MySportsSanctuary

As always the NFL provided its fans with nothing but excitement and surprises from the opening weekend up until the Super Bowl. There were some results that were expected, unexpected and, dare I say, downright impressive. As we look forward to the next season, let’s look back at some of the best moments of the 2009 season.

10. Colts playing only one quarter
They always say the team who wins the time of possession battle usually wins the game but don’t tell that to the Indianapolis Colts. In Week 2 down in Miami, the Dolphins had the ball for almost an astounding 45 minutes and what was the result? A 27-23 lost to the Indianapolis Colts where Peyton Manning still threw for over 300 yards and 2 TD’s essentially in ONE quarter of action!

9. Jerome, Jerome, Jerome’s in the house!/Johnson gets 2K
No one could have predicted what the young man from Washington State would do in Week 15 against Kansas City. He smashed the Cleveland Browns single-game rushing record by running for 286 yards, third highest in NFL history. Not even the legendary Jim Brown topped 240 in a game! Speaking of rushers, Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson made history of his own by joining OJ Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Terrell Davis, Barry Sanders and Jamal Lewis as the only running backs to ever rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. He also set the mark for the most yards from scrimmage.

8. Rise up Polamalu
Troy Polamalu, one of the best safeties in the leagues, established himself early as a Defensive Player of the Year with a one-handed interception in the opening game of the season against the Tennessee Titans. However his season has been full of injuries and that had an effect on the defensive side of the defending champions all year.

7. Tip Drill
In the opening weekend of the NFL season in Cincinnati with seconds left in the game and trailing 7-6, Denver Broncos QB Kyle Orton heaves a desperation pass to the left side. The pass was tipped by Bengals CB Leon Hall and WR Brandon Stockley catches the deflection and races downfield for the go-ahead score. He even had the presence of mind to run across the field to take time off the clock.

6. Defense turns into offense!
In one of the most memorable playoff games ever, the Green Bay Packers and the Arizona Cardinals went into OT tied 45-45. You would think that the offensive explosion on both sides would settle the game but it was the defense, yes the defense that was the difference. LB Karlos Dansby returned a fumble 17 yards on the first possession of the extra period clinching the victory for the defending NFC Champs 51-45.

5. Defense turns into offense Part II
The New Orleans Saints were the number one scoring team in the NFL this past season, but not all of their points came from their number one ranked offense. In Week 13 against the Washington Redskins, Saints QB Drew Brees threw an interception to DB Kareem Moore right before halftime. Moore attempts to run it back, but WR Robert Meachem strips him of the ball at midfield and to the cheering on his sidelines and the dismay on the Redskins and their fans, goes in for a game-tying TD and help propell the Saints to a win to remain undefeated.

4. Raiders owning the AFC North
Although the Raiders finished with double digit losses for the seventh consecutive year, they seem to have made some strides. Of their five victories this past season, 3 of them came against the seemingly tough AFC North. Beating division winner Cincinnati Bengals and the lowly Cleveland Browns was one thing, but to go into Pittsburgh and trail heading into the fourth quarter and erupt for 21 points to beat the Steelers 27-24 was as gutty a performance that a downtrodden team can put on!

3. Pride!
Before the Detroit Lions beat the Washington Redskins in Week 3 this past season, one has to know that their last victory was at the beginning of the recession! Bush was the President and Brett Favre was still a Packer (seriously). However, the only team to go an entire season without holding their heads high made sure that another winless season wasn’t going to happen. In fact the Detroit Lions would end their hideous 19-game losing streak and double their win total (2) from all of 2008! With a young QB (Matt Stafford) WR (Calvin Johnson) and RB (Kevin Smith), the Lions seem to have a promising future.

2. Karma!
In the NFL, there are no gimmies nor is there an acceptable reason to theoretically ‘throw’ a game in this highly competitive league. However, the 2009 Indianapolis Colts could have made history as being only the second team to go 16-0 in the regular season as well as join the 1972 Miami Dolphins to go an entire season unblemished. They would have been the first to go 19-0. Ahead 15-10 against the New York Jets in week 16, the Colts did the unimaginable: they pulled their starters. They were outscored 19-0 (hmm) the rest of the way and gift-wrapped the victory for the Jets ending their pursuit of perfection. The boos from the fans were loud and long as the starters stared with blank faces watching their perfect season slip away. The audacious act was destroyed by the media, fans and purist as a work of betrayal. Not saying that karma caught up with the Colts but the reason why they gave up winning that game was to rest starters to go and win the Super Bowl. Well at least they got there, but how did it turn out? Hmmm…

1. Oh when the Saints go marching in!
Far from the days of the bag faces and over four and a half years after most of their city was underwater, the New Orleans Saints made sure that they did their best to show their appreciation for their loyal fans. Most of America thought the Indianapolis Colts were the best team all year but the Saints had the ‘feel good’ vibe all around them. They pulled it together after losing three straight games to end the regular season after starting out 13-0 to win two playoff games and beat the Colts 31-17 in the Super Bowl. Bourbon Street and the rest of New Orleans are probably still partying as the Saints won their first NFL title in their history!

There was much debate before the Super Bowl that if Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning was to win pro football’s ultimate game that not only would he vault into ‘iconic’ status, but the man who has started over 200 straight games would surpass all the immortal signal callers and reign supreme as the greatest of all time.

However, history has shown us that nothing is ever guaranteed and the man who seemed unflappable flapped in the final minutes on the game’s biggest stage and now the pundits are doing an about face. No longer can he be considered the best QB of all time, and furthermore not even in the game now.

There are some in Boston that are still high on number 12 and for good reason. Tom Brady has three championships to Manning’s 1. The New England Patriots quarterback has lost only 4 games in 18 career postseason starts and Peyton is an even 9-9. Manning may own all the passing records that have ever been invented by the time he is done playing, but the 4-time regular season MVP will always be compared with what he does after Christmas and he hasn’t been stellar.

However, are Super Bowl wins the only criteria that matter, of course not. Terry Bradshaw has 4 rings but he will not be considered a better QB than Steve Young or Brett Favre, who each have one. Dan Marino has no rings but he will always be mentioned in the top five above the likes of Young, Bradshaw, Joe Namath and Joe Theismann. The rings separates can separate you from the class, but anyone can win one.

So for Manning, his one championship and many achievements will have him in the conversation forever. Even though there are years left to play for the durable QB, he isn’t that far from the mountaintop.