Upon Further Review: New York Giants take a beating from Dallas Cowboys; Take a bite of Humble Pie, and more thoughts

Bronx, NY - Let's begin with the Super Bowl Champion New York (Football) Giants opening the 2012 season against the hated Dallas Cowboys home at MetLife Stadium.
The Giants didn't do much to quiet the critics who said that winning the Vince Lombardi trophy last year was a fluke. The defense, after keeping 'Boys quarterback Tony Romo in check the first half, never laid a finger on him in the second half in the 24-17 loss. Making matters worse, they allowed DeMarco Murray to gain 131 yards on 20 carries. Forty-eight on a run that saw both Mathias Kiwanuka and Justin Tuck fail to bring him down in the backfield.

Offensively, last year's wide receiver sensation Victor (Salsa) Cruz uncharacteristically drops 3 passes that would have been first downs, trying to make plays before catching the ball and turning it upfield. Naturally, folks are saying he has succumbed to the "Helium Head Syndrome" after an offseason of appearing in everything from the Grammy Awards to every Red Carpet event celebrating his breakout season. To his credit, Cruz owned up to his mistakes.

"They were just drops," he said after the game. "A couple of them were me leaving before I caught the ball."

It was a game Big Blue needed to win because it was at home against a division rival. Head coach Tom Coughlin thought the team needed to taste a slice of humble pie.

"Take a bite out of humble pie," he told his team afterward. "It brings you right back down to earth."

Coughlin if anything, always keeps it real. Let's see how the Giants bounce back Sunday against a Tampa Bay team who looked impressive in its win against Carolina...

So who says you have to score in the pre-season? The New York Jets added a new offensive coordinator in Tony Sparano and backup quarterback Tim Tebow then proceeded to score only 1 touchdown in its four pre-season games. Mark Sanchez did not get the first unit in the end zone and Tebow was never used in the "wildcat" offense so teams would not know how to defend against him when he entered the game. None of that mattered when Gang Green took the field against the Buffalo Bills Sunday afternoon on a sun-drenched day at MetLife Stadium.

Sanchez, in his best performance as a Jets, threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns as they routed Buffalo 48-28. First-round draft pick, wide receiver Stephen Hill hauled in 2 of the touchdowns and momentarily quieted critics. Hill, who had a case of the drops during the pre-season was confident coming into the game.

"I just kept working hard," he said afterward.

Jeremy Kerley not only caught a touchdown pass but returned a punt 68 yards extending the lead to 21-0. The running game wasn't spectacular but Shonn Greene did manage 94 yards on 27 carries. More impressive was the offensive line who didn't let Sanchez touch the turf the entire game. They allowed him the time in the pocket to find the open receivers.

Defensively, aside from miscues in the second half, they pestered Ryan Fitzpatrick all day as they picked him off 3 times (Antonio Cromartie taking one to the house) as they got off to a 27-7 first-half lead. Tim Tebow, the talk of the town, was a relatively non-factor in the game running for only 11 yards on 5 carries. He attempted no passes. Eight times from the wildcat formation, he handed the ball off three times. At one point, Jets fans serenaded him with boos after he gained no yards when they were on the Bills 12-yard line. He claimed he didn't hear the reaction.

Yeah, right.

Head coach Rex Ryan, who almost got blasted on the sideline by Bills tight end Scott Chandler was downright giddy after the game.

"Obviously a tremendous performance by our football team," he said. I couldn't be happier for our football team."

The Bills were a pushover for Gang Green but rest assured the Pittsburgh Steelers won't be when the Jets visit them Sunday afternoon. The Steelers will be going into the game with a chip on their shoulders after losing Sunday night to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos...

Quick Hits: Speaking of Manning, he didn't look like the quarterback that hadn't played a game all of last year as he threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns (completing 19 of 26 passes) in 31-19 victory over the Steelers. Peyton kept the frenzied Pittsburgh defense at bay when he went to the no-huddle offense in the second quarter. Manning guided them to four scores (3 touchdowns and a field goal) in their last 4 times with the ball. Not bad for a guy missing a year and coming off 4 neck surgeries...

Five rookie quarterbacks made their debut in Sunday's contest and 4 of them played like it. Manning's replacement in Indianapolis, Andrew Luck, did throw for 309 yards and a touchdown but also got picked off 3 times in his team's 41-21 loss to Chicago...Miami's Ryan Tannehill had 6 of the worst minutes a QB can have throwing 3 int's in losing to the Texans 30-10...Cleveland Brandon Weedon tossed 4 int's in his team's 17-16 loss to the Eagles while Seahawks QB Russell Wilson was not as bad. Wilson did complete 18 of 34 passes (only 153 yards, however) in their 20-16 loss to Arizona. Wilson was picked off one time and threw for 1 touchdown...RG III showed why he was not only the Heisman Trophy winner but the #1 draft pick as he led the Redskins to a surprising 40-32 victory over the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans. Robert Griffin the 3rd, passed for 320 yards completing 19 of 26 passes and 2 touchdowns and no ints. RG III completed his first eight passes and showed poise unlike a rookie when he found wide receiver Pierre Garcon for an 88-yard touchdown strike just before getting blasted by Malcolm Jenkins who blitzed on the play. It tied the second longest scoring pass by a rookie QB starting his first game...Week 1 is in the books. The Redskins, 49ers, Jets, Bears, Denver, New England, Texans, Atlanta, and Ravens put it on their opponents while the Eagles struggled and the Bills, Miami, Kansas City, Cincinnati looked awful.

Green Bay and the Giants didn't look much better. Let's see which teams bounce back in week 2!

Are Chip Kelly's personnel changes at Philadelphia Eagles Boom or Bust?

At the end of the 2012-2013 season, the Philadelphia Eagles fired longtime coach Andy Reid after his team won a paltry four games. When the Philadelphia Eagles hired Chip Kelly as their new head coach, he was a breath of fresh air. He was going to bring about new changes and a high powered offense. He achieved success on the collegiate level with his style of offense and some questioned whether or not his system would translate to the professional level.

Kelly believes in moving the ball as quickly as possible down the field, rarely letting the play clock run down. His philosophy is meant to keep the opposing defense on the field as long as possible leaving them too tired to properly defend. In his first two seasons, he led the team to a 10-6 record both times, making it to the playoffs in his first season but lost to the New Orleans Saints. Chip seemed to have silenced the doubters because his offense ranked second and fifth in the league respectively in his first two seasons.

During this offseason, Chip Kelly made what some would call highly questionable personnel changes in the offseason. He traded running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills. During his tenure under Chip, McCoy ranked in the top five in terms of rushing yards. At the age of 27, McCoy is considered to be entering the downside of his career as most running backs’ careers last an average of 3 years. Trading McCoy cleared room in the salary cap leaving the opportunity to either keep current talent or acquire new players. Then, he traded quarterback Nick Foles for Sam Bradford. This move was peculiar because Bradford has a history of serious knee injuries and didn’t play at all last season. Along with Foles and McCoy, efficient wide receiver Jeremy Maclin was sent packing to a new home. In one of the splashiest moves, the Eagles acquired leading rusher DeMarco Murray after the Dallas Cowboys did not meet his salary demands.

So far this year, the once high-powered offense has been replaced with one that struggles to score. The Eagles are last in the league in total rushing yards. Last season, DeMarco was the league’s leading rusher and thus far has been a shell of himself and his fellow running back Ryan Matthews hasn’t fared much better. Sam Bradford shows the signs of a person who has not played for a full season. The passing game has suffered because of Bradford’s lack of comfort in a new system and no firepower at the wide receiver position. These woes have left the Eagles winless at 0-2 and wondering if Chip Kelly is the offensive savant that he wants everyone to believe he is.

New York Giants finally get a win; Victor Cruz may return; and Brooklyn Nets' Boss going to training camp

In this episode of What's The 411Sports recorded on September 28, 2015, the panel of host, Naomi Grey and correspondents Gregory Alcala and Keisha Wilson are talking about the week's MLB, NFL, and NBA sporting events. They are particularly talking about the New York Mets, the New York Jets, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks.

Players under discussion include: Matt Harvey; Yoenis Cespedes; Eric Decker; Odell Beckham Jr.; Ryan Fitzpatrick; Victor Cruz; Eli Manning; Geno Smith; DeMarco Murray; Deron Williams; Jarrett Jack; Robin Lopez; Carmelo Anthony; Jonathan Papelbon and more.

Owners, managers, and coaches under discussion include: Mikhail Prokhorov; Sandy Alderson; Phil Jackson; Tom Coughlin; Chip Kelly; and Lionel Hollins.

What’s Poppin’

The New York Jets beat the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night, 20-7 and lost to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, 21-17.

The New York Giants claimed their first win of the season, beating the Washington NFL team, 32-21 and Head Coach, Tom Coughlin expressed that WR Victor Cruz could make his season debut next week against the Buffalo Bills.

At the end of the 2012-2013 Season, the Philadelphia Eagles fired longtime coach Andy Reid after his team won a paltry four games. When the Philadelphia Eagles hired Chip Kelly as their new head coach, he was a breath of fresh air. He was going to bring about new changes and a high powered offense. He achieved success on the collegiate level with his style of offense and some questioned whether or not his system would translate to the professional level. Is Chip Kelly, a boom or bust?

Under The Radar

Mikhail Prokhorov Goes to Training Camp

This boss ain’t playing around. Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, took to twitter to announce that he will be joining the Nets in Durham, NC at Duke.

Laura Herington Bucking the System

Laura Herington, a former dancer for the Milwaukee Bucks, is suing the team for prolific wage abuse.

On The Bench

On The Bench: Jonathan Papelbon

Washington Nationals pitcher, Jonathan Papelbon, was suspended for three games and fined by Major League Baseball for throwing a pitch at Baltimore Oriole Manny Machado. The pitch aimed at Machado is believed to be in retaliation after Machado hit a two-run home run off Papelbon two innings prior. Papelbon has filed an appeal of the punishment and is permitted to play until the ruling of the appeal is determined.