Quick Update posted by Randolph Charlotin

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.

Meanwhile, in search for receiver help, Buffalo's Josh Reed is scheduled to visit Monday. He's an ideal slot receiver, but nothing more. He failed as a starter with the Bills and joining an organization like the Patriots won't provide him with more opportunities to do anything more than be a third option. But given a choice, I'd rather Reed over David Patten, whom the Patriots recently signed. No offense to what Patten did for the Pats in the past, but he's aging. I'd rather someone with more left in his career.

And CB Leigh Bodden apparently is drawing a lot of attention from Houston. After losing Dunta Robinson, they need to replace their top corner. Bodden might not be as good as Robinson, but Leigh can handle the responsibility that comes with being the left corner.

A Closer Look at Adalius Thomas in the Buffalo Bills Game posted by Mike Dussault

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.

Thomas seemed to disagree with Belichick's assessment, and said that the tape was out there for anyone who wanted to see how he performed. I had saved the game on my DVR (because I was there and I'm a nerd like that) so I went back and watched every defensive play, watching only Thomas to see what it was about AD's play that drew Bill Belichick's ire.

Now, disclaimer, I am not Bill Belichick. I wasn't watching film in the womb. But I would consider myself a fairly knowledgeable Xs and Os fan, who's favorite show is NFL Playbook and who's personal hero outside the Hoodie is Mike Mayock.

I was pretty surprised to find that Thomas actually played pretty well in the first half (again, all of this is in my opinion). First of all, he never came off the field... a stark contrast to later in the season when he was solely used as a run stopping OLB. He was solid in setting the edge, and got some pressure.

It was in the 3rd quarter where Thomas seemed to start losing steam. The Bills had the ball, facing a 3rd and 1, with the Patriots in a nickel defense. Terrell Owens ran an underneath route and Thomas failed to stay with him resulting in a 27-yard gain ( LOWLIGHT HERE), which then led to. Okay Thomas covering TO is not exactly a favorable match-up for the Pats, and it seemed like Thomas was anticipating a draw up the middle, but still, the result was a 1st down for Buffalo.

The Best Quarterback Matchups in the Super Bowl Since 1985 posted by Colin Linneweber

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.

Manning, 33, a four-time AP NFL MVP, and Brees, 31, a three-time All-Pro selection, are two of the greatest quarterbacks to grace the gridiron during this generation.

In recognition of the impending Super Bowl matchup, I decided to rank the best quarterback showdowns to have occurred in the Super Bowl since 1985.

1)      Super Bowl XXIV- Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers destroyed John Elway and the Denver Broncos 55-10 in the most lopsided championship game ever at the Superdome in New Orleans.

Montana, a three-time First Team All-Pro selection who made the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, was named the Super Bowl MVP after he completed 22 of 29 passes for 297 yards and five touchdowns.

Elway, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time All-Pro, played horrifically in the embarrassing blowout loss.

In total, Elway completed 10 out of 26 passes for a measly 108 yards and two interceptions.

On this January evening, Montana and the 49ers overwhelmed Elway and the Broncos.

Nevertheless, this Super Bowl showcased perhaps the two greatest quarterbacks in the annals of the NFL.

2)      Super Bowl XIX- Montana and the Niners thrashed Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins 38-16 at Stanford Stadium in California.

Pick Six: Week 15 posted by Randolph Charlotin

1. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick should feel honored. New England’s defense used the “everyone stand around” pass rush. It was first introduced when the Patriots played against Drew Bledsoe in 2002. Years later it was used against QB Tom Brady. I think it was the New York Jets when coached by Eric Mangini that turned the tables. That’s good company to be in for Fitzpatrick.

2. The pass rush had their best day of the year. They totaled six sacks on the afternoon. They were led by OLB Tully Banta-Cain with three. And ILB Gary Guyton picked up his first career sack as well. This was New England’s best sack day since they had seven against Miami in week 16 of 2007.

3. The defense shouldn’t pat itself on the back too much, though. Buffalo was 2-for-3 on fourth down conversions. It would had been 3-for-3 if WR Josh Reed didn’t drop a pass at New England’s three yard line. One of the conversions was S Brandon Merriweather’s fault. If he wrapped up on his tackle attempt, he would had stopped Reed short. All three fourth down attempts were during the same fourth quarter drive.

4. Thankfully the Bills lead the league in first half penalty yards. Two pass interference penalties set up both touchdowns.

5. The offense needed all the help it could get. Brady had five completions in the first half, his lowest first half total since another Buffalo game back in 2006. The offense really petered out in the fourth quarter: 28 total yards, one first down. But that first down was an eight-yard pass to Wes Welker that sealed the game.

Hours Before Kickoff: Week 15 posted by Randolph Charlotin

Imagine a transcript of a conversation between the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills. Only the Pats' words had been recorded: 

Oh my goodness…is that who I think it is? Oh snap! Buffalo Bills! I can’t believe it’s you! It’s so good to see you! How long has it been? A couple of months or something, right? Since week one? Daaaaaaaaaaamn! That long? Man, time really flies, right? Fo’ real!

So what’s up with you? Yeah, I heard that Dick Jauron was fired. The New York Jets told me. Man, don’t act surprised. You know the Jets have big mouths. They never shut up.

What’s up with me? Man, a lot has changed since week one for us, man. We’re not Super Bowl contenders anymore. Serious. All those experts that said we were going to the Super Bowl now doubt whether we can get beyond the Wild Card round. And to be honest with you, we can’t disagree.

We fell off, man. We’re not the same dominant team like a couple of years ago. We blow leads, we can’t score at will, our defense doesn’t scare anybody, and we’re getting out-coached. It’s tough, man. We’re disappointed about where we’re at right now. I mean, yeah, we lead the AFC East, but it’s not like we how it used to be. We’re not running away from Miami or the Jets this year.

You hear about Randy? Yeah, Moss can’t do anything nowadays. It’s not all his fault, either. He’s getting double-teamed almost everywhere he goes on the field. OK, maybe not everytime, but absolutely most of the time. You can see it in his numbers. He’s averaging 45.8 yards in the last four games. And has he struggles, so does the offense as of late.

Joe's Opening Drive: Week 15 posted by Joe Anello

After another dramatic Colts win, the still-undefeated Saints try their luck against the Cowboys on Saturday night while the second seed in the AFC is on the line on Sunday. Let's start the Opening Drive of week 15 in the NFL!

(8-5) Dallas Cowboys at (13-0) New Orleans Saints 

Dallas' DeMarcus Ware is going to play less than a week after suffering a neck strain, but that may not be enough for the free-falling Cowboys. Going into New Orleans and escaping with a victory will require near-flawless play and a lot of luck. Even without tight end Jeremy Shockey, Drew Brees has an abundance of weapons at his disposal. If the Saints move to 14-0, it will could signal the end of Dallas' playoff hopes and the end of Wade Philips' tenure as head coach.

***UPDATE: Dallas freaking did it. I'll be sure to cover this stunner in the Final Drive.

(8-5) New England Patriots at (5-8) Buffalo Bills 

Don't look now, but the rest of the AFC East is catching up to the Patriots. If Bill Belichick's squad loses another road game (which they've done consistently this season) and Miami or the Jets win, the Pats will fall out of the division lead and risk a playoff berth entirely. In a up-and-down season in Buffalo, this could be a signature win to carry them over into next year.

(9-4) Cincinnati Bengals at (10-3) San Diego Chargers

In the most significant game of the weekend, San Diego and Cincinnati are essentially playing for the number two seed in the AFC and an additional home game in the playoffs. San Diego has been lighting teams up in December while the Bengals were just lambasted by Minnesota. After the tragic loss of Chris Henry, I can't believe the Bengals are going to have enough in the tank to head out west and win.

Bill Belichick's Nemesis posted by Randolph Charlotin

The Patriots are already deep into preparations for the undefeated New Orleans Saints, possibly the toughest opponent of the year. Any news outside of their scope of focus is a distraction.

Bill Belichick, the all-knowing head coach, is keeping his team in line. He’s making sure the only things on his players’ minds are black and gold, Drew Brees, Darren Sharper, and the Fleur de Lis.

Not that Belichick is oblivious to what’s going on throughout the league. He constantly keeps an ear to the ground and knows what happens everyday.

One particular bit of news that caught Belichick’s attention is the state of the Buffalo Bills. Already in disarray, Buffalo fired head coach Dick Jauron last week. They named defensive coordinator Perry Fewell interm coach and owner Ralph Wilson said he wants a proven head coach to be the next coach of the Bills. A few names have already been floated around, and one name in particular sent a chill down Belichick’s spine.

Mike Shanahan, Mike Holmgren, and Bill Cowher all have impressive resumes, but it is Shanahan that makes Belichick nervous.

Belichick almost always expresses respect when talking about opposing coaches, players, and teams. (S Anthony Smith is an exception for his 2007 guarantee that his Pittsburgh Steelers would beat the undefeated Patriots. After the win, Belichick dissed Smith saying, “We played (against) better safetys.”) But when talking about Shanahan, Bill’s respect goes to a higher level.

They are coaches from opposite sides of the field. Both are considered geniuses in their respective fields: Bill on defense and Shanahan on offense. And when they coach against each other, it’s a chess match. They are so familiar with each other’s tendencies, they understand how to attack and defend their rival’s schemes. Since Belichick took the New England job, he is 3-4 against Shanahan in the regular season, 0-1 in the playoffs.

Rookies vs. Rookies posted by Randolph Charlotin

OLB Clay Matthews. DE Larry English. CB Alphonso Smith. Just a few of the names projected as players the New England Patriots would draft with the 23rd overall pick. Instead the Pats traded out of the first round, stockpiled more picks, and used all four second round picks.

Probably the biggest surprise regarding New England’s draft class is that all 12 players made the final roster. Even DT Darryl Richard wasn’t visited by the turk.

It may take one to three years to find out if the whole draft class pans out or which ones get left on the side of the road. But how do the Pats rookies stack up against their peers?

The players have to get playing time in order to make these comparisons fair. It’s really a losing battle as it boils down to five against about 250 rookies. But New England’s newbies compare well overall:

Cornerback – Malcom Jenkins and Vonta Davis were selected in the first round, but Darius Butler has more interceptions than either one. In defense of Davis, he was thrust into a starting role in Miami as injuries plagued the Dolphins secondary. He’s part of a young unit ranked 21st in pass defense. Davis does have a pick-six, though. As do New York Giants’ Bruce Johnson and Indianapolis’ Jacob Lacey. Advantage: Even

Safety – Pat Chung was the Patriots’ first pick in ’09. He’s earning more playing time and doing well with those opportunities, with one interception and a sack. But he is way behind Buffalo’s Jarius Byrd with seven interceptions. Chicago’s Al Afalava matches Chung in sacks and nearly doubles Pat’s 17 tackles with 31. Advantage: Rookies

The Real Tom Brady posted by Randolph Charlotin

Alright, Tom Brady. The grace period is over. Now it’s time to be yourself again. That means the accurate surgeon capable of lighting up the scoreboard with few errors should finally be back. You’ve had enough time to work out the kinks. No more excuses.

I’m holding true to my belief that Brady needed seven to eight weeks to find his comfort zone. As the season went on, we noticed the progress Brady made, step by step.

His second half against Buffalo was a complete 180 of the first half. After being blitzed nearly to death against the New York Jets, Brady carved up Atlanta and starred down Baltimore’s Ray Lewis-led defense and came out ahead.

Not happy with his inaccuracy on deep balls against Denver, Brady put on a clinic against Tennessee, throwing six touchdowns and connecting on a handful of passes downfield. And Brady put it all together in London in a sound defeat of Tampa Bay.

I gave Brady the same timetable that Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning needed to get right last year. Manning went from your average quarterback to league MVP in the course of half a season. If Brady is to reclaim his position in the NFL quarterback hierarchy, the second half of the season is when he must re-establish himself.

At this point, Brady isn’t number 1 or 1A. Since Brady missed almost all of last season, Manning held his place while New Orleans’ Drew Brees finally became recognized as one of the elite passers in the league. Brady still has some work to do to be considered an elite QB again. Past accomplishments don’t carry over.

Staying On the Run posted by Randolph Charlotin

Hopefully RB Laurence Maroney doesn’t think he’s off the hook after rushing for 123 yards (7.7 average) and a score. If anything, the expectations have gone up. It’s nice to see you blow up in one game as the undisputed primary ball carrier. But can you do this week after week after week?

While the numbers look good, I’m not sold on Maroney’s performance against Tennessee. It’s not just because the Titans are a bad team. Laurence started off well, hitting holes quickly. But after the 45-yard touchdown, his feet were pitter-pattering again.

I’ll give Maroney the benefit of the doubt, but only to a point. It was a snowy field so maybe to keep his traction Laurence chopped his feet. I’d believe it, except Maroney has a history of stuttering in the backfield. That, and on one run, he tried to bounce it outside instead of taking what was available. Old habits die hard.

We know what Maroney is capable of as a lead back. He averaged almost 100 yards through the final six games of 2007. That’s what is expected out of Maroney from now until Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor return to action.

Of course Maroney can’t do it alone. In his defense, the offensive line hasn’t consistently opened holes for Maroney in the early part of the season. With the combined talent in the backfield, the ground game should improve on the 6th overall ranking from last year, averaging 142 yards per game. The ranking has more than doubled, dropping to 13th overall and gaining 116 yards per game.

Cowboys LT Okung shows off for NFL teams (AP)

Russell Okung got a chance to finish what he started at the NFL combine. The standout left tackle for Oklahoma State was the star attraction at the school's pro day Wednesday for 40 representatives from 27 NFL teams, including general managers from the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Williamses thought supplement was legal (AP)

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From Yahoo! Sports

Okung shows off at Oklahoma St. pro day (AP)

Russell Okung got a chance to finish what he started at the NFL combine. The standout left tackle for Oklahoma State was the star attraction at the school's pro day Wednesday for 40 representatives from 27 NFL teams, including general managers from the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Bills DE Schobel undecided on future (AP)

Aaron Schobel is in no rush to collect his $2 million roster bonus because the Buffalo Bills defensive end still hasn't decided on whether he'll come back for a 10th NFL season. The two-time Pro Bowl selection was due to be paid the roster bonus on Tuesday. Schobel remains a member of the Bills, but the payment remains on hold because there's a provision in his contract that he must... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Bills sign free agent DT Favorite (AP)

The Buffalo Bills have signed free agent defensive tackle Marlon Favorite. A member of the 2007 national champion LSU Tigers, Favorite spent his first NFL season last year splitting time on the practice squads of St. Louis, Kansas City, Seattle and New Orleans. He has yet to appear in an NFL game, and first signed with Carolina in May as an undrafted free agent. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports