I spoke with Ross Tucker and Howard Cross during two separate podcasts about what's been ailing the Giants since their 5-0 start. Tucker shared his take during our weekly Football NYC Podcast, while Cross suggests they stop believing the media generated hype about who they should beat in the debut episode of the Big Blue Podcast.

The Giants are on their bye before hosting the Atlanta Falcons November 22.

Joe Calo sits with TWIF panelist and ex-NFL lineman Ross Tucker to break down the first week of the season, including wins by the Jets and Giants. LISTEN

This weekend kicks off the 2009 NFL season and I think we can expect some pretty good games from our two local teams this year. Both teams will be an interesting watch every weekend because of the changes that were made during the offseason.

Giants
The main concern for the Giants was replacing Plaxico Burress, which is much easier said than done, so they opted to use the draft to find a receiver and may have struck gold with Hakeem Nicks. During the preseason against second- and third-string defenses he made some spectacular plays and looks like he has the tools to become the downfield threat that Big Blue was looking for.

The defense was the main focus during the offseason and getting Osi Umenyiora back is like having another first-round pick join the team. His quickness from the outside is so important to the Giants defensive scheme because it allows Justin Tuck to move into the middle of the line where he was most effective two years ago.

The two biggest additions to the team were Michael Boley and Chris Canty. Boley is the type of linebacker the Giants will need because of his ability to drop back into coverage against players like Brian Westbrook. Canty is a mammoth of a man much like Tuck who will add to the constant pass rush which is the most important element of the defense.

The Giants will have to get off to a good start because of their tough second-half schedule, but overall I think we can expect a good season from them with about 10 wins and a playoff berth.

Jets
The Jets come into the season with a whole new mental makeover, which will model their new coach Rex Ryan. Much like his father, Ryan brings a confidence and a toughness that the Jets never had with Eric Mangini, but it remains to be seen whether that translates into wins.

Linebacker Bart Scott was the Jets' most important addition and he brings the toughness and the physical nature that Ryan wants to establish. His leadership on and off the field will be just as important as his play during the season. I also love the addition of safety Jim Leonhard, another one of Ryan's guys from Baltimore who will bring more of the physical style of play he prefers.

The biggest news for the Jets was the draft addition of Mark Sanchez, who represents the future of the franchise. Ryan made the right move in naming Sanchez the starter, and he looked very good in the preseason with quickness and the pocket presence that few rookies have in their first season. I know that Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan had spectacular seasons last year, but I hope that Jets fans are patient with Sanchez for a while because I do think he will be a good leader for the team for many years.

Since Bill Parcells was here, all of the Jets coaches had winning seasons in their first years with the team and I think Ryan will do the same. The Patriots are clearly the best team in the AFC East and are the favorite, but I think the Dolphins' schedule is brutal and the Bills will have a mediocre year at best, so it is not unrealistic to believe that Jets can win nine or 10 games depending on the play of Sanchez.

Much to nobody's surprise Brett Favre returned to the NFL yesterday with more news coverage than the last presidential election. I watched ESPN all afternoon as they tracked his every move from the plane ride to the podium where he held up the famous No. 4 jersey, but this time it was colored purple and white.

C'mon folks, do you really think that Favre just suddenly changed his mind and immediately boarded private jet to Minnesota where a $12 million contract and a jersey were sitting there waiting for him? I have believed all along that this has been in the works for a while between. Both parties spoke after his surgery and agreed that he would play for them this season. Why would he have the surgery if he wasn't going to return?

The Vikings sent trainers and coaches to monitor his health and go over the playbook, and then both parties agreed that he would join the team at the end of training camp. We all know that veteran players hate going to camp and give excuses why they won't attend. Michael Strahan did this in his last season with the Giants and Lawrence Taylor always had an excuse for skipping camp. Vikings coaches and management acted as if they were moving on when he said he wasn't returning a month ago and Brad Childress even went through the motions at the start of camp with Sage Rosenfels and Tavaris Jackson knowing all along Favre was going to be his starter this season.

I am neither a Favre supporter nor a hater, but I'm sorry folks. You can't convince me that all of a sudden Favre changed his mind, a plane was ready to take him to Minnesota yesterday and all of the Vikings' game plans were changed instantly to accommodate him learning the offense so he could start a game on Friday night. I think if Favre still thinks he can play in the league than by all means he should play, but I think the game that he and the Vikings have been playing these past months is just ridiculous.

The funny thing is that even though Favre is way past his prime, he is still a better option for Minnesota than the other two quarterbacks and there are also a lot of money incentives for the Vikings with jersey sales and media coverage as well. So after all the craziness of the past six months Favre will end up right where we all thought he would this season, and we can save the drama until the next offseason when it will happen all over again.

The New York Giants signed Eli Manning to six-year contract extension earlier today, making him one of the highest-paid players in the league. I am very happy to know that he will be my quarterback for the foreseeable future. I know that this new deal will strike up debates over whether or not he deserves this kind of money, but here are my reasons as to why the Giants absolutely did the right thing by rewarding him with this contract.

• Already has won a Super Bowl title and was the MVP in the biggest game of his career. Let's also not forget that he drove the Giants in the final minutes to beat a team that had not lost a game that season

• Has shown that he can win games on the road. Just look back at the run the Giants had in the 2007 season or the games in Arizona and Pittsburgh last season.

• Handles himself like a gentleman off the field. He plays in the biggest city and media market in the world and we never see him in the headlines in a negative way.

• Plays his best late in the game. Do not take this for granted; we have seen many quarterbacks that cannot function as well when the game is on the line.

• His teammates know that he is their leader. When Tiki Barber went on TV and made a statement about Eli's leadership, all of his teammates rallied behind him and have been supportive of him after good performances and bad ones.
 
• Four years as a starter, four trips to the playoffs. The most important quality that a quarterback can have is the ability to lead his team to victory.

I know that sometimes Manning can frustrate Giants fans with his accuracy, and I am in no way saying that he is the best quarterback in the NFL. But the fact of the matter is that this is where the market is at right now. Before you know it, another quarterback will be getting a bigger deal in the near future. The bottom line is that Manning is a very good player who has the potential to become even better. Statistically, he has been going in the right direction every year since he has entered the league. He is a hard worker who stays out of trouble and never looks to be in the limelight. I am very happy for Manning and look forward to the next six seasons with him leading my football team.

Just read that Amani Toomer signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. As a Giants fan, I wanted to wish him the best of luck for the upcoming year (except, of course, when they play the Giants.) He is the all-time leading wide receiver in Giants history and over the last 13 seasons has made some memorable plays for them.

Personally, I will never forget the touchdown catch he made against the undefeated Denver Broncos in 1998. When the Broncos played the Giants in 2005, he once again caught the game-winning score with .05 seconds left, capping off a terrific final drive. I also loved the performance against the Cowboys in the divisional playoffs two seasons ago with two big first-half touchdowns. Most recently, his fourth-down catch against the eventual Super Bowl champion Steelers last season in the final quarter of the game in Pittsburgh stands out to me.

Amani was a gentleman off the field and never gave me a hard time when asking for an interview or a quick sound bite no matter what the mood was after a win or a loss. He was a quiet presence (especially for an NFL wide receiver) amongst some very big personalities like Michael Strahan, Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey. And let's not forget the manner in which he acted when Plaxico Burress signed with the Giants, supplanting him as the No. 1 receiver. Amani was a pleasure to work with for my six seasons with the Giants and I was so happy for him when he was able to win a Super Bowl ring.

If you have any Amani Toomer memories that stand out, please let us know.

The long wait is over and the NFL season has officially begun. The Giants were the last team to report to training camp yesterday and officially kick off the NFL season.

It is great time of year for any football fan because it gives us our first real look at our favorite teams and who knows maybe this is the year for your team to win the Super Bowl. As much as people like to rank teams in the preseason, the fact of the matter is that you just don't know how the season will unfold as far as injuries and strength of schedule.

So as the preseason predictions start flying in from everywhere don't worry if your team is at the bottom of the list because I can remember just two years ago when the Giants were predicted to come in last place in the division and we all know how that worked out.

A couple of Giants and Jets notes for the start of camp:

• Steve Smith is going into training camp as the Giants' No. 1 receiver. This will be interesting because we have all seen how well he has played as the third down option for Manning the last two seasons but it remains to be seen if he can be a No. 1 target. Also look for Mario Manningham to get many reps

• The Giants already have problems at linebacker. Michael Boley is out for all of camp and who knows what the legal ramifications will be with Antonio Pierce.

• Osi Umenyiora is back. It is nice to see him out there after last season's knee injury and believe me his loss was felt last year.

• Mark Sanchez is the talk of Jets camp. Nothing surprising here and don't believe anyone if they tell you he is not expected to start this season.

• Jerricho Cotchery is the No. 1 guy in Jets camp. Much like the Giants, the Jets are looking for the player who will step up and become the new top target.

I really hate to rush the summer but we are only a little over a month away from training camp and I can't wait for the 2009 NFL season to start. When I was traveling to Albany with the Giants I would always look forward to the smell of the fresh cut grass and watching the sprinklers go back and forth as the players marched out for their morning practice. I always enjoyed everything from the coaches' whistles blowing at the end of every play to watching kids' faces as they lined up for autographs from players at the end of every practice. I know the players hate it, but training camp provided some of the best memories for me when I was a part of it.

Nothing major to report on the Giants as their minicamps wrap up. The main buzz has been the wide receiver situation and the rumors that are still swirling about Braylon Edwards and Anquan Boldin. After they drafted Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden, it would be hard for me to believe the Giants would look to make a deal not because of the trade compensation, but rather the huge salary that both will demand. At this point I think we owe it to give Jerry Reese the benefit of the doubt with his moves.

I love the attitude that Rex Ryan has already brought to the Jets; knowing who is father is this should not surprise Jets fans and I think that even though they have not played a single down of football, he is giving his team a confidence that was missing the last couple of years with Eric Mangini. It also looks as if Mark Sanchez will be given the opportunity to start in a competition with Kellen Clemens in camp this summer. I'd also be very surprised if the Jets do not add a veteran wide receiver before camp begins, Edwards, Boldin and Plaxico Burress are all real possibilities.

If anyone has any comments or ideas on the Giants and Jets wide receiver situations or any thing about the NFL, please do not hesitate writing them. We are all fans and there is no right or wrong answers.

I don't like saying I told you so, but when it comes to Brett Favre and his on-again, off-again retirement I think I really hit the mark. So, without further ado, please read the following excerpt from the February 10 blog that I wrote:

My feeling all along is that Favre has been purposely dragging his feet so the Jets have no choice but to cut him so they can move ahead. He didn't want to come here last season and since he's seen the two faces of the New York fans and media, he wants no part of playing under the microscope at this point in his career. Last year he wanted to go to Minnesota, but because they are divisional rivals of the Packers, that could not have happened. The Jets can't trade him there because there is a clause in the agreement which states that New York would have to give up a first round draft pick. But if they cut him, he is free to go wherever he wants. Why the Vikings would want Favre is beyond me, but I guess that even at his age he is an upgrade over Tavaris Jackson. The bottom line is that I am neither a Favre fan nor hater. I just think that he owes it to the Jets to make a decision so they can move on and focus on the upcoming season.

Now I know that I'm not the only person who thought that this would happen and Brett may indeed stay retired, but it amazes me how this guy is going to eventually get what he wanted all along.  Don't get me wrong: I think the Jets made the right choice my moving on with Sanchez, and if Brett still thinks that he can play on a high level I wish him all the best. But the way he has handled himself the last two years really tarnishes his image in my mind. 

I do think that if all goes well in the meetings with Brad Childress this week that Brett will be back on the sidelines this coming season. It makes sense for the Vikings because taking a flier on Brett at this point is a better option than starting either Sage Rosenfels or Tavaris Jackson. It will also make the two divisional games between the Vikings and the Packers a real great watch for the fans.

Day one of the 2009 NFL Draft is now over and the Jets wasted no time making the first big move of the day when they traded up to the No. 5 spot to grab Mark Sanchez.  I have always said that in the weeks leading up to the draft there are all smokescreens created by teams so other teams cannot determine what players they are really interested in.  Now in this situation we did hear that the Jets were one of the few teams that would make a move for Sanchez but there were more aggressive teams such as the Redskins and Broncos who were expected to make a trade to get him.  I like Sanchez, he comes from a winning program and seems to be a guy that other players would rally behind.  He does however only have16 starts but I look at it this way, Matt Cassel came out of the same program and never started a game in college.  Rex Ryan also came from Baltimore were he saw rookie Joe Flacco lead his team to the AFC championship so he will have no problem letting Sanchez start from day one.

Usually the rule of thumb with a rookie quarterback is that the fans have to be patient for a year or two and wait for him to develop, but in the last couple of years we have seen guys like Flacco and Matt Ryan have immediate success and other young quarterbacks like Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger win Super Bowls so well see how long the Jets and their fans can be patient with Sanchez. Overall I like the move because they didn't really have a solid starter in the first place.

On the other hand, the Giants made news by not making news.  Over the last month there was so much speculation that they would trade for either Braylon Edwards or Anquan Boldin and the first day of the draft came and went with no such move.  Now that's not to say that they didn't get what they were looking for because they quickly decided on Hakeem Nicks when it was there turn in the first round.  Now I'm not going to sit here and tell you that he was the guy they wanted all along because we just don't know, but what I will say is that he is just the type of player that they were looking to get in Edwards and Boldin.  He is big, physical and may just be the most NFL ready receiver in the draft. Now after today you wouldn't think that Cleveland plans to trade Edwards, but they did select not one but two wide receivers in the second round.  So well see where Mangini goes with this one.

The Giants then used both of their picks in the second round to address other areas of need.  They selected linebacker Clint Sintim from the University of Virginia and expect him to make an immediate this season.  He has started 48 games in a row and has emerged as a very good pass rusher.  The Giants rounded out the day by selecting offensive tackle William Beatty from Uconn.  He is a guy that was projected to go earlier in the day and will provide some backup on the O-line this season.