Goodbye, Sam Darnold...

Author: Sal Vassallo

Editor: Brian Symons

April 26th 2018,

The New York Jets were coming off another disappointing 2017 season. The Jets had missed the playoffs for the seventh year in a row with a 5-11 record. With the Jets clearly looking to rebuild, the Jets looked to a 2018 draft class that was comprised of guys such as Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and of course Sam Darnold. With intention of getting the QB of their choice, the Jets traded up to No.3 overall with the Indianapolis Colts. So as history has it, the Jets ended up landing the USC star quarterback as the Jets looked to turn around their fortunes and get out of the NFL’s basement.

However, as we all know things did not end well as the Sam Darnold tenure in New York lasted just three years. In those three years, Darnold went through two coaches in Todd Bowles and Adam Gase. With all respect to a 2021 super bowl champion Bowles, things quickly soured as he was fired after Sam Darnold’s rookie year. 2019 came along and arguably got worse as the Jets made a widely controversial head coaching hire in Adam Gase, who had come fresh off a mediocre tenure in Miami in which he failed to develop then franchise QB Ryan Tannehill. The same would happen in New York as Darnold and the Jets went just 9-21 in two years under Gase, with Darnold seemingly regressing in 2020. Now, this was certainly not all on Gase. Poor offensive line play throughout Darnold’s first three years and a lack of weapons doomed Darnold in New York. Things got especially bad this past year when the Jets failed to resign Wideout Robby Anderson who had great chemistry with the young Darnold. At this point, with a lack of weapons, coaching, and offensive line, Jets fans could only watch as Darnold threw interceptions off his back foot and missing open receivers constantly. A whole mess of problems within the organization finally forced the Jets’ hand.

On April 5th, 2021, the Jets ended the Jets’ career of the man they once called their savior. No matter who you want to blame it was clear the Jets now GM Joe Douglas made the right move with Sam Darnold. The Jets traded Darnold to Carolina for a 6th round pick in 2021 and a 2nd and a 4th round pick in 2022. Certainly, an impressive haul considering the value on Darnold was not considerably high.

For the Jets, it gives the Jets the chance to attempt to rebuild the correct way under general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh. The Jets look like they will likely be taking BYU Quarterback Zach Wilson. With Wilson, the Jets get a fresh rookie contract rather than paying the 4th year option for Darnold, which would’ve been significantly higher. It gives new general manager Joe Douglas a chance at a true rebuild with the 21 draft picks the Jets to have in the next two years, including seven in the first two rounds.

For Darnold, it gives him a much-needed fresh start. Darnold who is still only 23 years old (younger than 2020 first overall pick Joe Burrow) still has a ton of raw potential that he will try to unlock in Carolina ala Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee. Darnold is now aligned with third-year head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who was a favorite candidate for a head coaching gig during this past offseason. Carolina also presents Darnold with a reunion with Robby Anderson as well as other weapons such as pro bowl running back Christian Mccaffrey and wideout DJ Moore. Certainly, Rhule, Brady, and company will have their work cut out for them if they want to fix Darnold’s mechanical issues that plagued him during his time in New York.

As a Jets fan who loved the Sam Darnold pick, I have the utmost respect for the way he handled the past three years full of injuries, controversy, and mediocrity, I hope he can realize his true potential but after this year fans knew it would have to be elsewhere. For the Jets, whether it’s Zack Wilson or someone else, we can only hope as fans that the Jets are in it for a true rebuild. With GM Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh, the Jets appear headed in the right direction for the first time in years. As for Sam Darnold, thank you for your time in New York. A likable guy who I hope can reach his potential in Carolina.

How to Improve the 2021 New York Mets

Author: Spencer Reyes

Editor: Brian Symons

Mets fans haven’t had the greatest luck in 2021. To start off, our season was delayed because of COVID cases and quarantine protocols from the Washington Nationals. On top of that when the Mets had their long-awaited season opener against the Phillies, the bullpen crumbled and left DeGrom out to dry yet again. Our manager, Luis Rojas, has been criticized for not keeping his word and making the wrong lineup adjustments. He told the media before this past Monday that you can expect DeGrom to pitch 100 pitches but was then pulled after 77. In recent lineups, we have seen players like Jonathan Villar batting over superstars like the flying squirrel himself, Jeff McNeil. Although the Mets’ 2021 season isn’t getting off to a great start, there is still time for improvement. In this article, I’m going to give the best ways to improve the 2021 New York Mets.

Let’s start off with the root of our problems, the bullpen. In my opinion, we were set up for failure in terms of relief pitchers before we even stepped a foot on the field. The pitching staff has gone on to prove that during this past week’s games. To start, let’s look at some of the contracts for the Mets bullpen. 29-year-old RP, Jeurys Familia is owed $10M for the rest of the season and will be a free agent in 2022. He has proven day in and day out, that he cannot be trusted to pitch as a closer or a setup for the Mets. Familia hasn’t been his true self since 2015 and 2016, where he was easily one of the best closers in baseball. He hasn’t reached a sub 3.00 ERA since 2018 when he posted a 2.88 ERA during his split season with the Mets. Familia used to be one of the best pitchers of baseball, but unfortunately, he isn’t of that caliber anymore. His other expensive counterpart is longtime Yankee, Dellin Betances. Since playing with the Mets last season, he fell off from the top of the bullpen conversation. Similar to Familia, Betances is owed $10.5M this season and will be a free agent in 2022. I know Steve Cohen has money to throw around, but it’s not smart to overpay people who aren’t performing. The Mets are very lucky that they were able to defer Lindor’s contract so they can still be under the luxury tax for 2021. Let’s go even further under to help out extension talks for DeGrom, Syndergaard, and Conforto. I don’t recommend releasing them, but I would definitely want to put them in a trade package or trade them separately for a group of low-level prospects or even a high-quality bench player like Jonathan Schoop or Charlie Culberson. If you have to sweeten the deal by adding Robert Gsellman, by all means, do it. He is taking up a spot on the roster for another pitcher. At that point, getting rid of 2-3 MLB pitchers will free up some spots. The Mets can then bring up a relief pitcher like Stephen Tarpley or Jordan Yamamoto, and if they don’t receive an MLB-ready pitcher from their previous trades, they can sign both Roberto Osuna and Thomas Pannone. Although Osuna brings up the problem of his potential Tommy John surgery, he has proven to be a top pitcher at the age of 27. He has a lot of time to show he can excel with the Mets. Pannone is more of an unknown name, but he is a 26-year-old relief pitcher that recently pitched with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019, and with only 49 games in the majors, he will have a chance to prove his worth. At most, I would give him a minor league contract and worst-case scenario, he becomes a depth pitcher.

After the bullpen is fixed, most of the team falls in place. The Mets are currently waiting on Jose Martinez to recover from his knee surgery, and when he does, he’ll most likely make it to the major league roster. As far as I am concerned, the Mets starting nine and bench are set. The next position to worry about is the rotation. Everyone already knows DeGrom is a lock for the number one spot and is followed by Stroman at number two. Once Carrasco and Syndergaard recover from their injuries they’ll fall in at three and four. The fifth spot will be a battle between Luchessi, Peterson, and Walker. The good part about these 3 pitchers is they are ready to play in the MLB but can also play on the Triple-A team in Syracuse for the season. It’s always better to season young guns, and not to rush them into a tricky spot and set them up for failure. Knock on wood, but if somehow, someway more starting pitchers are injured, the Mets have a couple more arms to call up, or maybe they would entertain the thought of bringing back, “Big Sexy” for a farewell season.

The last way to improve the Mets would have to be our starting lineups for every game and choosing which pitchers to call from the bullpen in certain situations. It’s important to space out your lineup, so every inning, your team has a chance to hit and possibly score. With J.D. Davis currently day to day, it makes sense to give a look to either Villar or Guillorme at the position. Hopefully, Rojas can find a rhythm with certain players playing positions and batting higher or lower depending on the pitcher they are facing. Picking the right batters and pitchers at the right times is important and a key to future success for the Mets. At the Mets and Sport Universes, we wish the team the best and hope they can come back from their recent struggles. As always, stay tuned to TheSportUniverse for all of your sports needs, TheMetsUniverse, to get daily coverage on the New York Mets, and make sure to tune into our official Mets podcast, “Uncle Stevie’s Nephews” on Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.

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Worst NFL Free Agent Signings

Author: Jack Casabonne

Editor: Brian Symons

Free agency is always a welcome time, where fans and executives alike believe that their teams are getting better. With all the money spent on free agents, how could that not be true? Well, it all comes down to what decisions a front office makes in regards to the players they sign, their role on the team and the contracts handed out. So far through the 2021 NFL free agency cycle, I found 3 signings that I think are absolute liabilities for teams based upon fit, scheme, upside, and contractual details.

Chicago Bears sign Andy Dalton to 1 year $10 million contract

Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace are both on the hot seat going into the 2021 season, and their solution was to make a change at the quarterback position. Instead of trying to make a blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson, move up in the draft to take one of the draft-eligible quarterbacks, or taking a flyer on a young player like Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen, they decided to sign….. Andy Dalton. To be completely honest, this move just makes no sense. Dalton is not much of an upgrade over Nick Foles. He’s not a player that is going to move the needle at all for this team. Taking over for an injured Dak Prescott, Dalton had a very mediocre 2020 season in Dallas. Dalton finished 30th in DVOA, and had a passer rating of 87.3. For a team that lost two crucial defensive starters in Kyle Fuller and Akiem Hicks, the $10 million could have been spent in a much better place than a minuscule upgrade over Nick Foles.

Minnesota Vikings sign Patrick Peterson to 1 year $10 million contract

Another NFC North team here with a poor free agent signing. Make no mistake about it, Peterson will retire as one of the most decorated defensive backs of the 2010s. However, he’s not the same player he was when he was selected as a 3-time All-Pro. Turning 31 in July, Peterson has obviously lost a step in the past couple of seasons. 2019 was the first season Peterson wasn’t selected as a Pro Bowler, and also the first season he allowed an opponent passer rating over 100 in his career. He followed up this sub-par year with a 2020 season that might have been even worse. In 2020, Peterson led the league in penalties for a defensive back with 10. Additionally, he allowed 5 touchdowns and an opponent passer rating of 100.8 While Peterson has had an incredible career, he’s now well past his prime, which makes this $10 million investment seem careless by the Vikings’ front office

Las Vegas Raiders sign Kenyan Drake to 2 year $11 million contract

I’m a firm believer that running backs have little value in today’s NFL. A running back’s production is based upon so much more than just their talent. It’s based upon the ability of the offensive line, the offensive scheme, a quarterback’s ability, and playcalling. Not only does the former Arizona Cardinal play a position that has become increasingly devalued due to the higher frequency of passing, but the Raiders also spent a 2019 first-round pick at the position. Josh Jacobs has been a solid player for Jon Gruden’s squad, rushing for over 1,000 yards in his two seasons. Why spend significant money, with Drake’s contract containing incentives that can raise the price to $14.5 million, on a backup to Josh Jacobs? The contract puts Drake in the top-14 for highest-paid running backs in the NFL. Additionally, Drake has yet to have a 1,000 yard rushing season throughout 5 years. With significant holes on the defensive side of the ball, the Raiders are basically throwing away money with this signing.

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