Tom Rock
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Columnist covering the @NFL, @Giants & @nyjets for @NewsdaySports; author of "Miracle Moments in NY Giants Football History" @MiracleNYG. (he/him/his)🏳️🌈
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Articles by Tom Rock
Geno's ankle still not 100%
Geno Smith may have taken what appeared to be a full workload on Monday, but Aaron Glenn said the ankle injury that kept him out of Friday’s preseason opener is not completely cleared. Smith was wearing a sleeve on his lower right leg on Monday. “Anytime you have a situation with soreness I don’t think it’s totally gone,” Glenn said. “Players understand how to manage it and players want to practice because they want to get better.
Notes from Monday's practice
The team worked a lot in the red zone, which is where Breece Hall was injured, but besides that the offense had a pretty good showing. Braelon Allen scored two short-yardage rushing touchdowns with the starters, the second of which was set up by a pass from Geno Smith to Mason Taylor. Cade Klubnik hit Andrew Beck for an 11-yard touchdown. The defense did have a few moments, especially close to the goal line.
T'Vondre Sweat makes his presence felt today
The Jets’ run defense got a lot heftier on Monday with 366-pound tackle T'Vondre Sweat making his training camp debut after coming off PUP. Acquired from the Titans in the trade for Jermaine Johnson, Sweat figures to provide a huge boost to a phase of the game that has troubled the Jets for some time. Last year they ranked 29th in the league in rushing yards allowed (139.5 per game). “Obviously he is a big man,” Aaron Glenn said. “He has the ability to take up two gaps.
Sightings of Malik Nabers at Giants camp show talent is quite real
The fun part about a Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster or any other legendary being shrouded in mystery is that their lack of existence can never be proved. Are they real? No. Or at least there has been no evidence to demonstrate they are. But the fact that they can’t be definitively ruled out and nothing can ever prove that they are not out there somewhere keeps them alive in our thoughts and culture, even if they are not alive in our reality.
Zvada: 'I was ready' to try 62-yard FG for the tie
With about two and a half minutes left in the game and trailing by three points, the Giants had fourth-and-13 at the Vikings’ 44. But rather than send rookie kicker Dominic Zvada out to attempt a tying 62-yard field goal, the same length of the one he drilled to end practice on Wednesday, John Harbaugh elected to punt. The Giants never got the ball back. Zvada said he was ready, though. “I was going to let Coach do his thing,” he told Newsday. “Coach had been treating it like a normal game.
The Bamba Mentality
Cornerback Mory Bamba had four tackles and broke up four passes, all in the first half, for the Jets on Friday night. It left some people asking: Where did that come from? It had even more probably asking: Where did he come from? The undrafted rookie out of BYU didn’t even play football out of high school.
Defensive takeaways from first half
A few defensive takeaways from the first half with the Giants leading 10-3: Nothing makes Arvell Reese look taller than going against quarterback Kyler Murray. The rookie linebacker was active in his two series of play making two tackles. He got a nice ovation for his first one, too, coming up to plug a hole and stop Jordan Mason for a 1-yard run on second-and-8. Most of the starters on defense played two series.
Mauigoa makes his mark
John Harbaugh told all the rookies that after Saturday’s preseason game they would feel like they belong. Following the 13-10 loss to the Vikings, the Giants head coach went up to first-year guard Sisi Mauigoa to ask if he was right. Turns out simply belonging isn’t his thing. “He hit me with a question, ‘Do you feel like you belong?’” Mauigoa said. “And it got me wondering. I do honestly feel like I belong.
Tom Rock: Why David Bailey's quiet preseason debut shouldn't worry Jets Fans
It’s been a few months since the Jets used the second overall pick in the draft to select David Bailey, and most of that time has been spent listening to stories about what he will be able to immediately bring to this defense. The scouts, the coaches, his teammates, even the reporters who have been at practices, have all raved about the kid. All of those flashes and descriptions of dominance have taken place away from public view, however.
This is how MetLife Stadium will transition from a Jets game to a Giants game in 10 hours
The Jets and Giants will open their preseason schedules at MetLife Stadium this weekend, but for the hundreds who will work the high-speed turnaround switching the building from green to blue in the span of less than 10 overnight hours between the contests, this is their Super Bowl. And many of them helped the stadium stage an actual Super Bowl.
Todd Bowles Jr. played football at LIU last season, now he's on his dad's staff with the NFL's Buccaneers
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – A safety who played the last two seasons at LIU will make his NFL preseason debut at MetLife Stadium on Friday night. Todd Bowles Jr., the son of former Jets and current Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles, is now a defensive assistant for the Bucs.
Baker bests Jets in the final minute again
Tampa Bay QB Baker Mayfield before a joint practice at the Jets on Wednesday. Credit: Ed Murray The Jets defense allowed Baker Mayfield and the Bucs to drive for the winning points once again.
Jets rookie guard Anez Cooper can't wait to start talking trash in the NFL
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Teammates and coaches may not be able to see the exact moment when Jets rookie guard Anez Cooper finally gets comfortable playing at the NFL level. They almost certainly will hear it, though. One of the defining characteristics of Cooper’s game is the near-constant trash talk he delivers before, during, and after the blocks he throws, and there are times when it is difficult to tell which is more punishing.
Survey: 46% of Jets fans are 'preparing for disappointment'
Jets fans are the least optimistic group in the NFL heading into the 2026 season according to a study by Casino.ca that looks at what it calls The Hope Index. The survey of 5,000 fans of all 32 teams combined everything from “projected wins and playoff expectations to confidence in each team's quarterback, head coach, and offseason moves.” That data is then compiled into a scale of 0-100. The Jets scored a 22.
What Frank Reich has planned for the Bucs' defense
About the only thing that seems to excite offensive coordinator Frank Reich more than his own group of players is who they’ll be facing. Reich called Bowles “a legendary defensive coach,” and said Tampa is a perfect opponent to give the new system its first real-world test drive. “We couldn't be going up against a better defense,” Reich said enthusiastically. “This defense is always notoriously very good against the run. Just good in general.” Some of that praise may be a bit overblown.
Mooney on Dart: 'He's calming down and he can just play quarterback'
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Hot seat odds: Aaron Glenn favored to be first coach to go
Aaron Glenn is most likely to be the first NFL head coach fired this season, according to odds posted Monday evening by BetOnline Sports & Casino. The Jets coach heads into his second season as a 2-1 favorite to be the first to get canned after going 3-14 last season. The coach behind him with the best odds is already a former Jets head coach: Todd Bowles of the Bucs. Bowles’ odds are much better (for him at least) 11-2.
Jets have safety Dane Belton and his ballhawking talent competing for starting role
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The play that would wind up defining Dane Belton’s tenure with the Giants occurred very early in his rookie minicamp. It was the summer of 2022 and the fourth-round pick jumped high in the end zone to snag a dazzling interception. Unfortunately for him, he landed. Awkwardly. So much so that he fractured his collarbone. The injury helped to derail most of his promising first season.
Tom Rock: Veteran WR Tim Patrick is the Jets' most under-the-radar signing of the offseason
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- It was just a second-string swing pass on a sweaty, snoozy Tuesday morning in training camp, the kind of play hardly anyone usually would notice. Rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik tossed the short connection to second-year receiver Jamaal Pritchett — neither has ever taken a regular-season snap in the NFL — after which Pritchett turned upfield and ran all the way to the end zone through a defense that wasn’t truly trying to tackle him anyway.
Reich has confidence in Kenyon Sadiq when he returns
Rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq has participated in only a handful of workouts since he was drafted by the Jets in April’s first round, undergoing hernia surgery in the spring and then missing time in training camp to recover from an issue that popped up with the same injury. He may not be ready to return until closer to the start of the regular season. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich said he isn’t worried about the lack of on-field reps, though.
Frank Reich's thoughts on QB Cade Klubnik so far
Frank Reich said he is pleased with the progress rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik has made throughout the Jets' offseason program and in training camp, but he also warned that things probably won’t always be smooth for him. “There will be some storms,” Reich, the offensive coordinator, said on Friday.
Jets receivers run through drills in training camp
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From rugby to the NFL, Jets edge rusher Paschal Ekeji is steadily picking up the game of football
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Paschal Ekeji came off the practice field at Jets training camp on Monday morning favoring his right hand. It had gotten jammed up in a helmet during one of the live pass-rushing drills on the first day of full-padded workouts. The 6-4 edge rusher didn’t seem too concerned and said he will be fine. He was back on the field Tuesday showing no signs of damage. These things happen. “That’s football,” he said with a shrug. He would certainly know. At least now he does.
Braelon Allen has something to prove
Third-year back Braelon Allen couldn’t wait to put the pads on this week. He hadn’t worn them since suffering a knee injury in Week 4 last season. Allen and Isaiah Davis are competing for carries behind Breece Hall. Allen, who is 245 pounds, said this is a “huge” season for him after last season was cut short when he was just feeling he was getting in a rhythm. “I don’t want to think too much about personal goals or anything like that,” Allen said.
This jersey change is not meant to stir the Sauce
Azareye’h Thomas at Jets Training on August 1, 2026 Credit: Ed Murray Azareye’h Thomas switched his jersey number to 1 this season. Sauce Gardner’s old number. But the second-year cornerback who is in contention to fill the starting spot in the secondary that Gardner held with the Jets at this time last year said it has nothing to do with the current Colt. “I have a bigger meaning to it,” he said.
Malik Nabers' progress from knee injury should make Giants fans 'optimistic,' Long Island doctors say
A Long Island surgeon said the Giants’ medical team needs to watch Malik Nabers with “immense scrutiny” as he returns to action in these early stages of the preseason, but he added that Giants fans should be “optimistic” about the wide receiver playing at a high level at some point this season, perhaps even in time for the opener.
Pads come on Monday, and everyone's excited
Training camp began early last week. Football season starts Monday. That’s when the Jets will go through their first practice in full pads, and veterans and rookies alike are excited for the change in equipment, tempo, physicality and mentality that will bring. “The last time I got to put on pads was in January so it is super fun,” defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said on Saturday. “That’s my game. I want pads, I want contact, I want to feel doubles. That’s the type of thing I really enjoy.
Tom Rock: Memo to the Jets and Giants . . . homecomings don't always work
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Few NFL narrative arcs spark as much conversation and elicit as much interest as a good ol’ homecoming. A player starts out with one team, departs on a journey, then at some point returns to where it all began, a slightly altered version of himself. It’s like “The Odyssey,” only with football teams in place of mystical islands and front office personnel instead of a cyclops or siren.
Tippmann talks Reich, may make you feel old
Joe Tippmann provided a sharp reminder of just how quickly time flies. Asked on Thursday about new offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who has been a player and coach in pro football for over three decades now, the Jets starting guard insisted that such a long resume does not get him stuck in the past. “He’s a guy, he is always adapting,” Tippmann said. “He is not just watching film from the 2000s.
What reception will Jets get from fans on Saturday?
An interesting dynamic is sure to play out on Saturday morning when the Jets hold their first training camp practice in front of fans. The last few years have seen explosions of passion on such circumstances, whether it was greeting Aaron Rodgers in 2023, welcoming Rodgers back in 2024, or embracing Aaron Glenn’s return as a former player turned head coach in 2025. Glenn said last year that he got chills the first time he heard the J-E-T-S chant in training camp.
Remembering when the Giants held training camp at C.W. Post for the summers of 1970-71
Fred Dryer wasn’t a TV actor yet. He was barely even a professional football player, having been drafted a year earlier by the Giants. But the moment he rolled onto campus 56 years ago this month, it was clear he soon would become a star in both pursuits. Big Bob Lurtsema, the veteran defensive tackle, was tougher to get a read on. No one could tell if he was a weakling or a wise guy in the weight room.
Welcome to Jets training camp
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Tom Rock: Aaron Glenn faces make-or-break season in second year as Jets head coach
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Aaron Glenn wouldn’t come out and say what the goals and objectives are for his second season as head coach of the Jets. Part of it is because he wants to keep such matters in-house. “No slogan, no hype speech,” he said on Wednesday after the team’s first full practice of training camp, adding that such classified files and deep organizational priorities should be locked away from public view.
Breece Hall and the four players he thinks can carry the Jets' offense
Jets running bak Breece Hall during mini camp at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, N.J., on June 16, 2026. Credit: Ed Murray Breece Hall is one of the key players the Jets are counting on to carry them to success this season. But who is Breece Hall counting on to help him?
PUPdate: Tim Patrick and Joseph Ossai
The Jets moved WR Tim Patrick to the active roster and placed edge rusher Joseph Ossai on the active/physically unable to perform list. Patrick is a 6-5 target who was placed on PUP last week but was cleared to return. He has been in the league since 2017 (although he missed all of 2022 and 2023 due to injury) and signed with the Jets as a free agent on a one-year deal in the spring. Ossai was a third-round pick for the Bengals in 2021 who had a career-high 5.0 sacks in Cincy in both 2024 and 2025.
The Giants' training camp travel history
The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia where the Giants will hold the first stages of their training camp this summer with practices starting on Wednesday, is quite a hike from the team’s headquarters in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It’s about 468 miles away, actually. But that’s not even the farthest the Giants have ever gone for the annual summer rituals of preparing for the upcoming season.
Geno ready to hit the ground running with his new teammates
When Geno Smith leads the Jets onto the practice field for the first workout of training camp on Wednesday morning all eyes will be on him. He’s the quarterback, he’s the former Jet returning home, and he’s the headliner. Everyone from the media to the players will be looking to him for signals on what to expect this season. But he obviously can’t be watching himself.
What in the world is the PUP list?
Players put on the active/physically unable to perform list — or PUP — at the start of training camp have football-related injuries, like those on IR, but count against the active 90-man roster. These players can participate in all team activities other than practice and can be activated at any point during training camp when they are medically cleared.
Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster could provide Giant leadership to young team
Isaiah Likely remembered seeing Odell Beckham Jr. in person for the first time. It was hard to miss him. Sporting a mohawk that was dyed purple, Beckham had just signed with the Ravens and was making his return to the field after he tore his ACL in the Super Bowl for the Rams and sat out the entire 2022 season. “It was like you were tapping your friend, like, ‘Man, that's Odell!’ ” said Likely, then a second-year tight end in Baltimore who came to the Giants as a free agent this offseason.
MetLife Stadium switched from turf to grass for World Cup, but Jets and Giants players want to see it stay
Brian Burns plays his games at MetLife Stadium, but this summer he will be in the building in a different capacity. The Giants’ Pro Bowl outside linebacker said he expects to catch some of the eight World Cup games at the football stadium. The biggest difference he'll notice right away is that the artificial turf field he normally plays his football games on is gone — or at least gone from sight — having been replaced by a natural grass surface for the soccer events.
Sam Burns on miss: 'I'll see that putt' tonight
Sam Burns put himself in the clubhouse on Sunday with a 72-hole U.S. Open score at Shinnecock Hills that would have beaten all but one golfer in history. Too bad for him there was a second one on the way and he knew it. Burns shot a closing-round 67, the best second-best score of the day, and finished the tournament 3-under par, but it wasn’t enough to ever pry the lead away from eventual wire-to-wire winner Wyndham Clark.
Jon Jennings, Shinnecock Hills superintendent, honored at U.S. Open
There wasn’t a Long Islander in the field at the U.S. Open, but there was one who came away from it with a trophy. Jon Jennings, the long-time superintendent of Shinnecock Hills, was presented with the E.J. Marshall Platter by the USGA at the conclusion of the tournament on Sunday.
Tom Rock: U.S. Open visit showed off picturesque vistas of Southampton and high-caliber test of Shinnecock Hills
There was a runaway winner of the U.S. Open. No, it wasn’t Wyndham Clark. He had the decency to add some drama to the occasion by nearly choking away a six-stroke lead in the final round but eventually hanging on for the 1-stroke victory. But it was Shinnecock Hills and it was Long Island which came out of the tournament looking the best.
U.S. Open: Ann Enstine has ruled women's golf at Shinnecock Hills for half a century
At some point on Sunday evening someone will walk up the fairway of the 18th hole at Shinnecock Hills toward that gorgeous old clubhouse on the ridge and be crowned a champion. Few people know what that feels like. But no one knows it better than Ann Enstine. She’s done it an astounding 33 times.
Tom Rock: Sam Stevens, an everyman in search of a U.S. Open title
The Hamptons isn’t a place for regular joes to stand out. Between the A-listers and the glitterati and the big money moguls who stroll the streets and hit the beaches out here, the unremarkable tend not to be simply overlooked but squeezed out. It’s a place for stars. No-names need not apply. Sam Stevens is trying to change that.
Rory McIlroy's strong charge at U.S. Open leaderboard fizzles out
Rory McIlroy gave Shinnecock Hills an early thrill on Saturday but couldn’t maintain his scoring long enough to remain near the top of the U.S. Open leaderboard. After starting the day at even-par and racing back into contention at four strokes off the lead with three-straight birdies that included a 66-foot putt on the green on the sixth, McIlroy finished the third round at 3-over thanks to five bogeys on the back nine. He goes into Sunday’s final round tied for 17th place.
U.S. Open: Amateurs Jackson Koivun, Miles Russell represent the future of the game
This duo wasn’t quite Arnie and Jack, Tiger and Phil or Scottie and Rory. Not close. But plenty of fans at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club envisioned that maybe one day — just maybe — they could be. Jackson Koivun, 21, the No. 1 amateur golfer in the world, and Miles Russell, 17, the No. 1 junior golfer in the world, played alongside each other Saturday in the third round of the U.S. Open.
Tom Rock: Wyndham Clark makes locker full of birdies to lead U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
The player lockers at Shinnecock Hills have survived to reach the weekend. They’ve been there, in one form or another, since America’s oldest golf clubhouse was built in 1892. But coming into this weekend’s U.S. Open there was at least a shade of doubt that they’d make the cut. The ones at Oakmont Country Club, site of last year's U.S. Open? They did not.
Tom Rock: Keegan Bradley finds peace at U.S. Open after raucous Ryder Cup
Keegan Bradley looked like the most relieved golfer in the field when he finished his first round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills with an even-par 70 on Thursday. It was a treacherous journey to get there, one that started in the fog and ended in the wind, one that never took him more than a stroke over or under par the entire time. “I really played great,” he said with a huge exhale.
First round of U.S. Open at Shinnecock delayed for two hours due to fog
Maybe they should just call it Shinnefog Hills. Play in the first round of the U.S. Open in Southampton was delayed nearly two hours on Thursday morning when fog rolled in over the course, making the conditions unplayable. Well, more unseeable than unplayable. “I can't see the fairway,” James Nicholas said before hitting the first shot of the event at 6:35 a.m., double-checking with the starter that he was still supposed to do so.
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