- 2006 NFL season
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2006 National Football League season Regular season Duration September 7, 2006 – December 31, 2006 Playoffs Start date January 6, 2007 AFC Champions Indianapolis Colts NFC Champions Chicago Bears Super Bowl XLI Date February 4, 2007 Site Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida Champions Indianapolis Colts Pro Bowl Date February 10, 2007 Site Aloha Stadium National Football League seasons < 2005 2007 > The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.
Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006. The NFL title was eventually won by the Indianapolis Colts when they defeated the Chicago Bears; the Super Bowl championship game, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on February 4.
Contents
Flexible-scheduling
For more details on this topic, see NFL_on_television#Flexible-scheduling.The was the first season that the NFL used a "flexible-scheduling" for the last few weeks of the season, allowing the league flexibility in selecting games to air on Sunday night, in order to feature the current hottest, streaking teams. This was implemented to prevent games featuring losing teams from airing during primetime late in the season, while at the same time allowing NBC to rake in more money off of the higher ratings from surprise, playoff-potential teams that more fans would enjoy watching.
Under the flexible-scheduling system, all Sunday games in the affected weeks tentatively had the start times of 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, except those played in the Pacific or Mountain time zones, which will have a tentative start time of 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT (or 4:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. PT if it is a doubleheader weekend). On the Tuesday 12 days before the games, the league moved one game to the primetime slot, and possibly one or more 1 p.m. slotted games to the 4 p.m. slots. During the last week of the season, the league could re-schedule games as late as six days before the contests so that all of the television networks will be able to broadcast a game that has playoff implications.
Television
This was the first season that NBC held the rights to televise Sunday Night Football, becoming the beneficiaries by negotiating the new flexible-scheduling system.[1] ESPN became the new home of Monday Night Football, replacing sister network American Broadcasting Company, who chose to opt out of broadcasting league games.[1] Meanwhile, CBS and Fox renewed their television contracts to the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference packages, respectively.[2]
Coaching changes
- Buffalo Bills – Dick Jauron; replaced Mike Mularkey
- Detroit Lions – Rod Marinelli; replaced interim head coach Dick Jauron who replaced Steve Mariucci who was fired following Thanksgiving Day during the 2005 season.
- Green Bay Packers – Mike McCarthy; replaced Mike Sherman
- Houston Texans – Gary Kubiak; replaced Dom Capers
- Kansas City Chiefs – Herman Edwards; replaced Dick Vermeil who retired following the 2005 season
- Minnesota Vikings – Brad Childress; replaced Mike Tice
- New Orleans Saints – Sean Payton; replaced Jim Haslett
- New York Jets – Eric Mangini; replaced Herman Edwards
- Oakland Raiders – Art Shell; replaced Norv Turner
- St. Louis Rams – Scott Linehan; replaced interim head coach Joe Vitt who replaced Mike Martz who was not allowed to coach due to health problems during the 2005 season.
Final regular season standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
Clinched playoff seeds are marked in parentheses and shaded in green
AFC East Team W L T PCT PF PA (4) New England Patriots 12 4 0 .750 385 237 Details (5) New York Jets 10 6 0 .625 316 295 Details Buffalo Bills 7 9 0 .438 300 311 Details Miami Dolphins 6 10 0 .375 260 283 Details AFC North Team W L T PCT PF PA (2) Baltimore Ravens 13 3 0 .813 353 201 Details Cincinnati Bengals [a] 8 8 0 .500 373 331 Details Pittsburgh Steelers 8 8 0 .500 353 315 Details Cleveland Browns 4 12 0 .250 238 356 Details AFC South Team W L T PCT PF PA (3) Indianapolis Colts [d] 12 4 0 .750 427 360 Details Tennessee Titans [b] 8 8 0 .500 324 400 Details Jacksonville Jaguars 8 8 0 .500 371 274 Details Houston Texans 6 10 0 .375 267 366 Details AFC West Team W L T PCT PF PA (1) San Diego Chargers 14 2 0 .875 492 303 Details (6) Kansas City Chiefs [c] 9 7 0 .562 331 315 Details Denver Broncos 9 7 0 .562 319 305 Details Oakland Raiders 2 14 0 .125 168 332 Details NFC East Team W L T PCT PF PA (3) Philadelphia Eagles 10 6 0 .625 398 328 Details (5) Dallas Cowboys 9 7 0 .562 425 350 Details (6) New York Giants [f] 8 8 0 .500 355 362 Details Washington Redskins 5 11 0 .313 307 376 Details NFC North Team W L T PCT PF PA (1) Chicago Bears 13 3 0 .813 427 255 Details Green Bay Packers 8 8 0 .500 301 366 Details Minnesota Vikings 6 10 0 .375 282 327 Details Detroit Lions 3 13 0 .188 305 398 Details NFC South Team W L T PCT PF PA (2) New Orleans Saints [e] 10 6 0 .625 413 322 Details Carolina Panthers 8 8 0 .500 270 305 Details Atlanta Falcons 7 9 0 .438 292 328 Details Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 12 0 .250 211 353 Details NFC West Team W L T PCT PF PA (4) Seattle Seahawks 9 7 0 .562 335 341 Details St. Louis Rams 8 8 0 .500 367 381 Details San Francisco 49ers 7 9 0 .438 298 412 Details Arizona Cardinals 5 11 0 .313 314 389 Details - Tiebreakers
- Source: 2007 NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 978-1-933821-85-6)
- a Cincinnati finished ahead of Pittsburgh in the AFC North based on division record (4–2 to 3–3).
- b Tennessee finished ahead of Jacksonville in the AFC South based on division record (4–2 to 2–4).
- c Kansas City finished ahead of Denver in the AFC West based on division record (4–2 to 3–3).
- d Indianapolis clinched the AFC #3 seed based on their head-to-head victory over New England (Week 9).
- e New Orleans clinched the NFC #2 seed based on their head-to-head victory over Philadelphia (Week 6).
- f N.Y. Giants clinched the NFC #6 seed based on better strength of victory than Green Bay (.422 to .383), while Carolina and St. Louis both were eliminated from playoff contention because the N.Y. Giants and Green Bay had better conference records (7–5 to 6–6).
Playoffs
Further information: 2006–07 NFL playoffsPlayoff seeds Seed AFC NFC 1 San Diego Chargers (West winner) Chicago Bears (North winner) 2 Baltimore Ravens (North winner) New Orleans Saints (South winner) 3 Indianapolis Colts (South winner) Philadelphia Eagles (East winner) 4 New England Patriots (East winner) Seattle Seahawks (West winner) 5 New York Jets Dallas Cowboys 6 Kansas City Chiefs New York Giants Bracket
January 7 - Gillette Stadium January 14 - Qualcomm Stadium 5 N.Y. Jets 16 4 New England 24 4 New England 37 January 21 - RCA Dome 1 San Diego 21 AFC January 6 - RCA Dome 4 New England 34 January 13 - M&T Bank Stadium 3 Indianapolis 38 6 Kansas City 8 AFC Championship 3 Indianapolis 15 3 Indianapolis 23 February 4 - Dolphin Stadium 2 Baltimore 6 Wild Card Playoffs Divisional Playoffs January 7 - Lincoln Financial Field A3 Indianapolis 29 January 13 - Louisiana Superdome N1 Chicago 17 6 N.Y. Giants 20 Super Bowl XLI 3 Philadelphia 24 3 Philadelphia 23 January 21 - Soldier Field 2 New Orleans 27 NFC January 6 - Qwest Field 2 New Orleans 14 January 14 - Soldier Field 1 Chicago 39 5 Dallas 20 NFC Championship 4 Seattle 24 4 Seattle 21 1 Chicago 27* - * Indicates overtime victory
Pro Bowl
News and notes
Major rule changes
- End zone celebrations became more restricted. Players cannot celebrate by using any type of prop, or do any act in which they are on the ground. Players may still spike, spin the ball, or dunk it over the goal posts. Dancing in the end zone is also permitted as long as it is not a prolonged or group celebration. The Lambeau Leap, though, is still legal.[3]
- Defenders were prohibited from hitting a passer in the knee or below unless they are blocked into him. This rule was enacted in response to the previous season's injuries to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Brian Griese.
- Down-by-contact calls could now be reviewed by instant replay to determine if a player fumbled the ball before he was down, and who recovered it. Previously, these plays could not be reversed once officials blew the whistle.
- The "horse-collar tackle" rule enacted during the previous 2005 season was expanded. Players are now prohibited from tackling a ball carrier from the rear by tugging inside his jersey. Previously, it was only illegal if the tackler's hand got inside the player's shoulder pads.
- To reduce injuries, defensive players cannot line up directly over the long snapper during field goal and extra point attempts.
Officials' uniform makeover
The 2006 season marked the debut of new officiating uniforms which are supposed to be more comfortable for officials to wear in extreme weather over the old polyester uniforms. The uniforms were designed by Reebok using a proprietary material technology to keep officials both warm and dry during the winter months of the season. On the shirt, the position and number are removed from the front pocket and the lettering and numbers on the back side were black-on-white and are smaller print and the sleeve shows the uniform number. Officials also wore full-length black pants with white stripe during the winter months to stay warm, which was criticized by media and internet board posters. This was the first major design overhaul since 1979, when the position name was added to the shirt, but later abbreviated in 1982.
New NFL commissioner
On March 20, 2006, Paul Tagliabue announced his plans to retire as NFL commissioner. During an NFL meeting in Northbrook, Illinois, on August 8, league team owners selected Roger Goodell, the NFL's then-current chief operating officer, as the new commissioner. Tagliabue continued to serve as commissioner until Goodell officially replaced him on Friday September 1.
Tagliabue became NFL commissioner on October 26, 1989. During his tenure, the league has added four new teams; saw four franchises move (including two franchises—the Rams and Raiders—from Los Angeles, the second-largest television market in the U.S.); the construction of seventeen new stadiums; began its own in-house television specialty cable network, the NFL Network; has greatly increased television rights fees with its broadcasters, including the addition of the Fox network; and has maintained labor peace with the players' union.
Return of "The Duke" football
For the first time since Super Bowl IV at the conclusion of the 1969 season, the official NFL game ball was known as "The Duke" in honor of Wellington Mara, whose family owns the New York Giants. Son John is the current CEO of the team. The NFL first used "The Duke" ball in honor of Mara in 1941 after then-Chicago Bears owner George Halas and then-Giants owner Tim Mara (Wellington's father) made a deal with Wilson Sporting Goods to become the league's official supplier of game balls, a relationship that continued into its sixty-fifth year in 2006.[4]
"The Duke" ball was discontinued after the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger, and the merged league began using a different standardized ball made by Wilson. The only other time that "The Duke" ball name was used was during the two Thanksgiving Classic games in 2004.
One side of the new 2006 "Duke" football featured the NFL shield logo in gold, the words "The Duke", and the NFL commissioner's signature. The obverse side has a small NFL logo above the needle bladder hole, the conference names between the hole, and the words "National Football League" in gold. As per the custom, specially branded balls were used for the first week of the 2006 season ("Opening Kickoff"), Thanksgiving Classic, conference championships, Super Bowl XLI and Pro Bowl games.
Unprecedented sell-outs
Through week 11 of the season, all NFL games had been sold out, and for the 24th time, all blackout restrictions had been lifted.[5] The streak was ended by the Jacksonville at Buffalo game in Week 12.[6]
Saints go home
The New Orleans Saints returned to their home at the Louisiana Superdome in Week Three. The Saints played home games during the 2005 NFL Season in San Antonio, TX, Baton Rouge, LA, and East Rutherford, NJ, due to the damage to the Superdome caused by Hurricane Katrina. The Saints finished the regular season 10–6, clinched a 1st Round Bye, and beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The Chicago Bears defeated the Saints in the NFC Championship, 39–14.
Game highlights on iTunes
Starting September 18, fans were able to download highlights of their teams' games through Apple's iTunes Store. Each video costs US$1.99 each but fans have the chance of buying a "Follow Your Team season ticket" which brings every game of that team to the fan for $24.99.[5]
Also available will be NFL GameDay, the NFL Network's comprehensive Sunday night review which features post-game reactions and game analysis, all for $1.99 a show or $19.99 for the full season.
Death of Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt died in Dallas, Texas on December 13 from complications from prostate cancer at the age of 74. He is credited with challenging the NFL with the formation of the American Football League, which led to the subsequent merger of the two leagues.
Death of two Broncos
At 3 a.m. on January 1, 2007, Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed in Denver, within hours after the last regular season game against the San Francisco 49ers. Less than two months after, on February 24, 2007, Broncos running back Damien Nash collapsed and died after a charity basketball game at a high school. Both players died at the age of 24.
Milestones
The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the regular season:
Record Player/Team Date/Opponent Previous Record Holder[7] Most Points, Career Morten Andersen, Atlanta December 16 vs. Dallas Gary Anderson, 1982–2004 (2,434) Most Field Goals, Career Morten Andersen, Atlanta December 24 vs. Carolina Gary Anderson, 1982–2004 (538) Most Passes Completed, Career Brett Favre, Green Bay December 17 vs. Detroit Dan Marino, 1983–1999 (4,967) Most Touchdowns, Season LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego (31) December 10 vs. Denver Shaun Alexander, Seattle, 2005 (28) Most Rushing Touchdowns, Season LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego (28) December 10 vs. Denver Shaun Alexander, 2005
Priest Holmes, 2003 (27)Most Rushing Attempts, Season Larry Johnson, Kansas City (416) December 31 vs. Jacksonville Jamal Anderson, Atlanta, 1998 (410) Most Kick Returns for a Touchdown, Season Devin Hester, Chicago (5; 3 punts and 2 kickoffs) December 11 at St. Louis Tied by 9 players (4) Regular season statistical leaders
Team
Points scored San Diego Chargers (492) Total yards gained New Orleans Saints (6,264) Yards rushing Atlanta Falcons (2,939) Yards passing New Orleans Saints (4,503) Fewest points allowed Baltimore Ravens (201) Fewest total yards allowed Baltimore Ravens (4,225) Fewest rushing yards allowed Minnesota Vikings (985) Fewest passing yards allowed Oakland Raiders (2,413) Individual
Scoring LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego (186 points) Touchdowns LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego (31 TDs) Most field goals made Robbie Gould, Chicago and Jeff Wilkins, St. Louis (32 FGs) Rushing LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego (1,815 yards) Passer rating Peyton Manning, Indianapolis (101.0 rating) Passing touchdowns Peyton Manning, Indianapolis (31 TDs) Passing yards Drew Brees, New Orleans (4,418 yards) Pass receptions Andre Johnson, Houston (103 catches) Pass receiving yards Chad Johnson, Cincinnati (1,369 yards) Punt returns Adam "Pacman" Jones, Tennessee (12.9 average yards) Kickoff returns Justin Miller, New York Jets (28.3 average yards) Interceptions Asante Samuel, New England and Champ Bailey, Denver (10) Punting Mat McBriar, Dallas (48.2 average yards) Sacks Shawne Merriman, San Diego (17) Awards
Most Valuable Player LaDainian Tomlinson, Running Back, San Diego Chargers Coach of the Year Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints Offensive Player of the Year LaDainian Tomlinson, Running Back, San Diego Chargers Defensive Player of the Year Jason Taylor, Defensive End, Miami Dolphins Offensive Rookie of the Year Vince Young, Quarterback, Tennessee Titans Defensive Rookie of the Year DeMeco Ryans, Linebacker, Houston Texans NFL Comeback Player of the Year Chad Pennington, Quarterback, New York Jets
- All-Pro Team
Offense Quarterback Drew Brees, New Orleans Running back LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego
Larry Johnson, Kansas CityFullback Lorenzo Neal, San Diego Wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis
Chad Johnson, CincinnatiTight end Antonio Gates, San Diego Offensive tackle Willie Anderson, Cincinnati
Jammal Brown, New OrleansOffensive guard Alan Faneca, Pittsburgh
Shawn Andrews, PhiladelphiaCenter Olin Kreutz, Chicago Defense Defensive end Jason Taylor, Miami
Julius Peppers, CarolinaDefensive tackle Jamal Williams, San Diego
Kevin Williams, MinnesotaOutside linebacker Shawne Merriman, San Diego
Adalius Thomas, BaltimoreInside linebacker Brian Urlacher, Chicago
Zach Thomas, MiamiCornerback Champ Bailey, Denver
Rashean Mathis, JacksonvilleSafety Brian Dawkins, Philadelphia
Ed Reed, BaltimoreSpecial teams Kicker Robbie Gould, Chicago Punter Brian Moorman, Buffalo Kick returner Devin Hester, Chicago External links
References
- ^ a b "NFL announces new prime-time TV packages". NFL.com. Archived from the original on 2005-11-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20051130041612/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/8397476. Retrieved 2005-12-13.
- ^ "NFL to remain on broadcast TV". NFL.com. Archived from the original on 2005-12-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20051204051301/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/7868621. Retrieved 2005-12-13.
- ^ Expert: Simple celebration rule – stay on your feet – NFL – MSNBC.com
- ^ Michael Eisen – Story – 3.27 "The Duke" is Back – Giants.com
- ^ a b All games sold out for 11th consecutive week at the Wayback Machine (archived November 25, 2006)
- ^ "In depth: Frustration in Buffalo shows how NFL's television policies irking fan base". USA Today. 2006-11-26. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/bills/2006-11-26-blackout-frustration_x.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-27.
- ^ "NFL.com – NFL Record and Fact Book". http://www.nfl.com/history/randf. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
- 2006 NFL Schedule (Last accessed April 6, 2006)
- NFL curtails end-zone celebrations from NFL.com, March 29, 2006 (Last accessed March 29, 2006)
- Process of game-time decisions will eliminate TV duds, create chaos by Michael Hiestand, USA Today, April 5, 2006 (Last accessed November 6, 2006)
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