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New York Giants GM Joe Schoen had his bye-week press conference on Tuesday.
It was an old-school New York sports press conference.
He was asked 21 minutes of tough questions about the state of the 2-11 Giants.
The reporters asked all the necessary tough questions, and Schoen did a terrific job of answering these challenging queries, many criticizing him, with class and dignity, often falling on the sword for the team’s woes.
Really well done by both sides.
So while the New York media has gone milquetoast on some team beats, the Giants writers stepped up big-time during this press briefing and displayed why this market has the reputation it has . . .
On Tuesday, the Jets waived their best receiver from training camp, Brandon Smith.
When I say “best receiver from training camp” I mean the receiver who performed the best in camp.
Smith had the best camp of any receiver, including Garrett Wilson. Not saying he’s better than Wilson, just saying Smith had the best camp of any Jets receiver.
But he could not get on the field during the season, and now he’s gone.
If you truly think these NFL teams are run like meritocracies, I have some swamp land to sell you in New Jersey.
The politics are through the roof, favoring draft picks and veteran free agents who got bonuses.
What was Smith supposed to do? Activate himself and put himself in the game?
If you watched this guy the last two camps and preseasons, and don’t think he can play, I don’t know what to tell you . . .
Speaking of Jets receivers, Arian Smith was inactive for the game, and we have no idea why and probably never will.
But when you have a promising rookie receiver, who has been here since April, who you have been working with since then, moving him up the growth curve, teaching him the system, and then you acquire two receivers, in-season, who don’t even know the system, and they leap-frog him out of the gate, and end up starting in short order, how would you feel if you were Smith?
Did John Metchie and Adonai Mitchell beat him out the second they arrived in Florham Park, not even knowing the playbook, and not having worked with these quarterbacks, when Smith has been there since April?
Look, Metchie and Mitchell clearly have talent, but I have never seen a situation where a team makes in-season trades for two receivers and starts them in short order after the trades. I’m talking about two new receivers starting quickly, not one. We have seen one start quickly (like Davante Adams).
And you saw that play against Atlanta, where both receivers were basically in one spot with somebody clearly running the wrong route. Metchie got lit up by safety Xavier Watts due to heavy congestion in the area.
Yes, Mitchell caught a bomb against Atlanta, but that was on a chuck downfield where cornerback Mike Hughes fell. Really nice play, but not really something you need to know the system to do, especially when the corner falls.
I’m still confused why both these players were forced into the line-up so fast, and let me explain.
Remember, they were forced into the lineup fast with Justin Fields at QB.
If anybody thought Fields issues were the cats in the receivers’ room, they are mistaken. His issues were related to holding the ball too long and field vision, not receiver talent.
Look, don’t take this the wrong way. I think acquiring Metchie and Mitchell were terrific moves, but how was rushing them into the lineup going to help Fields, who is generally a one-read-and-run QB?
And how come Tyler Johnson doesn’t play anymore? He looked good earlier in the season. Now he basically doesn’t see the field anymore.
You could argue one of the most important plays in the Jets’ win over Atlanta was this one in the fourth quarter. This is from the official stat sheet:
3-9-ATL 46 (5:48) (Shotgun) T.Taylor pass short right to A.Lazard to ATL 36 for 10 yards.
The pass was tipped at the line, and Lazard made a great catch over the middle.
The Jets were down 24-17 at the time, and it kept their game-tying drive going. Who knows what would have happened if the pass had been incomplete and they had been forced into a fourth-and-nine scenario?
Lazard didn’t forget how to play when Metchie and Mitchell entered the building.
I still don’t get the rush to get both Mitchell and Metchie so much playing time right out of the gate?
To help Fields? How’d that work out?
And it’s not like the Jets’ passing offense is lighting it up with them on the field. The Cleveland game was won on special teams, and the Atlanta game, special teams spearheaded the win (fumbled punt return and long punt return), along with Hughes’ falling.
Nice to get them in trades. Good moves. No arguing that.
Still don’t get he rush to get them out there starting, before they were truly comfortable with the system, and freezing out Johnson, the two Smiths, and Lazard. Of course, there should have been packages for the talented duo of Metchie and Mitchell out of the gate, but both starting this fast?
Fields’ issue wasn’t the receiver room, and you saw that even after the trades, when he eventually got benched, even with Metchie and Mitchell in the building.
December 3, 2025
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