COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

Jets head coach Adam Gase poured cold water on the unsubstantiated rumors that were started this week by WFAN's Craig Carton that he was informed by ownership that he was being fired.  "That was news to me. No one has said that to me," Gase told reporters when he was asked about the story. Many have expected for weeks that Gase, who is 9-22 as head coach of the Jets that he will be let go at the end of the season.  Speculation has been running rampent all season, and up to this point Gase remains the HC of the NYJ.  This week the rumormill has ratcheted up. On Saturday Jason LaConfora of CBS Tweeted out that Gase could have been fired had the Jets lost to Cleveland last weekend. The Jets won, and Gase is still here.  Then on Monday some website called uStadium issued an uncorroborated story that Gase would be fired after Week 17. That was followed up Tuesday by Carton, who claimed he had a source that informed him Gase was told his days in New York were numbered. Car...

 In what is quickly turning into a game of 'who wants to be first,' multiple platforms are running with the story that Jets Head Coach Adam Gase has either A) been told he is being fired or B) will be fired after Sunday's season Finale in New England.  First a website called "uStadium" issued an unsourced claim on Monday that Gase will be fired after the Patriots game. Then on WFAN, on Tuesday afternoon, shock-jock host Craig Carton claimed he had sources who say that Gase has been told by Christopher Johnson that he will not be back as head coach.    Neither Carton, nor uStadium cited their sources.  To date, not a single Jets beat reporter has officially reported anything of the like or contrary to those rumors.  There has also been silence from the likes of reputable sources like Jay Glazer or Ian Rappaport. No one, outside of Carton and uStadium has issued a similar report as of this minute, 3:38 p.m. on a Tuesday, December 29, that Gase has indeed bee...

 Believe it or not, the New York Giants still have a shot at the NFC East.  Even though Big Blue got run over by the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and have not looked competitive at all the past three weeks, the Giants (5-10) are still in the mix. Why? Because they play in the NFC East.  Thanks to Dallas' win over the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Washington Football Team's lose to the Carolina Panthers, the Giants, Cowboys and Washington go into week 17 still with a shot at the division title. Here's how it breaks down:  IF: The Giants beat Dallas, and Washington loses to the Eagles in Week 17, the Giants win the NFC East.  IF: The Giants beat Dallas, and Washington wins over the Eagles, the Washington Football Team wins the NFC East with a 7-9 record.  IF: the Cowboys beat the Giants, and Washington loses to the Eagles, Dallas wins the NFC East with a 7-9 record.  If the Cowboys beat the Giants, and Washington wins over the Eagles, the Washington Footba...

 JETS 23 - BROWNS 16 The Jets are really good -- at messing up the bigger picture.  The Jets won again, Sunday, 23-16 against the Cleveland Browns, and in so doing all but assured that Trevor Lawrence will be the number 1 pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars did their part in losing to the Chicago Bears 41-17.  For a better part of the first half, the Jets picked up right where they left off last week in Los Angeles against the Rams. They dominated the line of scrimmage defensively against the Cleveland Browns, as quarterback Baker Mayfield spent time either on his back or hurrying his throws to avoid the Jets heavy pass rush.  Of course things were complicated for the Browns, who came into the game short-handed due to a number of players missing the game due to COVID-19, including receiver Jarvis Landry. Mayfield just couldn't do much without a full compliment of receivers and a patched up offensive line. Give the Jets credit, they took full advantage....

 RAVENS 27 - GIANTS 13  Kiss the playoffs goodbye. The Giants will not be participating in the playoffs this season after a complete no-show performance against the Baltimore Ravens, who pounded New York 27-13 -- and it wasn't even that close.  Two long touchdown drives by Lamar Jackson in the opening quarter, pretty much doomed Big Blue's chances. The Ravens opened the game, ramming it down the Giants throat on a 13-play, 82-yard drive that ate 8:12 off the clock before Jackson found Marquise "Hollywood" Brown in the end zone for a six-yard score to make it 7-0.  J.K. Dobbins two-yard plunge with seven seconds remaining in the first quarter, gave Baltimore a 14-0 advantage.  As for the Giants, they spent much of the day stuck in neutral offensively. The only fight the showed, the game was already decided when they were down 27-6 in the fourth quarter. While Daniel Jones' numbers were ok, he was under siege for the entire game, sacked six times for a loss of 52 ...

NETS 125 - WARRIORS 99   It took a year and a half, and a global pandemic, but future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant finally made his debut as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, against his former team the Golden State Warriors of all teams, and didn't disappoint. STORY. Durant racked up 10 early first quarter points en route to a 22-point effort on 7-of-16 shooting from the floor. He was also 7-of-7 from the free throw line and collected five boards. It was like the old Durant was back in many ways.    And he certainly had help in Kyrie Irving, the former Cleveland Cavalier and Boston Celtic, who signed with Durant in the summer of 2019. Unlike Durant, Irving had a mixed bag with the Nets last season. He was spectacular sometimes, injured other times, and there was even questions about his commitment.  This is also the same guy who early in camp this month said he would not talk to the media. Great guy (sarcasm).  Still Irving dropped 26 points to lead both squad...

 BROWNS 20 - GIANTS 6  The Giants chances of winning the NFC East took another huge hit on Sunday, when Big Blue laid a giant blue egg on national television as the Cleveland Browns thumped them 20-6.  The Giants had no answer for Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who was sharp all night completing 27-of-32 passes for 297 yards two touchdown passes to Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper.  The Giants could have made a game of this seemingly one-side affair, but Joe Judge's gambles got the best of the first year head coach. On the opening drive of the game, the Giants were rolling deep into Cleveland territory, buoyed by a 48-yard kick return by Dion Lewis to open things up.  However the Giants inability to capitalize inside the Browns 10-yard line, forced what should have been an easy three points.  Instead Judge gambled, and decided to have punter Ron Dixon take the snap in the shotgun and throw the ball in the endzone, which he did, widely out of bounds. Inst...

 JETS 23 - RAMS 20  What in the name of Joe Namath was that?  A win?!?!? An actually victory for the New York Jets?!?!?! Yes, indeed it has happened, the Jets won a game 23-20 over a LA Rams team that needed just a win over the lowly, winless Jets to clinch a playoff spot. Instead the victory parlays the Jets to not only their first victory of the year, but possibly the lowest moment in Jets history.  We could one day look back at December 20, 2020 as one of the worst moments ever if Trevor Lawrence, the presumed number 1 pick in the 2021 draft winds up living up to the hype, not as the quarterback of thew New York Jets, but, rather as the quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars, or some other team that winds up trading for the number one pick.  That's right the Jets cost themselves a shot at the top pick in the draft with this victory. Due to strength of schedule the equally inept Jaguars (1-13) now own the pick. If the Jets and Jaguars both end up tied by seas...

SEAHAWKS 40 - JETS 3  It had to be one big joke to former Jets safety Jamal Adams. The once disgruntled safety who talked his way out of New York after Jets General Manager Joe Douglas didn't offer him a contract extension, exacted vengence on his old club as his Seahawks destroyed Gang Green 40-3 on Sunday.    It was absolute train wreck for Gang Green in every shape and form. After the Jets took an early 3-0 lead, their only lead of the entire game, and the sixth straight game where the Jets scored on their opening possession, it was all Seahawks after that.  Adams, who said earlier in the week he held no ill will toward Adam Gase, but took a back handed attack at his old team saying he is in a good place now, recorded five tackles, a tackle for loss, a deflected pass and a sack of quarterback Sam Darnold. The sack came when Adams flushed Darnold out of bounds, giving him 8.5 sacks on the season - a record for a defensive back.  So much for a box safety, eh Mr...

 CARDINALS 26 - GIANTS 7  If there is one thing we should have learned about the New York Giants, never trust the New York Giants.  A week after their stunning victory over the Seattle Seahawks, the Giants delivered a clunker against the Arizona Cardinals, falling 26-7 at home.  The Giants were sloppy and careless with the football, and allowed Kyler Murray to rip them to shreds both through the air and on the ground a week after shutting down one of the league's best quarterbacks in Seattle's Russell Wilson. The trouble started right away when Daniel Jones was strip sacked on second and 10 from the 50-yard line on the Giants opening possession. Arizona's Markus Golden recovered the loose ball, rumbled 30 yards to the Giants' nine. Fortunately, Big Blue stuffed the Cardinals and forced a turnover on downs when Murray hurried a throw out of bounds on fourth and goal.  However that would be the highlight of the day for Big Blue.  The mistakes and misfortune w...

Take that rumor mill.  CBS Sports analyst Bill Cowher poured cold water all over his fellow NFL Today colleague Boomer Esaison, who a week ago claimed that Cowher would be interested in the potential head coaching vacancy with the New York Jets.  On the NFL Today Cowher announced he has zero interest in the Jets job, and in fact has no desire to coach.  "I have too much respect for the coach profession to talk about a job that isn't open. From that perspective, any job that is open, I have no interest in coaching," he said.  This is not surprising at all. Cowher, who hasn't coached a NFL game since 2006 when he abruptly retired following an 8-8 campaign in his 15th year in Pittsburgh, has been linked to jobs for years. He still hasn't taken a job once, let along interview.  Whether it be the Jets, Giants or Carolina Panthers, Cowher has been linked to those spots and I am sure others in the past, and nothing has come of it. The fact that Esaison ev...

 The New York Mets under Steve Cohen and Sandy Alderson were busy Saturday finalizing deals with free agent catcher James McCann, and locking down a new General Manager in former Arizona Diamondbacks Assistant GM Jared Porter.   Regading McCann, the Mets fill a major need, starting catcher with a player who has thrown out 36 percent of attempted base stealers in his career and was known as a good pitch framer during his tenure with the Chicago White Sox, and before that the Detroit Tigers.  Lifetime, McCann is a .249 career hitter with 65 homers and 252 RBI. His most productive offensive year came in 2019 where he hit .273 with 18 homers and 60 RBI. Unfortunately he also struck out a career high 137 times in 2019.  Last year in a COVID-shortened season, McCann hit .289 with seven homers and 15 RBI in 31 games.  The Mets wanted to upgrade the position from 34-year old catcher Wilson Ramos who had a disappointing 2020, where he hit only .239 with 5 homers and...

 Here we go again with the annual Bill Cowher is coming out of retirement to coach "X-team in the next year" rumors.  This time WFAN's Boomer Esiason, who should know better than to throw his NFL Today colleague into the fire like this, broached the subject on his morning radio show with his partner Gregg Gianotti. Gianotti said that Cowher in New York would be great, but it would never happen.  Esiason then opined basically saying never say never. "He was saying to me, he was the one who said the Jets job is going to be very attractive, and they could hire whomever they want, and he told me he loves Joe Douglas," Esiason reportedly said.  Boomer added that Cowher's wife is a huge Jets fan.  So is it possible that Cowher would consider breaking from his 15-year retirement, a retirement that includes being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame at the end of last season to coach the Jets? The same Jets team that right now looks like a colossal front office...

 Gregg Williams was relieved of his duties as Jets Defensive Coordinator a mere 24 hours after his defense surrendered the game winning touchdown to the Las Vegas Raiders in the waning seconds of Sunday's 31-28 loss.  What makes the firing even more surprising is that the decision was made by Head Coach Adam Gase, who received the blessing to make the move from the Jets front office, which once again brings into question how much power Gase actually does hold over the organization.  Gase said he made the decision over night on Sunday and informed the Jets brass, which according to Brian Costello of the New York Post consisted of CEO Christopher Johnson, GM Joe Douglas and Team President Hymie Elhai.  The decision was made easy for Gase after Williams called an all out Cover 0 blitz on Raiders quarterback Derrick Carr who heaved the infamous pass down field to Henry Ruggs III who beat single coverage from cornerback Lamar Jackson. The result was a perfectly timed thro...

 GIANTS 17 - SEAHAWKS 12  If you didn't believe the Giants are for real heading into Week 13, you do now.  With the same combination of grit and determination that they have displayed all year, the Giants pulled out the biggest upset of the year in the NFL, a 17-12 victory on the road over the heavily favored Seattle Seahawks.  The Giants went into the game with a lot going against them. 1) They didn't have their quarterback, with Daniel Jones sidelined by a hamstring. 2) They were on the road, in Seattle, against a Seahawks team that many people believe would be in the Super Bowl this year.  Well, the Giants didn't get that memo. As they have all season, Joe Judge's Giants didn't need to listen to the excuses, because there are none. Instead they went up to Seattle and punched the Seahawks right in the mouth, and at the same time took firm command of the NFC East.  It wasn't pretty, but it didn't have to be. It was pure Giants football: ugly. Even though t...

 RAIDERS 31 - JETS 28  To many Jets fans, the Jets won by losing on Sunday.  With 1:42 to go in the fourth quarter, the Raiders had failed to convert on a fourth down and three at the Jets nine-yard line. It looked like ... egads ... the Jets were going to win 28-24. All New York had to do was run out the clock and they could kiss their chances at the number 1 pick and Trevor Lawrence good bye.  You could see it now. Lawrence goes to Jacksonville. Adam Gase gets an extension from the Johnson brothers, and the Jets end up passing on Justin Fields and drafting another defensive tackle with the number two overall pick. Yep, it was all coming together now wasn't it. Another win that ends up a loss.    But low and behold, a miracle -- yes, a miracle, if you are on the Tank for Trevor bandwagon happened.  The Jets managed only five yards on three plays in a drive where all they needed was a first down to run out the clock and win the football game. Three pla...

 In this edition of the Open Mike Program, I talk about the future of the New York Jets.  At 0-11 the future of the franchise hangs in the balance with Adam Gase's tenure as head coach up in the air, Sam Darnold's future in New York uncertain, and the possibility of the Jets drafting Trevor Lawrence to replace Darnold still murky. It's a topic worthy of discussion! Watch here: 

 Sam Darnold's days in New York appear to be coming to an end. Hard to believe that we are here at this point in Darnold's career, but this is what happens when a young quarterback ends up playing for the Jets and Head Coach Adam Gase.  Darnold was uninspiring in his return from a shoulder injury on Sunday. He completed only 16 of 27 passes for 197 yards, and threw two interceptions. In a year where Darnold never had a full compliment of receivers, he had all of them on the field Sunday.  He just couldn't get the job done.  There are a lot of reasons for Darnold's downfall, a lot of it is not his fault. Gase has ruined Darnold's confidence, coaching him into the ground with his ultra conservative play-calls, and an uncanny ability to put him in a position to fail. That is not a Darnold problem necessarily. But it is a Gase problem.  Just look at Ryan Tannehill.  Tannehill looked done when he worked under Gase in Miami. Once Tannehill went to the Tennessee T...

 Daniel Jones has a strained hamstring according to multiple reports, with the good news being that there was no structural damage, as the Giants take a "wait-and-see" approach.  According to ESPN it is unlikely -- at least right now -- that Jones will be ready for the Giants next contest at Seattle on Sunday. When the Giants return home for the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14 is "more likely."  Giants Head Coach Joe Judge told reporters "I couldn't give you an answer on if its one week or more than one week right now. I am not qualified and, to be honest, and the doctors I talked with today, they don't have a crystal ball."  The Giants can ill afford to lose Jones long term at this stage in the season. Hamstring injuries are tricky, so the Giants are going to take every precaution before putting Jones back onto the field.  If Jones does not start on Sunday against the Seahawks, veteran back-up Colt McCoy will get the start. McCoy has started 28 game...

 GIANTS 19 - BENGALS 17  It wasn't easy, but the Giants find themselves in first place in the NFC East, but it might have come at a huge cost.    With the score tied at 10 in the third quarter, quarterback Daniel Jones injured his hamstring on a seven-yard scamper. He favored his leg as he got up, but remained in the game for only two plays before falling to the ground, holding onto his right hamstring. Jones was promptly replaced by Colt McCoy as Jones went under the tent for a look at the injury.  Jones tried to return to action on the Giants next possession, but left after he couldn't put weight behind his plant leg on a pass, and limped off the field. He did not return.  Asked after the Giants 19-17 win over Cincinnati about the extent of the injury, head coach Joe Judge wouldn't say what the extent was, adding that he was "Optimistic," while also admitting it was tough to say if the injury was long term.  However, according to ESPN, they claim sou...

  DOLPHINS 20 - JETS 3  Another chapter of embarrassment has been written about the 2020 New York Jets, a team that dropped to 0-11, Sunday as they kept pace with their historic trek to infamy. Five more losses to 0-16. Five more losses til the so-called tank job fans are hoping for is complete. Five more losses until fans can begin thinking about Trevor Lawrence in green and white (we think).  Sunday's loss was atypical Jets. They played careless, and the coaching by Adam Gase was even worse as the game woefully dragged along until it become noncompetitive by the third quarter.  Sam Darnold returned to the lineup for the first time in weeks, and put together a horrendous performance, completing only 16 of 27 passes for 197 yards and two interceptions, with the first pick coming on a pass intended for Jamison Crowder that was badly thrown by Darnold as it sailed into the waiting arms of Nate Needham with the Jets down 13-3.  This was supposed to be the start of ...

Tradition is usually very hard to break. Maybe it's traveling to your mother's house every Thanksgiving no matter what. Maybe you prefer to cook stuffing inside the turkey rather than cook it separately in  pot. Maybe you prefer macaroni and cheese with your Thanksgiving diner over yams.  Yes, I get it. Trust me. When you have a traditional way of doing things, even the most mundane things in life, it's hard to break. Heck, I park in generally the same spot at work everyday.  But let's be clear there is one tradition that needs to come to an end. Like yesterday. Like years ago.   Every year the National Football League subjects its fans across the country to the Detroit Lions at 12:30 p.m. ET, and the Dallas Cowboys at 4:30 ET every Thanksgiving without fail.  The only difference every year is that they rotate the network covering the game. This year CBS covered the Lions because they were playing the Houston Texans, an AFC opponent, and the Cowboys were on...

 When the Washington Football Team pulled away from the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving with 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter en route to a 41-16 triumph, a huge exhale could be heard from East Rutherford, New Jersey.    That is because the Giants (3-7) know that with Washington's win, the Giants potentially control their own destiny in the NFC East.   Yes, technically, the Football Team is in first place at 4-7, and the Eagles are in second at 3-6-1.  But with the Giants heading to Cincinnati to play the Joe Burrow-less Bengals on Sunday, and the Eagles playing host to an angry Seattle Seahawks team, there is reason for hope.  Granted nothing is guaranteed. As we all know this is the NFL for a reason. For all we know the Giants could leave a stinker on the field in Cincy this weekend, and/or the Eagles could stun the world on Monday and upend the Seahawks.  Hell, the Football Team could be for real now, and end up winning this division. ...

 The worst kept secret is now official, Luis Rojas will return as Mets manager in 2021.  The news was confirmed by Mets President Sandy Alderson, who alluded to Rojas' return two weeks ago when he and owner Steve Cohen spoke to the media for the first time.  Rojas took over the Mets job in January when the Mets fired Carlos Beltran after Beltran's involvement in the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal came to light. Rojas was going to be an assistant on Beltran's staff.   As skipper, the Mets went 26-34 during a COVID-shortened season in 2020 under Rojas. It was a rather nondescript season for the rookie manager, as the Mets struggled to stay in the mix in the crowded NL East for much of the season. The only real standout from the past year was Designated Hitter Dom Smith, who hit .316 with 10 homers and 42 RBI and was the Mets Most Valuable Player.  Alderson and Rojas are not strangers having known one another for several years when Rojas was a manager i...

Robby Cano, say it ain't so! Ok, maybe not really.   The polarizing Mets second baseman who was acquired by then General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen two off-seasons ago from the Seattle Mariners in the Jared Kelenic deal, has been suspended by Major League Baseball for the entire 2021 season due to a positive test for PEDs.  This is the second time Cano has been suspended for steroid use; he was last suspended back in 2018 for using diurtec, and promptly received an 80 game suspension while with the Mariners.  At the time that didn't preclude VanWagenen from shipping the Mets best minor league prospect to the Mariners for Cano and reliever Edwin Diaz. As we all know that trade has been a colossal failure, with Diaz proving to be incapable of closing games, and Cano somewhat aloof at second base.  This news puts the final nail in the coffin on VanWagenen's hideous tenure as Mets General Manager. Of course Van Wagenen was fired by owner Steve Cohen and President ...

 Don't mess with Giants Head Coach Joe Judge.  Reports earlier Wednesday say that the Giants head coach got into a heated verbal altercation with Offensive Line Coach Marc Columbo, and fired Columbo effective immediately.  The move comes on the heels of the Giants two-game winning streak as they enter a bye week, and find themselves still in the mix for the NFC East crown.  The Giants replaced Columbo with longtime NFL assistant Dave DeGuglielmo. According to ESPN, DeGuglielmo was initially brought on as a consultant, and it rubbed Columbo the wrong way.  There were reports earlier this afternoon that Judge and Columbo engaged in a "fistfight," but ESPN through its sources confirmed that there was no such altercation, although there was a verbal spat between Judge and Columbo.  Judge had been more involved in coaching the offensive line in recent weeks, and clearly he felt a need to step in an get one of his guys to oversee the unit. Columbo was brought in...