The Hall of Fame Game between the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons last Thursday gave us our first taste of football since February. This Thursday, the slate is packed with 11 preseason games, none of which may have more interesting storylines than the New York Giants vs New York Jets at the Meadowlands. These teams play annually in the preseason, usually in Week Three. Since these teams will meet in Week 10 of the regular season, the game has been moved up to week one of the preseason. Let’s take a look at what to watch for in this preseason battle.
New York Giants vs New York Jets
Adam Gase’s coaching debut for the New York Jets
Adam Gase has spent the last three seasons as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, amassing a 23-25 record. Arguably his biggest accomplishment to date came as an Offensive Coordinator for the Denver Broncos when he helped guide Peyton Manning to his record-breaking passing season in 2013. The Jets hired Gase because of how well he works with and develops quarterbacks, and they hope he can help Sam Darnold take the next step.
It will be interesting to see what Gase’s offense looks like with new personnel. Granted, teams don’t usually play their starters more than a series if at all during week one of the preseason. However, this game will give us a sense of the system Gase will run. In the three seasons Gase was with the Dolphins, the team ranked last in the league in offensive snaps per game. Part of this could be that the defense couldn’t get off the field, and part of this could also be that Gase’s teams have played at a slow tempo. Look to see if Gase changes his mindset this season and has the offense play quicker than his teams have in the past.
Will Le’Veon Bell see his first action as a Jet?
Le’Veon Bell’s holdout highly publicized holdout lasted all of last season. The Jets front office didn’t seem to find it too risky to bring in a running back that hasn’t played in close to two years. His contract is worth four years, $52.5 million with $25 million guaranteed. Given that Bell has not played since a playoff loss to the Jaguars in January 2018, let’s see if the coaching staff gives him a series or two to get acclimated to the field and his new team in this game in week one.
Daniel Jones begins his NFL Career
New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman tabbed Daniel Jones as his quarterback of the future, selecting him with the sixth overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. For now, Eli Manning is still the starter and head coach Pat Shurmur will have to deal with weekly questions of if and when we will see Daniel Jones this year. We won’t have to wait long in this game, as Jones is likely to see at least two quarters of action. A majority of Giants fans felt like they reached for Jones at number six, believing he could have still been available later in the first round or even the second round. Will Giants fans be believers in Daniel Jones after this game, or will they be full of more skepticism after seeing him lead the offense?
The Betting Line
Vegas set the line as Jets favored by 1.5 points (odds courtesy of Fanduel). This could be due to the fact that the Jets are surprisingly deep at the running back position, with Le’Veon Bell, Ty Montgomery, Bilal Powell, Elijah McGuire, and Trenton Cannon all on the roster. In addition, if Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian plays as many quarters as Daniel Jones, one would figure its advantage Jets with Siemian having 24 career starts to none for Daniel Jones. From a gambling perspective, if anything is like the treat that was the Hall of Fame Game, bettors will stay tuned to the very last snap.
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