I thought I would review last night's 20-12 loss to the Jets 'Kudos & Wet Willies' style.
In case you aren't familiar with 'Kudos & Wet Willies' it is really a simple thumbs up, thumbs down. But, calling it 'Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down' is distressingly boring. So, it's 'Kudos & Wet Willies.'
Kudos to ...
• Justin Tuck: Michael who? Tuck proved last night that he can handle left defensive end just fine, thank you. With four tackles, a sack and lots of good run defense Tuck showed that the Giants will have to get him on the field even if that other defensive end who is under contract finally decides to show up.
• Eli Manning: Good throws, good decisions, good presence. He went 17-for-25 for 146 yards and a TD in his second straight good performance. His play has to thrill Giants fans.
• Anthony Mix: He pretty much cemented a roster spot with seven catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. I don't know how much the Giants could actually get him on the field in regular season games, but at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds he makes a terrific target.
• Ahmad Bradshaw: The rookie seventh-round pick from Marshall continued his impressive play. He ganed 42 yards on 8 carries and managed to push the pile a couple of times. He also returned a kickoff 43 yards.
• J.R. Reed: Maybe you hadn't heard of Reed before last night, but he made himself noticed with one incredible play. Reed, a former Philadelphia Eagle, made a diving one-handed interception to bail out Aaron Ross on a play where I never thought he had a chance to get there. Reed, a third-year player who has been struggling to restart his career after suffering nerve damage in his knee a couple of years ago, was just signed after Will Demps got hurt.
• The defensive front seven: The Giants tarting defensive front seven was impressive, especially considering how bad they looked just a couple of weeks ago. The aforementioned Tuck played well, as did Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka.
Wet Willies to ...
• Both placekickers: If Tom Coughlin was looking for a decisive performance from either Lawrence Tynes or Josh Huston in their battle for the placekicking job, he didn't get it last night. Tynes was 1-for-3 in field goal attempts. Huston missed his only attempt. At least Huston showed off his strong leg by banging one kickoff through the end zone.
• The cornerbacks: I am going to pick on the whole group. I didn't think any of them played particularly well, especially R.W. McQuarters. That's discouraging, especially since McQuarters is likely to start. It looks to me like cornerback is still the soft spot in this defense.
• Guy Whimper: The second-year tackle is still a work in progress. I have to believe the Giants will sign a veteran tackle off the waiver wire in the next couple of weeks. The way Whimper played last night you have to hope he never sees the field in an important spot.