Joe Anello's NFL Football fan blog

If Saturday’s games were any indication, then Sunday’s remaining Wildcard action should be entertaining as hell. Who’s got time for lengthy introductions though? Let’s break down this action!

 


(10-6) Atlanta Falcons at
(9-7) New York Giants
1:00 PM ET, FOX

Even more of a toss-up than Texans-Bengals, this game seems like it could go either way. Matt Ryan and the Falcons have been hot of late, winning five of their last seven games. However, all of those wins except one (Tennessee) came against sub .500 teams. Atlanta’s been kicking the crap out of crappy teams in 2011. Ryan hasn’t looked as sharp against quality defenses, but he hasn’t been getting help from receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones in those outings. Too many drops in an inconsistent passing attack. As always, the key to their success is the production of Michael Turner. The Falcons have a very aggressive offensive line that excels at run blocking, but their pass blocking hasn’t been as dependable. Defensively they’ve struggled to produce any sort of pass rush, even with Ray Edwards. John Abraham needs to have a big day.

Continue reading "The Opening Drive: 2012 Wildcard Sunday"

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.

Continue reading "Joe's 2012 Gameday Preview: Wildcard Saturday"

Well that didn’t take very long. After all of three days, Lovie Smith has found his next offensive coordinator. The big-time hire? Mike “Boat Show” Tice. (I would have also accepted “Ticket Scalper.” I hinted at Tice’s eventual hiring on Tuesday when I addressed the firing of Jerry Angelo and Mike Martz, but I suppose I should break down this “hire,” yes?

Bears promote Offensive Line Coach Mike Tice to Offensive Coordinator

Oh Mikey Tice. A man of football if there ever was one. His stint as head coach in Minnesota from ’02 to ’06 was best remembered for scandals, most notably his scalping of Super Bowl tickets. As a play-caller, Tice is all about smacking people around on the ground. His tenure in Jacksonville provides evidence to that, as his work with the o-line and offense gave the Jags one of the best running games in the league during his tenure. That means he'll know the value of a premiere runner like Matt Forte. He does tend to favor the downfield throws, shying away from the short routes that are more of the West Coast variety. This will utilize Jay's best asset: his arm.

Continue reading "Bears promote Tice to OC: Right call?"

Black Monday came and went, but the coaching news continued on Tuesday with releases in Chicago and major retentions in San Diego and Philly. Were they the right moves? Let’s break ‘em down!

San Diego Chargers retain General Manager A.J. Smith and Head Coach Norv Turner

OH COME ON!!! I was finally ready to break-up the Turner/Philips romance. However, you can chalk up this stay of execution to a few select reasons. First, key players (i.e. Rivers) probably bitched enough to convince management that it would cause chemistry issues to change coaches. Second, who were they going to get that was even marginally better? Turner’s still got swagger when it comes to his offense, so I’m not sure who was out there (that would come to San Diego) that would be a marked improvement. Maybe Cowher or Gruden if they got extraordinarily lucky, but I’m sure they were rejected outright on those fronts. Finally, it’s the AFC West. A couple plays would have made the difference in getting the Chargers to the playoffs, so they don’t need to improve much to get there next year.

Continue reading "Reid and Turner back for 2012: Really?"

Woof. The news broke quickly today from Halas Hall as the Chicago Bears started their offseason with a major shake-up near the top of the organization with the removal of Jerry Angelo and the “resignation” of Mike Martz. No time to waste in breaking these moves down!

Bears release General Manager Jerry Angelo

In a move that both surprised and delighted long-time Bears fans, Team President Ted Philips announced the firing of 11-year General Manager Jerry Angelo. I know some fans are confused as to why Lovie wouldn’t be on his way out too, but nearly every problem this season could be attributed to poor personnel decisions and a lack of depth at key positions. Angelo has had eleven years to accomplish the following: find a number one wide receiver construct a cohesive offensive line through the draft, provide quality depth on the defensive line find a viable number two corner behind Charles Tillman, or draft or sign at least ONE competent safety for Lovie Smith’s cover-two scheme (which I feel is the most important position in the system). I debated running through examples of players Angelo missed on at those positions, but I didn’t want to make myself cry. Ultimately, your GM can’t find occasional success in free agency and the rare fifth-round gem while completely missing on nearly every first-round draft choice. It simply sets your franchise back too far.

Continue reading "Wha??? Bears move on without Jerry Angelo and Mike Martz"

Black Monday in the NFL is always chock-full of news and storylines and this latest incarnation is no different. Along with the two head coaching vacancies we’re already aware of (Miami and Jacksonville) two more holes opened up on Monday (with more likely on the way). Here’s my take on the day’s news.

As many great sound bites as Morris has given us, he also managed to deliver one craptacular year after raising expectations so high with a ten-win season in 2010. After starting this season 4-2, Morris’ young Bucs lost ten straight to finish at 4-12. And they weren’t close games either. These Bucs were routinely pummeled, ending with the 42-point first half they allowed to the Falcons on Sunday. The Glazer family had no choice.

Continue reading "Joe's 2012 NFL Black Monday Breakdown"

The 2011 NFL regular season ended with a bang with some great finishes and superb drama on Sunday. Records were set by a back-up QB, a team captain was benched for “quitting” and a fat-handed QB lost missed out on the post-season. The Final Drive must begin!

This makes me beyond furious. Mike McCarthy takes out his MVP quarterback and starts a fourth year back-up with one career start in Matt Flynn, and f*cking records are broken. Six touchdowns? 480 yards? Who wouldn’t want to be Matt Flynn right now? That guy is about to make BANK as a free agent. Blow me Green Bay. Take your awesome quarterback development and blow me.

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Week 17, 2011-12"

I’m not going to spend this Gameday Recap pontificating about what could have been this Bears season. That’s for later. In today’s contest, the Bears held onto the win over the struggling Vikings to get to 8-8 on the year.

(8-8) Chicago Bears 17
(3-13) Minnesota Vikings 13

For another week Chicago’s offense sputtered and killed its own momentum with costly turnovers. Earl Bennett started the game off right with an early fumble, giving the Vikings possession and the opportunity to drive down for a field goal. A Percy Harvin run later in the first gave the Vikes a 10-0 lead and Bears fans reason to change the channel. Luckily, there was a second quarter. A rare pass to Roy Williams capped off the Bears’ only touchdown drive, but a throw off the hands of Toby Gerhart fell right into the lap of first-time Pro Bowler Charles Tillman, who ran it right back for 22 yards and six points. From there Chicago’s defense locked down, picking off Minnesota’s quarterbacks two times (a total of three) to secure the win.

Continue reading "Joe's 2011-12 Gameday Recap: Bears 17, Vikings 13"

Let’s get this over with.

(7-8) Chicago Bears at
(3-12) Minnesota Vikings

I am not going to waste your time with an in-depth analysis over a game without a crap-ton of starters on both sides of the ball. There’s a lot of “Joe Webb isn’t that bad” talk around the NFL, but I’m not totally sold. He’s probably a better option that Christian Ponder or Josh McCown though. But he’s missing Adrian Peterson, so you can’t totally rely on him this week. Chicago’s defense is the best unit in this game, and that typically goes a long way.

Minnesota is a 2.5 point home favorite.

Continue reading "Joe's 2011-12 Gameday Preview: Bears at Vikings"

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.

Continue reading "The Opening Drive: Week 17, 2011-12"