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.

The Jets Are Something To Watch posted by Richard Kagan

I am gonna watch the Jets this season.  It's a soap opera that will likely become an Edgar Allan Poe story when the season starts.  This season will likely be a scary one for Jet's fans.  It doesn't matter who decided that Tim Tebow is a Jets.  He is a Jet and the motives for his joining the team are all under speculation.  The Jets want to get some PR of their own, since the NY Giants are current Super Bowl champs.  Someone needs to push Mark Sanchez to find his mojo after losing it last seaon.  The Jets love the ground game, and now they have an offensive threat to run the ball. 

Whatever the reason, Tim Tebow will be on the sidelines and fans will be glued to the back of his jersey.  You will have kids buying his jersey and other Jets stuff to rival that of Linsanity.  One thing noted here, I don't see a happy ending for this move.  One, because it's the Jets.  Two, Sanchez will be affected by Tebow's presence before the season starts.  He knows, it's a matter of time before he gets yanked.  Three, defenses will be ready for Tebow time.  You have essentially two offenses and it is hard to run one offense.  It looks good on paper, so does a $2.00 bill.  When all is said and done, there might be a ship floundering in the Hudson, and that could be the Jets season.  Fasten your seltbelts, it is going to be a wild ride.

Thoughts on Tim Tebow and NY Jets posted by Richard Kagan

The Jets sign Matt Sanchez to a mult-year deal, and days later trade for Tim Tebow of the Broncos when Payton Manning went to Denver.  It's seen a seismic off-season and the Jets rolled the dice.  I don't think this trade is going to work out for NY.  Sanchez will struggle next season and then Tebow will be called in and this time, I don't think he will be the savior as he was in Denver.  But remember, we're talking about the Jets, and nothing works out for them.  I think this was a mistake made in the highest levels of the team.  Tim Tebow will get plenty of media coverage and you can take that to the bank.  In the end, The Giants will still own this town.  If the Jets wanted a little PR of their own, they got a heck of a lot more.  The Jets will be asking their offense to learn two offenses.  One for Sanchez, the other for Tebow.  They aren't even asking Tebow to throw the ball, just to eat yards, and occasionally hit a guy.  As long as the crowd loves it.  Maybe after one win there will be Timsanity.  But the honeymoon will end with a crash.  Sanchez has consistency issues, and Tebow can't read defensive schemes.   Before you know, Buddy Ryan will be gone.  It wouldn't be surprised.

This town  eats coaches for breakfast.  Look what happened to Mike D'Antoni?  How do you go from a hot 7 game winning streak to a 6 game losing streak, and the players up and quit?  In NY, you do.  Mike took his cash and is probably lounging in Barbados about now or a secluded island.  Enjoy the good life, you earned it.

Tebow is a New York Jet: Yay or Nay? posted by Joe Anello

On the same day the Saints were punished by Roger Goodell, the New York Jets attempted to steal the headlines once again by trading for the surprisingly polarizing Tim Tebow. I say surprisingly because it’s shocking that anyone gives this much of a horse’s crap about an obviously inadequate quarterback. I don’t care how hardcore Christian he is. New York sent Denver a fourth and sixth round pick in return for the QB and a seventh round selection. After a snag about contractual obligations was resolved, Tim Tebow was a Jet. Despite my misgivings about Tebow the QB, I still feel the need to discuss the trade because it has some significant downstream consequences and subtext.

First off, let me address how this trade improves the Jets. Uh… I guess new OC Tony Sparano wants to use him as his Ronnie Brown so he can keep running the wildcat? Instead of Brad Smith, whom the Jets lost in free agency last offseason, they will be able to sub in Tebow with certain packages designed to take advantage of his skill set. Aside from that wrinkle, I’m not sure how useful he’ll be in a back-up role. He’s not exactly steady and consistent. If Rex Ryan had trouble muzzling Sanchez, you won’t believe the issues he’ll have reigning in the drama that comes with The Chosen One.

This move also proves that the Broncos had no interest in keeping Tim as a back-up to Manning. The reasons are simple. The first reason being that Tebow and Manning are polar opposite quarterbacks and cannot run the same offensive scheme. Manning gets the ball out quick and is a deftly-footed statue in the pocket. Tebow, on the other hand, has a slow release and loves being anywhere but inside the tackle box. One cannot do what the other does. Therefore having both of them on your roster means having what amounts to an entirely different playbook when the back-up is in the game. How’s that helpful?

The Final Drive: Week 17, 2011-12 posted by Joe Anello

The 2011 NFL regular season ended with a bang with some great finishes and superb drama on Sunday. Records were set by a back-up QB, a team captain was benched for “quitting” and a fat-handed QB lost missed out on the post-season. The Final Drive must begin!

This makes me beyond furious. Mike McCarthy takes out his MVP quarterback and starts a fourth year back-up with one career start in Matt Flynn, and f*cking records are broken. Six touchdowns? 480 yards? Who wouldn’t want to be Matt Flynn right now? That guy is about to make BANK as a free agent. Blow me Green Bay. Take your awesome quarterback development and blow me.

(6-10) Miami Dolphins 19
(8-8) New York Jets 17
Mark Sanchez: 3 interceptions. Santonio Holmes: benched and called out as a whiny quitter by his teammates.  (Seriously. Worst team captain ever.) Bart Scott: flips off a photographer and refuses to talk to the media (For once). Finally seeing theses loathsome Jets miss the playoffs is SO satisfying to me. Take it Rex Ryan. Take it hard.

I don’t give a crap about the result of this game. What I do care about is DeSean Jackson deciding to actually play like he means it and be remorseful for his completely idiotic actions this season in the last game of the year. I’d be surprised (not stunned though) if the Eagles kept Jackson around. Maybe franchise him and get him on a one-year deal, but you would have thought he’d have been on better behavior once he showed up to 2011.

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 16, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

Christmas Eve or not, there’s no way I’d let a schedule of great NFL action slip past my nets! The playoff positioning is settling in, but there’s some unresolved business in the NFC East with two pivotal games on Saturday. There’s plenty to talk about in week 16, so let’s get right to it!

John Skelton gets another chance to prove how little publicity the Cardinals can garner, despite his Tebowian winning ways. They travel to Cincy to take on the Bengals, who are desperate to climb back into the playoffs after stumbling the past few weeks. (I mean, they didn’t exactly blow out St. Louis.)

Can a game between a 7-7 and 8-6 team be any more unnecessarily hyped? I know there’s playoff hopes on the line and it’s between the two New York squads, but please, can we settle down slightly? The Jets defense has been utterly mediocre and Mark Sanchez has regressed. Give me Eli and the inconsistent Giants in this one.

This one would be almost not worth writing about except for Big Ben’s injury. Instead, the ancient Charlie Batch will get the start against the lowly Rams, a team that is now in the running for the first pick in April’s draft. I’m picking the Steeler defense in this match-up… because not much else excites me.

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 Opening Drive: Week 15, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

Week 15??? Really? Time goes by so fast! With the playoff races tight and Tebow versus Brady on the schedule, week 15 has everything you want. Let’s set-up for The Opening Drive!

We’re starting this week’s drive by diving right into the “Trap of the Week!” The Giants are coming off a huge win against the Cowboys, with whom they’re tussling for the division title. It would be fitting of this annually inconsistent team to lose a game late in the season that they absolutely should win.

I seriously have no idea what’s going on in this game. Two aggressive defensive lines, but two very different offenses will take the field. The Lions can’t run the ball to save their lives and the Raiders would prefer to simply pound you into the dust. Something has to give.

Speaking of something has to give… I will do anything to be able to see a beatdown of these Broncos. Tom Brady… I will do ANYTHING. Just have the Patriot PR person get in touch with me. Away from divine interference on the field, I simply don’t see the Broncos keeping pace offensively with the Patriots. Brady should have a two-touchdown lead going into the fourth quarter, which should be more than enough. If the Pats score more than 24, they should win.

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

Namath favors Sanchez over Tebow

Joe Namath is a Mark Sanchez fan. Namath has made it clear hefavors Sanchez to be the starting quarterback over Tim Tebow forNamath's old team, the New York Jets. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

New York Jets' Top Three Offseason Concerns: Fan's View (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

The New York Jets deserve a ton of credit for convincing fans and the local media that the locker-room issues that cost the team a playoff spot in 2011 are a thing of the past. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Source: Jets decline 'Hard Knocks'

A person familiar with the decision says the New York Jets havedecided to not participate in HBO's ''Hard Knocks'' this summerafter being approached by HBO about appearing in the hit showagain. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Tebow works exclusively at quarterback

Tim Tebow says he has worked exclusively at quarterback as MarkSanchez's backup during the early portion of the New York Jets'offseason program, and is ''just trying to learn the offense.'' [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Jets' Tebow says he's working only at QB so far (Yahoo! Sports)

[read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports