2012 NFL Free Agency: Day One posted by Joe Anello

Free agency news is all over the internet with teams announcing the typical flurry of moves within the first hours of the new league year. I don’t have the patience for an introduction, so let’s just get to the news of the day!

-Mario Williams is all up in Buffalo as we speak, and he won’t leave unless he turns down a boatload of cash. If you’re even thinking about heading to Buffalo, you know what they’re going to pay you. You just want them to pay for a first class flight too before you sign the dotted line. The defensive end is going to be a very rich man. (Richer, really.) Likely joining him in upstate New York will be Saints wide-out Robert Meachem. Not a bad haul thus far for the lowly Bills. (Edit: Mario IS apparently leaving Buffalo without a deal and Meachem has signed with the Chargers. Well done Bills.)

-Marques Colston never hit the market, re-upping with the Saints shortly before free agency began. It’s a five year, $40 million dollar deal for the big-bodied receiver, who decided to remain a target of Drew Brees. (Smart move.) You can see the dominoes that fell after the Colston deal became official, with Chicago making a deal for Brandon Marshall ( my thoughts here) and the ‘Skins making a glut of Snyder-like moves, as you’ll read next…

-As always, the Redskins make a fool of themselves in free agency in mere minutes by signing two wide receivers and using too much cap space to address one position. (They’re still talking to Eddie Royal as well.) Josh Morgan signed on for a two-year $12 million dollar stint, coming off a whopping 15 catches in San Fran. And as the “the fuck are they doing?” deal of the say, the ‘Skins gave 42.5 million dollars on a five year contract for Pierre Garcon. With over $20 million in guarantees, this deal is utterly ridiculous. Sign him? Sure. But bathe him in pirate gold and fan him with virgin women? Probably a bad idea. The Redskins improved their lot at receiver, but not enough to warrant this kind of money dump. And this after they were docked salary cap space! Still, I love the 'Skins. What would free agency be without them?

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!

Pick Six: Week 17 posted by Randolph Charlotin

1. Want more records? On TE Rob Gronkowski’s 16th TD reception, QB Tom Brady surpassed Dan Marino for second on the single season passing yards record. New Orleans’ Drew Brees broke the Marino’s record last week and put it out of Brady’s reach with 389 yards on Sunday. Gronkowski, though, set the record for single season receiving yards by a tight end with 1,327 yards. It was a tug of war between Gronk and the Saints’ Jimmy Graham all afternoon, but a late 22-yard reception by Gronkowski, after New Orleans’ game was over, was the difference. Gronkowski also extended the touchdown receptions by a tight end record, raising the bar to 17. Not to be left out is Bill Belichick with his fifth season with 13 or more wins.

2. Good to see safety Patrick Chung and LB Brandon Spikes back in action. They last played November sixth against the New York Giants. With the defense having the problems they’ve had all year, the return of these two veterans for the playoffs should be huge.

3. DE Mark Anderson picked up his 10th sack of the season, the second 10-plus sack season of his career. With Anderson reaching double digits, he became the second Pat with 10 sacks, joining Andre Carter. It is the first time the Patriots had two players with at least 10 sacks in a season since Andre Tippett (16.5) and Garin Veris (10) turned the trick in 1985.

4. Players should be allowed to celebrate, but within reason. Two bothered me. TE Aaron Hernandez high-stepped into the endzone on his 39-yard touchdown reception. Save it for after you score, please. Even dumber was Buffalo WR Stevie Johnson showing a “Happy New Year” message on a T-shirt under his jersey. That drew a 15-yard penalty and the ire of Bills coach Chan Gailey. Earlier this season Johnson mocked New York Jets receivers Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress in separate TD celebrations. One of those celebrations drew a penalty that contributed to the Jets’ come from behind victory over the Bills. Gailey warned his players he would bench anyone else who drew a celebration penalty. Gailey kept his word, as Johnson was held out for the rest of the game.

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.

Hours Before Kickoff: Week 17 posted by Randolph Charlotin

On Monday, New Orleans QB Drew Brees broke the NFL’s single season passing yards record of 5,084 yards, previously held by Miami QB Dan Marino. Already with 5,087 yards, Brees has one more game to go, extending his lead over Marino.

But by 4:30 Sunday, the record could change hands. New England QB Tom Brady is 190 yards behind the new record holder. If Brady produces another explosive passing clinic, he could nip Brees for the record, ending the title reign after just six days.

The chances of Brady catching Brees is slim, though. Both teams have relevant season finales, as they jockey for playoff seedings. The Patriots can secure the top seed in the AFC with a win over Buffalo while the Saints are competing with San Francisco for the second seed in the NFC and a first round bye.

As the conductor for the NFL’s best passing offense, Brees, who’s averaging 339 passing yards pre game, probably doesn’t have to worry about a Brady photo finish lean at the finish line. Marino won’t be as lucky, as only a Satanic sacrifice will keep Brady from shoving Marino out of second place.

Don’t think for a second that Brady doesn’t want to avenge the loss to Buffalo. He threw four interceptions during his worst game this season. Brady wants to flush that loss out of his system and the only way to do it is to crush the Bills in typical Brady fashion.

If you think having an outstanding game against Buffalo isn’t important to Brady, just think back to that spike against Denver after a week of Brady hearing his name

The Final Drive: Week 16, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

It was a Christmas Eve of meaningful NFL action as all the remaining playoff spots were nearly filled and draft orders are beginning to finalize. Miss any of the action? No need to worry, because the Final Drive starts right now!

Indy… what are you doing??? After all the speculation, you could single-handedly win yourself out of a franchise quarterback. Knock it off. (Or play more scrubs.) To Houston, I say congratulations. You’re in the playoffs. Now get ready to go home before anyone else.

This was about as disappointing a loss as you could find on Sunday. For a division-leader that could have locked up their playoff berth to lay down to a team that had nothing to play for is unacceptable. The Teebs magic was all used up apparently as Timmy tossed four interceptions, two of which were boomerangs. I wish I had been able to watch this one. It would have felt SO good.

It was looking awkward when the ‘Phins were up 17-0 at halftime, but Brady rallied and made sure his team clinched a first-round bye. I’m expecting the Patriots to take the number one seed in the AFC, but I don’t feel very confident about their postseason chances.

PFFT. I’m glad this turned out to be less of a game, because if it had been overly dramatic I wouldn’t stop hearing about it all week. And the rumors that the Jets aren’t completely sold on Sanchez for next year? Frosting on the cake baby. And this picture of Jacobs and Ryan jawing afterward? Weird.

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

Hours Before Kickoff: Week 4 posted by Randolph Charlotin

Matt Light knows he’s there. You can’t miss the shadow of a 6-8 319 pound man-child standing behind you.

Light is the Patriots’ starting left tackle. For now. He’s expected to hold on to that position through the rest of the season. If Light is lucky, he keeps the job through next season as well. But Light knows his days are numbered.

Rookie Nate Solder was selected in the first round out of Colorado to be Light’s successor. It was thought that Solder would be brought along slowly. But three games into the season he’s started two games at right tackle and was used generously as a tackle eligible against San Diego.

Solder is not having an apprenticeship season. He has been thrown into the fire from day one and has performed well. If anything, playing now accelerates his development.

Should this concern Light? He knows New England wants Solder to anchor the offensive line in the future. But if Solder improves as the season progresses, will he take Light’s job before the season is over?

For much of the preseason Solder played left tackle. Later on the coaches tried him out at right tackle as well. The experience from the preseason is serving Solder well as he started for right tackle Sebastian Vollmer twice this season.

But Solder’s future is at left tackle. With a short training camp, the coaches didn’t spend the time they wanted working on his technique. And while Solder has a great frame and a tremendous wingspan ideal for a left tackle, Solder is light by NFL standards.

Evaluations say with a year in the weight room, Solder will gain the strength needed to become the anchor of the offensive line. Combine that with a year to work on his technique and perfecting his footwork with offensive line coach Dante Scarneccia and Solder can be a blindside protector for 10 years.

Ochocinco Time Is Now posted by Randolph Charlotin

Time to get real, Chad Ochocinco. You were worthy of being defended from the former Patriot detractors. But the grace period when you dropped that touchdown which could had won the game against Buffalo. Save your opposable thumbs for latching on to the pigskin instead of tweeting 140 characters.

Is the fan base over-reacting? Probably. But we haven’t seen such a costly drop since a pass bounced off of a wide open Reche Caldwell in the 2006 AFC Championship versus Indianapolis. The white of Caldwell’s eyes still haunt me like the smile of the Chesire Cat, keeping me up at night.

Not that Ochocinco is being compared to Caldwell, but better returns were expected out of the former six-time Pro Bowler after three weeks.

Expectations might be part of the problem so far. Some envisioned a Randy Moss-like impact from Ochocino. But they are very different players acquired during very different situations. Moss was the centerpiece of a receiver corps overhaul that included Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker. With a full training camp to prepare, Moss and friends ran up the score week after week in 2007.

New England’s offense is loaded this year with Welker, Deion Branch, and tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. All Ochocinco has to do is fit in as a contributor and step up when asked.

Ochocinco has done the first part, with four of his five receptions moving the chains. But with Hernandez out of the game, Ochocinco’s golden opportunity bounced off his hands like Brady’s fourth quarter pass.

Ochocinco won’t hide behind the playbook, as he said he understood what he was doing on Sunday. But his nonchalant “It just got away from me” reaction to the drop can rub the wrong way.

Bills' Toronto series on NFL agenda

The Buffalo Bills' bid to extend their series of playingregular-season games in Toronto could take a big step forwardbefore the end of the month, barring a setback in negotiations. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Bills' Toronto series on NFL committee agenda (Yahoo! Sports)

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) The Buffalo Bills' bid to extend their series of playing regular-season games in Toronto could take a big step forward before the end of the month, barring a setback in negotiations. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Bills to place Polian on Wall of Fame

Former Buffalo Bills general manager Bill Polian has beenselected to become the latest member of the team's Wall ofFame. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Bill Polian to be placed on Bills' Wall of Fame (Yahoo! Sports)

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) Former Buffalo Bills general manager Bill Polian has been selected to become the latest member of the team's Wall of Fame. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Former Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young Will Reportedly Sign with Buffalo Bills: Titan Fan’

The Buffalo Bills have reportedly agreed to a one-year, $2-million contract with former Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young. Tyler Thigpen and Young are expected to compete for the No. 2 quarterback job behind Ryan Fitzpatrick. Bills head coach Chan Gailey could also use Young as a component in wildcat formations. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports