For the
longest time, I used to write a regular column that would be titled, “Just
Wondering,” where I would fire off a bunch of different ideas that would pop
into my noggin.
Last week, I
received a tweet from someone who said that it was time for another “Just
Wondering” piece. I realized that I hadn’t written one in such a very long
time. In this era of “reboots” like Will & Grace and Roseanne, it’s time
for a sports reboot, another version of “Just Wondering,” a little long time in
the coming.
JUST WONDERING what the two New York teams will do
in tonight’s NFL Draft. The months of
speculation are now down to a few precious hours. Will the Giants and Jets keep
their picks and take players that will help change the face of the franchise?
Will they trade their picks for other picks down the road?
It has
certainly led to some great fodder for the sports talk shows since the Jets
traded up to get the No. 3 from the Colts.
Now it’s all
down to today.
I think Sam Darnold goes No. 1 to the Browns
and in my opinion, Darnold is a no-brainer. I still believe he’s the best QB
prospect the NFL has seen in 20 years, probably going back to Peyton Manning. He’s
going to be a flat out stud. How Phil
Simms said that Darnold was going to drop to No. 17 overall is downright
wack-a-doodle.
So that puts
the Giants on the clock and from every little snippet I have read or heard
since Dave Gettleman became the
Giants’ GM, I think they’re going to take Saquon
Barkley with the No. 2 pick.
Running
backs that weigh 235 pounds and run a 4.4 40-yard dash don’t come around every
day. Barkley is the kind of player who can turn around an entire franchise,
never mind just make the team better.
Barkley is
sold on being the best player in the game, not just the best running back.
There was a piece on him on the NFL Network the other day where Barkley was
talking about being a brand name, a one-named superstar in the same way that
Michael and Kobe were and LeBron is.
I know it
sounds like some bold statements for someone who hasn’t played a down in the
league, but it certainly has an air of confidence about it.
Sure,
running backs generally have a short shelf life in the NFL, around five years.
But Barkley has the physical tools that make you believe he’s going to be
around for a while and that he’s going to be a special player. I think the idea
of Barkley being an every down back and Odell
Beckham, Jr. being healthy and catching passes from a rejuvenated Eli Manning gives the Giants’ faithful
reason to be excited.
After the
G-Men take Barkley, the Jets are on the clock. And I think before the clock
even ticks down to the precious few seconds, I think the Jets are going to take
Josh Allen with their selection at
No. 3.
I know
everyone is clamoring for Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield at No. 3, but I think the Jets are going to take the
Wyoming signal caller instead. You can’t teach 6-foot-6 and an arm strength
that can throw the ball 80 yards without a hitch. You also can’t teach that
kind of mental makeup. I think Allen will be able to handle the pressure of
being the Jets’ quarterback down the road. I don’t think he takes a snap this
season. I think if he’s healthy, then Teddy
Bridgewater is the Jets’ starter at QB, even over Josh McCown, who had a marvelous season last year for the J-E-T-S
Jets, Jets, Jets.
But Allen
represents the Jets’ future and he will change the face of the franchise. Let’s
face facts. Jets’ general manager Mike
Maccagnan is staking his reputation, his career, his football life on this
pick. If Allen is a bust, then Maccagnan slinks away into the list of abysmal
Jets general managers. If Allen shows some promise as being the Jets’ future,
then he gets to stick around for a while. If there’s anyone who feels a ton of
pressure on his shoulders, chest and head tonight, it’s Maccagnan.
So I think
it’s Darnold, Barkley and Allen in that order. I’ve been wrong before.
JUST WONDERING if anyone else agrees with me. It’s
not easy to do, you know.
JUST WONDERING if anyone else agrees with me and is
glad that the draft is actually over after Saturday. All this talk and
speculation and rumors have driven me completely nuts, especially since my Rams
don’t have a pick until No. 87 overall in the third round. That’s a lot of
waiting around to get excited about a backup offensive tackle.
JUST WONDERING what in the world Ereck Flowers is thinking about when he
doesn’t show up for the Giants’ mini-camp this week? I mean, if you’re Anthony Munoz, you can get away with
such crap. But Flowers may be the biggest bust in the history of the Giants and
he thinks he’s entitled to the starting left tackle position for life, even if
you, er, totally suck. If the Giants can trade Flowers for a roll of adhesive
tape and an old Jane Fonda workout
video, then I’d do it just to get his fat, lazy, miserable ass out of here.
JUST WONDERING when spring is going to arrive in the
Northeast. Enough is enough with this cold weather. I don’t want to see 50
degrees again until November.
JUST WONDERING when all this hype about Shohei Otani will die down? I mean, it’s
great that he can hit and pitch and all that. But he’s mentioned every single
second I turn on ESPN. Once again, the mothership, as Dan Patrick calls the brilliant people of Bristol, has found a new
fangled hero to beat with a stick. Shohei went to the bathroom today. Let’s
mention that. Shohei went shopping for shoes. Let’s lead SportsCenter with
that. It’s annoying.
JUST WONDERING what Mike Francesa was thinking when he spent nine months retiring, had
every sports celebrity under the sun praise him to the high heavens when he
retired, then four months later, he decides to come back and everyone is
supposed to just accept it? What was the Sports Pope thinking? Does Mongo
Nation just accept him back? Francesa’s credibility takes a huge hit with this
move, even if his inflated ego doesn’t think so. One thing is for sure: You can
be rest assured I’ll listen, because the drive-time has not been the same
without him.
JUST WONDERING where the Knicks and Rangers are
going to go for their new coaches. It’s safe to say that MSG and especially
owner James Dolan has no idea what
he’s doing. I am in the minority here, but I didn’t think Alain Vignault deserved to lose his job. The Rangers have one bad
year and then he’s gone? In the case of Jeff
Hornacek, he was a bad hire in the first place. But in the case of the
Knicks, it’s been one bad hire after another.
JUST WONDERING if the Mets will be a contender all
summer long. I tend to think they will be. They’re very good. I also think the
Yankees are also very good. I think it’s going to be great baseball summer
locally. I mean, it could evolve into the best baseball summer of my life.
You can read
more of my stuff at www.hudsonreporter.com
and www.theobserver.com