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 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 Gameday Recap: Raiders 25, Bears 20 posted by Joe Anello

As I assumed, today’s loss to the Raiders was a slow, painful death. Chicago hung around after several costly turnovers, but couldn’t mount the offense to overcome Sebastian Janikowski’s six field goals and a late touchdown from Michael Bush, halting their five game win streak. As much as I’d prefer not to, let’s get to the breakdown.

Chicago Tribune

(7-4) Oakland Raiders 25
(7-4) Chicago Bears 20

With Caleb Hanie at the helm, the Bears struggled to move the ball through the air. Going into this game, most fans would have expected Martz to rely more heavily on the run than he would if Cutler was playing, but that wasn’t the case. The game started off balanced in terms of run/pass ratio, but that eventually faded away as Hanie was forced to throw from behind. However, Martz needed to give his QB help by focusing on getting the ball to Forte and Barber, both of which had solid numbers despite their lack of attempts. Hanie was jittery early on, overthrowing or vastly under-throwing his receivers, which led to the first and second of his three interceptions. He played relatively well after he settled down, making scrambles for large gains and big throws to Johnny Knox for a 29 yard TD in the second and a deep throw for 81 yards as the Bears mounted a miracle comeback in the fourth.

One of the key blunders of the game came on a trick screen play that came in Bear territory.  Hanie looked right but came back to Kellen Davis on the left side, but Kamerion Wimbley got in the way and took it back 73 yards. The execution was bad but the play-call was even worse. I have no idea what Mike Martz was thinking, I only know that it was utterly idiotic. The only positive on that play was the all-out hustle from Lance Louis, who ran down Wimbley from behind and horse-collared him for the touchdown-saving tackle.

Joe's 2011 Gameday Preview: Bears at Raiders posted by Joe Anello

It had to come sometime. After a week of waiting, we finally have to watch what the Bears 2011 regular season looks like without Jay Cutler. Chicago travels to the Black Hole today, taking on the Raiders in a hostile environment, led by fourth year back-up Caleb Hanie.

(7-3) Chicago Bears at
(6-4) Oakland Raiders

If Lovie Smith’s team is going to get their sixth straight win, Hanie will have to come out and prove early that he’s a threat to throw down the field. He doesn’t have nearly the arm strength that Cutler does (but who does, honestly), but he can get it deep when necessary. Chicago’s offense has been so successful this year because the idea of Jay going deep has loosened the defense for Matt Forte up front. With better offensive line protection, Hanie has to let his receivers take advantage of a soft set of Raider corners. Stanford Routt and Chris Johnson may have been in the league for several years, but that doesn’t mean they’re any good. Mike Martz has to jump on the Raiders in the first half and then rely on Forte to close this one out. Get a decent lead for this defense and they’ll get you a win. Just avoid taking heavy hits from a Raider defensive front that only needs to rush four to get to the quarterback. Richard Seymour will be coming on every play.

Speaking of that defense, they’ll have to contend with a resurging Carson Palmer and an Oakland offense that is shaping up to be everything Al Davis ever wanted. They pound their opponents with the ground game and air it out deep to their speedy wide-outs. With no Darren McFadden, Michael Bush and Taiwan Jones will share the load Sunday afternoon. Palmer’s been surprisingly solid in his last few starts, suggesting that he’s shaking off the rust from sitting at home for so long. His offensive line is tremendous in run-blocking, but their pass-blocking won’t hold up if the Raiders have to throw too often. Chicago’s corners will have to jump on Palmer’s short, quick passes as I still think he’s lost a bit of zip on his throws. Major Wright and Chris Conte must protect against the deep pass, so expect a lot of cover-two from Lovie Smith’s defense.

Joe's 2011 Thursday Night Preview: Raiders at Chargers posted by Joe Anello

Thursday Night Football is back! And they’ve got an AFC West match-up on tap for us tonight. It could be sloppy, but it should be more than entertaining as the Raiders make the short trip to take on the Chargers with first place in the division on the line. Welcome back Thursday Night Football… we missed you.

(4-4) Oakland Raiders at
(4-4) San Diego Chargers

So I say this game could be sloppy for two reasons: Philip Rivers and Carson Palmer. Rivers leads the league with 14 interceptions on the year, single-handedly bringing the Chargers down from a division-leading 4-1 to a middle of the pack 4-4. While San Diego’s defense is still playing at a relatively high level, they can’t defend against pick-sixes. Without Malcom Floyd, the Chargers will rely heavily on Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates to stretch the field. (Duh.)

In his six quarters as a Raider, Carson Palmer has six interceptions and has struggled to show any arm strength. Without Darren McFadden in the backfield, the Raiders will have to rely on Palmer’s still-unproven arm to get points on the board. It could be a big night for tight end Kevin Boss if Palmer can’t get anything down-field. Defensively, the Raider front-four are going to get after Philip Rivers as if their playoff lives depended on it. (They might.)

Enjoy the game everyone!

The Final Drive: Week 9, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

After a bunch of snoozers early Sunday, the late games went down to the wire and featured some fantastic finishes. Week nine did not disappoint, and neither will The Final Drive!

(5-3) New York Jets 27
(5-3) Buffalo Bills 11

For a game to finish with this score after 3-0 at the half the offenses needed help and they got it. This game was a turnover-filled mess. Ryan Fitzpatrick was highly inaccurate and managed to toss two interceptions that utterly killed his team’s drives, letting the Jets get extra possessions and dominate the clock. Rex Ryan keeps his good squad in the AFC East race for another week.

(5-3) Atlanta Falcons 31
(0-9) Indianapolis Colts 7

Why hasn’t Peyton Manning fired Jim Caldwell and promoted himself to head coach yet? This is getting out of hand.

(1-7) Miami Dolphins 31
(4-4) Kansas City Chiefs 3

My Ackbar-themed preview proved to be a success! (Maybe a “Trap of the Week?”) Kansas City came in flat and the Dolphins finally pulled out their first W of the year. Well done ‘Fins. Matt Moore didn’t look like utter garbage, which is always helpful.

(6-2) Cincinnati Bengals 24
(4-4) Tennessee Titans 17

It may not have been an overwhelming victory, but the Cincinnati Bengals have to get a ton of credit for picking up another win in this surprising season. As for the Titans, they’re slowly slipping out of the picture. Thanks Chris Johnson.

(3-5) Denver Broncos 38
(4-4) Oakland Raiders 2 

Dammit. I was ONE loss away from being finished with Tim Tebow. Everyone’s favorite Jesus-pumping QB didn’t look supremely terrible today. However, the Oakland defense sure did. If Willis McGahee is racking up 163 yards on you, you’ve got issues.

The Opening Drive: Week 9, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

Week nine in the NFL season is chock-full of significant division match-ups that could go a long way in deciding seeding come playoff time. Let’s waste no time with introductory witticisms, The Opening Drive starts now!

(4-3) New York Jets at
(5-2) Buffalo Bills

Is it odd that I like the Bills in this one? I just feel that even though Revis is playing out of his mind on defense, the Jets won’t have enough offense to match points with the Bills. Or ya know, the Bills could fall apart and give this one up.

How much of a spanking will the ‘Boys lay on the ‘Hawks today? This is a classic Dallas bounce-back game. They’ll light up a clearly inferior team and get some good publicity for the week.

Todd Haley should have brought in Admiral Ackbar as an inspirational speaker this week, because this game IS A TRAP! Miami is actually better on the road than they are at home, oddly enough. KC has a great chance to leap-frog San Diego and can’t afford to waste it.

The Bucs still bore me, but they’ve got a shot to sweep the Saints in their season series today. Whatever the result, you can bet we’re going to see some picks thrown from Freeman and Brees, who are tied for second in the league with 10 each. That alone might get me to tune in.

The Final Drive: Week 7, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

Yeah week seven! We saw one incredible comeback (and man-on-man action), several first time-starters and more than a few clunkers in this latest weekend of NFL action. I still loved every minute of it. Let’s start The Final Drive!

Apparently you shouldn’t taunt Matt Ryan when he’s injured… because he’ll come back two plays later and smoke you. As for the Lions; dropping two in a row and Matthew Stafford is “day to day” with ankle and knee injuries? Zoinks Scoob.

Yeah… Chris Johnson is hot garbage right now. He’s still dancing around like he’s at a nightclub during the lock-out. Without him, the Titans are also hot garbage, leaving Houston at the top of the division be default.

(2-4) Denver Broncos 18
(0-6) Miami Dolphins 15

Yeah Tim Tebow led a mind-boggling series of drives to come back from down 15 in the final three minutes, but he still looked like pure shit for three and a half quarters.  But, he did kiss Demaryius Thomas on the field after the win. Let the debate rage on! (Also, fire Tony Sparano right now.)

I feel bad for Charger fans who saw their team just pfft away a sure win to freaking Mark Sanchez and an ex-con. I said it.

Breaking Down the Palmer Deal: Who comes out on top? posted by Joe Anello

I originally mean to write this as a recap of the trade deadline deals, but since the only other Tuesday deal was just revoked because of Jerome Harrison’s brain tumor (how crazy was that), I can focus up on the big news of the day. Tuesday the Cincinnati Bengals finally traded disgruntled quarterback Carson Palmer. The deal? Palmer goes to Oakland, who sends back a first round draft pick in 2012 and a conditional second round pick in 2013 that could turn into a first rounder if the Raiders make it to the AFC title game in the next two years. A king’s ransom for an aging quarterback? Or a crafty move to save a season? Let’s break down this deal!

For as old, stubborn and curmudgeonly as Bengals owner Mike Brown is, you can say this: He made the right move. There was no possible way this deal would have come along this offseason, when Palmer was an afterthought at 32. He waited until a team was ripe with desperation and offered up the farm for a player that would never play for him again. Now he possibly has TWO number one draft picks coming back for Palmer, which apparently is the going rate for franchise quarterbacks. (See the Jay Cutler trade.)

They’ll be winners if Palmer gets anywhere near his former glory and gets them into the playoffs. They’ll be epic fails for years if he continues to decline as he has the fast three seasons following his slew of injuries. Once one of the top three quarterbacks in the NFL, Palmer has deteriorated in skill and probably isn’t worth this hefty price. That apparently didn’t matter to head coach Hue Jackson, who worked with Palmer before at USC and Cincy. Jackson’s been given the key to the car, let’s just hope he hasn’t traded his reliable pewter Corolla for a 90’s era Camaro with a busted axle, torn leather seats and a bullet hole in the engine block.  (Best analogy I had.)

The Final Drive: Week 6, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

In the insanity of week six in the NFL, we saw two coaches sorta get into a confrontation, one team stave off utter embarrassment, and one pooper of a Monday nighter between offensive dregs. The Final Drive starts right now!

Don’t look now, but the Bengals are an astounding 4-2 after whupping the down-and-out Colts. They’re actually keeping pace with Baltimore and Pittsburgh in the AFC North! Almost as big of a story are the reports that Indy might be shopping Dwight Freeney or Reggie Wayne at the trade deadline. No Peyton Manning really takes a toll.

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Week 6, 2011"

Raiders' receiver Heyward-Bey charged with DUI (Yahoo! Sports)

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From Yahoo! Sports

Raiders' Branch signs franchise tender

Safety Tyvon Branch has signed his $6.2 million dollar franchisetag tender and reported to workouts with the Oakland Raiders. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Raiders S Tyvon Branch signs franchise tender (Yahoo! Sports)

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) Oakland Raiders safety Tyvon Branch signed his $6.2 million franchise tag tender on Monday and reported to offseason workouts with the team. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Raiders sign QB Matt Leinart

The Oakland Raiders have signed quarterback Matt Leinart to acontract to back up Carson Palmer. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Raiders to bring Sorgi in for workout (Yahoo! Sports)

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) The Oakland Raiders are bringing in quarterback Jim Sorgi for a tryout. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports