Jets and Giants cut down to 53 man rosters

 Cut down day has come and gone in the NFL, and teams have completed their 53 man rosters as Opening Day sits just 12 days away.  But who's counting? 

For the Jets, they will roll with only Zach Wilson behind Aaron Rodgers to open the season. They released third stringer Tim Boyle. Of course that does not mean they won't try to sign him to the 16-man practice squad, so stay tuned there. 

Gang Green will carry four running backs: Dalvin Cook, Breece Hall, Michael Carter, and Isreal Abinakanda. Bam Knight was released. 

At wide receiver, the Jets will hold onto Jason Brownlee, Xavier Gipson and Irvin Charles to join the veterans Allen Lazard, Garret Wilson, Randal Cobb, and Mecole Hardman. Tight end is also set with C.J. Uzomah, Tyler Conklin, Jeremy Ruckert and Kenny Yeboah. Rookie Zach Kuntz did not make the team. 

See the full 53 here! 

 

Meanwhile up I-80 toward East Rutherford, the Giants filled out their 53 man roster. They too will carry only two quarterbacks: Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor. Despite an impressive preseason Tommy DeVito did not make the team as a third quarterback. 

The G-Men will feature four backs in total, with Matt Breida the first back behind starter Saquon Barkley. 

The Giants are loaded at defensive back with 11 DB's on the squad. 

Meanwhile it will be interesting to see who stands out at wide receiver this year. We know Isiah Hodgins is the number 1 reciever, and Darren Waller at tight end will essentially be the deep threat down the middle. But who will stand out and step up among the group of Jalin Hyatt, Sterling Shepherd (who needs to stay healthy), Wan'Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton and Parris Campbell? 

See the full 53 here!

Max Scherzer Says Mets Clubhouse Was "Great"

 Max Scherzer made his return to Citi Field for the first time since he was traded a month ago to the Texas Rangers for top prospect Luisangel Acuna. 

While it was only a month ago, it feels like years ago when the Mets pulled the plug on their playoff aspirations by trading away Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Mark Canha, and David Robertson to name a few in a fire-sale that sent shock-waves through baseball. 

Since the trade went down, we have head rumors of clubhouse discord. Stories that Scherzer and Verlander really never got along -- an issue that dated back to their time in Detroit over a decade ago. Rumors that Verlander was a "diva" in the clubhouse, and even rumors that Pete Alonso was a clubhouse problem. 

 

 

Now we have stories that the Mets were not only considering a deal to send Alonso to Milwaukee, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported this week that the Mets will consider moving Alonso in the off-season. 

It has been wild. 

And of course, Scherzer is back at Citi Field this week. The Mets gave him an ill-timed video tribute which was booed by fans on Monday -- no shock there. The Cy Young Award winner spoke to reporters on Monday. He denied any clubhouse friction. 

"It was not [toxic] at all,” Scherzer responded to a reporter’s question. “We actually had a great clubhouse. We had great veterans in our clubhouse, everybody included. That’s definitely not the reason why we lost."

On Verlander, Scherzer was even more cryptic, saying only that he and Verlander were on a "better page" now than they were at the start of the season. Asked to elaborate, Scherzer didn't.  That's a pretty odd and loud statement by Scherzer. 

It was known that he and Verlander did not always see eye to eye while with the Tigers, yet, the Mets ignored those warning signs and signed Verlander to a mega deal to pair up with Scherzer. It blew up in everyone's face big time. 

There is no telling what went on in that Mets clubhouse. But something did happen. The chemistry on this year's ball club was nowhere near as collegial as it was a year ago. The only man to point the finger at is owner Steve Cohen, who thought throwing money at a square peg would somehow find a way to fit a round hole. 

The 2023 Mets were a $364 million failure. And if it weren't for the New York Yankees total implosion this year, all the talk would be about how bad the Mets were and are.  

Maybe one day someone will write a book on this disaster of a season, and get to the bottom of it all.

 

Aaron Rodgers Does Enough in Jets "Debut" vs. Giants

JETS 32 - GIANTS 25

The preseason is finally over, and the focus now turns toward the regular season, but on Saturday, fans finally got a chance to see what Aaron Rodgers looks like in game action in Jets colors. 

The four-time MVP was solid enough. There was a mix of good and some bad. The chemistry between Rodgers and wide receiver Garret Wilson is on point. They will be spectacular to watch this season. 

However the real story wasn't Rodgers, it was this Jets defense, which continued to impress. They sacked the quarterback twice (one a piece to Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito) and forced a pick-six by Devito as Brandon Echols took it back to the house. 

As Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said on "Hard Knocks" it doesn't matter what the score is, the defense will keep the Jets in games. That much is clear.

 

Yankees Losing Streak Hits Eight Games for First Time in 28 Years

 The Yankees have been breaking a lot of records lately. Only it's the kind of records they don't want any part of. 

On Sunday, the Yankees suffered their eighth consecutive loss in brutal fashion, Sunday, losing 6-5 to the hated Boston Red Sox. It has been 28 years since the Bronx Bombers have suffered such a skid. They now sit four-games under .500 at 60-64. 

Aaron Judge looks mystified. Getty Images

Earlier in the week, the Yankees dropped below .500 -- the latest they have been under the .500 mark since 1995. They haven't finished a season below .500 since 1992; another record that soon may go by the wayside. 

This time the game was shrouded in controversy. In the eighth inning with the game knotted up at five, Anthony Volpe, who had a great day with the bat, lined a base hit to left with Isiah Kiner-Falefa running off of first base. 

Red Sox left fielder Rob Refsynder slipped as he made the throw toward the infield. As Falefa rounded third and slid toward home, the relay throw from short stop Trevor Story came in and catcher Alex Verdugo, who applied the tag. 

 

However it appeared in live action that Falefa slid into home before the tag, under the legs of Verdugo. The initially ruling was that Falefa was safe.

The Red Sox challenged, and replay determined that Falefa was instead out at home plate. 

The controversial moment proved to be fatal for the Yankees. In the top of the ninth inning, Justin Turner -- who crushed a three-run homer earlier in the day, lined a RBI double to right, chasing home the lead run for Boston. 

At the end of the day it was a brutal loss for the Yankees. For his part, Volpe had a great day with the bat. He had a pair of hits, including a three-run bomb to right-center that tied the game at five. He more than made up for an errant throw in the second inning. 

The adrift Yankees are going nowhere fast. They can't score on a regular basis. And on days when they do score runs, they can't get any break either.

Mets Win Streak Snapped at Four Games in Loss to Cards

 CARDINALS 7 - METS 3 

So much for that winning streak that was starting to ever so slowly pull Mets fans back into the mix.  

Yes, the Amazin's waived the white flag earlier this month when they dealt Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, among others in several blockbuster deals at the deadline, but in recent days the Mets somehow got themselves within shouting distance of the last wild card. 

Pete Alonso greeted by Buck Schowalter. Getty Images

 

They won four in a row entering play Sunday. Pete Alonso, who has found himself ensnared in wild rumors started up by New York sports talk radio lug-heads that he is at the center of the Mets woes as a clubhouse cancer, has been on fire lately. 

Alonso has hit four home runs in the last five games, now owns 39 homers on the year, and is well on his way to making a case for the home run title in Major League Baseball. 

Three words: Pay the Man! 

Alonso is a free agent after the 2024 season. Simply pay the man. 

 

He hit another home run on Sunday afternoon that gave the Mets a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning. The homer had Mets fans thinking the impossible -- a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis? Really!?! 

Alas, reality bit quickly when Paul Goldschmidt cracked a two-run homer off struggling Mets starter Carlos Carrasco that gave St. Louis a 3-2 lead. They would never look back. 

The Cards pounded reliever Trevor Gott with four runs in the bottom of the seventh to ice it. 

The Mets (58-67) head over to Atlanta to face the red-hot Braves who knocked around the Mets a little over a week ago. New York heads back to Flushing this coming weekend to face the powers of the AL West in the Angels (at least Shohei Ohtani comes to town), the Texas Rangers (Max Scherzer's return), and the Seattle Mariners.

Aaron Rodgers will Start vs. NY Giants

 Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers will finally make his Jets preseason debut in game action on Saturday when the Jets and Giants meet in their annual summer clash. 

 

Rodgers has sat out the previous three games for Gang Green, as the Jets tried to play it safe with the Hall of famer. In fact, Rodgers is one of a number of players who have not played in a game this summer. Randall Cobb, Garrett Wilson, Alijah-Vera Tucker, Dwayne Brown, Sauce Gardner are a few who have played in no action this summer. Quinnen Williams sat last night vs. Tampa Bay, as did running back Michael Carter. 

It is odd that in the final preseason game, the Jets will throw Rodgers out there, even if it is for a series. Still with so many questions about the offensive line, it is important for the entire group to get some reps against live bullets before the season begins in two-and-a half weeks. 

The Jets are coming off a 13-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday night. They might have gotten an answer at right tackle after a stellar effort by Mekhi Becton. Meanwhile Bam Knight might have played himself off the roster with a rather poor showing at running back. That, coupled with Carter's not playing, might signal that the Jets will roll with Michael Carter as their third back behind Dalvin Cook and Breece Hall on Opening night.

Jets Sign Dalvin Cook to One-Year Deal

 The New York Jets and Dalvin Cook finally have a deal. 

After weeks of speculation that included a very public courtship of one another, the Jets signed the former Minnesota Vikings tailback to a one-year, $8.6 million contract. 

The Jets had interest in signing the former Pro Bowler with second year back Breece Hall still recovering from ACL surgery he had last season. Hall is still on the physically unable to perform list, and while the Jets are optimistic that Hall could be back for Week 1, the reality it is might too much to expect at this point. 

Cook, who was released by the Vikings in June, and comes with his own baggage -- he was accused of physical and emotional abuse of an ex-girlfriend, a case he has filed a defamation suit in, has been one of the game's most gifted athletes.

In five-plus seasons with the Vikings, Cook average 4.7 yards per carry. His best season came in the COVID year of 2020 where he ran for 1,557 yards and 16 touchdowns. He is going to give the Jets some added game breaking ability. 

And let us not forget that the Jets can thank Aaron Rodgers for this. He took a $35 million pay cut for moves such as this one, and the Jets got it done. 

The big question is what happens to Michael Carter and/or Bam Knight? Someone is going to have be expendable. The Jets have Cook, Hall and rookie Isreal Abinakanda on the roster. They could keep Hall on injured reserve to start the year, but still another roster move is going have to be made. 

Michael Carter made interesting comments after the Jets 27-0 win over Carolina on Saturday that the running back room is good enough and doesn't need Cook. Could this mean Carter becomes the one who gets traded or cut? That is anyone's guess at this point. 

Bottom line is the Jets got a player they coveted for a while.

Klecko and Revis Enjoy Well Earned Moment in the Hall

 

New York Jets fans got a chance they rarely get on Hall of Fame weekend: the opportunity to revel in the induction of two legendary players.

Joe Klecko and Darrelle Revis were both inducted into the hallowed hall's of Canton on Saturday afternoon.

 Klecko waited more than 30 years for this opportunity, which is longer than the former defensive lineman should have waited.

Klecko anchored one of the most feared defenses in NFL history, known as the "Sack Exchange" with fellow lineman Marty Lyon, Mark Gastineau and Abdul Salaam. In 1981, Klecko set a career high with 20.5 sacks during the season, earning Pro Bowl and First Team honors. That number stood as the Jets single season record for sacks until Gastineau broke it three years later.

 

Meanwhile cornerback Darelle Revis was welcomed into the Hall by his biggest fan, his mother, who helped unveil his statue.

Revis thanks head coach Rex Ryan for his support over the years. Under Ryan, Revis turned into a perennial All-Pro, who made it a habit of shutting down some of the game's best receivers. From Randy Moss to Reggie Wayne, Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson, and Andre Johnson. All of them struggled when matched up against Revis Island.

 

Revis, who for whatever reason, has lived in tension with the Jets since the team traded him to Tampa Bay prior to the 2013 season, jokingly eviscerated Jets fans when he said that he and the fans have been through a lot, even when fans "booed" him during the draft, and "burnt" his jersey when he signed with the Patriots in 2015.

In eight years with the Jets, Revis recorded 25 interceptions, three of which he brought back for touchdowns. He won Super XLIX with the New England Patriots.

Mets Complete Firesale, Trade Verlander Back to Houston

Mets starting pitcher Justin Verlander is on his way back to Houston, to reunite with the team he won two World Series with in 2017 and 2022, after the Mets dealt the 40-year old on trade deadline day. 

In return the Mets get back two of the Astros Top four prospects, outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford. 

Gilbert is ranked as the Astros top prospect by MLB insiders. Clifford is ranked fourth in the Houston farm system, and according to Jeff Passon of ESPN, Clifford might have a higher ceiling. 

Gilbert and Clifford join Luisangel Acuna as top rated prospects the Mets acquired at the deadline. The Mets got Acuna, the brother of Ronald Acuna Jr. from the Rangers in the Max Scherzer deal. 

Overall, the Mets are paying a large chunk of salary to the Rangers and Astros to take on Verlander and Scherzer, respectively. 

 

According to Bob Nightengale, the Mets are paying $54 million to Verlander over the next two years; Houston will pay only $29 million. That is similar to the deal the Rangers got with Scherzer. The Mets are paying $58 million for him, while Texas contributes $22.5 million.

The Mets are also paying down a large chunk of Mark Canha's salary to play in Milwaukee. 

No matter how one slices it, the trades of Verlander, Scherzer and Canha marks the end of a hugely disappointing season. The Mets had World Series aspirations, and failed to live up to them.  

Now the team is doing a total 180, hits the re-set button and will rebuild over the next two years with the hope that the players they acquired both bolster their farm system, and give the team options moving forward.