NEW YORK, NEW YORK

It was bound to happen, what with the Giants posting an NFC-best 10-1 record and the Jets leading the AFC East at 8-3 with the second-best record in the conference, trailing only 11-1 Tennessee.

That's right, they're already talking an all-New York Super Bowl on Feb. 1 in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium. Well, at least they're talking about it in the New York Times, which led the sports section of Tuesday's national edition with a headline that read: ``Start Spreading The News: The Giants and Jets Are on Track For a February Date in Tampa.''

Never mind that since 1960, when the Jets/New York Titans began play in the old American Football League, both teams qualified for the playoffs in the same season only five times in 48 years. And the Jets and Giants have never won their respective divisions in the same season.

The giddy headline writer for the Times also was far more optimistic than Dave Anderson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist who provided the accompanying story.

''Remember that no matter which teams are in first place before Thanksgiving Day games, the road to the Super Bowl always goes through the X-ray room,'' Anderson wrote. ``Torn knees, pulled hamstrings and concussions can be only one play away. It's still nice to think about, but there's many a fumble and many an interception between now and the end of the season, or now and the end of the conference playoffs. Not to mention, many an X-ray.''

THREE UP

Clifton Smith: The first 497 games in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history passed without a kickoff return for a touchdown before Michael Spurlock took one back 90 yards in the 14th game last season. Just giving a little historical perspective on how weird it is that Smith, a rookie free agent out of Fresno State, leads the NFC in kickoff returns with a 30.3 yard average for Tampa Bay. Smith wasn't just undrafted -- he wasn't invited to the combine, prompting his agent, Jason Dillard, to distribute T-shirts at the combine depicting Smith and a few other clients as ``Missing.''

Josh Reed: Buffalo's possession receiver returns to the lineup, and the offensively struggling Bills put up 50 on Kansas City at Arrowhead, where the Chiefs had won five of the past six against Buffalo and even great Bills teams once entered with trepidation.

1972 Dolphins 1976 Buccaneers: Until you've done something nobody else in your school or profession has done in a 90-year history, don't begrudge those from the 17-0 bunch who are protective of the unique stature they retain with Tennessee's loss last week. And Detroit has only four games left to lose to remove the first season Buccaneers from the record books for futility. All of which means fewer phone calls for Larry Ball around this time of the year.

THREE DOWN

Thanksgiving Day games: We still remember years when the Lions were a more depressing mess than, well, Detroit itself, but would always put up a fantastic effort on Thanksgiving. The wacky or just interesting would occur in the Dallas game. Now? Recently the Lions have played as if already in a tryptophan coma. So does Dallas' opponent. And the added NFL Network nightcaps have meant only that it's now a hat trick of games we watch only out of habit or to escape from family noise.

Jacksonvlle: The Jaguars have sunk from expected Super Bowl contender in the preseason to farce in last week's comical loss to Minnesota that ended any idea of a miracle finish to sneak into the playoffs. When your center snaps the ball as if the quarterback is under center when he's in the shotgun formation and the other team picks up the ball for a fumble return touchdown, you've come to resemble the outtakes from Gus.

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