(Nov. 16, 2004) -- Is anything else going on in the world of sports besides the fact that Eli Manning is making his NFL starting debut this week for the New York Giants? It's major, major news in the New York media, that's for sure.

Let me just say this: It doesn't mean the Giants are giving up on the playoff race, or that they are sacrificing anything relative to this season. Forget about that. The Giants are making this move because they think Manning gives them a better chance to win, a better chance to get to the playoffs, a better chance for success.

It's really that simple.

The Giants are 5-4 -- based on tiebreakers, they'd be the second wild card in the NFC if the season ended today. So for them to make this switch, that tells you they are unhappy with the production from their quarterback. So Kurt Warner is out and Manning is in.

What Manning brings to the equation will be obvious as soon as you begin to watch the game in Week 11 against the Atlanta Falcons.

The move will bring enthusiasm from the fans, of course, because they can't wait to see the No. 1 draft choice in action. It's always exciting to see the backup quarterback -- you know that whole song and dance.

It will bring energy to the team. Manning is a different player than Warner. Here are some of the differences you will see this weekend:

Manning will get rid of the football. I guarantee you he will make sure he doesn't take a needless sack, which has been a criticism of Warner. That's one of the reasons the Giants are making this switch, and I'm sure the coaches are putting a lot of emphasis this week on getting rid of the ball.

In two games so far this season, Eli Manning is 3 for 9 for 33 yards.

And that will get the fans and the team excited. I'll be very surprised if you don't see a different tempo to the Giants offense.

So that's why you make the change. It's not about next year. Next year? In the NFL, that's another decade away.

"Working on next year" is another sports cliché we should toss out. Coaches are just worried about the next game. The NFC, for lack of a better word, is such a mess now that you've got a chance regardless of your record. In the NFC, the race is to nine victories. A 9-7 record will probably get you into the playoffs in the NFC.

So at 5-4, the Giants are not conceding anything by turning to Manning.

Jets controversy

I just love all the second-guessing going on following the New York Jets' overtime loss to Baltimore. As Shakespeare once said, even an idiot's a genius after the fact.

Where to begin? Let's start with LaMont Jordan 's halfback option at the end of the first half that was intercepted by Ed Reed and led to the Ravens' first touchdown. Jets head coach Herman Edwards and offensive coordinator Paul Hackett were sharply criticized in New York for the call.

What's wrong with the call? Nothing. The Jets were moving the ball. They had the Ravens reeling. So when you've got a defense on the ropes, that's when you try these types of plays. You don't try them when nothing else is working, because that's when it doesn't work. The play just happened to backfire.

My gosh! You mean plays can backfire in the NFL?

The Jets had plenty of chances in that game after the Ravens capitalized on Jordan's interception. They let Baltimore quarterback Kyle Boller complete a bunch of key passes to get the Ravens back in the game.

Did the Jordan play change the game? Sure. But there are always game-changing plays in the NFL. Deal with it. No exaggeration -- the Jets had at least five tremendous opportunities to make one play, on either offense or defense, to win the game. They just didn't do it.

Of course, they had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, when they had one more chance to score the game-winning TD from inside the Ravens' 5-yard line before settling for a field goal that would force overtime. Instead, quarterback Quincy Carter couldn't get the play communicated in the huddle. They had to call timeout then settled for the field goal -- a situation that drew more criticism of Edwards for poor clock management.

More second-guessing. The play was called. They had time to run it. The clock had been stopped after an incomplete pass and Carter got the play with 15 seconds to go, but he couldn't get his team lined up in time to run it. End of story.