2011 NFL Season: 10 Greatest Headlines Overshadowed by Tebowmania

Tim Tebow did some amazing things last season, not the least of which was blowing every other NFL story off the front page for a three-month span.

The Denver Broncos quarterback transcended the pro football world and took America by storm; his games were the highest-rated as the regular season drew to a close, and his game-winning touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL playoffs sent Tebowmania into a stratospheric frenzy.

And this humble writer broached the subject of Tebow no less than eight times in that stretch of time, including my personal favorite, "The Five Stages Of Tim Tebow."

So what did we miss while America fawned over its new idol? A lot, really.

Even without Tim Tebow, the last two months of the NFL season were incredible on their own. So much so that I felt that the last half of the NFL season deserved its own Tebow-free recap.

What follows are 10 headlines you would have caught in November and December if ESPN had been watchable. Better late than never, I suppose. 

It Really Was the Year of the Quarterback

Aaron Rodgers won the league's MVP honors. Drew Brees smashed Dan Marino's single-season passing record. Cam Newton put on a stunning rookie campaign. Andy Dalton got the Bengals into the playoffs. T.J. Yates, who started the season as his team's third-stringer, managed to do the same. And Matthew Stafford managed to play all 16 games.

Quarterbacks traditionally get a disproportionate share of a team's press. With you know who notwithstanding, they actually deserved it this season. 

Bad Teams That Got Good? They Got Bad Again

The Bills haven't made the playoffs in this millennium. Buffalo appeared to be getting off that schnide when they started the season 5-2. Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick signed a contract extension, and then the team lost their next seven games. They missed the playoffs.

The Detroit Lions have never been to a Super Bowl, but they did make the playoffs this year. Baby steps, I guess, but Jim Schwartz's team had its share of drama. After a 5-0 start, the Lions lost five of their next seven.

Detroit did rebound to finish 10-6 and get knocked out of the postseason by Brees and the Saints in the Superdome. Next year, fellas. 

DeSean Jackson Gets Grumpy

The Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver had himself a tumultuous 2011 season: he held himself out of training camp; he was fined and deactivated for a game after missing a special teams meeting in November; he was benched in the fourth quarter of a Patriots loss on Thanksgiving weekend. Arguably worst of all, he finished the season with less than 1,000 yards receiving.

Not all of that was his fault. The Eagles as a whole underperformed on the season, especially in the absence of an injured Michael Vick. Jackson, a restricted free agent, will probably get the franchise tag for 2012, which will do little to brighten his spirits.  

Victor Cruz Bursts onto the Scene

One wide receiver who made the most of 2011 was Cruz, the undrafted free agent who entered the season fourth on the team's depth chart at wide receiver.

That all changed when Mario Manningham and Domenik Hixon went out with injuries and Cruz found himself in the starting lineup for the second half of the season, contributing to a potent passing attack that led the New York Giants all the way to a Super Bowl title.

Cruz's production during that stretch was insane. He hit the 100-yard receiving mark in five of his last seven regular-season games, and he scored the Giants' only receiving TD in Super Bowl XLVI.

The Raiders Blow It Up and Start over

A lot of NFL teams would be happy with an 8-8 season. The Oakland Raiders, who haven't had a winning season since 2002, are not one of those teams.

Despite the death of owner Al Davis (or, some might callously argue, because of it), the Raiders finished at the .500 mark in Hue Jackson's first year at the helm. Despite a disappointing third-place finish in the AFC West, Oakland appeared poised for success in 2012.

Inexplicably, new owner Mark Davis launched a rebuilding project with the hire of new GM Reggie McKenzie. Jackson was fired, replaced with Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. The direction of the organization, along with the futures of quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Jason Campbell, remain unclear. 

Romeo Crennel Saves the Chiefs

No team in any sport had started its season as poorly as Kansas City did last fall.

The Chiefs seemed to be the only team seriously affected by the NFL's lockout, which led to a horrible preseason, a rash of injuries to star players, and a losing record. All of that occurred just one year after the Chiefs won the AFC West. 

Head coach Todd Haley somehow managed to keep his job for three months, but was fired after a blowout loss at the hands of the Jets. Defensive coordinator Crennel took the reins as interim coach.

In his first game back on the big headset, Crennel and Kansas City welcomed the 13-0 Packers to Arrowhead Stadium, and dealt them a stunning 17-13 defeat. The Chiefs split their last two games, and Crennel had his interim tag removed shortly after the season ended. 

Colt McCoy's Concussion Re-Stirs NFL Safety Debate

When James Harrison (oh, James!) laid out Colt McCoy with a helmet-to-helmet hit in Week 14, discussion over the NFL's head-safety policies was re-ignited. Debate raged over whether or not McCoy, who had no memory of lying on the field while receiving medical attention, should have been allowed to re-enter the game. McCoy would later be diagnosed with a concussion and Harrison would sit out his team's next game.

The curiosity around McCoy's diagnosis and his father's subsequent comments to the media in the days after the game brought more light to the dangers of pro football during a stretch when most of us were still focused on the games.        

The NFL Season's Exciting Week 17 Finish

The league implemented a unique schedule format in 2011 that saw more intra-divisional games in the second half of the season, with some teams facing each other twice within a span of four weeks. That layout gave the games played in the last week of the season more importance, with more division titles and playoff spots on the line than in any other season finale in recent memory.

Baltimore and the Giants pulled off division-clinching victories in Week 17, and New England locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs with its final regular-season win. And to dispel the notion that their starters might not have been properly rested, all three of those teams won their first playoff games. 

Reggie Bush Runs for 1,000-Yard Season in Miami

One of the few bright spots in the Dolphins' 2011 campaign was Reggie Bush, who signed with the team after finishing his rookie deal in New Orleans last season.

Amidst criticisms of Bush's abilities as an every-down-style running back, Bush had a monster second half of a season.

Despite sitting out in Week 17, Bush had his first 1,000-yard rushing season ever, busting out four 100-yard games in Weeks 13 through 16, including a 203-yard effort against the Bills. After splitting time with rookie Daniel Thomas, Bush was getting the lion's share of the carries down the stretch.

One can only wonder if the trend will continue under new Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin.  

NFL Playoffs Witness Another Falcons Flameout

Despite sharing a division with the juggernaut New Orleans Saints, Atlanta has managed to qualify for the NFL's postseason in three of the last four years. But each playoff appearance has resulted in a playoff loss, and the Falcons faithful are getting miffed about that.

This year was no different. Despite an impressive 10-6 season, the Falcons headed north to face the Giants, and totally sucked. They only managed 244 yards of offense against the Giants... and no offensive points. Their only score came from an intentional grounding call against Eli Manning in his own end zone.

But to be fair, the Giants did have a decent year.