I guess the Giants and their fans take bragging rights. They can brag their third stringers are better than the Jets'. Honestly I'm glad this game is finally over. The hype over a meaningless game was a bit much. Below are my thoughts.
-Mark Sanchez's first throw was everything he should have spent the offseason learning to avoid. He decided to throw the ball to LaDainian Tomlinson the second he left the huddle. He locked onto the back and didn't go through his progressions once the primary target was covered.
-The rest of the game, he was terrific. Let's be honest. He didn't face any really confusing fronts. He also had a few series against second stringers. Even so, he looked good. He made smart decisions with the football. He went through his progressions. He put the ball into places where either his receivers would catch it or the ball would be incomplete.
-Braylon Edwards' hands looked good. It's a start.
-It looks like Matt Slauson has the inside track at left guard. He played the entire first half with the starting unit. He was somewhat uneven. The holding penalty was bad. There were a few running plays where he got a good push. He wasn't really beaten badly, but there were other plays where he didn't get a push. He held up all right as a pass blocker. He didn't make much of an impact pulling.
-The defense looked good. The Giants scored 10 points. 7 were off the Sanchez interception. The other 3 were the result of a broken play.
-The pass rush was doing its job. We didn't have a chance to see much of Antonio Cromartie in coverage, but the new addition had his man blanketed pretty much all night. He was in good coverage on the one reception he allowed. I do have to say that Darrelle Revis probably wouldn't have allowed it to be a catch.
-Sione Pouha started at nose tackle. Kris Jenkins started at end. I have been expecting the jumbo front, and it did not disappoint. It's going to be quite a task for offensive linemen to take both on at the same time.
-The hidden factor in the Revis holdout? Kyle Wilson did not return the ball tonight. Maybe the Jets don't want to expend him while he is starting. Larry Taylor looked mediocre back there. He wasn't hitting his holes. He wasn't taking good paths to the ball and allowed a few to hit the ground he probably should not have.
-Tomlinson's stats didn't look pretty, but I liked what I saw. His offensive line didn't give him a chance on most of his runs. When he had room, he showed impressive explosion.
-It can't be a good sign for Laveranues Coles' roster hopes that Brad Smith was seeing the field over him when the Jets went to multi receiver looks in the first half.
-Nick Folk was decent. He made all 3 of his kicks from inside 40. He also registered a touchback and stuck all of his other kickoffs on the goal line aside from one he left on the 2. Keep in mind it was also a hot and humid night. Can we kill Folk for the 46 yard miss? It was not an easy kick but probably one he needs to make if he wants to make the team confident.
-With the loss of key special teams contributors Wallace Wright and Marques Murrell, it is good to see a guy like Eric Smith (blocked punt and tackle) step up.
-Let's not go overboard on Kellen Clemens' good stat line. A lot of guys would look good with Santonio Holmes running against backups.
-Dwight Lowery was in good coverage twice on Victor Cruz but didn't look for the ball, showing poor recognition. I thought ball skills were his strength.
-That guy who got toasted on Cruz's second touchdown? He played prominently in the team's plans to stop Peyton Manning in the second half of the AFC Championship Game. It's no surprise to see how that turned out.
-He still looked like the best of the backup candidates. Mark Brunell looks like his arm is so weak that he cannot fit it into all but the widest windows. Kevin O'Connell's interception was strikingly off the mark. His numbers are inflated by hitting a bunch of checkdowns when the Giants went prevent.
-Bad job by ESPN cutting out of the Ring of Honor ceremony right before the Weeb Ewbank video.
-For all of the talk about a new role for Vernon Gholston, it didn't seem like there was much of a change. He lined up a lot as a pass rusher on a 4 man line and a stand up rusher when the Jets had 3 men. I noticed a pair of pressures, but the backup Giants linemen also seemed to have no trouble cutting him down on other plays.
-Vladimir Ducasse looked lost when he got action in the second half.
-I don't think Joe McKnight read his blocks well.
-The Jets have joined Brett Favre, Tim Tebow, and the Wildcat among Jon Gruden's favorite things.
-By far the most important takeway is that the Jets avoided the injury bug.
This game meant nothing. The important Jets generally looked pretty good and did what they should have. This is another step closer to actual games.