Giants - Jets
1999 Preseason Game 3 - 8 pm ET

Subway Series

Baseball or Football?
While baseball fans in this area talk about the possibility of a Subway Series between the Yankees and the Mets, football fans know that they already have one.
The Giants and Jets will meet for the first of their two game series this Saturday.
Truly, the end result of this first game counts for nothing as football is still in preseason play, and everyone should know that, but feelings run strong here in the tri-state area.
These two local city teams, who happen to play in the same stadium, will meet in December during playoff push time and that's the game that really counts.

The Game
As is typical for the third preseason game, teams will use their starters for about three quarters, so the fans will get a good hint as to how some of the matchups might work out down the line. As far as the choice of plays goes, the Giants are still discovering for themselves what they have on offense and the Jets are still working out some things for themselves.
For example, this is the first game the Giants will be able to play RB Gary Brown, their regular season starter. On defense for the Jets, Bryan Cox has switched from weak-inside to strong-inside, and also has to call the defensive signals.
He hasn't been effective doing this in the past two preseason games, and he will be up against the new hustling offense of the Giants for this game.
One thing for certain though, is that everything should be figured out pretty well by both these teams come December.

Some History
In regular season games the Giants and Jets are tied 4 - 4.
In the 1997 preseason game, the Jets beat the Giants 27 - 17.
In the 1998 preseason game, the Jets beat the Giants 27 - 23, and the Giants lost more than just the game. They lost Jason Sehorn for the entire season on a kickoff return, and he still isn't back.
For a review of that game, and to read who some of the new faces on the block were then, go here

Keeping it straight
Jet fans should take note that when they hear the name Mitchell this game, it will be in reference to Pete Mitchell the new TE on the Giants and not Johnny Mitchell who walked out of the Jets training camp after one day of Coach Parcells' scrutiny.
Johnny Mitchell who had been trying to revive his career after two years off, would like another shot with the Jets, but Parcells said he has absolutely no interest in re-signing him.
Pete Mitchell played for the Jaguars last year, and fits in very nicely with the Giants although they seem to be keeping him under wraps this preseason, at least up to now.

Tie-ins
There are many, with the biggest being that Jets Head Coach Bill Parcells was a Giants assistant coach in 1979 and 1981-1982, and then Head Coach of the Giants from 1983 through 1990.
Bill Belichick the Jets assistant head coach was with the Giants from 1979-90.
Jumbo Elliott played tackle for the Giants from 1988-95

Notes:
The Jets are the third 1998 Division champion team that the Giants face this preseason and the Giants have held up well with wins against the Vikings and Jaguars.
The Jets have split their two preseason games, losing to Green Bay and then winning over the Eagles last week.
Parcells must have liked something he saw in that first preseason loss to Green Bay as QB Rick Mirer was dealt by the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets for an undisclosed future draft pick.

Next week
The Giants wrap up their preseason against the Baltimore Ravens at the PSI Net Stadium on Friday, September 3 at 12 PM.
The Jets play Minnesota at home at 7:30 PM.