COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

Greg Schiano has coached at Rutgers for well over a decade. During that time he changed a disgraced football program into a respectable winning club that included five bowl victories, and his tenure was highlighted by a 11-2 season in 2006 that saw Rutgers compete in the BCS power rankings. After leading Rutgers to a 9-4 record this year, and an emotional victory over Iowa State in the Pinstripe Bowl, no one would have guessed that Schiano would leave. Sure, he has flirted with Miami University and Michigan over the years, but nothing came of those opportunities. Schiano stayed in New Jersey and kept the Scarlet Knights legitimate in the Big East. Now Rutgers will have have to start all over again. Schiano is gone. Reports surfaced Thursday that Schiano will become the new head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, making the quantum leap from the NCAA to the NFL. In what has become a very weird hiring season with NFL teams settling for lesser known coordinators, leaving the likes o...

GIANTS 20 49ERS 17  It wasn't pretty; in fact, it was downright ugly, but the New York Giants are heading back to the Super Bowl for the second time in the Tom Coughlin era, that's right, Coughlin detractors, the second Super Bowl in the Coughlin era. While Eli Manning and the Giants offense had to slug it out against the 49ers ferocious defense, they can thank Niners' receiver Kyle Williams for sending them back to the big dance for a rematch with the New England Patriots. Williams fumbled not once but twice on punt returns that resulted in Giants points. With San Francisco leading 14-10, the Niners held the Giants down deep in their own territory, forcing New York to punt the football; however, as the ball trickled down the field near the San Francisco 30, Williams got close to the ball and allowed it to touch his knee, making it a live football. The Giants jumped on the ball for the recovery. With this golden opportunity, the Giants had to battle to get into ...

Here is what Baltimore Ravens fans will say for the rest of their lives: If it weren't for kicker Billy Cundiff, wide receiver Lee Evans and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, the Baltimore Ravens would be heading to Super Bowl XLVI. The Ravens had the game in the palm of their hands not just once but twice. After Tom Brady was picked off in the end zone to miraculously give the Ravens the football, Baltimore drove it deep into New England territory, thanks to a 16 yard pass from Joe Flacco to Eric Dickson, spotting the ball at the Pats 37. Following a couple nice runs by Ricky Williams and Ray Rice, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron then blew it. With the Ravens facing a third and three, the obvious call would have been to throw the football for the first down to keep the drive alive, but no; Cameron decided to run up the middle with Rice, even with the Patriots loading up the box with eight men. Result: Rice was tackled for a three yard loss, putting Baltimore in an im...

Former Mets legend and Hall of Famer Gary Carter has received some very bad news about his battle with brain cancer. Doctors at Duke University who have been treating Carter discovered new spots and tumors on his brain; the catcher's condition has worsened over the past several weeks. Reports are that Carter has suffered from headaches, fatigue and even fell down on Christmas and tore his rotator cuff. The Daily News reports that Carter is so weak that he was unable to attend a charity golf tournament in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. "I'm not feeling too good," he told The News. "It's been coming on and coming on. I've had a chest cold. I've got sores in my mouth, blood clots. I get sick ... there's just so many things ... It's been nine months now and I don't feel any different from Day One. I haven't been up to doing any interviews." Carter has been battling cancer since May. If the Mets were smart, they would consider ...

The Jets appearance on Hard Knocks might have been on HBO, but former Jet LaDainian Tomlinson levied a big blow to the Jets on Showtime. The future Hall of Fame running back, who will go to Canton one day in a Chargers uniform, ripped apart Gang Green in an interview on Showtime's "Inside the NFL." Tomlinson said that the rift between quarterback Mark Sanchez and wide receiver Santonio Holmes was "as bad as I've been around," and this coming from a guy who was on a few dysfunctional Chargers teams. Tomlinson attacked both Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum for creating an atmosphere of dissent in the locker room by bringing in too many questionable guys into the team. " This is the type of football team that they wanted. Mike Tannenbaum, Rex Ryan are both brash, in-your-face type of style, say whatever you want, just get it done on the field. And then it leads to other things, as guys are calling each other out and saying, 'I'm not getting the...

GIANTS 37 PACKERS 20 The New York Giants are heading back to the NFC Championship Game after breaking the spirit of the defending champion Green Bay Packers in a dominating 37-20 effort, Sunday. The Giants won this game thanks to their defense which blitzed the heck out of the Packers and harassed Aaron Rodgers like no other team has all season. The Giants sacked Rodgers four times, picked him off once, and forced him into his first fumble of the season. It was an all-out, dominating performance by a defense that was much maligned all season with injuries and inconsistent play. On Sunday night this group triumphed; they shut down Jordy Nelson, shut down Jennings, and kept Green Bay's running offense in check all night. The Giants never trailed in this football game, grabbing a 10-3 lead late in the first quarter thanks to a 66 yard touchdown to Hakeem Nicks from Eli Manning to silence Cheese-head nation in Lambeau Field, as the rout was clearly on. Even a bad call by the ref...

Helmet catches anyone? Hakeem Nicks certainly obliged when he caught a 37 yard Hail Mary pass in the end zone with 0:00 on the clock in the second quarter to give the Giants a 20-10 lead over the once unstoppable Green Bay Packers. The Packers shot themselves in the foot all day; they looked rusty after taking the last two weeks off, made uncharacteristic mistakes, and topped off by terrible coaching decisions. But you can’t take anything away from these New York Giants, who thoroughly dominated and broke the spirits of the defending Super Bowl Champions, turning a team that rallied off 13 straight victories  this season into mere mortals. With no disrespect to the San Francisco 49ers, who had a miraculous victory over the New Orleans Saints, Saturday, and the beat up Baltimore Ravens, who outlasted the Houston Texans, it is beginning to look and smell a lot like 2008. Fans in Tri-State area and Massachussetts can begin booking their flights to Indianapolis because...

On this edition of The Open Mike Show, host Michael Cohen talks about the next big step for Big Blue on its pursuit of a second Lombardi Trophy in four years; the team heads to Green Bay for a rematch with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Is this Giants run similar to the one they enjoyed back in 2007?  Mike Sanfilippo and Karen Vankat join the discussion with Michael. Michael also delves into the musical chairs that is the Jets recent coaching staff moves as Tony Sparano comes north to take over for Brian Schottenheimer. LISTEN HERE !

The New York Yankees put the finishing touches on a huge trade involving the Seattle Mariners Friday night. Now hold onto your horses because the trade does not involve Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, the dynamic ace for the M's whom the Yankees have coveted for years. Michael Pineda is now a Yankee. Instead, the Yankees will settle for the next best pitcher from the Mariners rotation, Michael Pineda . Pineda who went 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA and 173 strikeouts last season in Seattle, is coming to the Bronx in exchange for Yankees top catching prospect Jesus Montero. It was believed for a few years that Montero would be the heir apparent to Jorge Posada, but with current back stop Russell Martin holding onto the position this year and Austin Romine quickly coming up in the Yankees farm system; it made Montero expendable. Montero has a strong bat, but there are questions about whether he can catch in the majors. Pineda became the Mariners number two starter last season, know...

With Brian Schottenheimer now disposed of as Jets offensive coordinator, apparently several players want Mark Sanchez to follow. Several reports say that anonymous players are disgusted with Sanchez and want him out of town. They also want to see the Jets bring Peyton Manning here immediately to replace him. "We have to bring in another quarterback that will make him work at practice," one player told the New York Daily News . "He's lazy and content because he knows he's not going to be benched." When asked if the Jets can win with Sanchez at quarterback, he didn't get a ringing endorsement.  "How can we when he's not improving at all?” one player said. “He thinks he is, but he's not. He has shown us what he's capable of." The unknown Jets player or players added that if the Jets have an opportunity to get a healthy Peyton Manning, the franchise has to go all out to get him.  "If you have a chance to get a healthy 36-ye...

Celebrate Jets fans, celebrate. Brian Schottenheimer, who became the bane of Jets fans' existence for coaching the 22nd ranked offense in the NFL is now out as Jets offensive coordinator . According to NFL.com, Schottenheimer resigned from the position, releasing the following press release: "After much thought and consideration, I have decided not to return to the New York Jets in 2012," Schottenheimer said in a statement released by the team. "I am very proud of what we have accomplished in the six years I have been here. "I am grateful for the relationships that I have with our players and coaches and appreciate the hard work and dedication that went into our success. My family and I would like to thank Rex Ryan and the entire Jets organization and wish them continued success. I look forward to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead." In short, the Jets gave Schottenheimer an ultimatum. He could either accept the fact that the franchise was go...

An anonymous player on the New York Mets submitted an article to New York magazine that rips into Fred and Jeff Wilpon, demanding that the embattled owners sell the team for the good of the players and fan base. The story was published Monday. Here is an excerpt: " Ownership is trying to turn the Mets, a big-market franchise, into a small-market franchise. That’s not just sad, it’s disgusting. You know what I think when I read about the Mets nowadays? We’ve become the Oakland A’s. We’re the Pittsburgh Pirates. Our fans deserve better than that. You can’t possibly build a dynasty when you’re cutting costs left and right. The only way to turn it around is to sell the team ." And that's not all: " Either way you look at it, what you have now is a team that feels like it’s bankrupt. Jose Reyes was allowed to walk without even getting an offer? If that’s your plan, you better have someone to replace him with. But the Wilpons don’t. Reyes and David Wright were the...

GIANTS 24   FALCONS 2 It is beginning to feel a lot like January 2008, as the New York Giants thoroughly dominated the Atlanta Falcons 24-2 to advance to the divisional round of the playoffs to face the Green Bay Packers next Sunday. The Giants came into this game with one of the worst defenses, and even worse running attacks in these playoffs, and, for the first time this season, the Giants had their most complete effort of the year with every phase of their game clicking on all cylinders. Granted, the early going was not pretty. The Giants were having a difficult time moving the football, and the extra-conservative play calling by Kevin Gilbride resulted in zero Giants point through one and half quarters. On the flip side, the Atlanta Falcons were having some success in moving the ball. Late in the first quarter, the Falcons started to move the ball swiftly up field on an impressive 14 play, 68 yard drive. Highlighted by a 20 yard pass from Matt Ryan to Julio Jones a...

It’s playoff time and Open Mike has got you covered. Michael Cohen talks about the Giants playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons, and takes a look at the NFL playoff landscape. Michael Welcomes in Mary Walker of Sirius XM Radio , and Sean Bretherick of Triple Coverage to talk about the end of the New York Jets season, and the trio give their playoff predictions. Michael and Sean also discuss the brawl between Rangers and Flyers fans that put a U.S. Iraq War veteran in the hospital. Bill Zeltman joins to discuss. Listen here ! Note the show is in two parts.

The Jets season took another bizarre twisted turn Wednesday when audio surfaced of Jets third string quarterback Greg McElroy ripping his teammates and calling the club full of selfish players.  In an audio that was initially played on WFAN in New York, McElroy said: "It's definitely not a fun place to be. I can assure you. It's the first time I've ever been around extremely selfish individuals. I think that's maybe the nature of the NFL. But there are people within our locker room who didn't care whether we won or lost ... as long as they got their ... good game individually." Initial thoughts on his statements are pretty simple: Who is Greg McElroy? And, who does he think he is to speak out about the team when he enjoys zero gravitas on the roster? McElroy was a late-round draft pick from Alabama, who possessed no arm strength and showed little potential in the past pre-season where he injured his hand was lost for the year. The fact that the third st...

As has become tradition when the NFL regular season comes to its conclusion, the league announces the opponents for the next season . For the Giants, they may be busy preparing for the Atlanta Falcons this week, and Giant fans are thinking about winning their second Super Bowl in four years, but their opponents were announced Tuesday. In 2012, the Giants will play the Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins, Buccaneers, Saints, Packers, Steelers, and Browns at home. On the road, the Giants will again see the Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins. In addition, the Giants will face the Falcons, Panthers, 49ers, Ravens, and Bengals. As for the Jets, they have no choice but to look forward to next season. At home, the Jets will face the Patriots, Dolphins, Bills, Colts, Texans, Chargers, 49ers, and Cardinals. On the road, the Jets will confront the Patriots, Dolphins, Bills, Jaguars, Titans, Steelers, Rams, and Seahawks.

In a case of pure stupidity or blind faith, the New York Jets have endorsed offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and asserted he will return as the Jets offensive coordinator. Both Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum sang the praises of Schottenheimer, indicating he will finish his contract with the Jets. Ironically, Tannenbaum said that Schotty would be interviewing for the head coaching job in Jacksonville, to which Ryan added that he knows that it could be a "50-50" chance that Schottenheimer returns since he might be a head coach elsewhere. Sounds like the Jets don't want to fire him if he is interviewing for a head coaching position, since it hurts an already bleak resume. Both Ryan and Tannenbaum sounded like they are hoping he gets the job with the Jaguars, so they can go in a different direction without dropping the axe.  If he doesn't, Schottenheimer should return as the Jets offensive coordinator of a sinking ship he helped scuttle with quarterback Mark S...

If you thought that Santonio Holmes' antics at the end of the Jets 19-17 meltdown in Miami had something to do with anything else but Mark Sanchez, wake up! Again ESPN is reporting an apparent rift exploded between the two during the past week in a quarterback/receivers meeting. Sanchez walked into the room in an attempt to rally the troops and get them to "pick it up." He was even planning to schedule a special after-hours session with the unit. Apparently, Sanchez's speech ticked off Holmes, who reportedly stood in the back of the room and pouted the whole time.  Santonio Holmes might be done in NY. Things came to a head on Sunday when Holmes started a shouting match with lineman Wayne Hunter. Is it possible that Sanchez told the offense to pick it up which led to Holmes to throw it back in the quarterback's face? Perhaps. Sanchez had a horrible season, and for him to tell others to step it up is nearly hilarious if it weren't so sad. That bein...

GIANTS 31 COWBOYS 14 To all the Tom Coughlin haters out there who wanted him fired for Bill Cowher: how do you feel now? Tom Coughlin and the New York Giants are back in the postseason after a dominating 31-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys to clinch the NFC East title. The Giants will host the Falcons next week in the wild card round, Sunday at 1 p.m. This game wasn't even close, as the Giants rolled right over a hapless Dallas Cowboys team that had no answer for the Giants blitzing schemes, no answer for Eli Manning, and no answer for Giants super star receiver Victor Cruz. The Giants wasted little time in putting this game in their back pocket. With 4:57 to go in the first quarter, Manning hit Cruz at the Giants own 24 yard line, and like he did against the Jets a week prior, Cruz slipped out of his tackler and sprinted down the sideline for the touchdown, giving New York a 7-0 lead. Cruz had a huge evening hauling in six passes for 178 yards; it's a shame that thi...

Brian Schottenheimer may have coached his last game in NY. As the New York Jets melted in the Florida sun Sunday afternoon, it became abudantly clear that change is on the horizon for the Jets offensive coaching staff. According to a report by Rich Cimini of ESPN , the Jets could be close to terminating Brian Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator. Cimini said that the Jets are likely to see if Schottenheimer secures a head coaching job, and even if he doesn't, they would consider either former Broncos head coach, and current Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, or current Chargers head coach Norv Turner as the team's new offensive coordinator. In the same story, Cimini says, Schottenheimer could end up getting demoted and remain a part of the staff, but that would be really awkward, and the best thing the Jets could do for themselves moving forward is to put the axe down on Schotty. Between Turner and McDaniels, the Jets are better off with Turner. Granted this...

DOLPHINS 19 JETS 17 Call it a fitting way to end an absolutely hideous season. Needing a victory against the Miami Dolphins, and a lot of help to make playoffs, the Jets put together another stinker, as Gang Green choked away their playoff future with a 19-17 loss; Mark Sanchez starred front and center in the abysmal effort. Sanchez was not only mediocre, he was awful. He didn't dazzle anyone in the first half of the game when New York clutched onto a delicate 10-3 lead; then, ultimatey, began to stink in up in Sanchez fashion. With the Jets facing a second and eight at their own 47 yard line, Sanchez dropped back to pass, and, in a poor attempt to find LaDainian Tomlinson on a crossing pattern, Sanchez dumped the ball off into the hands of Randy Starks, a gigantic defensive lineman, who intercepted the football with only nine seconds left in the first half. Miami answered quickly, and Dan Carpenter kicked a 58 yard field goal to cut the Jets lead to 10-6. Then the Jets ...