By Michael Otero
Sports Editor
GIANTS
Currently sitting in a good position for a wildcard spot, the Giants, on paper, seems to be a team that could challenge any of the top teams in the NFC. It is the only team this season to beat the Dallas Cowboys, but that was a start for rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot. They don’t have a signature win this season and taken games against the lowly Bears and Browns down to the wire.
I see the Giants as a playoff team, but that’s it. It could win a first round matchup, but I don’t see it beating Dallas or Seattle in the playoffs on the road. Those two teams are as complete as any in the league and the Giants are good, but not as good as either of those teams.
JETS
This season has been a disaster for the Jets. It opened the season against playoff teams from a season prior in five of its first six weeks and took a gut punch. The quarterback situation is a complete joke and Ryan Fitzpatrick manages to be under center every week even though he is unlikely to return as the starter next season. There are young guns waiting in the weeds. The Jets are already on to 2017 where it can’t get much worse. Can it?
KNICKS
Through the first quarter of the season, the Knicks have yet to identify itself as a contender or a pretender. The team has games where Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis look like all-stars and others where they struggle shooting from the field. They also have the tendency to disappear at times. They need to develop more consistency and use Carmelo’s strength of mid-range shooting and his ability to draw double-teams to open up the offense for the rest of the offense and the prolific Porzingis, who is having a stellar sophomore season.
YANKEES
Offseason time for the Yankees is always interesting because the team is seen as a “big spender” years prior, but the Bronx Bombers adopted a youth movement last season and if they want to embrace that, then they need to hold off, offering aging sluggers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion multi-year deals. Youngsters Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird, Didi Gregorius and Luis Severino will have a lot on their plate this season. If everything falls the way the Yankees hope, the team’s core of baby bombers and influx of veterans can lead to a return to the postseason.
METS
Re-signing Yoenis Cespedes breathed a sigh of relief and brought back championship aspirations for the Mets. With him in the lineup, the Mets is simply a better team. His impact brings the level from a team with the best rotation in baseball and below average hitting, to a team that can contend with the Chicago Cubs for a pennant. I think the Mets will look to trade one of its outfielders and maybe get a catcher in return. Either way, it is a team favored to win the World Series.
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