(Long Island, N.Y.) Both head coaches and a good number of the players involved have been here, done that. Having past Super Bowl experience makes even the loose-lipped more the wiser and Media Day at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis was more or less uneventful. Sorry for anyone expecting bulletin board material; cooler heads prevailed.

Even someone as flamboyant as Chad Ochocinco played it low key when asked if he came to New England with the goal of winning a Super Bowl. “You come in with expectations of being successful, and the goal in the back of your mind, as always, is to get to the Super Bowl,” the wide receiver formerly known as Chad Johnson said, and it appears that he has easily become acclimated to his new team’s way of thinking.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick knows that the talking that counts is done on the field and the disciplinarian surely let his team know that again – even though a good portion of their locker room is playing in their fifth championship game. His strategy is to keep things simple and the way that his players are used to.

“We’ve had a routine all year and we’ll try to stay in that routine,” he said. “There are some things like (Media Day) that are different, but we will adjust to those and get back to doing the things we need to do to get prepared for the game.”

On the other side, Tom Coughlin can rely on his veteran players to ensure that their younger brethren are in step. “When you have a tight knit team and the younger guys can go to the older guys for knowledge about the experience, it helps an awful lot,” the Giants head coach said. These veteran players have been really good about directing and talking to the young guys and making sure that they are on board.”

One of those younger players is Prince Amukamara, who has had a rocky rookie campaign in the Big Apple with an early injury and inconsistent play. But he seems to be prescribing to the laid-back attitude that this team preaches and knows when it’s time to go to work.

“On the first kickoff, there is going to be a lot of light bulb flashes,” the cornerback said. “But once the ball is kicked and you get that first hit, those feelings go away.”

The king of being unflappable on the Giants is none other than their quarterback, Eli Manning. Although he will be playing in his second Super Bowl, he never takes anything for granted and spread that way of thinking to his younger mates.

“Every person, whether this is your first year in the NFL or 14th, this is a special experience and you don’t know if you’re going to get another chance,” the MVP of SBXLII said. “Whether you’re at the end of your career or the beginning, you might not get here again. It is rare and it is tough so you want to enjoy the experience and the bonding time and the down time that you have with your teammates. When it’s time to prepare and practice, it’s time to get your focus ready to play this game. We need one hundred percent commitment and dedication to going out there and playing our best football.”

Smart words coming from someone who knows.

(Long Island, N.Y.) They say that playing on the road includes less distractions and the New York Giants can definitely write another chapter in that book. They have been the trendsetters in what seems to have become a more common occurrence of late, where just qualifying for the playoffs is enough of a boost to make it far.

Without even looking back to earlier seasons, the current Giants have ousted the one and two seeds in the National Football Conference and now can take care of the top team in the American Football Conference. So the mid-season slump that this team persevered through seems like an eternity ago.

Although Lambeau Field is certainly a tougher place to go into than Candlestick Park, both teams dominated the conference (and league) throughout the regular season and were favorites against Big Blue. But the underdog role is something that the Giants have embraced.

“Guys never quit; they never had any doubt,” Eli Manning said. “They keep believing and fighting to the very end no matter what the circumstances are. When we play our best ball and we win games it’s because offense, defense (and) special teams are all playing smart football, supporting each other and finding ways to win.”

While the G-Men outplayed the Packers in the NFC Divisional Round, this game versus the 49ers was a dogfight from start to finish. Both teams seemed to be trading punts throughout the majority of the contest, but that was because the defenses were playing extremely effectively. Niners tight end Vernon Davis caught two touchdown passes from quarterback Alex Smith but the Giants defense held tight other than those two big plays.

Manning was standing tall even though he was taking hit after hit. His two touchdown passes answered Smith’s and the Giants’ game plan was to move the ball through the air rather than on the ground. Tom Coughlin knew that his quarterback would be able to handle everything that came with that.

“They (the 49ers) have a tremendous pass rush,” the Giants head coach said. “We didn’t have a lot of run; there wasn’t much variety in what we were doing. Our screens didn’t seem to work very well either, but Eli just hung in there and made plays when we needed him to make them. He displayed the kind of leadership he displayed all year.”

The 23-20 overtime victory on Sunday may not have been as much of a shock than the win in Green Bay a week earlier, but is still huge considering what was on the table. But the unflappable Manning looked at ease as if it were a preseason game and now has an opportunity to earn a second championship. That will put him in the conversation of some of the top quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era and give him one more ring than his brother Peyton.

And the big game coming up will be held in Indianapolis, the same place that the aforementioned older Manning sibling plies his trade. Surely more of a road game to the Giants than the Pats, with it being an AFC stadium.

And that’s just fine to these Giants.

(Long Island, N.Y.) Perhaps if George M. Steinbrenner were still alive and running the New York Yankees, a big ticket veteran free agent pitcher such as C.J.Wilson or Roy Oswalt would have been brought in this offseason. While there would have certainly been nothing wrong with that type of move from a ‘win now’ organization such as the Bronx Bombers, obtaining a hard-throwing hurler on the short side of the age of 30 makes a whole lot more sense.

That is exactly what Hal Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman were thinking with the four-player trade with the Seattle Mariners that netted the 23-year-old Michael Pineda, who was an American League All-Star in 2011.

In addition to Pineda, the Yankees also received Class A righthander Jose Campos, 19, in exchange for highly touted catcher Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi, a 24-year-old righty who pitched in 30 games for the Yanks last summer. Montero has been on the Mariners’ radar for a while and was in the nearly-completed deal for lefthanded starter Cliff Lee before he was dealt to the Texas Rangers.

This move is a breath of fresh air for Bombers fans, as the organization is finally going away from their usual strategy of either signing or trading for the most expensive veteran player available, especially pitchers. Although Pineda tailed off in the second half last season, he is viewed around the league as a future stud number two type arm. On a weaker team, he may be there already, but he will have to earn those stripes here. As a rookie in the Pacific northwest, Pineda went 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA on a team that did not support their staff with an explosive offense. He did strike out 173 batters and surrendered only 55 walks in 171 innings.

While this may be a sharp move for the present, it should pay more dividends down the road. With Ivan Nova firmly established in the rotation, he and Pineda can form a sold one-two punch for years to come. Plus, Phil Hughes isn’t exactly over the hill, either. So when it is time for the likes of CC Sabathia and Freddy Garcia to pack it in, the Yankees will have people already in place with valuable experience.

But these wouldn’t be the Yankees without taking a short term flyer on another pitcher who will be long gone by the time Pineda reaches the same age. 37-year-old Hiroki Kuroda was given $10 million for one year as an insurance plan in case one of the youngsters falters or becomes injured. The former Los Angeles Dodger lefthander made 32 starts a year ago and finished 13-16, 3.07, not exactly sparkling numbers but the division rival Boston Red Sox showed interest in him, so this was probably done as more of a block move than a need.

Montero has been compared to Mike Piazza for his prowess at the plate and his lack thereof in the field. If he had been retained, the prospect would have seen more time at designated hitter than catcher. But he was worth trading in exchange for a talented, young starter.

Sounds kind of strange to say that when the Yankees are part of the conversation, but maybe a new day has dawned in the Bronx.

(Long Island, N.Y.) In hockey, a hot goalie can carry a team through the playoffs and at times, all the way to the Stanley Cup. But in football, it takes more than just one player to advance. It’s a total team effort and if one facet isn’t doing their job, then all the hard work on the other side of the ball may in fact go for naught.

Such is the case with the New York Giants. They had been inconsistent throughout the majority of the 2011 regular season but seemed to gel in December. Convincing victories over the Jets and Dallas Cowboys gave them the division title and a home playoff game and the visiting Atlanta Falcons ran into a buzz-saw.

The defense pitched a complete game shutout (the Falcons only score came on an intentional grounding penalty on quarterback Eli Manning in the end zone for a safety) and the offense heated up in the second half to pull away for a 24-2 win in the Wild Card round.

“Our defense played outstanding,” Manning said. “A good job stopping the run and some third and fourth down stops. Those were huge. They were momentum swings and those situations have been flopped with us in some playoff games and if you don’t convert on fourth down, third down, third-and-short…that is tough to overcome.”

While the defense was keeping Matt Ryan and company in check, Manning and the offense began to hit on a number of big plays that put some distance between the teams. But all of that is in the rear-view mirror now that Big Blue is headed to Green Bay to take on the 15-1 Packers in the Divisional Round.

“I can’t wait to get there and play them,” Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said. “We’ve got to have a good week of practice and go up there and do what we have to do.”

Manning added, “We know they’re a good team and we played them tough here (a Week 13 38-35 loss). We did some good things offensively, scored some points, and our defense is playing some great football now so hopefully they can continue to do that. But we know offensively we have to play strong.”

As soon as the game was announced, talk was aplenty of the rematch from the NFC Championship Game four years ago. While there are some similarities with the Giants, Green Bay is a much stronger team than the one that was defeated in overtime in a game played in arctic conditions.

The Packers are the defending Super Bowl champions and have a potent offense led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers. They would have gone undefeated during the regular season if not for an uncharacteristic loss to a less than average Kansas City Chiefs squad. And the game will again be played in Lambeau Field.

“I remember us winning and that’s the most important thing,” defensive end Justin Tuck recalled. “Hopefully we can go back there and do it again. That’s a talented football team.”

As is the one that walked out of MetLife Stadium on Sunday with their heads held high.

(Long Island, N.Y.) Finishing in last place in your division with a brutal 6-10 record is usually good enough reason for a full housecleaning. The general manager, head coach and his staff find themselves out the door and the roster shakeup to follow begins to take place as soon as the new people are in place.

But that is the norm, so of course that doesn’t occur when the New York Jets are the subject of the conversation. The organization never does anything the easy way and seems to thrive on the drama that most strive to avoid.

So when ‘Black Monday’ (the first day of the offseason for teams who failed to qualify for the playoffs and full of firings) came and went with only one Jet head rolling, it seems like a good bet to prepare for more of the same in 2013.

Mike Tannenbaum was the fallguy for the pitiful unmitigated disaster that was this campaign, but the former GM is far from the only one guilty. But you wouldn’t know that by the press release from the team announcing the change.

“Mike devoted 15 years of service to the Jets and I want to thank him for his hard work and dedication,” owner Woody Johnson said in the statement. “Although he helped guide us to two AFC Championship Games, we are not where we want to be and a new general manager will be critical to getting this team back on the right track.”

But perhaps the most telling part of Johnson’s words pertained to who will lead this bunch on the sidelines every Sunday. “Rex Ryan will remain the head coach of our football team. I believe that he has the passion, the talent and the drive to successfully lead our team.”

So before the search even begins, the lame duck coach that the new GM will inherit will limit it. Ryan’s boisterous and braggadocios ways ruffle many feathers and it will take a patient person to take the job and deal with all of the dog and pony show material that comes with Ryan and the Jets in general.

Even if the new GM does a decent job drafting (the Jets hold the ninth overall pick in April’s NFL Draft) and signing free agents, the team has a terrible salary cap situation (much of the reason why Tannenbaum is gone) and Ryan will no doubt want Mark Sanchez to get another chance to be the starting quarterback.

The two are said to be joined at the hip and Ryan’s success has been mirrored by not the same for Sanchez, but if the four-year starter can limit the mistakes and let the team win in other facets of the game. Basically playing not to lose every Sunday has been the strategy with Sanchez since his rookie season. (Remember the color coded wrist band to let him know how dire the situation was to attempt a pass or not?)

The former USC Trojan had his worst year as a pro and looked lost, dejected and completely void of any confidence in December. The turnovers mounted and one of the most important things that a quarterback is judged by is taking care of the football. Throwing 18 interceptions (as opposed to only 13 touchdowns) and fumbling away a number of balls in embarrassing fashion only prove that the 26-year-old is on a serious path of regression.

It will be the Rex and Mark show once again come minicamp and when we are at this same time next year, Johnson will have no choice but to chop more heads, the same ones that he didn’t now when it would have been more than appropriate.

(Long Island, N.Y.) Inconsistency is part of the NFL. Even the ‘almost perfect’ slip up every once in a while. Take the previously undefeated Green Bay Packers’ loss to the less-than-mediocre Kansas City Chiefs a few weeks ago as proof positive that nobody’s perfect.

The New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys have both had ups and downs during the 2011 regular season and their 8-7 records indicate as much. But following their Week 17 matchup on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, one will be a division champion and playoff bound while the other will go home and possibly be in the market for a new head coach.

Such is life in both cities, where losing is not tolerated and postseason berths are expected each and every year. Jason Garrett reflected as much when speaking about Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones.

“He wants to win and whenever you have an owner that wants to win, whether you’re a coach, player or anybody working for him, that is an exciting opportunity,” the second year Dallas head coach stated. “He is very committed to winning and will do anything necessary to help us and that is a great feeling to have when you come to work. Our relationship has been outstanding for a lot of years (in) different capacities.”

The Giants are looking to sweep the season series from Dallas and Eli Manning – who has excelled over the years in pressure situations – calls this situation “fun.”

“These are situations that you want to be in – at he end of the regular season, a chance to make the playoffs, win one game and you’re in,” the Giants quarterback said. “This is exciting playing against a division rival at home. Should be a great crowd, great environment Sunday night and (I’m) looking forward to it.”

Originally penciled in as a 1:00 PM start, the NFL’s flexible schedule for NBC’s Sunday Night Football broadcasts made this basically an automatic switch to the national game. With so much on the line and years of bad blood between them, the executives at both the league and The Peacock’s offices are no doubt smiling over this one.

The ‘Boys are coming off a bad loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in which quarterback Tony Romo injured his throwing hand. “We should be good to go,” he said. “It continues to improve day-by-day.” Romo has been dealing with some swelling in the right hand and a game time decision will be made if he will wear a glove on it or not.

In their last contest, the G-Men won the battle of New York by manhandling the Jets. They are looking to continue that trend and the five sacks of Mark Sanchez were an indication of how a much maligned defense can pay effectively.

If the Giants are to repeat that type of performance – or their Week 14 victory at Dallas – then they need their defense to step up again. The offense has been able to grind it out and have big-play capability when called upon.

Expect a tight one here. May the best team win.

(Long Island, N.Y.) Bragging rights in a shared stadium is what is at stake with a back story of salvaging an entire season. Depending on your perspective, that is. And it all takes place right smack in the heart of the holiday season.

That’s right, children. Football fans all throughout the entire Tri-state area will have great interest in a game that jumped off the schedule page the day it was released months ago. December 24th – aka Christmas Eve – falls on a Saturday this year and that means that the majority of the National Football League schedule takes place a day earlier than usual.

The Jets-Giants regular season matchup occurs once every four years (formerly three prior to the realignment of the league and creation of a fourth division in each conference) and while there is a lack of juice like the Subway Series provides for followers of the Yankees and Mets, perhaps the co-ownership of MetLife Stadium will boost the rivalry.

Any game this time of year when a playoff berth is on the line is a must-win, so there should be no added pressure because both teams play in the same town. Even Rex Ryan’s comments amount to nothing when the big picture is looked at, although some have construed it as the first shot being fired across the bow.

“We certainly were the better team the first two years,” the third year Jets head coach said. “We made the playoffs, went to the championship game. To say a team’s better than you that never went to the playoffs is ridiculous. Clearly, we were the better team in my first two years here and we get to prove on Saturday who the best team is this year.

“Whoever wins this game, I think is clearly the best team in New York.”

While Ryan merely stated facts concerning the postseason, it would behoove him – and his team – to back up those words now that they have been said. At 8-6, the Jets can find themselves in the playoffs as the AFC’s sixth seed with two wins to close out the regular season.

At 7-7, the Giants need to not only take care of business, but also hope that the Dallas Cowboys (8-6) cooperate by losing their next game before the two meet in New Jersey in Week 17. So it goes without saying that this week’s game is one that must be viewed as a virtual play-in game for both teams.

“What you’ve done before means nothing,” said Jets linebacker Bart Scott. “It’s all about what we do going forward and we respond to the adversity, because there’s a lot of teams in the same predicament, that have to win the last two.”

So bragging rights actually are an included extra here. It is something that is on the minds of players, coaches and fans alike, but making travel plans as a team in January is paramount.

‘Tis the season.

(Long Island, N.Y.) A year ago, the New York Knicks were a much-improved bunch from previous seasons. No one is disputing that. To go from a perennial lottery team and the punch line of more than one late night talk show host to earning a playoff berth and having not one, but two players worthy of Fatheads is no small accomplishment.

But even with Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, they lacked a large presence in the middle. Lacked in the past tense is the proper term, because while he may not be a superstar of the quality of his two new teammates, Tyson Chandler is here and will make the Knicks a force once again.

Coming from the Dallas Mavericks in a three-team, sign and trade deal, the 7’1″, 225-pound center will give the Knicks their first real threat down low since Patrick Ewing. That was a point not lost on Glen Grunwald.

“This is an important day for the New York Knicks,” the interim general manager said. “Signing a player of Tyson’s caliber – with championship experience – to this roster is an opportunity we could not pass up. His stellar play last season earned him league-wide recognition and helped lead his team to an NBA championship.”

The starting frontcourt will have all three big-name players but to fit Chandler under the salary cap, Grunwald had to move two players. Last year’s starting center Ronny Turiaf was part of the trade and veteran point guard Chauncey Billups was waived, opening the door for Toney Douglass to be named the starter at the ‘1’ heading into a late training camp (due to the lockout).

During the 2010-11 season, Chandler was a major presence with averages of 10.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.08 blocks per game. In the postseason, his stat line read 8.0 points, 9.2 boards and 0.90 blocks. Chandler’s numbers in 662 career games (465 starts) are not overly impressive with 8.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.35 blocks and 27.6 minutes, but he is a hellacious defender that has already been anointed a team leader by his new head coach.

“Tyson will be the anchor to our defense,” Head Coach Mike D’Antoni said. “The trio of Amar’e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson makes one of the most formidable frontlines in the entire league.”

Improving on their 42-40 record and a sixth seed in the Eastern Conference should be easy with the addition of Chandler, as well as Grunwald’s signing of 13-year veteran Mike Bibby.

“Mike is a veteran point guard who we know can be successful in our system,” he said. “He’s an effective player who has a long track record of leading his teams to postseason success.”

Perhaps just happy to be there last time around, the Knicks were one-and-done by the Boston Celtics. But that will not be the mentality this year. This is a team that is built to win now and going deep in the playoffs will be expected.

The East may not be as strong as the West overall, but is certainly top-heavy. The Chicago Bulls led the NBA with 62 wins, and of course the Miami Heat (58 wins) and aforementioned Celtics (56 wins) are also contenders, as is the Orlando Magic (52 wins). So the Knicks have their work cut out for them.

They’ll be a much bigger presence, though, figuratively and literally.

(Long Island, N.Y.) Baseball’s worst kept secret is out. Jose Reyes, who was destined to become an ex-New York Met all along, is (one of) the newest members of the newly christened Miami Marlins. A six-year, $106 million free agent contract offer was the death knell for diehards with a number seven jersey hanging in their closets.

But you can stop wallowing in total despair, long-suffering Met fans.

Reyes has been the table setter and focal point of the team for the majority of his nine years with the Mets and what do they have to show for it? One playoff appearance and two monumental collapses to prevent more. While Reyes can’t take all the blame for this, he was one of the core players that the organization built the team around and that formula has proven over time to be sorely lacking.

The lone player that remains from that group is third baseman David Wright, he himself who has had a difficult time shaking off the ‘non-winner’ tag. Sheer statistics alone cannot measure what’s inside a player and that extra something the special ones have to be a leader.

In Reyes’s case, critics – including this one – have had a field day tearing him apart for being a selfish player who defied authority and dogged it on more than one occasion. Besides the frequent injuries (which may be at least partly self-blame on less than stellar conditioning) that have followed Reyes around his entire career, seeing him jog down the first base line on a pop-up or routine ground ball should have had a major impact on whether he deserved superstar money.

At Wednesday’s introductory press conference, Reyes seemed to forget all of the negatives he brought to the table and felt jilted by the Mets non-interest in him. “The Mets didn’t call,” he said, “they didn’t say anything. So that’s why I’m here today.”

Perhaps if he was reminded of how he screamed at former manager Jerry Manuel (in his first game on the job) and slammed down his helmet on the field in full public view, Reyes would start to figure it all out. Manuel’s crime? Pulling his shortstop out of the game when it was apparent that his bum leg was not fully healed.

Mets owner Fred Wilpon made it perfectly clear, albeit non-intentionally, when he confided in a reporter from The New Yorker that the big money sure to be sought by Reyes and his agent was not coming from Flushing. “He’s had everything wrong with him,” it was reported back in May. “He won’t get it.”

Apparently the former Florida Marlins – who also announced the signing of left-handed starter Mark Buehrle the same day – felt otherwise, although the deal was not as expensive as it would have been if Reyes didn’t have to go on the shelf twice last summer. He did win the National League batting title (not tainted when he removed himself from the season finale, but surely not respected) and was named to the All-Star team (inured, of course, so he didn’t play) and is an exciting player to watch on a game-by-game basis.

But when finances are a premium, as they are on this side of town, money cannot be spent unwisely. Giving Reyes that much money when it isn’t available was impossible. When you’re looking for a special quality that a player possesses that rubs off on his teammates and makes the clubhouse tick, you don’t think of Jose Reyes.

And that is the main reason why he is wearing that ridiculous looking new uniform down south.

(Long Island, N.Y.) Taking a very laid-back approach at his introductory press conference, Bobby Valentine seemed humbled by being named the new manager of the Boston Red Sox. Being brash has been his mantra and perhaps over time the former New York Met (player and) manager has become a new man.

Don’t bet on it. Boston isn’t exactly the type of town that can’t take the heat that Valentine will bring and a team that experienced a dreadful September collapse needing a swift kick in the pants. That is why the BoSox hired the man to replace the player-friendly Terry Francona.

With 2,189 major league games under his managerial belt, Valentine certainly brings enough experience to the dugout at Fenway Park and admitted that he had some doubts if he would ever receive another job offer.

“I’m a realist,” Valentine said at his introductory press conference in Boston on Thursday. “I saw the game as it was changing and I saw it obviously getting younger. I saw it getting kind of different.

“And I didn’t know if I could ever fit in.”

Obviously Red Sox principal owner John Henry thought otherwise and commented, “We think he’s the right manager for the right time.”

The Red Sox are a team in transition, but one that is still expected to rebound and contend for both a playoff spot and the American League East division this coming season. Valentine, 61, received a two-year deal and will in all likelihood not be retained when it is completed. This is a win-now team that will probably break it all down if they don’t accomplish at least part of their mission between now and 2013.

In both of Valentine’s previous major league stops as field boss, he took over teams that were in the process of rebuilding. The 1985 Texas Rangers and 1996 Mets were not expected to extend their seasons into mid-October, but he did instill a winning attitude and those teams eventually became more than respectable. In the case of the Mets, Bobby V led them to a postseason berth in 1999 and the National League pennant a year later, places that seem an eternity away in the current state of affairs at Citi Field.

The present Met manager, Terry Collins, has done an admirable job with what he has been given, but the hiring of Valentine would have been a public relations stroke of genius and a spark to the fan base. When the Mets were looking for Jerry Manuel’s replacement after the 2009 campaign, Vanetine’s name came up but he was never a serious candidate for the position.

Collins is not expected to be around for the long term, anyway, so having Valentine here instead could have paid off. When he took over for the fired Dallas Green with 31 games left in the 1996 season, the team was ready to unload their high priced veterans and go with many of the prospects that eventually became stars on the big league club. Eerily reminiscent of what has been happening in Flushing since Manuel was shown the door.

15 years ago, Valentine was still trying to prove himself as a manager. He did a decent job in Texas and his first stint over in Japan, but the Mets job is where he really cut his teeth. Bringing him back during this era would have been a smart move by a team that has made many not-so smart ones since losing to the Yankees in the 2000 World Series.

But Boston is where Valentine is now and that town will be the recipient of what he brings to the table – for better or worse.