NFL 2012: AFC East Preview

By Matt Noonan 

The AFC East may not be the flashiest division this season, but don’t underestimate Buffalo, New York or Miami. All three teams have challenged the Patriots over the past few seasons, and can certainly provide the unnecessary head ache to Patriots coaches, fans and players, especially when they least expect it.

However, New England shouldn’t have a problem winning this division, but keep your eyes on the Bills and Jets.

1.) New England Patriots (12-4) – Some analysts believe this team may mimic their record-breaking performance from 2007, while others think they’re a shoe-in for this year’s Super Bowl. In order for the Patriots to be successful, they’ll need rookies Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower to pressure opposing quarterbacks and provide all sorts of havoc.

Will Chandler Jones be the Patriots most valuable defensive player this season? We’ll see! (Photo Credit: Zimbio.com)

2.) Buffalo Bills (9-7) – The Bills bolted out of the gate last season, but couldn’t maintain their momentum, as injuries and errors derailed their chances of a successful season. This year, Buffalo added Mario Williams and Mark Anderson to their defense, and drafted two potential studs in Cordy Glenn and Stephon Gilmore. The usual cast is back on offense – Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson and Steve Johnson, but the main question from last year remains: Can they stay healthy? Also, can they be consistent, too?

3.) New York Jets (7-9) – No offense Jets fans, but your team is in complete disarray. New York didn’t locate the end zone until their fourth preseason game, and there’s still questions surrounding their offense and defense. Yet, probably one of the biggest sagas surrounding this team is when will Rex Ryan swap Tim Tebow for Mark Sanchez?

4.) Miami Dolphins (5-11) – There will be a lot of ups and downs this season for the Dolphins, but expect Miami to conclude their year with at least four or five wins.

New England Patriots Kick-Off 2012 On The Road

By NoontimeSports.com 

According to a recent blog post via ESPNBoston.com — the New England Patriots will kick-off their 2012 campaign on the road.

Mike Reiss mentioned in his blog post that it’s likely the Pats will face one of the following teams in week one — Baltimore, Buffalo, New York, Miami, Seattle, Tennessee or Jacksonville.

Of the seven teams listed above, which team would you want to see in the first week? Post your comments below or send us a tweet @NoontimeSports.

Thomas: Five Teams That Should Acquire Peyton Manning

Now that Peyton Manning is a free agent, where will he most likely end up next? (Photo Credit: Colts.com)

By Elizabeth Thomas 

On Wednesday, Mar. 8, the Indianapolis Colts decided they wouldn’t renew Peyton Manning’s five-year, $90 million contract, which included a $28 million signing bonus. So, instead of picking up the remaining four-years on his current deal, the Colts decided to show Manning the door. And now, he’s a free agent quarterback looking for a new home, as well as a fresh start, too.

So, with all this in mind, I thought I’d provide five various organizations that should certainly consider signing the highly touted veteran quarterback.

Miami Dolphins: Since losing out on the Jeff Fisher sweepstakes, Miami hasn’t made too much noise this offseason. First-year head coach Joe Philbin and offensive coordinator Mike Sherman are committed to implementing a west coast offense, which Manning has never conducted. However, the former Colts gunslinger does own a home in South Beach, as well as won a Super Bowl at Dolphins Stadium, too, so that could certainly provide some leverage at the negotiating table. Also, the Dolphins offense would excel quite well with him under center, and force Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess and Reggie Bush to step-up their “game.” Manning could be an excellent puzzle piece for a veteran squad, but would a west coast offense be the straw that breaks the camels back? We’ll see!

Washington Redskins: Reports surfaced earlier this week that a Washington radio station confirmed that the Redskins were most likely out of the running for Manning. Yet, if head coach Mike Shanahan can somehow adjust his offensive, then maybe Washington will be able to lure Manning to their organization.

Denver BroncosWith Tim Tebow becoming not only the face of Denver’s franchise, but also a cultural icon, then it’s highly doubtful that the Broncos head coach John Fox would make any changes to tarnish his image, right? Think again! Manning seems determined to remain in the AFC, and while executive vice president of football operations John Elway wants to win now, then it’s likely that the Broncos should consider signing him as soon as possible. Elway and Manning are golf buddies, so it’s possible that the former Denver gunslinger could woo the free agent quarterback to the “Mile High” city.

New York Jets: New York has invested time and money in their quarterback, Mark Sanchez, who has led Gang Green to the AFC Championship twice in the past three seasons. However, if New York wants to end their championship drought, then adding Peyton might be necessary.

Arizona Cardinals: Who wouldn’t want to play football in the desert? Wouldn’t you want to join the Cardinals, so you could toss numerous touchdowns to the NFL’s most lucrative receiver, Larry Fitzgerald? Manning would be a great fit for Arizona, who still hasn’t won a Super Bowl. Also, if you acquire Manning, you’d probably get Reggie Wayne, who is a free agent, too.

Belichick Presents Kraft With Saturday’s Game Ball

Bill Belichick presented Patriots owner Bob Kraft the game ball on Saturday in memory of his wife! (Photo Credit: Zimbio)

By NoontimeSports.com 

According to numerous sources on Sunday — New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick presented team owner Bob Kraft with the honorary game ball in memory of his wife Myra Kraft after his team rallied to defeat the Miami Dolphins on Saturday, 27-24.

The Patriots released a photo of Belichick handing the ball to Kraft, and it can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.

Daily Noontime – December 13, 2011

Marshawn Lynch rushed for 100 yards and a TD on Monday, as Seattle defeated St. Louis on Monday! (Photo Credit: Zimbio)

Happy Tuesday to all, and welcome to another edition of the Daily Noontime! Here’s some quality news and headlines, enjoy! 

Headlines: 

Marshawn Lynch not only rushed for 100 yards on Monday against the St. Louis Rams, but also, he kept his consecutive touchdown streak intact, as the Seattle Seahawks won, 30-13.

* The Miami Dolphins officially fired head coach Tony Sparano on Monday, and also announced that the organization is looking for a young Don Shula.

* Despite being shown the door on Monday, former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley is certain that he’ll return to the sidelines soon.

* On Monday, the former Boston Celtics guard Delonte West inked his name on a Dallas Mavericks contract that’s worth $1.8 million.

* Chauncey Billups found himself a new team for the upcoming season on Monday, as he officially joined the Los Angles Clippers.

* According to various reports, former Penn State assistant Jerry Sandusky waived his preliminary hearing.

Games to Watch: 

* Los Angles at Boston (NHL) – 7:00pm eastern 

* Detroit at Pittsburgh (NHL) – 7:00pm eastern 

* Philadelphia at Washington (NHL) – 7:00pm eastern 

Video of the Day: 

Here’s the great Bill Cosby talking about the one and only Tim Tebow, enjoy! 

NFL Monday Headlines: Haley, Sparano Fired on Monday

On Monday, Kansas City fired Todd Haley, and Miami said, good bye to Tony Sparano! (Photo Credit: Ology.com)

By Brian Willwerth 

This is the time of year when NFL coaches start getting the axe. Jack Del Rio was canned earlier this season in Jacksonville, and on Monday, two more teams fired their head coaches.

Todd Haley is out in Kansas City. The Chiefs won the AFC West last season, but 2011 has been a disaster. The Chiefs are [5-8], and while not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, it would take an epic miracle for them to make the postseason. Injuries have hit this team hard, most notably QB Matt Cassel, but there are others as well. That said, it’s been a disappointing year. Romeo Crennel will coach the rest of the season.

In Miami, the Dolphins parted ways with Tony Sparano. Miami lost its first seven games, and currently sits at [4-9] after losing at home on Sunday to Philadelphia. Yet, I know a diehard Dolphins’ fan who thinks even more change is needed in south Florida, so we’ll see if that happens. Secondary coach Todd Bowles will take over as the team’s interim coach.

Who else is on the hot seat?

Since I’m a Buccaneers’ fan, Raheem Morris’ job has to be in jeopardy in Tampa. The Bucs have lost seven in a row, and in the last two weeks have given up 79 points to Carolina and Jacksonville – not exactly the upper echelon of the NFL. Tampa Bay could use a house-cleaning, starting with the owners. I have a few things to say about the Glazers, but will save my rant on them for another day.

Daily Noontime – December 1, 2011

More information continues to be revealed about Jerry Sandusky! (Photo Credit: Global Grind)

Happy Thursday and of course, Happy December too! Let’s kick-off the final month of 2011 with some headlines and news, enjoy! 

Headlines: 

* According to a recent report regarding Jerry Sandusky, a new victim recently admitted that he was abused 100 times by the former Penn State assistant football coach.

* Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall was handcuffed and detained on Wednesday after a misunderstanding due to a $142 cab fare.

* According to a report from the Cleveland Dealer — Browns wide receiver Josh Cribbs admitted that he’s tired of being associated with a losing team.

* The Chicago Cubs have officially signed former Oakland Athletics outfielder David DeJesus, who agreed to a two-year deal, but according to a report via Yahoo! Sports, his wife admitted that she’s a “tad bit happy” that he’s headed to the Windy City.

* Washington State has officially agreed to terms with former Mike Leach to be their head coach of the football team next season.

Games to Watch: 

* Pittsburgh at Washington (NHL) – 7:00pm eastern 

* Ottawa at Dallas (NHL) – 8:30pm eastern 

Video of the Day: 

Nothing  better than seeing a young boy smooth talk Heidi Watney!

The Cowboys Grind Out An Important Victory Against The Fish On Thanksgiving

The Cowboys extended their winning streak to four games on Thursday against the Dolphins!

By Matt Noonan 

How would one describe the Dallas-Miami game on Thanksgiving Day?

Is there even a word other than “Wow” or “Amazing” that could be used to describe the ugly and epic outcome?

OK, we might need to rearrange the word to be something like, “thankful” or “lucky,” but if you’re a Dallas Cowboys supporter, I’m sure you’re breathing a little easier than a few hours ago, right?

The Cowboys are like the Boston Red Sox. They’re a good team on paper and should smoke their opponents, but instead, they like to lie down to underachieving squads like the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins.

On Thursday, the Cowboys had no reason to lose to the Fish, and even though they won, it certainly seems like they lost.

“It’s hard to win in the NFL. Miami has been playing very well recently and had some big wins and they came in here and we knew it was going to be a 60-minute battle against those guys,” said Dallas head coach Jason Garrett via the team’s website.

“Well we’ve obviously been in that situation a few times this year and we’ve been successful a number of times now and we kind of know some of the things we like to do and depending upon what the defense is doing obviously, and when you need a field goal, it’s kind of be aggressive, be aggressive, and once you get in position, it’s time to throttle back a little bit and obviously give the o-line and DeMarco [Murray] a chance to just set it up, and they did a great job of that [on Thursday],” said quarterback Tony Romo via the team’s website.

Dallas did a great job of grinding out their seventh win, but a victory against Miami shouldn’t be a sign of greatness or something to boast about, right?

The Cowboys allowed the Dolphins to rally and take a lead, while Romo and the offense practically spent the entire third quarter on the bench watching Miami’s gunslinger, Matt Moore and running back Reggie Bush look like perennial all-stars against Roby Ryan’s defense. However, when the fourth quarter rolled around, the Cowboys miraculously mustered 10 critical points to secure the win, and Romo’s fifth victory on Thanksgiving.

“I thought a lot of guys just kind of hung in there, and as a quarterback, I thought Tony did a really good job just playing through this game. A couple turnovers early on in the game, a little bit of out of rhythm and he just kind of kept hanging in there,” said Garrett.

Perhaps this particular game was Romo’s coming out party or maybe it’s a sign that Dallas needs to be taken seriously for the remainder of the season? Hey, this is the Dallas Cowboys, “America’s Team,” and if we’ve learned something over the past two weeks, it’s that the Boys will battle for 60-minutes and grind out wins.

“[Thursday’s game], it’s a “W,” it counts in the win column, and at the end of the year, those things will add up, and that’s what will be talked about when the season’s over, these “w’s,” what your record was, what you did in the playoffs, what you did at the end of the year,” said Romo. “It’s about winning, [and] that’s what we’re in this job for is to go out here, play, [and] we’re lucky enough to do it and we’re blessed to be in this position, but what makes it really enjoyable is winning when you’re doing it and it’s fun right now when you’re winning a couple in a row.”

The Cowboys will certainly enjoy 10-days of rest before heading to the desert to face Arizona, another underachieving squad. If the Cowboys are who we think they are, then it’s expected to watch Dallas win against a bad team that’ll challenge their defense and force Romo to make mistakes. Yet, when the final whistle blows, expect Dallas to walk off the field with either a one, two or three point victory.

Dallas might be onto something and Romo may have officially found his mojo too.

Thanksgiving Football Prediction: Dallas-Miami

Can Tony Romo keep his "November to Remember" streak going against the Dolphins on Thursday?

By Matt Noonan 

On paper this seems like a dangerous matchup, but in reality the Cowboys should certainly win this game and extend their current winning streak to four games.

“What we’ve done the last three weeks really doesn’t mean anything in terms of this game [on Thursday] against the Dolphins. We’ve got to prepare the right way and then go play our best football,” said Dallas head coach Jason Garrett via the team’s website.

Quarterback Tony Romo hasn’t lost a Thanksgiving tilt since being named the starter mid-way through the ’06 season, and also hasn’t tossed an interception since his team fell to Philadelphia three weeks ago.

The emergence of rookie running back DeMarco Murray and wide receiver Laurent Robinson has helped the Cowboys offense dramatically, while second-year linebacker Sean Lee leads the team with 65 tackles, (43 tackles, 22 assists). Expect all three players to assist the team against the Dolphins, as well as play vital parts in a must-win contest.

As for the Dolphins, they enter Thursday’s game with a three-game winning streak. Quarterback Matt Moore recorded three touchdowns against Buffalo and Kansas City, while running back Reggie Bush recorded four rushing scores in the past three weeks. Miami’s defense ranks sixth in points against, and seventh against the run.

FUN FACT – The last time both teams met on Thanksgiving was in ’03, and yes, the Dolphins beat the Cowboys, 40-21. Jay Fiedler tossed three touchdowns to Chris Chambers, while Ricky Williams recorded 104 yards on 31 carries.    

PREDICTION – The Cowboys are the better team, and need to focus on protecting the football and Romo, as well as forcing Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore into making multiple mistakes. Dallas 31 – Miami 10  

Noontime Sports Podcast – Thanksgiving Football

Get ready for an exciting day of Thanksgiving football with Matt Noonan and Andy Lindberg!

By NoontimeSports.com 

Matt Noonan and Andy Lindberg kickoff your Thanksgiving holiday with some turkey day predictions, as well as some thoughts on Tim Tebow‘s religious comments, enjoy.