COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

 We are days away from the  New York Giants taking center stage in their Head Coaching search for 2026. New York fired Brian Daboll eight weeks ago, and the speculation has been running rampant since about who will be the ultimate successor.  With days to go before Week 18, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler offered up a nugget, saying that Browns Head Coach Kevin Stafanski, who is on the hot seat himself in Cleveland, could be a fit with the Giants should they target him.   “Stefanski might be the strongest retread candidate in the eyes of many. The Giants would be an ideal fit,” Fowler stated in his intel piece. “And trades of any kind are never off the table in Cleveland, but it’d be tricky trying to trade a coach who’s 7-26 over the past two years." This would be a stunning move, especially if either Mike Tomlin or John Harbaugh become available on Monday. It's believed the loser of the Steelers Ravens contest will be out as Head Coach after two decades at the helm....

 A lot has been made about the job security of Jets head coach Aaron Glenn the past several days. For starters fans have been up in arms about Glenn with many calling for his firing following Gang Green's 42-10 meltdown to the New England Patriots last week.  The loss marked the fourth straight week where the Jets had been blown out by 23 points or more in a contest.  Then on Monday night, Miami-based NFL National writer Armando Salguero posted on OutKick that Glenn's is possibly on the Hot Seat following the defeat.  However, come Wednesday morning that talk had firmly died down. First Rich Cimini stated on a podcast that the firing of Glenn now after one year would be very surprising, and that ownership has the coaches' back.  Then NFL Network's Albert Breer reported that Glenn and GM Darren Mougey will be back in 2026, as they have made moves this year with the focus strictly on the 2026 season and beyond.  So to all those who still wish to see the ax...

 Jets fans have had enough of Aaron Glenn and the New York Jets.  Despite the fact that the Jets are running out the equivalent of a Double-A football team out there for the past four weeks, and seem to be positioned to tank, fans do not care. They want Aaron Glenn fired. Here's our question to them: Who do you want? Because there is no chance based on the fact that A) the Jets have been a flaming s*** show under Woody Johnson, and B) the Jets have no quarterback that an established Head Coach will want to come here and coach.  Check out our vlog.   

 The New York Mets roster purge continues as infielder Jeff McNeil is the latest to head out the door.  McNeil was traded Monday to the Las Vegas Athletics for infielder minor league righty Yordan Rodriguez. The Mets also sent the A's $7.5 million to cover the remaining $15 million on McNeil's 2026 deal. They also agreed to pay McNeil a $2 million buyout if the A's opt not to retain him for 2027.  So add McNeil to a list that includes: Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz, Pete Alonso, and Tyler Rogers as members of the Mets who have all headed for the exits either via trade or free agency.  While Mets owner Steve Cohen called people who misinterpreted the Mets payroll situation as idiots  it is pretty clear that the Mets are in rebuild mode, even if they have two players (Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto) who together total over $93 million in annual salary.  McNeil's days were pretty much numbered when the Mets acquired Marcus Semien from the Texas Rangers in the Nim...

 While NFL fans are engaged with hoping their teams locked up playoff berths in Week 16 on Sunday, Giants and Jets fans were, as the kids say, 'hate-watching' their teams on Sunday with eyes directly on how it will impact their clubs moving toward the off-season and the NFL draft.  The Giants 16-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, coupled with the Jets 29-6 meltdown in New Orleans assured that through 16 weeks the G-Men hold the top pick in the draft, while the Jets are fourth. Between them stand the Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns.  While the Giants appear to be committed to Jaxson Dart for next year, although after Sunday's lackluster effort, they certainly didn't show it, the Jets, Raiders and Browns are all looking for a quarterback next year.  And all three fanbases wants that number 1 pick to potentially take Indiana's Fernando Mendoza.  Check out this week's vlog for the latest.   

Jets Head Coach Aaron Glenn is not going anywhere. Despite a flurry of rumors over the past couple days, the Jets will stand by their coach as preparations for the 2026 season are pretty much in full swing at this point, even with three games left in 2025.  The news comes from Dianna Russini of the Athletic who is always very good at getting big scoops when it comes to the Jets.  “Aaron Glenn’s job is safe, and agents around the league are operating with the understanding that his position won’t be open. Woody Johnson and the Jets organization recognize this rebuild will take time,” Russini wrote on X.  It makes a tone of sense for the Jets to bring back Glenn.  1) He and GM Darren Mougey were brought in together, and have been pretty much aligned throughout the season, and the moves Mougey and Glenn have made this year in concert all have an eye toward 2026.  They traded away Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams to acquire draft capital that they will surely u...

 According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio there is a "chance"   that Jets head coach Aaron Glenn could be fired at seasons end.  While Florio doesn't site any sources, the rumor has caught fire the last two days. The question is would it make sense? Let's examine this for a second?  Why it Makes Sense:  Glenn has not been great in his first year as Head Coach of this team. The talent has taken a major step backwards, granted two of those talented players were traded away in Sauce Gardner to Indianapolis and Quinnen Williams to Dallas.  The decision he and GM Darren Mougey made to give Justin Fields a two year deal proved to be a horrible mistake, and Glenn stuck with Fields for far too long before pulling the plug following the Jets loss to the Patriots on a Thursday night in mid November.  Glenn gave now former Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks too much power to run the defense, and the players couldn't stand Wilks. Reports indicated this week af...

 It's been that kind of week in the NFL, at least with regards to the Giants and Jets where speculation is reigning supreme. The latest started coming from ESPN and made its way down through social media and that is the idea that the Giants should keep the top pick in the NFL Draft, should they end up with it, and take quarterback Fernando Mendoza.  That of course would mean the end of the Jaxson Dart era before it starts.  As pointed out in an article on Big Blue View,   ESPN's Daniel Jeremiah and Kevin Clark debated the issue of whether the Giants should jump ship on Dart in favor of Mendoza. It's a doozy.  It's been a rough year for Dart. Not only did the head coach that believed in him, and drafted him get fired in Brian Daboll, but he has been evaluated multiple times for concussions, and even missed a pair of games in mid November.  But would the Giants simply get rid of him now? Sure the hits, if Dart keeps taking them will take its toll, and the Gi...

 It was splashed across the pages of the tabloids, twitter and social media. From Instagram to Facebook, to TikTok. The New York Knicks "won their first championship since 1973." What month is it? What year is it? Did I sleep through the entire NBA season and postseason? Why is there snow on the ground and Christmas decorations galore in mid-June? Wait? Where am I?    Oh, that's right the Knicks DIDN'T win their first NBA Title since 1973. They didn't even win a title of any significance. They won a silly in-season tournament started by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as a way to "motivate" and push teams (with a little financial incentive thrown in by the way) to play their starters in regular season games as to avoid "angering NBA fans." Nobody is blasting the Knicks for beating the San Antonio Spurs 124-113 on Tuesday night.  The game was there, and the Knicks needed to get a win against a quality team from the western conference. But please, d...

 The New York Jets have relieved Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilkes of his duties following the Jets 48-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.  Passing Game coordinator Chris Harris will take over play-calling duties.   Wilkes had been much maligned all season as the Jets had one of the worst defensive units in the NFL this year, ranking in the bottom half in the league in total defense, rush defense and points allowed (28.4).  In fact Wilkes unit has gone the entire year without forcing an interception. In the last two weeks alone, the Jets gave up a total of 82 points to the Dolphins and Jaguars combined.  Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence enjoyed one of the best games of his pro career, tossing for 321 yards, five touchdowns and rushing for another. The Jets had no answer for anything the Jaguars did on Sunday as Jacksonville ran through them like a hot knife through butter.  The Jets found themselves down 14-0 before anyone could blink, ...

Add Pete Alonso to the growing list of former Mets who are getting out of dodge.  Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million deal with ... the Baltimore Orioles. Stunning, I know.  The slugger was supposed to meet with both the Orioles and Boston Red Sox, and many assumed that the Red Sox, who were coming off a playoff season in 2025 would be the odds on favorite to land him, but no! Instead Alonso heads to the AL East rival Orioles.   According to Antohny DiComo of MLB.com, the Mets never made a formal offer to Alonso. The Mets were steadfast on going in another direction, and were not interested in committing long term to their man who is first in franchise history in home runs.  The Mets were steadfast on sticking to a plan of three years on Alonso and were not going to move on it. It's a shame. The Mets under David Stearns are clearly in rebuild mode, and there is no telling what Stearns has up his sleeve as to what this team will ultimately look like come 2026...

 David Stearns stood in front of the media with a big smirk on his face as he described his strategy for the Mets 2025-26 off-season. Now that smirk better be off his face.  The Mets struck out big time on one of the most valuable pieces of their bullpen when Edwin Diaz left the Mets for the glitz and power of the Los Angeles Dodgers for only three-years at $69 million . This just days after the Mets signed what turned out to be Diaz's replacement, Devin Williams to a three-year $51 million deal.   Of course soon after the deal was announced the Mets hurriedly rushed out word that they had offered Diaz a deal of $66 million over three years and were willing to pay more as a way to make Diaz look bad on the way out the door.  What a disgrace for a franchise that has pounded its chest ever since Steve Cohen bought the team in 2020 that they have deep pockets, and would stop at nothing to improve the team.   This is the same Mets that have the second hig...

 According to the New York Post's Mike Puma, first baseman Pete Alonso is scheduled to meet with the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox at the Winter Meetings.  It is unclear if the Mets will meet with Alonso per the same report.  Meanwhile, Puma reports that the Mets are showing interest in Phillies free agent Kyle Schwarber, who is the reigning NL MVP after blasting 56 homers this past season.  While nothing is set in stone, this is a bad sign for those in the camp of wanting Alonso to return to Flushing.  It was reported last week that the Mets were looking at three years for Alonso, while the slugger wanted a longer term deal in the range of six to seven years. Then over the weekend, Joel Sherman reported that he heard from an A.L. executive that Alonso would be hard pressed to get a four year deal from someone.  This is not to say the Mets are out of the mix, but one would imagine that the slugger has considerable interest in getting something done s...

 Just logon to X or Instagram and you will find Jets fans going gaga for Indiana's Fernando Mendoza.  After Mendoza played well in the Hoosiers 13-10 victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday, and, coupled with the Jets 34-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, there is a segment of the fanbase that wants the Jets to go all in on Mendoza no matter what.  Fans have compared him to Tom Brady and Josh Allen, and said they want the franchise to trade all of its draft capital in order to move up to get Mendoza. Currently the Jets select seventh if the draft were held today.  Fortunately we got four more games, and four more months til the draft actually happens. Ugh  

Reliever Devin Williams was introduced to the media as the Mets biggest signing of the early off-season up to date. Williams, who struggled with the Yankees last season is hopping to rebound in a big way across town in Queens.  Of course what role he has on the 2026 squad hinges on whether Edwin Diaz returns to the Mets or not.  Reports have indicated that the Mets do not want to go five years on Diaz, although they remain a favorite to land him according to Jon Heyman. The Blue Jays are also interested.  "I think its a good situation. If he comes back, we will have a really good back end of the pen. More arms is always a good thing," Williams said.     The right-hander who had a 1.83 ERA in six years in Milwaukee as its closer, says he has been working on a new pitch called a Gryro Slider that he hopes to carry over into this coming season.  Willianms signed a three-year $51 million deal with deferments that trim his annual salary just below $15 milli...

New York Mets General Manager and President David Stearns has rolled the dice signing former Yankees closer Devin Williams to a three-year, $50 million contract (with plenty of deferments more on that in a moment) to supposedly be the Mets set-up man to Edwin Diaz, should Diaz and the Mets come to terms on a new contract.  If Diaz and the Mets do not come to terms on a deal, then Williams, who bombed as Yankees closer last season would be the Mets closer to start the season.  Talk about a nightmare!  Williams struggled with the Yankees in 2025 . His ERA was 4.79 at the end of the year, but when he was in the closer's role he struggled to end games, and lost the job to David Bednar by mid-season.  The Mets are taking the bet that in his second season in New York, Williams will flourish and start to figure it out much the same way Diaz did his first couple years in New York. Remember Diaz had a 5.59 ERA in his first season in Flushing in 2019. He was booed and ridicule...

 The Giants needed more than a helmet catch to have any shot at the Patriots last night in Foxborough.  The G-Men got embarrassed 33-15 to the New England Patriots, as New York dropped to a pathetic 2-11 on the season.  Jaxson Dart was ineffective in his return to the lineup, throwing for 124-yards and getting drilled out of bounds on a run when he, once again, failed to smartly get out of bounds to avoid the hit.  Of course most of the focus on Monday night was directed at outside linebacker Abdul Carter who was benched in the first quarter for tardiness. It was the second time in three weeks he's been disciplined. Let's be honest he's had a bust of a rookie year.  When asked about Carter's benching by the ESPN sideline reporter after halftime, Interim Head Coach Mike Kafka said simply. "Coaches decision." Interview over!  The off-season can't come soon enough, and Big Blue's search for a new head coach can't kick into high gear fast enough.   

 Say good bye to all the "tank" talk for the New York Jets. The Jets defeated the Atlanta Falcons 27-24 on Sunday, capturing their third victory of the year, all but assuring they won't end up with a top 3 pick in the NFL Draft.  While that is clearly going to upset half the fan base who is obsessed with Fernando Mendoza and the number 1 pick, the fact is this: NOBODY TANKS!  NOBODY!   The only way a team can build a culture and establish a foundation for success is to win games and find out which players are going to give the franchise an opportunity to succeed in future years. The Jets are doing that by winning games! They have now won three of their last five.  And already a trio of young receivers are making a case to be part of the solution. Ad Mitchell (eight catches 102 yards and a touchdown),  John Metchi III, and rookie tight end Mason Taylor all played well in the Jets victory. It helps when the quarterback can actually throw the ball accurat...