NFL Football Blogs

Shopping for free agents in the NFL is not much different from shopping for groceries at the grocery store.  You must make your grocery list based on what you need, while keeping an eye out for great deals.  You want to avoid overpaying for something that you either don’t need or won’t be satisfied with.  You need to keep you eye out for dropping prices.  It is also essential that you stay away from flawed products that have disappointed in the past.  These are all keys to being a smart shopper in the NFL free agent market. 

Continue reading "Let's Go (Free Agent) Shopping!"

The three months in between the end of the season and the draft always seem to drag out until you've done so much  research and seen so many mock drafts you tend to get attached to certain guys and lose sight of who the best player for your draft slot really is.

Continue reading "Odrick Isn't Seymour"

While the current tally for New England during free agency doesn’t include DE Julius Peppers or WR Anquan Boldin, I’d say the Pats are having a decent off-season. The only free agent they signed, LB Marques Murrell, isn’t a marquee free agent. But the Patriots had success keeping their free agents.

Continue reading "Can't Keep Them All"

I came upon a website today that breaks down every play of the NFL season and awards grades to each player accordingly: www.profootballfocus.com. What you get is an expansive database, with hard numerical data ranking player performance. While fans never get to break down the game film or know exactly how the coaches are grading out the players, this is a good resource with some really interesting stuff. I won't challenge their method or their football credentials, rather I looked at each player on the 2009 Patriots defense and found their season rankings. Here's the list from best to worst:

Continue reading "Pro Football Focus' Rankings of the ..."

Many Patriots fans seem to still be under the delusion that their defense is a mere pass rusher away from returning to an elite, Super Bowl-caliber squad. The reality is that the Patriots defense began a full on rebuild in 2009, making the AFC East title they won even more impressive considering it was done with such a young and inconsistent defense.

Continue reading "ReBuilding The New England Patriots Defense"

Free Agency just started on Friday, and the Jets and Dolphins have both made significant moves while the Patriots have stuck to signing their own guys, and it's become a popular article around the interwebs whether these moves have dethroned New England as the AFC East favorites.

Continue reading "And on the 4th Day of Free Agency ..."

As soon as I turned off my laptop and turned on my tv, I learned the Patriots reached an agreement with OG Stephen Neal. While not an elite player at his position, he's been solid for the Pats for years at right guard. Now New England has to get Logan Mankins signed.

Continue reading "Quick Update"

So, free agency began last Thursday, and we signed no one.

Defensively, what are our needs? Many believe that we need a safety, a cornerback, and a linebacker who could put some pressure on the QB. So, what was or is out there?

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Free Agency Begins..."

As I tweeted during the opening hour of NFL free agency: "I'm not sure who's in the Bears front office right now, but I like him." A day and a half later, I stand by that statement. My Chicago Bears ended up going "hog wild" in free agency after all, signing defensive end Julius Peppers, running back Chester Taylor and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna on Friday.

Continue reading "Bears open their wallets to sign ..."

Most fans dream of the free agents the Patriots can sign when open season starts. Usually those dreams don’t include the team’s free agents.

 

On an active opening day to free agency, the Patriots decided to take care of their own instead of shopping for new arrivals. They first re-signed OLB Tully Banta-Cain and later reached an agreement with NT Vince Wilfork.

Continue reading "Home Takes Priority"

The New York Jets acquired San Diego Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2011 draft Thursday evening. 

In order to make room for Cromartie, the Jets released disappointing cornerback Lito Sheppard. 

Continue reading "On March 4, the New York Jets managed ..."

Not even an hour into NFL free agency, ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that big fish defensive end Julius Peppers and highly touted running back Chester Taylor will both visit the Chicago Bears on Friday. Brad Biggs is also reporting that tight end Brandon Manumaleuna will also pay a visit.

Continue reading "Peppers, Taylor and Manumaleuna visiting ..."

With less than five hours before free agency begins, let me get a few thoughts out of my mind:

 

Be sure to sign the Leigh Bodden thank-you card. He’s not coming back. He’s the second-best corner back available in free agency after Houston’s Dunta Robinson. It shouldn’t take him long to find an offer that he can’t pass up. His gamble to sign a one year deal with a promise from the Patriots that they wouldn’t franchise him will pay off. He erased his years with Detroit, including the 0-16 season, from everyone’s mind. Wish you luck at your next career stop, Leigh, as long as it’s not with an AFC East team.

Continue reading "Hours Away"

 

With NFL free agency kicking off at midnight on Thursday, the Chicago Bears need to make a huge splash. They have no first or second-round draft picks to spend money on and a salary cap-less year on the horizon, priming them to be major players in free agency for the first time I can remember. I'll take a look at a few positions and players the Bears should be targeting in free agency.

Continue reading "Free Agency Preview: Chicago Bears"

Okay, so I’m not reallyat the 28th annual NFL scouting combine but it sure feels like I am.  With the great live coverage of the event on NFL.com as well as the NFL network, I feel like a real pro scout.  I’ve also been very impressed with my ability to predict the unofficial 40 times of the athletes as they cross the finish line, but that is neither here nor there.  You want to know what can really be taken away from this year’s pre-draft extravaganza, don’t you?  Well let me give you my take on a few of the happenings over the last few days. 

Continue reading "Observations from the Combie"

The 2010 NFL Draft will commence on Thursday, April 22, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. 

In tribute to the upcoming draft, below are the five best  number one overall selections made by franchises over the course of the past quarter-century.  

Continue reading "The Five Best NFL First Overall NFL Draft Picks"

It’s been a cold week for NFL runningbacks. After years of service, both San Diego’s LaDanian Tomlinson and Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook were unceremoniously cut by their respective teams.

Continue reading "Remembering Mosi"

Two Patriots made headlines recently. We’ll tackle these two issues in chronological order, one day at a time.

 

Over the weekend wide receiver Randy Moss said he believes this will be his last season with the Patriots after his contract runs out. He takes no offense to it, as it’s the business of the NFL and he’s familiar with how New England does things, not just from a Patriot perspective, but from his viewpoint at his previous stops.

Continue reading "Stayings or Goings Part 1"

LaDainian Tomlinson was let go by the Chargers.   The 8th all time running back is no longer in San Diego.  He is a future hall of famer. But, does he have a future else where?

Continue reading "LT no longer a Charger"

When Adalius Thomas went on the radio airwaves a couple weeks ago he shed just a little light on what exactly went wrong with him and the Patriots in 2009. Apparently it all started after the first game of the season, the home opener against the Buffalo Bills, which saw the Tom Brady pull of the greatest fourth quarter comeback of his career. Thomas said that Coach Belichick met with him after the game to express that his play was substandard and from there things went down hill fast.

Continue reading "A Closer Look at Adalius Thomas in ..."

Ok, I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but I've been asked about the draft, and I decided to break the silence and post an entry. 

 I haven't posted in awhile because of my disgust of where the franchise was going, and how angry me and the rest of the fans have been with the organization.  The hiring of Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan, and firing of Vin Dieseldorf have provided some hope though.  The fact that The Danny might be taking a step back from involvement has made us all a little less angry. 

Continue reading "Upcoming NFL Draft"

Free agency starts in about three weeks, but teams have been waiting more than a month for the shopping season to commence. I don’t know the complete list of free agents available, though already there are a few high profile names out there. But which of these players fit New England?

Continue reading "Window Shopping"

Head coach Bill Belichick said he isn’t a believer in titles. He just expects people to do their jobs. Well he’s proving it this off-season with his coaching staff. The Patriots will go into 2010 without offensive or defensive coordinators.

Continue reading "Uncoordinated"

It has been a while and I don’t really have an excuse for not posting anything the last couple weeks.  I guess since the Cowboys got trounced by the Minnesota Vikings I just haven’t had much inspiration.  But I’ve come out of my temporary depression and have officially transitioned to the off-season.  In between cartons of Ben & Jerry’s and episodes of Cash Cab I have thought long and hard about what the Cowboys need to do over the  next 6-7 months in order to take the next step from playoff team to Super Bowl contender.

Continue reading "Back to the Drawing Board"

Superstar quarterback Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts were defeated by the New Orleans Saints 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV Sunday at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida.

The game was ultimately decided by a crucial Manning miscue when his pass was intercepted and returned 74 yards for a touchdown by Saints cornerback Tracy Porter with only three minutes remaining in the decisive fourth quarter.

Continue reading "Sunday Proved That Tom Brady Is Better ..."

If you're reading this, it means you're not among the thralls of New Orleans Saints fans in Louisiana or with the team in Miami that are just beginning what is sure to be a month-long party because their team just won their first ever Super Bowl. On a night thought by many to be Peyton Manning's coronation, Drew Brees ended up at the post-game podium as the MVP of the night after a 31-17 victory. Sunday's championship contest didn't get off to the most exciting of starts, but it sure finished with one.

Continue reading "Saints take advantage of Manning's ..."

The wait is over. Super Bowl 44 is nigh. Manning versus Brees starts in mere hours. After prepping you for the game yesterday with separate previews of the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, it's time to bring the two together for my Super Bowl predictions. 

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Super Bowl 44"

     Did everyone recover from a wild weekend without Saints football? Big Daddy barely felt the Saints’ third bye week blow by thanks to Bobby Hebert honoring the Buddy “D” promise: to wear a dress if the Saints ever made it to the Super Bowl. Big Daddy wonders if seeing all those guys in dresses compelled the U.S. military to ponder abolishing their “don’t ask— don’t tell policy.”

Continue reading "Big Daddy Gets You Ready For the ..."

As we grow closer to the Super Bowl, all eyes are on Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts as they chase down a legacy. After starting the season 14-0, the organization turned off the gas for the final two games as they rested their starters for the post-season. After shutting down the Ravens and putting a 30-spot on the Jets, we will finally see if shunning history will pay off for Indianapolis.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive of Super Bowl ..."

We are now a little more than a day away from the culmination of the 2009 NFL season. As we all have that inevitable Super Bowl party where no one else knows about football, I'm here to help you impress your friends with your gridiron knowledge. In this special edition of the Opening Drive I take a look at the NFC representative in SB XLIV, the New Orleans Saints.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive of Super Bowl ..."

Completing the circle of "Lovie's guys," Bears defensive line coach Rod Marinelli was promoted to assistant head coach and defensive coordinator on Friday. The move was among many staff decisions made by Smith and GM Jerry Angelo. Shane Day, quality control coach with the San Francisco 49ers, was hired to become the new quarterbacks coach and Eric Washington was promoted to defensive line coach. Seattle's Mike DeBord was signed on Tuesday, assuming the tight end coaching vacancy. 

Continue reading "Bears stun no one with promotion ..."

The New Orleans Saints will play the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV Sunday at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

 

The Colts (16-2) are currently favored by nearly six points to defeat the underdog Saints (15-3) this weekend.

Continue reading "The Five Best Super Bowl Winners Since 1985"

There’s been a lot of griping recently over the state of Boston sports, serving (for me) as another ugly reminder of the developing, spoiled and cocksure nature of fans in this area. Let’s take a quick look, shall we?

Continue reading "A Message to Boston Sports Fans"

Legendary St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner retired last week after 12 improbable seasons in the NFL.

Warner, a two-time AP NFL MVP and five-time Pro Bowl selection, walked away from the gridiron, and $11.5 million, while he was still playing at an elite level.

Continue reading "Nobody played the QB position better ..."

     Who crunked it up deep into Monday morning? Big Daddy and the Who Dats showed tireless endurance to commemorate the Saints’ monumental achievement. Bourbon Street became ground zero as Saints fans taught national TV media outlets that they can no longer treat the Saints like they’re in Kansas. The all-night celebration has South Beach feeling pretty nervous. Over the Saints 43-year lifespan, traversing the yellow brick road brought some good times, and even though the Black ’ n’ Gold always fought hard, staying a loyal Saints through years of painful heartache was a true challenge. Forget wearing bags or being called Aints ever again! Now it’s our time to watch broadcasters get a little brown on their beaks complimenting Saints football. In this week’s edition of the

Continue reading "Big Daddy Finally Meets the Wizard"

Just about anywhere you look these days you'll hear the pundits and bloggers say the Patriots need to improve their pass rush this off season, and as Pats fanatic I have to agree. Sure, the secondary was raked across the coals more than once this year, but I believe one or two players could make the entire Patriots defense look a lot better than they did in 2009.

Continue reading "Patriots Defense Only a Pressure Player Away"

A few years back Mike Martz was hailed as the new genius in offense.  St. Louis had Kurt Warner and fleet receivers and won a Super Bowl.  But that seems a long time ago.  The Bears just need someone to help QB Jay Cutler to keep his sanity, not get injured, and throw more touchdowns than interceptions.  Especially less interceptions.

Continue reading "Mike Martz: New Offensive Coordinator"

 

After a 27-day germination, the Chicago Bears' offensive coordinator search finally bore fruit. Oddly enough, the man chosen for the job was rumored to be a front-runner as soon as Ron Turner was released. The polarizing Mike Martz will step into what boils down to be the offensive head coaching job.

Continue reading "Bears finally hire Mike Martz for ..."

Head coach Bill Belichick added Corwin Brown to the coaching staff. The former Notre Dame defensive coordinator now commands the New England secondary. It’s a homecoming for Brown, as he was a fourth round draft pick of the Patriots back in 1993.

Continue reading "A New Coach"

The Indianapolis Colts will play the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV on February 7 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

 

The contest is expected to be an offensive shootout pitting Colts (16-2) quarterback Peyton Manning against Saints (15-3) signal-caller Drew Brees.

Continue reading "The Best Quarterback Matchups in ..."

Today soon-to-be Free Agent Vince Wilfork went on WEEI in Boston and said, in a 320-pund nutshell, that he wants a long term deal or he wants to be free to seek one elsewhere. The Patriots informed their free agents that they would contact them in early February so the fact that Wilfork hasn't been contacted yet should not be a red flag.

Continue reading "Wilfork Decision a Major One for Belichick"

The New York Jets Super Bowl aspirations were shredded by the Indianapolis Colts 30-17 Sunday in the AFC Championship Game at Lucas Oil Field in Indiana.

 

The Jets outplayed the Colts in the first half and they managed to enter intermission with an impressive 17-13 advantage.

Continue reading "Rex Ryan and the Jets "are the biggest ..."

Whenever I think back to this past Sunday’s game against the Vikings, everything just seems blurred.  Although the final score read 34-3, I just can’t imagine how things got out of control so quickly.  The Cowboys were moving the ball well and playing pretty well on defense initially.  Then suddenly, they were getting stampeded.  Not by Adrian Peterson.  Not even by Chester Taylor.  They weren’t even being mauled by Minnesota’s Pro Bowl laden offensive line.  So what the hell happened?!  Well in review, it was a lot of things but at the same time it was one thing:  respect.  The Cowboys underestimated and undervalued players on the Vikings and players on their own team.  They underestimated the effect of a home field advantage in Minnesota.  They also under estimated the amount of desperation that needs to be displayed in every playoff game.  Somewhere between beating the Eagles twice and getting demolished by the Vikings, the Cowboys forgot that they were playing the one of the top 2 teams in the conference.

Continue reading "The Underestimated"

Are you ready for two weeks of hype for a Brett Favre versus Peyton Manning Super Bowl?

Well TOO FREAKING BAD! The Saints were having none of it today. And what a coincidence that in a year marred by missed field goals, it was on the leg of lesser-known Saints kicker Garrett Hartley that the Saints earned a spot in their first ever Super Bowl with a 31-28 win over the Vikings.

Continue reading "Saints in the Super Bowl after 31-28 ..."

Don't mess with Peyton Manning. That's what the number one ranked Jets defense learned Sunday afternoon, as they saw their 11-point second quarter lead evaporate under the intense heat of the Colt offense on the way to a 30-17 loss.

Continue reading "Manning crushes Jets' Super Bowl ..."

Here it is: the last weekend of real football. Conference Championship Sunday is here and isn't lacking for drama. From Brett Favre and Peyton Manning's legacy to the Jets' dominating defense or the surge in New Orleans, every team is a great story. Who do I think will make it to the Super Bowl in Miami? Read on in this edition of the Opening Drive!

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Conference Championship ..."

     Thank goodness The Times-Picayune finally jumped on the Big Daddy bandwagon by printing the “Big Daddy’s Suggestions to Promote Intensity” excerpt in the Living section article “ A playoff pep talk from your fellow Who Dats” last Saturday. Saints fans heeded Big Daddy’ s advice.

Continue reading "Big Daddy Celebrates a Playoff Pummel"

The San Diego Chargers are never the aggressor, money-wise, when it comes to signing players during the offseason.

The last big-name free agent the Chargers signed was David Boston in 2003, and what a bust that was.

Continue reading "San Diego Chargers Turn "Lights Out" ..."

The San Diego Chargers' CEO Dean Spanos and General Manager A.J. Smith have made the biggest desperation move in Super Charger history.

The three-year extension signed by Norv Turner only makes sense in one big way, and that’s money.

Continue reading "Why The San Diego Chargers Signed ..."

     Last Saturday and Sunday, America watched eight teams battle through Round 1 of the NFL playoffs. The four wildcard winners earned the right to travel to the hostile environments of the teams who garnered the best records throughout pro football’ s regular season. Wow, enjoying the playoffs stress-free, while the Saints got rested and ready made Big Daddy feel more relaxed than Tiger Woods when he travels the world. Hey local golf fans, are you pissed? Tiger’ s doing a sex clinic in Mississippi, but he won’t support the Zurich Classic. The Reverend Al Sharpton hopes there’s no white chicks on staff, otherwise Nike’s golf division will forced to break out the Salt Peter to keep Tiger’s Driver in the bag. In this week’s edition of the

Continue reading "Big Daddy Uses Second Bye to Prepare"

The improbable New York Jets will play the dominant Indianapolis Colts Sunday in the AFC Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana.

 

In order to get to this point, the Jets (11-7) defeated the Chargers 17-14 in San Diego and the Colts (15-2) trumped the Baltimore Ravens 20-3 at home in their respective Divisional Round matchups.

Continue reading "The Jets Will Meet Obama "in The ..."

As we sit here on January 21st it seems like the 2010 NFL season is a lifetime away. There will be many moves made between now and the start of training camp, and probably even more made between training camp and the opener in September, so while it is both foolish and presumptuous to predict what will happen over the next seven months it will make me feel somewhat better seeing what needs to be addressed.

Continue reading "2010 New England Patriots Defensive ..."

Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown said this week that he hopes that Cavaliers basketball icon Lebron James remains in “The Forest City” after this season.

 

Continue reading "Lebron James will truly be a "King" ..."

Head coach Bill Belichick knows he has to make changes to the Patriots in order to reverse the sliding trend. Fortunately, two were made for him.

 

LB Junior Seau announced his second retirement. This time he says it is permanent. He wants to spend his days surfing. And defensive coordinator Dean Pees, whose contract expired, won’t resign and will pursue other options.

Continue reading "Free Agents"

     Sunday’s pathetic showing in North Carolina ignited harsh Saints criticism on all the national networks. Broadcasters told America that no NFL team has ever made it to the Super Bowl after loosing their final 3 games. Lambasting the Black ’ n’ Gold has become more trendy than misguided saps adding the latest, greatest apps to their wireless devices to improve their lives. If the Who Dat Nation’s psyche got discouraged that easily, Saints ownership would have moved the team to another city a long time ago. Sadly, the only way to silence those critics is to win the trophy on February 7, 2010. In this week’s edition of the

Continue reading "Big Daddy Takes Third Straight Loss in Stride"

It was an ugliest of games for the team in the prettiest of cities. After winning 11 straight games to finish the regular season, the San Diego Chargers came out with a resounding thud at home against the Jets on Sunday. Penalties, missed field goals and turnovers formed a perfect storm of suck for the Chargers and kept the Jets in the game until the final quarter where they took and held onto the lead to advance to the AFC championship game with a 17-14 victory.

Continue reading "Jets stun Chargers 17-14 in San Diego"

Count me among the "fooled" pundits who thought the Dallas Cowboys would have the upper hand over the Minnesota Vikings in their divisional round match-up. How wrong we were. Tony Romo turned the ball over three times en route to an embarrassing 34-3 loss to Brett Favre and the Vikings. 

Continue reading "Cowboys make quiet exit from playoffs ..."

 

Even if yesterday's were drama-less (story of the playoffs so far), I couldn't miss a second. That won't change today as the most hyped game of the weekend starts Divisional round Sunday. New York's Cinderella story (is Rex Ryan the fairy godmother?) closes out the night with a west coast appearance. The Opening Drive of Divisional Sunday in the NFL starts now!

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Divisional Sunday"

Let's face it; if you're a Browns' fan, you already know that we have many needs. Our new GM, Tom Heckert likes to build through the draft, and we have 11 picks but is that enough? Probably not. We need some free agents to fill some holes, or we could also trade for players.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: What's more exciting? ..."

I guess the Ravens used up all their karma. After everything went Baltimore's way last week against New England, they fell completely flat in Indianapolis Saturday night, missing every opportunity imaginable. Against a lesser foe, they could have mounted a comeback. Against Peyton Manning and the Colts, they had no chance.

Continue reading "Manning's Colts prove too much for ..."

After Tim Hightower took the opening hand-off 70 yards for a touchdown, all I could think of was how awful the Saints fans would feel if their team lost in their playoff opener. Luckily for them Reggie Bush showed up with his bird-killing cleats on, leading the Saints to a 45-14 thrashing of the Arizona Cardinals to kick-off the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

Continue reading "Reggie Bush goes off as Saints crush ..."

Here we are at the second week of the NFL playoffs again, which brings up the same question every year.  Is it better for teams that have clinched first-round byes and playoff seeds to rest their players at the end of the regular season, or play them to keep on a roll going into the playoffs?  Lets look at both sides of the issue.

Continue reading "Rest vs Rust in the NFL"

In case you haven't heard, we're knee-deep in the NFL playoffs. Today kicks-off the best weekend of football all year. Eight teams remain in the Super Bowl hunt, with the top seeds in each conference joining in on the action. Let's not waste any time, here's the Opening Drive for Divisional Saturday in the NFL!

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Divisional Saturday"

     Back-to-back Saints’ losses has Big Daddy incensed. Even though the Saints clinched home field advantage for the first time in franchise history. The Saints reached this unprecedented milestone thanks to their recent nemesis, the Chicago Bears, who knocked off Minnesota in 2009’s final Monday Night Football game. The improbable overtime victory allowed the Black ’n’ Gold to back into the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Imagining this day in past years, Big Daddy envisioned popping champagne (like Tim Whitmer must have each time he landed a lucrative insurance deal as the Jefferson Parish CAO) to commemorate such a monumental achievement. In this week’s edition of the

Continue reading "Big Daddy Exhales a Painful AARGH!"

Although it is way too early to make any definitive statements about a 5-11 team, I definitely think these guys are headed in the right direction.  First they hired Mike Holmgren on as the president of football operations and then Holmgren decided to keep Mangini on as head coach.  I questioned Mangini’s tactics during the season but the fact is that the guy had to implement a culture change in Cleveland.  It was going to be a rough season either way, but once he was able to root out the guys that didn’t want to work and play smart football, this team ended the season on a 4 game winning streak that included the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.  The addition of Tom Heckert from Philadelphia will also give them a boost at the GM position. 

Continue reading "Are the Browns Playoof Bound?"

The Cowboys have a huge match-up this week against the #2 seed Minnesota Vikings.  But, I don’t think that will keep any Cowboys fan from relishing in what has transpired over the last month.  Over these last 4 weeks the Cowboys have exercised all of their “demons” and now simply have to go into the Metrodome and take on the 12-4 Minnesota Vikings led by Brett Favre to advance to the NFC championsip.  Piece of cake, right?  Well before we stuff ourselves, let’s digest the last month of the season and see what the Cowboys were able to stomach (pun intended). 

Continue reading "Exercising the Demons"

After New York Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez helped lead his team to a 24-14 Wild Card victory over the Bengals in Cincinnati Saturday, the precocious signal-caller found time to tweak his former college coach at the University of Southern California (USC).

Continue reading "Mark Sanchez & Pete Carroll are "going ..."

The Dallas Cowboys have pulled off their first playoff win in years.  Tony Romo is now 1-2 in the playoffs, and Wade Phillips finally has won one himself.  Phillips and Romo had been known as "choke artists" in the past years, Romo fumbling a kicker hold against the Seattle Seahawks and throwing an interception late against the New York Giants.

Continue reading "First Playoff Win in 14 Years For 'Boys"

The loss was the equivalent of a mugging. The Patriots didn’t see it coming, and before they knew it, New England was on the ground, wondering what happened.

 

There’s no sugar-coating this. They got whipped. Baltimore came out with a fury and the Pats had no answer for the rapid flurry of haymakers.

Continue reading "Pick Six: Wild Card"

It was, as they say, one for the ages in Arizona tonight as the Cardinals took on the Green Bay Packers in what turned out to be the most exciting post-season match-up thus far this season.  When all was said and done, the Cardinals pulled off a victory in an offensive slug-fest that dragged into overtime and ended with a staggering final score of 45-51.

Continue reading "Wild Cards Trump Green Bay; Rodgers Ripped Off"

It's fitting that in a game with over 1000 yards of offense, a defensive play decides the outcome. On the first drive of overtime, an Aaron Rodgers fumble was recovered by Cardinal Karlos Dansby and taken back 17 yards for the game-winning touchdown, eliminating the Packers from post-season play with a final of 51-45.

Continue reading "Cardinals eliminate Packers in an ..."

Well that happened. 

From the very first play from scrimmage, it was obvious: These aren't your dad's Patriots. (If you dad was a Pats fan two years ago.) Ray Rice took the opening hand-off 83 yards to the endzone to put the Ravens up 7-0 en route to embarrassing Bill Belichick's Patriots 33-14.

Continue reading "WTF of Wild-Card Weekend: Ravens ..."

 

After the Cowboys and the Jets dominated their opponents to move onto the divisional round, we've got some great action on tap today with a physical match-up in New England and a (hopefully) high-flying contest in the Arizona desert. Here's the Opening Drive of Wild-Card Sunday!

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Wild-Card Sunday"

Don’t buy it when the Baltimore Ravens say they put the week 4 loss behind them. LB Ray Lewis avoided talking about it by saying it was in the past, but it’s on his mind.

 

Baltimore hasn’t forgotten the game that got away. DL Haloti Ngata has a picture of his contact with QB Tom Brady’s helmet. LB Terrell Suggs will have the time of his personal foul written on the tape on his wrist. WR Mark Clayton spent extra time catching passes so he won’t drop another fourth down pass.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Wild Card"

Proving that their shut-out win last week was no fluke, the Dallas Cowboys picked up right where they left off with a 34-14 blowout win over the Philadelphia Eagles Saturday night. In a flag-filled contest (actually setting a playoff record for most penalty yards), only Dallas overcame their mistakes. Philly never stood a chance. 

Continue reading "Cowboys send Eagles home with a 34-14 ..."

Every now and then one play can define a career in the NFL.  This was, indeed, the case for Michael Vick in the 2009 Wild Card game against the Dallas Cowboys. One pass in one playoff game may have secured one player's career in the NFL.

Continue reading "Vick's TD Pass Means More to Him Than to Eagles"

It wasn't exactly how he'd like it to happen, but Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan will sure take it. The New York Jets suppressed the home team Cincinnati Bengals Saturday in a 24-14 victory, despite giving up 171 yards on the ground.

Continue reading "Jets open NFL Playoffs with a 24-14 ..."

Is everyone ready for their repeat of Week 17 in the NFL? That’s certainly what it feels like, with the Eagles returning to Arlington to take on the Cowboys and the Packers returning to Glendale to face the Cardinals. At least the Bengals and Jets are giving us some variety by switching from New York to the Queen City for their rematch. The Patriots and Ravens are the only original match up of Wildcard Weekend, but when we look again, it’s still nothing new.

Continue reading "NFL Playoffs preview"

Playoffs? Yep, they're here! After another 17 week regular season, the Wild-Card round begins this afternoon with the rematch between NY Jets and Cincinnati Bengals, followed by what could be the game of the weekend. Philadelphia travels to Dallas for the third meeting this season between these NFC East rivals. Time for analysis and predictions! It's the Opening Drive of Wild-Card Saturday!

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Wild-Card Saturday"

As hard as it is to think about anything other than this weekends playoffs game against the Ravens I'd like to take a quick look back on a somewhat lackluster 2009 season.

We knew coming in that Tom Brady's return was the headline for the start of the 2009 and really that was just about the only really great thing that happened all year. If you were there on opening night (like I was) you probably saw the best game of the season. In the moments after Brady pulled off his greatest 4th quarter comeback of his career all seemed right in the world for the Patriots.

Continue reading "A Quick Look Back at the 2009 Patriots ..."

The linebackers have a big challenge on their hands. Baltimore’s offensive line is big and physical with a run first mentality. The ground game, led by RBs Ray Rice and Willis McGahee, averaged 137.5 yards per game at a 4.7 yards per gain clip.

Continue reading "Line of Defense"

With WR Wes Welker expected to be out for the playoffs, all the attention went to his replacement known as “Mini Wes” to some (I prefer Fat Welker), Julian Edelman.

 

Sunday Edelman had a Welker-like day as he caught 10 passes for 103 yards, including a 25-yard catch and run that would make Wes proud of Edelman.

Continue reading "Welker Remix"

The revived Houston Texans defeated the New England Patriots 34-27 Sunday in Reliant Stadium.

 

The Patriots (10-6) loss to the Texans (9-7) in the regular season finale will ultimately prove to be meaningless.

Continue reading "With Julian Edelman, The Patriots ..."

The Chicago Bears defeated the Detroit Lions 37-23 last Sunday to finish up at 7-9.  The win most likely saves head coach Lovie Smith's job.  QB Jay Cutler threw for four TD's looking like the QB fans thought he would be.  Devin Aramashado scored twice on passes.  He should be a featured wide receiver, not Devin Hester.  Hester is a valuable player and should be retured to his best position, running back kickoffs and punts.

Continue reading "Bears End Season on Winning Note"

It’s the kind of injury that believers in playing it safe use as an example. WR Wes Welker injured his knee when he planted his left foot to change direction, but the knee gave away. People believe he tore his ACL and MCL, ending Welker’s season just before the playoffs.

Continue reading "Pick Six: Week 17"

Though it means nothing, I am required by football law to point out I was 7-0 in my Opening Drive predictions for week 17. Woot. Multiple teams lost because they did not keep their starters in while one NFC East leader got railed on. Now, onto the last week of the regular season with this edition of the Final Drive! 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 17"

After the Cowboys beat up on the Washington Redskins a couple of weeks ago I had a chance to catch up with one of my old teammates, John Phillips, who currently plays tight end for the Cowboys.  We only spoke briefly but we did manage to discuss UVA’s recent hiring of

Continue reading "The Cav Report: A New Era"

 With both teams out of the playoffs and nursing plenty of injuries, today's NFC North meeting between the Bears and Lions won't be aesthetically pleasing. Regardless, I'll tell you what to watch for at Ford Field. Get your Gameday Preview on! (6-9) Chicago Bears at(2-13) Detroit Lions The Lions won't have first overall pick Matthew Stafford on the field after his recent knee surgery, so Daunte Culpepper will start under center. He's nowhere near the talent he used to be, but he will be fired up and looking to impress the other 31 teams in the league. Without a consistent running game though, he'll have a hard time fooling the Bears' defense. (I hope anyway.) Marred by injuries (Charles Tillman and Israel Idonije out, Danieal Manning doubtful), Lovie Smith's defense will need to fill their gaps and avoid giving up big plays. If they can, it shouldn't be difficult keeping the lowly Lions under 17 points. Calvin Johnson will get 100 yards in receiving today. Take that to the bank. That should be more than low enough. Jay Cutler and the offense should have no trouble tearing apart the second-worst defense (worst pass defense) in the NFL. Matt Forte should get a ton of carries and a rare 100-yard game to end the regular season. Johnny Knox is doubtful with his ankle injury from last week, but Devin Hester will return to the field in his absence. Devin Aromashodu is going to see plenty of balls his way in the season finale. Odds: Chicago is favored by 3.5 on the road.  Prediction: The Bears

Continue reading "Joe's Gameday Preview: Chicago Bears ..."

Is it better to rest players for the playoffs or play the final game to stay sharp? This has been heavily debated since Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell withdrew his starters during the third quarter of last week’s game.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 17"

Happy New Year everyone! The NFC is all about seeding this Sunday, with all of the players at the table. In the AFC, the two wildcard spots will be hotly contested with the Ravens and Jets owning the inside track. Let's not waste time, here's the Opening Drive of week 17 in the NFL! *sniffle* It goes by so fast!

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 17"

Quarterback Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators demolished the previously unbeaten Cincinnati Bearcats 51-24 Friday night in the 76th Sugar Bowl played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

 

Continue reading "No Matter What, Tim Tebow Will Be ..."

The New York Jets defeated the Indianapolis Colts 29-15 Sunday night at Lucas Oil Stadium to incredibly regain control of their own playoff fate.

 

Many critics have placed an asterisk next to the Jets (8-7) upset victory because Colts (14-1) Head Coach Jim Caldwell removed quarterback Peyton Manning from the game with approximately six minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Continue reading "The Jets should beat the Bengals ..."

I know the game was meaningless for the Bears. There's not a huge difference between 5-9 and 6-9. Lovie Smith's job status could have been decided already. Jay Cutler was going to have a poor season either way, right? That being said...

Continue reading "What I learned from the Bears' 36-30 ..."

The Chicago Bears defeated the struggling Minnesota Vikings 36-30 in overtime Monday night at Soldier Field. 

Much-maligned Bears quarterback Jay Cutler tossed a 39-yard touchdown pass to Devin Aromashodu to secure the victory. 

Continue reading "Is Jay Cutler destined to become ..."

Holy idiotic decision Jim Caldwell! This week in the Final Drive features a barrel-full of storylines. The playoff contestants in the NFC were locked in while the AFC remains a dog-fight for the final two playoff spots. Let's wrap up week 16!

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 16"

When receiver Devin Aromashado grabbed QB Jay Cutler's 39 yard heave in OT, for the winning score, Soldier Field erupted in joy.  An OT win over the Vikes, now that tastes good for the holidays.

Continue reading "Cutler, Bears Make Enough Big Plays ..."

Maybe RB Laurence Maroney is a slow learner. After all it took him about three and a half years to figure out how to run the football in the NFL.

 

Maroney has been a different player after the bye week, for better and worse. He’s running decisively and physically, but Laurence is fumbling the ball more. Since the bye week, Maroney put the ball on the ground four times.

Continue reading "Loose Laurence"

With a shutout win against the lowly Washington Redskins the Dallas Cowboys split their December games (2-2).  While it is not a complete turn around from their previous struggles, they showed some mettle down the stretch and have officially punched their ticket into the tournament.  There are still many dominoes that need to fall into place to determine final playoff seeding, but at least the ‘Boys got a shot. 

Continue reading "Back in the tournament!"

When a game in played in just over two and a half hours, there’s really not much to say:

 

1. After struggling on offense, the Pats exploded with 35 points. It was the most points in a game since the win over Tampa Bay in week seven. The 28 first half points was more than New England scored in a game the previous four weeks.

Continue reading "Pick Six: Week 16"

     Saturday night football in the Superdome had every member of the Who Dat Nation dreaming of an undefeated season with the Saints sporting a 13-0 record. Big Daddy’ s experiences have taught him how great expectations in sports can quickly crash and burn. Guiding the team through the emotional rollercoaster of an NFL campaign requires Coach Payton to juggle more than Tiger Woods managing his harem. Perhaps Tiger should make a guest appearance on HBO’ s series about Mormons,

Continue reading "Big Daddy Blames Lack of Balance ..."