So I’m back. Back in America, back on Eastern Standard Time, back on Faceoff. Always nice to be home. If you just want to skip to the Question of the Day, scroll down. If you’ve got a few minutes to kill, keep reading …
My wife and I spent the past week in Scotland and Amsterdam, visiting my sister (who is studying abroad in the UK) and then visiting the Excess and Indiscretion Capital of the World. When you consider that the flights are hardly overwhelming – it took less than six hours to fly to Scotland on an overnight flight and just under eight to get back from Amsterdam – I’m not sure why people think going to Europe is all that much bigger a travel ordeal than going to the West Coast. A flight to Portland a few months ago took longer than the flight to Glasgow.
Anyway, a few quick observations before we get back to the sports …
- America is, in many ways, the world’s country. Watching the election coverage from the UK it was fascinating to see the international reaction to Barack Obama’s victory. The BBC, French television and CNN International were our outlets of choice and we saw constant images of victory rallies and parties in Paris, London and other foreign cities. There were literally celebrations of Obama all over the world. In the days after, any waiter or concierge or hostess we met that learned we were American inevitably made a comment about the election – “A big day for you today” or “Congratulations” or even just “What a week it must be over there.” It was energizing.
- Soccer rules Europe. As a devoted English soccer follower, I was happy to immerse my self in the culture for a week. The buzz in Glasgow for Celtic-Manchester United was fantastic and the papers in the UK are hilarious. Since Manchester United was a huge favorite, one Scottish paper ran a headline that said, “NIGHT OF THE UNDERDOG” that had a huge accompanying picture of a rabid dog gnashing its teeth through the words. It was fantastic. There are also betting parlors all over the place. I made a small wager on a Scottish league game and won enough to buy my wife and sister afternoon tea the next day.
- Amsterdam is worth visiting. It just is. It’s like Vegas in a way, in that even if you’re not going to partake of the many sinful offerings available, it’s still entertaining just to be in the circus itself for a little while. The Red Light District is, to borrow a phrase I heard from my sister, sort of like what a vending machine of women would look like. Along with legalized (and regulated) prostitution, the presence of countless marijuana “coffeeshops” gives the entire city a devil-may-care attitude.
Put it this way: I happened to look out my hotel window once at 10 a.m. and I counted (maybe) 15 people on the streets below; at 3 a.m. there were hundreds. It’s just that kind of city.
Also, the canals are gorgeous and the Anne Frank House is incredibly powerful.
Annnnnnnnnyway ….
Back to the sports. I obviously missed the Giants beat the Cowboys last week, but did catch most of the locals’ games yesterday. Two impressive wins and a big part of both was the running games. Thus, it begs the question: Who’s got the better rushers right now – Jets or Giants?
As important as Brett Favre has been to the Jets, many – including me – have said that Thomas Jones and Leon Washington will probably end up being more important to the team’s success. I’m just not that big a believer in Favre’s old-style gunslinging being good enough to take the Jets deep. They nearly lost to the Chiefs a few weeks ago in part because they refused to lean on their running game against a woefully inferior run-stopping team, and Favre’s decision-making quickly became an issue.
Yesterday the running game was there. Jones went 26 times for 149 yards and three rushing TDs. It was everything the Jets could have ever wanted from him.
Is it better than the Giants’ trio of Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw? I’m not ready to say that yet. You just can’t, not when the defending Super Bowl champs are running through wins like they’ve been doing. It’s closer than you think though.
It’s also worth noting that while Jones and Washington may not be better just yet, they may be more important to their team’s success than Jacobs, et. al. Without a strong Jones/Washington, the Jets have no chance; without a solid running game, the Giants still might have enough weapons to make an impact.
CARP SAYS:
Welcome back, Sam. I missed you and your opinions. Sounds like you had a great time, and saw some, well, interesting stuff.
You didn’t miss much with Giants-’Boys. And I’m going to tell you that beating the Eagles and scoring that many points in doing so, despite all the turnovers—and early points off those turnovers—I think is as impressive for the G-Men as winning a clean game. I mean, two weeks running against the supposedly next two best teams in the best division in football, the Giants coughed up the ball repeatedly and won!
That tells me that these Giants are as good as ever, maybe better. If they can clean it up, they might be almost unstoppable.
As for the running backs, I’m sticking with Earth, Wind and Fire over Jones and Washington, at least until Jones and Washington have some big days against decent defenses. My gosh, the Rams were and are pathetic. Let’s see them run the ball in Foxborough Thursday. Then I’ll be impressed.
I know that’s a simplistic view, but that’s how I see it. The three-headed Giants backfield has faced real tough sledding and has thrived (although Jacobs has to figure out how to hold the ball). I think the interesting part of the way both backfields have suddenly gotten noticed is that the Jets’ much-ballyhooed and expensive offensive line is now in synch, which might put it on par with the Gaints’ offensive line … arguably the best in the biz.
But I’m holding all opinions on the Jets, including that of Favre and Jones and the line and Mangini and everybody else involved, until they beat the Pats up there.
