The Jets and Giants are well out of playoff contention themselves, but should have an opportunity to play spoiler over the next couple weeks. The AFC East cellar-dwellers are preparing to host the Patriots this Sunday, and an upset victory would significantly impact New England’s quest for the conference’s No. 1 seed. Meanwhile, the Giants close their season in Week 17 with a game against the Eagles, whose postseason hopes could hinge on winning that game.
As we wait to see if either the Jets or Giants can trip up a division rival in the season’s final two weeks, let’s round up a few Tuesday links out of New York….
- Giants ownership has been mum about Tom Coughin‘s future with the team, and that’s just fine with the head coach, as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post details. Asked if his job status occupies his thoughts, Coughlin replied, “No, it doesn’t. We’ve got two games to go and we want to be the best we can be in these next two games.”
- Jordan Raanan of NJ.com identifies five players on the Giants‘ roster who qualify as potential building blocks, led by Odell Beckham, who is “already the best player on the team,” in Raanan’s view. One of the five is free-agent-to-be Jason Pierre-Paul, who won’t come cheap, but should be a priority for the club this offseason.
- Meanwhile, players like defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka and cornerback Prince Amukamara remain under contract with the Giants for the 2015 season, but the team may need to rework or extend those deals, among others, says Patricia Traina of Bleacher Report.
- While you can point to several missteps made within the last year by general manager John Idzik, letting Darrelle Revis go to the Patriots when the cornerback had interest in returning to the Jets was the GM’s worst move, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
- Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post outlines several potential landing spots for Rex Ryan, if and when he’s let go by the Jets, identifying several head coaching jobs likely to open up. While Ryan has reportedly told friends he’s interested in a television job, and wouldn’t want to work as a defensive coordinator, Cannizzaro thinks the Giants‘ DC job could be an ideal fit, which sounds like a long shot to me.