It’s no secret that most professional athletes are goal-oriented individuals.  On Saturday, Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson took to Twitter and announced his goal to the world for the upcoming 2012 NFL Season—to lead the league in rushing. Johnson is no stranger to setting some fairly sky-scraping annual expectations for himself.  Prior to last season, he set a goal of 2,000 rushing yards, a grand total he eclipsed in his sophomore season in 2009. However, [...] Continue reading → | Chris Johnson, Chris Johnson 2012 Goals, Chris Johnson Stats, Chris Johnson Twitter, Michael Gartman, ProFootballTalk.com, Tennessee Titans, Tennessee Titans News

It was a year to forget for Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in 2011. The franchise suffered its worst record since Manning’s rookie year in 1998.  Now, as GridironGrit.com’s Ryan Lester elaborates, the [...] Continue reading → | 2012 Indianapolis Colts, 2012 NFL Draft, Andrew Luck, Andrew Luck Colts, Andrew Luck To Colts, Chuck Pagano, Greg Manusky, Indianapolis Colts, Indianapolis Colts 2012 NFL Draft, Indianapolis Colts 3-4 Defense, Michael Gartman, Peyton Manning, Ryan Lester

Strength vs. Strength.  It's a classic matchup of outstanding offense and deadly defense. GridironGrit.com’s Michael Gartman and Oren Shiri both provide their analysis for Championship Sunday.   MICHAEL'S PREVIEW The AFC Championship Game kicks into swing on Sunday at 3:00pm EST on CBS between [...] Continue reading → | 2012 AFC Championship Game, 2012 NFL Playoff Predictions, 2012 NFL Playoffs, Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots, Michael Gartman, Oren Shiri, Ravens vs. Patriots

Are you a fan of old-school smash mouth football?  Well, feast your eyes on the NFC Championship Game on Sunday at 6:30pm EST on FOX, featuring the New York Giants (11-7) at the San Francisco 49ers (14-3). GridironGrit.com’s Michael [...] Continue reading → | 2012 NFC Championship Game, 2012 NFL Playoff Predictions, 2012 NFL Playoffs, Ahmad Bradshaw, Ahmad Brooks, Aldon Smith, Alex Smith, Alex Smith Re-Born, Chris Burke, Eli Manning, Frank Gore, Giants vs. 49ers, Jim Harbaugh, Justin Smith, Michael Gartman, New York Giants vs. San Francisco 49ers, Oren Shiri, Peter King, SI.com, Tom Coughlin

The much-improved Houston Texans (11-7) battled toe-to-toe with the potentially Super Bowl bound Baltimore Ravens (13-4) for four full quarters, but came up just a hair short, as the Ravens prevailed 20-13 and advance to play the New England Patriots (14-3) on the road next Sunday at 3:00pm EST in the AFC Championship Game. However, it was far from a banner, dominate showing by Baltimore.  The Texans performed better in the running game.  Arian Foster chalked up 132 yards on 27 carries with a touchdown and five [...] Continue reading → | 2012 AFC Championship Game, 2012 NFL Playoffs, Arian Foster, Baltimore Ravens, Barry Barnes, Ben Reiter, Ed Reed, Houston Texans, Jacoby Jones, Jonathan Mathis, Kevin Walter, Matt Schaub, Michael Gartman, Ravens Beat Texans 20-13, Ravens Can Beat Patriots, Ray Rice, Ricky Williams, T.J. Yates, Texans Outplayed Ravens, Texans vs. Ravens Playoff Game Recap, Twitter

Do you love defense?  The third clash in the Divisional Round of the 2012 NFL Playoffs features a bare-knuckles brawl between the Houston Texans (11-6) and Baltimore Ravens (12-4) in M&T Bank Stadium at 1:00pm EST on CBS. The parallels between these two teams in postseason play are almost unparalleled. [...] Continue reading → | 2012 NFL Playoff Predictions, 2012 NFL Playoffs, Andre Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Arian Foster, Baltimore Ravens, Ben Tate, Houston Texans, Joe Flacco, Michael Gartman, Ray Rice, T.J. Yates, Texans To Upset Ravens, Texans vs. Ravens

Well, they did it again.  Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos (9-8) capped off the wildcard round of the 2012 NFL Playoffs with yet another wild and unreal fantastic finish, knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers in remarkable overtime fashion to advance to the Divisional Round with a rematch scheduled against Tom Bradyand the top-seeded New England Patriots (13-3) on Saturday night at 8:30pm EST on CBS at [...] Continue reading → | 2012 NFL Playoff Predictions, 2012 NFL Playoffs, Broncos at Patriots Injury Report, Broncos Upset Patriots, Broncos vs. Patriots, Daniel Fells, Denver Broncos, Jason La Canfora, Michael Gartman, New England Patriots, Tim Tebow, Tim Tebow vs. Tom Brady Stats, Tom Brady

The 2012 NFL Playoffs have already been chock-full of surprises and the Divisional Round should feature much more of the same.  It all kicks into swing with Drew Brees and the high-flying New Orleans Saints (14-3)—fresh off scoring their third consecutive forty-five burger at the rejuvenated San Francisco 49ers (13-3) on Saturday at 4:30pm EST on FOX. [...] Continue reading → | 2012 NFL Playoffs, Alex Smith, Drew Brees, Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter, Michael Gartman, New Orleans Saints, Saints vs. 49ers, Saints vs. 49ers Predictions, Saints vs. 49ers Preview, San Francisco 49ers

Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos (8-8) host Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) to wrap up the Wildcard round in the 2012 NFL playoffs in Mile High Stadium at 4:30pm EST on CBS. Each of the first three games have been decided by at least 17 points in the postseason and expectations for this defensive grudge match aren’t very different.  However, there are many factors that could keep the Broncos in this game and possibly even help them pull off a shocking upset. Like Houston, Denver heads into the playoffs [...] Continue reading → | 2012 NFL Playoff Predictions, 2012 NFL Playoffs, Ben Roethlisberger, Denver Broncos, Michael Gartman, Pittsburgh Steelers, Steelers vs. Broncos, Tim Tebow

Home sweet home.  The Houston Texans (11-6) and New Orleans Saints (14-3) were both at home on Saturday and won with conviction in the Wildcard round over Cincinnati and Detroit by a combined score of 76-38. Sunday's NFC showdown kicks off at 1:00pm EST on FOX with the Atlanta Falcons (10-6) at the New York Giants (9-7) at MetLife Stadium, followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) at the  [...] Continue reading → | 2011 NFL Playoffs, 2011 NFL Playoffs Predictions, Atlanta Falcons, Eli Manning, Falcons vs. Giants, Michael Gartman, michael turner, Mike Smith, New York Giants