New York Giants: Analyzing the first six weeks

After six weeks the Giants have been pretty fair, but there is still a lot of work to do
Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch USA Today Sports

It's been a season of ups and downs so far as the Giants find themselves in the middle of what is shaping up to be a tightly contested division. Despite their troubles, the team has managed a 3-3 record keeping hope that one good stretch could make all the difference. With 11 games left to play, there is still a lot of room for improvement and a good chance to make headway in the NFC East

Pros

The offense has looked much better than last season, averaging 392 yards per game. Though it has had its moments of tribulation, the outlook for the year seems pretty good. Once Victor Cruz is healthy and ready to go, there is no doubt the dynamic of the offense will shift dramatically in the team favor.

Eli Manning has been under a lot of scrutiny over  the course of his career because of his propensity for turnovers. His 11 touchdowns and 4 interceptions through six weeks suggests he has gotten those problems under control (though he still has his moments). In fact, his 66% completion percentage and 94 passer rating has him on pace to put up the most efficient numbers of his career. Hopefully Eli can continue to show this growth as the season continues because as he does, so will the Giants.

Outside of the last two games the Giants run defense has held its own holding opponents to 93.5 yds per game (6th best in the NFL). After two years of watching opponents run up and down the heart of the line, this was an area of focus that has paid some dividends.

Cons

The Giants have just eight team sacks this season, placing them near the bottom of the league in a category they once dominated. The defensive line has failed to get any pressure on the quarterback, leaving the  rest of the defense vulnerable. Unless something drastic happens, this will continue to be the achilles heel that keeps hurting them.

Compounding matters, the Giants are the defense in the league against the pass, yielding nearly 300 yards per game (3rd worst). Despite forcing 11 turnovers, it doesn't appear the team has been able to generate a deterrent for opposing quarterbacks.

In what seems to be a recurring theme, injuries have hampered the teams ability to find any type of consistency. Too many key layers have gone down each week, forcing the team to scramble and find replacements. Is it the Giants just getting flat out unlucky? or should the strength and conditioning staff be held responsible? Nevertheless, football has and always will be a violent and physical game, so injuries are bound to occur, but if you're a Giants fan this has to be getting at bit monotonous.

New York Yankees - Season in Review

The 2015 season came to disappointing finish after a 3-0 loss to the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card Game. Despite this disappointment, the Yankees still managed to accomplish a lot more than many expected of them this season. Here are some of the Yankees biggest surprises and disappointments of the year.

Surprises

Nathan Eovaldi was acquired by the Yankees to fill the vacant hole in the rotation coming into the season and many were skeptical if h could viably contribute to the club. Those sentiments were erased when he lead the team in wins and established himself as the most effective pitcher out in the rotation for most of the second half. If it were not for an inflamed elbow, the Yankees may have stood a much greater chance to win the AL East.

Alex Rodriguez was not expected to be a contributing factor this year, especially since he had missed an entire year of baseball after his suspension in 2014. Not only did he lead the club in homers (33) he also brought a stable right handed bat to the offense. Unfortunately his hitting slowed down tremendously in August and September, most likely to to his age and missed time. Nonetheless, Rodriguez certainly was a bright spot no one saw coming.

The appearance of young prospects Luis Severino, Greg Bird, Rob Refsnyder, and Slade Heathcott is a major plus for a once devoid farm system. It's a far cry from years past when the Yankees would have traded them away for a marquee player. Hopefully this is a sign that the team is ready to begin the process of building a contender from within, which history has shown could work out very well in the years to come.

Didi Gregorius had a rough beginning to his Yankee career as he hit .238 through the first half to go along with one too many errors at short. However, after making a few adjustments (and a pep talk from Derek Jeter) he was able to put together a stout second half hitting .295 (second on the team behind Beltran) and flashed a much steadier glove. If this is a sign of things to come, Didi may just carve out a place for himself on the roster for the foreseeable future.

The Yankees found a great bullpen tandem in Betances and Miller, one that was nearly untouchable for the first two months. If Miller had been healthy in June and Betances had not been so overworked, they could have easily carried the Yankees to few more crucial wins which may have helped decide the division

Disappointments

Brett Gardner had as big of an up and down year as one could imagine. After hitting .302 through mid-July and earning an All Star nod, he completely bottomed out in the second half. His .206 average and high strikeout propensity through September caused fans to grow very impatient and agitated as they was showered with resentment in the final game.

Everything was going quite well for Mark Teixeira, He had 31 home runs, and was poised to put up the fantastic numbers, Unfortunately, that did not come to pass as a fateful foul tip fractured his leg, ending his season. These untimely injuries have become far too frequent for the five time gold glover and it has to equally as frustrating to the team as it is for him. He will certainly need lady luck on his side in 2016, or the Yankees could turn to Greg Bird as the everyday player much sooner than one may think.

Despite hitting 17 home runs, the 32 year old infielder Stephen Drew struggled to hit .200 all season long. There were many times where he looked completely lost at the plate, leaving many Yankee faithful wondering why he was still on the roster. Joe Girardi put his faith in Drew from the start of spring training, which did annoy some fans who believed Refsnyder should have been given the opportunity. After a concussion brought his season to an end, it may be time to move on to a younger, more stable counterpart.

It wasn't a season to remember for CC Sabathia as he won just six games to 4.73 ERA, only looking better in the final month. To add to things, he has entered alcohol rehab for an issue that unfortunately reared it's ugly head this year. With so much invested in him through 2017 ($48 million with a $25 million option), the Yankees hope that Sabathia can work through his personal troubles and bounce back in a big way next season.

Yankees - Week 26

After a two year absence, the Yankees will make their return to October baseball when they host the Houston Astros in the one game wild card round. Despite the struggles the team had in the final weeks, New York will get it postseason baseball back. Can they come together and make a strong push for their 28th championship? Or will the pressure of the bright lights weigh down of them. One things for certain, all eyes will be on Masahiro Tanaka, Brian McCann, and Carlos Beltran as he looks to prove he's the big game players the Yankees hoped they would be when they signed them.

The Good

The Yankees secured their 10,000th victory as a franchise, becoming the 6th team to reach this milestone. For a team with such an illustrious  history and winning tradition, it was only a matter of time until they added this to their extensive mantle of achievements.

The Bad

Things did not go well for the Yankees bullpen in September as it compiled an ERA of nearly 5 in the month. The combination of overuse and loss of confidence seems to have reared its ugly head at the worst possible time, especially with the playoffs coming up. 

The offense did a disappearing act over the final week of the season as they struggled to get timely hits in important games. There is no room for error when the stakes are high, so if this trend continues the Yankees could be looking at an early exit to the postseason.

Chasen Shreve has had a miserable final month as his performance kept deteriorating with each outing. What's more alarming is Girardi's consistent use of him in key situation, despite his struggles. With the season riding in the balance, it may be best to leave Shreve off of the roster for the wild card round, otherwise they could run the risk of hurting their chances in a winner take all game.