COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

 Darren Mougy is wasting no time putting his plan into action to rebuild the New York Jets in his image.  The Jets shipped edge rusher Jermaine Johnson to the Tennessee Titans for defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat. The move relieves more than $13.4 million in cap space for the Jets, while reuniting the once popular Johnson with former Jets coach Robert Saleh who is now the Titans Head-man.  Tell me we won't get Jets-Titans in Week 1? It's just feels like we are going to get it.    Johnson was drafted by Saleh's Jets in the first round of the famed 2022 NFL Draft. Taken 26th overall, Johnson was supposed to join fellow '22 classmates Sauce Garder, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall in turning the Jets around.  That never happened because the Jets quarterback situation was such an outright mess.  Johnson did some good in New York. He was a team player and leader. He wanted to be here, and spoke candidly last season about wanting to be part of the solution, but...

 It was a night of sports, politics and patriotism at the Prudential Center on Wednesday night as the New Jersey Devils welcomed back Jack Hughes following his game-winning goal for Team USA at the 2026 Olympics.  “I’m so proud and so happy that the men’s and women’s hockey teams brought the gold medal back to America,” Hughes told the crowd. “And I’m so proud to represent the New Jersey Devils organization and to represent the great state of New Jersey.” Hughes and Team USA have enjoyed a huge and well deserved showing of support from fans, including basking in their success with trips to the White House and the State of the Union.  Oddly, amid these divisive political times we have been living in for the better part of the last decade, a number of Democrats sat on their hands when President Donald Trump introduced Team USA at the State of the Union address.  How is celebrating Team USA such a divisive issue? All because a President that they vehemently dislik...

 A year ago Aaron Glenn said of the task before him and the New York Jets heading into the 2025 season, "We're built for this shit."  We all know how that quote boomeranged back at him last season.  Well on Tuesday, Glenn offered a new hot quote when asked about taking over play-calling duties after a wild hiring cycle where the Jets were once believed to be all in on hiring Wink Martindale, before a sudden change in strategy.  "To me play-calling is my super-power."  OH BOY!! Put a pin in that one.   If Glenn's history as Defensive Coordinator and play-caller with the Detroit Lions is any indication, it could be another long year for Gang Green.  Under Glenn, the Lions were ranked as follows: 29th, 32nd, 19th and 20th in overall defense during his four years in the Motor City.   Not to mention, his Lions defense was shredded by the Washington Commanders in the divisional playoffs in 2024.  "There are things I have to improve on," G...

Former Mets legend Darryl Strawberry sounded off on Pete Alonso's departure from the New York Mets this off-season, saying Monday that the slugger would one day "wake up just like I did and regret you didn’t stick where you’re at.” Oddly enough on Tuesday, Strawberry tried to walk back t hose comments, stating:   “I was talking about the mistakes that I made of leaving,” Strawberry said Tuesday from Clover Park, where he is serving this week as a guest instructor. “This is not about me and Pete. I love Pete. And I always had hope that he would stick around and be the guy to break all the numbers." The comments are interesting, mainly because Alonso and Strawberry share the distinction of being the franchise-leading home run leader. Alonso passed Strawberry last summer.  In Strawberry's case, he left the Mets in 1990 he did so with a strained relationship with the front office, and wound up signing a five-year deal with the Dodgers after rejecting a lesser deal fro...

 It took a New Jersey Devil to get gold for Team USA. Devils forward Jack Hughes netted the game winning goal 1:40 into overtime as Team USA defeated Team Canada in the Gold Medal Game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.   Hughes who missed a month this year for the Devils, netted the game winner despite having one tooth knocked out. His effervescent smile with a bloody and broken tooth with the stars and stripes draped over his shoulders is going to be a photo that will live on for decades to come.  Don't believe me? Think about it.  Whenever a seminal moment happens and the U.S. flag is involved it is guaranteed to be part of immortality. Think of the images from Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iowa Jima to the planting of the flag on the surface of the moon. The artwork of Washington's crossing of the Delaware; the raising of Old Glory by firefighters on 9/11, and even the moment President Trump raised his fist in the air after a bullet grazed his ear....

 Baseball is back baby!  And what a way to open the season than to have one of the game's biggest free agent signings from this past winter have an immediate impact.    In his first game in Baltimore Orioles attire, former Mets slugger Pete Alonso cracked a two-run homer in Baltimore's 2-0 spring training victory over the New York Yankees.    The homer was Alonso's only hit of the day in three trips to the plate. But the impact of the slugger in the Cresent City is already being felt. Meanwhile the Mets are running with basically a platoon at first between Jorge Palonco, Mark Vientos and Brett Baty. This should be a storyline we will follow all year.  Heck even social media was having a field day!   As for the Yankees they were held to three hits on the afternoon. Jazz Chisholm (1-for-1) and Austin Wells (0-for-3) were the only notable Bombers in action on Friday afternoon.   

 MLB Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark is expected to resign from his position amid a federal investigation that was opened last year by the Eastern District of New York regarding using licensing money or equity to enrich themselves, according to the New York Times and The Athletic .  The Department of Justice opened an additional investigation in October, according to the Times.  Clark who played from the Detroit Tigers, New York Mets and Yankees in his career has been the head of the players union since 2013.    This news comes at a wild time for baseball as the league is starring down the prospect of a work stoppage in 2027.  The Time cites a statement from MLBPA executive subcommittee member Brent Suter (a pitcher of the L.A. Angels of Anaheim) that bargining sessions were expected to start this summer, and hopes to keep things stable toward that end.  It is not known who will serve officially as Interim Executive Director, b...

 Mets owner Steve Cohen was prickly in his opening press conference of the year, sounding more like George Steinbrenner in his prime as he sounded off on the Mets 2025/26 off-season, losing out on top flight talents, the financial rivalry with the Dodgers, missing the playoffs, and naming a captain. Let's just say the Mets boss left plenty of missives that feel he's calling on his team to figure things out and get back to the playoffs this year.  "We haven't won. I really want to win," Cohen said emphatically. "Each year that goes by I get more annoyed.  "It's hard to know when to make those changes, but the other side is we have a sharp management and they were prepared and had alternatives. Saying good bye is tough, but saying hello is kinda fun. "I get frustrated. I am committed to this team. I know how much the fans care. I know we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of 1986, but that is far too long. I want to put myself in a positio...

As green and blue confetti spewed into the air at Levi's Stadium to celebrate the Seattle Seahawks 29-13 victory over the punchless New England Patriots in one of the worst Super Bowl game's ever played, the night belonged seemingly, and inexplicably to one man: Sam Darnold.  Sam Darnold with the Lombardi. Getty Images.  The former quarterback of the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, and Minnesota Vikings, had done the unthinkable. He won it all.   In one of the most bizarre seasons we have ever seen, it was fitting in a way that it had one of the most bizarre endings we've ever seen. And unironically, of the four former employers Darnold once played for, one in particular has drawn the ire of the national media and fans alike: the New York Jets.  If 2025 can be summed up succinctly it is this: "LOL Jets!"   Because ever since Seattle's 38-37 overtime victory over the L.A. Rams on a Thursday night in late December, it became more a...

 The New York Jets got their man. Gang Green officially hired former Colts and Panthers Head Coach Frank Reich as their new offensive coordinator on Wednesday.  Reich, a former back-up quarterback with the Jets and Buffalo Bills in the early to mid-90s was teammates with Jets Head Coach Aaron Glenn back in 1996, the year the Jets infamously went 1-15. Reich returns to the Jets 30-years later with Glenn firmly on the same hot seat Rich Kotite was on. Despite that infamous dose of irony, Reich brings plenty of experience with him. He was the offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016-2017, including the year Philadelphia beat New England in the Super Bowl. Still Reich didn't call plays on those teams, that was in the hands of head coach Doug Pederson.  Reich parlayed his short stay in Philly into a head coaching job with the Indianapolis Colts. For the most part, Reich was doing ok. His offenses were consistently in the top 10 in his early years with the C...

 The New York Giants finally have a offensive coordinator in place with the hiring of former Kansas City Chiefs O.C. Matt Nagy. A surprising hire to some, Nagy does have connections to Giants Head Coach John Harbaugh through Andy Reid. Harbaugh served as Reid's special teams coach with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999-2007, before Harbaugh took the head coaching job with Ravens.  Nagy has been a long time assistant for Reid at both the Eagles and Chiefs. There was a four year run where Nagy was the Head Coach of the Chicago Bears from 2018-21 that produced mixed results. While Nagy got the Bears to the playoffs twice, his offenses were consistently poor in Chicago. It didn't help matters that his quarterbacks were Mitchell Trubisky and Justin Fields.  Still just the fact that the Giants get Nagy can be viewed as a positive, considering his work with Patrick Mahomes in recent years.  Mahomes skill set is very similar to that of Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. The hop...

 The New York Jets have narrowed down their wish list for offensive coordinator down to three names: Greg Roman, Darrel Bevell and Frank Reich, with Reich presumed to be the favorite for the job according to reports.  All three coaches should be familiar to NFL fans; they are all retreads, meaning they have been around the league with various teams.  Roman, who is known more for ultra-conservative game plans and running the ball has been around a long time. He's most commonly associated with the Baltimore Ravens, but also spent time with the 49ers, Chargers, Bills, Texans and Panthers. He's been doing this since 1995.  Bevell, who runs a little more of a friendly quarterback system, has been an O.C. with the Vikings, Seahawks, Lions, and Jaguars. He also served as interim head coach with both the Lions and Jaguars. The past four years he was the passing game coordinator with the Miami Dolphins.  Then there is Reich, who was supposedly retired before taking the ...

The Giants are opening a wide net in their search for an offensive coordinator under new head coach John Harbaugh.  Big Blue was said to have interviewed Shane Day for the position on Saturday. He is an intriguing candidate considering he was the quarterbacks coach under John's brother, Jim Harbaugh with the L.A. Chargers. According to Jordan Schultz, Day is considered one of the top quarterback coaches in the NFL; credited with jumpstarting Justin Herbert's career.  Meanwhile former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury i s "expected to be in the mix" according to Bleacher Report .  Former Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan is a candidate as is Colts passing game coordinator Alex Tanney, and Broncos passing game coordinator Davis Webb.    If you ask me of the candidates mentioned, Day and Kingsbury to me have to be up there on this list. Day is a strong candidate because of his familiarity within the Harbaugh circle of trust, and he is going to be in...