Analyzing the 10 hottest stories in the NFL right now.
1. Manning slow decision: trickle down effect
We expected the most decorated free agent in NFL history to have selected a new team by now. We’re still waiting, and the fate of three franchises – the Titans, Broncos and 49ers – hangs in the air. The longer the wait, the more devastating the failed Manning pursuit will be for two of those franchises – at least in terms of team morale. The Titans risk little by chasing Manning. Having made it clear after the season that they’re entering 2012 with a quarterback competition between Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker, the confidence and credibility of their next signal-caller had already been a bit compromised. Pursuing Manning makes [...]
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| Alex Smith, Denver Broncos, Gregg Williams punishment, JONATHAN VILMA, Matt Flynn, Miami Dolphins, NFL free agency, Peyton Manning, Saints bounties, San Francisco 49ers, Tim Tebow
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
Giants 37, Packers 20
All week America focused on the Giants pass-rush. In the end, it wound up being the Giants secondary that felled the 15-1 Packers. Corey Webster and Aaron Ross were tremendous outside, Antrel Rolle tightened down the slot and safeties Deon Grant and Kenny Phillips astutely identified route combinations over the top. Even perpetually bullied rookie Prince Amukamara prevented any passes from coming his way on a handful of second half cameos.
The best statistical illustration of the Giants’ sensational coverage wasn’t that no Packer receiver had more than four catches or 45 yards, or that Aaron Rodgers registered a season-worst 5.7 yards per attempt. It’s that Rodgers ran the ball seven times. Granted, he gained 66 yards and picked up five [...]
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| Aaron Rodgers, Alex Smith, Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Drew Brees, Ed Reed, Eli Manning, Houston Texans, New England Patriots, New Olreans Saints, New York Giants, T.J. Yates, Tebow Patriots, Tim Tebow, Tom Brady
The NFL Wild-Card round showcased some great moments this weekend especially Sunday night with Tim Tebow and the Broncos pulling out an overtime victory.
Tebow gets a lot of the credit in the 29-23 win because of his [...]
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New Orleans Saints (14-3) @ San Francisco 49ers (13-3)
Saints O vs. 49ers D
This is far and away the most challenging test for the Saints offense thus far. In fact, New Orleans faced only two top-10 defenses (yardage-wise) this season: Houston in Week 3 and Jacksonville in Week 4. San Francisco’s defense finished fourth in terms of yardage. Considering it ranked first in turnovers and tied for seventh in sacks, it’s arguably football’s best all-around defense.
Of course, it’s not like this defense has faced an offense as potent as New Orleans’s, either. The Niners thrive in part because they’re that rare team with two [...]
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| 49ers vs. Saints, Aaron Rodgers, Broncos vs. Patriots, Giants vs. Packers, NFL playoff preidctions, NFL playoffs, Ravens vs.Texans, Tim Tebow Patriots, Tom Brady vs. Tim Tebow
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
Green Bay Packers
