What To Do At 2

What To Do At 2

With Deshaun Watson officially asking for a trade out of Houston, the Jets find themselves in avery unique position heading into the offseason. There is no denying that the QB position hasbeen an issue for not only the last 3 years, but for the past 5 decades. In the air raid era of theNFL today, this is a position the Jets need to finally hit on, and hit now or we could be looking atanother long stretch of recycles through the organization, effectively pausing the rebuild eachtime. But what do the Jets do? Stick with Sam Darnold? Give up a host of top picks and bring inWatson? Or do we stick with our picks and bring in a fresh rookie that new OC Mike LeFleur cangroom into a franchise guy? The silver lining here is, the Jets are in prime positions to chooseany one of those options and come out on top.

Let’s discuss the options the Jets have with the #2 draft pick for this one. This has been asource of some very heated discussions across Jets Nation and everyone has their own idea onhow to proceed.

First, (and the most annoying if I’m being honest) is the crowd that says we should draft PeneiSewell at 2. Guys, throw this idea out the window. Sewell is a left tackle and we have ours.People say just swap becton or Sewell to the right side. Wrong! Tackles do not just swap sideslike it’s nothing. A left tackle trying to play on the right side has to reverse everything he haslearned about the position. Footwork is different. Protection packages are different. Runblocking assignments are reversed. Now, I am not saying an elite left tackle doesn’t have theability and talent to make that swap, but you drafted them for a reason right? You drafted thembecause they are the top talent at their position only to move them out of it? It makes no sense.Drafting Sewell at 2 is essentially using our #2 pick on a depth player and that is what the 6thand 7th rounds are for, not the 1st round. Sorry Penei, Miami or Cincinnati will be calling shortly.

The “stick with Sam” fans are also saying we need weapons. I get that and I don’t disagree. Iam hearing Devonta Smith, WR from Bama or Jaylen Waddle also from Bama. Ja’Marr Chasefrom LSU has surprisingly fallen out of many conversations after Smith won the Heisman, but isstill a legit #1 talent and will be a franchise WR somewhere. I like Smith, I like Chase. Waddleand his ankle scare me, but given the proper time to heal, Waddle is a threat on the field. Thisweapon take is not far off base. My concern is, Sam Darnold has struggled with deep ballaccuracy. Tends to under throw receivers down the field or sail intermediate passes over themiddle. If the QB can’t consistently get the ball to those weapons, then they are meaningless inthe grand scheme of things. And honestly, Joe Douglas didn’t draft Sam. Robert Saleh and Co.didn’t groom Sam. Given the options the Jets have, Deshaun Watson, Justin Fields, ZachWilson, a very remote Trevor Lawrence falling possibility.. Given these options, I don’t see theJets sticking with Sam Darnold because if they did, and Sam failed again while Fields, Wilsonand Watson are shining elsewhere, Jets fans, that is something GM’s don’t come back from.

Finally we have “the take a QB” crowd. This is where I fall into the mix. With the Jets sitting at 2,we are likely out of the running for Trevor Lawrence, but that doesn’t mean I still don’t have myfingers crossed that he falls! More than likely, the New York Jets QB decision will come down todrafting Justin Fields or Zach Wilson. Fields is legit. If there was ever a QB to shake the OhioState system QB stigma that they have had for years, it’s Justin Fields. He throws a very prettydeep ball, he is mobile, he is accurate and makes good decisions. My concern is his bounceback ability. Watching tape on him, if things do end up off script or a bad series happens, Inoticed he struggles a bit to rebound. I have noticed improvement in this aspect toward the endof this year, but admittedly, 8 total games, 6 regular season and 2 playoff games, is a very smallsample size to go off of. Fields will be a gamble. I know, I know.. He was the most recruitedprospect coming out of high school.. But football only gets harder. Give me a QB that hasstruggled and fought through real adversity. A kid who is built to handle that.

Which brings me to Zach Wilson. Every bit as accurate as Fields, has a cannon for an arm, buthe has a very wonky ¾ release on his throws that puts a great deal of strain on his throwingshoulder. A mechanics flaw that did, in fact, lead to a shoulder surgery in January of 2019.Though an injury directly caused the surgery, Wilson said he has had a minor shoulder issuesince high school. To some, that might be a huge red flag. But to QB trainers and coaches, it issimply coaching a revised release of the ball and the shoulder will no longer be an issue.

Wilson edges out Fields at 2 for me. I just don’t have the rebound concerns that I do with Fields.And I just cannot justify sticking with Darnold. 3 years with the same issues, and some of thoseissues getting worse. I have never seen a QB throw without stepping into the trow so much as Ihave with Sam. I have never seen someone stare down routes so much. And even more thanthat, If I see these things, Saleh and Douglas see them too.

That said, I will be 100% on board with whomever Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh end up goingwith and I will trust the process. A phrase we Jets fans have been saying for years, but this onefeels different. Don’t you fans feel different this year? Something has changed within the DNA ofthis franchise. Maybe it is ownership finally coming to terms with the fact that they don’t know this sport and they should let men who do run the show. Maybe it is Robert Saleh and the AllGas, No Brake mantra. But something in this organization just feels different and I have notbeen this excited for a Jets offseason in a very long time. This one will be one for the books Jetsfans. Sit back, enjoy the ride and Go Jets!

WWN Shine makes a huge Return

WWN Shine makes a huge Return

Saturday January 23rd shine made its return from a hiatus because of the pandemic. The show took place at the WWN WrestlePlex at the gulf view event center in new port Richey, Florida. The event featured One Half of AEWs women’s tournament winners ivalisse, Amber Nova, Allie Recks, Lexi Gomez, Katalina Perez and so much more. Shine is known for their showcase of women’s wrestling and were right on the money with the performances. Each Match had a unique style of wrestling that was put on display and WWN did an amazing job with the production of the show. If you love women’s wrestling please check out shine wrestling on Twitter @WWNShine

Will WrestleMania 37 make it or break it?

Will WrestleMania 37 make it or break it?

This year’s WrestleMania is happening from Raymond James stadium in Tampa Florida. WWE is putting in a strict capacity guideline in order to have a crowd in attendance for the grandest stage of them all. The question on everyone’s mind Is, can this year’s WrestleMania get a big draw and be successful at a time that is most difficult for all sports organizations Like the WWE? Most would tell you that this year’s mania could be a good one as long as WWE plays their cards right. WrestleMania is a 2 night event this year on April 10th and 11th. Fans are now being allowed into the stands for the first time in 13 months. The WWE is working on making sure that this show can be a great event but it requires a lot of planning with the venue. Raymond James stadiums capacity adds up to 75,000 so there is a possibility that if you double that down the WWE might allow in 22,000 or 17,000 fans for the event but only time will tell what the number allowed in will be.
Jaylen Brown’s 2021 Leap

Jaylen Brown’s 2021 Leap

When the final buzzer sounded in the 2019-20 season for the Celtics it was a 125-113 loss to the Miami Heat in six games, and once again failing to reach the Finals for the tenth consecutive year. For some players, Basketball wasn’t the most important thing they were looking forward to.

After the death of George Floyd this past May 25, basketball players realized they needed to use their voice to speak on this topic. Some players realized the power they have and what they bring to the table. “I drove 15 hours to get to Georgia, my community. This is a peaceful protest. Being a celebrity, being an NBA player, don’t exclude me from no conversations at all. First and foremost, I’m a black man and I’m a member of this community.” said Jaylen Brown in the protest this past May. A lot of players along with Brown, held signs that said “I Can’t Breathe” commemorating the death of Floyd, who was kneeled down by a police officer for over eight minutes, and passed away.

After the events of COVID-19, the NBA season was suspended this past March 12th. Fast forward five months later and there were 22 remaining teams in the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida. During the playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their playoff game in protest of a police officer who shot Jacob Blake, an unarmed black man. The three games scheduled for that day were not played and moved to a later date. Players and teams were debating if they should even continue to play, or just go home. In response to this, the message Brown gave to other players was simple. If you leave, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to sit at home with your families? Are you going to be in the streets?

In the 2020 Playoffs, Brown averaged 22/7/2 on 48/36/84 splits (55% eFG%, 59% TS%) while being number two in total shots taken. The Celtics were defeated by the Heat in six games and extended their drought of not reaching a NBA Finals. For Brown, it meant something more. Since 2010, the last NBA Finals appearance for the Celtics, they have played in 4 Eastern Conference Finals, Brown has been a part of the team for three of them (2017, 2018, 2020), surprisingly enough, they have lost those series in 5, 7 and 6 games, respectively.

This season, things have been trending upward for Brown. With the knee injury suffered by Kemba Walker which caused him to miss 11 games, Brown (along with Jayson Tatum) have been in charge of being Batman and Robin every night. Brown is averaging 26/6/4 on 53/41/80 splits. There has been a career high in 11 different categories including PPG (25.8), AST (3.8), FG% (53 percent), 3P% (41 percent) and PER (24.8).
A key to Brown’s play has been him falling in love with his midrange play and being more effective this season. He’s shooting 61 percent from the mid-range (31-57) this season. Last year Brown shot 42 percent from the mid-range (42-100). In the restricted area he’s shooting 72 percent (41-57), last year he shot 64 percent (182-284). His Jump shot has also had a significant increase (+8 percent). On open shots Brown shot 40 percent last season, this season has increased to 55 percent.

Coming into the league, a lot of scouts and fans knew Brown was going to establish himself as a two way player. Opposing players are shooting 44 percent overall when guarded by Brown and 32 percent on 3 pointers. Lastly, Brown ranks fourth on the team in deflections per game at 2.1.

The Boston Celtics currently sit at 9-6 and the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference, trailing the number one seed by one game.

Matt Musico’s Rise from the Upper Deck

Matt Musico’s Rise from the Upper Deck

Photo Credit: collegewise.com

If watching Mets games is religious practice for you like it is for me, you have heard Gary Cohen talk about the birth of his Mets fandom taking place in the upper deck of Shea Stadium. Baseball writer Matt Musico is no stranger to this emotionally attaching experience. Musico’s earliest memory of going to a Mets game is from 1993, and he quickly found himself becoming metsmerized with the orange and blue.

“My dad would get the paper every day and I would cut out the clippings from the game and tape them into a notebook.” said Musico, whose days as a kid were either made or ruined depending on the outcome of the game, I am sure most Mets fans can relate to that one.

Photo Credit: pinterest.com

The young, diehard Mets fan Matt Musico did not have writing as his ultimate goal growing up. A sport management major at Sacred Heart University, Musico originally wanted to be a general manager for an MLB team. “I interned for the Hudson Valley Renegades in the ticket office and I didn’t really like working the long nights.” Musico said. The dislike for long nights put an end to Musico’s run at becoming an MLB General Manager.

While trying to get a job in college sports, Musico started writing a blog just as a hobby. Little did Musico know at the time that his blog was just the launching pad his writing career needed.

Musico’s hobby blog led him to be contacted by FanSided. “I was not even thinking about looking outward to contribute in other places, I didn’t realize that was a thing.” said Musico, who gladly took the position and excelled from there.

Success at FanSided led Musico to multiple writing positions, including Bleacher Report, Collectable, FanDuel, and Yahoo Sports. Dual-employed at Bleacher Report and Yahoo Sports, Musico was writing two articles a week for each website. You guessed it; his articles were all Mets related.

Photo Credit: Matt Musico

“That was one of the most difficult parts of it; coming up with four things a week to write about the Mets. Especially in the offseason, which in 2012-2013 times, they were not doing very much either.” said Musico. The most difficult part in fact, is coming up with ideas to write about.

“When I go for runs, I try and think about Mets stuff, because I can clear my head. I like to have a topic, and think it over for a day so I can formulate what I want to say in my head, so when I have a chance to write, I can get right to work.” said Musico.

This forward-thinking approach has served Musico well over the years. After he began writing, he was offered the role of editor for the website Rising Apple. Musico accepted the position but had repairs to make upon his arrival.

“The site was in disarray. There was a disengaged staff and the social media was not good, so I brought on writers who wanted to write, and the site built itself back up.” said Musico. Build itself back up is exactly what Rising Apple did. The website went from 5,000-10,000 views a month to 50,000 views a month six months into Musico’s tenure as editor.

As a writer for Metsmerized, Musico, well, is metsmerized. Writing Mets articles year-round, Musico is a prominent news source on Mets Twitter. The year 2020 was different and difficult, but Musico kept grinding. “The biggest challenge was finding something different to talk about. All these Mets sites and the beat reporters were all reporting the same thing, it was difficult to find something different to expand upon.” said Musico, who was up to the task.

Photo Credit: Matt Musico

The Metsmerized writer penned a whole article around Sandy Alderson discussing not having to worry as much about the cost of a player and instead focus on if they can help the team. Under the new Steve Cohen regime, the cost of players has not been a setback this offseason.

As many places as he has been and as much time he has devoted to writing, Matt Musico is not a robot. A father of two young boys, Musico has to balance writing and taking care of his kids.

“Doing things as a dad, especially in the middle of a pandemic, it’s very tricky and you have to be very resourceful. I feel like whenever I have a free moment, I’m trying to do some kind of work. A lot of stuff I have written for Metsmerized over the last seven months has been done on my phone while I’m getting my kids to bed.” said Musico. Whether he is in the stands at Citi Field or at home with his kids, Musico takes his writing with him wherever he goes.

From a young fan in the stands, to an established baseball writer. Matt Musico discovered his passion for writing about the orange and blue and ran with it. Despite all the articles he has written and praise he has received, one idea stood out and told Musico he was meant to be a writer. I’ll let him share his secret.

“I always knew I was doing a decent job when nobody called me an idiot on Twitter.”