Steve Politi of NJ Advance Media is a quintessential Jersey guy. So it should come as no surprise that Politi values style over substance in his recently released “New Jersey Sports Juice List”.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t sour grapes that the New York Giants were not well represented. There were no less than six representatives of Big Blue on the list. And we certainly agree that folks like owner John Mara, wide receiver Odell Beckham and quarterback Eli Manning belong.
The disconnect is that there are qualifications for any list, or at least there should be. Anointing guys like general manager Dave Gettleman and running back Saquon Barkley high on the list right now, defies logic in my book.
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Just like NFL roster spots, these positions should be earned, with an eye on performance. With that in mind, how does Barkley leapfrog both Manning and Beckham? It’s one of the many questions that we ponder, as we review the list.
Too High
No doubt that general manager Dave Gettleman deserves mention. Anointing him with the second spot on the list seems a bit aggressive. At least Gettleman has flexed his muscles in the general manager’s seat in the early going. Even though he occupies the big chair right now, he still has to effectively utilize his power.
It’s simply too much, too soon. Gettleman at No. 2 – fugetaboutit!
For the same reason, the next mistake was listing Big Blue running back Saquon Barkley at No. 8 overall. All he has done is pose with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being drafted. Heck, he just signed his rookie contract with the New York Giants. Do jersey sales account for that much? Not in my book, and I doubt he would even make my list in his first season.
Talk about putting the cart before the horse.
New York Giants co-owner John Mara makes the list at No. 4. Don’t get me wrong, any NFL owner will be highly ranked on this list. But Mara deserves to be taken down a peg or three. New York Giants management bungled so much over the past several seasons that I can’t list everything without going over the word count.
Do the names Jerry Reese, Josh Brown and Ben McAdoo mean anything? All represent mistake made by Mara over the past couple of years? Reese should have been fired before Tom Coughlin was ever let go.
So being ineffective with your “juice” should not get one rewarded. The highest I would put Mara right now is No. 10. You’ve put your leadership team in place, now show us something John.
Too Low
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has influenced a generation of young football players in the Garden State. When Big Blue head coach Ben McAdoo looked for a scapegoat for the putrid 2017 campaign, he picked the wrong guy. Manning said nothing, and instead the fan base went berserk. That uproar got the attention of the previously inert John Mara.
Now that’s juice!
With two Super Bowl MVP awards, and a solid career spanning 15 years, Manning is undoubtedly a top 10 candidate.
Giants wideout Odell Beckham was injured most of last season, so he dropped precipitously. It makes no sense that Mara rises and Beckham falls. I would argue that based upon his talent and impending free agency, Beckham may still have top 5 juice right now.
That’s just my two cents about the people who deserve a little more credibility on the list.
Final Thoughts
Mostly, the “Manning uprising” lead to “YOU” being named the most influential sports person in the state. And I must say, Politi got that right. After not believing his eyes and ears for the better part of four months, the furor that surrounded Manning’s benching by McAdoo finally got Mara’s attention. Maybe that makes YOU No. 1 and Manning No. 2.
The combination of fans and Manning made both Reese and McAdoo expendable. That’s just my thinking. There are also major omissions on his list that can’t be overlooked.
First, where is New Jersey native and Major League Baseball star Mike Trout? The best player in professional baseball hails from Millville. Also a sitting MVP from one of the four major sports leagues plays in New Jersey, and he gets no higher than No. 6?
Trout and Taylor Hall get my No. 3 and No. 4 positions on the list.
Unless you’re a player, coach or administrator, you apparently can’t make this list. I would respectfully suggest that former New York Giants Carl Banks and Phil Simms deserve mention. Simms has been a long time analyst with CBS, while Banks still works the local Giants broadcast.
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Banks’ commentary is always reasonable, and he also is a high level entrepreneur. Talk about having juice. Many folks don’t like Simms, but he’s always well prepared and insightful. That may be too much as we continue to dumb down everything. These guys have influence how the New York Giants and the NFL are perceived in the state. Their soap boxes still have plenty of juice.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments area. And please be respectful.