NFL Rankings: The 25 Biggest Disappointments of the 2010 Season
The 25 biggest disappointments of the 2010 NFL season is, in my mind, a rather depressing countdown to behold.
Indeed, it's a harsh reminder the vast majority of our predictions and expectations are pretty much doomed from the start.
And there have been plenty of letdowns this season. The Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings certainly qualify. Coaches and players such as Mike Singletary and Brandon Marshall have also disappointed, to name a couple.
Well, we may as well start counting 'em down. Start the slideshow for the 25 biggest disappointments of the 2010 NFL season.
25. Chris Johnson
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Don't get me wrong, Chris Johnson is an outstanding running back. And he's having a fine season in 2010, as he's already rushed for 1,399 yards.
But in light of the prediction he made before the season that he could rush for 2,500 yards if he could stay healthy, as well as the fact that he rushed for over 2,000 yards last season, I daresay that he has underperformed in 2010.
Well, I guess he could still top 2,500 yards. He just needs to rush for 1,101 in his final three games. And that would be awesome.
24. Peyton Manning
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After a decade of incredible consistency, the bus finally broke down for Peyton Manning and the Colts in 2010, as an unfathomable rush of injuries have left them trying to win the AFC South with spare parts at several key positions.
So why is this Manning's fault?
Well, because he really hasn't been able to put the team on his shoulders. Instead, he has been downright bad in recent weeks, which included a three-game losing streak that saw him throw a combined 11 interceptions.
But on balance, his 2010 season is a disappointment because I think it has shown us that he is, in fact, human.
23. Matthew Stafford
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To be sure, Matthew Stafford is still a very promising young quarterback, and don't take his appearance on this list to mean I'm labeling him as a bust.
But you have to wonder when we can officially give him the terrible label of being "injury prone."
Indeed, Stafford's rookie season ended with him being placed on IR in late December, and he's missed all but three games in 2010.
True, Stafford has played well when he has played, and calling him a disappointment may be a little harsh. But you have to wonder what could happen if the injuries keep piling up.
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22. Ryan Mathews
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When the Chargers drafted Mathews 12th overall in the 2010 draft, the consensus seemed to be that he could more than make up for what they were losing in an aging LaDainian Tomlinson.
Given the fact that Mathews had rushed for over 1,800 yards in his final season at Fresno State, I suppose people have thought dumber things.
Instead, it seems like Mathews has barely been on the field, and it's pretty obvious that Mike Tolbert is the better option at running back for the Chargers, at least for the time being.
Mathews no doubt still has the ability to be a very good back in the NFL. But as far as 2010 is concerned, he's been a disappointment.
21. C.J. Spiller
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Exactly why the Bills drafted Spiller ninth overall in the 2010 draft is starting to become a mystery.
Spiller has basically been a ghost in 2010. Instead of being a key cog in a balanced offensive attack, he's been an afterthought on a team that passes almost exclusively and gives what precious few carries there are to Fred Jackson.
In fact, if we're looking at this thing from a workload perspective, Spiller had his finest game of the season in Week 14 against Cleveland. He had a grand total of eight carries!
20. Derek Anderson
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It was obvious before the start of the season that Anderson's Pro Bowl year in 2007 was an outrageous anomaly.
Nevertheless, I don't think anybody would have dared to think that he could have been this awful in his first year with Arizona.
I could throw all sorts of stats at you, such as his 65.9 QB rating, which ranks second to last in the NFL, but nobody who has seen him or the Cardinals play should require the numbers.
And with a high draft pick upcoming for the Cardinals, 2010 could be the last we see of Derek Anderson.
19. Brandon Marshall
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Say what you will about his attitude, but Marshall had at least 100 receptions and 1,100 yards receiving in three straight years from 2007-2009, which is mighty impressive.
So for Miami to add him to an offense that was fourth in the league in rushing was a move that could have made their offense great.
Well, thanks in large part to the subpar play of Chad Henne and a leg injury that cost him a couple games, this has not been the case. Marshall has just 60 catches for 709 yards and two touchdowns to this point. And while it's obviously not his fault that Miami is as good as dead in the playoff race, he certainly hasn't been the difference maker that he's capable of being.
18. The New York Jets' Integrity
8 of 25Coming into the 2010 season, I think we all knew that the New York Jets were an organization of arrogant blowhards that were headed by an overly talkative buffoon.
But we also knew that they were good, and that the buffoon in charge knew what he was doing.
But after the whole Ines Sainz fiasco, Rex Ryan's increasingly annoying antics and the tripping incident, I'd say enough is enough.
17. Houston Texans
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It's pretty hard to believe that the Texans were 4-2 at one point this season, and that they looked like they had a great chance to make the playoffs for the first time in the team's young history.
Instead, they've gone on to lose six of seven to drop to 5-8, and their ineptitude has a lot to do with a defense that could probably couldn't stop a peewee football team.
But hey, at least we got to see Andre Johnson rearrange Cortland Finnegan's face.
16. Donovan McNabb
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Despite the fact that McNabb has had countless praise poured on him throughout his career, you still almost get the sense that he is one of the more underrated quarterbacks in NFL history.
And when the Eagles decided to dump him on the Washington Redskins, it also felt like he had been wronged. And I for one hoped that he would succeed.
Instead, McNabb has responded by having his worst season since his sophomore campaign in 2000. And as much as you want to blame the lack of weapons around him, you should remember that he often didn't have big name players around him in Philadelphia either.
So I think we can finally say it: McNabb is over the hill.
15. Miami Dolphins Running Game
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Back on the Brandon Marshall slide, I called attention to the fact that Miami's running game in 2009 was their biggest strength.
Behind Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, the Fins managed close to 140 rushing yards per game in 2009, and only the Jets and Panthers ran the ball more often than they did.
In 2010, Miami has barely averaged more than 100 yards rushing per game, and neither Brown nor Williams is running as effectively as they did last year. While this does indeed have a lot to do with the coaching staff's inexplicable insistence on throwing the ball, it has also become clear that both of Miami's star running backs are past their prime.
14. San Diego Chargers
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Before the season started, the Chargers were really the only logical pick to with the AFC West. In fact, it was pretty much theirs to run away with.
True enough, the Chargers are 7-6 and still very much in contention for the AFC West crown, but I'll be damned if something just doesn't feel right about this season.
As always, the Chargers should be better than they are, even if they have had to deal with injuries. And if they don't make the playoffs, it's a good bet that Norv Turner's head will roll.
13. New York Jets Defense
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While I admit that the previous cheap shot at the New York Jets' integrity was partly in jest, I am dead serious when I say their defense has been a disappointment.
Allow me to throw some numbers at you. In 2009, the Jets allowed just 14.8 points and 252.3 yards per game, figures that were both tops in the NFL by a fairly wide margin.
This year, those numbers are up to 18.6 and 292.5, which would appear to be too bad of a hike at first glance. But they've also given up 20 points seven times, compared to just five times in all of 2009. And the season's not over yet.
To be sure, there hasn't been much rest for the weary thanks to the Jets' lack of offense in recent weeks. But it's still apparent that they're not as unbreakable as they were last year.
12. Josh McDaniels and Tim Tebow
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When Josh McDaniels drafted Florida great Tim Tebow with the 25th overall pick in the 2010 draft, just about every NFL fan in the world went, "Huh?"
Indeed, Tebow was a great college player, but he never did look like NFL material. But then again, maybe McDaniels had something clever up his sleeve for Tebow. He was, after all, the same guy that led the Broncos to a 6-0 start in 2009.
Instead, McDaniels' team went 3-9 under his watch, and his reputation was forever stained by the videotaping scandal that resulted in a $50,000 fine for himself and the organization. As for his Tebow plans, they were nothing more clever than using him in the same packages Tebow ran in college.
And for the record, McDaniels was certainly deserving of his fate.
11. Cincinnati Bengals
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The Bengals went 10-6 in 2009 and won the AFC North.
Things started positively enough for Marvin Lewis' club, as they jumped out to a 2-1 record after three games, which included a win over the Ravens.
But Sunday's 23-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was their 10th loss in a row, which drops their record to 2-11.
Also, the whole Batman and Robin thing hasn't really worked out. Surprised?
10. Minnesota Vikings
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The look on Tarvaris Jackson's face says it all.
I doubt that many people expected the Vikings to go 12-4 again this season. But they certainly could have been good enough to at least compete for the NFC North, and another trip to the NFC Championship Game was hardly out of the question.
But the Vikings never really got off the deck, and the turmoil surround Brad Childress finally got to be too much. Then their dome collapsed, the footage of which was an oddly fitting microcosm for their whole season.
I have more to say in regards to a certain Vikings player in particular, but we'll get to him in a moment.
9. Mike Singletary
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As much as I'd like to throw the San Francisco 49ers as a whole under the bus, I think their essential ineffectiveness should be attributed solely to head coach Mike Singletary.
After all, this was a guy who was seen as the ultimate cure for what ailed the Niners after leading them to a 13-12 record in his first season and a half at the helm.
And this year, he was supposed to lead the Niners back to the promised land of the playoffs. Instead, they're 5-8, and it has been pretty ugly for Singletary in the Bay Area.
To give you a hint, the locals really like the idea of Jim Harbaugh on the 49ers sideline.
8. Albert Haynesworth
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Well before the season started, you got the sense that Albert Haynesworth's 2010 season was already a disaster.
Indeed, it's hard to believe that it actually got worse as the year moved along.
No matter how much you hate your coach, there are some things you just don't do. That list definitely includes not giving up on a play in a prime time game in front of millions of people, and it certainly includes not pissing off your head coach to the point where he suspends you.
Haynesworth's 2010 season would be despicable for any player. But for a $100 million player like himself, the word "inexcusable" doesn't even cut it.
7. Vince Young
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When Vince Young reclaimed the Tennessee starting quarterback gig in Week 8 of the 2009 season, the Titans proceeded to go 8-2, easily erasing the foul taste of an 0-6 start.
At long last, it looked like a player who could be great was finally just that. And when he wasn't injured, Young performed pretty well in the early part of the season.
But then the Titans started to struggle, and Young hurt his thumb against the Washington Redskins. Not only did that game end his season, it may have ended his tenure with the Titans as well. He walked out on Jeff Fisher and his teammates, and was barred from the team facility a few days later.
I've always been a Young fan, and it pains me to say this, but it looks like he is becoming one of the great busts of all time.
6. The Whole NFC West
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While it's true that we all expected the NFC West to be the weakest division in the NFL this year, I don't think any of us expected it to be this dreadful.
To make this discussion short, I'll just point out that the top two teams in the division have 6-7 records.
That's right, the NFC West winner could very well end the season with sub-.500 record. You know that as well as I do, and it's damned depressing.
In fact, it's disgusting.
5. NFL Blackouts
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Unless something really weird happens in the coming years, the National Football League is going to continue to reign supreme as one of the biggest money machines in America.
But 2010 has not been a banner year. Attendance is down for the third straight season, and the number of TV blackouts throughout the league is well on pace to break last year's count of 22, which was higher than 2007 and 2008 combined.
While this is a pretty good indication of what the economy is like, it also confirms something that I suspect we've all always known about the blackout rules: they don't work.
The NFL needs to face facts. Folks in Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Oakland and even San Diego are not going to go watch a team that they rarely get to see play.
But as long as the cash continues to flow, I highly doubt that anybody in the league office even cares.
4. Randy Moss
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Randy Moss' 2010 season didn't start too terribly, as he had 139 yards and three touchdowns through three games. And he did make highlights with that nifty one-handed catch on Darrelle Revis.
But then came the Miami game in Week 4 when Moss had no catches and was clearly dogging it most of the game. And then he was banished to the Minnesota Vikings, where he did very little. And then he got dumped by the Vikings, and picked up by Tennessee, where he has done even less.
Yikes. This is a dude who could be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he's been tossed around like a bad luck charm. But the worst part is that you can't say he hasn't deserved it.
3. Dallas Cowboys
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I for one have always seen the Cowboys as the Yankees of the NFL, the only difference being that they don't really have the history to back up their painfully annoying projection of greatness.
And to be sure, anybody who looked at this team and saw a Super Bowl contender before the season was sorely mistaken. Just because they went 11-5 and won their first playoff game since the last Haley's Comet didn't mean that they were going to be the team to beat this year.
And they never were. They started 1-7, and were bad enough to make Jerry Jones rescind his insistence that Wade Phillips' job was safe.
They've rebounded nicely under Jason Garrett, but they're still a nightmare compared to what they could be.
2. The Number of Concussions
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We can talk all we want about how the fines levied for helmet-to-helmet hits and/or cheap shots on defenseless players have gotten out of hand, but I think the number of concussions suffered this season represents one of the biggest overall bummers in years.
It's not so much that the circumstances of these injuries are disappointing. Instead, I think it just downright sucks that these injuries are costing so many good players so much playing time. And beyond that, it also sucks that concussions have a way of recurring once a player suffers his first (see Aaron Rodgers).
As for what can be done to fix this, who knows? You could say new helmets maybe, but it would appear at this point that the evolution of the football helmet still isn't close to solving the concussion problem entirely.
1. Brett Favre
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You knew this was coming, right?
And indeed, I think we all sensed that the vibes for Favre's latest un-retirement were ominous. There never was any chance of him repeating his miracle season of 2009, in which he threw 33 touchdowns and led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game.
But for longtime fans of the old fella, it's been a tough season to behold. There's been a wide assortment of injuries, all sorts of interceptions and turnovers, an end to his consecutive starts streak, and the whole Jenn Sterger thing.
Ultimately, I think Favre's season is the biggest disappointment because it's just never fun to watch a great player fall.
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