Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Atlantic City and football trash-talk -- my two favorite things

Back from my midweek hiatus in Atlantic City I now find myself with significantly less money than I had arrived there with, but what else can you really expect when heading to such a popular tourist getaway?

I got burnt on every hand that I was dealt, even when I sat down with my favorite dealer, Sophia. I don't mean to sound cliche but if it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.

Besides losing about a hundo on the tables, I took some time to take a run along the beach. I only ran about a mile and a half but it felt like at least three while trekking through the wet sand. It's a shame Jersey smells the way it does, too (something I noticed while running).

Also, it rained so hard on Tuesday that our hotel flooded. Yes, flooded. The rainfall was so heavy that it also flooded my grandparents car in the valet parking lot beneath the hotel. Grandma made up for it by stealing a ridiculous amount of food from the buffet, though. Props to her.

As for sports, the Jets and Giants squared off on Monday Night Football on ESPN at New Meadowlands Stadium and I must admit, I have undoubtedly missed the trash talking that comes along with every passing football season.

I thought that the Jets first team offense looked strong, besides the Sanchez pick. It looked like he tried to force it in there to his new back (LT) and the ball took a weird deflection and landed right in the Giants newly acquired DB Antrel Rolle. Sanchez rebounded with two straight scoring drives, hitting Braylon, LT, Cotchery and Keller on a few sharp passes.

As usual, the Jets defense looked strong, and left the Giants franchise quarterback with a 3-inch gash on his forehead. I couldn't help but crack a small smile seeing that. In fact, I'm smiling as I type this out, not because Eli got hurt, but because I get the opportunity to watch the Jets defense reek havoc for the next four-to-five months.

















We held Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw to a combined 1-yard rushing, and without Revis our secondary still looked strong. AlCROtraz fits in perfectly with Rex Ryan's organized chaos and rookie Kyle Wilson was untested, leaving me a little wary.

Besides that, the Giants may have found Domenik Hixon's replacement in rookie WR Victor Cruz. That kid is dirty and deserved the No. 1 spot on Sportscenter's Top 10. I believe he also deserves a spot on the team, considering his play on Monday night and throughout my observations in training camp.

The Giants ended up winning the game with each teams third-stringers out on the field, but that means squat. I lost a little respect for Brandon Jacobs though, because he had the balls to run his mouth after the game after gaining negative yards against our defense. Or maybe because he denied me an interview when I was covering Giants camp, who knows?

Either way, 2010 should prove to be an exciting year for both New York teams.

Stay tuned...

Oh and Jacobs, next time you try to score from the 1-yard line, don't take four times to do so, or you might find yourself benched...again.

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