As much as it
pains me to see, this year of football has come to an end. Every year is tough
to see end, especially if your team didn't win the Super Bowl, or even play in
it. But it is inevitable, and necessary for the new season to start. This
season was chalk full of surprises, and we have been taught a few things.
1) We learned
that the referees make a huge difference in the game. As we saw through the
first three weeks of the season, the replacement referees didn't know what they
were doing, and games suffered for it. Teams and fans were frustrated. It all
culminated with the week 3 Monday Night Football fiasco, with the "Fail
Mary" or "Inaccurate Reception", whatever you choose to call it.
I am a Packer fan, so this game got me especially steamed. As much as I hated
the decision, I am glad that the result was getting the regular refs back, and
for football returning back to normal.
2) We learned
that a coach can literally make or break a team. The previous year the Saints
went 13-3, advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs. This season, amid
the Bounty scandal, the Saints began the season 0-4 under interim interim head
coach Aaron Kromer. They finished the season 7-9, not even making the playoffs.
This was the first time since winning the Super Bowl that the Saints were not
in the playoffs. Sean Payton is a vital role in the Saints' success, and we saw
that plainly this season.
3) We learned
that you can come back even stronger from an ACL injury, at least Adrian
Peterson can. For most players, an ACL injury either means the end of their
career, or at least the end of their dominance in the league. Adrian Peterson
was just nine yards shy of breaking the all-time single season record for yards
rushing, coming off a torn ACL and MCL and having surgery just 8 months
earlier. That is incredible, and not surprisingly, it earned AP the MVP award
for the 2012 season.
4) Rookies can
not only come in and have a good year, they can come in and have an immediate
impact on their team. This year, 3 teams with rookie quarterbacks made the
playoffs. The Indianapolis Colts, who drafted Andrew Luck as the #1 pick of the
draft after going just 2-14 last year, won 10 games and made it to the Wildcard
round of the playoffs, eventually losing to the Champion Ravens. Luck set the
record for most passing yards in a season by a rookie, and he changed the
entire outlook of the Colts organization. Robert Griffin III came in as the #2
pick of the draft, and lifted the Redskins from a 5-11 record to a 10-6 record,
winning seven straight games, and winning the division. Russell Wilson, who was
drafted in the third round, brought a team from a 7-9 record, to an 11-5
record, just a half game back of the 49ers in the division, plus he won his
playoff duel against RGIII. Wilson also tied the single season record for most
touchdowns by a rookie in a season with 26, tying him with Peyton Manning.
5) We learned
that mobile quarterbacks are most likely the future of the NFL. This season
with RGIII and Wilson leading the way, teams are seeing just how dangerous a
running type quarterback can be, especially if he can also throw the ball as
well. RGIII set the single season rushing record for a QB with 815 yards,
breaking the record set just one year earlier by Cam Newton.
6) College
offensive schemes can work in the NFL, to an extent. We saw the read-option route
work to shred defenses all over the league. With RGIII and Kaepernick, these
offenses fooled opponents and caused teams to overcompensate for the
quarterback, which also opened up the run game for both of these teams, as well
as the Seahawks. These types of offenses were thought not to be able to work in
the NFL, but defenses had a hard time stopping these read plays, and the teams
that used these types of plays had great success. Now it’s the NFL's job to
come up with a way to stop these offenses.
Overall, this was a
memorable year all around the NFL. There were good games, there were great
games. The game is more exciting than ever, and I can't wait the 207 days until
kickoff.
