If the first three days of free agency told us anything, it’s that the wide receiver position is considered more valuable than ever. Six of our Top 10 free agent receivers are already signed, while several others have been picked up or given new contracts. Traditional thinking has long been that a good offense needs a playmaking star at No. 1 receiver, a reliable possession target at No. 2 and a darting third down maestro in the slot at No. 3. But look closer at the transactions this week and you’ll see that these roles are becoming less relevant. [...]
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| Andre Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Brandon Marshall Bears, Calvin Johnson, Joe Philbin, Larry Fitzgerald, Laurent Robinson, Marques Colston, Miami Dolphins, Vincent Jackson contract
TOP 10 FREE AGENT DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Disclaimer: Remember, roughly 90 percent of free agents are only free agents because they’re last team did not want them.
FIRST CLASS ELITE
none
PRO BOWL CALIBER
1. Mario Williams, DE (last team HOU, 27 years old)
Missed the final 11 games last season with a torn pec muscle, which is an injury that is prone to [...]
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| Cortland Finnegan, David Hawthorne, free agency 2012, JOHN ABRAHAM, Mario Williams free agent, NFL free agents 2012, Stephen Tulloch
TOP 10 FREE AGENT QUARTERBACKS
Disclaimer: Remember, roughly 90 percent of free agents are only free agents because their last team didn’t want them.
FIRST CLASS ELITE
1. Peyton Manning (Last team IND, currently 35 years old)
See “Weighing Risk and Reward on Peyton Manning”
[...]
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| Carl Nicks, free agent running backs, Free Agent Wide Receivers, NFL 2012 Free Agency, NFL free agent rankings, Peyton Manning, Vincent Jackson
Disclaimer: Remember, roughly 90 percent of free agents are free agents only because their last team didn’t want them.
FIRST-CLASS ELITE
1. Peyton Manning (Last team IND, currently 35 years old)
See “Weighing Risk and Reward on Peyton Manning”
PRO BOWL CALIBER
None
QUALITY STARTER
2. Matt Flynn (GB, 26)
The most [...]
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| Alex Smith, Kyle Orton, Matt Flynn, NFL 2012 Free Agency, Peyton Manning
Broncos 29, Steelers 23 (OT)
We’re supposed to be talking about an all-time fourth quarter performance from a gimpy Ben Roethlisberger and his darting young receivers. Or, about the debut of the NFL’s new playoff overtime format. Instead, we’re once again talking about the magic of Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos – though justifiably this time.
In his biggest game as a pro, Tebow disproved (at least temporarily) his legions of naysayers by connecting on throws against man coverage. That’s [...]
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| Andy Dalton, Ben Roethlisberger, Calvin Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals, Demaryius Thomas, Detroit Lions, Drew Brees, Houston Texans, Ike Taylor, J.J. Watt, Tim Tebow, Tim Tebow vs. Steelers
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="295" caption="Photo Via TheHasBeenSports.com"][/caption]
Matthew Stafford has led the Detroit Lions (10-6) to their first playoff appearance since 1999 and Drew Brees has the relentless and ridiculous record-setting [...]
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| 2011 NFL Playoff Predictions, 2011 NFL Playoffs, Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions, Drew Brees, Lions vs. Saints, Michael Gartman, New Orleans Saints
Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) @ Houston Texans (10-6)
Bengals O vs. Texans D
The Bengals’ power run game, which features bell cow Cedric Benson and a meaty five-or-sometimes-six-man offensive line, struggles a bit against fast defensive front sevens. The reason is Benson has underrated lateral agility and short area quickness, but he lacks the necessary initial quickness to explode [...]
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| Andy Dalton, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnait Bengals, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions playoffs, Eli Manning, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, T.J. Yates, Tim Tebow playoffs
Chargers 26, Raiders 17
We start with this game because it had a domino effect on many of the AFC playoff races. Or, rather, it could have had a domino effect. A Raiders victory would have made the Broncos-Chiefs, Bengals-Ravens and, in retrospect, Titans-Texans games infinitely more significant. Unfortunately, the Black & Silver fell flat, which allowed the Broncos and Bengals to back into the postseason (kudos to the NFL for scheduling these contests at the same time, thus keeping the drama alive for most of the afternoon).
Oakland’s secondary – which had been depleted over the last two months so much that Lito Sheppard played nearly every snap – had no answer for Malcom Floyd and Antonio Gates.
Normally this is where we start speculating about when [...]
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| Atlanta Falcons, Chris Ivory, Eli Manning, Mark Sanchez, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL playoffs, NFL wild cards, Rob Ryan, Tim Tebow
The 2011 NFL regular season has been one for the books and it’s about to end with a bang in Week 17.
There are 16 division collisions and most of them happen to be mouth-watering marquee matchups with postseason ramifications included.
Elite contenders and perennial pretenders alike are fighting for their lives for a last-minute playoff push and all-important postseason positioning, while many teams already eliminated are extremely eager to wreck their rivals’ hopes and dreams of reaching the big stage.
Happy New Year and I hope you enjoy this week’s action! Be sure to comment below!
Last Week: 10-6 (161-79 Overall)
Buffalo (6-9) at New England (12-3) (CBS, 1:00pm [...]
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| 2011 NFL Predictions, Albert Breer, Jason La Canfora, Michael Gartman, NFL picks Week 17, NFL predictions Week 17, NFL Week 17 Playoff Scenarios, NFL.com, Peter King, SI.com
The holiday season couples many of the things we covet most in life—family, friends, faith, food and football.
Christmas reminds us that miracles can happen and that God is always here to light the way in the darkness.
It’s also important to remember that it always feels better to give than to receive.
On behalf of everyone at GridironGrit.com and NFLTouchdown.com, we hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas (and Happy Hanukkah) and enjoy a Happy New Year!
Week 16 was [...]
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Detroit Lions
