Sports
Zero interceptions: Jets can make history Sunday if they fail to make a pick
BALTIMORE — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:
1. Long overdue: Call it quirky. Call it shocking. Soon, you might have to call it historical.
The Jets have yet to intercept a pass. Ten games, 302 passes, zero picks.
If the drought continues Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, they will be the first team in NFL history to go without an interception through its first 11 games, and picking off Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson may be a tough task — as he’s only thrown three interceptions in seven games.
The longest interception slump at any point in a season since 1960 is 14 in a row (San Francisco 49ers, 2024).
“That’s — wow, I don’t know what to really say about that,” Jets all-time interception leader Bill Baird, 86, said by phone from Fresno, California. “That seems to go along with their struggles.”
Baird, a starting safety on the Jets’ Super Bowl III team in 1969, knows a thing or two about interceptions. He made 34 in his career and coached the Jets’ defensive backs from 1981 to 1984. He honed his craft as a rookie on the Baltimore Colts, covering the likes of Raymond Berry and John Mackey with Johnny Unitas throwing the ball — all future Hall of Famers.
“The No. 1 reason to play defensive back,” Baird said, “is to get interceptions.”
Current Jets players and coaches are aware of the oh-fer. They discuss interceptions in meetings. They watch video clips of other teams, how they attack the ball, how they turn deflections into big plays. Week after week, they see teams get fluke interceptions.
How come the Jets can’t catch a break?
“I don’t believe in luck,” defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said. “We have to create our own luck.”
The irony is the Jets are coached by one of the most prolific interceptors in team history. Aaron Glenn made 24 in his Jets career, tied for fourth on the all-time list. Glenn said “it’s tough to imagine” having no interceptions and only one takeaway (fumble recovery).
The Jets’ drought is more mind-boggling when you consider:
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They have faced six of the 13 most interception-prone quarterbacks — Tua Tagovailoa (13), Joe Flacco (nine), Josh Allen (nine), Bo Nix (eight), Aaron Rodgers (seven) and Bryce Young (seven).
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They’re tied for sixth in pass break-ups (39), which means they’re getting hands on the ball. They’ve been charged with two dropped interceptions, per ESPN Research. Oddly, both occurred on first-and-10 plays with 27 seconds left in the second quarter — Nov. 9 against the Cleveland Browns (Jarvis Brownlee Jr.) and Nov. 13 against the New England Patriots (Tony Adams–Qwan’tez Stiggers collision).
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They’ve been out-intercepted by 148 individual players, including six defensive linemen. Even Dexter Lawrence II, listed at 340 pounds, has a pick. Sixteen rookies have at least one, including RJ Mickens (two), son of former Jets cornerback Ray Mickens (11).
Since 1960, when the Jets became a franchise, the record for fewest interceptions in a season is two (49ers, 2018). The fewest for the Jets is six (2014), Rex Ryan’s final year as coach.
2. Lame-duck QB? Glenn deflected a question about Justin Fields‘ future with the team, but it’s certainly one worth examining now that he has been benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor.
It seems clear they will have a new starter next season. Do they keep Fields as a backup? If they do, his contract will have to be renegotiated. He’s due to make $20 million, which exceeds the market value for a backup. Half of that is fully guaranteed.
Maybe they retain Fields as a backup if they bring in an established starter, but it’s unclear if a player of that ilk will be available. If they release him — the likely scenario — it leaves a $22 million cap charge and $10 million cash payout. They can absorb the entire cap hit in 2026 or have it spread over two years.
Their quarterback plan should start to unfold in March, when free agency and trading begin.
3. Where it all started: Taylor, 36, called it “a full-circle moment,” facing the team that drafted him in 2011. His longevity — his entire journey, for that matter — is a tremendous source of pride. He got a little nostalgic this week, mentioning that he did some reminiscing with former Ravens teammate Torrey Smith.
“I remember when I got drafted, there were some people who wanted to put me at wide receiver,” said Taylor, Flacco’s backup on the Ravens’ 2012 Super Bowl championship team. “I fought the notion down, and I stood firm that I was a quarterback. That’s what I played my whole life, and if given the opportunity, I can show that. Fifteen years later, I’m still proving it.”
4. Fab five: Taylor, picked in the sixth round, is one of only five players from the 2011 draft still active. The others: Von Miller (Washington Commanders), Cameron Jordan (New Orleans Saints), Cameron Heyward (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Andy Dalton (Carolina Panthers).
5. What’s cooking? A lot of fans are interested in knowing if rookie quarterback Brady Cook, on the practice squad, will see game action this season. It sounds like a possibility, though not any time soon.
Glenn said they have a plan for Cook, adding, “And who knows? We’ll see what happens as the season progresses. I’m not promising anything, but he knows exactly what his role is when it comes to this team.”
Cook, undrafted out of Missouri, played 77 snaps in the preseason, beating out Adrian Martinez for the practice squad job. He’s known as a quick processor with good mobility but limited arm strength.
Fans are always intrigued by the unknown, and their desperation for a quarterback has made Cook a popular guy these days. He certainly has a name — “Brady” — that makes you think anything is possible.
6. Scouting Mendoza: The draft is five months away, but there’s already a growing buzz about the Jets and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, perhaps the top quarterback prospect. The question is whether he’s worth a top-10 pick.
“When you’re desperate, you can create a guy,” a longtime personnel executive said. “There’s enough with Mendoza to do that.”
In his latest mock draft, ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller has the Jets trading up for Mendoza at No. 1 overall. The Jets’ scouts are paying a lot of attention to Mendoza; general manager Darren Mougey has watched him play in person at least once — but the evaluation process is in the early stages.
7. Sugar-free edge rusher: Jermaine Johnson wants to drop some pounds and add some speed, so he’s “staying off sugary drinks” during the season. He’s looking for that little extra burst that can turn a quarterback pressure into a sack. Maybe it’s working; he has a two-game sack streak.
8. Did you know? The Jets have $101 million in “dead” money counting on this year’s salary cap, according to Spotrac. That’s the second-highest total in the league and represents nearly 40% of their total cap. That’s what you call paying for a lot of past mistakes.
9. For history buffs: Sunday marks the 30th anniversary of Leon Hess’ famous “horses’ asses” speech. On Nov. 23, 1995 — Thanksgiving Day — the late Jets owner gathered the team on the practice field and gave a fiery pep talk. At the time, the Jets were 2-9.
“Now let’s go out there and show ’em we’re not a bunch of horses’ asses,” Hess, 81 at the time, told the players.
Sure enough, the Jets went to Seattle that weekend and actually won, their last victory in a 3-13 season. They proceeded to lose their next 12 games, not winning again until the following Oct. 27, nearly a full year between victories.
10. The last word: “The drops, that happens occasionally, but what I see there is separation. I see separation and, to me, that gets me fired up. That gets me excited about that player and where he’s going to go. We haven’t seen it. We haven’t even scratched the surface with that guy.” – offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand on wide receiver Adonai Mitchell
Sports
Mike Trout crushes fifth Yankee Stadium HR in four games
NEW YORK — Mike Trout‘s latest homer against the New York Yankees put him in rare company, and going deep again made history at Yankee Stadium.
Trout homered for the fifth time during a four-game series Thursday, crushing a 446-foot drive in the seventh inning for the Los Angeles Angels in an 11-4 victory.
A three-time MVP, Trout joined Jimmie Foxx (1933), Darrell Evans (1985) and George Bell (1990) as the only players with five homers in a series against the Yankees, according to MLB researcher Sarah Langs.
Trout homered twice Monday before going deep again in the following two games. In the series finale Thursday, Trout drove a 2-2 slider from reliever Angel Chivilli about halfway up the left-field bleachers to give the Angels a 7-4 lead. That shot made Trout the first player to hit five homers in a series in the Bronx.
“I heard that after the game,” Trout said. “It’s pretty surreal. All the great players that came through here, so it’s pretty cool.”
“Honestly, not surprising,” Los Angeles manager Kurt Suzuki said. “When you’re with Mike every day, there’s nothing that you believe that he can’t do.”
Trout also became the first visiting player to homer in four consecutive days at the current Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009.
Trout went 6-for-16 with five homers and nine RBIs in the series. He also has homered in his past five games at Yankee Stadium and drew an intentional walk in his next plate appearance before Jo Adell hit a grand slam.
“At this point it’s vintage Mike Trout,” Adell said. “When he’s healthy and feeling good, there’s nothing like it. It’s special. It’s one of a kind. So for all of us to experience it, it’s special.”
“He’s unbelievable,” Suzuki said. “He really is. It’s been an amazing week for him.”
Trout is hitting .246 with seven homers and 16 RBIs. He is 9-for-27 (.333) with five homers and 13 RBIs on the Angels’ road trip, which coincides with him making a mechanical tweak.
Trout’s career-high homer streak is seven games, achieved Sept. 4-12, 2022. He has homered in four straight games for the fourth time in his career.
Trout’s homer was part of a four-game series that featured four homers from Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge. Judge homered twice Monday, again Wednesday and went deep in the first inning in the series finale.
“He’s unreal,” designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton said after the Yankees lost for the seventh time in nine games. “Cool showing from him and Judgie all series. Obviously, you don’t want that against us, but you got to acknowledge the greatness.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time opposing players who owned multiple MVPs hit at least three homers in the same series.
“It was an impressive show by those two,” Suzuki said.
Sports
2026 NCAA gymnastics championships: Live updates from semifinals
FORT WORTH, Texas — The first semifinal session of the NCAA gymnastics championships included LSU, Florida, Georgia and Stanford — with Florida and LSU advancing to Saturday’s final (4 p.m. ET; ABC).
Next up, Oklahoma, UCLA, Arkansas and Minnesota will compete in Semifinal II, beginning at 9 pm ET (ESPN2). Once again, the top two teams will move on.
Individual event titles and an all-around winner will also be awarded today — but not until both semifinal sessions are complete.
Who will make it to the next round? Will an upset surprise us all? We’ll have you covered with all the action here.
Sports
N.J. governor: FIFA should pay extra train costs to MetLife for World Cup
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Wednesday joined U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer in calling on FIFA to contribute toward World Cup transit security costs.
MetLife Stadium will host eight World Cup games, including the tournament final. The Athletic reported earlier this week that NJ Transit is considering charging $100 for train tickets to shuttle fans between New York Penn Station and the stadium. Standard fare is $12.90.
Parking will be restricted at the Meadowlands stadium complex compared to NFL games — making public transport one of the only options to attend World Cup matches, which get underway June 11.
“We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup,” Sherrill said on X. “And while NJ TRANSIT is stuck with a $48 million bill to safely get fans to and from games, FIFA is making $11 billion. I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years to come.
“FIFA should pay for the rides. But if they don’t — I’m not going to let New Jersey get taken for one.”
Speaking on WNYC on Wednesday, Sherrill said she would approve the fare increase if FIFA doesn’t step in.
“I will, if that’s what it takes, because I’m not putting this on the back of New Jerseyans,” she said.
On Wednesday, NJ Transit’s board of directors unanimously approved a resolution to set transport prices to “cover any and all costs” to transport fans and comply with Sherrill’s directive.
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri on Wednesday said he supported Sherrill’s plea to FIFA and confirmed that commuters would not pay extra costs, according to NJ.com.
“The governor said whatever the fare will be, it will not be cross subsidized by our regular commuters. I’d think every NJ Transit customer would stand behind that,” Kolluri told NJ.com. “It will cost us $48 million. We will charge FIFA fans for those tickets, and it will not be subsidized by our commuters.”
Schumer on Monday said FIFA should be helping pay for World Cup transit security costs.
“FIFA is set to reap nearly $11 billion from this summer’s World Cup, yet New York area commuters and residents are being handed the bill,” Schumer wrote on X. “The least FIFA can do is ensure New York residents can go to the stadium without being gouged at the turnstile. I am demanding FIFA step up.”
We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup.
And while NJ TRANSIT is stuck with a $48 million bill to safely get fans to and from games, FIFA is making $11 billion.
I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years… pic.twitter.com/pugU8davkW
— Governor Mikie Sherrill (@GovSherrillNJ) April 15, 2026
Earlier this month, New Jersey’s host travel committee released a detailed plan for transport and parking during the matches, outlining a park-and-ride plan with specific parking lots and shuttle buses that will run to and from the stadium.
“While rideshare and limited premium parking options will be available, the FIFA World Cup at NYNJ Stadium will be a public transportation first event, largely relying on NJ Transit rail and Host Committee bus shuttles,” Natalie Hamilton, a host committee spokesperson, told NJ.com.
“We are strongly encouraging all ticket holders to utilize expanded NJ Transit rail service and the Host Committee’s Stadium Shuttle.”
A FIFA spokesperson insisted the host city had previously agreed to provide free or at-cost transportation to fans at all matches.
“We are quite surprised by the NJ governor’s approach on fan transportation,” FIFA said in a statement Wednesday.
“The original FIFA World Cup 2026 host city agreements signed in 2018 required free transportation for fans to all matches. Recognizing the financial strain this placed on the host cities, back in 2023 FIFA adjusted the host agreement requirements across all host cities as follows: All match ticket holders and accredited individuals shall be able to access transport [public or additionally planned transport] at cost to allow travel to stadiums on match days.
“Moreover, FIFA has worked for years with host cities on their transportation and mobility plans, including advocating for millions of dollars in federal funding to support host cities for transportation.
“The FIFA World Cup will bring millions of fans to North America along with the related economic impact. Many of these fans will travel to NYNJ to enjoy the eight matches scheduled, including the FIFA World Cup final.
“FIFA is not aware of any other major event previously held at NYNJ Stadium, including other major sports, global concert tours, etc, where organizers were required to pay for fan transportation.”
During the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022, ticket holders enjoyed free transport on the city’s Metro system, funded by the country’s government.
UEFA bore the cost of ticket holders using German public transport in host cities on match days during Euro 2024.
Kansas City, where England’s training camp will be based, will offer free bus travel for fans from the airport close to the Fan Festival in the city center, and daily, weekly and tournament passes for unlimited regional travel costing $5.25 and $50, respectively.
Ticket holders will also be able to use a Stadium Direct service, which connects four park and ride locations as well as the Fan Festival to the Arrowhead Stadium for $15 per person, the host city committee said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) said that there will be no fare increases connected to the staging of World Cup matches in Philadelphia.
The spokesperson said most if not all of the added operating costs of running the services during the World Cup would be covered by a recently awarded federal grant.
Information from Press Association and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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