COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

 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...

Believe it or not the New York Giants still have a shot in this lousy division that is the NFC East. Yes, that's right, a 3-7 football team can still make the playoffs with six games to go. Who knew?But that is the world we live in in 2020.  I take a look at the improbable (the Giants chances) and the impossible (the DeAndre Hopkins Hail Marry reception) in this recap of a wild Week 10. 

 GIANTS 27 - EAGLES 17  Believe it or not, the New York Giants find themselves right in the thick of the NFC East title race. Even with all of the awful losses earlier in the season, the blown leads, the heartbreaking finishes, the Giants -- after a 27-17 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium, have a pulse.  And it's not a faint pulse, but an actual chance. We'll explain how in a minute.  First the on-field performance, and it is hard to argue that for the first time this year we got a complete game from the Giants. Daniel Jones was solid. He didn't turn the ball over once, completing 21-of-28 passes for 244 yards. He even led the Giants in rushing -- again -- this time with 64-yards on nine carries, including a 34-yard touchdown run that gave the Giants an early 7-0 lead.  With New York holding onto a 7-3 lead, Jones led an impressive 13-play, 75-yard drive as he picked apart the secondary before the combination of Jones' own legs and those of...

 Maybe the powers of Steve Cohen are indeed working already for the Mets.  Just a day after his introductory press conference as Mets owner where he expressed his desire to win and win immediately, free agent to be Marcus Stroman is coming back to the Mets.  Stroman accepted his one-year $18.9 million qualifying offer, and posted on Twitter that he is excited to be back in Queens for 2021, adding he is excited to play for Cohen.  Cohen responded via Twitter that he was happy to see the right-hander return to Flushing.  Stroman has had a very odd two-year stay with the Mets. He was acquired to much fanfare in 2019 from the Toronto Blue Jays in a move that stunned many. A lot of people thought Stroman would be heading to the Yankees instead. In 11 starts for the Mets in 2019, Stroman went 4-2 with a 3.77 ERA.    He was expected to be the Mets number 3 starter this year before COVID-19 hit. Once the season began in July Stroman opted out of playing, and m...

Steve Cohen sat in on a zoom call with beat reporters, his hands folded under his chin, in a grey sweater vest, looking very much like the fortune 500 executive that he is. His calm voice sounds slightly similar to Microsoft founder Bill Gates, only there was one noticeable difference. This was Bill Gates, Bill Parcells, Rex Ryan, and Bob Kraft all meshed together in a blender.  And it was glorious.  Cohen talked about winning. Winning not only now, but in the future for years to come. He spoke of building a Mets culture, and putting baseball experts in charge of baseball operations.  "I want to exceed expectations. I want an exceptional team, built to be great every year. I don't want to just get to the playoffs, I want to win a championship," Cohen said in his opening statement.  "Our fans matter to me," he continued, "We will hire great baseball people; we want great players and we want to make them better. We will start with our homegrown talent and fil...

 The Yankees are going to have a new look when it comes to their minor league facilities in 2021 and onward. No longer will the Bombers call Trenton, New Jersey home for their Double-A affiliate, instead moving some 46 miles north to Bridgewater, the home of the Somerset Patriots.  The Yankees are also eliminating their single-A affiliation in Staten Island and Charleston, South Carolina which is part of Major League Baseball's greater shakeup to widdle down the minors from 160 teams to 120.  On Tuesday the Yankees made it official, christening a new 10-year partnership with the Somerset Patriots, who had been an independent team out of the Atlantic League for the past 20 years. The Patriots will replace the Thunder in the Eastern League.  The Thunder do not have a destination as of yet, but there was belief they could get slotted into the Atlantic League as an independent. There was also mention that the Thunder felt blindsided by the Yankees decision to leave Trent...

 PATRIOTS 30 - JETS 27  Leave it to the Jets to find a way to blow a 27-17 lead and lose in the waning seconds to the worst Patriots team to take the field in over 20 years.  This is what happens when you are 0 and 9. You invent ways to lose.  And the Jets have been experts in the field.  They proved Monday night that in spite of a good performance from veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, who threw three touchdown passes, and a big night from wide receiver Breshard Perriman (five catches, 101 yards and two touchdowns), it was not enough to beat a hobbled Patriots team. Especially a Patriots team that at times looks more interested in losing thanks to the buffoonery of Cam Newton than at anytime in the Bill Belichick era. A year ago at this time Belichick was smiling as he team decimated the Jets 33-0 in the infamous "Ghost Game." This year he was probably just happy that Newton didn't turn it over.  Let's face it the Jets handed the Patriots this game. The Jets...

  GIANTS 23 - WASHINGTON 20  It wasn't pretty, but for the first time in a very long time the Giants found a way to win a football game on Sunday.  In a season where the Giants have found ways to lose games in the fourth quarter, two huge interceptions of Washington quarterback Alex Smith, prevented another heartbreaking loss as the Giants came away with the 23-20 victory.  The Giants had jumped out to a 20-3 lead at the half, thanks to a 10-yard touchdown by Wayne Gallman, and a 16-yard touchdown pass by Daniel Jones to Evan Engram. However Washington stormed back in the second half when Smith, who had come in for an injured Kyle Allen, started to catch fire for the Football Team. Smith led Washington on a six-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a Antonio Gibson 1-yard plunge that cut the Giants lead in half, 20-10.  After both teams exchanged field goals, Smith connected with wide receiver Terry McLaurin on a 68-yard catch-n-run for a touchdown that cut the...

 Sam Darnold's disappointing 2020 season has taken another turn for the worse when word came down Sunday that the Jets quarterback will not play Monday night.    Darnod is still bothered by a shoulder injury that caused him to miss two games earlier this year. As a result Joe Flacco will get the start against the equally inept New England Patriots (2-5).  Darnold injured the shoulder in a Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos, when his shoulder was jammed into the turf on a sack. He hasn't been the same since.  In the two games since he returned from the injury list, Darnold is 30-for-53 for 253 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. The Jets have scored only 19 points in those two games combined.  This will be the ninth game of Darnold's career that he has missed, and the Jets are 0-8 in games he has missed. In the two games he missed this season, the Jets lost 30-10 to the Arizona Cardinals, and 24-0 to the Miami Dolphins. Both those teams (the Cardinals...

 Steve Cohen is serious about changing the complexion of the New York Mets. Just hours after finalizing his purchase of the team from Fred and Jeff Wilpon, and Saul Katz, Cohen had new team president Sandy Alderson do the dirty work of cleaning out the Mets baseball front office.  Meaning in-battled General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen, his top lieutenants Allard Baird, Adam Gutridge, Jared Banner, and Assistant to the GM Omar Minaya were all fired! Talk about making an entrance !  The moves were inevitable, and it clears the way for Alderson to go ahead and create a baseball front office to his liking and Cohen's. It is clear that these two men are not fooling around, and want to turn what has been a floundering franchise into a winner right away.  VanWagenen's firing has to be especially sweet to Mets fans. Van Wagenen, a former player's agent with CAA orchestrated two of the worst off-season's in Mets history with plenty of misses along the way. Here are some of the...

 BUCCANEERS 25 - GIANTS 23  Another week, another blown opportunity for the New York Giants. What has become a disturbing pattern this year, the Giants came oh-so close to victory only to have the rug pulled out from underneath them.  On Monday it was two-fold.  The Giants not only found themselves on the wrong end of a horrible non-pass interference call on Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. when he clearly bumped Dion Lewis in the end zone, but Daniel Jones sunk Big Blue with two huge turnovers.  The question about the viability of Jones as the Giants "franchise quarterback" is only going to come into focus more and more. This was the fourth Giants loss by less than four points this season. And in each case the Giants had a chance to win the game and failed to do so.  On Monday, the Giants could have long avoided their now infamous defeat had they taken advantage of the numerous opportunities that were in front of them to put this game away.  ...

 Yankees fans get ready to wince.  Giancarlo Stanton is staying long term with the Yankees for the next seven years for $218 million rather than opt out and hit free agency.  The news is sure to make Yankees fans grumpy after Stanton spent a better part of the last two seasons injured. In 2019, Stanton was limited to 18 games with a biceps strain and right knee injury. When he did play, Stanton hit .288 with three homers and 13 RBI that year.  This season Stanton was limited to 23 games in a 60-game COVID-19 shortened season, hitting only .250 with four homers and 11 RBI. Yet he was the Yankees most consistent hitter in the playoffs batting .308 with six homers and 13 RBI. Still though he has yet to replicate the hitter he was three years ago in 2017 when he crush 59 homers and drove in 132 RBI as a member of the Miami Marlins.  Stanton, who will turn 31 next season, is due $29 million in each of the next two seasons and $32 million annually through 2025. And, $...

 CHIEFS 35 - JETS 9  Well those of you worried about betting on a 19.5 point spread, have no fear the Jets would not disappoint.  As expected the Jets were annihilated by the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday to the tune of 35-9 as Patrick Mahomes tossed five touchdowns in the Chiefs victory.  Mahomes was an unstoppable machine against the Jets pathetic defense. He completed 31 of 42 passes for 416 yards and even gave a piggyback ride to Tyreek Hill after the lanky wide receiver hauled in a 41-yard touchdown pass to give the Chiefs a 35-9 lead with 10:58 to go in the game.  In short, the Chiefs toyed with the Jets. So much so that the Chiefs had three touchdowns in the bank and were losing the time of possession battle at halftime. That's pretty dominant don't you say? You bet.  As for the Jets, it was more of the same offensively. Sam Darnold was a man on an island, fighting an uphill battle with nobody around him. He played well, at least in the first half, but ...