The 2015 football regular season has come to a close and once again New York fans are left with disappointment and agony once again. For the Jets, they have not reached the playoffs since 2010, when Mark Sanchez led that team to an AFC title game. On the other side, the Giants have not made noise since 2011, when they went on to win the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.
New York is not one of the easiest places to play in, but the fans expect nothing but the best from their teams. Tickets for the Jets and Giants are some of the highest in the league, even if they share the same stadium. They also range amongst the highest in the league; yet, they have not made the playoffs in multiple years.
For the Giants, this season was marred with the inability to finish out games. With under two minutes left in games, the Giants managed to blow five games, costing them a potential 11-5 record. Instead, all five losses led to another disappointing 6-10 finish. Budding star Odell Beckham Jr. showed flashes of possibly becoming the best receiver in the league, but his greatness on the field was overshadowed by an ugly week 15 game where Beckham's actions distracted the team from possibly defeating the undefeated Carolina Panthers and inching them closer to a possible NFC East division title.
Eli Manning had once again another incredible year under offensive coordinator Ben Macadoo. Manning threw for 35 touchdowns, to only a mere 14 interceptions. The Giants spent 2015 without receiver Victor Cruz, who battled a calf injury all year. Rashad Jennings, the lead running back, had another inconsistent year for the G-men.
Big Blue has a ton of questions leading into this off-season. Their head man and leader for the past decade, Tom Coughlin, is no longer with the team. Some believe Macadoo is the man to fill the spot while others feel they should go searching for a new one. The Giants will also have to address multiple areas on offense and defense if they want to improve. Linebacking core, offensive line, and a number two cornerback are all at the top of the list for areas to address in free agency and in the draft.
On the other side of the ball, Gang Green had a ton of improvement this year after an abysmal final season with Rex Ryan. Tod Bowles stepped in and was granted basically a brand new roster with the additions of Darelle Revis, Brandon Marshall, and Antonio Cromartie. Throughout the season, the offense seemed inconsistent and often stalled. With a 5-5 record 10 games in, the Jets needed a push if they wanted to see playoffs.
They rattled off five straight wins, none other than a home victory in week 16 against their rivals, the New England Patriots. With just one game to go, and a win-and-in situation, the Jets squared off against their former coach, Rex Ryan. With the Jets down in the fourth quarter, two Ryan Fitzpatrick interceptions sealed the Jets fate. Another year of the Jets playing golf instead of football on a Sunday in January.
The off-season should be interesting for the Jets. Big man Mohammed Wilkerson is expected to pursue a massive contract deal with Gang Green. Whether he gets it is to be seen. The Jets will need to boost their offensive line and possibly go after a quarterback if they want to take the next step. In addition, the Jets will look to make room for Wilkerson's big deal, so names like Cromartie and Milner may be the first ones to go.
New York deals with enough agony from it's sports teams. Hopefully things change for the better next year. For now, the Jets and Giants can go back to playing golf and watching the playoffs from their couches.
