By TORI ADDISON
Staff Writer
If anything, this NFL season sure did not fail to disappoint. Between all the circulating story lines and monumental plays, fans were definitely kept entertained each and every week. With all the monumental stories, it was hard not to forget some of the best (and worst) moments of the 2013-2014 NFL season.
1. The Book of Manning… and not so Manning
One of the most amusing parts about this season had to be the Manning brothers. While Peyton was busy breaking every record in the book, Eli could not seem to stop throwing interceptions. Eli had a remarkable twenty-seven total interceptions this season, breaking his own career record as well as the Giants’ franchise record for career interceptions thrown. Oh, and he had the most interceptions in the league too. Then there was Peyton who do no wrong. Not only did he lead his team to the playoffs, but he also broke the single season record for both passing yards and touchdowns. After the terrible record the Giant’s had this season, I think it is time for Eli to look to his big brother if he wants to learn a thing or two about being an elite quarterback.
2. Aaron Hernandez
Losing a tight-end because of a murder charge is something teams do not usually deal with in the offseason, unless that team is the Patriots. Tom Brady’s favorite tight-end duo would be separated as the news broke that Hernandez was convicted in connection to a murder case. The news would lead the Patriots to release Hernandez, which was a smart move considering he will most likely be in prison for quite some time. Long story short, while Aaron Hernandez may be really good at scoring touchdowns, he is not a very nice guy.
3. New Coach, New Look
I do not know about you, but I was definitely not expecting Andy Reid to go almost undefeated with the Chiefs, nor the Eagles to take the NFC East under Chip Kelly. Even though both teams did not make it very far in the playoffs, at least Alex Smith had his time in the spotlight after getting booted out of his starting spot by Colin Kaepernick last season. Maybe leaving the Eagles was the best thing for both Andy Reid and his old team. The Eagles offense exploded once Nick Foles stepped up as quarterback thanks to Chip Kelly’s brilliant offense schemes. I had my doubts about Kelly at the beginning of the season, but he sure did prove me wrong by the end.
4. Richie, Richie, Richie; can’t you see?
Richie Incognito, where to even begin with this guy. He tormented second-year tackle Jonathan Martin on the basis of “toughening him up”. Quite frankly, this was just embarrassing for the Dolphins organization. When a player leaves a team because of bullying, something is definitely not right. Hopefully Martin can move past the incident and continue his career in the league.
5. Big Trade, Bad Results
I did not think it was humanly possible to have a better career with the Browns than with Andrew Luck and the Colts, but Trent Richardson made such a scenario possible. I know he has only been a Colt for a short period of time, but I still do not understand what happened to him. I was genuinely shocked when the Browns traded Richardson as he was one of the few positive aspects of the team’s offense. It may be taking a while for Richardson to warm up to the Colts offense, but his performance during the regular season was less than impressive. Maybe, just maybe the Browns did know what they were doing when they chose to trade him.
6. The NFC Who?
You know you are the worst division in the NFL when Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite has a better record than two-time Super Bowl winning Eli Manning. Yet, Eli and the rest of the division really didn’t have a season to brag about. With the pathetic defense in Dallas, Washington’s quarterback issues, and turnovers galore from the Giants, it is safe to say that the Eagles deserved to represent the NFC East in the playoffs.
7. Adrian Peterson’s Unknown Child
Personally, I was heartbroken to hear about the awful situation surrounding Adrian Peterson’s son. What made matters worse was the way he handled it. It was very disappointing how AP opted to play the week his son was in critical care. Not to mention, he did not seem very upset leading many people to believe he had no contact with the child in the first place. Long story short, the whole situation was very specious and I am still upset over how AP acted.
8. Rookies of the Year
The best rookie performance this season goes to Alshon Jeffrey and Eddie Lacy, hands down. The Bears created a deadly duo of targets between Jeffrey and Marshall. It seemed that every catch Jeffrey made was more impressive each time. Eddie Lacy was no joke either as he was a main component to the Packer’s offense with the loss of Aaron Rodgers. Both players look to continue to impress as they continue on with their careers.
9. The Redskin’s Identity Crisis
The Redskins faced some serious controversy this season regarding their team’s name. In my opinion, their name should be the least of the NFL’s problems. At this point, the franchise has already established themselves as the Redskins and fans should not have to go out of their way to purchase all new memorabilia to support the team. The last thing you want to do as NFL commissioner is make fans angry, and that is one thing Roger Goodell is exceptionally good at doing.
10. The Super Bowl Location is Horrendous
You could not pay me to play in an open stadium in New Jersey in the middle of winter. Not only that, but why would you pay to go? First of all, the weather is probably going to be ridiculous. Second of all, tailgating has been outlawed. And third, it is going to be really hard to celebrate when you are so cold that you cannot move a muscle without cringing. I wish the two teams who play in the Super Bowl the best of luck because they are really going to need it.Â
