(6-2) Cincinnati Bengals 17
(4-4) Baltimore Ravens 7

So the Bengals are 4-0 in their division. Who saw that coming? Joe Flacco was less than his usual efficient self while Carson Palmer aired it out enough to win. The real difference maker was the running game. Baltimore’s Ray Rice only carried the ball 12 times for 48 yards while Cedric Benson garnered 117 yards on 34 carries. Benson definitely grinded it out, but he’s had two 100+ yard rushing days against the Ravens defense. That can’t be ignored. Also hard to miss is that Bengals defense. Yikes.

Continue reading "Joes Final Drive Week 9"

Probably the biggest surprise regarding New England’s draft class is that all 12 players made the final roster. Even DT Darryl Richard wasn’t visited by the turk.

It may take one to three years to find out if the whole draft class pans out or which ones get left on the side of the road. But how do the Pats rookies stack up against their peers?

The players have to get playing time in order to make these comparisons fair. It’s really a losing battle as it boils down to five against about 250 rookies. But New England’s newbies compare well overall:

Continue reading "Rookies vs Rookies"

A slew of division match-ups are highlighted in this week’s NFL schedule. First place is up for grabs in the NFC East and one team hopes to avoid falling further behind the Colts in the AFC South. What games should you be watching? Find out in the Opening Drive of week nine!

(4-3) Baltimore Ravens at (5-2) Cincinnati Bengals

With the Ravens, Bengals and Steelers all making a case for their place atop the AFC North, this game will go a long way in deciding the final two. If Baltimore is swept by Cincinnati, they’ll drop back to .500 while the Bengals and Steelers fight it out. The Ravens dominated Denver in the second half of last week’s game, thanks to Joe Flacco’s efficiency with the football. He’ll need a repeat performance if he’s going to keep up with Carson Palmer, who is playing on a Pro Bowl level. Both offenses have depending on a balanced attack, so look for each defense to shut down the run.

Continue reading "Joes Opening Drive Week 9"

The Giants once again dominated the time of possession against the Eagles, holding the ball for over 35 minutes, and they again had a "healthy" balance of run and pass plays.  They actually ran the ball 32 times in this game, 8 more times than the Eagles.  They also lost the game 40-17, and were outperformed in every phase of the game.  The one thing the Giants did more effectively than Philly was to actually run down the game clock, effectively taking care of that for the Eagles by taking way too long in their drives, and running an absurd number of draw and running plays while trailing by 24 points.  

There is something fundamentally wrong with the Giants offensive philosophy.  The defense also looked horrendous, and they have for long stretches of this season, but for now I'll concentrate on criticizing the 1940's style, "power football" that the Giants are employing on offense.  Sometimes the play-calling and formations of the offense truly baffle me.  They continue to try to establish the run early in games, and lately with very little effectiveness.  I personally have nothing against running the ball, and all teams need to have some kind of balance, but the Giants take it too far.  Most good teams (like Pittsburgh and New England) nowadays pass early in the game to take the lead, and then run, to run down the clock.  The Giants run all the time, no matter the situation, which shortens the game and limits their number of possessions.  They often dominate games in terms of yardage and T.O.P. and yet they struggle in the red-zone and don't put up enough points.  Their slow tempo on offense also allows vastly inferior opponents to still have a chance to win, because they rarely jump out to big leads.  (For example, they completely dominated Tampa Bay in week 3, didn’t allow a first down in the first three quarters and for about the first 40 minutes of the game were only up two scores.)  The last three weeks, the Giants have fallen behind early and shown absolutely no ability to run an up-tempo offense.  Maybe they overestimated the ability of their defense, but the lack of urgency or creativity from the offense boggles the mind.

Continue reading "Thoughts following a terrible loss to the Eagles 11-1-09"

     President Barack Obama finally brought Air Force One back to the Chocolate City for a whirlwind 3.5 hour visit. President Obama stopped in briefly at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School to encourage the students to “be the best they can be.” Do you think any of those students’ parents held their children out of school that day? Obama’s motorcade then made its way to UNO for a town hall meeting. The president introduced everyone on the stage including Gov. Bobby Jindal, who got booed out of the arena— that was funny. Mayor C. Ray Nagin even flew in from Dallas for the event. Obama promised to rebuild the region and Big Easy stronger than before, but he actually focused more on his health care agenda. Strangely, unlike prior presidents, he didn’t enjoy a sit down meal in the food capitol of the world. Instead the pres requested a fantastic to go meal from the legendary local chef Leah Chase. Her incredible menu included: jambalaya, gumbo, shrimp Creole, and, of course, fried chicken to satisfy the chief executive’s hunger pains. Thank goodness the local stations aired Obama’s speech because CNN and Fox News decided to broadcast the Falcon “The Balloon Boy” Heene hoax. Don’t you love today’s sensationalism? Walter Cronkite is rolling over his grave. Americans should demand excellence from journalists, but they’d rather hear out about the new tattoo on Brittney Spears’ ass.

Continue reading "Big Daddy Celebrates Owning The Big Apple"

(5-2) Pittsburgh Steelers 27
(6-1) Minnesota Vikings 17 

It’s about time I see Brett Favre being Brett Favre. That fourth quarter fumble and tipped pass/interception cost the Vikings another comeback win and an undefeated season. For shame. You should probably run Adrian Peterson more and stop 40-year old Favre from passing 51 times. Just a thought. Without Antoine Winfield, the Vikings’ secondary and run support is nowhere near as intimidating. Ben Ben and the Steelers are back in the division running after troubles the first weeks of the season. Troy Polamalu is all the difference in the Pittsburgh D.

Continue reading "Joes Final Drive Week 7"

Um… I struggled to find six games with real significant drama. Bob Sanders will return to the Colts, but it’s against the lowly Rams! The Packers face the bumbling Browns, New England faces winless Tampa Bay in London, and Buffalo takes on Carolina. *shudder* Here’s the best of week seven in my Opening Drive! 

(6-0) Minnesota Vikings at (4-2) Pittsburgh Steelers 

So in spite of their early problems while without Troy Polamalu, the Steelers have emerged 4-2, trailing a half game behind the Bengals for the division lead. They welcome in the still streaking Vikings, who are making the rounds on the Brett Favre victory tour. Polamalu practiced this week and is expected to play, which should healthily improve the Steelers’ run and pass defense. Against Favre and Adrian Peterson, they’ll need Troy at his best. With Ben Roethlisberger coming off a 400-yard passing game of his own and Vikings Pro Bowl corner Antoine Winfield doubtful with a foot injury, this has potential to turn into a shoot-out. 

Continue reading "Joes Opening Drive Week 7"

(3-3) Houston Texans 28
(4-2) Cincinnati Bengals 17 

Every once in a while, Houston goes ballistic and puts up mega-points. Matt Schaub once again proves he’s a fantastic fantasy QB… five games a season. The Bengals aren’t an elite team, so you had to expect a letdown eventually after winning four straight. Now they dropped back with Pittsburgh, who are also 4-2, but technically behind since the Bengals beat them head-to-head.  

(6-0) Minnesota Vikings 33
(3-3) Baltimore Ravens 31 

Why won’t anyone beat the Vikings?! Steven Hauschka’s missed 44-yard field goal keeps the legend of Brett Favre in Minnesota going strong for another week. Who thought that the Baltimore defense would be the team’s weakness this season? They don’t deserve to be called “good” with the amount of points they’re allowing. Take that Ray Lewis.

Continue reading "Joes Final Drive Week 6"

With a busier schedule than normal, the Opening Drive was relegated to Sunday morning! Here’s my quick takes on some of the weekend’s NFL match-ups. 

(3-2) Baltimore Ravens at (5-0) Minnesota Vikings In one of the better match-ups of the weekend, Brett Favre and the undefeated Vikes get their toughest challenge to date when the surely fuming Ravens come to town. I don’t know if I can imagine that team after losing three straight. I’d be scared. Still, Minnesota has a stout defense of its own. Favre and Joe Flacco need to protect the ball because each offense excels at cashing in on turnovers. Man I hope the Ravens win. 

Continue reading "Joes Opening Drive Week 6"

Continue reading "Big Daddy Survives The Bye Week"