have tough run D’s; the Saints have been very good so far, but I see them coming back to earth a bit. It’s imperative to keep Mark Sanchez out of repeated 3rd-and-longs, and we’ll need 100+ yards on the ground to do it. That also keeps the ball out of Drew Brees’ hands.

2) Force Brees to get rid of the ball quickly. This won’t necessarily shut New Orleans down—Brees has a myriad of weapons, and I foresee a large number of quick hits to Reggie Bush—but it should prevent quick strikes that get the crowd fired up and put the Jets in catch-up mode. Not having Lito Sheppard and Donald Strickland really hurts this week, so there’s serious pressure on the front 7 to get to Brees and try to cause some turnovers and mistakes.

3) Let Mark Sanchez loose. The Jets simply have to take some shots down the field to try to shut the Superdome crowd up and seize momentum. Sanchez has the arm to make any throw, and maybe this is the week to try some bombs to speedster David Clowney. New Orleans’ secondary is much improved but still far from a shutdown unit.

Prediction: well, I can’t go against my boys this week, though I think it’s a very difficult game and won’t view a loss (unless it’s total domination) as a major setback. Jets 28, Saints 27.

An intense, tough game that showed Tennessee’s resilience (though the phrase, “best 0-3 team ever!” gets slightly tedious…they ARE 0-3, after all), but we came out on top. I loved that first quarter, which the Jets completely dominated, but I think I loved our response to the awful second quarter (and first possession of the third) even more. There was no crumbling; just stepping up in focus and intensity. Kerry Collins missed his last 13 attempts under heavy pressure. We missed Lito Sheppard and Donald Strickland—there were a few more opening in the secondary than in the first two weeks—but there was no fear or visible lapses in the swagger. Kudos to Rex Ryan for keeping the Jets centered.

Loved Mark Sanchez’ gumption on that exciting TD run, but…slide next time, dude. We need you. We can’t go back to Kellen Clemens after this! It’s not worth the risk. A few more thoughts:

• Vernon Gholston’s no superstar, but he’s becoming a useful player. He should fit in perfectly as the 5th LB when Calvin Pace returns next week.
• Who said Jerricho Cotchery isn’t a #1 WR? We still need a more dangerous weapon opposite him than David Clowney, though.
• Run game needs to pick it up, starting NOW.

Preview of tomorrow’s Jets/Saints game coming later today. Last week’s prediction was right on target; hope the same is true of tomorrow’s clash of the (thusfar) titans…

I’ve been majorly slacking in my sports writing (for no good reason), and my poker writing (because I just haven’t had the time to play). Time to put a stop to that! First up, some brief thoughts of what the Jets need to do to beat a desperate Titans team this weekend:

At 0-2, Tennessee needs a win badly unless they want to face a steep climb to the playoffs. It would be a huge mistake to take the Titans lightly because of their record; they’ve lost the two games by a combined six points, and it’s hard to believe a secondary with three 2008 Pro Bowlers will continue to get torched like this. I expect them to come out and play like caged animals. Making matters worse, DB’s Lito Sheppard and Donald Strickland will both miss the game…though I suspect Rex Ryan is cagily holding them back for next week’s showdown in New Orleans against the high-octane Saints’ passing game; Tennessee is less likely to take advantage of injuries in the secondary. We need them 100% for that matchup.

Luckily, Ryan doesn’t strike me as the sort of coach to allow for a let-down. I expect the Jets to be fired up again. Three keys to winning:

1) Contain Chris Johnson. Run-blitzes can be effective if we don’t overpursue and let the blazing Johnson get free in space. I’d think Ryan will shrug if Kerry Collins beats the Jets…it’s all about stopping the running game. It’s an interesting test for a defense that’s been dominant so far; this is the first true running team we’ve faced so far.

2) Throw on 1st and 2nd downs. The Titans have a very stingy run-defense, and as mentioned, they’ve been getting lit up through the air (though I’d expect that to tighten up significantly). Still, you can’t just relentlessly pound the ball on 1st and 2nd downs and put Mark Sanchez in 3rd and longs again; that plays right into a veteran defense’s hands. Sanchez has yet to look even slightly phased, and has responded very well to mistakes and adversity. I’d like to see them attack Tennessee with a mix of short slants and long throws and use the run to keep them honest.

3) Don’t let up. Kerry Collins isn’t a terrible player, but he’s not mobile and can be prone to mistakes (though the Titans have a first-rate offensive line protecting him). Additionally, Tennessee isn’t exactly packed with WR/TE threats, and with Collins’ slow release, the Jets’ relentless pressure should lead to some sacks/turnovers. That could give the Jets some much-needed field position.

Prediction: Jets 20, Titans 17. This game scares me, but I’m beginning to believe the Jets are for REAL. A loss wouldn’t surprise me at all, though. The Titans are an excellent team despite their record. I’ll be at the game, so a report will follow!