COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

One team that everyone is going to want to keep an eye on as the NCAA Tournament begins is St. John's.  Rick Pitino's club has been one of the best basketball teams in the country this year, posting a record of 28-6, and capturing a second consecutive Big East title.  The Johnnies even beat UCONN twice this season, including dominating the Huskies 72-52 in the Big East Title game this past Saturday.  Yet, as the tournament bracket was laid out, it was hard to look at from the St. John's perspective.  Duke, Ohio State, Kansas, Michigan State, Louisville, UCLA, UCF, and UCONN are all in the same East regional bracket as St. John's.  Not to mention, St. John's has to open against Northern Iowa, a program that owns five NCAA tournament victories, and is no stranger to upsets.  In short this won't be easy. Even if St. John's outlasts Northern Iowa on Friday night, they'll have to get through most likely Kansas for a shot at (most likely) Duke in the Sweet 16....

 Give some credit to Jets General Manager Darren Mougey, he found a way to dump quarterback Justin Fields and get something in return.  The Jets traded Fields after just one season with the team to the Kansas City Chiefs for a sixth round pick. It's a win-win for both teams.  The Jets get a sixth round pick for 2027 and rid themselves of a player who just didn't work out. The Jets had hoped that Fields could build off a brief stint as a starter with Pittsburgh in 2024 and parlay that into the starting gig with Gang Green a year later.  Fields went 2-7 as a starter with the Jets, and New York eventually benched him in November for good.  As for the Chiefs the trade is unique. Fields -- as poor as he has played in two of his previous three stops -- is still a player with plenty of talent. His scrambling ability, plus live arm makes him attractive, especially to a Chiefs team that is uncertain about the availability of Patrick Mahomes comes week 1.  Mahomes ...

 Embattled Giants Co-Owner Steve Tish has moved his stake in the franchise into a trust that will allow his siblings to transfer co-ownership to their children without facing backlash from fellow NFL owners. The move essentially ends his ownership stake in the franchise.  Currently Tisch and his family own 23.1 percent of team. If the transfer is approved by the League, they would own no portion of the Giants, according to Pro Football Talk.   According to the New York Post:  The Tisches had already put most of their 45 percent ownership share into the trust, and only hold about 10% of the team directly. The move would leave the elder Tisch siblings with no direct ownership of the team if the NFL’s finance committee approved the move, first reported by ESPN .  Oddly enough Tisch will still remain a power on the Giants, holding a seat as chairman of the Giants board, while siblings Laura and Jonathan will hold seats as director and treasurer.  Tisch i...

 The Jets are still looking to find a veteran to be the back-up quarterback to Geno Smith.  It was believed that Carson Wentz would be the odds on favorite, but The Athletic's Zach Rosenblatt reported Wednesday that Wentz is "unlikely" to join the Jets . He should have plenty of suitors since he's probably one of the best back-up's left on the market.  Rosenblatt and co-host Connor Hughes on their SNY podcast discussed the situation, and speculated that the Jets could go back to Tyrod Taylor, or perhaps swing a deal with the Carolina Panthers for veteran Andy Dalton. So Stay tuned.  Check out our vlog on the latest from the Jets off-season!  

 The Jets have their newest starting quarterback in tow, and it is a very familiar face: Geno Smith.  Imagine telling a Jets fan in September their team would reunite with one of its former quarterbacks. I can almost guarantee nobody would have guessed Geno Smith. But here we are.  The Jets reacquired Smith via trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, sending over a sixth rounder for the quarterback, who was going to be released anyway on Wednesday.    Why didn't the Jets wait? Well, there was a sense that Smith could have other bidders for his services, perhaps, and ironically enough the Minnesota Vikings, who are also looking for a veteran journeyman quarterback to take the reins.   The Raiders will take on the majority of Smith's remaining contract by taking on $18.5 million in dead cap. The Jets will only need to pay Smith the veteran's minimum of $1.3 million.  It is expected that Smith will be the Jets starter heading into the season, but of course...

 Free agency begins Monday and the Jets search for a short-term answer at quarterback is starting to take some kind of shape.  On Friday Connor Hughes reported  that the Jets could target free agent Carson Wentz as their quarterback because Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich coached Wentz when the journeyman enjoyed his best years of his career in Philadelphia about a decade ago.  "Wentz, two sources told SNY, is believed to be Reich’s preferred option. ... Wentz’s best season came under Reich in Year 2, when he went 11-2 and threw for 3,296 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. An MVP frontrunner, Wentz tore his ACL against the Rams in Week 13. "Reich brought Wentz to Indianapolis in 2021. There, the quarterback went 9-8 as a starter, completing 62.4 percent of his passes for 3,563 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. There was a belief the relationship between the two soured during that season, with the Colts deciding to move on fro...