The 2012 NFL Draft: A First Round Tease posted by Joe Anello

Every year the first round of the NFL Draft delivers plenty of stories to discuss during the night as we prepare for the next day of analysis. The 2012 installment will be no exception with all sorts of plot lines to watch for as the night progresses. Here’s what could attract your attention as you tune in on Thursday night:

After the lack of intrigue at the first and second picks, Minnesota has been trying to stir up any sort of possible interest in the third overall selection. After tackle Matt Kalil had been penned, there’s been talk of them trying to trade down or even that they’d take corner Morris Claiborne instead. At the end of the day, they’ll likely just stand pat and take a left tackle to protect Christian Ponder. Doesn’t hurt to try I guess.

Aside from Andrew Luck, Trent Richardson has been regarded by some as the best player in this draft. He could find himself as a Brown at four, a Buc at five or a Ram at six. And he won’t drop any further. Tampa Bay would LOVE him, but it depends on if Cleveland’s trying to land a QB or go for a receiver to help out Colt McCoy.

Wanting to get out of the number two overall pick, the Rams moved back to number six thanks to a trade with the desperate Redskins. Now they have to ensure that these draft assets are put to good use, starting with their first round pick. Is receiver Justin Blackmon available for them to pair with Sam Bradford?

2012 NFL Free Agency: Day Two posted by Joe Anello

The second day of free agency may not have been as fast and furious as the first, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty of headlines made. Let’s get right into the news of the day!

-News flash: Calvin Johnson is pretty damn good. And now he’s pretty damn rich, signing the richest contract in NFL history on Wednesday. The extension, which tweaks the final year of his previous deal, adds seven more with a dollar value of $132 million. Johnson may not be actually “worth” the money, but the Lions couldn’t afford not to lock him down for the long term.

- As expected, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continued their spending spree, signing guard Carl Nicks to bolster their offensive line. I’ve already heard some pundits talking of the Bucs’ line as if it could be the best in football next season. Slow your freaking horses boys. It takes a LOT more than a really great guard to make a successful offensive line. That being said, it was a position the Bucs desperately needed to upgrade.

-DeSean Jackson was punished y the Eagles, franchised by the Eagles, and then rewarded by the Eagles. His newly signed five years, $47 million deal is just Philly rewarding his unprofessional behavior with long-term security. I know they’re banking on him settling down with less financial woes to trouble him, but this isn’t a wise decision in my books. At least we’ll see more of this…

Pick Six: Week 16 posted by Randolph Charlotin

1. We often hear how good offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia is. On Sunday, we saw exactly why. LT Matt Light was scratched from the game minutes before kickoff. LG Logan Mankins slid over to fill the spot and reserve Donald Thomas stepped in for Mankins. When Mankins went down with a knee injury, rookie Nate Solder flipped from right tackle to left and Marcus Cannon, another rookie, took over on the right side. It wasn’t a smooth transition, as QB Tom Brady was sacked three times in the first half, but Scarnecchia’s half time adjustments led to one sack allowed and 86 of the team’s 119 rushing yards. Patriots fans should be Tebowing in honor of Scarnecchia. Eh…on second thought…maybe not. But coach Scar deserves praise from Patriot Nation.

2. Like the Boston Bruins scoring goals with less than a minute between them, New England players are grouping statistics. DT Vince Wilfork recovered a fumble for a second week in a row. LB Jerod Mayo picked up his first two sacks of the season. And Brady rushed for two touchdowns after a one-yard plunge last week.

3. Talking about Brady, he broke two personal records on Sunday: passing yards in a season and rushing touchdowns in a season. And he still has one game left to go to add to both totals.

4. DE Shawn Ellis was elevated to starter to replace Andre Carter, who was placed on injured reserve. Ellis rewarded the decision with his first sack of the season. Ellis will be paid $4 million this year. Carter will get $2.25 million. One is a bargain, the other a bust so far. Don’t you hate to say New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan was right?

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.

Hours Before Kickoff: Week 16 posted by Randolph Charlotin

For pretty much all season, the Patriots had the worst pass defense in the league. If the two-week trend continues, they will have a league worst rush defense to match.

The Denver Broncos repeatedly gashed the D for 252 yards. The week before the Washington Redskins plowed their way to 170 yards. What was a decent run defense for 13 weeks became generous, as if they have the Christmas Sprit.

Despite allowing more than 400 total yards per game, New England allows 21.2 points per game, 15th in the NFL.

Bend but don’t break? You got it. It’s been good enough for an 11-3 record. But will this work in the playoffs?

B.B.D.B. defense is typically a recipe for failure in the playoffs. Sure the defense can take advantage of lesser teams by forcing turnovers or red zone field goals. It worked so far, though not without some close calls.

Think about some of the teams that had good offensive games against New England. Denver, notoriously slow starters, put up 16 points with just 16:10 elapsed. Washington almost tied the game on the final drive, but still poured in 27 points. Indianapolis made the fourth quarter look like 7-on-7 drills as they scored 21 points. Buffalo buried New England under 34 points. And Miami couldn’t match New England’s firepower as they petered out at 24 points in the season opening shootout.

Only Denver has a winning record of the group, but ranks 20th in scoring at 20.9 points. The other teams are a combined 17-40. Defensive flexibility was good enough for four wins out of five against those teams.

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.

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 Final Drive: Week 11, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

There are plenty of close games to discuss from the week 11 slate, some with interesting consequences for the division races involved. The Final Drive. It’s on.

So… this time the glove works? Man Stafford, get it together! Same goes to Cam Newton and the Panthers. Eventually you guys are going to have to win a game in order for anyone to take you seriously.

Successful or not, you have to admire the balls on Raheem Morris to go for two onside kicks on the defending champions. These amount of points and yardage the Bucs were able to rack up on Green Bay make this Lions-Packers Thanksgiving game all the more interesting.

WTF Buffalo. What is your deal? You start off 4-0 and then drop 5 of 6? To make it worse, they’ve dropped these last few in tremendously embarrassing fashion, all but ensuring they’re headed for another collapse. Shame on you for fooling us Buffalo.

My trap prediction apparently rang true. Kudos to Dallas for escaping with a divisional road win, tying them with the Giants, who tripped up in a home loss. Don’t ask me to ever pick anything in the NFC East again though.

The Opening Drive, Week 7, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

Week seven in the NFL features the annual London affair, an early battle for the AFC South, and Kyle Boller starting at quarterback. (And it’s not 2003. I know. So odd.) The Opening Drive gets you ready for the day’s action!

Atlanta’s in danger of falling WAY behind in the South if they drop another game this early in the season. No Jahvid Best for the Lions means Maurice Morris starts for the Lions. Which in turn means NO running game whatsoever. So that Falcons D has to think about covering Calvin Johnson. It’s a good idea.

These two teams are lining up to take the AFC South crown with little to no resistance from the rest of their division. This game could go a long way in establishing who emerges as the front-runner in a mediocre division.

“Tim Tebow Time.” I’m more excited about never saying that phrase again more than I am about this game. Can you imagine if he loses to the winless Dolphins? Hilarious.

I REALLY want to see Philip Rivers and the Chargers demolish this Jet defense. If the Jets slip to below .500 in their division, they begin to slip off the playoff precipice. This feels like a “Mark Sanchez bounces back so he can disguise how awful he really is” kind of game, but I can’t take the Jets at all.

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.

2012 Miami Dolphins Schedule (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

The 2012 Miami Dolphins' schedule begins on Sunday, Sept. 9, when the team travels to play the Houston Texans. The team has no Monday night games this year, but does get to play a Thursday night game on Nov. 15 against the Buffalo Bills. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Dolphins give LB Wake extension through 2016 (Yahoo! Sports)

MIAMI (AP) The Miami Dolphins have extended linebacker Cameron Wake's contract through the 2016 season. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Cameron Wake agrees to extension with Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins have hammered out a $49 million contractextension with star pass rusher Cameron Wake that includes $20million in guaranteed money, a league source confirmed. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Wes Welker: Larry Izzo once got a game ball for pooping on the sideline (Shutdown Corner)

Now that many elite NFL players have broken down the stigma of "adult protective undergarments" with their Depend endorsements (we recently spoke to Wes Welker , Clay Matthews , and DeMarcus Ware on this very subject), a new NFL topic has been making the rounds: How do players deal with it when they're in the middle of a game, and nature calls at a DEFCON level? Per Yahoo's own Jeff Passan , the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's Jered Weaver dealt with this issue as he was twirling his no-hitter Wednesday night, but it's a bit easier when you have the breakup of innings to deal with what must be dealt with. Speaking with ESPN's Dan LeBatard on Wednesday, Welker confirmed a story told to LeBatard by Zach Thomas of the Miami Dolphins. The All-Pro receiver revealed that former New England Patriots teammate Larry Izzo once dealt with a #2 issue in his own no-nonsense fashion -- and earned a game ball for his trouble because he did so without anybody noticing. "This is 100% true," Welker said. "And Larry would be so mad at me if I said that this did not happen, because he takes ultimate pride in this whole deal. Of all the special teams tackles and Pro Bowls he's made, I guarantee you that game ball is probably a more prized item for him than his Super Bowl rings." Asked how Izzo managed to get away with it, Welker made it very simple: "Because he's Izzo! It's what he does. I'm telling you -- the guy is phenomenal! The only time I see Larry is when he comes out of the bathroom to get a clothes hanger. He has issues. He takes, like, eight Red Bulls, and all these supplements to try and get ready for the game. He's just phenomenal." Welker also spoke about the "insane" toilet in Tom Brady's house. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

2012 Houston Texans Schedule (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

The 2012 Houston Texans' schedule begins on Sunday, Sept. 9, when the team hosts the Miami Dolphins. After posting a 10-6 record last season, the Texans look to make it back to the AFC Playoffs in a division that might not present that much of a challenge. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports