Brutal clock management and poor decisions late cost Big Blue an upset in Arlington, but Prince Amukamara is trying not to let the defeat get him and his teammates down.

Rather, the cornerback is trying to use the loss as a learning experience than can help the Giants as the season progresses.

Prince Amukamara

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The first step? Let it go and move on.

“We’re going by the term, ‘So what, now what?'” the 26-year-old told WFAN co-hosts Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts during his weekly spot on Tuesday afternoon. “So we lost, now what do we do? I think if we keep that mentality and just keep moving on to the next game, I think we’ll be OK.

“But to be in a type of game like that this early in the season, and experience that, I think it’s great for our team. It’s encouraging and we can definitely build off of that.”

Quarterback Eli Manning revealed that he told running back Rashad Jennings not to score in the Giants’ final series on Sunday night, and Amukamara admitted that he was stunned by the decision.

“Yeah, yeah I was,” Amukamara told Joe & Evan. “I haven’t been able to ask him about that. I wasn’t in the huddle, I wasn’t in that conversation … I was pretty shocked, but I’m sure if he got told that, he got told that for a reason. And I’m sure it came from higher up, so you just have to trust the coaches there.”

The Giants will look for their first win against the Falcons at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

The big defensive end spoke to WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Tuesday and touched on various aspects of the 31-10 victory over Cleveland in Week 1.

Wilkerson said the key to allowing just one touchdown was third down defense and forcing turnovers. The Jets were one of the worst teams in the NFL last season forcing turnovers, but on Sunday pressured  the Browns into five.

Muhammad Wilkerson

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“We decided to settle down and relax,” Wilkerson said, “That’s the biggest thing we did, getting off the field on third down. We had a hard time doing that at first, but later on we did what we had to do to get off the field.”

He said he was impressed by the play of some of the Jets’ younger defensive players. Though end Leonard Williams expressed concerns about his conditioning, Wilkerson said he’s not worried about the rookie.

“I think he had a solid performance, but this is a pro level, our job. And if he feels he’s not in shape I’m pretty sure he’ll get himself in shape and get ready to go,” Wilkerson said.

The Jets’ opponent next week will be decidedly tougher as they travel to Indianapolis on Monday night to take on the Colts, who were handled by Rex Ryan and the Bills up in Buffalo in Week 1.

When asked how the Jets can return home 2-0, Wilkerson said, “Well, each and every week we worry about stopping the run and they have some guys on the outside that can make plays. We need to be disruptive and be physical as we always are.”

The WFAN host fell victim to a clever prank by co-host Gregg Giannotti, producer Brian Monzo and associate producer Chris McMonigle that quickly degenerated into audio gold.

Benigno isn’t the biggest fan of advanced stats, or sabermetrics to you stat geeks online, so Giannotti, Monzo and McMonigle put together a fake story about a new stat said to be used in Major League Baseball to assess pitchers.

It’s called “Femoral Leverage Under Max Pressure,” and Benigno quickly took the bait, launching into a tirade against all the baseball officials mentioned in the article, including Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane, Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo and former Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson.

FLUMP, the gift that keeps on giving. Have a listen:

Joe Benigno Falls For FLUMP

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WFAN co-hosts Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts broadcasted live from Giants training camp in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Friday.

Big Blue is looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 — when the team won Super Bowl XLVI over the Patriots — and expectations are high.

The offense should be excellent, with reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Odell Beckham Jr. teaming up with Victor Cruz to form a dynamic wide receiver duo. Eli Manning is coming off a huge year and free-agent signee Shane Vereen should give the running game a boost.

On the defensive side of the ball, coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is aiming to fix a unit that finished 29th in the NFL in yards per game in 2014.

Some of the biggest names in the organization were on hand to chat with Joe & Evan, and you can find all of the audio below.

If this doesn’t get you pumped for the upcoming football season, nothing will.

RUNNING BACK SHANE VEREEN 

Shane Vereen

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RUNNING BACK ANDRE WILLIAMS AND OFFENSIVE TACKLE ERECK FLOWERS

Andre Williams and Ereck Flowers

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WIDE RECEIVER RUEBEN RANDLE

Rueben Randle

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CORNERBACK PRINCE AMUKAMARA

Prince Amukamara

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CENTER WESTON RICHBURG

Weston Richburg

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REPORTER PAUL DOTTINO

Paul Dottino

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LINEBACKER JON BEASON

Jon Beason

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FORMER GIANT, CURRENT BROADCASTER CARL BANKS

Carl Banks

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RUNNING BACK RASHAD JENNINGS

Rashad Jennings

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According to CBSSports.com/WFAN baseball insider Jon Heyman, the Yankees’ starting pitcher has a Grade 1 strain and could miss up to a month.

Manager Joe Girardi told WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts that CC Sabathia would take Pineda’s turn in the rotation on Thursday night against the Rangers. However, as for who will occupy Pineda’s spot for the duration of his time sidelined, Girardi said no decision has been made.

WFAN host Mike Francesa first reported that Pineda is injured and would not pitch on Thursday.

“I hear Pineda’s hurt,” Francesa told WFAN co-hosts Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts just after 1 p.m. on Thursday. “He’s not pitching tonight, and he might be badly hurt. And I hear (starting pitcher Ivan) Nova’s hurting.”

Mike Francesa

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Pineda is 9-7 this season with a 3.97 ERA. He’s struck out 117 and walked 15 in 118 innings pitched.

In six starts, Nova is 3-3 with a 3.38 ERA.

Girardi told Benigno and Roberts that Nova’s health is not a concern, and he’s scheduled to make his next start.

Just a day ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the pitching market is thin. Both Cole Hamels and David Price have been traded. James Shields and Mike Leake might be potential targets for Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.

Just a game behind the first-place Nationals in the National League East, general manager Sandy Alderson is looking to acquire a big bat before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

According to CBSSports.com/WFAN baseball insider Jon Heyman, the Mets are still targeting Justin Upton, Carlos Gonzalez, Carlos Gomez, Gerardo Parra and Jay Bruce.

Jon Heyman

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Heyman reports that talks between the Mets and Padres regarding an Upton deal broke down, but they could start up again. Gonzalez is also available, according to Heyman, though the Rockies might choose to wait until the winter to trade him.

Both Gonzalez and Gomez will cost a lot, Heyman reports, and the Mets do not intend to trade any of their “big four” starters (Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz).

Heyman also notes that, at one point, the Reds were interested in acquiring Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler in a deal for Bruce. Wheeler, who underwent Tommy John surgery in March, has not pitched this season.

A fallback option for New York is Reds outfielder Marlon Byrd, who played for the Mets in 2013.

Alderson has been very active during the trading season, acquiring infielders Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe last week and trading for relief pitcher Tyler Clippard on Monday.

You might remember that greeting. It’s the one Chris “Mad Dog” Russo used on the WFAN airwaves until his departure in the summer of 2008.

Russo, of course, partnered with Mike Francesa for nearly 20 years on The FAN. “Mike and the Mad Dog” was one of the most loved and listened-to sports radio programs in the country during its illustrious run.

Chris 'Mad Dog' Russo

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On Thursday morning, WFAN listeners were given an unexpected treat when Russo joined WFAN co-hosts Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts at Joe Torre’s charity golf tournament in Scarborough, New York.

During their interview, Roberts asked Russo if he ever wakes up and misses his former co-host.

“I was with him for 19 years,” Russo told Joe & Evan. “How do you not have that pang every now and then? … I said an innocent remark on YES (about a possible reunion). You know how much Mike and I loved each other for 19 years.

“…You know better than anybody. Mike and I had a very — from a working standpoint — nobody enjoyed working with each other better than him and I. You knew that better than anybody. Because I could challenge Mike and he could challenge me. And not many guys could do that with Mike.”

Among other things, the trio talked about the Jets’ promising defense, Russo’s current gig at Sirius, Tom Brady’s suspension and the frustrating Mets.

A second wild card in each league was added in 2012, keeping more teams in playoff contention long past the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. And those clubs may not have enough time to evaluate whether their rosters are good enough to get one.

“I think that the July 31st deadline is something that we may want to revisit in the context of the revised playoff format,” Manfred said Wednesday. “Obviously when you have two additional opportunities to be in the playoffs, you have more teams in the hunt and they may want to wait a little longer before they make decisions.”

Brian Cashman

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“On the other hand, you’ve got to remember, we want teams that the core of which have been together for the year playing in the postseason,” he said. “So you have to just balance those two issues, I think.”

Manfred spoke before joining MLB Ambassador for Inclusion Billy Bean on a panel at the “Beyond Sport United” program. Commissioners Adam Silver of the NBA and Gary Bettman of the NHL had taken part in earlier discussions.

“We have those conversations a lot and there are a lot of different opinions on it,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told WFAN host Evan Roberts on Wednesday. “I definitely would be cool with moving it back because it gives people more time to assess who they are, what they are.

“It’s hard to have teams declare if they are in or out at a certain time, in the summertime still, with a lot more dates to sell. I’m good with that. I’ve been a proponent of pushing it back, but there are a lot of complications to that.”

Manfred said baseball has been talking with President Barack Obama’s administration about U.S. relations with Cuba. He hopes there can be some exhibition games on the island next spring and a more regularized immigration process so Cuban players could play in the majors and also be allowed to return home.

The commissioner also said his meeting with Pete Rose to discuss his request for reinstatement to baseball would come later in the summer, after the Hall of Fame inductions.

Manfred wouldn’t elaborate on his criteria for ending Rose’s ban, saying that would be unfair to the career hits leader and would be detailed after a decision has been reached.

“I’ll explain to people where I’m coming down and why I got there,” Manfred said.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

That was the message Wednesday from general manager Brian Cashman as the first-place Yankees consider ways to improve themselves prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

In a wide-ranging interview with WFAN’s Evan Roberts, Cashman reiterated reports from earlier this week that he won’t rule anything out, and that includes everything from doing nothing to perhaps trading away key pieces of the team’s future.

But it will all depend on how things shake out as the deadline draws near.

“We’ve always felt if we were healthy we’d be a contender for the division and much more,” Cashman said of his 51-41 club. “Right now we’re healthy, so we’re able to hit our capabilities. I’m not surprised because we have good players. I am happy with this club.”

Brian Cashman

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However, the longtime executive said he will have trade discussions with other GMs across the league, and if something interests him he will act. And that includes possibly moving a top prospect like right-hander Luis Severino, outfielder Aaron Judge or first baseman Greg Bird, who are considered by many to be the core of the Yankees’ future.

“I’m open-minded to everything, anything,” Cashman said. “I’ve been doing this for a long time and I do recognize that prospects are (suspect). So I don’t think anybody should be untouchable. I’ve always maintained that some guys are harder to move than others. I won’t say that I’m conservative GM; I’m a very aggressive GM. It would be hard for me to do anything there, but I’m going to be open-minded to it.”

That said, Cashman said he’s extremely mindful of the future and the fact the Yankees are seemingly always an older team.

“But more likely than not, if you look at our roster and how it is evolving, you know going into 2016 and 2017, you see where a lot of names you just mentioned will play, or could very well play if they reach their projections, a very important part in transitioning from current guys on this roster as their contracts start to expire,” Cashman said.

The Yankees’ biggest need at this point appears to be a front-line starting pitcher, and there figures to be several big ones available, what with names like Philadelphia left-hander Cole Hamels, Cincinnati ace Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija of the Chicago White Sox among the top tier believed to be on the market.

Cashman said he will consider adding an ace or a middle-of-the-rotation arm, but isn’t making any promises.

“I’m going to predict I’m going to kick the tires on a lot of things, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t do anything there,” he said.

An alternate approach could be the Bombers adding another power reliever to solidify what is already among the best bullpens in baseball. On Monday, veteran reporter Peter Gammons told WFAN’s Mike Francesa he believes San Diego’s Craig Kimbrel would be a perfect fit. Cashman said trying to shorten games even more is something he will consider.

“If the right circumstance exists, I will certainly make recommendations,” Cashman said, referring to discussions he has with Yankees general partner Hal Steinbrenner. “Why not make any aspect of the club better? But, again, last year at the trade deadline I felt a lot of things worked out the way we hoped. A lot of times it involved patience and our needs and somebody else’s needs matched up on a number of different discussions. But those are rare. So if that happens and goes our way, listen, I will be very aggressive. I’d rather hope for it, but I don’t expect it.”

Cashman reiterated just how difficult it is to make trades and added it would be a lot easier to identify the various markets if Major League Baseball opted to move the trade deadline back a bit.

“We have those conversations a lot and there are a lot of different opinions on it,” he said. “I definitely would be cool with moving it back because it gives people more time to assess who they are, what they are. It’s hard to have teams declare if they are in or out at a certain time, in the summertime still, with a lot more dates to sell. I’m good with that. I’ve been a proponent of pushing it back, but there are a lot of complications to that.”

It’s certainly not out of the question.

The Mets have scored the fewest runs (319) in the National League — only the White Sox have scored fewer — and own the worst batting average in baseball.

Left fielder Michael Cuddyer is expected to be placed on the disabled list in the next day or two, which will necessitate a roster move.

General manager Sandy Alderson has reportedly been hesitant to call up the highly touted Conforto, though his club’s lack of offense might force his hand.

Ed Coleman

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According to ESPN’s Keith Law, Conforto is the 12th-ranked prospect in baseball. The 22-year-old left fielder was New York’s first-round selection (10th overall) in the 2014 MLB Draft.

He started out the season with Class A Advanced St. Lucie and was promoted to Double-A, where he’s played 42 games. The Oregon State product has been scorching in Binghamton. The left-handed hitter is batting .325 with five homers, 12 doubles and 25 RBIs in 160 at-bats. He’s also posted an impressive .407 on-base percentage.

Despite being drafted just last year, he’s considered advanced because he played at the collegiate level.

Entering Tuesday night’s game against the Nationals, the Mets are three games out of first place in the National League East and two games behind the Cubs for the second NL wild-card berth.

Thaddeus Young has been here just a few months and felt the same way.

Lopez and Young said Thursday they both quickly committed to re-sign with Brooklyn, wanting to stay together after they played well down the stretch in leading the Nets into the playoffs last season.

Brook Lopez

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Lopez has been a Net for seven seasons, dating to their time in New Jersey. Though the team has considered trading him on multiple occasions, he has often said he wanted to stay.

“I was pretty confident on my end that I wanted to be here,” the former All-Star said. “There weren’t really any other serious destinations, I suppose. We obviously worked something out. I think we’re committed to each other.”

The 27-year-old center averaged 19.7 points and 9.2 rebounds after the All-Star break, which is about the time Young arrived in a trade from Minnesota. Lopez went on to win consecutive Eastern Conference player of the week honors late in the season as the Nets recovered from a largely disappointing season to reach the postseason.

The trade that sent Kevin Garnett to the Timberwolves landed Young, a former Philadelphia 76er, back in the East, and he and his family quickly determined that’s where they wanted to remain.

“My wife and kids, they love it here, so the best thing for me was just to try to get something worked out as soon as possible somewhere,” the forward said. “All we had to do was find a new place to stay.”

Lopez and Young were joined at a Barclays Center news conference by newcomers Thomas Robinson and Shane Larkin. General manager Billy King said he called both players shortly after free agency opened on July 1 as he looked for youth and athleticism that the team sorely needs.

“You saw throughout the playoffs people were putting their best players on the floor, and that’s where we have to be in the position to do that,” King said. “If it’s putting three guards out there, two point guards out there, it’s basketball. Last year we didn’t have the ability to match up with a lot of teams when they went smaller and now we have that ability.”

Larkin played last season for the New York Knicks and could have a larger role if the Nets are able to trade either Deron Williams or Joe Johnson to trim their payroll. Robinson was nearly a Net last season, but the 76ers claimed him off waivers just before the Nets were able to sign him.

But the key to the offense will likely remain Lopez, who showed last season he was fully recovered from a series of foot injuries. He would’ve had interest elsewhere — he said he had heard from Bucks coach Jason Kidd, who coached him two seasons ago in Brooklyn — but chose a three-year deal with the Nets that would pay him about $60 million and place him across town from twin brother Robin, who signed with the Knicks.

“I think the team can be much better than we were at the end of the season last year,” Brook Lopez said. “We expect a lot from ourselves. I’ve been talking to Thad a lot this offseason, we’re expecting a lot from each other in regards to leadership and performance on the court.”

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

On the radio, listeners were in for a bonus. Three of the biggest names in New York football — all participants in Wednesday night’s event — joined WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts live from Yankee Stadium.

Listen below to Jets head coach Todd Bowles, general manager Mike Maccagnan and Giants head coach Tom Coughlin address the latest headlines regarding their clubs:

Todd Bowles

— On his loaded defensive line: “They’ll play together, they’ll play apart. They’re gonna play a lot.”

— On Antonio Cromartie’s return: “I don’t know if he ever wanted to leave in the first place. He kept his home here. … We hit it off well in Arizona. I thought he had a very good year, and our relationship was very strong. So I’m just happy he came back.”

— Says the starting QB role is Geno Smith’s to lose: “He’s a third-year player. I mean, any rookie is going to have a learning curve. There’s very few that can (succeed right away). (Andrew) Luck is one of the few that can do that. Aaron Rodgers sat on the bench for a while. I’m not saying he is or isn’t those guys, but he’s got tools to be a very good player and now he’s learning a new system, so the process in which he can learn and diminish mistakes and take command of the offense is going to be important this offseason.”

True Blue: Jets Coach Todd Bowles

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Mike Maccagnan

— Says he hopes to find a “middle ground” with Muhammad Wilkerson: “We want to have Mo back. I mean, that’s obvious. He’s a good player, we like him. Again, we’re in a position where he is under contract and it is a renegotiation, so it’s a process we have to go through. Sometimes these go quickly, sometimes these go slowly. At the end of the day, yes, it is a priority for us.”

— On N.Y. reuniting with Darrelle Revis: “It was a perfect-world scenario in terms of everything just aligning right, and we were ecstatic to bring him back to the Jets.”

True Blue: Jets GM Mike Maccagnan

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Tom Coughlin

— On Odell Beckham Jr. and the Madden jinx: “I don’t even know what the jinx is — don’t tell me.”

— Says he’s not worried about Eli Manning’s contract. So does he expect Eli to be a Giant forever?: “I do.”

True Blue: Giants Coach Tom Coughlin

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During the same interview in which he ripped Tom Brady for his role in the “deflategate” scandal, the former NFL quarterback said his brother, Matt Simms, the third quarterback on the Jets’ depth chart, is not getting a legitimate chance to play due to the family’s name.

That may sound odd, but Chris Simms says it’s a legitimate beef.

“(Matt) hasn’t proven himself to be an NFL starter or anything like that, but every opportunity he’s gotten, whether it’s the preseason or even coming up in mop-up duty in the regular season he’s done very well and taken advantage of those chances,” Chris Simms said. “Some of the preseason performances he had … I truly believe if his last name was not Simms, teams would be wanting him to be their backup quarterback.”

Chris Simms

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Chris and Matt’s father, Phil Simms, starred for 15 seasons as quarterback of the Giants and is currently one the top NFL analysts on television. It’s his dad’s second career that has Chris, who works for Bleacher Report and CBS, concerned as he told WFAN’s Joe Benigno, “yes, without a doubt” having Phil Simms as a father is not helping Matt advance in the NFL as one would think it should.

“Because dad and I, of course, we know are not the most soft-spoken people in the world. The NFL, as you guys know, coaches are so conservative, very right wing, want everything to be private, don’t want anybody to know their stuff,” said Chris Simms, who played parts of eight seasons with Tampa Bay, Denver and Tennessee before calling it quits in 2010. “Now you get a guy like Matt Simms and now Phil Simms knows what this team is doing behind the scenes and maybe he agrees or thinks it’s stupid … I do, I think some of that is part of the politics of the NFL.”

Last week, Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan told WFAN’s Mike Francesa he was impressed with what he had seen during the offseason from Matt Simms. However, with veterans Geno Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick in what many have termed as a two-horse race for the starting quarterback job it’s hard to imagine anyone else getting legitimate playing time once September rolls around.

The Jets also selected Bryce Petty, the strong-armed signal-caller out of Baylor, in the fourth round of the draft. Though Petty is considered a project, many analysts believe he has a chance to be the franchise’s quarterback of the future.

Now in his third season, Matt Simms appeared in a combined four games in 2013 and 2014, completing 19 of 39 passes for 195 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

Not anymore.

Not after the Patriots’ star quarterback was implicated in the Wells Report for his role in “Deflategate” and subsequently suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season.

Chris Simms

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The report found that team employees likely deflated footballs used in last season’s AFC championship game against the Colts, and Brady was probably “at least generally aware” of the rules violations

“This is cheating, flat out,” Simms told WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Tuesday afternoon. “Cheating in the NFL. No quarterbacks take out less air than what is mandated by the NFL. Nobody. I’ve never heard of anybody (doing) it. Plain and simple, I put it up there with PEDs, corking your bat, any of that.”

Simms, who served as a coaching assistant for the Patriots in 2012, fully supports the four-game suspension. Because Brady is the face of the league, Simms thought Commissioner Roger Goodell might have suspended him for even more games.

In addition to the suspension, the Patriots have been fined $1 million and will lose their first-round pick in 2016 and fourth-round pick in 2017.

Simms isn’t ready to call the Patriots cheaters as a whole, but Brady? That’s a different story.

“I look at this simply as, ‘No, not (that) the Patriots are cheaters, but Tom Brady is a cheater,'” Simms told Joe & Evan. “I don’t have a lot of sports memorabilia in my house. I have a Tom Brady autographed helmet. Tom Brady was one of my favorite quarterbacks of all time, but I’m not so sure he is anymore now after all this.

“I don’t play that game. I really don’t. I’m very ethical … When I say my top three (quarterbacks) from now on, I probably will not put Tom Brady in that list anymore. I don’t know anymore. We know this went on more than one game.”

Now that he’s played both sides of the Subway Series rivalry, the Mets center fielder says he sees a difference between fans of the Amazin’s and those who back his former team, the Yankees.

“Throughout the city of New York, the Yankee logo is an accessory,” Granderson told WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Monday. “It’s something that everybody wants to have. Even a media person came up to me and said they have some friends in New Zealand that said, ‘Look at my New York hat.’ … People associate that just with the city of New York. So you have some people here that just enjoy the logo but don’t necessarily follow the team.”

Of course, every team has its share of fair-weather fans. And while the debate will rage forever about whether New York is an American League or National League town, it’s impossible to deny the Yankees’ history — all the retired numbers, the 27 World Series titles.

“When you do get the people that do follow either one of the teams, both of (the fan bases) are very passionate, very loyal,” Granderson said. “I think the Yankees fans, because the team has been around for so much longer, has generation after generation of people telling them, hey, you know, we grew up Yankees fans, we’ve seen this player and that player play. Obviously the Mets fans don’t have that history, because the team hasn’t been around as long.”

Granderson, who famously said “true New Yorkers are Mets fans” during his introductory press conference in 2013, is seeing more of the Flushing faithful coming out of the woodwork.

“The blue and orange is starting to pop its head out a little more throughout the city,” Granderson said.

“I do feel like I see the Mets fans a little more decked out,” he added. “If they have a hat on, they also have a jacket on to match it.”

The Mets are in first place in the NL East thanks to last month’s franchise record-tying 11-game winning streak, which ended, of course, at the hands of the Yankees. They’ve lost seven of 10 going into a two-game set with Baltimore starting Tuesday.

Listen below to the entire interview for Granderson’s thoughts on the Mets’ batting slump, his decrease in power numbers, hitting leadoff and more.

Curtis Granderson

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By beating the Magic on Wednesday night — and getting help from the Grizzlies, who took out the Pacers — Brooklyn secured its third consecutive playoff berth.

The eighth-seeded Nets (38-44) will take on the top-seeded Hawks (60-22) in the first round.

Lionel Hollins

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“We’re happy, excited to be in the playoffs,” Nets head coach Lionel Hollins told WFAN co-hosts Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Thursday afternoon. “Now we’ve gotta prepare to go out there and do battle against the second best team, record-wise, in the NBA.”

The Nets are the clear underdogs in this series. But when Benigno offered his take that the pressure is on Atlanta rather than Brooklyn, Hollins strongly disagreed.

“I don’t buy the notion that the pressure’s on them,” Hollins said. “I think when you’re confident and you’re good, you want to go out there and win. Losing to us would be worse than us losing to them, but there’s as much pressure on us as on them because we want to win as well. So it will be that internal pressure that we’ll put on ourselves.

“They’ll have the same internal pressure because they want to win. But as far as the outside pressure — that they’re supposed to win and all this — I don’t think it’s as big a deal as people make. We have to go out there and play well. We have to figure out how to slow them down offensively and we’ve gotta figure out how to score against them.”

The veteran head coach also said that he wasn’t bothered by Paul Pierce’s negative comments about his time with the franchise and some of the players. He said it means nothing to him, and he won’t use it as bulletin-board material to motivate his team.

Game 1 against the Hawks is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Philips Arena in Atlanta.

Some believe the curious lineup used by the Mets on opening day came from the front office, not skipper Terry Collins, though it could have had his blessing.

WFAN beat reporter Ed Coleman said Tuesday on the “Benigno & Roberts” show that, in his opinion, it wasn’t Collins’ idea to have Curtis Granderson and David Wright at the top of the order with the speedy Juan Lagares batting sixth.

“I thought that was taken out of Terry’s hands, to be very honest,” Coleman told Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts. “That’s my feeling. And I don’t think Terry would admit that.”

Ed Coleman On Mets

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He wasn’t alone. ESPN’s Adam Rubin tweeted Monday: “No surprise, but heard this lineup configuration is coming from a computer other than Terry Collins’ laptop.”

The issue wasn’t that Wright, normally a lock to bat No. 3, was bumped up a position in the order, something the team tinkered with this spring. Coleman was more perplexed about the Mets “yanking” around Lagares, who he said should be leading off and not batting behind Daniel Murphy.

“I thought Murphy was going to be there (at No. 6), ” Coleman said. “I was shocked when he wasn’t. And honestly, I think that came from elsewhere.”

But a team source told Newsday that it originated “strictly” from Collins and his coaching staff, who then got “input” from the front office.

Not everyone was buying it. Even Matt Cerrone, founder of Metsblog.com — which is partnered with Mets-owned SNY — said his “hunch” was that the lineup came from general manager Sandy Alderson, who has been rumored to have his differences with Collins.

“But I mean, look, my opinion — if you read the post — is that, if it works, then I’m not sure really what the big deal is as long as Terry is on board,” Cerrone said Wednesday on WFAN’s “Boomer & Carton show.”

It almost didn’t work. Nationals ace Max Scherzer took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before the Mets broke through for a 3-1 win in Washington.

Collins — or is it Alderson? — plans to roll out “roughly the same lineup” against the Nationals on Wednesday, according to Newsday.

Terry Collins jogs off the field against the Washington Nationals during Opening Day at Nationals Park on April 6, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Joe & Evan, both being diehard Mets fans, asked the commissioner what his thoughts are on the club’s financial situation. Over the last few years, the Amazin’s have been heavily criticized for not spending like a big-market franchise.

Manfred made clear his opinion that anger toward Mets ownership is not “fair.”

Rob Manfred

Joe & Evan

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“I do understand that that undercurrent is out there,” the commissioner told the radio duo. “I really don’t believe it’s fair, however. The most important point is this: At this point in Major League Baseball, I think it’s very, very difficult to go out and make yourself into a winning team overnight by spending money in free agency.

“If you look at the teams that are winning now, they’re teams that have fundamentally sound farm systems; (they) bring along a cohort of players who are effective on the field, and they may add through free agency to get over the top. But it’s really hard to just go out there and rebuild your team by that mechanism.”

The Mets only signed two players — Michael Cuddyer and John Mayberry Jr. — to major league deals this offseason. And they didn’t acquire a major league player in a trade until Monday, when general manager Sandy Alderson acquired left-handed relievers Alex Torres and Jerry Blevins.

According to ESPN.com, the Mets rank 23rd in the league in payroll.

“I understand that it creates fodder for people to be critical,” Manfred said. “I think adding players comes at the point in time that you’ve built your farm system up and you have a really good core of players on the field. And then it’s effective to spend. I think the Mets have made great progress in terms of the young talent they have.

“And I know, at the point in time that they think it’s appropriate, they will spend to supplement players.”

When asked by Benigno to comment on why the Mets’ situation is different from the Dodgers-Frank McCourt mess, Manfred said, “Mr. Wilpon was a victim of the (Bernie) Madoff scheme.”

The commissioner added that “under the basic agreement, it’s really not the business of central baseball to second-guess payroll decisions by clubs. I am satisfied that the New York Mets have a very strong desire to be successful on the field, and that they’re making decisions directed at being successful on the field.”

QUICK HITS: 

On Alex Rodriguez: “I thought Alex accepted responsibility for a lot of things that happened in that process, and given that he served out what was a very severe penalty — particularly at his age — he was entitled to our support as he attempted to resume his career.”

On potential playoff expansion: “I am really comfortable with where we are in terms of playoff format, (the) number of teams. I do like the one-game wild card. I don’t foresee change in this area. We want to be the most selective sport — we are now — in terms of who makes the playoffs.”

On shortening the season: “I think that if we were to reduce the number of games in the regular season, it would not necessarily be accompanied by an increase in the number of playoff games.”

On the Hall of Fame: “Based on my experience in this area, some players are unfairly painted with this (PED) brush. They never tested positive, they were never proven to use. But people say, ‘Oh, based on his appearance…’ And you cannot make that judgement. You just can’t make a judgement about whether a player was a drug user or not based on his appearance.”

On Pete Rose: “I have absolutely no predisposition on this issue. I think he has a right to file a request for reinstatement, and I think under the Major League (Baseball) Constitution I have an obligation to consider that request and make a decision.”

The finalists for Fantasy Phenom 5 were in the house Tuesday for Boomer & Carton’s St. Patrick’s Day bash at Connolly’s in Manhattan, ready to give their 60-second monologues and find out which WFAN host will be mentoring them leading up to the ultimate showdown in two weeks.

Brandon Contes, Marcia Herold, Neil Dwyer, Patrick McGlynn, Samuel Eliacin and Sam Mines each got a chance to chat with Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton before delivering a minute-long rant, which made for some awkward moments as Boomer & Carton demanded to know each person’s favorite show on The FAN:

Fantasy Phenom Finalist Monologues

Boomer & Carton

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After being put through the wringer, the six contestants lined up to be randomly assigned a mentor who will guide them through to the finale.

Here’s a look at the pairings:

Patrick McGlynn-Craig Carton

Neil Dwyer-Steve Somers

Brandon Contes-Boomer Esiason

Marcia Herold-Evan Roberts

Sam Mines-Mike Francesa

Samuel Eliacin-Joe Benigno

Fantasy Phenom Finalist Mentors

Boomer & Carton

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There you have it. Good luck to the finalists and make sure to tune in to the Fantasy Phenom 5 finals during Francesa’s show on April 1!

Read more about the six finalists and listen to their auditions here.

The safety was always entertaining, insightful, passionate and funny with Joe & Evan. This week, the three-time Pro Bowler signed with the Chicago Bears. On Friday afternoon, he hopped on the midday show to say goodbye to the radio duo and Giants fans, and reflect on his time in New York.

As expected, he didn’t disappoint.

Antrel Rolle

Joe & Evan

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Rolle said that many teams showed heavy interest, but a message from God ultimately helped make the decision for him. He was looking for a sign, and he got one. On Monday morning, at 4:33 a.m., the veteran received an email on his phone. It was an Orbitz alert, promoting discounted fares to Chicago.

That sealed the deal for the spiritual Rolle.

“I’m like, ‘Wow,'” he said. “You know what I mean? And it just hit (me). I never question God’s plan for me, man.”

As for the Giants, the 32-year-old has nothing but love for his former franchise and his ex-teammates. He said leaving New York was one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do.

But he remains as confident as ever, and is positive that the Giants will miss his presence.

“Antrel Rolle cannot be replaced in that defense,” he said while fighting his emotions. “But you can get someone to go in there and play ball and make plays, and be a hell of a player. Two-hundred percent. I don’t doubt that. But an Antrel Rolle will never be replaced in that secondary.”

Rolle, who played for the G-Men from 2010-14, was the Giants’ defensive captain. He was named to two Pro Bowls with New York, was a two-time All-Pro selection and was a key member of the Super Bowl XLVI championship team.

He said that despite his new Bears uniform, he’ll be a Giant for life. And he’ll never forget the Big Blue faithful.

“I want to thank the fans out there in New York and New Jersey,” Rolle said. “There are no fans like you across the world. No one travels like you guys. Win, lose or draw, you all are tough fans. And that’s fine, we need tough fans. I can’t tell you how much you all have meant to me in my last five years here.

“It doesn’t matter what uniform I’ll be wearing on Sunday. I have New York tattooed on my chest. That isn’t going anywhere.”

Last week, legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice admitted to using the adhesive prohibited by league rules. In the ensuing uproar, Rice tweeted: “I apologize ppl after doing my research about stickum! The NFL banned this in 1981. All players did it! #equalplayingfield.”

Ever since, Irvin has been swamped by tweets like these:

He ended the debate Thursday on WFAN radio, vehemently denying ever using Stickum.

Now stop asking.

“I love Jerry Rice, but that’s what everybody says. ‘Oh, everybody did it.’ That’s the oldest defense in the world,” Irvin told WFAN’s Evan Roberts. “I didn’t use Stickum. I never used Stickum, didn’t need Stickum, didn’t believe in Stickum. I wouldn’t do it. Troy (Aikman) would go off on me if I put Stickum on his footballs. You see what I’m saying? Stop asking me this junk. I didn’t feel like I should answer it. I have not answered one (tweet) on it.”

The Hall of Fame receiver and three-time Super Bowl champion said he’d never even seen it in the Dallas Cowboys locker room.

He drew an extreme analogy to the murder charges facing former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who has pleaded not guilty and is currently on trial in Massachusetts.

“It’s almost like — and I hate to get this harsh — if Aaron Hernandez starts saying ‘Well, Michael murdered some people,’ don’t start asking me did I murder somebody,” Irvin said. “You know darn well I didn’t murder anybody. Just because somebody threw it out there — leave me alone with that mess. Get off my Twitter with that.”

Michael Irvin: I Never Used Stickum!

Joe & Evan

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Rice is the NFL’s all-time leader with 22,895 receiving yards. Irvin finished his career with 11,904 yards.

The GM struck quickly in free agency, signing outfielder Michael Cuddyer to a two-year, $21 million deal on November 10.

But since then, the Mets have only signed one player — reserve outfielder/first baseman John Mayberry Jr. — to a major league contract.

Alderson On Ripken/Flores Comparison

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Alderson hasn’t made any trades, and his other signings have been minor league deals. But he still believes that his club can win 90 games and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

“We won 79 games last year, which was an improvement over the year before,” Alderson told the MLB Network. “We need to take a bigger jump next season. One of the reasons we’ve been quiet in the offseason is that we have quality players at every position.”

New York’s starting rotation — which was excellent in 2014 — should be even better with the return of ace Matt Harvey, who missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Curtis Granderson and David Wright are expected to bounce back offensively, and Alderson is banking on the continued development of Travis d’Arnaud, Lucas Duda and Juan Lagares.

“We’ve got players with the potential to improve us by 10 games, which is what we need,” Alderson said. “And so we’re comfortable going into spring training; and excited, actually, to see those players and see what kind of step forward they take, and whether that can translate into 10 or 12 games for us in the ‘won’ column.”

Sherman doesn’t seem worried about the potential arrival of his son interfering with his chances at winning — or perhaps playing — a second straight Super Bowl. He’s expecting his son to be cooperative from birth.

“He’s not supposed to come on Sunday. Obviously that would change some things. But I think he’s going to be a disciplined young man and stay in there until after the game. He’s going to do his father his first favor and stay in there for another week or two,” Sherman said on Thursday.

Beverly Sherman

Joe & Evan

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“But I’ve thought about the possibility of him coming during the game and coming before the game and we have things in place in case that happens and we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. But I did not know it was a topic of national debate, honestly. I would not like to miss the birth of my first son, my first kid. Thankfully, hopefully and God willing we won’t have to cross that bridge.”

Sherman revealed the pending birth of his son earlier this week in a first-person article for The MMQB.

His girlfriend is in Arizona and has made arrangements made with a local hospital should she go into labor.

Several of Sherman’s teammates said they would understand if he missed the big game for the birth of his son. Linebacker K.J. Wright said the Seahawks will “be OK,” adding “please go” and “family’s got to come first,” according to the New York Daily News.

“Unfortunately it’s the biggest stage in sports. But a new life?” defensive end Cliff Avril said, according to the Daily News. “That’s way more important to me and it should be more important to him.”

But Sherman’s girlfriend, Ashley Moss, told a Seattle television station that the cornerback is “very locked in; football comes first.”

Moss said Sherman instructed her to call if she goes into labor during the game. She doesn’t think it’ll happen. But if it does?

“I guess we’ll have a Super Bowl baby and if you see Richard heading for the locker room right after it hits zero in the fourth quarter, don’t be surprised,” she told KING-TV.

Head coach Pete Carroll says it will be Sherman’s decision whether to play on Sunday if his pregnant girlfriend goes into labor.

Carroll said during a joint press conference with New England coach Bill Belichick on Friday that family comes first and “if (Sherman) is faced with that decision, we’ll support him.”

Carroll also added, “I can’t wait to see little Petey.”

New Yorkers appeared split on which approach Sherman should take.

“The baby probably won’t remember if he was there, and everybody will remember if he wins the Super Bowl,” Lisa said.

“He’s got to be at the birth of his first baby. They’ll be at another game and they’ll kick butt again,” Tamara Shenkle told CBS2’s Vanessa Murdock.

Jets wide receiver Eric Decker made his stance clear.

“I would be there for my wife, my newborn child. I couldn’t miss that. It’s the Super Bowl of my life,” Decker said.

WORTHY CAUSE

Cancer Treatment Centers of America and the NFL Alumni Association announced a partnership to raise awareness among NFL Alumni and fans around the country about screening, diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer.

The partnership also calls for CTCA to treat NFL Alumni who are fighting the disease at each of its five hospitals (in Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tulsa). CTCA will also become a sponsor of the NFLA’s Super Bowl of Golf, an annual member event that is part of the NFLA’s charitable fundraising activities.

Other than non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the U.S. Nearly one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. The American Cancer Society estimates that 233,000 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2014. More than 29,000 men succumbed to the disease that year.

BRIGHT LIGHTS IN THE BIG APPLE

The Empire State Building will track the Super Bowl on its tower lights with a virtual scoreboard on Sunday. The lights, which will shine in the colors of the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, will change depending on the score of the game, ultimately shining in the colors of the winning team for the rest of the evening.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Because, as anyone who has gone through the experience would say, it could take a while.

The Campbell’s Chunky Soup pitchwoman affectionately known as “Mama” Sherman spoke with WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Friday about the dilemma facing her son with Super Sunday just two days away.

“Labor is funny. It’s not like, oh my goodness, the first few pains she has she’s just gonna spit the baby out,” she said. “It’s a long process. You know, very rarely does that happen where a mother starts having pains or goes into labor and bam, the baby’s here. It’s a long, long process. So I wouldn’t advise him to come off the field right away.”

Beverly Sherman

Joe & Evan

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The topic has generated a nationwide debate as Richard Sherman hasn’t committed to either facing New England in the Super Bowl or being at his girlfriend’s side if their first child arrives at the most inopportune of times. New York Jets receiver Eric Decker said on WFAN radio that he wouldn’t think twice about missing the game, while Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Friday that family comes first and the defending champs will support Sherman no matter his decision.

Sherman said he’d cross that bridge if it comes, adding there are contingencies in place for his girlfriend, Ashley Moss, who is in Arizona and has arrangements set at a local hospital just in case.

His mother reiterated those points to Benigno and Roberts.

“If she goes into labor, goes to the hospital, we’re going to use some good judgment with it,” Beverly Sherman said.

As for predicting the Super Bowl, Mama Sherman was more forthcoming: “I’m gonna say we’re going to do it again by 12. We’re going to win by 12 points.”

So what would Decker do? He told WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Friday that it’s a no-brainer. He’d miss the Super Bowl.

“Well, it’s different when it’s a girlfriend and a wife. So I think if it was my wife giving birth, you know, ultimately I believe my purpose is to be a father and a husband,” Decker said. “It’s easier said now because I’m not preparing for the game and I’m not in that situation. But with a clear mind, I guess, thinking about that situation he’s in — I mean, you never want to be in it. You’ve gotta time your conception a little better, I would say. But I would be there for my wife and my newborn child.”

Sherman is hoping his soon-to-be son will hold out until after Seattle’s game against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. The Seahawks cornerback said Thursday that there are contingencies in place if the baby arrives on Sunday, and he’ll just cross that bridge when — or if — it comes.

“I couldn’t miss that,” said Decker, who welcomed a daughter with country star Jessie James Decker last year. “That’s the Super Bowl of my life.”

DECKER QUICK HITS:

— On former Broncos teammate Demaryius Thomas, who is expected to avoid free agency via a new contract with Denver or the franchise tag: “I’ve been recruiting all year. Don’t worry about that.”

— On banners flying over the Jets’ practice facility calling for the firing of former GM John Idzik: “It’s just disheartening sometimes. … Maybe those dollars (could have gone) to a kid that’s struggling with cancer or a family that’s having a hard time. That’s how I kind of look at it. … It’s part of the gig. You’ve just gotta, I guess, live with it.”

Listen to the full interview for Decker’s thoughts on Jets quarterback Geno Smith, the departure of Rex Ryan and more:

Eric Decker

Joe & Evan

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He thinks the Giants’ wide receiver is going to be a big-time player — the 22-year-old has already proven what he can do — and this past Sunday at the Pro Bowl, Irvin reminded members of the Cowboys’ coaching staff what they might have to deal with for the next decade.

“One thing we talked a lot about was, ‘Man, you guys are going to have to deal with Odell Beckham Jr. for the next 10, 15 years,'” Irvin said on Tuesday during Super Bowl XLIX Media Day. “They were like, ‘Yeah, we’ve got some real problems.’ He’s just a great player.”

Michael Irvin

Joe & Evan

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Beckham was brilliant in his first NFL season. The PFWA Rookie of the Year caught 91 passes for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in just 12 games. He also displayed remarkable athletic ability in the form of acrobatic catches.

The only damper on the All-Pro’s season was the controversy that came with his loud celebrations and somewhat over-the-top antics.

When addressing Beckham’s behavior, head coach Tom Coughlin admitted that he’d like to see his young playmaker “tone it down.”

Irvin, who happened to be called “The Playmaker” during his illustrious career, couldn’t disagree with Coughlin more.

“I’m going to tell you this,” the NFL Network analyst and weekly guest of WFAN’s “Joe & Evan” program said. “New York should know better. Out of all the people in the world, New York should know better. You can’t take the lion out of the man. They did it to Jeremy Shockey and he wasn’t the same player. Guys like this are a lot like me.

“They create these fights for themselves and then they come out on Sunday and they fight like a dog. Don’t you stop them from creating those fights. Don’t calm them down and you’ll get something special. Calm them down and you’ll get the start of something special like we got the start of Jeremy Shockey, and then it fell off toward the end.

“Leave ODB alone.”

Speaking to WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Friday prior to his All-Star game media commitments, Tavares said his first-place club has fed off seeing friendly faces in opposing buildings — especially at Madison Square Garden and the Prudential Center, where the Islanders are a combined 3-0 this season.

“They have been coming out in droves and we’ve certainly enjoyed that,” Tavares said.

The Islanders’ captain and franchise center reflected on an utterly amazing first half of the season in which his team surprised many by establishing itself as a force in the Eastern Conference.

Sitting at 31-14-1, three points clear of second-place Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division and just one shy of Tampa Bay for the conference lead, the Islanders are enjoying the type of renaissance season befitting a franchise that once ruled the hockey world.

The nostalgia of the final season at Nassau Coliseum has helped fuel a fervor among a fan base that has known nothing but misery for two decades. The Islanders are on a collision course with just their sixth postseason appearance in the last 19 seasons and seem determined to at least record their first playoff series victory since 1992-93.

“There are still some things we want to get to and obviously we want to win the Stanley Cup,” Tavares said.

Though viewed by many as the franchise’s savior, the club’s leader in points (45) and goals (21), said the only thing the Islanders’ amazing first half did was to set the stage for meaningful hockey in late winter and early spring. Tavares said the Islanders are literally about cliches, like taking each game one at a time.

“I think if you look at it I’ve made the playoffs once in five years. This is my sixth year so I don’t think there’s a whole lot that I have accomplished and I think the team has accomplished, but there’s still a long way to go,” Tavares said.

Once the regular season resumes next week the Islanders will have 36 games remaining, including 21 at the Coliseum, where they are 16-4 this season. They have only 10 games left against teams currently occupying a playoff position in the East, and will see the rival Rangers three more times, all on Long Island.

Tavares said there’s no question the fans have made the Coliseum a very difficult play to play for opponents.

“As a player, it’s really been tremendous to be a part of and I think for our group it has really given us a lot of success,” Tavares said of Coliseum, which has been sold out better than half the games this season. “It has really turned our record around from last year at home to this year to just see the support and the enthusiasm and passion that they bring.”

Tavares spoke about several other topics, including the atmosphere that has come with the renewed rivalry with the Rangers. To hear his complete interview, please click the audio link below.

John Tavares

Joe & Evan

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Gang Green’s new head coach is taking a dramatically different approach than his predecessor Rex Ryan, who was known for talking up his roster even when it was obvious they were overmatched. Fired general manager John Idzik was also guilty of it, insisting the team wasn’t short on talent during an infamous press conference last season when the Jets were 1-7.

The Jets finished 4-12 and both men were fired on Dec. 29. Bowles was hired from Arizona to replace Ryan last week, shortly after Mike Maccagnan took over as the club’s new general manager.

“You don’t have to walk me through it. I know it’s a very passionate fan base, and they want to win and they’re frustrated,” Bowles said Friday on WFAN’s “Boomer & Carton” show. “They’re very smart, they’re very intelligent football fans, probably the best in the league. So they know bad football when they see it and they know when somebody’s trying to pull wool over their eyes.”

Todd Bowles

Boomer & Carton

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Bowles said there’s room for improvement on defense, but he wasn’t ready to get into specifics without analyzing the film from last season.

“Obviously they had a good defense,” he said, adding later on the “Joe & Evan” show that the Jets would stay with a 3-4 system to start but add in principles of the 4-3. “And Rex left me with a good defense.”

The bigger project will be on offense. Bowles said he wasn’t too familiar with quarterback Geno Smith, who he referred to as “a great college quarterback” in his introductory press conference on Wednesday. Smith hasn’t had the same success since being drafted by the Jets in 2013 and was the focus of fans’ frustrations last season.

Todd Bowles

Joe & Evan

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The Jets hold the No. 6 pick in the upcoming draft. While top quarterback prospects Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston aren’t expected to fall to New York, it’s a golden opportunity to land a playmaker. Having a projected $40 million in cap space to play with in free agency won’t hurt, either.

“You want aggressive, but you want to be smart,” Bowles said. “You don’t want to go after all the big-name players. Sometimes you need solid pieces.”

The 51-year-old rookie head coach will be leaning on Chan Gailey running his offense. Bowles — a top coaching candidate thanks to his two years as architect of the Cardinals’ vaunted defense — said he wanted Gailey because of his track record of working with all types of quarterbacks and establishing balance between the pass and run games.

“I’m turning it over to him, but I’ll have my fingerprints on it as well,” Bowles said. “It’s not a matter of being an offensive- or defensive-minded coach. The two Super Bowl teams have defensive-minded head coaches, but you’ve gotta be a well-rounded head coach and you’ve gotta understand what your strengths and weaknesses are.”

And if your weaknesses show, you’d better believe Jets fans will see them.

“I understand very well what they’re feeling,” he said.

Howie Rose told WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Wednesday the franchise that for a long time had a hard time getting out of its own way, is quickly becoming a standard-bearer in the NHL, adding Tuesday night’s decisive 3-0 win over the formerly red-hot Rangers at Madison Square Garden should have sent a message to everyone.

“(The Islanders) are good and they have been good really since the beginning of the season, so I think they are way past the point of being surprising,” said Rose, who calls games for MSG Network. “I think they are genuinely deep. They have got more national league depth than they have had before.

“It’s just such a different team than it has been, even two years ago when they were in the playoffs. This is a way better team,” Rose added. “It is clearly the best team I have broadcast in my 20 years with the Islanders, if you can believe that. This is by far the best team they have had in decades.”

The Islanders (29-13-1) entered play Wednesday with 59 points, the most in the Eastern Conference and are looking very much like a team that should do a lot more than simply make the postseason this spring.

“Step one, get to the playoffs. I think they are going to do that. Are they equipped to go for a little ride? I think if (goaltender Jaroslav) Halak stays healthy and if they get enough out of Chad Johnson in the second half so that they can give Halak rest at strategic intervals, I think that is important, too,” Rose said.

The Islanders have already played 25 road games, meaning the season’s second half will feature a ton of games at Nassau Coliseum, where they are 14-4. Rose said the combination of the Isles’ prowess on the ice and the fact that this is their final season in Nassau County before the move to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center this summer has compelled fans to take decibel levels inside the “old barn” to new heights.

“I need you to trust me on this because we all get caught up in hyperbole, but I firmly believe that the Coliseum this year has been as loud, if not louder, than I have ever heard it,” Rose said.

Rose spoke about several other topics, including how the Isles have been able to meld their youth with their veterans to form incredible resiliency this season, and the impending move to Brooklyn. To hear his complete interview, please click on the audio link below.

Howie Rose

Joe & Evan

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The Seahawks’ defensive coordinator has interviewed with the organization, though he’s a tad busy at the moment. Seattle is preparing to take on the Panthers in the NFL divisional playoffs on Saturday, and it would surprise no one if the team returns to the Super Bowl.

CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora was a guest with WFAN co-hosts Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Friday afternoon, and the NFL insider sounded confident that Quinn will get the head coaching job in New Jersey.

Jason La Canfora

Joe & Evan

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“If you made me go to Vegas right now, I would try to get the Dan Quinn action,” La Canfora told Joe & Evan. “Now the caveat being, if he keeps winning, do they wait until Feb. 2 to sit this thing out and then do it then? I’d say he’s the clubhouse leader now but it’s also an ongoing process.

“(Cardinals defensive coordinator) Todd Bowles is a factor in this as well. I would expect they hire (Texans director of college scouting Mike) Maccagnan by the weekend as their GM. And then the coach thing could play out, again, based on some results this weekend … All things being equal, I think Dan Quinn would get it, but they may not be equal.”

In addition to Quinn, the Jets have interviewed Bowles, Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich, Seahawks assistant head coach/offensive line coach Tom Cable, former Bills head coach Doug Marrone and Jets running backs coach/assistant head coach Anthony Lynn.

On Thursday it was reported that if Quinn is hired by the Jets, he’ll bring in Kyle Shanahan to replace Marty Mornhinweg as offensive coordinator.

Ryan and general manager John Idzik were fired on Dec. 29 following a 4-12 season and four straight years out of the playoffs.

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The future Hall of Famer, as is his custom, was very conservative in his responses as he prepares his team to take on the Ravens in the NFL divisional playoffs on Saturday.

When asked if he’s happy that former Jets head coach Rex Ryan is no longer in the AFC East, the three-time Super Bowl champion said exactly what you’d expect him to say.

Bill Belichick

Joe & Evan

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“I don’t really worry about anything I can’t control,” Belichick told Joe & Evan. “I’m just trying to coach our team, get ready for the Ravens. I can’t worry about the other 31 teams in the league.”

The head coach discussed the upcoming matchup against Baltimore, his thoughts on replay and getting calls right, and he even said some fun with Benigno.

“I’ve always been curious about this,” Roberts said. “After you guys play the Jets, and you beat them usually, is there ever a part of your day where you think about what Joe is going through? What he’s thinking about? Maybe for like five seconds. Does that ever go through your mind?”

“Yeah, it does,” Belichick responded immediately in a sarcastic tone. “It sure does. Yeah.”

The coach then mentioned the late missed field goals by Nick Folk in the Patriots’ two victories over the Jets this past season.

Ouch.

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Speaking to WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Wednesday evening, the Jets’ best defensive player spoke about his contract status and didn’t sound overly thrilled about where things stand.

Wilkerson, the club’s first pick in the 2011 draft, is coming off two excellent seasons and popular belief during the season was that it was just a matter time before the Jets would sign the big defensive end to a long-term contract.

But as the Jets continued to sit $20 million-plus under the salary cap this season, not much progress was made on the Wilkerson extension front by then-general manager John Idzik. Now, with Idzik having been fired along with head coach Rex Ryan on Monday, Wilkerson said he has no idea where he stands with the organization.

“All I will say is I’m under contract for another year as a Jet,” Wilkerson said, adding “Nothing has been said” to him about a contract extension.

And who knows when the issue will finally be addressed either way, considering the Jets are currently going through the arduous process of trying to find their next GM and head coach.

So, could this turn into another Darrelle Revis-type situation down the road?

Stay tuned.

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It didn’t make a difference that they posted a 6-10 record, had a seven-game losing streak that made the final month meaningless and had one of the NFL’s worst defenses.

The great equalizer is Odell Beckham Jr. The rookie wide receiver embarrassed opposing defenses, created an Internet frenzy with a one-handed catch, re-wrote some franchise records and tied Hall of Famer Michael Irvin’s NFL record with nine consecutive games of 90 yards receiving.

Even more impressive: Beckham did it after missing most of training camp and the first four games of the regular season with a hamstring injury.

“He is the best rookie I have ever seen, hands down,” 35-year-old placekicker Josh Brown said Monday as the Giants cleaned out their lockers. “I have never seen somebody as athletic, who does it with such ease.”

During an interview with WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Monday, quarterback Eli Manning raved about the rookie and what the future may hold for the Big Blue offense.

Eli Manning

Joe & Evan

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Beckham has all the tools — speed, great hands, leaping ability, a keen mind and an enthusiasm for the game that sometimes gets the best of him.

His 63-yard touchdown catch and run in the season-ending 34-26 loss to the Eagles on Sunday included a showboating back-pedal into the end zone and a fastball spike against a nearby wall after scoring his 12th TD of the season, which tied the Giants’ record for rookies.

“He’s a very passionate player. That’s just him. He makes plays. He’s very confident,” said Eagles cornerback Jaylen Watkins, who played against Beckham in college. “He’s thinking he’s making the play every time it comes his way. He’s got a great quarterback and they’re on the same page. He’s fast. He’s all in one.”

Beckham had a lifetime’s worth of highlight-reel moments this season and his final statistics were eye-popping. He had team highs of 91 catches for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games.

“The growth that he made this season is pretty remarkable, and the impact he had on this offense was a great tribute to him and his work ethic,” said Manning, who had 30 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and 4,410 yards in the new West Coast offense.

“It will be nice to have him for a full year in the mix and knowing that he can make some big plays for us.”

Beckham admits he has to pick his fights next season, noting he put a target on his own back too many times. The experience has been fun.

“There is still so much I can look back on and I wish I could’ve done that and I wish I could’ve done this,” Beckham said. “It was great to get here and be able to learn and experience things, to get a year of experience underneath my belt and I am looking forward to next year with a smile.”

The Giants’ offense finished 10th in the league with a mediocre running game. Rookie Andre Williams led the team with 721 yards, but he did a lot of on the job training after Rashad Jennings was hurt.

Rueben Randle had two phenomenal weeks to finish the season, Larry Donnell was a pleasant surprise in his first season as the starting tight end and receiving group will be even better if Victor Cruz comes back from his second knee injury.

“The future here is just unbelievable,” fullback Henry Hynoski said. “You just saw flashes of it this year with the playmakers we’ve got. It’s going to be an exciting team to watch in the coming years.”

What has to improve is the defense. There were just too many big plays by opposing teams and the run defense was ranked No. 30.

While it appears coach Tom Coughlin will survive the bad season, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is on the hot seat despite having seven contributing members of his unit go on injured reserve. Overall, the Giants had 22 players on injured reserve.

“You just can’t win that way,” said middle linebacker Jon Beason, who ended up on injured reserve. “We’re not making excuses. Next man up for sure. But you just can’t win that way.”

Cornerback Walter Thurmond III lasted less than two games before tearing a pectoral muscle.

“We just need to have that time just to gel,” he said. “There are so many guys who are vital parts that end up getting injured. So we never really got out there full strength.”

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(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

In what has been a very disappointing season for Big Blue, we’re starting to see an inkling of what next year’s team could look like. Young players are starting to make their mark, key pieces will return from injury and the new offense will no longer be in transition mode.

Defensive captain Antrel Rolle wants to be a part of it and get his team back to the playoffs, but the soon-to-be free agent admits that he hasn’t talked to the Giants about a new contract.

Antrel Rolle

Joe & Evan

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“To be honest with you, that’s not anything that we’ve discussed at all,” Rolle told WFAN co-hosts Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts during his weekly spot on Tuesday. “Knowing how the Giants do things, that’s not really something that they do throughout the course of the season. Like I said, if it was up to me, I would be here.

“But we all know it’s not up to me. It’s up to the front office. I’m hoping that we can come to an agreement where I can retire a Giant, and more importantly, try to help this team win another Super Bowl before my tenure’s up.”

Roberts asked the 32-year-old if he’d accept less money in free agency to return to the Giants, but the safety was tight-lipped in his response.

“Listen, you know I don’t speak contract talk until that time comes,” Rolle said. “Good try, though. I salute you for trying!”

The former first-round pick has played in all 15 games for the Giants this season. He’s recorded 79 combined tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and three interceptions.

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The Mets and Rockies “have been quietly discussing” a trade that would send All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to New York, according to WFAN and CBSSports.com baseball insider Jon Heyman. Colorado would receive top pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard as part of a package in the potential blockbuster.

Though the talks have been ongoing, the sides aren’t close to completing a deal, Heyman reported.

“New York and Colorado have been surreptitiously talking names for weeks, and while there’s said to be some progress, it still feels like they are almost in the early stages with several hurdles to go,” Heyman reported on CBSSports.com, “including ultimately whether the Rockies owning Monfort brothers would sign off on such a deal for their beloved superstar shortstop.”

On WFAN radio Friday, Heyman said he believes it’s not out of the question that an agreement could be reached.

“Yes. I think so,” Heyman told Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts. “There are a lot of hurdles. Obviously, the first is he’s got $118 million to go, and they’ll have to work out some kind of compensation package there. Another hurdle is (Tulowitzki) probably has to approve the trade, or at least nod, even though he doesn’t have a no-trade (clause). Another one is his health. The Mets will have to take a close look at that if they can agree on the prospects and the money. And the last one is Rockies ownership. They’ve told some other teams Tulo is not available. … It’s possible that they like the Mets’ package better than some other teams’, and they’d rather deal with the Mets.”

Heyman On Mets-Tulowitzki

Joe & Evan

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The Mets and Rockies are thought to be ideal trading partners, with Colorado seeking young pitching and New York in need of offensive pop, especially at shortstop. The Mets — loaded with 20-something hurlers Zack Wheeler, Matt Harvey, Rafael Montero and Syndergaard, among others — were linked to Tulowitzki and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez ahead of last season’s trading deadline.

The 30-year-old Tulowitzki hit .340 with 21 home runs and 52 RBIs before a torn labrum ended his 2014 season. He’s a lifetime .274 batter away from the thin air of Coors Field.

General manager Sandy Alderson has insisted the Mets would be satisfied heading into next season with Wilmer Flores (.251, six home runs, 29 RBIs) up the middle. Embattled infielder Ruben Tejada is also on the roster. He’s said it’s unlikely the team would bid on slugging Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang.

“We have to be realistic,” Alderson said from last week’s winter meetings. “There just aren’t a lot of options, or attractive options. So the idea of waiting is nice, but I think you have to be realistic about what we’re waiting for. Options are limited. But I go back to our original position, and that is if we go into spring training with what we have, we won’t be unhappy with that.”

A Mets official recently told the New York Daily News that a trade for Tulowitzki is “(n)ot happening” despite his four-time All-Star status.

Friday’s news is encouraging, but a source cautioned Heyman that the chances of the deal materializing are “slim.” The oft-injured Tulowitzki is owed $118 million over the next six seasons, and “the financial part of such a major transaction isn’t close to being settled,” Heyman wrote.

“We’ll see what develops over the next few days, couple of weeks,” Alderson said on Dec. 11. “There’s a long time between now and spring training.”

Syndergaard was acquired from Toronto as part of the R.A. Dickey trade in 2012. He went 9-7 with a 4.60 ERA and 145 strikeouts in 133 innings last season for Triple-A Las Vegas.

Tulowitzki, a career .299 hitter, has a .438 average with five home runs in 14 games at Citi Field.

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Big Blue is now 5-9 and will miss the playoffs for the third straight season.

Some would say that there’s not much to play for in the final weeks of the season. But don’t tell that to Antrel Rolle, who joined WFAN co-host Evan Roberts in his weekly spot on Tuesday. The Giants’ defensive leader made it clear that these final two games are important, regardless of the standings.

Antrel Rolle

Evan Roberts

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“My personal goals have always been team goals,” Rolle told Roberts. “We try to go out there and be the best that we can possibly be on each and every occasion, as a team. And for the last two weeks I think we’ve been doing that. Defensively, in the first half (against Washington) we didn’t play our best defense and we still held them to 10 points.

“That just shows that the sky’s the limit for us.”

It’s too little, too late for the G-Men this season. But the three-time Pro Bowler is impressed with what he’s seen over the past two weeks and is excited about what it means for 2015. He’s also determined to finish the season strong.

“We’re finally starting to get the chemistry together,” Rolle said. “We’re finally starting to understand how each other plays, with all the injuries and having guys rotate in and out on a weekly basis … That’s the name of the game, is to finish. It doesn’t matter how you start, it’s how you finish … Right now all we can do at this point is just fight.”

New York will take on the Rams at Edward Jones Dome on Sunday before concluding its season against the Eagles at MetLife Stadium.

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To say that safety Antrel Rolle is relieved would be an understatement.

“It was a huge weight lifted off our shoulders,” the defensive captain told WFAN co-hosts Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts during his weekly spot on Tuesday. “It finally felt like we accomplished something that we worked for throughout the entire week. Like l said, all season long, we’ve been working extremely hard throughout the week.

Antrel Rolle

Joe & Evan

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“We just haven’t been getting the outcomes we’ve been looking for on Sundays. But this finally caught up to us, all the hard work that we put in throughout the week.”

Big Blue dominated en route to a 36-7 victory. Eli Manning passed for 260 yards (130 to Odell Beckham Jr.) and a touchdown and Andre Williams added 131 yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground.

The defense also put in a complete effort, forcing three turnovers and sacking the quarterback eight times.

The Giants will host the division-rival Redskins on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. They’ll take on the Rams the week after in St. Louis before wrapping up their season against the Eagles in New Jersey.

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Speaking to WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Tuesday, Okposo said his team is confident thanks to a 17-7-0 start that has put the entire league on notice, adding the job general manager Garth Snow did during the offseason acquiring pieces cannot be stated enough.

“It actually doesn’t surprise me, with the way that our team has been put together,” Okposo said. “I’ve said it since Day 1 of the season, we’re a different group. We got a different team. We had some pretty good acquisitions over the summer and the beginning part of training camp with Jaroslav Halak coming in and Chad Johnson backstopping us. We signed a couple of guys like (Mikhail) Grabovski and (Nikolay) Kulemin that really legitimizes our team, and then (Garth Snow) did a shrewd job of getting Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy in here. Those two guys have been so key to our success. We have a pretty good group of guys and we’re going to keep going with it.”

The Islanders have won 11 of their last 14, including a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. The Isles were outshot 16-2 in the third period, yet found a way to win. Last season, which ended with the Isles well out of the playoff race, they likely would have found a way to lose that type of game. But now, with veterans littering the roster and Halak providing stability in net, no scenario is out of their control.

“To have that stability back there, to somebody who is a true No. 1 goalie in this league makes a huge difference,” Okposo said.

Okposo, who has five goals and 21 points this season, said the Islanders would like to do more than simply make the playoffs during the franchise’s final season at Nassau Coliseum.

“First we have to get there. We have to keep playing well the rest of the regular season, but we want to make some noise,” Okposo said. “We feel like we have the team to do it and a great group of guys. We’re excited for the challenges that lay ahead.”

The Islanders host Ottawa on Tuesday night.

Okposo spoke about several other topics, including the noise inside the Coliseum, playing alongside John Tavares and the prospects of challenging for a division title. To hear his complete interview, please click on the audio link below.

Kyle Okposo

Joe & Evan

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The three-time Pro Bowler took issue with unnamed reporters who allegedly accused him of being opposed to defensive coordinator Perry Fewell’s play calling toward the end of Sunday’s loss to the lowly Jaguars.

“I just want to definitely set the record straight and say that that’s absolutely false information,” Rolle told Joe & Evan. “Those reporters, I know exactly who they are — I’m not gonna say their names, but I do know them and I know them by face — so they’re gonna have to answer to me in person for taking what I said out of context.”

Antrel Rolle

Joe & Evan

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The Giants blew a 21-point lead on Sunday en route to a seventh consecutive loss. They were outscored 22-3 in the second half.

“If you even go to Giants.com and you watch my interview, nothing that they wrote is what I said,” the defensive captain said. “I never said I disagree with the play calling, or whatever the case may be. And even if I did, that’s not something that would ever be let loose to the public.

“I’ve been in this game for 10 years and I’m smart enough to know what to say and what not to say. I have a great relationship with my coaches … They do value my input. Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t sugarcoat anything and I’m not gonna lie about anything. If I said something I’m gonna man up and I’m gonna say that I said it.”

Last week during his weekly spot, Rolle defended Fewell following the Giants’ loss to the Cowboys.

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The Jets looked like a semi-pro team that day, turning the ball over six times in a 43-23 defeat that marked the end of Geno Smith’s days as starting quarterback. The second-year signal-caller threw three first quarter interceptions before being replaced by Michael Vick, who was equally brutal, tossing a pick and fumbling twice.

In his weekly spot on WFAN with Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Tuesday, defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson said the Jets left the field after the Oct. 26 loss to the Bills a humiliated bunch.

“Those guys came in our house and put a whoopin’ on us. And we know that. Everybody knows that. Of course, we got that on our minds. So we’d like to go up there and return the favor,” Wilkerson said. “That was not our style of football. Too many turnovers, a whole bunch of other things that caused us to lose the game.”

The Jets (2-8) have played a bit better since, highlighted by 20-13 upset of Pittsburgh on Nov. 9, leading into their bye last week. Next up is the rematch with the Bills (5-5) on Sunday in Buffalo.

In the teams’ first meeting the Jets outgained the Bills, 312 yards to 280, had 22 first downs to Buffalo’s 12 and had a near five-minute edge in time of possession, yet still lost by 20. And that was with the Bills not having their two best running backs, C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson, due to injuries. Spiller is likely out for the season with a broken collarbone, while Jackson’s ailing knee appears to be healed enough to allow him to play on Sunday.

The Jets limited journeyman quarterback Kyle Orton to just 10 completions, but four went for touchdowns, including one to rookie Sammy Watkins, who finished with 157 yards receiving.

“Those guys got some explosive receivers. Around that time we played them (Watkins) was really coming into his own and he’s showing it, so we have our hands full with him,” Wilkerson said. “We just have to make sure we’re dialed in and execute our game plan.”

The Bills have not won since beating the Jets. They lost at home to Kansas City, 17-13 on Nov. 9, and at Miami, 22-9 last Thursday.

To hear Wilkerson’s complete interview, please click on the audio link below.

Muhammad Wilkerson

Joe & Evan

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