NFL Legend John Madden Passes Away at 85

He was a Super Bowl winning coach for the Oakland Raiders, a legendary broadcaster, brand name for a billion dollar video game franchise, and NFL Hall of Famer. John Madden had a wonderful life; he passed away Tuesday. He was 85. 

Madden's influence on the game spans generations. He was, at the time of his hire in 1969, the youngest coach in the NFL when maverick Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis made him his head coach. Madden guided the Raiders for nine years, compiling an impressive 103 wins to 32 losses and seven ties. His Raiders won Super Bowl IX over the Minnesota Vikings  His overall winning percentage (regular season and postseason combined) ranks second in NFL history. 

 

After leaving the Raiders in 1978, Madden jumped into the broadcast booth, launching one of the most outstanding broadcasting careers his history. 

 

He eventually teamed up with Pat Summerall on CBS in 1981, forming an indelible duo that became the soundtrack of fall Sunday's for 21 seasons between CBS and FOX. Together Madden and Summerall broadcast nine Super Bowl's, were the voice for the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys dynasty's of the 80's and 90's; and called games that featured many of the games most important and interesting personalities from Mike Ditka to Bill Parcells. Jimmy Johnson to Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman; Steve Young and Joe Montana,  Jerry Rice, to Brett Favre and Reggie White. They did them all.

 

If it was a big game, it was always going to be Madden and Summerall on the call. 

After Summerall retired following Super Bowl XXXVI, Madden left Fox for ABC's Monday Night Football where he would pair up with Al Michaels. Together Madden and Michaels spent seven seasons together working both Monday Night Football on ABC and Sunday Night Football on NBC. Together they had the calls of Super Bowl XXXVII between the Bucs and Raiders, Super Bowl XL between the Steelers and Seahawks and Super Bowl XLIII between the Steelers and Cardinals. 

 

In addition to being the most porminant game analyst in NFL history, Madden became a brand unto himself with the Madden video game franchise, which began as a desktop game in 1988 and soon boomed into a billion business some 30 years later. 

 

John Madden, NFL legend. He will be missed. Last week FOX hosted a special documentary on Madden's incredible life story. If you haven't seen it, see it. It's worth every second.

Jets Show Fight, Hold Off Woeful Jaguars

 JETS 26 - JAGUARS 21 

For those Jets fans who wanted Gang Green to lose to Jacksonville for draft position, look away.  With 20 players, and head coach Robert Saleh, on the COVID-protocols list the Jets found a way to hold off Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-21 at MetLife Stadium. 

Gang Green was powered by the running of running back Michael Carter, who gashed the Jags for 118 yards on 16 carries. And they were led by Braxton Berrios' 103-yard kick return for a touchdown that gave the Jets a 13-9 lead in the second quarter. 

Berrios also had five catches for 37-yards to lead the Jets. A free agent-to-be, Berrios made a huge case for the Jets to extend him a major contract.  Berrios has been the Jets most consistent presence offensively all season, and was deserving of  Pro Bowl bid. 

Of course this game was supposed to be about the battle between quaterbacks Zach Wilson and Lawrence, the first and second overall picks in last spring's draft. While Wilson got the upper hand with the victory, really neither quarterback was truly outstanding.

There were some "wow moments," like Wilson, eluding a sack, and streaking down the sideline for a 52-yard touchdown that gave the Jets a 6-3 lead in the first quarter. 

There were also some head scratching moments. 

 

Wilson wasn't that accurate, an issue that continues to plague the Jets rookie signal caller. He was 14-of-22 for 102 yards. He came close to tossing a couple of interceptions, but got lucky they were dropped by the Jaguars. The best thing he did all day was not lose the game, turn around and hand the ball off to Carter, and Tevin Coleman. 

Running the ball was the only way the Jets could stay out in front and beat this Jaguars team. 

Perhaps the biggest head scratching moments for the Jets wasn't even Wilson's fault. Acting Head Coach Ron Middleton, twice opted to go for it on fourth down rather than settle for field goals. That almost came back to bite the Jets. 

In the second quarter, Wilson guided the Jets all the way down to the Jaguars' two-yard line, but the Jets couldn't punch it in. Instead of kicking a field goal to take a 16-12 lead into the break, the Jets opted to go for it on fourth and goal, and Wilson's hurried throw to Denzel Mims fell incomplete. Jets led instead 13-12. 

The second Jets gaff came in the third quarter when they failed to take advantage of a Lawrence fumble. Wilson couldn't move the Jets any closer than the Jaguars eight yard line.  The Jets were already leading 16-12 at this point. A field goal gives the Jets a 19-12 lead. Instead, the Jets tried to catch the Jaguars sleeping by going for a fake field goal. It failed miserably as Brandon Mann was tackled one yard shy of the first down marker. 

In short, the Jets gave the Jags every chance to comeback. 

As for Lawrence he was a mixed bag. There were a lot of missed reads. He overthrew his intended receiver by a mile in the end zone on an opening drive that resulted in a Jaguars field goal.  

There were also moments where he displayed the arm talent that made him the number 1 pick in the draft. With the Jets holding onto a 26-21 lead, Lawrence guided the Jaguars down to the Jets five-yard line by going a perfect five-for-five passing for 43 yards, and running 26-yards to the five. Then the mistakes happened. 

He tossed an incompletion on first down; he was nearly picked off by CJ Mosley on second down before the ball ended up the hands of Marvin Jones at the Jets' one yard line. After spiking the ball on third down, the Jets sent a heavy blitz on Lawrence, who hurried the throw out of bounds, solidifying the win for the Jets. 

A win is a win. It wasn't pretty, but the Jets displayed some grit in the victory. They doubled their win total from a year ago, and got a win against a team they should have beaten. 

Joe Judge & Daniel Jones Expected Safe, G-Men Blown Out by Eagles

 The future of head coach Joe Judge and quarterback Daniel Jones may have already been determined. 

Hours before the Giants took the field in the their 34-10 blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, reports surfaced Sunday that both Judge and Jones would be returning to Big Blue next season.  ESPN's Adam Schefter originally reported the story. 

In two seasons at the helm Judge is 10-21 as Giants head coach. Jones is currently out for the season with a neck injury that sidelined him a month ago in Week 12. One could argue that the Giants are easily the worst team in the NFL - not named the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

It is still widely assumed that the Giants are going to part ways with General Manager David Gettleman, who could either be fired or forced to accept an early retirement. The Giants would certainly create a very odd situation for any potential GM candidates with both Judge and Jones firmly entrenched for 2022.

If one wants an example of how this kind of move can affect a franchise, look at the Jets, who in 2013 decided to fire Mike Tannenbaum, but keep Rex Ryan, and arrange a forced marriage between Ryan and John Idzik. That didn't work out at all. It was a total disaster. 

Ideally a team would bring in a GM who would want to hire his own head coach. 

The Giants could look to New England for a person familiar and comfortable with Judge, or, more likely, look internally for a candidate. The name Kevin Abrams, who is the club's long time assistant GM has come up as a possible replacement for Gettleman. An Abrams promotion certainly would not make Giants fans happy, as it would be viewed as an endorsement of the status quo.  

Meanwhile, on the field, the Giants have lost four in a row, and their offense has gone completely stagnant; they haven't scored more than 21 points in a game since they beat the Las Vegas Raiders 23-16 in Week 10.  With the combination of Jake Fromm and Mike Glennon under center, the Giants have scored only 46 points in their last four games, including the smackdown they suffered at the hands of the Eagles on Sunday. 

The Giants were never in the game on Sunday. Fromm got the start and was awful, completing six of 17 passes for 25 yards. Saquon Barkley had only 32 yards on 15 carries, another woeful effort from the the former number 2 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. 

After the defense kept New York tied with Philadelphia 3-3 at the break, the Eagles figured things out in the third quarter, dropping 17-points on Big Blue to take a dominating 20-3 lead. 

 

An interception of Fromm by Rodney McLeod set up shop for the Eagles at the Giants' 21-yard line. Three plays later, Boston Scott scored from three-yards out to make it 10-3.

Later in the quarter, a 39-yard completion from Jalen Hurts to Quez Watkins helped set up the first touchdown of the day, a three-yard plunge by Boston Scott to make it 20-3. 

Perhaps the biggest indignation of the Giants' plight was when Alex Singleton picked off a Mike Glennon pass and rumbled 29-yards for a touchdown to give the Eagles a 34-3 lead.

Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh Tests Positive for COVID-19

 As if this rookie campaign for head coach Robert Saleh couldn't get any worse, the Jets head coach has tested positive for COVID-19. 

Reports are Saleh showed symptoms earlier in the week before testing positive. Ron Middleton will serve as acting head coach until Saleh returns. If Saleh doesn't clear COVID protocols by Sunday, Middleton will coach the Jets match-up against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Saleh is the third head coach in the NFL to test positive for the virus including the Saints' Sean Payton and the Browns' Kevin Stefanski. New York currently has 14 players on COVID-reserve. 

Every sport has been hit hard by the virus. The National Hockey League has postponed close to 50 games through Christmas weekend, and backed out of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. 

The NBA will not pause the season, but the Brooklyn Nets have been decimated by the virus. 

Nets Suffer Another Postponment as NBA Refuses to Pause Season

The COVID ravaged Brooklyn Nets will have another game postponed due to the lack of available players.

The Nets had as a many as 10 players appear on the COVID protocols list, including Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. The Nets plight is the highest known number of players with the virus in the sport. Brooklyn needed to have a minimum of eight active players for the game to played; they do not have that number right now.

Thursday’s game at Portland will be the third straight game that Brooklyn has had postponed. They had games against Denver and Washington also suffer postponements.

Overall, nine games have been postponed across the NBA, but Commissioner Adam Silver insists that there is no plan to pause the season the way the NHL did this week in lieu of the virus and the ever spreading Omicron variant.

 When asked about the Omicron spread Silver told ESPN:

“No plans right now to pause the season. We have of course looked at all the options, but frankly we are having trouble coming up with what the logic would be behind pausing right now.

“As we look through these cases literally ripping through the country, let alone the rest of the world, I think we’re finding ourselves where we sort of knew we were going to get to over the past several months, and that is this virus will not be eradicated, and we’re going to have to learn to live with it. I think that’s what we’re experiencing in the league right now.”

Silver also confirmed that around 97% of the league is fully vaccinated and 65% are boosted. In addition, the data the NBA front office is seeing is that the virus is passing through players with little to no symptoms.

“It seems the virus runs through their systems faster. They become not just asymptomatic but, more importantly, they’re not shedding the virus anymore. That’s the real concern in terms of others. And so we are actively looking at shortening the number of days players are out before they can return to the floor,” Silver said.

 

Wilson & Jets Again Struggle, Can't Close Out Dolphins

 DOLPHINS 31 - JETS 24 

The struggles continue for Zach Wilson and the New York Jets. Gang Green couldn't protect a 17-7 lead, as Miami stormed all the way back in the second half, beating back the Jets 31-24 to drop New York to 3-11. 

Unlike last week where the Jets couldn't get their offense going at all against the Saints, Wilson and company showed signs of life. There were trick plays, and plenty of golden opportunities. Unfortuantely for the Jets, they just couldn't finish it off. 

Wilson completed his first six passes of the day and engineered the Jets on a 10-play, 83-yard scoring drive that culminated in a Braxton Berrios touchdown on a reverse to give the Jets a 7-0 lead. In the first half Wilson showed improved accuracy; was connecting with his receivers on shorter throws and withstood the Dolphins heavy blitz packages. 

And for a while it looked like the Jets were on their way to pulling out the upset. After the Jets opening touchdown, Jets safety Ashtyn Davis picked off Tua Tagovailoa to set up the Jets inside the Dolphins 30. New York settled for the field goal to take a 10-0 lead. 

Later, in the second quarter, Wilson again had the Jets on the move. A 23-yard completion to Ryan Griffin set up shop at the Dolphins' 17. After three straight runs by Tevin Coleman, Wilson scored on a quarterback keeper to give the Jets a 17-7 lead. 

That was as good as it got for the Jets for the rest of the day. 

New York's offense went into a proverbial tortoise shell. Wilson reverted back to the rookie hijinks that have left Jets' fans scratching their heads. He tried to do too much. He held onto the ball too long as he was consistently looking for the home run down field. And was promptly sacked six times. 

The Jets managed only 44 yards of offense in the second half. Wilson was even stripped sacked when New York was trying to answer a Dolphins touchdown. It was a poor display for Gang Green. 

The only reason New York even had a shot in this game had a lot to do with the pick-six of Tagovailoa by Brandin Echols that tied the game at 24. 

Even with that shot of momentum, the Dolphins quickly answered as Tagovailoa led the Fins to a 75-yard touchdown drive, culminating in an 11-yard pass to DeVante Parker to make it 31-24. 

To add insult to injury the Jets defense again struggled. The Jets were gashed for 183 yards on the ground, with Duke Johnson lead the way with 103 yards all to himself. In addition defensive tackle Christian Wilkins caught a touchdown pass from Tagovailoa before doing his version of the Lambeau Leap into a group of Miami fans. 

At 3-11, the losses are stacking up for the Jets. Next up, home to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jets can't lose to Tervor Lawrence can they? 

Misery Continues as Giants are Nonexistent Against Dallas

 COWBOYS 21 - GIANTS 6 

It was a game that nobody wanted to sit through. Heck, even free soda probably wasn't enough to entice Giants fans to show up to watch their listless football team get decked by the Dallas Cowboys, 21-6. 

It was a game that was so bad, that even with Dallas settling for three field goals, there was no chance for the Giants on Sunday. They had no answer on Sunday. 

Mike Glennon tossed three interceptions; Jake Fromm was ineffective when he came in relief of Glennon in the fourth quarter. And on a more serious note, Sterling Shepherd tore his Achilles. Obviously he's out for the rest of this season. His status for the start of next season is in question. 

Meanwhile Dak Prescott and the Cowboys' offense did just enough to get the 'W'. Prescott completed 28 of 37 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown to Dalton Schultz that pushed the Dallas lead to 21-6. 

Relieve the lowlights ... I mean, highlights, here... 

Interview with former Jets QB Ray Lucas & Giants SB Champ David Tyree

 Attended the NFL Alumni COVID Vaccine event in Paterson, New Jersey for Fox Sports New Jersey. Had a great opportunity to talk to a few more NFL stars including ex-Jets quarterback Ray Lucas and Giants wide receiver David Tyree. Here is the video below! 

Mets Hire Buck Showalter Manager

 The New York Mets and Steve Cohen would not be denied. 

The Mets have hired Buck Showalter as the franchise's 24th manager, ending a process where he was clearly the favorite to get the job. 

Steve Cohen posted to his twitter at 1:44 p.m. that the Mets have officially named the former Yankees skipper the new boss of the Amazin's. 

Showalter's record speaks for itself. He is a program builder. Every team he has managed has gone on to success, even after he left the building. He build the Yankees in the early 90s. When he left a team that lost the Wild Card game to Seattle in 1995, he left a team that would go on to win the World Series four times over five years from 1996 to 2000. 

He built the Arizona Diamondbacks from the ground up. In 2001, the year after Showalter left, the D-Backs beat the Yankees in the Fall Classic. 

The Rangers also saw their fair share of success under Showalter.  He took the Orioles to the American League Championship Series in 2014. 

Overall, Showalter owns 1,551 career wins as a manager and is a three-time manager of the year. 

With Showalter in tow, look for the Mets to become a trendy pick moving forward in 2022.  

Check out our vlog bleow! 

 

Nets to Bring Back Unvaccinated Kyrie Irving to Help COVID-Riddled Team

 Look up paradox in the dictionary: a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.

Well, the Nets are in the midst of their own paradox. Brookly is welcoming back Kyrie Irving, whom the team distanced itself from at the start of the season because he was unvaccinated. Why? Because the team is decimated by COVID positive cases. 

The NBA and the entire sports and entertainment world has been ravaged by COVID-19 spikes in recent days.  Many games have been postponed. Broadway shows have been canceled. 

As for the Nets, they have won a couple of games despite playing short-handed. They have seven players on the COVID-list. Kevin Durant joined that list on Friday night.

After shortly readmitting Irving to the team, he too was placed on the COVID protocols list. Unbelievably the Nets are still scheduled to play a game in Orlando on Saturday night. 

Welcoming Irving back to the team is a controversial move. 1) You have to hope that the unvaccinated Irving is ok after being placed on the COVID list almost immediately after coming back to the team. 2) What impact will he have? He will have to play in only road games, with the exception of Madison Square Garden and Toronto. 3) Is it a good idea to welcome him back now amid such a crisis in the sport? 

Yes, Iriving is talent. Yes, the Nets could use him on the floor, but at what cost is the question right now.

Shaun O'Hara, Ray Lucas Among NFL Legends To Attend COVID Clinic

 

Giants legend, three-time Pro Bowler, and Super Bowl Champion, Shaun O’Hara will be one of several former NFL players who will be in attendance at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson on Saturday, December 18 to educate, and support those looking to get vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 and its variants.

O’Hara will be joined by former Giants teammates Roman Oben and David Tyree, as well as former Jets Ray Lucas and Dave Szott at the event which will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 11 Getty Avenue in Paterson.

The NFL Alumni Health, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been working across the country to educate fans about the need to get vaccinated.

St. Joseph’s will offer Pfizer BioNTech vaccine to eligible participants ages five and up. No appointment is needed. All former players will be there to greet fans and sign autographs. The event will feature a surprise visit from Santa, a raffle for prizes and NFL Alumni giveaways.

Below is my interview with O'Hara for Fox Sports New Jersey. 

 

Buck Schowalter is a finalist for Mets Managerial Job

 Thank you New York Mets for giving us something to chew on as the Jets and Giants ate getting blown out on another football Sunday. 

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, former Yankees manager Buck Schowalter is a finalist for the Mets vacant managerial job. 

He is one of three. The other two are Astros bench coach Joe Espada, and Rays bench coach matt Quatraro.  Both Espada and Quatraro have also interviewed for the Oakland A's managerial job. 

Schowalter has long been deemed the favorite for the job, with the likes of Terry Collins and Max Scherzer throwing their support behind his candidacy. 

According to Andy Martino of SNY, it is inevitable that the Mets will name Schowalter their 24th manager in franchise history. 

 

Schowalter certainly brings plenty of credibility and gravitas to the position. While he never won a World Series as a manager, each franchise he has been on was set up to succeed. He along with Gene Michael built the Yankees dynasty of the late 90s. He also started the Diamondbacks squad that would beat the Yankees in the World Series in 2001. He later got the Texas Rangers moving in the right direction. They went to back-to-back World Series after he left. 

The Mets desperately needed a change of culture and swift kick in the ass from the managers seat, and Schowalter would certainly provide that if, he is the manager.

Wilson, Jets Display Ugly Performance Against Saints

 SAINTS 30 - JETS 9 

When it comes to teams that are trying to rebuild, the month of December is very important. Yes, playoffs aren't at stake, but playing well, showing progress, and setting the standards for the next season are at stake.

And if Sunday's 30-9 loss to a mostly toothless New Orleans Saints team is any indication, the Jets rebuild is taking on water. 

Sure the Jets have injuries. They were without wide receivers Elijah Moore and Corey Davis, both of whom are on injured reserve, and running backs Tevin Coleman and Michael Carter were out.  But the Saints had injuries too. 

Defensive end Cam Jordan is out with COVID, and the Saints are rolling with Taysum Hill at quarterback. So what is the real excuse? 

Zach Wilson had a bad Sunday. He was 19-of-42 for 202 yards. A lot of it wasn't his fault. Ty Johnson had multiple drops; Keelan Cole had a couple of make-able catches fall in and out of his hands.  But Wilson was also inaccurate. A number of throws were either under-thrown (like a critical screen pass to Braxton Berrios in the second quarter that Wilson grounded into the dirt). 

He also overthrew receivers, and even had a bad intentional grounding penalty when he threw away in total desperation. In short, Wilson looked lost, and clearly took steps backwards from his encouraging efforts against the Eagles a week prior. 

Defensively, the Jets had the same issues. They surrendered 30 or more points for the sixth time in the last eight games. And for the second consecutive game they were beaten by a back-up quarterback. 

While Taysum Hill wasn't as much on point as Gardner Minshew was a week earlier for Philadelphia, he was effective. He moved the football, completing 15-of-21 for 175 yards, and even ran for a 44-yard touchdown at the end of the game. 

The biggest problem for the Jets, predictably, was stopping running back Alvin Kamara. In his first game back from the IR, Kamara had 120 yards on 27 carries with a touchdown. His 16-yard score in the second quarter gave New Orleans a 10-3, all but ending the competitive nature of the game. 

The Jets were never really in this contest, and that has to be most concerning. With four games left in the season, the Jets are running out of time to showcase some form of competency in 2021. If they fail to do so, it will only leave question marks about this latest Jets rebuild going into 2022.

Jets Defense, Special Teams Sink Gang vs. Eagles

EAGLES 33 - JETS 18 

For one week it was not Zach Wilson's fault the Jets lost a game. 

No, the culprit was once again the Jets defense, which couldn't stop Philadelphia Eagles back-up quarterback Gardner Minshew, who was near perfect on the afternoon, ripping up the Jets for 242 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Eagles 33-18 victory. 

The other culprit was Jets kicker Alex Kessman, signed by the Jets this week after Gang Green cut incumbent Matt Amendola. And Kessman stunk it up, missing two extra points that helped put the Jets in a hole they never got out of. 

The shame is, the Jets offense started so well. New York got a 79-yard kick return from Braxton Berrios to open the game, and Zach Wilson proceeded to guide the Jets to goal-line before hitting Elijah Moore for a three-year touchdown to give New York a 6-0 lead. 

Of course the lead was short lived. Minshew needed only six plays to tear apart the Jets porous defense, highlighted by a 36-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert to put Philly up 7-6. 

Give Wilson and the Jets offense credit. They answered the call early and often against the Eagles. Wilson, actually looked competent and comfortable in the pocket. He made solid reads, hit the short passes underneath, and zipped passes to Moore when he was able to find separation. It was easily the best start to a game Wilson has had all year, but of course, that wasn't nearly enough. 

On 11-plays Wilson guided the Jets to the Eagles one-yard line before plunging into the endzone for six to recapture the lead at 12-7. That led to another missed extra point by Kessman. You knew it would come back to bite the Jets and it did. 

The Eagles responded almost immediately, with Minshew again looking unstoppable for Philly. His 25-yard touchdown strike to Goedert gave the Eagles a 14-12 advantage. 

Wilson answered the challenged. He hit Moore for 29-yards to the Eagles 31. Two plays later he lateraled a pass to Jamisen Crowder for 19-yards to the Eagles' six. Three plays later, on fourth and goal, Wilson connected with Ryan Griffin to give the Jets an 18-14 lead. 

Robert Saleh decided to go for two, the Jets failed to convert. 

Needing his defense to making a stop, Saleh spent the rest of the afternoon grimacing in frustration as the Jets were chewed up and spit out by the Eagles. 

Minshew led Philly on a 94-yard scoring drive on eight plays to regain the lead when Ken Gainwell scored from 18-yards out to make it 21-18 with 4:30 to go in the first half. 

Saleh yelled and screamed at the refs all afternoon but to no avail. It didn't change the fact that the Jets gave up 26 first downs, 418 yards of offense, and allowed Minshew to do whatever he felt like. The Eagles held the football for 36 minutes, and at one point had the football for all but 90 seconds in the third quarter. 

 There was even the bewildering terrible plays such as veteran linebacker C.J. Mosely getting totally fooled by the hard count and jumping off-sides. Saleh clearly blamed the refs for not seeing any movement on the Eagles offensive line, but the fact was Mosley's mistake was too obvious not to call. 

It was a nightmarish performance for the Jets. While they got some good play from Wilson, it was no consultation.  The Jets are a bad football team, and bad football teams find ways to lose on a weekly basis.

Giants Offense Again Lifeless Against Red-Hot Dolphins

 DOLPHINS 20 - GIANTS 9 

It was going to be a tough slog for the Giants when word came down Friday that quarterback Daniel Jones was not going to play Sunday at Miami, and the G-Men lived up to those low expectations. 

Mike Glennon was bad. The offense, anemic. The Giants mustered only three field goals in a 20-9 loss to the Dolphins, that drop Big Blue to 4-8, all but eliminating its fleeting playoff hopes. 

Glennon struggled to move the Giants offense. He finished 23-of-44 for 187 yards, and threw an interception. He was lucky it wasn't two or three, or even four interceptions, because the Dolphins had numerous chances at the football as it bounced in and out of the hands of Glennon's intended receivers. 

 And it's not like the Giants didn't have chances. They did. Defensively the Giants did an excellent job containing Tua Tagovailoa and Miami's offense, holding the Fish to 10 points through three quarters. In fact New York was down 10-6 for most of the third quarter, but managed only two yards on 15 plays after converting on a Graham Gano field goal that cut the Fish lead to four points. 

Miami put the game away early in the fourth quarter when Tagovailoa finally got hot. 

He hit Jaylen Waddle for 25-yards to the Giants' 33 on a critical second and seven. Next Tagovailoa hit DeVante Parker for 11 and Albert Wilson for 13 more yards to the Giants' nine-yard line. Three plays later, Tagovailoa hit Isiah Ford down the edge of the end zone for the touchdown to push Miami to a 17-6 lead, and that was pretty much all she would write. 

At 4-8 the Giants are entering an uncertain immediate future. Will Daniel Jones play again this year is one of the biggest questions. And if he doesn't, what does that mean for head coach Joe Judge, who was rumored to be 'safe' amid reports last week that GM David Gettleman would not return in 2022. It feels like the drama is only building around the Giants before the end of the season.

Major League Baseball Lockout Has Begun

 Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association failed to come to terms on any agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, and as expected the League locked out its players at midnight, Thursday, December 2.

It marks the first lockout in Major League Baseball since 1990, and first work stoppage since the player strike canceled the remainder of the 1994 season, and delayed the start of the '95 season.  That work stoppage lasted 232 days. The longest work stoppage of the four major sports in the United States is the NHL, 310 days, which whipped out the entire 2004-05 season.

Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a prepared statement:

"It was the owners' choice, plain and simple, specifically calculated to pressure Players into relinquishing rights and benefits, and abandoning good faith bargaining proposals that will benefit not Just Players, but the game and industry as a whole," the MLBPA said in its statement. "These tactics are not new. We have been here before, and Players have risen to the occasion time and again -- guided by a solidarity that has been forged over generations. We will do so again here.

"We remain determined to return to the field under the terms of a negotiated collective bargaining agreement that is fair to all parties, and provides fans with the best version of the game we all love."

In response the players union posted a statement to Twitter saying, "This shutdown is a dramatic measure, regardless oft timing. It is not required by law or any other reason. It was the owner's choice, plain and simple, specifically calculated to pressure players into relinquishing rights and benefits, and abandoning good faith bargaining proposals that will benefit not just players, but the game and industry as a whole."

Typically lockouts are met with panic from players to owners and fans. So far that panic hasn't hit a fever pitch, yet. It will increase the longer the work stoppage is in place.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan: "The next 90 or so days, sources said, will serve as a more realistic runway for a deal than the lead-up to the expiration of the agreement that covered the 2017 through 2021 seasons. The three previous lockouts did not result in any regular-season games missed, and if the league and union want the same to be the case in 2022, the latest they can strike a deal is early March."

Both sides have been stuck on increased revenue for players, changes in the dynamics of free agency, and expansion to postseason play to name a few.

"We hope that the lockout will jumpstart the negotiations and get us to an agreement that will allow the season to start on time," Manfred said in his statement. "This defensive lockout was necessary because the Players Association's vision for Major League Baseball would threaten the ability of most teams to be competitive. It's simply not a viable option. From the beginning, the MLBPA has been unwilling to move from their starting position, compromise, or collaborate on solutions."

Before the lockout, teams were busy singing players to mega contracts. The Mets were busy signing a quartet of players including Max Scherzer (three-years, $130 million) and Starling Marte (four-years, $78 million). The Yankees were unusually quiet leading into the lockout. Many thought they would be in the market for a shortstop, however free agent Corey Seager signed a 10-year, $325 million deal with Texas, and Javier Baez inked a six-year, $140 million deal in Detroit.

Notable free agents like Carlos Correa and Kris Bryant did not sign contracts with any team, and cannot sign anywhere until the labor freeze is settled.

Max and the Mets! Scherzer Officially Becomes a Member of the Amazin's

 Hours before Major League Baseball imposed a lockout of the players, the New York Mets officially introduced Max Scherzer to the New York media. 

The former Cy Young Award winner, who owned the Mets when he was the ace of the Washington Nationals, won a World Series in DC two years ago, and was undefeated with the Dodgers in the second half of last season, will join Jacob deGrom to form a formidable 1-2 punch. 

Scherzer signed a three-year $130 million deal, that will pay him $43.3 million annually, a new record for any individual player. 

Scherzer said his family, which lives close by the Mets spring training home in Port St. Lucie, and owner Steve Cohen's desire to win played a large role in Scherzer's decision to come to New York. 

Check out our reaction below to the mega signing! 

Zach Wilson Struggles as Jets Defense Carries Gang to Win

 JETS 21 - TEXANS 14 

Zach Wilson looked every bit of a quarterback who hadn't played in a game in more than a month. The number two overall pick in last spring's draft struggled for Gang Green, his first game back since suffering a PCL sprain in his right knee, as the Jets won inspite of his struggles, 21-14 over the equally putrid Houston Texans. 

Wilson really struggled with his accuracy, and was late on a number of throws There were moments where he would miss receivers like Elijah Moore, who were wide open on a couple of reads. He was sacked four times, and took a number of hits when throwing the ball away would have been a better option. There was even a point he appeared to aggravate his knee injury on a rollout in the third quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Wilson tossed a interception on an inexplicable throw when he started to run with the football before trying to dump it off at the last second to Ty Johnson who wasn't looking. The ball bounced off Johnson and into the hands Tavierre Thomas. 

The Texans quickly turned the gaff into points when Brevin Jordan caught a 13-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor to give the Texans a 7-3 lead.  

It looked like the Jets were well on their way to getting blown out of Houston when the Texans quickly tacked onto their lead on a beautiful 40-yard throw by Taylor to Brandin Cooks in the end zone to give Houston a 14-3 advantage. 

With Wilson struggling in the pocket, the Jets simplified the offense, focusing more on the ground game just before the half. Granted the Jets got a huge break when the Texans were flagged for roughing the passer that spotted the ball at the 50, the story of this drive was little known running back Austin Walter carried the ball three times for 16-yards including a two-yard touchdown that cut the Texans lead to 14-9. 

Back-up quarterback Josh Johnson came in and scored the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to three points, 14-11. 

Wilson's best drive of the day came in the opening minutes of the third quarter. 

He hit Elijah Moore for 22-yards to midfield on second and seven. Two plays later, Wilson connected with Moore again for 16-yards to the Texans' 44. 

Once inside Houston territory, Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur called a heavy dose of running plays, mixing and matching with Tevin Coleman, Ty Johnson and Walter.  Fortunately for the Jets consecutive penalties on Houston, one for using a Jets lineman as leverage on a field goal attempt, and the other for off-sides gave Gang Green new life with a new set of downs at the four yard line. Wilson rolled to his right and plunged into the end zone for the touchdown to give the Jets an 18-14 lead. 

The real MVP of this game had to be the Jets defense. Much maligned for their poor play all season, the unit stood up and pushed around the 32nd ranked Houston offense. 

John Franklin-Meyers had his best game as a Jet, recording two sacks, and picking off a Tyrod Taylor pass that helped set up the Jets first field goal in the opening quarter. 

Quinnen and Quincy Williams, as well as Ronald Blair all recorded sacks on the afternoon for the Jets. 

The Jets held Houston to 13 first downs and only 202 yards of offense. It was a dominant performance. 

At 3-8 the Jets host the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday from MetLife. The Jets have never, in their history, defeated the Eagles in the regular season. 

Giants Win Ugly as Hurts "Hurts" Eagles Chances

 GIANTS 13 - EAGLES 7 

If the Giants can be thankful for one thing this holiday weekend, it was the fact Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts picked the right time to have statistically, the worst game of his young career. 

Hurts tossed three interceptions, and was close on a couple of occasions on Philadelphia's final possession to tossing a forth. 

Overall the four Eagles' turnovers helped the Giants come away with an ugly 13-7 victory to improve to 4-7 on the season.

What really killed Philly was the fact that two of Hurts' interceptions happened deep in Giants territory. With Big Blue up 3-0, Hurts drove the Eagles deep in to Giants territory at the 25 yard line, before heaving up a ball that wound up right in the hands of Darnay Holmes for the interception. 

Later in the first half, it looked like the Eagles were on their way to scoring a touchdown to take a lead, or at the very least, kicking a field goal to tie it, but on third and goal, Hurts' pass floated and was picked off by Tae Crowder in tight coverage to protect a fragile 3-0 Giants lead. 

On the flip side, the Giants offense was again anemic. A week after the team dismissed Jason Garrett as offensive coordinator, Daniel Jones again struggled, completing 19-of-30 for 202 yards, while Saquon Barkley was once again a non factor on the ground, rushing for 40-yards on 13-carries. 

The only good thing to happen for the Giants offensively was a unique touchdown grab by tight end Chris Myarick, who caught Jones' pass with his legs to give the G-men a 10-0 lead. 

Fast forward to the fourth quarter and the Eagles had two more chances slip through their fingers. The first came with 1:39 to go in the game when running back Boston Scott fumbled to football back to New York with the Giants up 13-7. The second came when Hurts was unable to complete a pass at the goal line to Jalen Reagor, who let the ball slip through his hands. 

While the win is nice for the Giants, since it hurts the playoff chances of a division rival, it doesn't serve as comfort for an offense that once again couldn't build on anything in game. 

Meanwhile, General Manager David Gettleman might be on his way out the door. Rumors Sunday morning are that Gettleman is unlikely to return in 2022.

 

New York Mets Sign Marte, Canha and Escobar in Black Friday Explosion

Apparently angry Steve Cohen is a productive Steve Cohen. 

Two days after his explosion on Twitter directed at Steve Matz' agent, the billionaire owner and the New York Mets ponied up big cash for a couple of former Oakland A's and a Milwukee Brewer by signing Sterling Marte, Matt Canha and Eduardo Escobar to contracts. 

The moves are the first big moves made by the Mets since the naming of Billy Eppler as General Manager. In an off-season that has been dominated by negative headlines, the trio of signings is the first positive news to come to the Mets this winter. 

In Marte the Mets get a center fielder they desperately needed, and it gives them added flexibility with their outfield. Potentially Brandon Nimmo could move to left or right field, and it makes Dom Smith totally expendable via trade. 

Marte and the Mets agreed to a four-year, $78 million deal, to bring both his glove and his live bat to Citi Field.  Marte had a .310/.348/.458 slash line with 12 homers and 47stolen bases last season in split time with the Oakland A's and Miami Marlins. 

The only knock on Marte is his age. He is 33-years old and will be 37 by the end of the deal. The Mets are bringing in Marte for three reasons: 1) His defense. Last season Marte had a .990 fielding percentage in center, and has 50 career assists in the outfield. 2) Speed on the bases. Marte swiped 47 bags last season, and is four steals away from 300 for his career. 3) Hits for average. Marte is a lifetime .289 hitter. 

Meanwhile, Marte's Oakland teammate Matt Canha comes along, having signed a two-year, $26.5 million deal with an option for a third year. The 32-year old can play multiple positions both on the infield and outfield, meaning that Jeff McNeil's days are likely numbered in New York. 

Canha has some pop. He hit 26 home runs in 2019 with the A's; 17 home runs last season. Not a great average hitter, he is a lifetime .244 hitter. But the Mets are probably asking him to take a role similar to Kevin Pillar and Jonathan Villar next season. 

Finally, the Mets signed Eduardo Escobar to a two-year, $20 million to be a utility infielder. That means he too will likely replace Villar and Pillar in the infield. He could also subplant JD Davis, should the Mets move on from him. 

Escobar was an All Star last season, hitting .253 with 28 homers and 90 RBI in split time with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers. Escobar is said to be a great clubhouse guy. Just ask Mets starter Taijuan Walker, who praised the deal on Twitter: 

“I couldn’t be more excited to have my boy Escobar with us,” tweeted Mets pitcher Taijuan Walker, who played alongside Escobar in 2019 in Arizona. “Hands down one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. Mets fans are going to love him!”

The moves do not prevent the Mets from  re-signing Javier Baez, should they choose to do so. Baez is rumored to be drawing interest from the Tigers and Red Sox. Even if the Mets lose Baez in free agency, they have enough options for second base unless they want to dip their toe in the Carlos Correa sweepstakes. 

 

Zach Wilson to Return to Starting Lineup on Sunday

 Guess whose back Jets fans? 

That's right, Zach Wilson is set to make his return to the starting lineup on Sunday when the Jets visit the 2-8 Houston Texans. 

In addition, ESPN's Rich Cimini reported Tuesday that Mike White and Joe Flacco have both been placed on the COVID-19 list, with White having tested positive, and Flacco, who admitted to be unvaccinated, was in close contact. 

That means Josh Johnson will back-up Wilson. 

It has been a bizarre season for the Jets in the quarterback room. 

The Jets entered the season with all intentions of Wilson starting every game this year, taking his lumps as a rookie as he gets accustomed to the game. However, he not only struggled, he REALLY struggled. Nine interceptions in six games, before suffering a strained PCL in his right kneed that sidelined him for four weeks. 

Mike White came in and was amazing in his starting debut against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was so good that his jersey was sent to the Hall of Fame, and there was serious question as to whether the Jets had a quarterback controversy. 

Then White got hurt against Indianapolis. Then, White played poorly against the Buffalo Bills. Robert Saleh blamed the fans and media for throwing White to the curb, only to do exactly that when he started Flacco last week against Miami. Despite a huge touchdown pass to Elijah Moore, Flacco was fairly ineffective agianst Miami. 

Now, Wilson is back. 

Not surprising the Jets went this route. They didn't want White to start against Miami, risk seeing him light up the Dolphins only to find themselves in another quarterback debate with Wilson about to come off the injury list. Plus, they had to justify (in their minds) trading a sixth-round pick for Flacco a few weeks ago. 

So after a lackluster effort against Miami,  it made it easier to go back to Wilson. 

Wilson has a lot of work to do. He has not looked good. His QBR is 27.0, which ranks 31st out of 33 quarterbacks in the NFL.  These final seven games are going to be critical in his development if he is indeed worthy of being a Number 2 overall selection. 

In short, the Jets need to see what Wilson can do. They need to see if sitting for the past four weeks has helped clear his mind, maybe he picked something up having to watch both White and Flacco play over the last month. 

We'll see. The Jets are in the underbelly the schedule with the Texans, Eagles, Saints, Dolphins, and Jaguars all coming up.

Giants Fire OC Garrett After Monday Night Debacle in Tampa

 It didn't take long for the New York Giants to take swift action following their 30-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. 

Not even a full day after head coach Joe Judge threw the Giants coaching staff, especially Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett under the bus, during his post game press conference, Garrett was out as Offensive Coordinator. 

Former Browns Head Coach Freddie Kitchens, who has been on the Giants staff this year as an assistant, now becomes interim Offensive Coordinator for a unit that ranks 25th in the NFL in total offense, averaging 18.5 points per game.

"You guys can write that tonight. Players have to execute. That is their job, right? It is our job to teach them. It's their job to go out and execute," Judge said last night.

"But we've got to make sure we put them in position to have success. That has to be consistent, by the way. So, you can go ahead and write that down. I'm not going to debate that."

This coming off of a performance where quarterback Daniel Jones looked mightily indecisive with the football. He was making throws off his back foot, sometimes without any merit. He was picked off twice; one of the interceptions when into the hands of Steve McClendon, a defensive lineman.   

While it is easy to blame Garrett, and certainly his play-calling wasn't good, one has to wonder if the real culprit is indeed with Jones, himself. 

Jones has only nine touchdown passes to seven interceptions this year. He is on pace to set a career high in picks come season's end, and he hasn't displayed enough in year three that he is deserving of a long term commitment. 

He is making the same mistakes this year as he did in his rookie year. In short, Jones is proving that he isn't a franchise quarterback. He is a nice player. He is better than Sam Darnold was in this town, but that isn't saying much. 

 Now does Jones' development, or lack thereof, fall squarely on Jason Garrett? Some of it does. But the rest has to fall on the head coach, Joe Judge, the General Manager who drafted Jones, David Gettleman, and Jones himself. 

But by firing Garrett, what Judge, and in some respects, Gettleman are doing is trying to find a fall guy.  Garrett was exactly that. 

The facts are the Giants have to clean house. 

Gettleman has been the one steering the ship for years, and for years he has steered into an iceberg. Who drafts a running back with the number two overall pick in a NFL draft? Gettleman does. And Saquon Barkley has repaid the Giants with both inconsistent play and injury. He is due for an extension this year too. 

If Gettleman goes, Judge would almost certainly have to follow.  If John Mara and Steve Tisch don't do that, then they are doomed to copy the same incompetent gameplan the Jets have been following for years.

Saleh Decision to Start Flacco Comes Up Snake-eyes in Loss to Fish

 DOLPHINS 24 - JETS 17

Last week Robert Saleh decided that Joe Flacco gave the Jets a better "chance to win" than Mike White, based on White's struggles in a 45-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills. 

On Sunday, it was painfully obvious it didn't matter who started for Gang Green. Flacco was just 'ok. But he was not spectacular. Aside from the busted coverage on Elijah Moore when the nickle corner fell to the ground, allowing Flacco to hit Moore in stride for a 62-yard touchdown, there wasn't much to write home about for the former Ravens quarterback. 

While Flacco didn't throw a pick, he was hit over a dozen times, and was even strip-sacked at the Dolphins five-yard line when it had appeared New York was about go in for the go-ahead touchdown. 

In short, there was nothing that Flacco did Sunday that Mike White couldn't have done. 

Meanwhile it was another rough day for the Jets defense. Miami marched down the field on their opening drive, and plugged it into the end zone on a Jaylen Waddle touchdown to make it 7-0. Tua Tagovailoa picked apart Gang Green's secondary on the drive completing six-of-seven passes for 81 yards.  

While New York stiffened for the remainder of the first half, they reverted back to the porous ways on the opening drive of the third quarter when Miami glided down field for a touchdown on just four plays, thanks to Tagovailoa's  65-yard strike to Mack Hollins for a touchdown. 

After the Jets tied it on the Elijah Moore 62-yard touchdown reception, Miami answered on a time consuming, 14-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a five-yard run by Myles Gaskin to make it 21-14.

Miami dominated time of possession, holding the football for nearly 34 minutes, and rolled up 388 yards of offense on the Jets. 

Flacco, for his part, completed 24 of 39 for 291 yards and two touchdowns, but he wasn't the difference maker that Saleh tried to paint during the week. 

At 2-8, the Jets now possess the worst record in the AFC. They head to Houston to face a Texans team coming off a huge road win a Tennessee. Will Zach Wilson be back under center? It seems likely. The real reason the Jets started Flacco had more to do with ending the Mike White vs. Zach Wilson debate. Had White played, and played well, Saleh would have had to deal with the quarterback controversy. Now he can just hand the job back to Wilson if he is ready. 

 

 

 

Mets Makes Ex-Angels GM Billy Eppler Their New General Manager

Billy Eppler, good luck. 

You're gonna need it.

After seven weeks of constant rejection and utter embarrassment,  Steve Cohen, Sandy Alderson and the Mets are trying to wipe away the proverbial egg off their faces by handing their unwanted General Manager's job to former LA Angels GM Billy Eppler. 

Eppler, who is best known for building teams that didn't win in Anaheim for five seasons, was offered the Mets general manager's job according to numerous sources. According to Jon Heyman and Jeff Passon, Eppler is taking the job.

His naming as GM ends what has been a ridiculous, exhaustive search for a front office executive. 

The Mets opened this search looking for a President of Baseball Operations, and failed to lure any candidates. 

Billy Beane said 'no.' 

Theo Epstein said 'no.' 

David Stearns wasn't allowed out of his contract. 

Matt Arnold wasn't allowed out of his deal either. 

The Mets then tried to change course, again, forgoing finding a President of Baseball Operations for the second straight off-season, instead settling for a General Manager. The results were the same. 

Boston Red Sox executive Raquel Ferriria told them no. 

San Francisco GM Scott Harris said, 'Thanks, but no thanks." 

Michael Girsch of the St. Louis Cardinals shook his head nah. 

Jean Afterman, a Yankees executive, declined to interview. 

On top of that Sandy Alderson put forth a stupid statement in the last week, blaming New York City for being too much of a burden on candidates. Yeah, someone like Theo Epstein, who won in Boston and Chicago was scared of New York City. Nice try Sandy. 

The fact is nobody wanted this job for many reasons. And one of the last of them had anything to do with New York. 

There is a perception that Alderson is going to have a say in baseball operations, even if he claims over and over again that he wants to focus on the "business" side of things. Alderson's own son is a front office executive too, which probably didn't sit well with candidates.

Then, you have an owner in Steve Cohen, who despite his deep pockets, is a virtual novice, and an owner who has a proclivity to be a distraction by picking fights with the press and fans on Twitter. 

Not to mention one of the most divisive politicians in the country, former New Jersey Governor and gasbag, Chris Christie, is on his Board of Directors.

Oh, and let us not forget the Mets have a 10-year $341 million commitment on a shortstop, Francisco Lindor, who was putrid in his first year in New York. 

They are committed for $48 million over the next two years to steroid user Robinson Cano. 

There are legit questions about Jacob deGrom's health and future as ace of the pitching staff after the Mets tried to hide an elbow injury from public knowledge last season. 

There is no minor league depth to speak of. 

The Mets are also coming off an inaugural year of the Cohen regime where two executives were fired. One, Jared Porter was dismissed after a month for sexual harassment allegations. The other, Zach Scott, was canned just recently after a DUI from late August.

Let's be fair, the Mets are not a great situation to be in for anyone. 

So at the end of the day, and after nearly 20 candidates, the Mets search came down to a lawyer in Adam Cromie, and a former baseball executive - turned agent in Eppler. 

Cromie was out of baseball for over four years, but the Mets were high on him --- or at least they were reported to be high on him --- until they weren't. 

Instead they go with Eppler as GM. Eppler certainly has experience. He worked with the Yankees for nine years under Brian Cashman. He was the Director of Professional Scouting in 2005, and became the Assistant to the GM in 2011. 

Cashman loves the guy, saying in the New York Post, "Anybody who knows me knows my relationship with him. I was lucky to have him working with us. He guided us greatly. I know how good Billy really is. … His name should pop into anything that pops up. He’s that talented.”

That's a solid endorsement. 

However Eppler's time with the LA Angels was not as plentiful. Here is a guy who had Mike Trout, one of the best players in the sport, and in five years as GM, he couldn't build a playoff team around him. A lot of the blame might be pinned to meddling owner Artie Moreno, but Eppler went out and signed guys like Justin Upton and Anthony Rendon who failed to produce. 

The one guy he did sign that became a star was Shohei Ohtani. However even with all the star power the Angels possessed, they never made the playoffs, and never won more than 80 games in a season. 

As a result, Eppler was fired in 2020.

In September Eppler was just hired by the sports agency WME as a co-leader of its new baseball representative business. Two months later he is the Mets General Manager.  

The Mets will say all the right things. They'll claim that Eppler was on their radar for a long time, that he was a top candidate. The facts are otherwise. The Mets had to give the job to someone. Someone had to eventually want to take it.

And then there is the David Stearns rumors that hoover over all of this. 

While the Milwaukee Brewers prevented the Mets from interviewing Stearns for President of Baseball Ops, there is a sense that should he leave at the end of 2022, he could be on the Mets radar again next off-season. If that is the case, what does that mean for Eppler? Is he in a one-and-done scenario? Will he be forced down the throat of whomever Cohen/Alderson select to be the President of Baseball Ops come 2023? 

It's a very bizarre story that hangs over all of this, and its all of the Mets own creation. 

Oh, and the first order of business for Eppler is to work with Alderson in finding a manager, and begin signing free agents. 

Good luck Billy, you'll need it.

Listless Jets Crushed by Buffalo Stampede

 BILLS 45 - JETS 17 

So much for the Mike White momentum. 

Any debate about who would likely be the Jets starting quarterback moving forward was put to bed after White tossed four interceptions, and looked totally uncomfortable against the Buffalo Bills. 

It wasn't all that surprising. The Bills are one of the best teams in the AFC; they have one of the NFL's top defenses. The Bills did an outstanding job taking away the middle of the field, and their zone coverage was impeccable. The dared White to go down field, and it didn't work. 

On the flip side, the Jets defense, once again, couldn't get a stop. Josh Allen tore the Jets porous secondary for 366 yards and two touchdowns, while Stefon Diggs, eight receptions, 162 yards, and Gabriel Davis, three receptions, 105 yards, ate up the yardage through the air. 

New York gave up 489 yards of offense and 26 first downs. Buffalo was 4-of-7 on third down, and they did all of this on just 54 plays. That is how dominant the Bills were.  It took Buffalo only five plays to score the first touchdown of the day, a Matt Breida 15-yard reception from Josh Allen, to set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. 

Come the second half, Buffalo all but put the game away within the first five minutes of the third quarter. Allen guided Buffalo on a 75-yard opening touchdown drive on just five plays.  Diggs had a 23-yard reception on the first play of the third quarter. A few plays later Emmanuel Sanders hauled in a 24-yard pass. 

A play later, Isaiah McKenzie was in the end zone to make it 24-3 Buffalo. 

 

Minutes later, White tossed a pick on the Jets first play of the second half. Two plays later, Buffalo was back in the end zone.  First Allen hit Davis for 49-yards to the Jets' 15-yard line. Then Breida plowed through the Jets defense like a knife through butter to blow it open at 31-3. 

Over the last four games, the Jets defense has given up on average 43 points per game. It doesn't matter who is under center if you can't stop the other team. That has been a huge issue for the Jets, especially of late. 

As far as the quarterback is concerned. Expect the Jets to go back to Zach Wilson next week if his knee is healthy. If not, White would probably get the nod over Joe Flacco. But chances are the Jets coaches are going to do everything they can this week to get the second overall pick back on the field.

Mets Pursuit of President of Baseball Ops and GM Prove They Have No Clue

 The New York Mets never ending pursuit of a President of Baseball Operations and a General Manager, and dare I say, even a manager -- that's important too -- is hitting ridiculous levels that only a team like the Mets could top. 

First the Mets were rejected by just about every candidate they had on the list. Either candidates like Theo Epstein or Billy Beane weren't interested, or as in the case of David Stearns and Matt Arnold, were told to stay away by teams like the Milwaukee Brewers. 

Now the Mets, in an attempt to save face, are scrapping the bottom of the barrel. If reports and rumors are true, the Mets are poised to name little known former National Assistant GM Adam Cromie as their new General Manager. 

What do we know about Cromie? 

Welp, we know that he has been an attorney at Jones Day out of Pittsburgh for the past four-plus years. He is well educated with degrees at U Mass-Amherst and Georgetown. The later where he got his law degree. 

He also spent 10 years in Washington Nationals organization. Other than that Cromie is a virtual unknown. 

At the same time, reports came out on Thursday indicating the Mets still have a fascination for Brewers President of Baseball Ops, David Stearns. And even though they were firmly told to stay away from Stearns by Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, the Mets would essentially punt on this season in hopes that Stearns would come to the Mets anyway next off-season because: 

1) He is a "free agent," if and only IF he or the Brewers don't exercise his vesting option for 2023. 

2) He is a native New Yorker. 

3) He grew up a Mets fan. 

How cute. 

If this is the Mets logic, they have lost already.  Does anyone really believe that Stearns would just willfully take the job because IT'S the Mets? 

There are 29 other teams out there. And who is to say, that a better job won't be open this time next year.  What if the Yankees move on from Brian Cashman? You think Stearns would turn down the Yankees for the Mets?

Plus, if the Mets hire Cromie now as their General Manager, and the front office is basically Sandy Alderson, his son, and Cromie, and the 2022 season is an abject disaster, why on God's green earth would Stearns even consider the Mets? 

Plus he's already got a good deal in Milwaukee. He runs a team that is a perennial playoff contender, in a division that is so bad, that the only competition for the Brewers in 2022 and beyond is the Reds, and maybe, if they get their act together, the Cardinals. 

That's it!

The Mets aren't even the third best team in the NL East! They are a team in total disrepair. 

 In addition, were Stearns to come aboard for 2023, why would he want someone like Cromie around? The New York Post reported Thursday that the two of them know each other "only a little." 

Would Stearns really want to be told by Steve Cohen and Sandy Alderson that he has to keep Cromie and whomever the manager is around for another season? That would be a total waste of everyone's time. 

Aside from the front office fumbling, the Mets have an overpaid short stop heading into the first year of a 10-year deal.

 They have no starting rotation to speak of. 

Their ace, Jacob deGrom, may never be the same pitcher ever again when he returns from his mysterious elbow injury next Spring.

They are due to pay $48 million to Robinson Cano over the next two years. 

They are starring down the barrel of paying Javier Baez $200 million-plus to play second base just to make Francisco Lindor happy.  

Their minor league system is a mess. 

This is not a good situation. And who is to say it will be any better a year from now? A year from now, the Mets may just begin to realize they need to tear it down and rebuild. 

The Mets are banking a lot on faith that Stearns will come here in 2023. As we have seen in other sports, that bet is a bad one. Just ask the Knicks who gave up season after season in hopes that LeBron James would come to New York to save them. He never came here, except as a visitor with the Heat, Cavs and Lakers.  

If the Mets were smart, they would have taken this search for a top baseball executive a little more seriously. 

Mike White to Start Sunday for Jets

 Mike White will get another opportunity to prove himself under center for the New York Jets. 

White will start for Jets in their Week 10 match-up against the Buffalo Bills, rather than Zach Wilson, who is still bothered by a knee injury according to Head Coach Robert Saleh. 

 

Saleh also declined to say whether Wilson would assume the starting quarterback role when he is fully healthy, again, reiterating that his decision on who will be the starter at quarterback long term is a week-by-week proposition. 

The White vs. Wilson debate is a very interesting one for Gang Green. 

Should Mike White once again perform well, even if the Jets should lose to the Bills on Sunday, it raises questions as to whether Wilson should get the start again this season. 

Why? 

Very simple. Both White and Josh Johnson showed more in leading this offense than Wilson has in five starts. The rookie has looked overwhelmed. 

Even Saleh acknowledged as much when he stated that White was "a quarterback who is giving you a clear blueprint on how this offense is supposed to run."

That is a huge knock against Wilson. With Zach Wilson under center, the Jets offense has been either inconsistent or stagnate.  The running game has accomplished little, and playmakers like Elijah Moore have been invisible with Wilson at quarterback. 

For weeks offensive coordinator Mike LaFluer was shouldering the blame for the lackluster offense. However after the past two weeks, it is clear that Wilson's deficiencies are to blame as well. 

That said, Wilson was the number two pick in the draft. The Jets are heavily invested in him. Chances are GM Joe Douglas and owners Woody and Christopher Johnson are going to push Saleh to play Wilson again soon. 

However, what kind of dynamic will that create?

Let's just say for example that Mike White plays well, or even lights it up against Buffalo. How do you take him out? Worst of all, what if the Jets start Zach Wilson next week against Miami and he struggles? The fans are going to eat him alive. 

This is very tricky situation the Jets find themselves in. Wilson was supposed to be the future of this franchise, but the superb play of White is making that decision a difficult one. 

If you are a Zach Wilson backer, seeing White struggle vs. Buffalo would be to the benefit of Wilson. 

If you are a Jets fan who just wants to win games, you want to see White once again dazzle and lead this offense. His story is a good one. A rags-to-riches, Kurt Warner-esqe-kind of story. It would be amazing if White is something more than a back-up. 

It's the situation that Saleh and his staff find themselves in. And it will be fascinating to see it play out.