50 Things NFL Fans Should Be Thankful For

There is a lot to be thankful for in regards to the NFL right about now. More than that, there is a lot to be thankful for as American's right now. This is the beginning of a holiday season that families get together, stuff their faces, engage in meaningless conversation, drink a lot of alcohol and watch football. 

It is a great American tradition. 

A tradition that almost didn't happen because of the collective bargaining impasse that nearly cost of the pageantry and greatness that is the NFL. 

Now that things are being decided on the football field and not in the courts, we are seeing one of the most entertaining seasons in the modern history of the league. 

This holiday morning I am going to take a look at 50 things that we should be thankful for when it comes to the NFL. 

50. Brett Favre Is Gone

I cannot be the only one that is glad that Brett Favre's mug isn't seen on a continual stream on my television set. His crying and outward egocentric mentality cannot be something that was good for the NFL as a whole. 

We are better off with Favre running over his tow with a John Deer tractor in Mississippi than his messing up the continuity of another playoff contender that finds themselves without a quarterback. 

49. So Is Terrell Owens

As with Brett Favre, I am sure many of you don't miss the antics of Terrell Owens. He tore apart locker rooms, called out his quarterbacks, disrespected his head coaches and showed the fans nothing resembling respect. 

Once Owens tore his ACL, it meant that he wouldn't be playing in the NFL for the majority of the 2011 season. After his scarcely attended workout, it became more apparent that Owens would not be playing in the NFL this season. 

Some expect him to return for 2012, which is a strong possibility. However, at least we are without his antics for the remainder of this year. 

48. Alex Smith's Resurgence

It really is nothing short of a feel-good story. Alex Smith, the first-round pick in the 2005 draft, struggled throughout the first six seasons of his career. He also played on some really bad teams. 

Through the first 11 weeks of the 2011 season, Smith has led the San Francisco 49ers to a 9-1 record and shed that "bust" label.

He is increasingly becoming the reason why San Francisco is winning and their success isn't in spite of him being the quarterback. No matter your feeling about the 49ers, Smith's success has to make you feel good as a NFL fan. 

47. Small Market Success

Unlike other unnamed sports, the NFL markets success to small towns and sparsely populated areas of the United States. How else would you explain the Green Bay Packers winning the Super Bowl last season? 

Have you ever been there? 

The population in Lambeau Field on Sundays is bigger than the population of Green Bay. 

The reason we have seen small market success in the NFL is because of the way the financial structure of the league is set. It enables the Packers and Cardinals of the world to compete with the Jets and Giants of the world. 

All this does is make for a much more interesting season and better competition on the football field. 

46. Red Zone Channel

Scott Hansen has to have the best job in the world of sports. Being able to sit in the studios of the NFL Red Zone and paraphrase exactly what is going on in every single NFL game has to be extremely fun. It is also probably one of the hardest jobs in the league.

I still cannot get over Hansen being able to announce what was happening in four separate games at the same times as the television turned to split screens. Simply amazing!

For football fans, the Red Zone is another outlet from the regular games they have to view on Sunday's. It is also cheaper alternative to the NFL Ticket. 

You get to watch games come down to the wire in a live and continually streaming show that lasts for the better part of eight hours. 

Nothing better than that!

45. Bleacher Report

One of the greatest sports Web sites ever created.

Bleacher Report gives up-and-coming writers like myself an ability to produce their work while staying engaged with an audience. It is much more personal than you would see in any of the other mainstream sport sites and brings with it a strong foundation of community.  

44. Outdoor Playoffs and Braving the Elements

There is nothing better than a Green Bay Packers or Chicago Bears NFC Championship Game in the rigid cold that is Soldier or Lambeau Field. It sure beats the heck out of playing a playoff game in the Superdome. 

Teams have had to brave the conditions for the better part of the regular season. Why not ask them to do the same thing in the playoffs? 

It also makes for a much more interesting playoff game. 

Next up should be a Super Bowl in Lambeau. Now that would be awesome. 

43. The NFL Isn't MLB

When the MLB season starts, about six teams are given a realistic shot of capturing the World Series crown. Most of these teams are in the largest markets of the league such as: Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Boston and Philadelphia.

The have-nots, such as the Washington Nationals and Oakland Athletics really have no shot. 

The NFL is an entirely different story. 

Some say that parity dilutes the product that is on the field, but I couldn't disagree more. Of course, you have the favorites on a regular basis. The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s as well as the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers of the 2000s. 

Still, who would have expected the San Francisco 49ers to be one of the best teams in the NFL this season? Or, the Cincinnati Bengals to be fighting for a playoff spot right now? Those are stories that usually only happen in the NFL. 

42. It Isn't the NBA

Many people compare the current NBA labor impasse to what occurred in the NFL this summer. But, they couldn't be more different. 

The NFL is a profitable business and one of the most popular entertainment outlets in the United States. The previous Collective Bargaining Agreement set into place one of the greatest financial eras in the history of the sport. 

The NBA, on the other hand, isn't anywhere near as profitable as the NFL and wouldn't have been sustainable under the current CBA. Instead, they are probably going to gave to lose an entire season in order to fix the financial mess that a larger majority of the teams in the league are in. 

Accordingly, the NFL now has labor peace for the next decade. This means we will not have to worry about what is going on in the NBA happening to this league until the 2021 season. 

That is awesome!

41. With Success of 49ers and Raiders, NFL Is No Longer Regional

Football is a national sport and represents America more than any other entertainment option in the United States. Still, the recent success of teams east of the Mississippi has made it somewhat of a regional sport in terms of success. 

Now the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders are both in first place and there has been premature talk of an all California Super Bowl. While that appears to be extremely unlikely, it is really nice to see success not just limited to those east of the Mississippi. 

40. Fandom

NFL fans might very well be the most passionate in the world of sports. That said, there is a certain amount of respect that fans have for one another. I notice this in going to games and sitting with opposing fans when I was growing up. 

There is a nice amount of well-mannered heckling that goes on, but for the most part the environment is friendly and dramatic. 

39. Tailgating

Charbroiled burgers, burnt hot dogs, great potato salad and, yes, beer, are just a few of the things that come to mind when thinking about football tailgating. The fun doesn't end there. Rain, sleet, snow or sun: Tailgating is a tradition that has been passed on from generation to generation of football fans. 

Whether it is brat in Green Bay, crab in Boston or seafood in San Francisco. The food is most epic and the company is almost better. I said almost! 

38. Football Rebuilding the City of Detroit

The city of Detroit was decimated due the the “Great Recession” and failure of America's auto industry. Meanwhile, the NBA was in lockout mode and the Detroit Tigers had just lost in MLB's playoffs. Unemployment was in double-figures, the housing market collapsed and the crime rate skyrocketed.

But, one thing changed the fortune of the city. The Detroit Lions, who had existed in relative obscurity for the last two decades, started winning. A city was united, the people came together and the atmosphere changed.

Although, this didn't change the fortune of a city that is still struggling in nearly every aspect. It gave the people a reason for hope and reason to come together in the common cause. This is what sport in general and the NFL specifically can do to change the mentality of a people and get their minds off of the ills that are affecting them.

At least, for one day during the week.

37. Thanksgiving Football

This year's Thanksgiving football matchups take on an entirely new meaning. You have five teams that may end up in the playoffs at season's end playing today and another team that has ripped off three consecutive impressive victories playing.

Detroit will look to end the Packers' hope of a undefeated season. San Francisco will look to get their ninth consecutive victory in a sibling rivalry against the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins will look to upset the Cowboys in the Big D.

More than this, the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving is as American as a block party on the Fourth of July. 

You couldn't ask for much more.  

36. Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith

One thing here. Aren't you happy that the NFL came to a collective bargaining agreement prior to the season? Otherwise, we would be stuck without football today and most of us would be incredibly lost without it. 

As much as we love to hate Smith and Goodell, they put a lot of hard work in to come to an agreement and allow us to be able to be watching football today. 

And, for that we should be thankful. 

35. Tim Tebow

No matter your opinion of Tim Tebow's ability to play the quarterback position or the fact that some perceive him to “hold his religion on his sleeve,” you must have some mad respect for the player and the individual.

Never in the history of the NFL has a player come into the league so maligned at no fault of his own. Tebow had never been arrested or even in the mildest of trouble during college and all you heard was about what a good guy he was.

Despite that, scouts and other skeptics said “he couldn't play in the NFL.” I am included in this group of skeptics and am extremely glad to admit I was wrong.

34. NFL Sunday Ticket

Up until the creation of the NFL Ticket in 1994 we had to rely on Sunday and Monday Night Football as well as national broadcast holiday games in order to watch the best games of the week. Many of us didn't live in the geographical era of our favorite team, so the opportunity of watching them were extremely limited.

Now we are able to watch whatever game we want to on any given Sunday, follow our team in a constant basis and become involved in the greatness that is NFL football Sunday.

Additionally, the $350 price tag that it costs in the majority of the country isn't too bad in the grand scheme of things.  

33. Lack of Diva Wide Receivers

Gone are Terrell Owens and Randy Moss. They have been replaced by the likes of Andre Johnson and Calvin Johnson, who lead a strong group of hard working and quite wide receivers.

Gone are the days of push-ups in the front yard, kicking the ball in practice and acting the part of a fool. They have been replaced with acts of sportsmanship and extremely respectful individuals.

We may see a few that could be called “diva,” Dez Bryant comes to mind, but they are far and few between. Even players like Michael Crabtree, who received the diva tag, have worked their way out of that.

32. Good Guys Like Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees Getting Publicity

Instead of us hearing about the arrests of some of the biggest stars. Instead of us hearing about rape allegations, obstruction of justice charges, manslaughter investigations and the like, we are viewing an era where the “model citizen” is the face of the NFL.

Good guys like Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees have taken the lead in hailing in a new era in the league. Their lead has been followed by the likes of Patrick Willis, DeMarcus Ware and Charles Woodson on the defensive side of the ball.

It is a great feeling that you could feel an All-Good Guy Team that would pretty similar to those who perform in Hawaii in February.  

31. Beer!

Ah, beer! It is as American as football. The crackling of a can opening, the fuzz of a newly minted beer dripping down your chin.

Football and beer go hand in hand like romance and Marvin Gaye. 

Even though I have been relatively sober for the last five years, there is nothing better than seeing someone open up a cold Budweiser during a tailgate party before a game. 

Of course, alcohol can cause some crazy situations during games and at parties, but drinking responsibly during Sunday football is an American pastime, just as much as football is. 

30. Madden Football Franchise

Some of us grew up with Madden during its earliest stages, others grew up when it was getting big, others had to wait until they were adults to experience the greatness of this video game franchise.

While Tecmo Bowl was outstanding in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Madden changed the face of sports gaming.

I still remember the 1994 Madden for Sega Genesis. For those of you that are too young to know what Sega was, it revolutionized the action aspect of gaming with Sonic the Hedgehog. Still, Madden '94 was and remains one of my favorite video games of all-time.

Since, we have seen so many add-ons in terms of graphics and in game specials that the effects are almost like being at the game. Add the new generation of televisions to the mix and you have the ultimate at-home entertainment experience.  

29. Sunday Night Football

Remember when Sunday Night Football was on TNT? Yeah, I barely do either. That was such a long time ago.

Since NBC has taken over the rights to the nationally televised weekly game it has taken the next step towards elite status. In fact, SNF may have completely overtaken Monday Night Football as the most popular weekend sporting experience during the regular season.

Right now it boasts the best game from each week and garners the weekend's best overall ratings, sports or not.

I am just waiting for them to replace Chris Collinsworth, who seems to be getting on my nerves more and more as the season progresses each year. Al Michaels, on the other hand, is still one of the best announcers the world of sports has to offer.  

28. Joe Buck Does Just One Game a Week

I cannot be the only one that is continually annoyed by Buck's lack of excitement and mundane references to analogies that have absolutely nothing to do with the game of football. Can I? Seriously, it has come to a point where I believe that I would do a better job than the untalented Buck.

How much longer can he continue to hang on the coattails of his father?

Still, we have to be thankful that he announces just one game a week. And skips some games due to MLB obligations. Thank you football gods for that because I couldn't handle listening to this dude spout one more ill-equipped anecdote about nothing of relevance.

27. The Harbaugh Brothers

Tonight will mark the first time that two head coaching brothers will be taking on one another in a NFL game. Jim Harbaugh will take his 9-1 San Francisco 49ers into Baltimore to play Jon Harbaugh's 7-3 Ravens.

Not only is this a game of importance in regards to the standings, it is of importance for the two brothers and their coaching father.

Who will he root for? Will he be donning black or red? That will be an extremely interesting side story in regards to this game.

I also want to see the handshake that will occur after one brother defeats the other. A repeat the Jim Schwhartz and Jim Harbaugh fiasco of earlier this season would be most epic.

26. Cheerleaders

I have always been an advocate of skipping commercial breaks in between scores and kickoffs and just focusing the cameras on the cheerleaders. In fact, we should start a movement in favor of that!

The in-game experience is enhanced by the cheerleaders themselves. Nothing better than being a boy growing up, sitting in the end zone and watching the Gold Rush Girls bounce up and down in the truest of forms. One of the greatest football memories I had as a child was meeting a team of them at a 49ers charity basketball game.

We need to pass on the tradition, but also focus more on these great representations of America's pastime. And, no I am not talking about Phil on Modern Family!

Who's with me?  

25. The New Orleans Saints

You don't have to be a Saints fan or New Orleans native to have been rooting for Drew Brees and Co. in 2009. A few years after Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed the entire city, the Saints gave a still downtrodden population reason for hope.

More than this, the players showed that they were united with the common citizen in the hopes and aspirations of the city. Drew Brees signed just six months following the devastating hurricane, Reggie Bush spent money and time to help the people of the city rebuild and other players stepped up when it counted the most.

This all came to an epic climax in February of 2010, when the Saints defeated Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. A Super Bowl that I think it is safe to say a large majority of bystanders were going for not only the Saints but the city of New Orleans.

24. Cam Newton

Despite recent struggles, Cam Newton is on the brink of revolutionizing the quarterback position in the NFL.

A strong armed signal-caller with the ability to run down and past defenders on the ground. In 20 years he will be the guy that allowed previous “tweeners” exist as quarterbacks in the NFL.

We will see this when Robert Griffin III goes in the top 10 in the 2012 NFL Draft and he has Newton, as well as his own talents, to thank for that.

23. NFL Draft

From an early age, one of my favorite events in sports was the NFL draft. I am a big fan of college football, so it was fun projecting what players were going to what team. I loved the idea of an entire weekend being designated to the draft event.

Waking up Saturday morning with Paul Tagliabue announcing that the 49ers had selected Ricky Watters from Notre Dame was probably one of my greatest memories.

I am sure that you have your own memories here too. Whether they are good or bad.  

22. Sudden-Death Overtime

This has changed a little bit with the new rules that will take affect during the 2011 NFL playoffs, but sudden-death overtime in the NFL has to be one of the most dramatic situations you will see in professional sports.

It used to be that the team that got the ball first were almost guaranteed to win, but that isn't the case anymore. This means that each team usually gets a chance to score at one point during the overtime period.

A bad penalty, fumbled ball, interception or missed field goal could ruin the chances that a given team wins the game. Accordingly, bad coaching decisions to lead a team to defeat.

In reality, the Atlanta Falcons may miss the playoffs because of a split-second overtime decision of coach Mike Smith. The San Francisco 49ers' only loss of the 2011 season so far came on a fluke overtime play against the Dallas Cowboys.

It just shows you that players and coaches need their heads in the game for more than just the 60 minutes set aside for a regular period and need to push past the fatigue and find something deeper within themselves once overtime begins.  

21. The Rivalries

Last week's games were a prime example of how rivalries in the NFL are the greatest in professional sports. Despite being down on their luck the Washington Redskins gave their bitter rival the Dallas Cowboys a run for their money.

Even though the game was out of hand, Arizona and San Francisco had a lot of drama and intrigue towards the end. The evening game between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles was a bitter fought match to the end as well.

The NFL also made the smart decision to match division rivals against one another in the final week of the regular season. This promises to add much more intrigue as the season comes to a close.

Just look at some of the game that may be of utmost importance and have playoff ramifications during the first week of 2012.

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants.

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals.

Detroit Packers at Green Bay Packers.

Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans.

San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders.

20. Real Grass

There is nothing more essential to the game of football than real grass. While some of us may take it for granted, it is the lively hood for many franchises around the league. 

The smell of the grass on a crisp fall afternoon tells us that football is back and ready to go. It also represents what is natural about sports more than artificial crap we were so comfortable seeing indoors. 

It might not seem like much, but the real football fan in you completely understands what I am talking about. It has also saved many players from career-ending injuries. 

19. Arian Fosters of the World

I could have easily put Tom Brady or Tony Romo in the title of this slide, but I decided to go with Foster. There is something special about seeing a player that didn't have high expectations out of college playing at a high level in the NFL. 

We saw this with the St. Louis Rams about a decade ago when Kurt Warner led them to a title and now we are seeing it with the trio listed above. 

It just tells a story that represents what America was built on. Hard work and determination can get you places people, don't ever forget that. 

18. Twitter

This relatively new social media craze has enabled the common fan to get into contact with star athletes around the world within the click of a single button. 

More than anything, NFL football players have taken to Twitter in order to engage themselves with fans and respond to necessary questions about their life and the game they love playing. 

17. No More Donovan McNabb Starting in the NFL

I cannot possibly be alone on this one. Donovan McNabb may be the most overrated quarterback to ever play the position.

In 11 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, he led them to the playoffs multiple times, but was only able to get to the Super Bowl a total of once. This with some of the most talented teams that the NFL had to offer. 

He broke down and struggled when it counted the most. After moving on from Philadelphia, McNabb struggled with the Washington Redskins for a season before completing imploding in Minnesota this season. 

I still have to wonder if it is possible that the Eagles would have won a Super Bowl with another quarterback that actually performed above-average during the playoffs. 

McNabb's 18 interceptions in 16 playoff games speaks exactly to the point I am talking about. 

16. The Pro Bowl Is Back in Hawaii

After exploring options in South Beach for one season, the NFL made the intelligent decision to return the unimportant All-Star game back to its natural setting. 

Hawaii deserves this game and they are going to get it back. 

Good for them. 

15. Fantasy Football

This certain invention of the NFL may have ended up costing employees billions of dollar since it inception, but fantasy football is the greatest thing to come since sliced bread with peanut butter and marshmallow cream (YUM!). 

It brings fans together clear across the United States in a way never before imagined. It also causes some of the greatest heartbreaks and self-inflicted injuries ever known to man. 

Still, we love it!

14. Tim Tebow's Girlfriend

Need I say more? Pretty self explanatory if you ask me. 

13. We Don't Have to Resort to Watching Cars Go Around in Circles

Not to offend some of you NASCAR enthusiasts out there. But really? What is so interesting about watching cars go around in a circle in a never-ending stream of boredom? 

I never really understood the interest that middle America had in NASCAR. I tried getting involved in it years ago, but to no avail. 

I could be wrong, but I think that a majority of you would agree with me in regards to this. Thank the heavens and Earth that NASCAR isn't our only option as fall closes and winter approaches. 

12. Father and Sons, Mothers and Daughters: A Family Tradition

Many of us just didn't become interested in the NFL. Instead, we had it passed on from our parents to us and have had the ability to do the same for our children. 

I remember growing up watching football with my father, it was one of the most fondest memories that I can recollect. I also remember my mother becoming extremely interested in the game and still watch with her. 

We all have stories about the first time we watched out team play on television or in person. Those memories probably include a parent with us, telling us the rules of the game and pushing for our further involvement. 

11. College Football

The NFL and college football, more than any other sport, combines the pageantry of amateur athletics with the realism of professional athletics. 

In many ways they are correlated as one huge organization, but in other ways they are completely separate. 

That said, if you watch college football like I do the idea of being able to follow your favorite player from his freshman season all the way to retirement in the NFL means something. We don't have to wait five years like they do in MLB or see our favorite college player skip after just one season. 

College football's relationship with the NFL is much more organic than that. 

10. The Tradition

Whether you paint your face in black and go to the Black Hole in Oakland, dress up like a dog and party in Cleveland or wear some crazy cheese loaf in Green Bay. The traditions that the NFL brings on a weekly basis is greater than any other sport in the world. 

It could be the tailgating, watching the game with your parents or children, or something as simple as going to your first live game. 

The NFL has a tradition not matched in the history of sports and our lives are better because of it. 

9. It's America's Game

More than any other sport in the United States, football represents what this country is all about. The league markets itself as America's sport, and I couldn't agree more. 

It is hard to imagine fall and winter Sunday's in the United States without football. The nation comes together to celebrate that pageantry that is the game and the patriotism that it reflects. 

The stories of success from the unheralded streets of the inner cities creates a feeling of utmost passion and respect for those who put their health on the line for a game. 

It has been this way for a long time in the United States, but recently football has circumvented the idea that it is just a sport and has been brought to the conscience of the broader American society. 

It is no longer a sport, it is a tradition and part of society that reflects where we came from and where we want to go as a nation. 

No Canada and Britain, you cannot have it!

8. Whitney Houston's Star Spangled Banner Performance

It was Super Bowl XXV and the United States had just began Operation: Desert Storm. Patriotism was at an all-time high as our nation attempted to protect the small Arab country of Kuwait from Iraqi aggression. 

This is when the Super Bowl and the nation came to be one on a fateful Sunday evening in January. Whitney Houston performed the "Star Spangled Banner" as an awe-inspired nation looked on. 

Her performance was one for the ages and showed us that the NFL can team up with the United States to create one of the most bone-chilling moments in recent history. 

If you haven't seen it, check out the embedded video. 

7. The Super Bowl Holiday

The pageantry of the Super Bowl is unmatched in the arena of sports. The media spends two weeks speculating on every possible scenario and situation that may take place during the four-hour game.

Fans of each team anxiously await kickoff and the rest of the league is focused on just over 100 players whose performance enabled their team to be able to play on the most sacred of NFL days.

Casual football fans become die-hards as family and friends get together for parties as if it were another national holiday. Chili is made, hamburgers are fried, beer is consumed and a nation stops to be a part of one amazing day.

Even before the 24-hour news cycle came to be, media pumped up this most important of games like nothing else: 8 a.m. pregame shows, all major stations running marathons of some random show and practically giving up the rating battle for the entirety of the day.

For us fans, it was all about football. The pregame was fine, the patriotism was great, the national anthem drew tingles down your spine. But it was the kickoff that mattered most, especially if our team was playing.  

6. The Playoffs

Growing up there was nothing better than my San Francisco 49ers going up against the Dallas Cowboys for the rights to go to the Super Bowl. It seems like this happened on a continual basis from the early to mid-'90s.

I am sure many of you Patriots or Raiders fans remember the “tuck game.” As many of you Dallas Cowboys fans remember Tony Romo's infamous fumble against the Seattle Seahawks a few years back.

It doesn't matter who your team affiliation was growing up, NFL playoffs are something that get us most excited. It takes place following 17 hard fought weeks, in which teams and players give their all for the ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl. However, all that hard work can be thrown away due to one bone-headed play, a missed field goal or an epic comeback.

It might not compare to Game 7 of the World Series or sudden death in the NHL playoffs, but the NFL playoffs are in a league of their own.  

5. Brian's Song

Brian's Song is the only movie that the majority of men will admit to crying while watching. It represented the friendship and camaraderie, the comedy and, yes, the tragedy that makes up the human experience.

This is a movie that destroyed the innocence of the game of football for me as a child and embedded within me the necessity of having compassion for fellow men.

Since, there have been some great football movies to come along, such as: Rudy, Any Given Sunday and Remember the Titans. But, there will never be another Brian's Song.  

4. Upsets

The New York Giants upsetting a previously undefeated New England Patriots team in the Super Bowl. An up-and-coming San Francisco 49ers team taking on and defeating “America's Team” and Tom Landry in 1991.

These are just two examples of teams that weren't supposed to win a certain game going in and upsetting a heavily-favored opponent, while shocking the football world.

As an outside observer for most of the games, NFL or college, I find myself going for the underdogs more times than not. There is nothing better to see than a team that was given no chance of competing coming out on top against a supposedly “dominating” opponent.  

3. Football Back in Cleveland and Baltimore

If there were two NFL cities that didn't deserve to have their collective hearts torn apart by greedy owners they would have been Cleveland and Baltimore. To cities that represent the heralded history of the National Football League. 

Still, for a nice period of time this league existed without those two franchises. 

It isn't like Los Angeles being without a football team. Cleveland, more than any other city, bleeds football. After all, that is a city where the modern conception of the NFL was created and greatly enhanced by Paul Brown himself. 

2. Al Davis

The NFL lost a huge icon, Al Davis, a man that will go down in the history of the league as a true trendsetter. We, as a league, wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the revolutionary former Oakland Raiders owner.

He hired the first Latino and African-American head coach, promoted a female to chief executive, ran the AFL during its merger with the NFL and drafted the initial African-American quarterback in the first round of the common draft.

More than that, he showed exactly what it meant to live and die football. We should give thanks as fans, writers, coaches and players for the contribution that this late icon made to the league.  

1. The History

We are all witness to one of the greatest eras in the history of the National Football League. It has never been more popular, the players have never been faster or stronger, the game has never been crisper and the fandom has never been better.

Still, when it comes to times like this it becomes extremely important to look at where we came from and how those before us effected the product we see today.

From players and coaches to the fans and writers. There is a history that we must never forget and people that we owe everything to.