New York football fans, pick your fighter.
Two polar opposites come head-to-head when the Giants and Jets meet for their Week 8 clash on Sunday.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll and Jets head coach Robert Saleh couldn’t be more different.
It’s most glaring in how they express themselves publicly, particularly in front of cameras.
Saleh seems more conscious of his presentation, and will answer with soliloquies and rave about almost anyone on his roster.
Take this recent answer about undrafted rookie receiver and returner Xavier Gipson, who has 35 total yards from scrimmage this year and, including his returning duties, has fumbled three times.
“Here comes this undrafted rookie you don’t expect anything from, but you’re like, ‘Wow, this guy’s pretty good’ in OTAs, and in training camp, it’s like, ‘Man, this guy’s really freaking good. …’ He’s doing a heck of a job,” said Saleh, who also has called Gipson “pretty darn special.”
Thirty-five yards and three fumbles means you’re special?
Daboll barely offers complete sentences and constantly deflects praise or downplays questions about his players’ success.
Take this answer earlier in the week about rookie receiver (and third-round pick) Jalin Hyatt, who broke out and played an integral role in the Giants’ Week 7 win over the Commanders, recording two key catches for 75 yards.
“He’s improving, but with these young players, we’ve still got a ways to go in detail, assignment, execution, everything that every position gets evaluated on,” Daboll said. “Those are things we’ll continue to work on with him. It was good, again, to see him make a few plays, but certainly have ways to improve.”
The differences in their personas are also palpable on the sidelines.
For as little Daboll gives to the media, he wears his emotions on his sleeve and doesn’t hold back much during games.
He’s been seen flipping a tablet at Daniel Jones, angrily questioning Tyrod Taylor, and barking and glaring at his assistants and coordinators — Wink Martindale, Thomas McGaughey and Shea Tierney to name a few.
Saleh is far more poised on the sidelines.
Though he’s grown irate with referees at times, Saleh is rarely seen speaking angrily to his players. More often, he’s seen excitedly celebrating with them and pumping them up.
In terms of success, Daboll started with a bang, earning a playoff berth and Wild Card win in his first season in charge of the Giants. In his second year, Daboll’s team has struggled mightily to a 2-5 record.
Saleh has gone in the opposite direction, starting off with a woeful 4-13 record with the Jets in 2021, improving to 7-10 last year, and now has his best chance yet to make the playoffs at 3-3.
Heck, they’re even opposites in appearance. Saleh is ripped and looks as if he could go on the field and make a tackle right now. Daboll, well, not so much.
There’s pros and cons to both personas, and both teams take cues from their coach.
The Jets follow Saleh’s boastful lead. Cornerback D.J. Reed said before the season the team’s defense could surpass the 1985 Bears as the best ever. Pass-rushers John Franklin-Myers and Jermaine Johnson are brash about the defensive line’s ability, having claimed it’s the best in the league.
Under a coach who said the Jets “embarrassed” opposing quarterbacks, is it any surprise?
The Giants likewise follow Daboll’s give-nothing-away lead. The team’s best players and leaders — such as Jones (still not cleared for contact, by the way), Saquon Barkley and Dexter Lawrence — are often self-critical and shy away from loud proclamations.
Both teams mirror their coaches.
Now, the two identities come head-to-head for the first time.
For the Jets, a win would provide a major boost to their playoff push. A loss to their rival, however, will halt much of the optimism built up before the bye.
For the Giants, a win is the only acceptable outcome to keep their season somewhat alive. A loss and, well, they can begin thinking about the offseason.
Let the best personality win.
Today’s back page
Big Apple baseball turnover
For two teams whose seasons ended long before the World Series matchup was determined, the Mets and Yankees certainly dominated the news cycle on Wednesday.
Sean Casey, who replaced Dillon Lawson as the Yankees’ hitting coach in July, announced on his podcast that he will not return next year. Casey said it was due to family reasons and despite the club expressing interest in bringing him back.
Now for the second time in a calendar year, the Yankees will be looking for a new candidate to guide the offense, which finished last season ranked 25th in runs.
Casey seemingly brought a different approach than Lawson. Owner Hal Steinbrenner previously said communication from the minor leagues to the major league team about their organization’s hitting philosophy and approach was one of the biggest areas of focus during offseason discussions. But once again, their hitting philosophy is in flux.
The Mets were given permission by the Brewers to speak with manager Craig Counsell about their open manager position. It’s earlier than the Mets expected — Counsell’s contract doesn’t expire until Oct. 31, and the Brewers could have blocked their approaches until after that date.
David Stearns, the Mets’ new president of baseball operations, worked in Milwaukee from 2016-22 with Counsell, who is seen by some as the favorite for the job.
But, as The Post’s Joel Sherman writes, “Does Counsell actually want to manage the Mets? And not to be downplayed — does [Stearns] want to reunite with Counsell to have him manage the Mets?”
Sherman also reported the Mets would have fired ex-general manager Billy Eppler had he not “resigned” earlier this month in the wake of being investigated for alleged misuse of the injured list.
Stearns did not know of the investigation at his introductory press conference, when he spoke highly of Eppler and indicated he looked forward to working with him. But Stearns did not want to begin his tenure with his lieutenant embroiled in controversy from an investigation that remains open.
The scoreboard: opening night edition
Celtics 108, Knicks 104: A missed opportunity in the season opener at MSG. The Knicks squandered a six-point lead inside the final four minutes, and Kristaps Porzingis (30 points) hit a dagger tie-breaking 3 with 1:29 remaining. Julius Randle (5-for-22, 14 points) and Jalen Brunson (6-for-21, 15 points) concurred on tough shooting nights, and the Knicks left a lot of points at the free-throw line (14-for-26). Immanuel Quickley paced the Knicks with 24 points; Celtics star Jayson Tatum had 34.
Cavaliers 114, Nets 113: A heartbreaker at Barclays Center as the Nets, after trailing the whole way, led by six with 1:17 to play and 113-111 with 13 seconds left — until Donovan Mitchell rained down a go-ahead 3. Cam Thomas exploded for 36 points, an NBA record for a bench player in a season opener. Ben Simmons finished with four points (on six shots), 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Red Bulls 5, Charlotte 2: The Red Bulls won the 8-vs.-9 game to advance in the MLS playoffs. Elias Manoel notched the first playoff hat trick in team history; John Tolkin and Tom Barlow also scored. The Red Bulls go on the road to open a best-of-three series against Eastern Conference-leading Cincinnati on Sunday.
When it goes bust
Sandro Tonali has brought the risks of sports’ deepening marriage with gambling to another level.
As sports leagues become increasingly intertwined with betting interests and accept their prominence in their games, it has brought some expected problems.
There have been several athletes caught gambling in violation of their league’s rules. But so far those cases mostly involved run-of-the-mill, or less notable, players being punished.
But Tonali, a midfielder for Newcastle in the English Premier League, may be the biggest star of this era to find himself in trouble for betting.
An Italian international, Tonali broke out as one of the most promising rising talents in Europe with Serie A powerhouse AC Milan before his reported $76 million transfer to Newcastle this past summer.
Recently, he admitted to betting on AC Milan games while he was with the team, and is cooperating with ongoing investigations.
Newcastle are bracing for their new star to be suspended for 10 months — with Tonali avoiding an even longer suspension due to his cooperation. It would mean Tonali will miss the rest of the Premier League season as well as the 2024 Euros, which he would have likely played in for Italy, assuming they qualify.
Unfortunately, he likely won’t be the last star to get caught. Gambling is seemingly only becoming a bigger part of sports, and now it’s starting to get some of the world’s biggest stars in trouble.
What we’re reading
🏒 Alexis Lafreniere operates in the shadow of being the No. 1 pick, and his moment with the Rangers finally might have arrived.
🏀 The Post’s Dan Martin catches up with Omar Cook, the former St. John’s star now working as an assistant coach with the Cavs. Do the players know of his Red Storm glory days? “They Google me,’’ Cook said with a laugh.
🏈 The latest reporting on how the lid got blown on the Michigan sign-stealing scandal.
🏀 Caitlin Clark is a unanimous preseason All-American … and No. 1 in this 2024 WNBA mock draft.
🏀 Reminder: Giannis Antetokounmpo is committed to the Bucks until the minute he isn’t.
⛳ So, uh, what’s going on with that whole PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger?
Credit: Source link
