Notes from Day Two of the NFL Draft posted by Joe Anello

Another exciting, fast-paced night of the NFL Draft passed Friday as rounds two and three wrapped up in under four hours. Without any more filibuster, let’s get right to some of the stories that caught my eye.

-The night after taking Stanford’s Andrew Luck with the first overall pick, the Colts come back on Friday and draft Luck’s tight end Coby Fleener. At that point, the Colts had a field stretcher in a league that has gone tight end crazy. But they didn’t stop there, taking Clemson tight end Dwayne Allen at the start of the third. Allen’s more of a complete tight end than Fleener, being able to get on the end of the line and take on defenders. Still, I thought that would be the last pick for a few rounds that the Colt spent on offense. I was wrong, as they got into the end of the third round to take Florida International receiver T.Y. Hilton, who figures to get time in the slot. So I guess that GM Ryan Grigson isn’t concerned about that shittastic defense? Looks like the new Colts are going the same direction as the old Colts. Spend the valuable assets on offense and fill in the gaps with late rounders on defense. I’m puzzled by their draft. The moves will improve their offense certainly, but they needed to get much bigger on defense in order to handle new coach Chuck Pagano’s schemes.

-With three picks in the second round, the Rams had an opportunity to address a number of needs and even take a chance. Following their pick of receiver Brian Quick to start the night, they took a risk by selecting Northern Alabama corner Janoris Jenkins, who fell off of many teams’ draft boards thanks to two marijuana arrests and other poor decisions. Regarded as the second best (if not the best) cover corner in the draft, Jenkins partners with Cortland Finnegan to give the Rams a ballsy defensive backfield. The action didn’t stop for them there however, following those picks with the selection of the speedy RB Isaiah Pead to help spell Steven Jackson. And if that wasn’t enough, they selected Montana corner Trumaine Johnson in round three. Fisher just overhauled an area of extreme weakness, but he’ll need to stay on top of Jenkins and Johnson to keep them in line. I really like what the Rams did, even if they got too cute and traded away from Morris Claiborne.

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 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 8, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

Week eight in the NFL season features several division match-ups and an early showdown between two favorites in the AFC. Let’s just ignore some of the… uglier games on the schedule. (Especially the early games. They’re not pretty.)

(0-7) Indianapolis Colts at
(3-3) Tennessee Titans

This game is particularly interesting to me because both teams are coming off of pretty embarrassing losses and need to bounce back in a big way. Unfortunately for the Colts, they still suck something awful. If they don’t get beat by 55 points, consider it a win.

Was the Jaguars’ win over the Ravens a stepping stone to something greater? Their offense should have an easier time against the Texans this week, but it might not be enough to combat Matt Schaub, who’s been rolling even without Andre Johnson.

This… is one of the marquee match-ups this week. That feels weird to say. Both of these squads started fast out of the gates to jump on their respective divisions, but now they’ve fallen back to Earth and have little room for error. Ryan Fitzpatrick has to deliver a huge game following the mega-deal he just inked.

Tebow time! Hopefully he’ll lose this week so I don’t have to see him kiss another man on the sidelines. Wait, maybe I do want to see that. I’ll get back to you on that one.

The Opening Drive: Week 3, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

We’ve got some week three action on tap in the NFL! Division rivalries, rookie quarterbacks, and a crapper of a Sunday-nighter are on deck. Let’s start The Opening Drive!

(2-0) Houston Texans at
(1-1) New Orleans Saints

Arian Foster’s going to be sitting this one out, so but the Texans’ running attack won’t miss as much of a step as you would think. Though to be frank, I’d be shocked if there’s more than 15o yards rushing between these two offenses. What would be the point? If you want aerial assaults, this is the game for you. I can’t believe in Houston yet… but I might start feeling differently if they can take it to the Saints on the home turf.

Man, we just barely missed out on the utter boredom that would’ve been a week without Michael Vick in the NFL. You should feel lucky. Vick’s return from a concussion means he’s completely cleared to play, but against the Giants’ front four he could be in trouble again this week. That Eagle offensive line is way too suspect to keep Vick safe in the pocket. Philly’s only saving grace is that the Giants are too inconsistent on offense to keep up.

Rookie fight! I don’t even want to talk about the match-ups. I just want to discuss Blaine Gabbert’s hair finally getting the spotlight it deserves. …But if Cam Newton can figure out how to throw for 400 yards and win, perhaps that spotlight gets re-directed.

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.

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 2010 NFL Opening Drive: Week 15 posted by Joe Anello

Quarterback drama is afoot in week 15 of the NFL season! One Heisman winner gets his first start while a former Super Bowl QB gets the nod ahead of a supposedly $78 million dollar man. Here’s the Opening Drive!

Yep. Rex Grossman’s starting instead of Donovan McNabb today. Don’t ask me what Mike Shanahan is thinking. I find it hard to believe he legitimately thinks Grossman could be his starting quarterback next season. Likely he’s auditioning Rex to be the back-up again. Whatever the case, its clear McNabb won’t be back next season.

The division title is on the line between these AFC South squads. The Jaguars are looking for the season sweep of the Colts and expect to run it all day against that weak defense. Maurice Jones-Drew could go off in a big way. While they Jaguars are poised for the win, Manning may have a win in his back pocket somewhere… saving it for a rainy day, of course.

In their prior meeting, the Giants front four did a solid job of containing Mike Vick for most of the night. This time around the Eagles need to hand the ball to LeSean McCoy as much as possible to pull the pressure off Vick. Eli Manning can’t throw idiotic interceptions today if the Giants are going to get the win.

Joe's 2010 NFL Opening Drive: Week 14 posted by Joe Anello

After last week’s glut of possible playoff previews, week 14’s weekend of action is… less than tremendous. Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of stories to examine! Let’s get into our stances for the Opening Drive!

(6-6) Oakland Raiders at
(7-5) Jacksonville Jaguars

While it may not be a glamorous contest, the Jaguars are still the AFC South leaders until someone gets past them. This is a meeting of two Jekyll and Hyde squads that are going to try and run the ball down each other’s throat. It’ll be a smash-mouth affair, but almost impossible to pick. I mean, which Raiders are going to show up?

(6-6) St. Louis Rams at
(9-3) New Orleans Saints

At 9-3, the Saints are still catching up to the division leading Falcons, who get the 1-11 Panthers this week. St. Louis has shown incredible fortitude this season with Sam Bradford under center, but they just don’t have the firepower to hang with the Saints. Still, this will be a closer game than some might expect.

(6-6) Miami Dolphins at
(9-3) New York Jets

As odd and disappointing as the Dolphins season has been, they have a great shot at knocking off the Jets today. Angry and fuming after their drubbing at the hands of the Patriots, the Jets could be ripe for the picking or ready to explode. One thing is for sure, that Jet offense has to show signs of life. Oh wait, so does the defense.

Joe's 2010 NFL Opening Drive: Week 13 posted by Joe Anello

In week 13 of the NFL season, we’re getting some dynamite primetime games. The rest of the schedule? Meh. Still, time to break it down.

(6-5) Jacksonville Jaguars at
(5-6) Tennessee Titans

In a down year for the AFC South (specifically the Colts), the Jaguars are keeping their heads above water in the division hunt. Throttling a division foe when they’re down could give them plenty of momentum going forward. The Titans are expecting to get Kerry Collins back for this one, instantly upgrading their passing attack and giving Chris Johnson room to run. I’m feeling the Titans today.

(5-6) Washington Redskins at
(7-4) New York Giants

To get to .500 the ‘Skins have to go on the road and take down one of the better teams in the NFC. Hampered by injuries, the Giant offense can’t afford to give the ball away and let McNabb have a short field. They have to keep up with the Eagles in the NFC East, which is no easy task.

(5-6) Oakland Raiders at
(6-5) San Diego Chargers

I’ll describe this one quickly. If the Raiders don’t beat the Chargers, their playoff hopes are done. If the Chargers lose, they don’t deserve to play in the post-season.

(3-8) Dallas Cowboys at
(6-5) Indianapolis Colts

Pfft. Cowboys suck. They’re also on the road in Indianapolis today, getting Peyton Manning after arguable the two worst weeks of his regular season career. Who’s betting he makes it three? Not this guy.

Knighton apologizes, expects full recovery (Yahoo! Sports)

[read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Jaguars sign Coutu in Scobee's absence

The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed kicker Brandon Coutu andwaived rookie cornerback Dontrell Johnson. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Jaguars sign K Coutu to replace Scobee for now (Yahoo! Sports)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed kicker Brandon Coutu and waived rookie cornerback Dontrell Johnson. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Blackmon sits out Jaguars practice with sore foot (Yahoo! Sports)

[read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Why they fell: Draft prospects picked later than expected (Shutdown Corner)

Each year, there are players who fall in the draft for a number of reasons. We all remember the sight of Aaron Rodgers and Brady Quinn waiting far beyond expectations for their names to be called, and the divergent paths their careers have taken give us one more reason to say that the draft is, in the end, pretty much a total crapshoot. Here are this year's latecomers, with Nebraska's Alfonzo Dennard as the all-time cautionary tale regarding taking it easy the week before the draft. [ Michael Silver's rankings: Gus Frerotte gives Kirk Cousins advice in Redskins quarterback race ] Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama (35th overall pick, Baltimore Ravens) -- Upshaw, a dynamic pass rusher who was expected by most pundits to go in the mid-to-late first round, apparently started to drop when he showed up to his Pro Day weighing 279 pounds . The Ravens let the draft come to them and selected a great value pick who could really shine opposite Terrell Suggs. Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford (42nd overall pick, Miami Dolphins) -- Expected to be a sure first-rounder at one point, Martin's game tape bugged enough teams to have them looking in different directions. A good player without a strong anchor point who was protected in college by a conservative heavy-blocking offense. [ Les Carpenter: NFL 'Die Hards' sit through all three days of the draft ] Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall (59th overall pick, Philadelphia Eagles) -- This one is hard to explain, because Curry flashed a great deal of potential as a pure pass-rusher or LEO end even when he was facing stout competition. Might be small-school bias, because there are no obvious red flags. Down the road (and very much like Upshaw), Curry may be much happier in an ideal situation despite the lower pick -- he's a perfect fit for the Eagles' aggressive defense. Rueben Randle, WR, LSU (63rd overall pick, New York Giants) -- The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to get Justin Blackmon, so the alleged bias against one-speed receivers with outstanding overall characteristics doesn't seem to apply. Could be that Randle was dinged because he played in an offense that was anything but friendly to receivers, but the Giants put a first-round grade on him, and Tom Coughlin had a cake-eating grin on his face when explaining the pick on TV. Kirk Cousins, QB, Michigan State (102nd overall pick, Washington Redskins) -- Could have been a second-round guy but for his tendency to lose his mechanics under pressure. People question the Redskins picking him in the same draft as RGIII, but Cousins is the ideal Shanahan project quarterback, and could be a very reliable backup and spot starter over time. [ Shutdown Corner analysis: Why some top prospects fell down the NFL draft board ] Bobby Massie, OT, Mississippi (112th overall pick, Arizona Cardinals) -- Concerns about conditioning, toughness, and schematic fits (not a zone blocker at all) pushed Massie down, but the Cardinals picked up an excellent run-mashing right tackle with the ability to protect the quarterback from the right side. Jared Crick, DL, Nebraska (126th overall pick, Houston Texans) -- Steal of the draft, and the best mix of player and scheme on this list. Crick is a second-round prospect based on his tape, but he lost most of the 2011 season to injuries and fell under the radar. Really impressed me in 2010 when he kept his production up even after Ndamukong Suh left for the NFL and he became the primary focus of every offensive line he faced. In Wade Phillips' multiple schemes, Crick can be a 3-4 one-gap end, provide pass rush in big fronts, and even slip inside as a nose shade if Wade's feeling particularly creative. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports