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 13, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

The weeks are rushing by in the NFL with the playoff picture beginning to take shape. Two 11-game streaks could push their way to 12 and an NFC contender tries to get by without one of their biggest stars.

(6-5) Tennessee Titans at
(5-6) Buffalo Bills

I gotta say, the only reason I’m putting this one on here is that the Titans could actually sneak their way into contention for a wildcard slot if the Jets and Bengals lose. That shouldn’t be a tremendous feat against the Bills, who are stumbling mightily.

This is crazy. A 20.5 point line for a professional game? That just proves how utterly hopeless the Colts have been this season. I don’t expect it to be close… but that’s a very large number. Very. Large. Still, with Dan Orlovsky starting for Indy it could be a safe bet.

The Bengals have had two shots to make statements against the Ravens and Steelers but have failed to deliver. Round two against the AFC Champs takes place on Sunday as the Bengals try to hang onto their playoff hopes. Look for things to be different this time around as Andy Dalton should hopefully have A.J. Green for the entire game.

Uh… who’s Houston starting at quarterback again? T.J. Yates? …It would be REALLY hard for me not to take Atlanta here. I’m not saying Yates is awful, but first starts are hardly ever stand-out performances. The Falcons are quietly winning but need a noisemaker for anyone to start taking them seriously.

The Final Drive: Week 12, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

Another Monday night means another edition of The Final Drive! I’m going to skip right past the Thanksgiving Day games as we all saw what happened. (Right?) Lots going on in week 12, including another QB injury in Houston and more magic from Jebus and Teebs.

(6-5) Tennessee Titans 23
(4-7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17
Hey… Chris Johnson showed up to the 2011 NFL season. Welcome.

(6-5) New York Jets 28
(5-6) Buffalo Bills 24
Completely overshadowed by his idiotic celebration and dropped touchdown is the fact that Stevie Johnson made Revis Island look like a vacation. He consistently beat Revis in one-on-one match-ups, but that wasn’t enough for the Bills to avoid dropping their fourth straight.

I don’t care so much about this result, since the Jags are pretty terrible. But Matt Leinart broke his collarbone, effectively ending his season and leaving T.J. Yates in charge of this playoff-bound squad. That has to be a frightening thought for Texan fans. I was really looking forward to Leinart and his porn’ ‘stache.

(8-3) New England Patriots 38
(4-7) Philadelphia Eagles 20

The Opening Drive: Week 5, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

Week five is warmed up and ready to go, and that means The Opening Drive! A former “Dream Team” could turn into a nightmare in Buffalo and one of the best rivalries in football is renewed in New England. Let’s get into the games!

(3-1) Tennessee Titans at
(2-2) Pittsburgh Steelers
This seems like a pretty even match-up… which is really odd to say. But the Steelers defensive line will be missing tackle Casey Hampton and end Justin Smith, so look for the Titans to get Chris Johnson going early and often. I’m not all-in with the Titans, but Matt Hasselbeck could find weaknesses in this Pittsburgh secondary. With Ben Roethlisberger in a boot and Rashard Mendenhall set for limited action, the Steelers could be bent over for the kicking.

(1-3) Philadelphia Eagles at
(3-1) Buffalo Bills
Why are these records flipped? I’m positive no one saw this coming. The Eagles are in a bit of a must-win in October because of a poor start and are staring at a 1-4 hole. The Bills are coming off their first loss of the season (to Cincy, ugh) and need to get back on track at home versus the ex-Dream Team. On their own turf, the Bills could out-shoot Vick and the Eagles.

Cam Newton gets his first (of many) live looks at Drew Brees in this division match-up. The Saints will attempt to punish and confuse Newton with blitzes up the wazoo. Even with that in mind, I wouldn’t be shocked if this turned into a shoot-out.

Joe's 2011 NFL Season Preview: The AFC South posted by Joe Anello

I was holding off on predicting this division as long as I could. With an injury sidelining Peyton Manning for an undetermined period of time, this division should be up in the air. However, there’s only one team in this division who has a returning starter under center in week one.

Indianapolis Colts

If anyone could please tell me what the F*** is going on with Peyton Manning, I’d really appreciate it. I’ve never seen an injury with such a nebulous timeframe for return. I’m putting the Colts down at 8-8 because I legitimately have NO idea how much time Manning is going to miss. If he misses one to three games, I could see them getting to nine or ten wins. If he misses four to six, then eight wins is the max. If he misses the season, this team would be lucky to get to five. He means that much to them. Their pass-rushing defense isn’t built to come back from any significant point deficit and they have no power running attack whatsoever. Even their receivers are just above average. The burden will be squarely on Kerry Collins’ old-ass shoulders if they Colts are going to even whiff the playoffs. Without Manning, this team is dead in the water.
2010 Record: 10-6
2011 Prediction: 8-8

Get used to it Colt fans.

Jacksonville Jaguars

So two days ago I would have been writing this talking about how unexciting David Garrard was. Thankfully the Jaguars cut him less than a week before their opener and now I get to talk up… Luke McCown? Oh what the F***? Honestly, Luke’s a classic NFL journeyman back-up QB. He’s not particularly strong at anything, but he won’t utterly embarrass you… if he has any playmakers around him. The problem in Jacksonville is that they have so few of them. Their wide receivers are young and inconsistent, headed by Mike Thomas. (Wait, who?) Marcedes Lewis is an excellent tight end, but he can’t draw enough defenders to keep teams from stacking the box against Maurice Jones-Drew all game long. Defensively the Jags are going to struggle to rush the passer, again. They lack depth at linebacker, but made a decent if overpriced pick-up in Paul Posluszny. Rashean Mathis is supposed to be a good corner, but I haven’t seen that level of play from him in a year or two. Good luck keeping the Jaguars in Jacksonville with the season you’re about to witness. But don’t worry Jag fans, Blaine Gabbert will be starting soon enough.

What I learned from the Bears' preseason loss to the Titans posted by Joe Anello

In the last major week of preseason action for Chicago Bear starters, the signs of progress were clear. Even in a 14-13 loss to the Chris Johnson-less Titans, Bear fans finally saw a glimmer of hope for the coming season. Here are my takeaways from Saturday’s exhibition:

US Presswire

His first game catch as a Bear is well timed, coming on the first throw of the game. Unfortunately, the next throw tips off Williams’ hands and ends up as an interception. As hit-or-miss as he’s been, the Bears need Williams this season. He just might need them more.

After the initial drive that ended in an interception, the Bear offense exploded with three third down conversions to three different receivers (Hester, Bennett, Sanzenbacher) on a 12-play drive that ended with Matt Forte punching it in for six. On the whole, Mike Martz’s offense looked crisp while the starters were on the field, converting five of their seven third down chances. Jay Cutler’s offseason work is clearly evident in his play. His footwork is as clean as I’ve ever seen it, making his delivery clean and on-target. On several drives on Saturday, Jay stepped up in the pocket and made quick decisions followed by accurate throws. He hit eight different receivers in the first half while never taking a sack. He’s ready for the regular season.

Just as prepped for game action is Matt Forte, who had another stellar preseason outing, accumulating 74 yards on 17 carries. Behind an offensive line that is really coming into its own on run-blocking (aided by new TE Matt Spaeth), Forte is set for a successful 2011 campaign.

Joe's 2011 Preseason Gameday Preview: Bears at Titans posted by Joe Anello

In their third preseason game, which the media long ago dubbed the “dress rehearsal” for every team, the Chicago Bears have to show fans a small glimpse of the team that made it to the NFC title game last year. Wait, no it shouldn’t. That team wasn’t actually that great. What the Bears NEED to do tonight in Tennessee is show how far they’ve come with the new pieces they have in place and what this season could potentially resemble. Here’s what I’ll be looking for from tonight’s match-up with the Tennessee Titans.

No seriously. Will he? I need to see the Bears’ newest receiver make an impact and form some sort of rapport with Jay Cutler or else the rumors of his quick demotion in favor of Johnny Knox are sure to come true in a hurry. Word from camp is that he’s been less than impressive and is slow to catch on in an offense that is very similar to what he excelled in during his Detroit days. Step up Roy.

Two preseason games in, there’s only one thing I can say for certain about second year safety Major Wright: he will make an impact. But whether it's because of a head-knocking hit or being out of position in run defense, who knows. Without more OTA’s, film sessions and coaching in the offseason, the Bears need to get Wright up to speed in a hurry. It’s clear he has some talent, but so did Danieal Manning. Chicago’s defense cannot afford for Wright to be a liability in an already questionable secondary.

Taking a Pass on Haynesworth posted by Randolph Charlotin

Albert Haynesworth.

I don’t want him.

I wasn’t a fan of the trade when I learned of it last Thursday because he slouched for two years in Washington after banking $41 million from the Redskins. The second year as Haynesworth warred with ‘Skins head coach Mike Shanahan really turned me off.

A player that became so hated that his teammates wouldn’t support him isn’t a player I want polluting the noble Patriots locker room.

But if head coach Bill Belichick is willing to take a chance on Haynesworth, I figured I should give Albert the benefit of the doubt.

That chance is off the table now. The baggage as a player was concerning enough. Learning about Haynesworth’s legal past pushed me over the edge.

Haynesworth is a walking crime wave. The only thing missing is Haynesworth hangin’ out with wide receiver Plaxico Burress the night Burress shot himself, and Haynesworth being was strapped as well.

That didn’t happen, but these did: a case of road rage in Virginia; sideswiping a car at 103 miles per hour, partially paralyzing the victim; caught driving 100 miles per hour four days later.

The icing on the cake is Haynesworth is accuse of sexual assault for swiping his credit card down a woman’s cleavage and groping her breasts afterwards. The trial is scheduled for later this month.

This is the kind of guy I want nowhere near me, my family, my friends, my pets, or the ghosts of loved ones that watch over me. And I don’t even have a pet.

I don’t have concern about Haynesworth infecting the Patriots locker room. There are too many high character players and strong leaders that any bad attitude won’t seep into the team. More so, Belichick ain’t havin’ that. He will cut Haynesworth like a surgeon does cancer.

How Much I Effed Up: The 2010 AFC Edition posted by Joe Anello

With a lock-out now imposed in the NFL, I decided to take a look back at the 2010-2011 season standings and see where I went right/wrong with my preseason picks. Starting with the AFC, here’s what I predicted… and then what really happened, along with a five-star scale of my correctitude.

The scale is measured thusly:

***** = Dead on. I’m a genius.

**** = 1-2 games off the mark. Not too shabby.

*** = 3 games off. At least I’m in the ballpark.

** = 4-5 games off. The team let me down. (Or I'm a 'tard.)

* = 6+ games off. I should get a pass for these picks because they’re so bad. (That and everyone else probably flubbed too.)

AFC East

New England Patriots

My prediction: 11-5
What actually happened: 14-2
My result: ***

So I didn’t think they’d be THAT good. I guess it’s the Patriot-hater in me. The early playoff exit brought his team back down to earth, but there’s no questioning the talent of Tom Brady, who was unanimously awarded the MVP, and rightly so. If that defense keeps getting better, look out.

New York Jets

My prediction: 9-7
What actually happened: 11-5
My result: ****

Mark Sanchez grew into his role in his second year, making for fewer lows and more highs as he came down the stretch. I’m not completely ready to take the training wheels off yet though. Now that defense needs to get younger.

Miami Dolphins

My prediction: 8-8
What actually happened: 7-9
My result: ****

Chad Henne was erratic at best, leading to his benching for Chad Pennington (for one play) while the losses caused ownership to flirt with Jim Harbaugh. Miami’s offense was a hindrance on the year, losing the games that their defense typically kept close.

Joe's Thursday Night Quickie: Colts at Titans posted by Joe Anello

(6-6) Indianapolis Colts at
(5-7) Tennessee Titans

What a battle of losers. The Colts have dropped three straight while the Titans have lost five in a row to set up a make-or-break divisional game in Tennessee tonight. To win puts the Colts right behind Jacksonville with another meeting to be had, but the Titans are just trying to inch closer to .500 ball. There’s going to be a few interesting match-ups to look out for tonight. The Colt defense, noted for being soft against the run, gets Chris Johnson in the midst of a slight slump. However, the Indy speed on defense may be able to keep CJ in check better than they have against other runners.

The Titans defensive line (seventh in the NFL in sacks) should be frothing at the mouth at the opportunity to knock Peyton Manning around and embarrass an offensive line that has had trouble protecting their franchise QB. On a short week of preparation, Manning might be able to get the edge over the Titan secondary, but not if he can’t get the ball away in time. For some reason, I’m feeling the Titans tonight. (Peyton, feel free to forget I sorta picked against you. Only sorta.) Oh wait… is Kerry Collins still the Titans’ QB? And is Randy Moss still non-existent? Scrap that. The Titans can’t score more than 14-17 points, which is Manning’s low. Colts should get this win.

Oakland Raiders Last AFC Championship Game Vs Tennessee Titans: Fan's Look (Yahoo! Contribut

While football fans will be watching the AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens today, many Oakland Raider fans, including myself, still harbor bad feelings against both teams for several reasons, and may not care much about the outcome of... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Oakland Raiders Last AFC Championship Game Vs Tennessee Titans: Fan's Look (Yahoo! Contribut

While football fans will be watching the AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens today, many Oakland Raider fans, including myself, still harbor bad feelings against both teams for several reasons, and may not care much about the outcome of... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Titans promote Reinfeldt, tab Webster GM (AP)

Owner Bud Adams feels the Tennessee Titans are back on track compared to the turmoil of a year ago, so he has rewarded his front office with three key promotions, including a new general manager. Adams announced Wednesday general manager Mike Reinfeldt now is senior executive vice president and chief operating officer with Ruston Webster promoted to general manager and Lake Dawson to vice... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Titans hire Maxie as secondary coach

The Tennessee Titans have hired Brett Maxie to be the team'ssecondary coach. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Dolphins interview Bengals' Zimmer (AP)

Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has completed an interview for the Miami Dolphins' head coaching job. Former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher remains the Dolphins' top choice. He interviewed last week, and the Dolphins are waiting for him to choose between them and the St. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports