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. 

Could Ex-Met Skipper Luis Rojas Join the Yankees Coaching Staff

 Former Mets manager Luis Rojas may have a job before the Mets ever find his replacement. 

While Steve Cohen and Sandy Alderson continue to get rejected by just about everyone around Major League Baseball for the President of Baseball Operations job and General Manager's job, their ex-manager might find a home eight miles away in the Bronx. 

According to the New York Post and Joel Sherman, Rojas is "very likely" to become the Yankees third base coach, replacing Phil Nevin, who was fired last month. 

Rojas was offered a chance to stay with the Mets in a reduced role, but opted instead to seek employment elsewhere. He was a candidate for the San Diego Padres managerial job before it went to veteran Bob Melvin. 

 Even with a record of 103-119, and a team that collapsed under his watch in the final two months of the 2021 season, Rojas is well respected in the industry, according to Sherman. 

That really shouldn't come as a surprise. While he seemed overwhelmed as a manager at times, Rojas was detailed, organized and had a strong presence about him. 

Should he become the Yankees third base coach, he will likely become an instant upgrade, and will be a coach that the Yankees' players will enjoy playing for. His managerial experience also can't hurt to go along with manager Aaron Boone.

Giants Muscle Their Way Past Raiders, Head into Bye with Victory

GIANTS 23 - RAIDERS 16 

It was certainly ugly, but for the New York Giants, in a year that has been anything but beautiful, they'll settle for ugly -- especially in the win column. 

In what was basically a field goal fest, as both teams combined for a grand total of six field goals, the Giants outlasted the Las Vegas Raiders 23-16 at MetLife Stadium to send themselves into the Bye Week at 3-6. 

Major credit is to due to the Giants defense, which came up big Sunday forcing three turnovers, none bigger than the pick-six by Xavier McKinney to open the second half that gave the Giants a 17-13 lead. 

The pick was one of two by McKinney, who picked off another Derek Carr pass at midfield with 5:12 to go with the Giants already leading 20-16. The turnover helped set up Graham Gano's third field goal of the day to make it 23-16.

Still the game came down to one final stand by the Giants defense. Las Vegas moved the football into Giants territory thanks a 19-yard pass to Darren Waller and a 17-yard completion to Kenyan Drake. Soon Vegas had a 1st and 10 at the Giants' 13-yard line. 

The game looked destined for overtime until Quincy Roche worked his way around left tackle, and stripped Carr of the football. Ex-Jet Leonard Williams fell on the football, icing it for Big Blue. 

The Giants lone offensive touchdown came on their first series of the game, when Daniel Jones hit Evan Engram from 30-yards out for a touchdown to cap off a 75-yard drive to make it 7-0. 

The Raiders quickly answered that score on a 10-play, 73-yard drive, capped off by a Carr touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow. 

Jones finished with a quiet day, 15-of-20 for 110 yards and a touchdown for the Giants. 

Devontae Booker had a nice day on the ground for the Giants, rushing for 99-yards on 21-carries as Saquon Barkley missed his fourth consecutive game. Barkley has been dealing with an ankle injury and a false COVID-19 positive test. 

Jets' White Injured as Colts Slap Jets 45-30

 COLTS 45 - JETS 30 

Just when you think the Jets could be turning the corner, or that they may have stumbled into something special with quarterback Mike White, reality hits you fast. We should have known better.

White played well once again for New York, leading the Jets to a game-tying touchdown drive in the first quarter on a beautiful 19-yard dime to wide receiver Elijah Moore.

 However once FOX returned from commercial, White was seen on the sideline flexing his right hand and forearm in the hands of team doctors. As Joe Buck said, it didn’t look good.

 White never returned to the game with what was diagnosed as a forearm injury, although reports after the game indicated that his arm was feeling better by the fourth quarter. However the game was well out of reach by that point. The Jets believe that he could be ready to play next weekend when the Jets host the Buffalo Bills, but the question is will the Jets play him?

Zach Wilson is expected to practice next week, and is eligible to return for the November 14 game. This creates a huge question for Robert Saleh and his crew. Do they stick with White, who has shown enough to warrant remaining the Jets starter? Or, do they use this as a launch point to go back to Wilson, the number 2 pick in the NFL Draft?

As for this game against Indy, once White left the game, it was like someone took all of the air out of a balloon. The Jets couldn’t do anything offensively until the game was well out of reach.

Defensively, it was another horror show. The Jets gave up 532 yards to Indianapolis, including 260 yards on the ground. Jonathan Taylor was an unstoppable force for Indy, rushing for 172 yards and two scores on 19 carries.  The Colts scored 42 points after three quarters and led 42-10 midway through that third quarter.

Yes, the Jets wound up scoring 30 points, and third string quarterback Josh Johnson threw three touchdowns, but all of that came in garbage time with the game all but over. 

t was the third straight game the Jets defense has been carved up. They gave up 54 points to the Patriots two weeks ago, 31 points last week to Cincinnati and 45 to a Colts team that has struggled at times this season.

It doesn’t help matters for the Jets that safety Marcus Maye left the game with a calf injury.

In short it was the kind of night that was (as many have said in the past) same old Jets.

Giants' Saquon Barkley Among G-Men Testing Positive for COVID

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley might be sidelined again this week, but it might not just be for an ankle injury.

Barkley was one of 13 Giants who tested posted for COVID-19. Other notable members of the team include safety Xavier McKinney and offensive lineman Matt Skura. Barkley and McKinney were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The good news is that both Barkley and Skura are vaccinated, meaning that they will need to test negative twice within the next 24 hours to be eligible to play.

The Giants have been without Barkley since a Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys when the star running back left game with an ankle injury after his leg was stepped on.

The Giants host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. It’s been two very difficult years for Barkely, who hasn’t seen the field much. In 2020 he missed the entire season with a knee injury he suffered in a Week 2 loss to the Chicago Bears. This year he’s played in only five games.

Barkley hasn’t played a complete season since his rookie year of 2018 when he ran for over 1300 yards. He has only 224 yards rushing in the last two seasons combined.

Barkley is the second high profile player to get COVID this week. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers contracted COVID and will not play this week against the Kansas City Chiefs. In fact there is an investigation being conducted by the League as to whether Rodgers and the Packers violated any rules regarding COVID protocols.