Nate’s 9: Favorite 2014 NFL Moments
More than past seasons, I really hated this NFL year. I mean that in the nicest way possible. From most standpoints, it was a year that could hardly have been predicted. Especially from the fantasy football perspective. Is there anyone in any league anywhere that would have guessed that Le’Veon Bell and DeMarco Murray should have been the top two picks in the fantasy draft? Did anyone really think prior to week 4 that the NFC South would be historically one of the worst division’s in NFL history? Raise your hand if you thought that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were going to be the worst team in the league (Sports Illustrated had them going to the playoffs). Tony Romo had a sensational season, and was the only quarterback to win all eight of his road games for the season. I don’t like this stuff. I want things to be normal. I want Jamaal Charles to rush for 1,800 yards, I want the Raiders to be the worst team in the league with no future at the quarterback position, and I want Lovie Smith to do well like he did when he was the defensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams. But I do beg for football when I don’t have it, so it’s safe to say we all know what that means... here are my nine favorite moments of the NFL 2014 year.
#9. – Best Rookie Wide Receiver Class ever. Bar none. I remember when Keyshawn Johnson, Marvin Harrison, Terry Glenn and Eric Moulds all got taken in the first round in 1996 and thought; this talent will never be matched. (Eddie Kennison was the other wide receiver taken in the first round that year, but I never saw LSU, and maybe I automatically assumed because he went to LSU that he would be an NFL bust, but I’ll get to that later). Well, Key, Harrison and Moulds all had solid, productive NFL careers and even Glenn had a great prime, but it was the late rounders that made this class the group that it ended up being. Mushin Muhammad, Bobby Engram, Joe Horn and Jermaine Lewis all had solid careers, and Terrell Owens can be considered an all-time great. A group that realistically should probably never be matched... until now. The first round talent alone is eye opening. Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Odell Beckham Jr, Brandin Cooks and Kelvin Benjamin all went in the first round, and with the exception of Cooks, all the others are probably considered the #1 target on their respective teams. That’s an amazing accomplishment in and of itself. Beckham Jr and Evans could both already be considered franchise players. Benjamin and Watkins are both pieces that their teams can build around for years to come. And to wrap it all up with later picks: Marqise Lee, Jordan Matthews, Paul Richardson, Davante Adams, Allen Robinson, Cody Latimer, Jarvis Landry, Josh Huff, Donte Moncrief, John Brown and Martavis Bryant all had roles to play for their teams as well through out the season. I look forward with much excitement and anticipation to what this group of sixteen (16!) wide receivers are able to do in the future.
Apology: I owe Odell Beckham Jr a big time apology. As someone that believes history tends to repeat itself, I just naturally assumed Beckham would be a bust and we'd all laugh years down the road like we always do when LSU receivers get taken too high (Bowe over Jordy, Doucet over Manningham, Michael Clayton over Michael Jenkins {ok, even}and Josh Reed over Randle El {To be fair, he was a QB, but oh so electrifying}). I just figured Beckham would be that guy who was taken over Benjamin and Cooks. My bad, bro.
#8. – JJ Watt’s Career Year. Or perhaps even what’s back to normal for him. When I saw the Houston Texans spiral toward a two win season last year, I thought, perfect, what Watt needs is a Jadeveon Clowney to line up behind/opposite him to get his career back on track. What I didn’t see coming was the offensive ‘explosion’ nor could I have guessed he’d have this great of a year with Clowney missing most of it. I thought they were going to terrorize the same way Richard Dent and Mike Singletary terrorized back in the mid 80’s. While the Texans weren’t on every week, and I didn’t turn to them even when they were, I am very appreciative that we got to see the best of JJ Watt once again. Or perhaps just what he is always capable of.
#7. – Final Week. Roger Goodell got lucky. I really want the NFL to have a meaningless week 17, because I don’t think adding weeks 18-19 are really necessary for a great product. As the saying goes, great things come in small packages (most of the time). We certainly don’t need three weeks of meaningless football with huge statistical jumps and new records being created week after week. We most certainly don’t need more injuries. And I’m praying we don’t add two more teams to the playoffs because there’s nothing I want more than the tail spinning Philadelphia Eagles to get one last shot, get lucky, and make the Super Bowl because they were 9-7, but good for 4 weeks. In any case, Roger Goodell must have been delighted because week 17 was more significant than I can ever remember it being, and I, much like millions of NFL fans, enjoyed it immensely. The AFC North went down to the final week. The NFC South. The NFC North. The NFC West had playoff implications. The AFC West had a massive game that decided two teams’ playoff fates. The AFC South still sucks. But there was a lot of meaningful football, a lot of viewers, and a lot of money made. I concede victory to Goodell for this season.
#6. – Le’Veon Bell. I disliked Emmitt Smith his entire career, because he won, he was fantastic and he was a Cowboy. Through maturation, I promised myself I wouldn't make that mistake again if the right player came along. And he’s finally here. And I have enjoyed him. Bell is one of the best running backs that I've ever seen. He has the patience of a stay-at-home dad (ah, see what I did there), he hits the holes hard, he has about four different speeds and is aware of when to use them and when to turn it (speed) all off and become physical. He does a great job of deceiving defenders and getting more yardage in the open field a la Emmitt Smith. While his blocking ability leaves Ben prone to bits of pressure and he isn’t the quickest to the edge, I still think he will be the premier running back of the next generation.
#5. – Johnny Football Fails. I don’t want him to fail miserably and be gone from the league the same way that Tim Tebow disappeared. But, I do love that this experience appears to be very humbling for the one Johnny Manziel. Sometimes I don’t think people and players realize the difference between football played on Saturdays vs. Sundays. Kids in college are exactly that – kids in college. They can be exposed, they sometimes lack the commitment and a lot of times they just don’t have the talent. Not on Sundays. Every NFL player has been the best player on the field at some point, and their livelihoods are dependent on making plays week after week... The best high school player I’ve ever had the privilege of seeing is Michael Floyd (maybe Joe Mauer). Floyd could do it all: jump, run, catch, turn, get physical, the whole package. He was destined for stardom. But boy, has he had some tough weeks during his NFL career. I saw him look overmatched heavily when the Cardinals played the Seahawks two weeks back. He had no chance. Looks like it paid off. He went for 8-153 and 2 scores against the San Francisco 49ers this past week. No small feat with Ryan Lindley at quarterback... so with all that said, I want to see Johnny Manziel come back with that same fight, that same hunger that Floyd appeared to have over the last week of the season. If he can do that, it will make his considerable flop against the Cincinnati Bengals all the more worthwhile. We might actually get to see a very exciting football player once again.
#4. – Marshawn Lynch Run, Celebration, and Press Conference. Awesome... I think?
#3. - Beckham’s Catch. Dirty. Just down right stinking.
#2. – Peyton v Brady XVI. I would never proclaim that either one of these players is my favorite, but I have enjoyed them both enormously albeit for different reasons. Brady is my guy for the same reason that I think I enjoyed Montana as a kid – he was the definition of cool. Everyone wants to be the cool guy. Manning I’ve always liked going back to the days of him being a Volunteer, but I’ve felt like he’s always missed something that would make me love him. Still on his best though, there’s no one I’d rather have in a crucial situation. Game 16 was kind of a letdown as it was during the middle of the Patriots retaliation over the entire National Football League. I don’t know if it was the Chiefs that ticked off the Patriots, but something or someone certainly got them fired up and they played almost flawlessly for about six weeks (5-12). They hammered Denver, Indianapolis and Detroit – all playoff teams. Well in this case, the pregame hype was much more noteworthy than the actual game, with ESPN, the NFL Network and CBS dedicating a lot of exertion to the story. It was almost like watching a movie, with great characters, great story lines and the like. And we may be blessed with another one yet.
#1 – Seeing My Favorite Enemy Collapse. It’s how I imagine most of my readers would feel if the Green Bay Packers didn’t make the playoffs. You would all be thrilled, delighted, almost as if your own team went to the Super Bowl. Or maybe the NFC championship game. Well, I got my wish this year, as the San Francisco 49ers essentially crashed and burned. They have really gotten on my case lately, and so much to the point where I would wish for a Seattle Seahawks repeat, then to see the San Francisco 49ers make a 4th consecutive NFC championship game. To make it even better, they crashed with their quarterback, the one that I believe is the most overrated player in the league, Mr. Colin Kaepernick. Every week, they seemed to chalk up the losses and it put a smile on my face as wide as the nine year old sitting in front of the Christmas tree on Christmas day. Kaepernick was the result of a lot of those losses. If he comes back stronger next year, works hard, doesn't look for a fight when he gets hit, doesn't kiss the bicep, doesn’t wear opposing NFL teams’ hats, and actually leads by example instead of by talent, well then good for him. I’ll find a new favorite enemy.
P.S. I hate Michigan.
Enjoy the playoffs, everyone!
