The Final Drive: 2012 Wildcard Weekend posted by Joe Anello

Are you exhausted yet? There was TOO MUCH DRAMA! (That’s a lie. There’s never too much.) Both nights of Wildcard weekend ended in tremendous excitement, wrapping up with a dramatic overtime ending that didn’t even warrant explanation of the new rules. I’m still appalled. Let’s just get The Final Drive started.

The first game of the weekend started off awfully sloppy, with plenty of penalties and “jitters” as described by Nessler and Mayock. As the game drew on though, the Texans clearly established themselves as the better team by man-handling Cincy. Rookie lineman J.J Watt, who has shown an inherent talent and awareness to deflect passes at the line of scrimmage made the play of a game by boomeranging Dalton in the second quarter. Watt timed his jump perfectly and made the catch and rambled 29 yards to paydirt. Then he sacked Dalton to end the first half as the Bengals were driving. It was hilarious afterwards to see Dalton with the “Why didn’t you tell me that lineman wasn’t actually fat? I never would have thrown it his way had I known” face. I blame the scouts on that one. The Bengals performance could be encapsulated with their second half opening drive: they were stopped on second down for a loss, then flagged for 12 men in the huddle, then Dalton wasted a time-out as he couldn’t hear the play-call in Reliant’s noise. Those wheels came off. Missed chances to take away the ball from Houston, poor tackling on defense allowed Houston to let Arian Foster loose and control to flow of the game. T.J. Yates never had to make a big play, so the Texans got the win.

The Opening Drive: 2012 Wildcard Sunday posted by Joe Anello

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

 


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

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

Eli Manning may have just completed his best season as a professional quarterback. It came at a great time too, as the Giants wouldn’t have even been competitive this season without Manning’s heroics. Their running game hasn’t been as dominant as in years past, which is a direct result of the decline of their offensive line. Still, Manning’s put up points this year thanks to a stellar receiving crew, fronted by Victor Cruz, who looks like most explosive receiver in the game. On defense, the Giants are weak in the secondary, but those deficiencies are masked by the outstanding play of the defensive line. They still have Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, but the emergence of Jason Pierre-Paul this year has really elevated their chances this postseason. Their front four has the type of talent they had when they won the Super Bowl and is a key to beating these high-powered offenses.

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.

Joe's 2011 Thursday Night Preview: Jaguars at Falcons posted by Joe Anello

Thursday Night Football is back to start week 15 off right with the Falcons and… Jaguars? That’s right, the Jaguars, who dropped a season-high 41 points last week, albeit against the lowly Buccaneers. Atlanta is always a tough out at the Georgia Dome behind Matt Ryan, who just tossed four touchdowns in their comeback win over the Panthers.

(4-9) Jacksonville Jaguars at
(8-5) Atlanta Falcons

Hey Jacksonville fans, Blaine Gabbert didn’t look like a frightened turd last week! Huzzah! Seriously though, it’s an improvement you should be pleased with. But what really caused the drastic improvement was the commitment to running Maurice Jones-Drew all over a crappy Buc defense. Atlanta won’t be as porous, but the script should remain the same. Maybe they finally turned the corner? (Probably not.)

For the Falcons, it’s time to flex their muscles for the stretch run. They’ve been absolutely unimpressive this year, trailing the explosive Saints in wins and headlines. Michael Turner has also had a sub-par year for his standards, but has a chance to go over 1100 yards for the year tonight. What I need to see from the Atlanta offense is some sexy down-the-field action. Right now, they’re just not stretching the field or finding enough big plays. They need to exploit the Jaguar secondary or I can’t buy them as a playoff threat.

Get your NFL on tonight everyone!

The Opening Drive: Week 14, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

After the Big Ben-flavored drama on Thursday night, week 14 in the NFL season keeps on trucking in Sunday’s slate of games. While some will take a first glance at most of the games and shrug them off as meaningless, there are some hidden contests that could be much better than fans may expect. Plenty of options for “Trap of the Week.”

Houston’s been running along surprisingly smoothly since the loss of Matt’s Schaub and Leinart. However, T.J. Yates won’t have the home crown behind him as he takes on a desperate Bengal squad this week. I’m not sure the Texans will have enough success on the ground to make up for Andre Johnson’s absence.

Boom. Trap it up. New Orleans is on the road after a pretty convincing whupping of the Lions last week. Tennessee is very quietly eking their way into the AFC playoffs with all-around solid team play. New Orleans may be trying to keep pace with the Niners, but they don’t NEED this game like the Titans do. Drew Brees could have one of his famous “Throw for 345 yards, 3 TD’s and 3 INT’s” days, giving the Saints points, but not a 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 Opening Drive: Week 11, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

After the (eventually) thrilling start on Thursday night, week 11 continues with a number of exciting games to keep your eye on this weekend, including several divisional match-ups with playoff implications. What else do you need? Time to start The Opening Drive!

(4-5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers at
(9-0) Green Bay Packers

I’m pretty positive the Packers will lose a game at some point, but it shouldn’t be this week. If the Packers don’t own a two-score lead by the end of the first quarter I’ll be stunned.

I would say this is the clear “Trap of the Week,” but I don’t think that a team that’s lost two in a row can get trapped by a team that’s won two in a row. Buffalo has no choice but to take this game seriously because of their own dwindling playoff chances. At 5-5 they would have nearly hammered the nail in their own coffin, and that my friends, takes talent. Miami’s just playing better football right now and has all the momentum.

(5-4) Dallas Cowboys at
(3-6) Washington Redskins

Because I know how Dallas operates, this claims the prize of “Trap of the Week.” Coming off an absolute trouncing of Buffalo the ‘Boys could head into Washington with inflated egos, leading them to take Rexy and the ‘Skins lightly. I’m not sure Washington is capable of taking advantage, but they could catch Dallas on one of their famously off days. Hopefully Jason Garrett off-sets those odds by handing it off to DeMarco Murray a bazillion times.

The Final Drive: Week 2, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

Back in the NFL saddle for week two action! We saw a few shocker squads jump to a 2-0 start while one QB continued his insane stat-racking. The Final Drive starts now!

I don’t know what is more surprising: that the way the Lions exploded for 48 to go 2-0 or that the Chiefs gave up 40+ again. The Chiefs are struggling mightily to get any points on the board and without Jamaal Charles for the rest of the year it won’t get any easier. My 9-7 prediction is officially in the crapper already.

One of the most entertaining games on Sunday; this thriller went down to the wire but ended with the Bills holding on to shockingly get to 2-0. I‘m not buying them as anything special yet, but they could rise above the scrap heap.

I assumed Baltimore would be in for an emotional letdown, but I wasn’t expecting them to lose to the Titans. Especially by letting Matt Hasselbeck wreck them for 358 yards through the air. Poor showing Ravens.

Rex Grossman is 2-0 as a starting quarterback thanks to a nice comeback drive to set up a Graham Gano field goal to take the lead for the eventual victory. Washington’s running game was especially dominant, putting up 192 yards on the ground.

The Opening Drive: Week 2, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

Week one was insanely awesome. Can week two of the NFL season follow it up? We’ve got a shoot-out preparing in New England and Michael Vick night on Sunday Night Football. What else could you need? Here are some of the games to watch for in week two.

Here’s a legitimate chance for the Lions to get to 2-0 and obliterate a 2010 division winner in the process. Without safety Eric Berry, the Chiefs are ripe for the picking for Matthew Stafford. This might not even be close.

Donovan McNabb should probably try throwing for more than 39 yards this time around. Probably a good idea. He has to win to avoid being kicked around for another week.

I have NO idea what to expect from these teams, except low scores. And Peyton Hillis. Though Kerry Collins should play far better than he did in week one, the rest of his team needs to step the eff up.

Another test for Sexy Rexy. If he avoids picking on Patrick Peterson, Grossman might actually have another solid outing. If that happens, it could turn into Bizarro world…

These Panthers are in trouble. Last week was a fun start, but they’re going to be in deep sh*t against the world champs this week. Cam Newton is going to be confused as all get-out by Dom Capers’ defense. No 400+ yards passing this week!

Bears Fleece Falcons, 30-12 in Opener posted by Richard Kagan

Let it be said, when the Bears play well, they can compete wiith anyone, and today, they not only competed but won a game handily against the Atlanta Falcons.  Many observers predicted big things for the Falcons this season, and placed the Bears out of playoff contention.  That might change.  Then again, this is the NFL, where season outcomes change from week to week.  Look at the Colts.  Peyton Manning was out of the game, and the Colts lost big time.  Actually, their game was more lopsided than the Bears game.  But give credit to a focused Jay Cutler, and a reborn Brian Urlacher.  Urlacher and Julius Peppers played like 30 year olds on defense today as they forced a strip of the QB.  Urlacher returned the fumble for a TD, which is just a big as Devin Hester flying down the sidelines for a TD on a punt return. 

In Chicago, scoring on defense is savored like a fine wine.  The Bears did not allow the Falcons to score a TD on offense.  Rather Cutler threw for a interception that resulted in a TD, long after the game had been decided.  The Bears were leading 23-6 in the second half, which is almost as providential as Moses parting the Red Sea.

Hnery Melton got into the act with 2 sacks today.  Let the weather stay warm as the Bears warm up in September.

A good month of September goes a long way in determining who will be in the playoffs.  The Bears next two games are against the Saints and the Packers.  Two tough teams.  Hey, maybe the Bears are tough too?

Falcons hire Nolan to lead defense

The Atlanta Falcons hired former San Francisco coach Mike Nolanas their defensive coordinator on Wednesday, hoping he can toughenup a unit that has rarely ranked among the NFL elite. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Falcons hire Nolan to run defense (AP)

The Atlanta Falcons hired former San Francisco coach Mike Nolan as their defensive coordinator on Wednesday, hoping he can toughen up a unit that has rarely ranked among the NFL elite. Nolan spent the last two seasons as Miami's defensive coordinator. Prior to that, he served four years as the 49ers head coach, following in the footsteps of his father. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Falcons' Bratkowski to run Jags' offense (AP)

The Jacksonville Jaguars have retained defensive coordinator Mel Tucker and hired Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach Bob Bratkowski as offensive coordinator. New coach Mike Mularkey also kept defensive line coach Joe Cullen and linebackers coach Mark Duffner. Mularkey announced the hires Friday, his first personnel decisions since taking over Tuesday. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Jaguars keep Tucker, hire Bratkowski

The Jacksonville Jaguars have retained defensive coordinator MelTucker and hired Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach Bob Bratkowskias offensive coordinator. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Jags tab Falcons' Bratkow to run offense (AP)

The Jacksonville Jaguars have retained defensive coordinator Mel Tucker and hired Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach Bob Bratkowski as offensive coordinator. New coach Mike Mularkey made the hires late Thursday, his first personnel decisions since taking over Tuesday. The Jaguars wanted to keep Tucker all along. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports