Manning For All: Peyton's Chances with Every NFL Team posted by Joe Anello

"And as I go, I go with just a few words left to say. A few words I want to address to Colts fans everywhere. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I truly have enjoyed being your quarterback.”

Those were the last words from the always-classy Peyton Manning on Wednesday as he finished saying goodbye to the Indianapolis Colts. Fighting back tears, Manning and owner Jim Irsay made their statements and answered a few questions related to the QB’s departure as well as their prospective futures. They were emotional, I was emotional, it was emotional. But after the press conference ended there was only one question on the minds of NFL fans:

Where will Peyton Manning play in 2012?

As it looks like it’s going to be a short process before Manning decides on one of his surely many suitors, we don’t have time to debate. Since even an 85 to 90% Peyton Manning is better than three-fourths of the starters in the league, there are a ton of teams where he would be an upgrade. With that in mind, I’m going to go through EVERY team and describe why they might (or might not) want Manning, Peyton’s likely thoughts on the landing spot and the chance it might actually happen. I’ll preface this list by saying it’s reported that he might want to stay within the AFC and that I’m not taking the offensive system into consideration all that much. (If you’re getting Peyton Manning, you can tweak your damn offense or he can run the hell out of whatever you got. Shouldn’t be an issue.) He’s already starting making visits on his whirlwind free agency tour, so let’s get started!

The Final Drive: 2012 Divisional Round posted by Joe Anello

I have to say, I was skeptical that these four games could live up to the hype, especially after last weekend. But I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. I even gave myself a cushy lead for later poor postseason predictions. But I’ll tell you about that later. Right now it’s time for The Final Drive of the Divisional Round!

I’m not sure I can put into words how freaking EPIC this game was. It was such a fantastic start to the weekend’s action. The Saints came out embarrassingly flat, with three turnovers early, including a horrendous pick over the middle from Drew Brees, who never saw the safety coming. The Niners turned those possessions into points, notching 17 with not even a minute gone by into the second quarter. Brees fought back as you knew he would, finding his big targets Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston on consecutive drives to pull within three at the break. It was hard to say the Niners had the momentum though. I mean, when the other team turns it over four times in a half and you’re only up a field goal? That’s a problem. San Fran’s special teams even got another turnover from Darren Sproles early in the third, but they could only manage to put up a field goal. Eventually that was going to come back to bite them. San Francisco wasn’t even trying to run the ball for the first three quarters, an offensive plan that befuddled me, to say the least. Alex Smith was getting all sorts of pressure from the Saints, who were simply sending more rushers than the Niners had blockers. (Just math, really.)

The Opening Drive: 2012 Divisional Sunday posted by Joe Anello

Saturday’s NFL action started with a barn-burner and ended with a merciless slaughter. Sunday’s slate is going to have a hard time following it up, but that won’t stop me from writing another edition of The Opening Drive!

After putting down the Bengals last week, the Texans stay in the AFC North but get a serious upgrade in competition. T.J. Yates hasn’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard but he’s gotten by due to a fantastic Houston rushing attack behind a great offensive line that clears holes for Arian Foster. To beat Baltimore though, Yates will need more of those deep throws to Andre Johnson to pull the defense away from the line of scrimmage. The Ravens secondary has grown during the year, but they’re still not totally battle-tested. Baltimore will surely be gearing up to stop the run before all else. That rookie QB is going to have to stand up to a pass rush that includes Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs. Have fun putting up anything more than 13-17 points on that T.J.

As much as Houston’s offense could struggle, so too could the Ravens. Joe Flacco could have a mediocre game or an utterly abysmal one. I can never tell. Against the Texans, he’ll face a defense that can get after the passer and produce takeaways through the air. Jonathan Joseph could lock in on Anquan Boldin, but I’d venture than Boldin is too inside too often to get Joseph on coverage. Joseph may stay on the outside against Torrey Smith or Lee Evans. As always, Baltimore must rely on Ray Rice and the running game in order to control time of possession and keep that aging defense off the field. If Rice can get over 150 total yards, I like the Ravens’ chances.

The Final Drive: 2012 Wildcard Weekend posted by Joe Anello

Are you exhausted yet? There was TOO MUCH DRAMA! (That’s a lie. There’s never too much.) Both nights of Wildcard weekend ended in tremendous excitement, wrapping up with a dramatic overtime ending that didn’t even warrant explanation of the new rules. I’m still appalled. Let’s just get The Final Drive started.

The first game of the weekend started off awfully sloppy, with plenty of penalties and “jitters” as described by Nessler and Mayock. As the game drew on though, the Texans clearly established themselves as the better team by man-handling Cincy. Rookie lineman J.J Watt, who has shown an inherent talent and awareness to deflect passes at the line of scrimmage made the play of a game by boomeranging Dalton in the second quarter. Watt timed his jump perfectly and made the catch and rambled 29 yards to paydirt. Then he sacked Dalton to end the first half as the Bengals were driving. It was hilarious afterwards to see Dalton with the “Why didn’t you tell me that lineman wasn’t actually fat? I never would have thrown it his way had I known” face. I blame the scouts on that one. The Bengals performance could be encapsulated with their second half opening drive: they were stopped on second down for a loss, then flagged for 12 men in the huddle, then Dalton wasted a time-out as he couldn’t hear the play-call in Reliant’s noise. Those wheels came off. Missed chances to take away the ball from Houston, poor tackling on defense allowed Houston to let Arian Foster loose and control to flow of the game. T.J. Yates never had to make a big play, so the Texans got the win.

Joe's 2012 Gameday Preview: Wildcard Saturday posted by Joe Anello

It’s time. Time for the select few to battle out for the most coveted prize in the NFL: the Lombardi Trophy. The playoffs begin today with the Wildcard round. I’m so excited I can’t even finish this introduction! Let’s just get right to these games, shall we?

As has become tradition in the NFL, the opening game of the Wildcard round is sorta… crappy. The Bengals are a slightly above average team that defied their lowly preseason expectations. Andy Dalton started strong as a rookie, but his production has certainly fallen off in recent weeks. A.J. Green will be healthy enough to make a difference, but I don’t think Dalton has enough developed talent around him to light up the scoreboard. Cedric Benson is a workhorse running back, but he’s never been explosive. Cincy’s offense is decent, but I’d give the edge to Houston’s defense in that match-up. They’re fast and aggressive and can slow down the Bengals enough to give their own rookie quarterback a chance.

Speaking of, we’ve got freaking T.J. Yates starting a playoff game with FREAKING Jake Delhomme backing him up. So if Yates’ shoulder isn’t completely healthy or hinders his play, the Interception Machine will be coming on the field. The thought alone gets me all excited. For the rest of Houston’s offense, Arian Foster and Andre Johnson will both be healthy (ish) for the first time in forever, giving Yates a full complement of weaponry at his disposal. After the Cincy defense gave up two giant runs to Ray Rice last week, Foster will be licking his chops. They won’t be a juggernaut, but that offense should be able to get 21-24 on the Bengals’ D, which will be enough to get the win.

The Opening Drive: Week 17, 2011-12 posted by Joe Anello

I’ll bet you thought week 17 in the NFL was meaningless! Well I call shenanigans on that premise entirely, as I’m ready to touch on ELEVEN games going on New Year’s Day. How’s THAT for an Opening Drive?

 

(10-5) Detroit Lions at
(14-1) Green Bay Packers

We pretty much know the story here. Detroit wants like hell to avoid losing and dropping to the sixth seed in the NFC, because that would mean a trip to New Orleans in the wild card round and a quick trip back home after a swift kick in the ass from Drew Brees and company. Green Bay has absolutely nothing to play for, so they’ll likely sit Rodgers and any banged up skill players early. Lions should win this one.

St. Louis is primed to snatch the number one draft pick away from Indy with another loss, meaning they’ll be the subject of so many “Should they draft Andrew Luck or trade (incumbent starter)” questions throughout the offseason. Seriously though, getting the number one pick twice in a span of only three seasons? Ouch.

There’s some mild playoff implications for the Jets here if they win and get a whole bunch of other (better) teams to lose on Sunday. Unfortunately, they probably won’t get past the whole “winning” thing on their own. Miami is one of those better teams.

Joe's 2011 Thursday Night Preview: Texans at Colts posted by Joe Anello

A whopping nine wins separate Thursday Night Football’s combatants tonight as the AFC South Champion Houston Texans travel to Lucas Oil Stadium to take on the finally-not-winless Colts. Will this be a game… or a slaughter?

(10-4) Houston Texans at
(1-13) Indianapolis Colts

Let’s just get this out of the way right now. Indy isn’t “dangerous.” Could they win behind Dan Orlovsky and a healthy dose of Donald Brown? Sure, maybe. That’s essentially what the offensive gameplan that Houston’s will employ. However, what will really be the factor tonight is the defense. Indianapolis just won’t be able to create the same turnovers or get the same stops as Houston’s can. They’re still pretty bad. They even have a reason to lose as they must ensure they get the number one pick. (Not saying they’ll do it on purpose, but hey, they probably should.)

For Houston, they’re going to need to follow the same formula they’ve been using all season. Hand that ball to Arian Foster and make sure the quarterback (whoever it is) doesn’t screw up. T.J. Yates had his issues last weekend against Carolina, but he won’t have to put up that kind of point total tonight. Lucky for him too, since he’s still without Andre Johnson. Houston is the forgotten division winner, having lost their top two quarterbacks and wide receiver to injury. They’ve had a successful season, but who could really pick them to get any further than the divisional round?

Kiss This Season Goobye posted by Richard Kagan

The Chicago Bears have allowed the Seattle Seahawks take a commanding 24-14 lead late in 3rd quarter at Soldier Field.

The Bears are about to be buried for this season.  No Cutlers, No Forte, No Wright, No Johnny Knox, who left the game in an ambulance and was taken to a local hospital.  Unfortunately, Caleb Hanie, who looked so good against the Packers in the NFC game and looked mediocre at best, and simply not-ready-for-prime-time.  He lacks the skills that Cutler has.

The Bears didn't count on losing Cutler and Forte, and without adequate replacements, or an ablity to adjust on the fly, the season is spiralling downward.  The Bears are about to lose their 4th straight game and move to 7-7.  Wtih two away games left.  There is nothing pretty about this game.  The Bears had a 14-7 lead but Seattle stormed back and took a 21-14 lead.  A FG only prolonged the inevitable.  The Bears have been out-personneled and out hustled. 

This game got uglier and the Bears lost 38-14.  Hanie threw 3 picks, two for touchdowns.  His backup, Jake McCown, throw a pick as well.  Hanie had thrown for nine interceptions in 4 games.  Wow.  That's a problem.

That isn't going to get it done at the QB position.  The Bears went from looking like a good, tough, explosive NFL team with playoff aspirations to a downtrodden team, looking a shell of itself.  There is nothing there.  There is no offense. And, the defense, altough good, can't win a game like it did 3-4 years ago.  Urlacher and Brigss, are aging, and nothing accelerates that than losing. 

The Final Drive: Week 14, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

Heart attacks were felt across the nation on Sunday (especially by me), leading to plenty of hospitalizations. While you’re incapacitated, why not get the full scoop on week 14’s heart-stopping action?

So maybe the Texans aren’t absolutely screwed with T.J. Yates at quarterback. Who knew? They probably won’t make a lot of noise in the playoffs depending on the seeding, but they should stay competitive. Unfortunately for Cincy, there may be too many “respectable losses” on their record.

If the Titans weren’t in the middle of a playoff chase, I’d say it was time to start Jake Locker. Though with Hasselbeck’s injury, it might happen anyway. Kudos to the Saints for not falling into the “Trap of the Week.”

Oh Tony Sparano, we hardly knew ye. Wait, I did. You were a mediocre coach. Its obvious management was waiting for him to lose just ONE more game after that streak of wins they went on. Dropping one to the Eagles wasn’t going to cut it.

Sparano wasn’t the only coach let go today, as Todd Haley was relieved of his duties in Arizona following this shellacking. When you make Mark Sanchez look good… nothing good can follow. The Jets inch closer to the playoffs with a surprisingly lop-sided win.

The Opening Drive: Week 14, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

After the Big Ben-flavored drama on Thursday night, week 14 in the NFL season keeps on trucking in Sunday’s slate of games. While some will take a first glance at most of the games and shrug them off as meaningless, there are some hidden contests that could be much better than fans may expect. Plenty of options for “Trap of the Week.”

Houston’s been running along surprisingly smoothly since the loss of Matt’s Schaub and Leinart. However, T.J. Yates won’t have the home crown behind him as he takes on a desperate Bengal squad this week. I’m not sure the Texans will have enough success on the ground to make up for Andre Johnson’s absence.

Boom. Trap it up. New Orleans is on the road after a pretty convincing whupping of the Lions last week. Tennessee is very quietly eking their way into the AFC playoffs with all-around solid team play. New Orleans may be trying to keep pace with the Niners, but they don’t NEED this game like the Titans do. Drew Brees could have one of his famous “Throw for 345 yards, 3 TD’s and 3 INT’s” days, giving the Saints points, but not a win.

Texans sign free agent QB Beck (Yahoo! Sports)

HOUSTON (AP) The Houston Texans have signed veteran free agent quarterback John Beck. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

2012 Miami Dolphins Schedule (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

The 2012 Miami Dolphins' schedule begins on Sunday, Sept. 9, when the team travels to play the Houston Texans. The team has no Monday night games this year, but does get to play a Thursday night game on Nov. 15 against the Buffalo Bills. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Texans sign K Shayne Graham (The Associated Press)

HOUSTON (AP) The Houston Texans have signed kicker Shayne Graham. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Texans sign K Shayne Graham (Yahoo! Sports)

HOUSTON (AP) The Houston Texans have signed kicker Shayne Graham. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Ravens, free agent WR Jones agree to 2-year deal (Yahoo! Sports)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) Former Houston Texans wide receiver Jacoby Jones has agreed to terms with the Baltimore Ravens on a two-year contract. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports