The longest work stoppage in league history (136 days) officially came to an end July 25, when the owners and players reached an agreement on a new, 10-year labor deal. The news conference to announce the new collective bargaining agreement provided a memorable image of Patriots owner Robert Kraft sharing an emotional embrace with Colts center Jeff Saturday.
Initially, it looked as though offseason neck surgery would only force Peyton Manning to miss the preseason. Then the opener. And then suddenly, the entire season was in jeopardy. In the end, Manning didn't play a snap in 2011, and the Colts completely fell apart, posting a league-worst 2-14 record. With the rights to the No. 1 overall pick and an aging roster, owner Jim Irsay has decided to undergo an extreme makeover, clearing out the front office and the coaching staff. By all indications, Peyton will be next to go, clearing the way for Andrew Luck -- the most-hyped quarterback prospect since Manning himself.
Randall Cobb, who set the SEC single-season record for all-purpose yards (2,396) in 2010, was selected by the Packers in the second round (No. 64 overall) of the draft. During the preseason, there was quite a buzz about the playmaking ability of Packers rookie Randall Cobb. In the Thursday night opener between Green Bay and New Orleans, the electric receiver took a first-quarter pass over the middle 32 yards to the house. Then, in the third quarter, Cobb tied an NFL record with a thrilling 108-yard kick return that was later named Play of the Year at the season-ending NFL Honors banquet. Green Bay went on to win the exhilarating shootout 42-34.
No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton burst onto the scene with 422 yards passing and three touchdowns in his regular-season debut against Arizona, and he didn't really slow down the rest of the season. Newton set numerous rookie records in one of the greatest debut seasons ever, including most passing yards in a game (432), most passing yards in a season (4,051), and most total touchdowns (35). He also broke the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (14). Newton's superhuman efforts earned him AP Offensive Player of the Year, NFL Rookie of the Year, and a trip to the Pro Bowl.
Raiders icon Al Davis, one of the game's true innovators, passed away from heart failure at age 82 on October 8. The following day, every NFL game featured a moment of silence in Davis' honor. Oakland donned "Al" helmet decals and earned an inspired 25-20 victory over the Texans. Tears flowed in the emotional aftermath of the game. John Madden, who had remained close to Davis since their 1970s Raiders days together said, “You don’t replace a guy like that. No way. No damn way. You look at the things he’s done that no one ever did before, being a scout, assistant coach, head coach, general manager, commissioner and owner.”
No single player received more attention during the 2011 campaign than Tim Tebow. The polarizing Broncos quarterback started the year on the bench, but after a 1-4 start, John Fox ditched Kyle Orton and handed the reins to Tebow. In his first start at Miami -- which just so happened to be honoring Tebow's 2008 Florida Gators national championship team -- Tebow played horrendously through the first 57 minutes of play, and the Dolphins held a 15-0 lead late in the fourth quarter. But in the final 2:44, Tebow miraculously threw a pair of touchdown passes and notched a two-point conversion with his legs to send the game into overtime. Denver eventually won, giving rise to "Tebow Time." The Broncos were blown out the following week at Detroit, but then won six straight games -- thanks in large part to Tebow's late-game heroics -- and eventually took the AFC West crown.
The Texans overcame a series of early injuries -- including a season-ender to Pro Bowler Mario Williams -- and emerged as the AFC's most well-rounded team by November. But then star QB Matt Schaub suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury during a 37-9 whooping of Tampa Bay in Week 10. Backup quarterback Matt Leinart went down in the Texans' next game, and suddenly fifth-round rookie T.J. Yates was forced to take over behind center. Although Houston admirably went on to win the AFC South and win the franchise's first ever playoff game, Yates' three interceptions cost the Texans a divisional-round game against Baltimore. And Houston fans were left to ponder what could've been.
After a loss to the Texans dropped Jacksonville to 3-8, Jack Del Rio became the first head coach to get the axe. On the same day, Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver revealed he would be selling the team to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan. Jacksonville eventually settled on Mike Mularkey. Six other NFL teams also changed coaches: Kansas City (Todd Haley to Romeo Crennel), Indianapolis (Jim Caldwell to Chuck Pagano), Miami (Tony Sparano to Joe Philbin), Oakland (Hue Jackson to Dennis Allen), St. Louis (Steve Spagnuolo to Jeff Fisher) and Tampa Bay (Raheem Morris to Greg Schiano).
Rob Gronkowski was one of two tight ends the Patriots drafted in 2010; in the fourth round, the Patriots drafted Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez. This season they set NFL records for combined receptions (169), yardage (2,237), and touchdowns (24) by tight ends on one team. 'Gronk' himself broke the NFL tight end scoring record with 17 receiving touchdowns, four better than the previous record. He also set a new mark with 1,327 receiving yards -- narrowly beating out New Orleans' tight end Jimmy Graham (1,310) in topping Kellen Winslow's 31-year-old record (1,290).
The Packers' bid for perfection came to an end in Week 15, with a 19-14 loss at Kansas City. The stunning defeat ended a 19-game winning streak for the defending Super Bowl champs, dating back to a loss to the Patriots in December of 2010. And in the divisional playoffs, the Packers dropped passes, lost three fumbles and simply couldn't stop Eli Manning and his receivers in the Giants' shocking 37-20 victory.
With a staggering 5,476 passing yards in 2011, Drew Brees eclipsed Dan Marino's single-season mark of 5,084 set in 1984. Brees actually set the record in Week 16, and added to it with 389 yards passing in the season finale. New England QB Tom Brady also passed Marino with 5,235 yards, while Detroit's Matthew Stafford fell just short (5,038). Truly the Year of the Quarterback.
Both conference title games were marred by mistakes. On the AFC side, Ravens wideout Lee Evans couldn't hold on to a potential game-winning touchdown with 24 seconds left in the game. Two plays later, Billy Cundiff shanked a 32-yard field goal that would have sent the game into overtime. Then in the NFC title game, 49ers return man Kyle Williams had a pair of costly fumbles: one in the fourth quarter when a bouncing ball glanced off his leg, and another in overtime when he was stripped, setting up New York's game-winning field goal. These miscues helped set up a Giants-Patriots Super Bowl rematch.
The Giants were left for dead after an uninspired 23-10 loss to Washington dropped them to 7-7. Tom Coughlin's seat seamed as hot as ever. And then suddenly, it all came together. As the Giants returned to good health, they won their final two regular season games. In the playoffs, New York hit the ground running, piling up 172 yards rushing in a dominant 24-2 win vs. Atlanta. The next week, the Giants overwhelmed the mighty Packers, 37-20. That victory was keyed by a Hail Mary TD from Eli Manning to Hakeem Nicks at the end of the first half. New York eked out a 20-17 OT win in the NFC Championship Game in San Francisco. And four years after the Giants beat the 18-0 Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, New York upset New England once again on the final Sunday of the season. In a month and a half, Coughlin went from the hot seat to Hall consideration. And Eli, who raised eyebrows nationwide back in August when he referred to himself as an elite QB, has silenced even his harshest critics.
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