COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

From convicted felon to multi-millionare. Yes, post jail dog life has been good for Michael Vick as he was given a new six year $100 million deal from the Philadelphia Eagles to remain their starter. It's not like this wasn't coming. The Eagles dealt Kevin Kolb a month ago, after Vick had an incredible 2010 season, where he re-established himself as one of the game's most talented football players. Vick will earn $40 million guaranteed on the contract, making him one of the highest paid players in the league. This will be a slap in the face to those dog rights activists, who are sick and tired of Vick getting all kinds of second chances and accolades. I agree with these people -- Vick has gotten more kudos than he deserves and awarding him with this much money sends the wrong message that anyone can get away with anything. Still, the NFL is a performance first league. Nobody cares in the NFL what your personal history is. If you play well, you will get pai...

JETS 17 GIANTS 3 This was ugly. Sure it is preseason, but by the looks of it, neither the Jets nor the Giants are ready for the regular season. Typically the third preseason game is the dress rehearsal for Week 1, and after tonight neither team can look at this game and feel confident about where they are. Let's begin with the Giants. Their offense was slo ppy all night long. Five time in the first half, the Giants were faced with third down inside Jets territory, and each time, they failed to convert. Then, when they went for it on fourth down, they were either short or called back for a penalty. This has been a pattern all summer. The Giant inability to cash in on third down has cost them points at the most inopportune times. Last night's exhibition against the Jets was an embarrassment for the Giants mainly because Gang Green was not doing anything to stop them through the air; Eli Manning threw for 200 yards in the contest. Defensively, the Giants did a...

All of New York's professional sports franchises have canceled or postponed their games for the weekend. The Yankees were scheduled to play a double header in Baltimore this afternoon, but those games were postponed. They are also scheduled to play Sunday -- that is probably postponed as well. Meanwhile the New York Mets canceled their entire series with the Atlanta Braves. After playing a 6-0 victory over Atlanta last night, the Mets and Braves agreed to not play the remaining two games of the series. And the Jets and Giants have agreed to move Saturday's football contest to Monday night at 7 p.m.

Hurricane Irene, which is being categorized as possibly the worst hurricane to hit the East Coast of the United States, ever, has caused the Jets vs. Giants match-up to be moved. Originally scheduled for 7 pm, the battle of New York will now take place at 2 pm on Saturday afternoon, which gives fans who attend the game a chance to get home to be with their families. Irene is scheduled to hit North Carolina sometime late today, and will slowly climb up the east coast. It is not expected to hit New Jersey until 8 am, Sunday morning, but the storms presence will surely be felt in the next 48 hours, before it lands in the metropolitan area, with rain on Saturday. Everyone is encouraged to stay home if they can.

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to help out some good friends at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. Needing someone to man the boards and co-host the show, I stepped in to lend a helping hand. Take a listen to the podcast, here!!! For your own information, I will be starting my own podcast on FlippinOut Radio on Friday September 2 at 2 pm. log onto www.stereodigital.com/for for more details.

If things couldn't get worse for the New York Giants when they received word that Osi Umenyiora would miss a month due to a knee injury, Big Blue received word Tuesday that they will be without three more players, only this time it will be for the season . During the second quarter of their 41-13 victory against the Bears Monday night, cornerback Terrell Thomas tore his ACL when he got tangled up with a teammate and rolled over on his leg as he fell. The loss of Thomas is huge considering he was one of the leaders in tackles on the team with 101, including four forced fumbles and five interceptions. He was the Giants' best corner, and, as a team that has had secondary issues in the past, this is a loss that will hurt all season. To add insult to injury, the Giants lost Marvin Austin, torn pectoral muscle, and reserve corner back, Brian Witherspoon to a torn ACL. Both players are to miss the season as well. Granted nobody knows what kind of impact Austin and Witherspoon w...

JETS 27 BENGALS 7 For the first time in almost three years Plaxico Burress stepped onto an NFL field to play a game. It has been a long road for the former New York Giant receiver, and he made the most of this opportunity. Buress, who was thrown in jail in 2008 for possessing an illegal firearm in a New York City nightclub, now knows the mortality of his life and football career. Once considered a guy who was notorious for being lazy in clubhouse meetings and on the football field, he has been, as far as we know, a good soldier with the New York Jets. Everyone who knows him claims that Burress is playing with a chip on his shoulder that he has something to prove. Sunday night, Burress looked like he had never left the NFL in November 2008. Out of the gate, Burress hauled in a 20 yard pass from Mark Sanchez for a Jets first down to open the contest. Later in the first half, Burress dove for a Mark Sanchez pass near the end zone, caught it with one hand, tucked it in and ...

The Osi Umenyiora saga continues to get even more bizarre. First Umenyiora wanted a new contract or else a trade to a team that would pay him. The Giants granted him permission to seek a trade, then pulled it away from him. When Umenyiora returned to practice, he didn't play much because of a supposed knee injury. That injury will now sideline Umenyiora for a month; he underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove debris from the knee, and it will take Umenyiora 4-6 weeks to completely recover and return to the field. This means he is guaranteed to miss the first three weeks of the regular season. The Giants say that it was Umenyiora's decision to get the knee scoped, which makes one wonder if this was a way of protest by the lineman who feels he's underpaid. Fact is Umenyiora is making $7.1 million this season. Injuries are nothing knew for Osi. He missed the entire 2008 season after injuring his leg in a pre-season game against the Jets. Now with Umeny...

After missing the past week with a ankle injury, Plaxico Burress is ready to rock and roll in his first game back in the NFL since being released from jail for illegal gun possession. Burress hasn't played in a game in 1,001 days, his last game coming in 2008 when the Giants took on the Baltimore Ravens at the old Giants Stadium. For Burress it has been a long time coming - a moment he has waited for for over two years. He always says that he's a changed man, and believes he can be the player he once was with the Giants from 2005 - 2008. Burress finally practiced this week with Gang Green, even making a few acrobatic catches along the way -- now it is time to take the wrapping of the Jets big free agent prize. The Jets play host to the Bengals at 7 pm on Sunday.

TEXANS 20 JETS 16 If the New York Jets have any plans of going to the Super Bowl this year, there is still miles to go and a lot more work to be done. That being said, this was the first preseason game , and a game played mostly by rookies and undrafted players who may be destined for your local supermarket, but the game raised plenty of issues with regard to the way the Jets played in Houston. Once again the Jets offense fizzled inside the 20 yard line. The Jets got great field position at the Texans 41-yard line but managed to drive the ball only to the 15 yard line before Mark Sanchez was sacked for a loss on third down, forcing Gang Green to settle for a field goal. The facts is settling for field goals was a big problem for the Jets the past two seasons. This team never finished a drive, as Sanchez was either sacked or threw a dreary incompletion. Monday did little to soothe Rex Ryan's concerns about this offense which looked quite mediocre. The only bright spot...

As promised last week, here is my preview of the New York Giants football team. Written on Bleacher Report , I analyze the key players who have to produce to make this Giants team a success this year. The Giants didn't make a mega deal during the short off-season, and at times have looked unprepared in their approach when it came to signing players. Yet there is talent in East Rutherford. Can they translate it to a solid 2011 season? Ask any Giants fan this week and they will convince you that the New York Giants are destined to be a 4-12 football team this season. Why has a team that won the Super Bowl four short years ago has fallen this far? The reasons are many. Giant fans have watched Big Blue stink it up down the stretch only to miss the playoffs in each of the last three years. The Giants have become slapping boys for the Philadelphia Eagles . The Giants have lost six straight to their arch rivals in ...

In the middle of last season, when the Jets lost two straight games to the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, Jets coach Rex Ryan considered benching quarterback Mark Sanchez. That's what Sanchez claims in an article featured in GQ Magazine. Ryan grew warry of Sanchez's poor play against divisional rivals, that he had back-up quarterback Mark Brunell take most of the snaps with the first team during practice that week. Sanchez said "I wanted to fight him. I was really mad." According to excerpts in the New York Post, Sanchez wanted to aggressively approach Ryan about it during practice, but was cooled down by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Can't blame Ryan for wanting to bench Sanchez. There have been long stretches during his two years in New York, where he wouldn't play well. Remember in 2009 when he put up three straight stinkers at home against the Bills, Dolphins and Jaguars? Perhaps it was Ryan's way of sending a mes...

PANTHERS 20 GIANTS 10 After three weeks of turmoil during which time the Giants did virtually nothing to improve their ball club in the blitzkrieg off-season, Big Blue took to the field for the first time this year and looked pretty pedestrian against a very young Carolina Panthers team. The Giants allowed the likes of Jimmy Clausen and Cam Newton to rip them to shreds through the air; Big Blue didn't get much pressure at all on the young quarterbacks, thus stressing the need to have Osi Umenyiora back on this football team. Newton, who was the number one overall pick in April's draft, looked the part, as he zipped passes all over the field, making the Giants secondary look foolish. Newton threw for 134 yards on 8-of-19 passing. Clausen was also sharp for Carolina, 4-of-7 for 69 yards including an 18 yard touchdown to former Bear Greg Olsen. Overall it was not a good night for the Giants. After Michael Boley's interception return for a touchdown, the G-Men...

Well, those of you who were expecting to witness some fireworks during the interview between Rex Ryan and WFAN host Mike Francesa may have been a tad disappointed, but Francesa did his best to goad Ryan about his boastful proclamations and outlandish statements during his two years as the HC of the NYJ. Ryan was a good sport; he didn't cave to Francesa's consistent commentary and questioning about his Super Bowl statements, echoing that making bold statements is who he is and he will never apologize for it; however, Ryan did admit early on that some of his statement were for show to ruffle some feathers for fun. At the end of the interview, Francesa tried to get Ryan to make a prediction about his football team's upcoming season, but Ryan didn't go for the bait, saying, instead, that he expects to win every game, and thus heads into every game believing so. Well, you know what ... here take a listen to the 32 minute interview. Fantastic stuff. LISTEN ! Fra...

The match-up that football fans have all been waiting for is set to take place Thursday afternoon at One Jet Drive in Florham Park, NJ. For two years, WFAN host Mike Francesa has been one of the severest critics of Jets coach Rex Ryan and his football team. Always raising a scornful eyebrow over Ryan's bombastic behavior and proclamations of Super Bowl glory, Francesa has made it a habit to rip the Jets, belittling their accomplishments, and reminding Jets Nation that they have not won the Super Bowl. On his show on Tuesday, Francesa said that the Jets used to be a tight-lipped organization until Rex Ryan came along, drawing the analogy that Ryan gave everyone "leather jackets" and they believe that they are now "cool." Even echoing, as he's done many times in the past, that the entire Jets persona has changed from the top down, including his once "good friend" Mike Tannenbaum because of Ryan's cockiness. In April when Ryan's book ...

As if this crammed off-season couldn't get any worse for the New York Giants, wide receiver Steve Smith has decided not to return to Big Blue; instead he is opting to head down the NJ Turnpike to Philadelphia to join the " Dream Team ," aka the Eagles. Smith, who suffered a knee injury late last season, waited for three weeks for the Giants to sign him to a contract, but that day never arrived. The Giants felt that Smith was still had a "ways to go" in his recovery from knee surgery. Smith and the Eagles disagreed of course. With Smith in Philadelphia, it leaves a black hole in the Giants receiving corps. While talented, it means that Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks will have to pick it up big time this year. Likewise, Smith gives the Eagles another option to go along with superstar receiver DeShawn Jackson. What a disaster this off-season has been for the Giants; could it mean the team is in for a terrible season? It looks like it.

Angels 6 Yankees 4 Somehow, in some way the New York Yankees have found ways to win ball games with one of the league's most mediocre pitching staffs. Using smoke and mirrors all year with the likes of A.J. Burnett, Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova, many wondered when the Yankees would trade for a legit number two starter behind CC Sabathia. They never traded for that starter, who was, in truth, never available to them. The thin market, perhaps, is to blame. Yet here are the Yankees at 69-45 still within reach of the Red Sox for the best record in the AL. There is reason for concern though. Three straight losses, two of which were to the Red Sox last weekend, and last night's loss to the Angels, should have fans wondering if this Yankee team is destined for a first round exit from the playoffs? Burnett was typical Burnett. Five good shutout innings were wasted by a implosion in the sixth, where he gave up four runs to the Angels, includi...

It's that time of the year again, and thank God! With NFL games just a few days away, it is also time to start making bold predictions for the 2011 NFL season. The New York Jets enter this year with some great expectations, after making it to the AFC title game for two straight years in 2009 and 2010. The big question for the Jets this year is: can they return to the postseason for an unprecedented third straight year with a relatively new cast of characters? This week we will break it down for both the Jets and Giants right here on Cohen's Corner. Here is my prediction on the Jets season via Bleacher Report. Enjoy... Here is an excerpt: Rex Ryan is trying to accomplish something that would be unprecedented in the star-crossed history of the New York Jets : lead them back to the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Sure getting to a third AFC Title game and first Super Bowl appearance in 43 years is Ryan's ultimate goal. He strongly believes that h...

Here is a Luis Castillo that Yankee fans will not like. Unlike the former Met with a similar name who dropped a pop up allowing the Yankees to beat the Mets in a game two seasons ago, a former bat boy for the Yankees named Luis Castillo is dropping a bombshell book that trashes the Yankee dynasty. In an exclusive story from the New York Post, Castillo releases some interesting squibs about Derek Jeter and former manager Joe Torre. READ THE STORY! He labels Torre an avid gambler who asked him once to run down to the clubhouse and bring him the results from a horse race. " I jogged up to the dugout and gave them to Torre, who grabbed the paper and studied it like his life depended on it. When he had discovered the information he wanted, he turned to Don Zimmer and showed it to him. The older man's eyes lit up, and before I left, they were talking excitedly not about the next batter but the OTB results! " In short, he makes Torre look like a guy who was more...

Jerricho Cotchery's career with the New York Jets could be coming to an end. Cotchery told the media that he expects to be released by Gang Green , after the team completes the signing of former Ravens receiver Derek Mason. Cotchery sounded frustrated, in an sound bite from WFAN, Cotchery noted that players don't play their whole careers with the Jets, which is a shame. Dumping Cotchery is kind of surprising. He's 29 years old, and a solid football player and citizen. He had his worst season last year, as the Jets number three receiver, hauling in 41 catches for 433 yards and two TD's. His worst game as a Jet came against the Green Bay Packers on Halloween last year, when he dropped several passes in a 9-0 loss. Still drops were not common in Cotchery's game, who earned the reputation as one of the Jets most sure-handed wide outs. Cotchery did tear his groin last year, and is still not 100 % better. Mason, 37, is a crusty old vet. He was the Ravens number one receiv...

Want to know why nobody is knocking down Braylon Edwards' door this off-season? Well, how about this latest story that is coming out from the Detroit Free Press, reporting that Edwards was involved in a bar brawl, with his two cousins, that resulted in two bouncers getting stabbed. According to the report, one bouncer was stabbed in the back with a pocket knife and the other was stabbed in the neck with a fork. This incident happened Monday night, and investigators are still looking into whether Edwards was involved in the mele. Edwards is on thin ice legally. Last week he pleaded guilty to his DWI charge from September, but avoided jail time. Edwards is on probation from a fight in Cleveland that resulted in the injury to LeBron James' entourage. If Edwards was ever arrested and charged for a significant time, the key would be thrown away. Such litigation may have turned the Jets off when they were deciding between keeping Edwards, or pursuing either Randy Moss or Plaxico Burr...

Frustrated over his contract, Osi Umenyiora and the New York Giants might be on the precipice of somewhat surprising and ill-timed break up. Umenyiora held out the first day of camp on Friday because of his contract, which he wants restructured. Even though the defensive end has returned to camp, he has not changed his stance one iota. " What really annoys me is the hypocrisy of people clamoring for my head for asking for a new deal or to be traded,” Umenyiora wrote. “Saying I have 2 years left on my deal. These contracts only mean something to us? Where is O’Hara? Where is Seubert? True—inspirational football players. “They were cut after being injured. They have years left on their deal. Why is Jacobs asked to take a pay cut? He has years left on his deal. The fact is in the business we are in, if you get injured, or they feel like you underperformed, they cut you without hesitation. But if you clearly outplay your contract, and ask for something to be done, you’re a bad guy and...

The Jets finally do something they should have done all along -- re-sign one of their own free agents. Antonio Cromartie returns to the Jets, after signing a four year $32 million deal with Gang Green. Cromartie, who formed a very good tandem with Darrell Revis last season, will reprise his role, after the Jets spent way too much time courting Nnamdi Asomugha, a player they didn't have the money to spend on in the first place. The Raiders and 49ers were apparently pursuing Cromartie, and willing to pay top dollar for him, according to ESPN, but the corner decided to return to New York since he had a better chance to win a Super Bowl ring. Now the Jets have re-signed two of the four key free agents, with only Brad Smith, signing with the Bills, and Braylon Edwards, unsigned, out of the mix. The Jets have no intention, as of now, of bringing back Edwards after the inked Plaxico Burress to a one year deal. Look for the Jets to now address nose tackle and defensive end. Shaun Ellis, an...