Last week, for the first time since the 1970 merger, the Jets
and the Giants, both at 6-3, held undisputed possession of first
place in their divisions at the same time. Here's a look at
their week alone atop the NFL world.
Monday. In New Jersey, as the Giants prepare to play the Oilers
in Memphis, they have one eye on the Jets. "We want to stay
ahead of the Jets," says rookie strong safety Sam Garnes.
"Everybody in this locker room knows how well they're doing."
Before practice, coach Jim Fassel senses the potential
distraction, telling his staff, "You guys stay positive. I'm
going to ride their butts." At the workout Fassel blisters ears.
Focus improves.
About 30 miles to the east, at the Jets' practice site at
Hofstra University on Long Island, something strange is
happening. Coach Bill Parcells, who leads the league in
decisiveness, can't make up his mind whether incumbent Neil
O'Donnell or spunky backup Glenn Foley will start at quarterback
against the Dolphins in Miami.
The Big Apple is abuzz. The Rangers are slumping, the Knicks
have lost their home opener, and the Yankees are in a salary
brouhaha with Bernie Williams. But of the first 19 callers to
WFAN's popular Mike and the Mad Dog talk-radio show, 18 opine on
Foley-O'Donnell.
Tuesday. It's an off day for players on both teams. Giants
quarterback Danny Kanell, fullback Charles Way and cornerbacks
Jason Sehorn and Phillippi Sparks go to Times Square for a
taping of HBO's Inside the NFL and soon realize they're not
exactly Phil Simms and Lawrence Taylor walking down Broadway. As
Sehorn, who looks more Malibu surfer than receiver-draper, wades
through the masses, somebody says, "Who are these guys?"
Upon returning to the town house that he shares with Sehorn,
Kanell takes a two-hour nap. Feeling the pressure of an NFL
starting role, Danny? Later, as he lounges on a Naugahyde couch,
Kanell stifles a yawn and says to Sehorn, "See where we're
underdogs again this week?"
"Yeah, by 4 1/2," Sehorn replies. "Hey, it's fair. You get three
for playing at home, right? We've still got to prove ourselves.
The papers say we're doing it with smoke and mirrors."
Wednesday. First thing, Parcells meets with each of his
quarterbacks separately to tell them that Foley will start
against Miami. Foley calls his wife, Jen. She screams in glee.
O'Donnell thinks he's getting shafted but won't say so as he
does interviews for the noon newscasts.
About two hours later Fassel announces that Kanell, who stepped
in for the injured Dave Brown on Oct. 5, will be the starter for
the rest of the season. "Never thought about what the Jets were
doing," Fassel says with a shrug.
Thursday. The tabloids have a heyday with the Jets' quarterback
story. Post: FOLEY COW! TUNA GOES WITH GLENN. Daily News: FOLEY
SMOKES! GLENN GETS NOD. In both papers Fassel's decision gets a
little less attention.
Friday. Fassel has the flu, and his wife's Land Cruiser, which
was stolen the previous day, has still not been located.
Nevertheless he is at his desk at 5:55 a.m., warily loving life
in first place. "I've got the greatest job in America, the dream
job I've always wanted," he says. "But we haven't accomplished
anything yet. That's what this team has to believe."
At 7:17 a.m. 32 players on this tightly knit team are already in
the locker room, eating cereal, danish and bagels and reading
the papers, all courtesy of the club. Bonding time, the coaches
hope. Such closeness was rarely seen on past Giants teams.
In Jetsville wideout Keyshawn Johnson drops an overstuffed bag
from McDonald's in Foley's locker. "Role reversal?" someone says
to the smiling Foley, who seems entirely underwhelmed by the
weight of taking a first-place team into Miami. "If Keyshawn
wants me to throw him the damn ball, he had better get me the
damn McDonald's," Foley deadpans. "Anything for you, Glenn,"
Johnson says.
Saturday. At 1 p.m. the Jets take off in a cold, driving
rainstorm and, about three hours later, touch down in sunny,
71° Fort Lauderdale. Upon arrival Foley says the biggest
game of his life has not made him nervous. "Just fired up."
Memphis hotels are filled with out-of-towners attending a
religious conference, so the Giants stay at a Holiday Inn in
Olive Branch, Miss., 15 miles away. At a meeting, the players
listen as Fassel rails about how the football world doesn't
respect them. That's understandable. The Giants have faced one
team that has a winning record, the Jaguars, and they lost that
game by 27 points.
Why is Fassel so popular with his players? Here's an example. He
knew they wanted to watch the Holyfield-Moorer fight, so he made
room on the charter for a satellite-TV specialist [and his dish]
and had the bout piped into a ballroom so the players could
watch the fight. By 11 p.m., about 35 Giants had transformed the
site into a rec-room sleepover. They cheered unabashedly for
Holyfield. When they left after the fight, they were happy Giants.
Sunday. It is a bad day down south. As time runs out on a
crushing 24-17 loss to the Dolphins, Parcells steams toward
field judge John Robison to protest the call that may have
crippled the Jets' season. Actually it was back judge Tom
Sifferman who ruled that a late-fourth-quarter, fourth-down pass
that wideout Wayne Chrebet appeared to catch was incomplete,
sending Parcells into postgame apoplexy. Parcells is shielded
from Robison by side judge Mike Pereira, and, neck veins
bulging, he leans on Pereira, trying to get at Robison. "You
cost me the game!" is one of Parcells's printable rantings.
Well, the call cost the Jets a chance to at least tie. The game
was vital. The Jets could be in a fight for a playoff spot with
the Dolphins, and by virtue of Miami's two-game sweep, can't win
a two-way tiebreaker with them.
The Giants lose a 10-6 clunker at Tennessee. Seeing that the
theme of the day was The Lost Opportunity: New York Football,
it's fitting that the in-flight movie on the way home is The
Lost World: Jurassic Park. Somewhere over West Virginia,
defensive end Michael Strahan stretches out in his seat and
says, "No one believes in us still, but we believe we're for real.
"Heartbreaking day for both of us, wasn't it?" Strahan adds.
"But look at it this way: It's November, and we're both
representing New York pretty well."
Issue date: November 17, 1997
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