Unfortunately, the oft-injured Nicks has proven to be a detriment to the team’s goals. The former first-round pick spent more time in 2012 on the weekly injury report than he did playing football and, as a result, it’s impossible for the Giants to feel secure in his long-term potential.

Nicks knows he has a lot to prove — and trust to earn — this season. Though many criticized his absence during voluntary OTAs (organized team activities) and even tied it to contract demands, the North Carolina product insists he is focused on football.

“I never want to be detrimental in any kind of way to this organization because they’ve been nothing but good to me,” he told the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz when he arrived at mini-camp last week. “I took care of what I needed to take care of and I am here now and that’s all that matters.”

In four seasons, Nicks has recorded 255 catches for 3,726 yards and 27 touchdowns. He has been quarterback Eli Manning’s top target since entering the league in 2009. Just his presence on the field creates numerous offensive opportunities, including a number of the big plays fellow receiver Victor Cruz was able to make over the past two years.

But Nicks has never played a full season. He has missed nine games in his NFL career, and played the vast majority of those 55 games hampered by a variety of injuries.

When healthy, Nicks is worth No. 1 receiver money. At his current rate, however, the Giants have to be leery about spending that kind of cash to hold onto him.

The wide out must use 2013 to show that he can still produce — this past year, his numbers dipped to 692 receiving yards following two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons — while, more importantly, staying healthy for 16-games.

If he can do that, Nicks will force the Giants’ hand. With Cruz also looking for a big deal, the G-Men have a decision to make. However, if the former Tar Heel spends 2013 battling injuries, a resolution may present itself more quickly.

Louis Musto is a reporter and sports talk host for the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.

“On behalf of the Nets organization, I am very pleased to welcome Jason Kidd as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets,” King told reporters. “Jason is a proven winner and leader with an incredible wealth of basketball knowledge and experience. This will be a natural transition for him to move into the role of head coach, as he embodies the tough, smart and team-first mentality that we are trying to establish in Brooklyn.”

The team interviewed highly-regarded coaching candidate Brian Shaw for five hours Wednesday before coming to the decision to hire Kidd. Shaw, the Indiana Pacers’ associate coach, was thought to be the top prospect for the job following the firing of interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo. But Kidd’s presentation convinced Nets’ owner Mikhail Prokhorov and his team that he was the right fit.

“Jason Kidd has a long and legendary history with the Nets and with the city of New York,” Prokhorov said. “He has the fire in the belly we need, and has achieved as a player everything the Brooklyn Nets are striving to achieve. We believe he will lead us there. Welcome home, Jason.”

Despite no prior head coaching experience, Kidd is a proven leader with valuable basketball knowledge and an impressive Hall of Fame career at the point guard position. The coaching staff he will have — which is expected to include former Nets’ head coach Lawrence Frank — can provide him with the experience he’ll need to help him adjust to his new role.

Kidd led the Nets franchise to two consecutive NBA Finals in the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons while they were still located in New Jersey. In 535 games with the Nets, he averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game. He was a four-time All-Star during that span.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to be named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, and it’s a role I have been studying for over the course of my playing days,” the new coach said. “Championship teams are built on being prepared, playing unselfishly and being held accountable, and that’s how I expect to coach this basketball team. I am truly excited about this next phase of my basketball career.”

A press conference to introduce Kidd will be held Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn at 2 p.m ET.

Louis Musto is a reporter and sports talk host for the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.

It only got worse when things clicked in Denver, and Tebow proceeded to guide the Broncos on an electrifying run that included an overtime postseason victory over the defending AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

But the former Heisman Trophy-winner has fallen far from the pedestal upon which he stood just two seasons ago. Following their thrilling postseason run in 2011, the Broncos could not wait to unload their leader in favor of the legendary Peyton Manning. Since then, Tebow’s professional career has been on a downward spiral.

Once a starting quarterback for a playoff contender, he is no longer even guaranteed a roster spot on the NFL’s worst teams. At one point a media darling, he is now a despised, mocked and scoffed at circus freak, with nothing positive to offer on the football field… at least in the eyes of most coaches, scouts and analysts.

That has to upset the collegiate megastar and 2010 first round pick.

His 2012 season with the New York Jets was likely the equivalent to football hell for the outspoken Christian icon. His presence was used by the team merely as an opportunity to garner headlines in the New York Post while ESPN planted a permanent tent in Florham Park, New Jersey during training camp.

Tim Tebow was a marketing ploy. That could not have been more obvious than when the regular season began and he rarely saw the field. Certainly, the unconventional quarterback could use some improvement, but when the Jets refused to use him even as starter Mark Sanchez floundered in embarrassing fashion, the message was clear: Tebow was not brought in to actually play football.

Over the course of the season, the Florida grad earned new haters. Some of it because of his openness about his faith. Most of it because of the media and sports fans’ obsession with him, despite accomplishing so little in his young NFL playing career.

Maybe he doesn’t have the abilities to play as a quarterback in the NFL. Were it not for the hysteria that continues to surround him, he might’ve had more opportunities to prove himself — one way or another.

New England is a chance for Tebow to be reborn. The Patriots signed the 25-year-old to a two-year contract with no guaranteed money. With future Hall of Famer Tom Brady the incumbent starter, there’s no chance Tebow will usurp the role for himself as quarterback. Plus, the team is also quite high on backup Ryan Mallett, who wears Tebow’s No. 15.

In New England, he’s never going to be faced with the same type of media scrum he had to deal with daily in New York. Coach Bill Belichick will never allow it. No. It’s going to be all business for Tebow and the Patriots and he will have the opportunity to work with some of the NFL’s best coaches and players. Perhaps he’ll even pick up some valuable tools along the way that — if he’s not in New England for the long haul — he can take with him to another team.

Can he play quarterback in the NFL? Most say no. Belichick and the Patriots wish to see for themselves.

This is Tebow’s chance to prove he still has something to offer at the professional level. It could last two days, it could last two years. Ultimately, it will be this summer that decides his fate as a NFL football player.

Louis Musto is a reporter and sports talk host for the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.

Lake breaks down Golf Author Jim Ducibella’s book “King of Clubs” and previews the US Open.

The team has opened their 2013 mini-camp and the quarterback met with the media today. Not only was he asked about his healing ACL and rehab schedule, he was asked about his upcoming nuptials and whether or not he had any say in the planning of them.

“I have no say,” Griffin said. “Basically that’s just how it rolls. But I’m just trying to make sure she doesn’t become a Bridezilla. She’ll be fine. I’m doing little things here and there behind the scenes with the groomsmen… little stuff for the wedding. She’ll set everything up and then ask me and sometimes I actually have a choice and sometimes it doesn’t really matter what I say so…It’s her day so she’s gotta enjoy it.”

That sounds like any other red-blooded American male getting ready to tie the knot. But most of those males are not superstar signal-callers for America’s Team (yes… that would be the team that resides in the nation’s capital, not that one that resides in the oil capital). It has been difficult, at best, for Griffin to behave like “any other red-blooded American male” in any part of his life since joining the team. The fact that he’s doing something as normal as getting married must be a logistical nightmare for the people around him who have worked so hard to keep an eye on him since he was drafted last season.

Much has been said about the “MTV” type of lifestyle that the Baylor grad has had to endure since he came to town. At just 23, it would not be surprising if Griffin wished he was not so popular. This is not a guy you see popping into a 7-11. In any football city across America, it’s not uncommon to see one of the guys at a restaurant with friends (my son saw Peyton Manning at an Indianapolis restaurant two years ago), playing basketball at the local gym or at a gas station pumping gas. Not so with our young Mr. Griffin as every movement he makes is closely monitored. But he has decided that he still needs to do what he should do to make his fiancé’s special day well… special.

“I’m going to be here for another week – another two weeks,” the groom-to-be said when asked about his schedule between now and when training camp begins in July. “Then I’ll be gone for a little bit. I gotta live a personal life too so I can’t take that away from my fiancé just for football. So, I’ll make sure I stay prepared, ready to go, stay in contact with everybody and then we’ll go from there.”

Good for him. He’s a football player, not Mick Jagger.

He’ll stay prepared, there is no doubt. He already looks good in OTAs. The explosiveness that was a hurdle to be addressed in his rehab has now appeared during the drills in which he is allowed to participate. He was asked whether the running he was doing during drills today showed the explosiveness that he wanted.

“I thought it was explosive,” Griffin said on a chuckle. “I always joke with those guys like, ‘I’m not going to race you guys today’ And then we all end up racing so… it’s not that we’re NOT supposed to do that… you’re supposed to gradually get into it. So the first couple we weren’t running as fast but then, you guys saw us pick it up there on the last three or four so they’re doing a good job and they’re healing. [Tight end] Jordan [Reed] is looking great and so is [running back] Chris [Thompson] so…I just gotta make sure I keep up with the young guys even though I’m only 23.

“Fast guys like to say ‘We never run as fast as we can’ so…”

Apparently the sprints weren’t as explosive as they could be. That should be encouraging to Redskins Nation.

The schedule that Griffin has set up for himself shows a distinct idea of what coaches, doctors and fans can expect from now until time to report in Richmond. With the “explosiveness” having already been addressed, a few more hurdles still need to be cleared (the cutting, drop-backs and side-to-side sprinting, continuing his weight training and the mental aspects of the game) and Griffin gave the media an idea of his timetable.

“You saw today, the explosive sprinting part,” Griffin said. “I feel comfortable sprinting now. The next big stage is just cutting and, it’s not that I go cut for two days and I’m ready to go… it’s just a month of doing cutting drills, change of direction, that way I can train my body to get back for that so I’ll start that next week. I’ll start cutting next week and then, after that it’s just everything over and over. I’ll continue to work out in the weight room over the next four or five weeks. I’ll continue to keep sprinting and just get more and more comfortable. And then =whatever I feel like I have a deficiency at, I’ll make sure I fix that. There are little exercises you can do to help with that so, really…

“You can’t get ready for [contact],” he went on. “It just happens. So whenever camp rolls around and I’m out there practicing, that’s when you get ready for that but, you usually don’t get your first hit until game-type of situation and I’ll be ready for that too.”

Robert Griffin, III has a lot of nerve thinking he can just go get married like a normal person and then actually go off and enjoy a honeymoon. He might even have a week or two of normal life.

Hail.

Diane Chesebrough is Chief Editor, writer and photographer for SportsJourney Broadcast Network. Accredited media with the NFL, she has been a feature writer for several national magazines/periodicals. Follower her on Twitter: @DiChesebrough

Lake Lewis and Los Angeles Sports Talk Host discuss the Kobe Bryant vs his family sports memorabilia situation.

The report comes less than a week after the 40-year-old point guard retired from the NBA after 19 years in the league. Kidd spent nearly seven full seasons with the Nets (while the team was in New Jersey) and he was an integral piece in their run to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. He is still a popular figure among Nets fans and reportedly still holds strong ties with the Nets organization.

The retiree was an electric all-around player during his Hall of Fame career, averaging 12.6 points, 8.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game. He was a 10-time All-Star, four-time first team All-Defensive Team selection and won an NBA championship in 2011 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. He finished his career with 107 triple-doubles… third on the NBA’s career list.

From day one, Kidd was a talented leader who commanded the floor like few point guards have ever done before. He was an extremely valuable player whose unquestionable understanding of the game was just as valuable to the Nets’ — or any other NBA teams’ — core of good, young athletes.

The Indiana Pacers’ associate head coach, Brian Shaw, has been considered the top candidate for the job since the Nets let interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo walk following their first-round playoff exit. However, the Nets are not the only team making a run for this highly-regarded coach.

Louis Musto is a reporter and sports talk host for the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.

In a recent article, Prisco gave his thoughts on the New York Giants’ defensive end:

“This year’s pick is Giants defensive end Justin Tuck. He spent more time doing Subway commercials than playing good football in 2012. He was a definite name-over-game player with just four sacks. There were times on tape where you wondered how he was ever a dominant pass rusher.”

The declaration has gained the ire of many Giants fans, but here’s some bad news: Prisco may not be wrong.

No defensive player — outside of new star Jason Pierre-Paul — is more beloved in New York than Justin Tuck. He is revered as a premier pass rusher, but the reality is that this is more often false than true.

For instance, 33 1/2 of his 49 1/2 career sacks have come in three of his eight NFL seasons. He’s bounced back and forth from being fiercely dominant to unbearably mediocre at best. He’s spent the past two seasons playing as the latter, with just nine sacks in 27 games. He’s failed to register more than six sacks in three of the last four seasons.

At 30 years of age, the odds are not in Tuck’s favor to return to his once All-Pro form. Add in the fact that his psyche hasn’t been in the game for a couple of years now — requiring the aid of life coach Tony Robbins to spark some motivation — and it’s quite possible that the popular Giants captain could be done sooner rather than later.

Certainly, one could argue that a guy like free-agent quarterback Tim Tebow would be the league’s most overrated player. Giants fans are rambling off the entire roster for the Philadelphia Eagles (and they may not be wrong either).

That doesn’t change the fact that Tuck has underwhelmed for quite some time despite being heralded as a great defensive playmaker and a key member of the team. He has spent eight years being considered a highly valuable player but has, more often than not, failed to live up to that assessment.

Most overrated player in the NFL? That may be a bit of a stretch. But he’s among a short list of candidates, for sure.

Potentially without Pierre-Paul for the start of the regular season, the Giants will need Tuck to recreate himself and prove the detractors wrong. Otherwise, it could be a long season in New York.

Louis Musto is a reporter and sports talk host for the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.

Lake Lewis and Washington Redskins Fullback Darrel Young Host “Friday Night VIP” with Guest Washington Redskins Cornerback Richard Crawford. The show broadcast live from Bellator Sports Memorabilia in the Tysons Corner VA Mall.

Lake Lewis and guest Drs. Scott and Josh White from New Life Laser of Northern Virginia break down the big stories in sports.

The reality, however, is that the Giants may not be able to hold onto both past this season. With Cruz’s ongoing contract talks at the forefront and Nicks waiting out his rookie deal, this could not be more evident.

The Giants are already limited on salary cap space, so providing a substantial raise to two top-flight receivers could very well not be an option. And that’s what could be holding up a long-term deal getting done with Cruz: if they can’t have both, which player do they choose?

Making that choice could be highly difficult. Both players have their advantages and disadvantages with much improvement still to be made.

On the one hand, you have Hakeem Nicks. The 2009 first-round draft pick is the prototypical No. 1 receiver, blessed with the size and athletic abilities to be a top pass catcher in the NFL. In four seasons with the G-Men, the North Carolina product has proven to be a dependable and quality target for quarterback Eli Manning in the red zone, with 27 touchdown receptions.

When healthy, few players are more dangerous than Nicks, but that’s the keyword — healthy.

Nicks has yet to play in all 16 games of an NFL regular season, battling a variety of injuries that have taken their toll on his production within the Giants’ high-octane offense. If he will forever be an injury-prone player whose efforts will be suppressed, is he worth the long-term investment?

And then there’s Victor Cruz. The electrifying, salsa-dancing superstar has quickly become a fan favorite. As a hometown kid from nearby Paterson, New Jersey with outstanding personality, he is a marketing gold mine both regionally and nationally.

Since emerging from the bottom of the depth chart and developing into one of the league’s most lethal playmakers in 2011, Cruz has racked up 168 receptions for 2,628 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Despite his success, there are question marks surrounding his play. After a franchise-record 1,536 receiving yards in 2011, Cruz’s numbers dipped, and he posted just 1,092 yards this past season. The need to have Nicks lined up opposite him to be productive, as well as his inability to perform positively as an outside receiver are both concerns.

Though clearly a special player, traditional No. 1 receivers tend to present more value, even in a changing NFL. Slot receivers, as Cruz primarily is, are secondary weapons that benefit from the defense’s focus on the lead guy.

So who should the Giants choose if they must choose? That is a decision the front office personnel could make in the upcoming weeks and months if they are unable to construct a feasible plan that will enable both Cruz and Nicks to be members of the New York Giants for the foreseeable future.

Have an opinion on the matter? Care to share who you would prefer to have if it came down to one or the other? Please leave a comment indicating your choice!

Louis Musto is a reporter and sports talk host for the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.

Those fine words were used during the pledge that Washington Redskins’ fullback Eric Kettani took today as he was promoted from U.S. Navy Lieutenant, Junior Grade (JG) to Lieutenant, Grade 03. He was then “pinned” by two of his coaches.

Two silver bars are worn on each collar for Navy Lieutenants (Lt., JGs have just one bar). Washington head coach Mike Shanahan pinned one set on one collar and then Kettani’s position coach, Bobby Turner, pinned the other set on his other collar. The Naval officer had asked the two coaches if they would “do the honors” some time ago.

“They’re both big mentors in my life right now,” he said about the two men. “I’m excited to have them do it and also my father to put the cover on. They were both really honored to do that.”

You might have thought Shanahan was a high-schooler pinning a corsage onto a date as nervous as he looked securing the rank insignia.

“I haven’t had much experience,” Shanahan joked, after taking several minutes to finally get it fastened onto his player’s uniform.

One testament to the current unity in the Redskins’ locker room was the twenty-plus teammates on hand to witness Kettani’s ceremony and the cheering they did for him during the event. The significance of their presence did not escape him.

“It was awesome,” he said when asked if he knew that so many guys would be there. “They’re my teammates and my friends. They saw me putting my stuff on downstairs and they were surprised. They asked what I was doing and they were excited to come up here. I guess they like me.”

The 5’11, 240 lbs. former Midshipman played at the Naval Academy from 2005–2008, finishing his career there with 395 carries for 2,091 and 15 rushing touchdowns. In his senior year, he had a 5.1 yards per carry (ypc) average and, in his junior year, a 5.8 ypc average. Not too shabby. Both years Kettani led the team in rushing yards and he was invited to the Senior Bowl after his senior season.

Kettani was on active duty for three years post graduation and during that time, he served on the USS Klakring (recently decommissioned), a Navy frigate. Onboard, Kettani was a Repair Division Officer and an Officer of the Deck. He was ranked No. 1 for Junior Officers during his tenure there.

In 2009 he was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent on a Reserve/Military contract and played on the practice squad. In September of 2012, he was waived by the team and signed by the Redskins. He spent the run for the 2012 NFC East championship on Washington’s practice squad.

Kettani has had to juggle his job as a professional football player with that of a naval officer. He spent this past off-season touring various military installations, supporting his Navy “teammates” by getting a message out that he feels is important. After his swearing in and pinning this afternoon, he met with reporters and was asked about those tours.

What was the message, exactly?

“They don’t realize there are other opportunities once you leave the Navy or the Armed Forces,” the Lieutenant said when asked by the media what he was trying to get across to his brothers-in-arms. “Right now, they’re downsizing the military, so a lot of the guys are getting out without things to do. They see me, and there’s hope out there that you can find a job with ease.”

Kettani’s success in the NFL is a good example of what he was telling his fellow Navy personnel but, in practical terms, how difficult is the transition from military life to life in the NFL? According to the fullback, his Navy background has actually been very helpful.

“Like being able to multi-task… to get things done while there’s so much stuff going on,” he explained, “You’re learning new plays, you’re tired… but mentally tough. There’s so much stuff I’ve that brought from the Naval Academy and Navy to the NFL.”

I noticed that the head coach looked extremely pleased throughout the entire ceremony. And why not? This man is well-known for his strict, hard-line ways. With the discipline that comes with a Navy background, Kettani is most likely a great fit in a program like Mike Shanahan’s.

“He’s an excellent example…,” Bobby Turner said after the ceremony. “I want that to become contagious throughout. Not only the running backs but, throughout our team. His attitude, his desire, his love, his passion.”

The Academy grad will be fighting for a place on the 53-man roster this offseason at a position (fullback) that is currently held by talented starter Darrel Young. There is also Dorson Boyce who, though on IR last season, was also on the practice squad in 2012. Breaking in for any offensive position will be tough going. But Shanahan respects Kettani; much like his former coach, Bill Belichick, reportedly did. That can’t hurt.

“I’ve had guys in the military,” Shanahan said to reporters after the ceremony, “But not a lieutenant. I have to salute to him now. He’s a great representative for our country.”

You can’t help but respect a guy that’s done what Kettani has done in serving in the United States Navy AND playing professional football. Aforementioned teammate, Darrel Young, comes from a military family himself and so understands the sacrifice and dedication required for a vocation like the Navy, as well as one like professional football. He was straightforward in his praise for the young officer.

“It’s an honor to know Kettani,” Young offered about his teammate. “He brings camaraderie to this team.”

That is certainly important… and a little underrated sometimes.

It’s not unheard of for a military academy graduate to have a successful NFL career though there aren’t as many from those types of schools as, say, the Pac-12 or the SEC. Hall of Fame player and former Dallas Cowboy quarterback (1969 – 1979) Roger Staubach, graduated from the Naval Academy and ─ needless to say ─ had a very successful NFL career. Asked about whether or not the Hall of Famer had been a role model for him as he grew up (with qualifiers attached since he was, after all, a Dallas Cowboy), Kettani said that in fact, he had been.

“Oh yea,” he said. “I watched him. I mean, he was a Hall of Fame player. I’m sure being in the Navy helped him play in the league too.”

The Navy. It’s Not Just a Job. It’s An Adventure.

You could certainly say that about  the National Football League and, in particular, the Washington Redskins. Especially for Lt. Eric Kettani.

Hail.

Diane Chesebrough is Chief Editor, writer and photographer for SportsJourney Broadcast Network. Accredited media with the NFL, she has been a feature writer for several national magazines/periodicals. Follower her on Twitter: @DiChesebrough