Time for talk is over: Jets, Giants must produce

As we prepare to open the curtain on what is sure to be an intriguing season of football in New York, we can already declare a winner even before the first kickoff for either the Jets or the Giants.

There is no debate about which team won the summer-long, attention-grabbing competition. With all those personalities and all that time on "Hard Knocks'' and all that cursing from the coach, the Jets were the clear-cut champions of an unprecedented gabfest.

But now comes the time when talk has absolutely, positively nothing to do with what really matters in an NFL season. This is no longer about words.

This is about wins.

And thank goodness for that. For all the entertainment provided by Rex Ryan and his merry band of marauders - and some of it was downright hilarious, even if it stretched the bounds of decency - it's time for the real storylines to emerge. And that can only happen once the Jets kick off on Monday night against the Ravens and the Giants host the Panthers in the first weekend of regular season football at New Meadowlands Stadium.

Finally, it is time for football. Time to stop the talking and start the walking.

Of course, we don't expect the Jets to suddenly start shutting their yaps. But at least we'll get a better idea of whether their trash talking will translate into the kind of successful season they insist they'll have. Or whether they'll be eating their words should things not go right after last year's run to the AFC Championship Game.

The Giants have been typically understated during the preseason - at least compared to the Jets - but they, too, have a lot riding on this season.

Start with self-respect; after last year's second-half calamity, which saw them go from a 5-0 start with dreams of a Super Bowl to an 8-8 finish with no playoffs, there is plenty to atone for.

"What do we always say? 'Talk is cheap. Play the game,' " Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora said. "That's how I feel. You can say whatever you want, but it doesn't matter at all because it's not going to decide whether you win or lose. You can have the best team on paper, but if you don't get it done on the field, it really doesn't matter."

On paper, there is a lot to like about both teams. It doesn't mean they're destined for Dallas in February, but it should mean that both teams will have a puncher's chance of playing into January. The Jets are coming off a terrific, if unexpected, trip to the AFC title game, where they lost to the Colts. And the experience can only help heading into this season.

The successful resolution to the Darrelle Revis contract situation was a major sigh of relief, as he returns to a defense coming off a No. 1 ranking. The additions of Antonio Cromartie and Jason Taylor to a unit that already features star inside linebackers David Harris and Bart Scott, as well as nose tackle Kris Jenkins, figures to be a formidable unit once more.

And if Mark Sanchez makes the kind of progress we expect him to make in his second season, the Jets' offense can be that much better. Throw in the late-season emergence of tailback Shonn Greene, who is now paired with future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson and a more experienced receiving corps that will get Santonio Holmes into the lineup after his four-game suspension to start the season, and there's legitimate playoff hope here.

Not that it will be easy; the Jets' opening three-game stretch against Baltimore, New England and Miami is brutal. And facing the NFC North teams this season is no small chore. But if they can weather the early-season challenges, there's no reason they can't get to the postseason.

We see the Giants playing well into January, too. The defense can only get better under coordinator Perry Fewell, who takes over for after Bill Sheridan's disastrous run last season. And if the defensive line that includes Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, Barry Cofield and newcomer Linval Joseph performs up to expectation, we should be seeing plenty of improvement.

Eli Manning comes off his first 4,000-yard season, Ahmad Bradshaw looks like the go-to guy in the running game, and a young receiving group that features Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham should produce at a high level.

Sure, there's Dallas, Washington and Philly to worry about in the always competitive NFC East. But we'd be surprised if the Giants aren't major factors in the division.

A New York-New York Super Bowl?

Sorry, we're not going there. But we are saying there will be playoff football for both teams this year.

So enough with the talk. Time to play.