The Final Drive: 2012 Conference Championship Sunday posted by Joe Anello

How many of you had to get an oxygen tank at some point today? These playoffs are been thrilling down to the wire in almost every game, and Conference Championship Sunday lived up to expectations. Both games went down to the wire and left us with two worthy Super Bowl contestants. Let’s break them down in The Final Drive!

They may have had their issues, but the New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl after the dramatic finish at the end of regulation. In the first half the Patriots traded scores with their opponents, as Baltimore matched them point for point thanks to early mistakes. Brady led his unit down for a 29 yard Gostkowski field goal so Flacco came back to set up a 20 yarder for Billy Cundiff. BenJarvus Green-Ellis punched it in from seven yards out, so Flacco tosses it six yards to Dennis Pitta. At 10-10, the Patriots broke the pattern by kicking a field goal late in the second and keeping the Ravens off the board before they got the ball to start the second half.

On their opening drive in the third quarter, one of Brady’s trademark QB sneaks (off the tackle no less) ended in a first down and some trash-talking from Brady to Ray Lewis. This was easily my favorite moment of the day, I don’t care if it was a 2-yard run. Lewis looked awful in coverage today against Hernandez and I'm glad someone gave him a taste of his own BS.

The Opening Drive: 2012 NFC Championship posted by Joe Anello

With the AFC spot in the Super Bowl currently being decided, the possible NFC participants are anxiously awaiting their turn in the national spotlight. And by national spotlight, of course I mean The Opening Drive!

Yet again Tom Coughlin’s Giants have heated up late and have ridden that momentum all the way through the playoffs. Now his elite quarterback named Manning must overcome a much better defense than the Packers’ unit he faced the week before. The Niners can rush the passer with Aldon and Justin Smith coming off the edges and their run defense is outstanding. Where they really shone last week was in their secondary. Apparently Donte Whitner is still an absolute ball-hawk and head-hunter in the defensive backfield. Carlos Rogers was a great offseason pick-up but proved his worth last week with some key deflections in coverage against the Saints receivers. This week expect him to be on Hakeem Nicks or Victor Cruz all day. The Niners don’t have enough depth to cover all of Manning’s targets, but maybe they can take one out of the action. Though knowing Tom Coughlin, we’re going to see plenty of hand-offs to Bradshaw and Jacobs, if only to keep the Niners honest. Bradshaw should get the bulk of the carries though, as I’m pretty sure Jacobs can’t knock around the Niners. Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman will put him down.

The Final Drive: 2012 Divisional Round posted by Joe Anello

I have to say, I was skeptical that these four games could live up to the hype, especially after last weekend. But I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. I even gave myself a cushy lead for later poor postseason predictions. But I’ll tell you about that later. Right now it’s time for The Final Drive of the Divisional Round!

I’m not sure I can put into words how freaking EPIC this game was. It was such a fantastic start to the weekend’s action. The Saints came out embarrassingly flat, with three turnovers early, including a horrendous pick over the middle from Drew Brees, who never saw the safety coming. The Niners turned those possessions into points, notching 17 with not even a minute gone by into the second quarter. Brees fought back as you knew he would, finding his big targets Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston on consecutive drives to pull within three at the break. It was hard to say the Niners had the momentum though. I mean, when the other team turns it over four times in a half and you’re only up a field goal? That’s a problem. San Fran’s special teams even got another turnover from Darren Sproles early in the third, but they could only manage to put up a field goal. Eventually that was going to come back to bite them. San Francisco wasn’t even trying to run the ball for the first three quarters, an offensive plan that befuddled me, to say the least. Alex Smith was getting all sorts of pressure from the Saints, who were simply sending more rushers than the Niners had blockers. (Just math, really.)

The Opening Drive: 2012 Divisional Saturday posted by Joe Anello

After six long days of waiting, the NFL playoffs are back today with a great match-up in the NFC and a highly publicized showdown between Jesus and Satan in the AFC. It’s a great day for some football. That means it’s a great day for The Opening Drive!

(13-4) New Orleans Saints at
(13-3) San Francisco 49ers
4:30 PM ET, FOX

Off for a week, it’s easy to have forgotten about the Niners and their tremendous regular season which earned them that rest. Alex Smith had a solid year (finally), but he hasn’t been all that impressive to me when I’ve gotten the chance to see him. He has a few decent weapons, but the Saints’ focus should be on running back Frank Gore and tight end Vernon Davis, Smith’s main outlets. ‘Frisco’s offensive line is underrated and should have the clear advantage in the running game, but how are they going to put up points? Michael Crabtree is (sorta) good, but he’s not dangerous enough to put up a monster game and abuse the Saints secondary all day. If they’re going to win, Jim Harbaugh’s defense will have to contain this next man.

Drew Brees is pretty freaking good. However, he still has the ability to toss an interception or two while trying to get the big play deep. If he can avoid those turnovers against the Niners, he’ll keep his Saints on top. He’ll have a lot of resistance on the front though, as San Fran can get up the field and rush the passer. Definitely keep your eyes on the two Smith’s, Justin and Aldon, who can both get pressure on the outside where the Saints’ line is weakest. Where the Niners are going to have issues defensively is in the secondary, Carlos Rogers has had a great year, but he doesn’t have as much support at corner. That’s not a recipe for success against Brees, who has Robert Meachem, Marques Colston and Devery Henderson. Still, that’s not even the Niners’ biggest problem. They like to keep linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman in the game as much as possible, which is going to create ugly match-ups with Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles. I think the Saints win those battles more often than not.

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 Final Drive: Week 15, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

I’m not sure what else you could have wanted from week 15 in the NFL. Two impressive streaks ended, the “Trap of the Week” proved to be true once again and one win never mattered as much as it did for Indianapolis. (And Candlestick Park was sans light… for a few second before auxiliary lighting come on. Not as much drama.) Many a-loser won on this day. Oddsmakers be damned! Get ready for The Final Drive!

Oh Tennessee. How could you? You somehow managed to give their first lowly Colts a victory whilst in the midst of your own playoff hunt. For shame. While it’s nice to get a win (I’m sure), Jim Caldwell should still get effing fired.

Another streak brought to a necessary conclusion! Honestly, as much as we generally thought the Packers COULD do it, it’s probably better that they didn’t. Injuries to their offensive line killed them yesterday against the Chief pass rush, just one facet of a defense that made it difficult on Aaron Rodgers. Well done Romeo Crennel. Oh yeah, and the Chiefs can somehow still get into the playoffs.

BOOM! You got TRAPPED Eli! This was such an obvious upset to pick, even in a day that ended up with a metric ton of stunning results. How the Giants could come out and lay an egg like this when they had a chance to put some distance in front of the Cowboys is appalling. (And hilarious.)

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.

Joe's 2011 Thanksgiving Day Preview posted by Joe Anello

It happens every year. Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, football and food comas. Unfortunately, you’ll want to pay attention to all three games today as they all feature teams with something to prove. It’s time for a breakdown of the holiday’s action!

(10-0) Green Bay Packers at
(7-3) Detroit Lions

Hey, remember when this looked like it could be a match-up between two undefeated teams? …That would have been AWESOME. Despite Detroit’s faltering along the way, this is still shaping up to be a tremendous game, with lots and LOTS of scoring. Green Bay has no need to run the ball and Detroit doesn’t have the ability to run, so expect 40 passes on the day for each quarterback. It’ll be a shoot-out to start the day.

(3-7) Miami Dolphins at
(6-4) Dallas Cowboys

Turkey Day Trap! Miami’s won three in a row and get to play on the road… where they’re actually better off. Dallas is coming off a dramatic but emotionally taxing win over the Redskins in overtime, so they might be taking these formerly 0-7 ‘Phins lightly. It won’t light up the scoreboard as much as our early game, but it could go right down to the wire.

The Opening Drive: Week 10, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

Week ten in this still-evolving NFL season gives us several division contests that will give the winner a hold on first place and several games pitting garbage on garbage. Let’s run through what to expect from the weekend’s slew of games!

(6-3) New Orleans Saints at
(5-3) Atlanta Falcons

It seems like we get a match-up with the NFC South lead on the line every other week. Atlanta’s been charging up the standings as of late, putting pressure on the less-than perfect Saints. Falcons at home? I like ‘em.

It’s put-up or shut-up time for the Bengals, who after getting a favorable schedule in the first half of the season have four games against their divisional rival Ravens and Steelers. (Two each.) If they’re going to catch the Steelers napping… it probably won’t be this week. After losing to the Ravens last week, the Steelers will be out for orange-hued blood.

(1-7) St. Louis Rams at
(3-5) Cleveland Browns

In a week that is full of crap-on-crap and top-on-top match-ups, this game earns a very weak “Trap of the Week” status. At home welcoming a one-win team should be a recipe for success, but the Browns are absolutely woeful on offense.

Joe's 2011 Midseason Musings posted by Joe Anello

It’s the mid-way point of the NFL season this week, which of course means plenty of pontificating and meaningless award giving. I want in on the fun so here are the 2011 Midseason Musings!

Offensive Rookie of the (Half) Year: Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

It’s easy to say Cam Newton since he has some wicked stat lines, but Dalton’s getting it done for a 6-2 that NO ONE thought would be a contender.  He’s up over 60% in completions and has twelve scores and only seven picks on the season. Thanks to fellow rookie A.J. Green, Dalton has the trappings of a bona fide Rookie of the Year.
Honorable Mention: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

Defensive Rookie of the (Half) Year: Aldon Smith, San Francisco 49ers

Yeah baby. He’s racked up 6.5 sacks and on a 7-1 team with a bruising defense. For all the talk of how raw he was going to be, he’s certainly bypassed the potential phase of his career. (At least in his first eight games.)
Honorable Mention: Von Miller, Denver Broncos

 

Biggest Surprise: Cincinnati Bengals

Yeah… I pretty much whiffed completely on this one in my preseason predictions. They may not be a legitimate AFC player, but they’re not the bottom-feeder many of us thought they’d be. Andy Dalton’s playing nearly mistake-free football with a great crop of wide-outs and the addition of Nate Clements to the defense has panned out thus far.

Ex-NFL WR Bobby Engram joins Pitt staff (AP)

Pittsburgh coach Paul Chryst has hired longtime NFL wide receiver Bobby Engram as the Panthers new wide receivers coach. Engram, who played in the NFL from 1996-2009, spent last season as an offensive assistant with the San Francisco 49ers. He finished with 650 receptions for 7,751 yards and 35 touchdowns while playing for the Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

WR Nicks among Giants to miss practice (AP)

Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks and rookie linebacker Jacquian Williams were among seven New York Giants who missed the team's first practice for the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots on Feb. 5. Nicks hurt his shoulder in the Giants' win over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Giants-49ers' NFC game scores big ratings for Fox (AP)

Maybe Fox should try Eli Manning on its next edition of "American Idol." Manning's New York Giants swept their way into the Super Bowl on Sunday in a game that was a ratings smash, good news for Fox that likely took the sting out of a lackluster return by "Idol." The Giants' victory over the San Francisco 49ers attracted an average of 57.6 million viewers, the second... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Manning's performance highlighted by New York Life Protection Index (AP)

NORTHBROOK, Ill. (STATS) -- Tom Brady didn't spend much time on the ground Sunday during the New England Patriots' nail-bitting victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game. Eli Manning wasn't as lucky. Manning continually picked himself up from the Candlestick Park turf against a ferocious San Francisco 49ers' pass rush. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

NFC title game draws over 57M viewers

The NFC Championship Game, a 20-17 overtime victory for the NewYork Giants over the San Francisco 49ers, drew over 57 millionviewers Sunday for FOX, according to Nielsen data released Tuesday. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL