Hours Before Kickoff: Preseason Four posted by Randolph Charlotin

When CB Terrence Wheatley walked off the Gillette Stadium field last Thursday with a couple of trainers, it crossed my mind it would be for the last time as a Patriot for Wheatley. But his chance of sticking around went up with CB Leigh Bodden going down.

As one of the handful of moves needed to get the roster down to the 75 player limit, Bodden was placed on injured reserve for the 2010 season with a shoulder injury. That takes away the secondary’s doyen from a unit that averages just 2.5 years experience without Bodden.

The back four was going to be under pressure to begin with this season. Playing behind a front seven that needs to blitz to pressure the quarterback will leave the secondary in a lot of one-on-one situations. Without blitzing, the secondary will have to cover receivers for five or more seconds as the passer stands in the pocket as if surrounded by a force field.

It’s a costly loss for New England. Bodden was the top corner on the team and was expected to start on the left side, drawing the toughest assignment frequently. Now the starters likely will be second year Darius Butler and rookie Devin McCourty.

Besides taking a chunk out of the team’s depth, losing Bodden and the experience he could share with the young corners on the team will be costly. The little things Leigh notices during the course of the game that he could share with the youngsters would be invaluable. The insights Bodden would recognize can’t always been seen by the safeties.

It will be a very challenging season for the corners, starting with Cincinnati’s WRs Chad Ochocino and Terrell Owens in the season opener. That’s followed by the New York Jets’ Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery, and later Santonio Holmes for the December rematch. They will also have to deal with Miami’s Brandon Marshall twice, Detroit’s Calvin Johnson, Baltimore’s Anquan Boldin, and two top six passing offenses from last year in Houston (6th) and Green Bay (2nd).

NFL 2010 TO THE 2011 SPER BOWL ANALYSIS AND FORECAST posted by Johnny Matheis

Genreally, horse racing fans make good NFL fans. Not only because NFL fantasy involves Math, which is the horse racing fan's forte, but also because both involve conditioning.

A look at 2010 NFL, and what looks to happen. I'll give some predictions, but fans know that close games, injuries, blown coverages, and psycological brekdowns occur any time.

AFC EAST:

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 11-5. A lot of people think this is Brady and Moss, but New England has always been based on a "full team" concept, with lots of depth. A team like this can survive injuries, and figures to play well at the season's end. They can run and pass. The defense is adequate.

NEW YORK JETS 10-6 Needs to retain their defensive dominance. They're strong at linebacker, up front, and the backfield. They were first in pass defense last year in yards allowed, and first in first downs allowed. There's no reason to think they still can't dominate. On offense, they wer first in rushing yards, which compliments a super defense quite well. The passing game is less than what they want. Braylon Edwards is there chiefly to make opposing defenses back off the line of scrimmage. He doesn't inspire a lot of fear. It's up to a good offensive line to keep it going, and they will at first, but it isn't a deep line. Offensive linemen go down too often, and this team can't afford that. Still, a power team in the NFL.

MIAMI DOLPHINS 9-7 were 4th in rushing yards last year out of the 32 teams. Their offensive line is young, deep, and in their prime. They usually run the wildcat. This is a stellar running team, and 6'4" Brandon Marshall is there to ensure defenses respect the pass. On defense, they were more mediocre, but were 15th in first downs allowed, which is in the top half. Their first two draft choices were a defensive lineman and linebacker. They have a 3-4, with the defensive linemen producing, but linebackers suspect. Lots of close games predicted, so they could go 12-4 as easy as 6-10. 9-7 is about right.

July is the longest month of the year posted by Dan Salyers

Alright, so Football season is right around the corner. July always seems to drag on, as we are on the cusp of training camps starting in just 2 weeks. Football season is so close you can almost taste it, but it still only is July 14th, with the regular season being almost 2 months away.  Nevertheless, Cincinnati vs. Dallas happens 3 weeks from Sunday, so there's hope. That being said, let's talk some preliminary Bengals stuff:

Cedric Benson: I have to admit, I was really disappointed to see that Benson put himself in such a dumb situation and found himself arrested.  This has been a problem for the league and continues to give haters more fuel for trash-talk.  I'm hoping that Benson is not suspended by the league, but can't say I would be surprised if he were.  The power running game would greatly suffer if he had to miss the first two to four games as Cincy has to go to New England and also go against Baltimore's ridiculous run defense in week 2.  We need Benson to play in these two games for sure. 

Carson Palmer/ Offensive Production: Due to Benson's possible suspension, I hope to see Caron and Bratkowski air it out throughout the preseason. There needs to be a game plan in place of throwing the ball more than running it.  If Benson is out, Bernard Scott/ Brian Leonard cannot be as effective and therefore need Carson to throw.  Having Coffman, Gresham, Shipley, and Bryant added to the passing attack provides Carson with an absurd complement of weapons.  Palmer and Bratkowski need to work on timing and formations that employ a high percentage of passes to these many players.  I'm hopeful that the extra game (HOFG) will help add the time and game reps (however few they may be) that can get the offense clicking on all cylinders by week 1.

The NFL Rock Draft! posted by Amari Harris

Friends and Countrymen,

I know that you have missed me so much over the last month or so and I want to apologize for my extended absence.  I have several ready made excuses for why I haven’t been actively blogging and I am sure that you will accept all of them at face value.  For one thing, there hasn’t been anything going on in the world of sports.  I mean other than the NBA playoffs, the NHL playoffs, the start of the MLB season, the return of Tiger Woods, the transgressions and subsequent suspension of Ben Roethlisberger (I did it! I spelled the damn thing), etc. 

But screw all of that.  I’m ready to talk about this NFL draft coming up tonight at 7: 27 on ESPN and NFL Network (shameless plug).  I’ve probably seen just about every mock draft scenario on the internet and to be honest I am not that impressed.  Not because I don’t think these guys have studied the players and don’t have inside knowledge of what these teams are thinking but simply because they are so wrong every year.  Nobody can accurately predict the first round.  For one, there are many trades and it is impossible to predict the trade possibilities in the 1st round.  And once a trade goes down the whole thing goes haywire.  Even if you negate the trade factor, these so-called “experts” still miss the mark by a mile. 

And on that note I present to you the most accurate NFL mock draft in the history of NFL mock drafts!  Barring any trades, this is pretty much how the 1st round will break down and I think many of you will be pleasantly surprised.  I must warn you that if you are a big Jimmy Clausen fan then you may want to turn your head right about….now:

Jets open NFL Playoffs with a 24-14 win over the Bengals posted by Joe Anello

It wasn't exactly how he'd like it to happen, but Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan will sure take it. The New York Jets suppressed the home team Cincinnati Bengals Saturday in a 24-14 victory, despite giving up 171 yards on the ground.

After being shut out last week, the Bengals took advantage of early field position to take a 7-0 lead off a Carson Palmer pass to Laveranues Coles in the endzone. From there it was all Jets. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez completed 12 of his 15 passes for 182 yards, including a well-called bootleg where he found tight end Dustin Keller for 45 yards and a score. Sanchez was backed-up by 164 combined yards on the ground from rookie back Shonn Greene and veteran Thomas Jones. Most importantly, Sanchez didn't turn the ball over.

Yeah, this passing thing didn't happen much. 

The same cannot be said for the Bengals, who committed two costly turnovers in the cold weather.  An early Coles fumble cost them at least a field goal and an ill-placed ball from Palmer to Chad Ochocinco was intercepted by Darelle Revis. Aside from those mistakes, kicker Shayne Graham missed his two field goal attempts, both of which were in the second half. Carson Palmer may not be like the elite quarterback he once was, but his receivers were over-matched and couldn't hold onto the ball.

After all the posturing and talk, Ochocinco was shut down by Revis for the second straight week, accumulating only 2 catches for 28 yards in the loss. Revis simply manned up on Ochocinco and removed him from the offense with physicality. The Jets D may feel angry about the rushing yards they gave up, but holding Palmer to 18-36 passing and only 110 yards total is a feat to build on.

Joe's Opening Drive: Wild-Card Saturday posted by Joe Anello

Playoffs? Yep, they're here! After another 17 week regular season, the Wild-Card round begins this afternoon with the rematch between NY Jets and Cincinnati Bengals, followed by what could be the game of the weekend. Philadelphia travels to Dallas for the third meeting this season between these NFC East rivals. Time for analysis and predictions! It's the Opening Drive of Wild-Card Saturday!

(9-7) New York Jets at (10-6) Cincinnati Bengals
4:30PM ET NBC

For the J-E-T-S, they've been playing playoff games for weeks. With help from a resting Colts squad and a half-hearted Bengals effort last week, the Jets find themselves in the playoffs behind a rookie quarterback who has thrown a hearty 20 interceptions. Rex Ryan has brought a swagger to the team, leading to their having the highest-rated defense and running game in the NFL. 

After getting shut-out last week on the road 37-0 by these same Jets, the Bengals return home hoping to avoid a similar result. After so many years featuring a dynamic and explosive offense, Marvin Lewis has focused on a smash-mouth style running game behind Cedric Benson. Receiver Chad Ochocinco is Carson Palmer's only legitimate outside weapon, but he's not the deep threat he once was. Cincy's D was rated fourth overall during the regular season, holding teams to an average of 300 yards a game. Their starting corners Joseph and Hall are vastly under-appreciated. 

Analysis: Had this been the Bengals from a few years ago, I would have given this match-up to Cincy's high-powered offense. Now? The Jets seem to be tailor-made to go on the road and get a cold-weather win. All-Pro corner Darelle Revis will have no trouble shutting down Ochocinco, leaving the rest of the defense to pressure Palmer and keeping Benson under wraps. New York's offensive success hinges on the play (or lack thereof) of Mark Sanchez. If he has to throw the ball more than 20-22 times, the Jets are going to lose. He puts too many throws up for grabs, throws the Bengals will intercept. Cincy needs to shut down Thomas Jones and the NY running game to force Sanchez into obvious passing downs. 

Joe's Final Drive: Week 17 posted by Joe Anello

Though it means nothing, I am required by football law to point out I was 7-0 in my Opening Drive predictions for week 17. Woot. Multiple teams lost because they did not keep their starters in while one NFC East leader got railed on. Now, onto the last week of the regular season with this edition of the Final Drive! 

(12-4) Minnesota Vikings 44
(8-8) New York Giants 7 

Way to not show up for the last two weeks of the season G-men. You're ensured some massive roster changes with your less-than stellar effort. Meanwhile, the Vikings jumped back into the two seed with the Eagles' loss, giving old man Favre a week off before mounting a Super Bowl run. There's cause for concern in Minnesota after the Vikings have failed to get Adrian Peterson going heading into the playoffs. We'll see how that plays out in two weeks.

(9-7) Houston Texans 34 
(10-6) New England Patriots 27

The biggest injury of the weekend is clearly the loss of Wes Welker for the Pats. For those of you screaming that Belichick shouldn't have been playing his starters, Welker was injured on the first drive of the game without being contacted. It could have happened warming up. His loss will leave QB Tom Brady without his favorite receiver and plenty of double coverage for Randy Moss. For the Texans, congratulations are due for the first winning season in franchise history, but they couldn't sneak into the playoffs. Regardless, QB Matt Schaub, who led the league in passing yards, gives them hope for the immediate future.

The Jets should beat the Bengals for two consecutive weeks posted by Colin Linneweber

The New York Jets defeated the Indianapolis Colts 29-15 Sunday night at Lucas Oil Stadium to incredibly regain control of their own playoff fate.

Many critics have placed an asterisk next to the Jets (8-7) upset victory because Colts (14-1) Head Coach Jim Caldwell removed quarterback Peyton Manning from the game with approximately six minutes remaining in the third quarter.

When Manning was relieved from action, the Jets were narrowly behind 15-10.

After Manning was benched, the Jets defense thoroughly dominated and Gang Green ultimately outscored the Colts 26-3 after the conclusion of halftime.

It is impossible to say with any certainty whether or not the Jets would have emerged victorious had Manning not been replaced by rookie signal-caller Curtis Painter.

Nevertheless, the Jets prevailed when they needed to and, thanks to the plethora of help they received from other teams, if they simply trump the Cincinnati Bengals (10-5) this weekend, they will secure a postseason berth.

“You know, there’s very little credit that our football team is given, and that’s unfortunate,” Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan said.

“It bothers me a little bit. You have to earn everything you get in this league, whether you’re playing against a starter or backup. We make no excuses and no apologies for getting our job done.”

Ryan is absolutely correct.

The Jets have been a morbid franchise that has continuously disappointed their fan base ever since Willie Joe Namath uttered his famous guarantee in 1969.

Joe's Opening Drive: Week 15 posted by Joe Anello

After another dramatic Colts win, the still-undefeated Saints try their luck against the Cowboys on Saturday night while the second seed in the AFC is on the line on Sunday. Let's start the Opening Drive of week 15 in the NFL!

(8-5) Dallas Cowboys at (13-0) New Orleans Saints 

Dallas' DeMarcus Ware is going to play less than a week after suffering a neck strain, but that may not be enough for the free-falling Cowboys. Going into New Orleans and escaping with a victory will require near-flawless play and a lot of luck. Even without tight end Jeremy Shockey, Drew Brees has an abundance of weapons at his disposal. If the Saints move to 14-0, it will could signal the end of Dallas' playoff hopes and the end of Wade Philips' tenure as head coach.

***UPDATE: Dallas freaking did it. I'll be sure to cover this stunner in the Final Drive.

(8-5) New England Patriots at (5-8) Buffalo Bills 

Don't look now, but the rest of the AFC East is catching up to the Patriots. If Bill Belichick's squad loses another road game (which they've done consistently this season) and Miami or the Jets win, the Pats will fall out of the division lead and risk a playoff berth entirely. In a up-and-down season in Buffalo, this could be a signature win to carry them over into next year.

(9-4) Cincinnati Bengals at (10-3) San Diego Chargers

In the most significant game of the weekend, San Diego and Cincinnati are essentially playing for the number two seed in the AFC and an additional home game in the playoffs. San Diego has been lighting teams up in December while the Bengals were just lambasted by Minnesota. After the tragic loss of Chris Henry, I can't believe the Bengals are going to have enough in the tank to head out west and win.

posted by The NFL Network

On behalf of the NFL Network, I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the friends, families, and fans of Chris Henry. He will truly be missed. Chris Henry, wide receiver of the Cincinnati Begals passed away Thursday morning December 17, 2009.

"We knew him in a different way than his public persona," Bengals owner Mike Brown said of the player who was suspended five times during his five-year NFL career. "He had worked through the troubles in his life and had finally seemingly reached the point where everything was going to blossom. And he was going to have the future we all wanted for him. It's painful to us. We feel it in our hearts, and we will miss him."

A moment of silence will be held on behalf of Chris Henry before tonight's Saints vs. Cowboys game Saturday night at 8pm ET.

Ochocinco unveils Week 1 TD stunt

Should he score in the team's Sept. 12 opening game in New England,Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco tweeted Tuesdaythat he will use one of the Patriot minutemen's rifles in hiscelebration. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Pacman's roster spot looks safe in Cincy

The fact Adam "Pacman" Jones won't play in Thursday night'spreseason finale at Indianapolis actually reflects well on hischances of making the Cincinnati Bengals' 53-man roster. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Bengals cut Jeanty, Nelson on PUP list (AP)

The Cincinnati Bengals have released fifth-year linebacker Rashad Jeanty, who broke his left leg on the opening kickoff in January's playoff loss to the New York Jets. The Bengals said Monday that Jeanty was waived in the failed physical category, while second-year safety Tom Nelson went on the physically unable to perform list. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Bengals release injured WR Bryant (AP)

Wide receiver Antonio Bryant was released on Sunday by the Cincinnati Bengals, who signed him to a four-year, $28 million deal last March thinking he would be their long-term complement to Chad Ochocinco. It's the second time in two years that the Bengals went after a high-profile free agent receiver, then changed their minds soon after signing him. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Pats defense must rebound from shaky performance (AP)

New England's defense must get better if the Patriots want to stop Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco. A lot better. With one exhibition game left before their season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Patriots have plenty to work on after Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams held the ball for long stretches, gained chunks of yardage and exploited weaknesses from the defensive line back to... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports