COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

It has long been expected that in order to keep Muhammad Wilkerson the Jets would have a lengthy contract battle on their hands. Well, New York took that first step in the battle, by placing the franchise tag on Wilkerson for 2016, meaning that the star defensive end will make $15.7 million. Chances are this will be an exclusive franchise tag, meaning that Wilkerson will be locked into a one-year deal with the Jets, giving GM Mike Maccagnan more time to negotiate a long term deal, if he so chose. If the Jets give Wilkerson a non-exclusive franchise tag, then other can jump into the mix to sign him, and you know the Jets don't want Buffalo, Miami or New England going after Wilkerson in this kind of situation. Wilkerson was a first round pick in 2011 out of Temple University, and led the team in sacks with 12 last year before suffering a broken leg in the final game of the season at Buffalo. Even with that, the Jets insist that the injury would not play a role in negotiation...

Here are a serious of videos I completed on my coverage of Staten Island basketball throughout the winter. Both the CSI men's and women's teams advanced to the semifinals of the CUNYAC tournament, only to lose to Brooklyn College. The men had a tremendous season, posting 18 victories and being led by top scorers, Will Fonseca and Frank Schettino. In the tough CUNYAC, the Dolphins were 11-5 in conference with standout victories over Brooklyn, Lehman and Baruch. There were even some excruciating defeats like a 82-81 loss to Hunter College and a 83-82 loss to Medgar Evers. This is part I of two videos on the Dolphins win over Baruch. Here is part II. The women were also 18-8 this year, and one could argue had they only played a little better in the semis against Brooklyn would have been a tremendous force against Lehman in the title game. I for one thought the women had a great shot at the CUNYAC title. Led by Christina Pasaturo, Samantha Flecker and seniors, Jamie...

It was the slide heard round the world last October. A seemingly routine play where Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada was taking a relay throw from Daniel Murphy and trying to to step on the bag at second, then his life and the game of baseball changed in an instant when Dodgers infielder Chase Utley decided to play NFL strong safety and upended Tejada with a hard slide into second. Tejada broke his leg, and didn't play at short again in the playoffs. Chances are he'll never start regularly for the Mets agin with the team acquiring Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera in the off-season. As one recalls, Utley was not punished for interference. Instead MLB awarded him second base that day, and the Dodgers won 3-1. Now, finally, baseball is getting it right. Last week baseball wrote into law a new rule that protects middle infielders from overaggressive base running like we saw in the Mets-Dodgers playoff game. Here is the rule in all its gory details: Rule 6.01(j), an addition t...

Jenrry Mejia's major league career, for all intents and purposes, is over. The flame-throwing right hander threw away a terrific privilege that only comes to a select few right down the drain when he tested positive for steroids for the third time in less than a year. This time the suspension is permanent . Last season, Mejia was suspended 80 games in April after he tested positive the first time. Then in July, as he was about to comeback from both the suspension and a leg injury that initially derailed his season, Mejia was caught again and suspended 162 games. He had only 99 games left on his second suspension before this third violation was committed. There is a way for Mejia to return to a Major League field if he applies for reinstatement in exactly one year, February 12, 2017 -- and must state his case for reinstatement in front of the the commissioner, who will have 30 days to rule. Even with that, Mejia would have to serve a full two year ban before full reinstatement. ...

BRONCOS 24 PANTHERS 10 If this is indeed the end of Peyton Manning's career, he goes out on top as a World Champion. Manning, like he had been throughout the 2015 season, was not at his best, but it didn't matter because Denver's defense was absolutely amazing against the Panthers. The Broncos defense picked up right where the left off in the AFC title game, harassing Cam Newton all night. They sacked the showboating quarterback seven times, forced two fumbles via strip sacks, and intercepted him. By the time the fourth quarter ended the smile had disappeared from Newton's face, replaced by a look of bewilderment and frustration. Von Miller was named Super Bowl MVP and rightfully so. It was Miller's strip of Newton on third and nine with 4:04 to go in the game that proved to be the final dagger and turning point of the night. The Panthers were only down six point, 16-10, and Miller shut the door in Carolina's face. The free agent-to-be slapped the footb...

For much of the week I have been preparing myself to write a post tonight ripping the NFL for getting it wrong with the Hall of Fame voting. Just the idea of Terrell Owens putting on a yellow jacket would have been enough for me to go bonkers in killing the writers decision. But, you know what? The writers...got it right. The NFL formally announced its eight Hall of Fame finalists who will enter the hallowed Halls in Canton, Ohio this summer. They included: quarterback Brett Favre, receiver Marvin Harrison, offensive tackle Orlando Pace, linebacker Kevin Greene, head coach Tony Dungy, quarterback Ken Stabler, offensive lineman Dick Stanfel, and former 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr.  Before I discuss the guys who didn't make it, let me tackle the guys who did.  Favre was an automatic. This was going to be remembered as his class. While Favre's career ended ignominiously with the Jets and Vikings, for 16 years he was the Green Bay Packers. His vibrant enthusiasm, t...

It must be February better known in New York as the perfect time to start spreading rumors without any validity whatsoever. And who better to start spreading ridiculous rumors than the New York Daily News and Manish Mehta . Mehta reported earlier this week, among all the hoopla around Super Bowl 50, that 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick wants out of the Bay area and prefers to play for the New York Jets in 2016.  Why Kaeperrnick would even want the Jets over 30 other teams in the NFL is not stated, although we can guess it has something to do with the glitz and glamor of New York City. The fact that this is even a rumor is a total joke. From the financial standpoint, acquiring Kaepernick makes next to little sense. He has five years and $114 million remaining on his contract, and is due $11.9 million in base salary on April 1. Trading him would be next to impossible considering the financial obligation a team would have to take on for a guy who has slowly become a bust at ...

The Broncos come into Super Bowl 50 a heavy underdog to the high-flying Panthers. The story of the game, of course, centers around Payton Manning and whether or not this will be his final game as a professional athlete. Manning had an injury riddled year in 2015, but came back to do just enough to help the Broncos push across two wins in the playoffs. The real guiding light behind Denver's success this year has been their defense. Led by Von Miller, the Broncos were first in just about every statistical category throughout the year in defense. If the Broncos are to win Super Bowl 50, their defense will have to be the difference. Below is my podcast focused on the Bronocs with Kirk Michael Davis of Bronco Planet as we discuss everything Bronocs. LISTEN HERE!

The Carolina Panthers are set to appear in their second Super Bowl in franchise history, and come into Super Bowl 50 a 5.5 point favorite over the Denver Broncos. No doubt this Panthers squad is much more talented and better than the one that lost Super Bowl XXXVIII to the New England Patriots in 2003.  For one, they have the better quarterback coming into this Super Bowl in Cam Newton, and they have a defense that can shutdown anybody any given Sunday. Defensively the Panthers are pure ball-hawks. From a secondary led by Kurt Coleman, Josh Norman to outstanding linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, the Panthers lead the NFL in takeaways with 39, and turnover margin +20. In the playoffs the Panthers bury both the Seahawks and Cardinals thanks in big part to their defense. Offensively, Newton is going to win an MVP award, and he can thank he offensive line for that. The Panthers beat people up front, a big reason why Newton not only has put up outstanding numbers, but run...

We are days from watching the ball kick-off at Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos. The headlines are pretty obvious at this point heading into the game, and we'll get to them in just a second. First let's quickly recap how these two teams got to this point. Denver got to this point thanks in big part to a suffocating defense. The Broncos defeated the Patriots 20-18 in one of the greatest unit performances in a AFC title game. They were unrelenting against the  Patriots, sacking Tom Brady four times, and forcing to make one uncomfortable throw after another. Denver held the Patriots to no points on consecutive possession inside Denver's 10-yard line, before the Patriots finally scored a touchdown with just minutes to go in the game. Then the Denver D made another spectacular play, picking off a Tom Brady pass on a two point conversion to preserve a 20-18 victory. Meanwhile, the Panthers dismantled the Cardinals 49-15 in the NFC Championship....