Football season is upon us, folks. Training camp is in full swing, joint practices are happening, and the preseason is underway. Soon enough, we’ll see the Giants and Jets both take the field at MetLife Stadium in primetime for Week 1. Once that happens, we know what WFAN midday host Sal Licata is expecting from the Giants.
He thinks they’ll shock everyone again in 2023 by winning the NFC East. Seriously. Here’s what he said this week (quote via WFAN):
The Giants are getting overlooked. The Jets getting all the hype is the best thing that can happen to the Giants. They are getting overlooked. They’ve gotten significantly better on offense. Their coach is one of the best in the league. I think they’re gonna win the division this year. They’re in for a big year.
Sal certainly isn’t wrong about the Jets getting more attention right now. Acquiring Aaron Rodgers to play quarterback and being on Hard Knocks will certainly do that. Despite a tough early-season schedule, Gang Green is generally expected to have a better season than Big Blue.
But of course, many people thought the same thing last year and the opposite happened.
Considering the fact that the reigning NFC champs in the Philadelphia Eagles, as well as the Dallas Cowboys, both take up residence in the Giants’ division, this will be a tall order. But since Sal Licata was the one who said it, we’ll find out if the power of his jinx extends to the gridiron.
Let’s not forget that he famously said on SNY at the end of May 2022 that the NL East was over. The Mets had built up a 10.5-game lead on the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta ended up snatching the division from the Mets, and it’s been downhill from there for New York:
"THE NL EAST IS OVER" – @sal_licata on Baseball Night in New York pic.twitter.com/caPEQM4w6w
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2022
He didn’t stop there. During the first-round Stanley Cup Playoff matchup between the Rangers and Devils, Sal tweeted the following after the Blueshirts took a 2-0 series lead:
I thought the Devils were good? Lmfao! I was never scared of them. Never. Two DOMINANT wins to start the Postseason. The boys are ready. #LGR!!!!
— Sal Licata (@sal_licata) April 21, 2023
Once he sent that tweet, the Rangers lost four of their next five against New Jersey to get eliminated from the playoffs.
We were hoping Sal would’ve learned his lesson by now, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. It’d be pretty sweet if this bold statement ends up being true. If it doesn’t, though, it’ll just be another tally mark for the jinx side of our scoreboard.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
