Tom Rock columns

To Jets something doesn't just mean to come up short of a title. It's far more spectacular — and, to be more specific, usually something of the team's own doing.

A year ago he was the reigning Coach of the Year coming off a playoff season. Now he may be coaching for his job. So he's changed. So far.

While one future Hall of Famer was getting his work in at minicamp, the other was off doing something he decided outweighed his obligation to the Jets.

Sirianni's "We got your best player" zinger may be just the start of it this season.

If the Yankees can't pull it off this fall, guess which team is waiting in the on-deck circle?

"He's done a great job in the meetings. He's improved every day. We're happy we have him," coach Brian Daboll said of Drew Lock, who could give Daniel Jones a run for the role of starting QB.

Aaron Rodgers went to the sideline for a brief moment as trainers helped him something. It was a reminder of the stakes for these Jets. 

Just how much he can turn off and ignore that other side of his innermost soul though, that siren's call for attention, oration, dissertation, conspiracy and conflict that drives him to make the non-football appearances and statements he so often does, remains to be seen.

General manager Joe Schoen called his character, smarts and communication "elite."

Caleb Williams, the Atlanta Falcons, the Buffalo Bills and more from this year's draft.

He has shored up the offensive line, receiver corps and backup QB through free agency and the draft.

Not only does Jones get to keep his job for the foreseeable future, he also gets a top-tier receiver.

They may be the top QBs before the draft, but there's no guarantee they'll even be with that team in a few seasons.

The first round of this draft is a referendum on what the franchise's top decision-maker truly, honestly, unabashedly thinks about Daniel Jones.

If not for a toe injury that cut short his senior season, offensive lineman Matt Goncalves believes he would go in the first round. 

Simpson is a reminder the athletes we treat as deities are, in fact, people. Athletes can be perfect, but people are almost always flawed.

Coach Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen have been to pro days, have hosted others and it feels as if Big Blue could draft another QB next month.

Three bird teams top our list of winners, and the Giants fly into the top 5 as well. 

Once Saquon Barkley gets a sense of what running behind a strong offensive line feels like, it certainly will lift his spirits. On Thursday, though, there was a palpable weight on the running back.

Burns becomes the first huge, tenure-defining outside acquisition for general manager Joe Schoen. If Burns comes up shy of expectations, it will be a big black eye for Schoen. If he exceeds them? Both will reap the benefits and the adulations.

In today's game, big players are always changing teams, and it's just a part of the business. 

If both Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney leave in free agency, who will Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll pick to be next voice of locker room?

$30.6 million increase from last season could result in inflated prices for players and increased market competition.

Until Patrick Mahomes stops being Patrick Mahomes, the rest of the NFL has some work to do to catch KC.

The win gave six-year starter Patrick Mahomes a third title in the last five years and made him the first to go back-to-back since Tom Brady did it after the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

As we learned last year, reigning champs always step up when they're doubted, and they'll do it again Sunday.

Eli Manning's legacy is on the clock. Did he do enough to make the Hall?

Team's director of pro personnel Tim Terry, like Smith, grew up in Hempstead. While Terry had long had his eye on Smith and followed his career — both as a fellow LIer and as part of his job — Smith didn't know about Terry or their shared background.

Former Giants safety got the call, worked out on a family cruise, then flew to San Fran and made an immediate impact

This Super Bowl isn't making Travis Kelce a star. If anything, he and Taylor Swift are bringing their new level of stardom to it.

We know all the main players and storylines already; it's time to get some fresh faces in the sport's biggest game.

Former Giants defensive coordinator leads one of best units in the NFL, and his players love him.

The AFC Championship Game should be a treat for football fans.

After first-round playoff exits, Dallas and Philadelphia are coming back to the pack.

Maybe one or both will make the playoffs . . . and if not, expect sweeping changes.

There are valuable lessons to be learned from 2023 that  the entire organization would be wise to heed.

The Jets handed the legendary New England coach his record 165th regular-season loss in what may be his Patriots finale.

Joe Flacco doesn't get our vote for Comeback Player of the Year, but he's definitely the NFL's Story of the Year.

Which young arm in the draft will be his Josh Allen in Big Blue?

The running back  finally will  be able to spend the offseason working to improve after spending last offseason recovering from a knee injury.

The Giants WR said he wants to be remembered more for his "character than my play on the field."

In a lost season for Gang Green, snapping their 15-game skid in what could be Patriots coach's finale would be so sweet. 

Every time the Giants made something positive happen on Sunday, it was counterbalanced by the weight of incompetence from a penalty, a missed throw or a baffling coaching decision.

Beat those rivals, earn a home playoff game, fix the O-lines and enough with the penalties!

Making it more maddening was the sight of former Jet Joe Flacco leading the way for the Browns.

Despite all the machinations that the brokers have implemented to shuffle the schedule around and avoid eyesore matchups in these marquee platforms, at no point were the Jets bumped.

With Aaron Rodgers returning in 2024, the Jets will help their future more by learning to win now.

The real takeaway from the 33-25 loss was that it ended, ultimately, eventually, predictably, just like every other trip the Giants have made to Lincoln Financial Field for the past decade.

Receiver has done little without his buddy playing this season, and it's unlikely he will be with Jets next year. 

Even the offensive coordinator himself struggled to come up with any actual progress or positives to take away from a forgettable 2023 campaign.