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!

Cardinals over Eagles (this is a sentimental pick more than one based in reality…)

Steelers over Ravens

Apologies for the downtime…been getting back into the flow of work, learning PokerTracker (wow), and fiddling w/ my Top 10 list.   Expect the writing to pick up next week.  Meanwhile, this weekend’s predictions after going 2-4 in Round 1…

Panthers over Cardinals (though I wouldn’t be surprised to see an upset here)

Giants over Eagles (see above)

Ravens over Titans

Steelers over Chargers

First round:

Eagles over Cardinals

Falcons over Vikings

Ravens over Dolphins

Colts over Chargers

I’ll have a writeup on the Jets’ inexplicable (and frustrating) collapse over the weekend, as well as some new film reviews.  The screening log has been updated.  Happy New Year, all!