Maybe it was the lockout.<\/p>\n
Maybe it is the rule changes.<\/p>\n
Maybe it is an over-abundance of youth and inexperience at key positions around the league.<\/p>\n
Maybe it is just the dawn of a new era and this is what we are to expect going forward.<\/p>\n
Or, maybe it was just one of “those years.”<\/p>\n
But, for whatever reason (or combination of reasons) the 2011 NFL season was easily the strangest NFL season I can remember.\u00a0 Think all seasons present “oddities?”\u00a0 Think I’m just finding a reason why the most talented Eagles team of my lifetime didn’t win the worst NFC East of my lifetime?\u00a0 Think I’m just heaping on my usual overdose of hyperbole?\u00a0 You might be right, but let me offer a few quick reasons why this season was simply nuts.<\/p>\n
The Bengals, Lions, and Texans All<\/em> Made the Playoffs<\/strong> Tim Tebow, Andy Dalton, and T.J. Yates Will All Start Playoff Games This Weekend<\/strong> There Were Two Teams That Gave Up More Passing Yards Than Any Other Team in History – The Two #1 Seeds<\/strong> TWO Quarterbacks Broke the 27-Year-Old\u00a0Single Season Passing Record…And\u00a0NEITHER ONE\u00a0Is Expected to Win the MVP<\/strong> The League’s\u00a0Rushing Leader\u00a0Was on the Worst Passing Team in the League<\/strong> The League’s Sack Leader Was on a 3-13 Team<\/strong> Four of the Top Eight in Receptions Were NOT Wide Receivers, Including the League’s Leader in Receiving TDs<\/strong> The Chargers and Eagles Did NOT Win Their God-Awful Divisions<\/strong> Maybe it was the lockout. Maybe it is the rule changes. Maybe it is an over-abundance of youth and inexperience at key positions around the league. Maybe it is just the dawn of a new era and this is what … Continue reading
\nAnyone who has followed the NFL even a little bit knows that the Lions and Bengals are the annual league doormats.\u00a0 The last playoff win for the Bengals came over some team named the Houston Oilers 22 years ago.\u00a0 That means that the Lions fans can’t complain about their team’s 21 years since their last postseason win (which was followed up by getting\u00a0drubbed 41-10\u00a0in the 1991 NFC Championship Game).\u00a0 Then again, at least the Bengals have been there in the past couple of years.\u00a0 The Lions haven’t even made the playoffs since the 20th Century.\u00a0 Oh, and then there is the Texans, who, before this year, not only hadn’t ever made the playoffs, but they hadn’t even ever had a winning record…ever!<\/em>\u00a0 Now, they are all in the postseason here in 2012, and one of them is going to win a game, considering the Texans host Cincinnati on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\nNFL franchises’ fates depend more on the performance of their quarterback than any other sporting franchise depends on any one person.\u00a0 It is, without argument, the most important position in the world of sports.\u00a0 And, this year – the Year of the Quarterback – the importance of a team’s signal-caller is at an all-time high.\u00a0 And,\u00a0yet, a guy who can’t throw (Tebow), an unheralded rookie who has hit the wall (Dalton), and a third-string, fifth-round draft pick from UNC (Yates) will all be that “most important guy” for playoff teams this weekend.\u00a0 And, two of the four quarterbacks that earned their teams first-round byes are named Alex Smith and Joe Flacco – not exactly Elway and Montana…<\/p>\n
\nThat’s right.\u00a0 The 2011 New England Patriots (the AFC’s top seed) allowed more passing yards than any other team in the history of the sport.\u00a0 And, second-place on that list?\u00a0 The 2011 Green Bay Packers (the NFC’s top seed).\u00a0 Now, I know that when you’re ahead (or even have the threat of a quick-strike offense), teams tend to pass much more often than they throw, but, still, the two WORST pass defenses of ALL-TIME are our two #1 seeds?\u00a0 You can’t make this stuff up…<\/p>\n
\nDan Marino’s passing record (set in 1984) has been one of the most targeted records in the NFL, yet has stood tall for nearly three decades.\u00a0 Until now, when Drew Brees AND Tom Brady both broke this prestigious record.\u00a0 And, yet, another quarterback (Aaron Rodgers) is the odds-on favorite to take home the Most Valuable Player Award.\u00a0 Crazy.<\/p>\n
\nMaurice Jones-Drew ran away with the rushing title this year, despite playing in on a really bad team with the league’s worst passing attack.\u00a0 That means that teams routinely put 8, or even 9 guys in the box on every play against the Jags because MJD was the only guy who could do anything in that offense.<\/p>\n
\nWhen a team in the NFL is leading a game, they usually run the ball to work the clock and hold the lead.\u00a0 And, when they do throw, they are usually quick, conservative passes designed mostly to avoid negative yardage and turnovers.\u00a0 So, the fact that Jared Allen, whose team only won 3 games all year, would lead the league in sacks (and basically tie the “legit” all-time record) is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n
\nRob Gronkowski broke out this year with 17 touchdowns to lead the league from a position that, not too long ago, was basically a 6th offensive lineman.\u00a0 Now, in an era of big-play wide receivers and strong-armed quarterbacks, the Pats tight end had nearly 100 receptions to go with his 17 TDs.\u00a0 But, it doesn’t stop there, as Jimmy Graham (99 catches), the Saints tight end, was tied for 4th in the league with 11 touchdowns.\u00a0 Along with Gronk and Graham, Brandon Pettigrew (Lions TE), Darren Sproles (Saints RB), and Tony Gonzalez (Falcons TE)\u00a0were account for five of the 12 players this year that caught at least 80 balls.<\/p>\n
\nOkay, maybe I’m just being a homer on this one, let us really think about this.\u00a0 The Chargers have been one of the best teams in the league and have, objectively, one of the most talented rosters, top to bottom, in the league, yet somehow they couldn’t win a division that was won by the 8-8 Broncos.\u00a0 The Eagles, who were 10-6 and division champs last year, added SIX Pro Bowlers in the offseason.\u00a0 Plus, the division was really, really bad – as shown by the mediocre (and that is kind) Giants winning the division at 9-7.\u00a0 Oh, and neither team can blame injuries, as they were relatively healthy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"