Yankees Continue to Limp Into October

The late season slide is in full effect as the Yankees continue to raise questions about their outlook going into the 2010 postseason.

Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox was the fourth straight game in which the Yankees have been beaten at home and the team has been outscored 34-16 during that stretch. The last 4 loses have served as a microcosm of the entire month of September in which the Yankees are 10-13.

As things currently sit, New York is 1 game behind the division leading Rays and 5 1/2 games ahead of the third place Red Sox. The Yankees finish the season with a Sunday night home game against the Sox, followed by 3 games in Toronto and 3 games in Boston. Hardly the ideal schedule for a team on the ropes. The Yankees need to win 3 games to clinch a playoff spot; and to win the division they will need the Rays to falter against bottom dwellers like Seattle, Baltimore, and Kansas City.

The Yankees have lacked swagger and assertiveness over their poor stretch. They look as vulnerable as they ever have. Being the defending World Series Champion comes with enough pressure as it is, and struggling as the playoffs approach gives the other competitors hope. It is not outside the relm of anyone's imagination to possibly see the Yankees losing to the Rays, Twins, or Rangers during the postseason. For a team that once looked like a shoe in for the World Series, things look bleak and very much in doubt.

Joe Girardi will need to rally the troops in order to produce the same postseason magic that the Yanks were so accustomed to last season. In the rotation, only C.C Sabathia is worthy of being determined as an ace. Andy Pettitte looked lost coming off of injury and it may be asking too much to have the 38 year old replicate past postseason success. A.J Burnett has been anything but convincing this season and may not have a spot in the postseason rotation. Phil Hughes has not reached the 7 inning mark in a game since July 9th and has surrendered at least 3 runs in 4 of his last 6 starts.

Obviously one of the biggest storylines of the 2010 Yankees has been the decline of Derek Jeter. Jeter's batting average, on base percentage, hits, home runs, and walks are down while his number of strike outs is up. Jeter appears to have lost bat speed on his swing and one has to wonder if his struggles this season are a sign of things to come. Jeter can put to rest many of these concerns with a big October, but again that remains to be seen. The Yankees have always been able to rely on guys like Jeter and Pettitte in October, but if the regular season is any indication then it might be time for other guys to step up.

New York would be wise to get their act together before facing a 5 game series against a competing AL powerhouse. Anything goes in a 5 game set and should the Yankees not win the division, they will need to win games on the road.

This is unfamiliar territory for these Yankees. After the glory of the 09 season and the fast start to 2010, the team has not faced the amount of uncertainty and doubt that they will be facing going into October. Every other team is going to be gunning for them, not only because they are the defending champs, but because they are the most hated team in all of sports. Girardi and company will need to find some answers, otherwise it will be a long offseason of criticism and what-ifs.

NFL Week 3 Predictions

(Week 2 Results 10-6)

Ravens over Browns
-Through 2 games, Joe Flacco has 1 TD and 5 Ints. This is his breakout game.

Cowboys over Texans
-Big Texas showdown. The Cowboys squeak out a victory.

Vikings over Lions
-Minnesota's offense has a ton of issues. However, they win this one close.

Saints over Falcons
-The New Orleans offense finally replicates their 2009 form.

Steelers over Buccaneers
-Josh Freeman's solid play has gone largely unnoticed. Tampa will keep this game close but the Pittsburgh defense will make a big play to win it.

Bengals over Panthers
-Jimmy Clausen's first start comes against one of the best pairs of cornerbacks in the NFL. Good Luck.

Patriots over Bills
-New England has won 13 straight against Buffalo. They make it 14 on Sunday.

Chiefs over 49ers
-San Francisco is coming off a tough Monday Night loss. Kansas City surprises people by starting out 3-0.

Giants over Titans
-Eli Manning is going to have to carry the Giants all year long.

Redskins over Rams
-Washington was cheated out of victory last weekend. The NFL needs to change the "last second timeout" rule.

Eagles over Jaguars
-The Mike Vick bandwagon continues to grow.

Colts over Broncos
-Peyton Manning against Kyle Orton? Enough said.

Chargers over Seahawks
-San Diego has too much offense for Seattle to keep up.

Raiders over Cardinals
-When Derek Anderson and Bruce Gradkowski are the two starting Quarterbacks, you know its going to be an ugly game.

Dolphins over Jets
-No Darrelle Revis, no Calvin Pace, no Kris Jenkins for the Jets defense. The Dolphins swept the Jets last year and won both games by a combined 9 points. The Dolphins win another close one Sunday night.

Packers over Bears
-Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler have a back and forth shootout. Rodgers gets the last laugh.

NFL Week 2 Predictions

(Week 1 Results 9-7)

Falcons over Cardinals

-After a tough overtime loss, the Falcons simply need this one.

Cowboys over Bears

-The Dallas front 7 will be all over Jay Cutler and Matt Forte.

Titans over Steelers

-Physical contest that will come down to the Quarterbacks.

Bengals over Ravens

-Ravens are coming off of a short week, plus this is their 2nd straight tough road game.

Eagles over Lions

-Michael Vick wins his 1st start in 4 years.

Dolphins over Vikings

-The 2009 NFC runner up begins 0-2.

Chiefs over Browns

-Kansas City surprised some people and starts the year 2-0.

Panthers over Buccaneers

-DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart will run all over the young Tampa defense.

Packers over Bills

-Buffalo can barely keep up with a high school team, let alone the best offense in the NFL.

Broncos over Seahawks

-Former division rivals play a close, last possession type of game.

Raiders over Rams

-Oakland surprised some people by being run over last week. They get a home victory here over the young Rams.

Redskins over Texans

-Very intriguing inter-conference game. The Redskin defense against the high powered Houston offense should be fun to watch.

Patriots over Jets

-The Jets have serious issues. The Patriots may not light up with scoreboard but they will score enough to separate themselves.

Chargers over Jaguars

-After a tough loss last week, the Chargers need this one badly.

Colts over Giants

-Does anyone seriously think Peyton Manning will allow the Colts to start 0-2?

49ers over Saints

-San Francisco surprises some people with a big home victory after a lackluster week 1 performance.

NFL Week 1 Predictions

Saints over Vikings
-Favre will look rusty and the Saints passing game will overwhelm the poor Vikings pass defense.

Buccaneers over Browns
-Josh Freeman did some good things for Tampa Bay last year and the Browns have the worst group of play makers in football.

Bills over Dolphins
-Upset of the week. The Bills always play tough at home, especially against divisional opponents. C.J Spiller already looks like a star.

Patriots over Bengals
-Very close game that will come down to Brady making just enough plays to win it at the end.

Colts over Texans
-People think the Texans will finally overtake the Colts but I just don't see it.

Jaguars over Broncos
-Maurice Jones-Drew goes off on a Denver defense that will be missing it's best player.

Steelers over Falcons
-Dennis Dixon shines as the Steelers get one game closer to the return of Big Ben.
.
Titans over Raiders
-The Raiders will be better this season but the Titans still have Chris Johnson.

Panthers over Giants
-The Giants were run over by the Panthers running game last season. Expect the same come Sunday.

Lions over Bears
-The improved Detroit defensive line will be getting to Jay Cutler all afternoon. The Bears offensive line looked awful during the preseason so don't expect it to change now.

Rams over Cardinals
-Bradford wins his pro debut against a depleted Arizona team.

Packers over Eagles
-Kolb will not be able to keep up with Rodgers.

49ers over Seahawks
-The San Francisco defense will be too tough for Seattle to score enough points.

Cowboys over Redskins
-McNabb is beat up and Dallas has much more talent then Washington.

Ravens over Jets
-The Ravens looked great in the preseason and the Jets looked like a mess. The Ravens are the more complete team right now.

Chiefs over Chargers
-The Chargers will be without two of their best players and they still can't run the ball. The Chiefs start the year off with a nice home victory.

2010 NFL Predictions

AFC

AFC East

New England Patriots 10-6*

New York Jets 9-7

Miami Dolphins 9-7

Buffalo Bills 3-13

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens 11-5*

Pittsburgh Steelers 10-6*

Cincinnati Bengals 7-9

Cleveland Browns 4-12

AFC South

Indianapolis Colts 12-4*

Tennessee Titans 10-6*

Houston Texans 7-9

Jacksonville Jaguars 5-11

AFC West

San Diego Chargers 10-6*

Kansas City Chiefs 8-8

Oakland Raiders 6-10

Denver Broncos 5-11


NFC

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys 10-6*

Washington Redskins 9-7*

New York Giants 8-8

Philadelphia Eagles 7-9

NFC North

Green Bay Packers 13-3*

Minnesota Vikings 8-8

Detroit Lions 7-9

Chicago Bears 5-11

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons 11-5*

Carolina Panthers 10-6*

New Orleans Saints 9-7

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-11

NFC West

San Francisco 49ers 10-6*

Seattle Seahawks 7-9

Arizona Cardinals 5-11

St. Louis Rams 4-12

NFL M.V.P- Aaron Rodgers

Offensive Rookie of the Year- C.J Spiller

Defensive Rookie of the Year- Brandon Graham

AFC Championship- Indianapolis Colts over Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC Championship- Green Bay Packers over San Francisco 49ers

Super Bowl XLV Indianapolis Colts over Green Bay Packers

3 Biggest Winners of Jets Preseason

Ladainian Tomlinson- Just as I predicted, LT has shown he will be an upgrade over Thomas Jones. The Jets received criticism left and right for dropping Jones and replacing him with LT, yet, Tomlinson has shown he has more left in the tank. Tomlinson has demonstrated throughout camp and the preseason that he is still a very good running back with plenty of burst and agility. LT's biggest impact on the Jets will be his ability to catch the football out of the backfield. With Shonn Greene and LT in the backfield, the Jets look primed to be on the NFL's best running teams for a 2nd consecutive year. Greene and LT have a very different skill set which will keep defenses on their heels. LT has certainly earned himself more then just 3rd down duties. He was able to break off a 43 yard run against the Redskins 1st team defense (a pretty good defense at that) and made a few nice plays catching the football.

Vernon Gholston- Lets face it, Gholston was already at rock bottom so anything he showed would be an improvement. He was able to make some plays in the backfield and apply pressure on the QB. He certainly looks more comfortable at defensive end then he ever did at linebacker. With Calvin Pace out for the first few weeks, it will be up to Gholston and Jason Taylor to replace that productivity. The Jets are thin on the defensive line so it is imperative that Gholston be a reliable backup this season.

Antonio Cromartie- Had arguably the best training camp of any player on the Jets and brought that productivity to the preseason games. Cromartie's size and speed are ideal for Rex's man-to-man schemes and he will obviously need to step up with Revis out. He should have had 2 interceptions in the Jets first game against the Giants but let the ball slip through his hands. Cromartie will be seeing plenty of balls thrown his way early in the season so it is very important that he be ready to take over Revis Island.

Honorable Mention
Santonio Holmes-He is the Jets best wide receiver and play maker and the team will feel his absence during weeks 1-4. Holmes will be spending plenty of time with Sanchez in order to build up a chemistry during his suspension. When he returns, the Jets will have one of the best, most dangerous receiving cores in the entire NFL.

3 Biggest Losers of Jets Preseason

Joe McKnight- McKnight was drafted to replace Leon Washington, yet, during this preseason he showed he wasn't even good enough to replace Danny Woodhead or Chauncey Washington. Fumbles, indecisive running, going down easy, McKnight showed nothing to make anyone believe he is worth keeping on the roster. His NFL career started with him throwing up on the field during a rookie mini camp and then failing a conditioning test before training camp. Rex has stated that McKnight will be on the team but will be inactive until he gives the coaching staff a reason to play him. Make no mistake about it, if McKnight had not been a fourth round pick, he would have zero chance of making the Jets roster.

Vladimir Ducasse- Another disappointing rookie, Ducasse was supposed to replace Alan Faneca and it became apparent early he is nowhere near ready to step onto an NFL field. He quickly lost the starting job to Matt Slauson within the first week of training camp and the LG battle was really a no contest throughout. He almost got Sanchez killed during one of his lone drives with the 1st team offense. Coming from UMass is a process and Ducasse does have unlimited potential but for now he has awful technique and is still a year or two away from stepping on an NFL field.

Mark Sanchez- His preseason started with a pick and didn't get much better after that. Sanchez looked confused, indecisive, and showed little to no progress from his rookie season. Sure, the preseason means very little for starting quarterbacks because the offense is so vanilla, but Sanchez hasn't left Jets fans with a lot of assurance going into the first game with Baltimore. The first team offense as a whole looked very poor during throughout the preseason. They better fix their problems before matching up with Ray Lewis and company.

Honorary Mention

Darrelle Revis- Still holding out