BRONX, NY – I’m sorry if this column gets off to a clunky start. I’m actually still laughing at a headline I just read on SI.com: NFL WORLD REACTS TO GIANTS BENCHING RUSSELL WILSON FOR JAXSON DART. Is this move really sending ripples across the NFL? I find that kinda hard to believe. In fact, didn’t a whole bunch of people, including people on this site, predict that the Giants might start 0-3 and then might make a switch at QB Week 4? I’m pretty sure they did. Anyway, what’s done is done. The fans got what they wanted, and Dart will make his first NFL start this next Sunday at home against the 3-0 Chargers. (I still refuse to recognize them as anything other than San Diego, FYI.) This move will certainly be looked at for generations to come as the moment when the Giants finally turned it al around… and started drafting in the top 10 rather than the top 5. But let’s not dwell on this monumental news; there are other big things happening in sports.
The Cowboys Suck. Let’s face it, Russell Wilson still would have a job if the Giants had managed to beat the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago… but they didn’t. The Cowboys played the Eagles close week one—clearly more the product of the Eagles coming out of the gate EXTREMELY awkwardly and also spitting on people—but still lost. This past week Dallas got their heads handed to them by a Bears team that improbably choked away a Week 1 win at Minnesota and then lost by over 30 to Detroit. The Bears are a work in progress, but the Cowboys made them look like an unstoppable offensive juggernaut. They should go by Allas, because there is no D to speak of over at Jerryworld. Here’s a quick tip for you fantasy footballers out there, if you’ve got offensive players going against the Cowboys, you MUST start them. This coming Sunday night, they host the Packers (more on them shortly), who put up a whopping 10 points against the Browns on Sunday. Look for Jordan Love to throw like 4 to 5 tds in this one. One final note on the Cowpokes: The George Pickens meltdown watch is officially on. His Antonio Brown arc (minus all the impressive games and touchdowns) seems to be ahead of schedule. Can’t wait for Sunday!
The Mets Are Out of Luck and Just About Out of Time. I don’t need to get into the specifics here, but the Mets’ playoff hopes look quite dim at this point. They still “control their own destiny” but nothing really seems in their control. The starting pitching they thought they could rely on at the start of the season has been completely replaced by rookie call-ups and prayer. The players David Stearns got at the trade deadline have been a disaster. And it doesn’t help that the entire National League does NOT want them in the post-season. The Cubs, for instance, just laid down to the Reds and got swept in a four-game series. Those same Cubs now host the Mets. Just watch how they play in this series. Finally, someone has to answer for a team with a payroll of $340 million missing the playoffs so: “Carlos Mendoza, come on down!” (Just glanced at the scoreboard. Mets down 5-1 to the Cubbies in the 4th. Whee!)
SPOILER ALERT: The Mets came back and won a thriller.
Not So Fast, Green Bay. I love that it took only two whole weeks for everyone to make the Green Bay Packers their favorite to make it to the Super Bowl this year. A funny thing happened on the way to the Lombardi Trophy, and that funny thing was a trip to Cleveland. In our highly-annoying “hot take” economy, good luck getting anyone to pump the brakes on the next stupid thing they want to let fly from their mouth or keyboard… especially keyboard. “The Detroit Lions are done.” “Jacob Misiorowski is the next Nolan Ryan.” “Meet The Matts is going nowhere.” Well, that last one was spot-on, but you get my drift. The football season is long, injuries happen, fortunes change, teams get hot, and teams get cold. Let’s wait at least until November before we start crowning the next champ.
That’s al for me today. Buddy Diaz—the People’s Champ—is back in the ring tomorrow. Check him out.
