When it comes to charting the misfortunes of the Giants and Jets, the NFL Scheduling Gnomes knew what they were doing.
With the two locals (Jets 3-7, Giants 2-8) destined for a race to the bottom, the league has gotten both teams prime time appearances out of the way.
With a combined 14 games left to play, only the Giants have one nationally televised tilt on their sked — a Thanksgiving Day (4:30 p.m.) matchup with the bumbling Dallas Cowboys. The rest of the regionally televised games are scheduled for Sundays at 1 p.m. And unless the Jets miraculously get off the canvas and go on a run, their Jan. 5 “TBD” game with Miami will be a 1 p.m. affair too.
The bleak picture may as well be illuminated by a toy flashlight. Unless you have masochistic tendencies there’s really no reason to see clearly. On Oct. 27 Steve Gelbs, the host of SNY’s Jets pre and postgame shows, declared Gang Green’s season over. His decision to turn off the lights is now hard to question. Since then, the Jets performance has provided little reason to watch Gang Green games on the networks or their SNY studio shows.
Nonetheless if both teams continue headed in the same direction — and anyone still cares — which has the more compelling TV product? That would be the Jets. The reason? Aaron Rodgers.
The Hall of Fame bound quarterback is still a polarizing figure, which is a good thing when the mission is attracting eyeballs or putting backsides in seats. As many Jets fans will tune-in to see if Rodgers can live up to his contract and find a way pull the Jets out of quicksand, there will also be a combination of hardcore and casual fans who want to see him fail. In today’s climate, they might even bet on him failing. How shocking!
And you don’t need a degree in Shrinkology to know the sport of rubbernecking is alive and well. Especially for those who enjoy seeing Rodgers’ feeble attempts to move around inside the pocket while trying to escape pressure.
The flip side of the image of a 40-year-old fading legend, is one of Rodgers suddenly getting it together (assuming the Jets defense can ever stop the run) and leading Gang Green down a comeback road into the playoffs. Some fans still want to watch a heroic quarterback succeed despite the dysfunctional mess Woody (The Ambassador) Johnson presides over.
The Giants have no such attractive hooks. While their 2-8 record includes its share of “competitive” games, they don’t play an entertaining style of football. The Giants brand is a singular one, producing frustration (years and years of it). That’s hard to sell. It says a lot when the most entertaining part of gameday is Brian Daboll’s stick-and-move postgame press conferences.
Unfortunately, those sessions don’t even generate Emergency Broadcast System TV ratings. Nor do they sell tickets. As the Giants play out the season, a pseudo quarterback controversy is all that’s left to sell. And it’s hard buying any notion that one of the three quarterbacks, Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito, is suddenly going to be transformed into an overnight TV ratings magnet.
Back page for Nov. 14, 2024: In middle of disastrous Jet season, Aaron says he wants to come back for more in ’25. Aaron Rodgers has had nothing but problems since becoming a Jet, from suffering season-ending injury on first series last year to losing a lot this season. But still, he says he plans on playing in 2025.
NFL’S PODCAST ERA
Professional athletes have been encouraged to plan their “next” career while they are still active players.
Judging by some media members recent comments concerning Micah Parsons throwing Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy under the bus, the linebacker’s post-career prep has gone too far.
ESPN’s NFL reporter Adam Schefter, on Pat McAfee’s show, said it was “weird” hearing Parsons hyping his “The Edge with Micah Parsons Podcast” if “you want to hear what he meant to say about his coach Mike McCarthy.”
Yet Parson’s hyping his podcast is nothing new to the business. ESPN has its hype machine in over-drive 24/7 for most of its productions and much of its talent, including Schefter. Maybe Schefter found it strange because Parsons, on this occasion, was positioned as a competitor.
On “Get Up!” Damien Woody was upset (he launched into a riveting, passionate soliloquy) lamenting how there used to be “a little decorum in the locker room, because at the end of the day it was about ‘we.’” And Parsons violated that “decorum” by disparaging McCarthy.
“See, that’s what’s going on with these podcast boys out here in the locker room spouting this type stuff,” Woody said.
The NFL’s laissez faire attitude toward players in the podcast business, and also using social media immediately after games, indicates Roger Goodell and Co. have no problems with the controversy this brand of communication can create.
And as for Schefter being scooped by Parsons, well, maybe the “Insider” should just get used to it.
WELCOME BACK, DAVE
After 18 seasons doing TV play-by-play for the Seattle Mariners, Dave Sims, the pride of Philadelphia, has landed in the Yankees radio booth, replacing John (Pa Pinstripe) Sterling who “retired” (sort of) last April.
Sims, 71, specialty has been baseball but he’s a versatile multi-sport play-by-play guy (basketball, football, track and field) who started his career as a sports scribe for the New York Daily News.
While he is also remembered for his WFAN mid-day show with Ed Coleman, Sims was a Gasbag pioneer in sports talk radio.
From 1986-88, Sims hosted “SportsNight,” a 5-hour evening show on WNBC Radio. His producer? Mike Breen, who went on to make his own mark as ESPN/ABCs voice of the NBA and lead Knicks voice on MSG.
During the “SportsNight” sessions, Breen would bring out a book for Sims’ guests to sign. If only that book could talk. Anyway, just wondering where the book ended up?
GRUDEN GOSSIP
Jeff Ulbrich, and other NFL coaches on hot seats, can’t be surprised when media types (some, former players) start talking about possible replacements before these thin-ice coaches have been fired.
A few Gasbags, including FAN morning mouths Norman Julius Esiason and Gregg Giannotti, started pushing exiled former coach Jon Gruden for gigs that may or may not eventually be open. Gio specifically mentioned the Jets job.
Esiason said after speaking to “people” he was convinced Gruden, who last week signed a deal to join Barstool Sports, “definitely wants to come back. One hundred percent.”
Gruden resigned as Raiders head coach in 2021 after the New York Times reported he used misogynistic, anti-gay language, in emails. He also directed vulgar language at Roger Goodell.
Yep, the not-so-steady-rocking Gruden is just the guy you want to bring in to run the Jets, a team that resides on the brink of chaos.
AROUND THE DIAL
After being banished by NBC Sports following a season (2021) doing Notre Dame football and Sunday Night Football studio, Drew Brees was back on TV last week, joining ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown crew. While this was not an audition, you can expect Brees will be looking for a seat on that football analyst carousel once it starts rolling again. … It’s always inspiring watching Mike Wilbon, on PTI, shred the entire College Football Playoff process. ESPN faculty and the money-grubbing collegiate suits certainly must enjoy Wilbon’s soliloquies. … While his Soap Opera acting chops have already been validated, Stephen A. Smith rolled out his Christopher (Mad Dog) Russo (full-body) imitation on “First Take” during the What Makes Dog Mad segment. SAS had Russo’s gyrations down, especially Dog’s hands on hips prancing maneuver. … Enjoying the thorough coverage of the Juan Soto sweepstakes. Especially when scribes document what stars might be travelling to the coast with Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman or Steve Cohen and David Sterns to convince Soto to take their millions.
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DUDE OF THE WEEK: FOX NFL PREGAME CREW
Every year, none of the NFL’s TV partners celebrate Veterans Day quite like Fox’s NFL studio show with a day-long tribute and stirring remote broadcast. And this Sunday there is no need to recount the Michael Strahan anthem “controversy.” The non-story doesn’t deserve any added oxygen.
DWEEB OF THE WEEK: DANIEL JONES
His inability to deliver the ball to open receivers is glaring. So much so it had NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner almost ready to unretire on the spot last Sunday in Munich.
DOUBLE TALK
What Hal Steinbrenner said: “In times like these, rivalry and competition take a back seat to doing what’s right thing for the community…”
What Hal Steinbrenner meant to say: “I can provide the Rays with a temporary home but even I can’t stop the rain.”
