Wowitty-wow-wow-WOW.
What an incredible season - where to start?
Brady going down seven minutes into the season and Matt Cassell taking the reins and leading the Pats to 11-5. Or the fact that 11-5 didn't get the Pats into the playoffs?
Or the lowly, lowly Lions achieving historical lowliness by meowing their way into the record books as the first 0-16 team ever. Coming off a perfect preseason, too....hey owners - time to stop charging full price for preseason games. You greedy pricks.
But I digress. How about Favre's flip-flop?
Or the Dolphins, coming off 1-15 last year, picking up the discarded Chad Pennington from the Brett Favre scrap heap, then (should be) MVP candidate Pennington going back to the Meadowlands and beating Old Man Brett and the New Jersey Jets to win the AFC East. The Dolphins introducing the Wildcat to the NFL. The Dolphins committing the fewest turnovers in a season in NFL history? What? What were the preseason odds in Vegas on the Dolphins winning the AFC East?
How about Matt Ryan - the most poised rookie QB ever? Just for fun, let's look at Matt Ryan's rookie season's numbers vs. Peyton Manning:
Peyton Manning - 326/575 (56.7%), 3739 yards, 26 TD, 28 INT, team finished 3-13
Matt Ryan - 265/434 (61.1%) 3,440 yards, 16 TD, 11 INT, team finished 11-5 and made the playoffs.
Of course, Matt Ryan had a running back, but he also had to deal with the Vick fallout and started his tenure in "the ATL" with what can best be described as a frosty reception from the fans who will always support Vick. Not a problem for Matty Ice.
How about 3 rookie left tackles starting all 16 games for their respective teams?
How about all of the football pundits who confidently predicted that a Jags-Cowboys Super Bowl was all but a foregone conclusion?
How about the Baltimore Ravens making the playoffs (and winning on the road in the wild-card round) with an aging defense and a rookie QB who was playing D-1AA college ball last season?
How about the Chargers - preseason darlings who disappeared and were totally out of it at 4-8, survived the crazy Hochuli game versus the Broncos that gave an ominous start to the season, but the wenat ahead and made the playoffs. Oh, and they beat MVP Peyton Manning and his Colts in the wild-card round.
