2011 NFL season

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the American football season in the United States. For the Gaelic football season in Ireland, see 2011 National Football League (Ireland).

2011 NFL season
Regular season
DurationSeptember 8, 2011 – January 1, 2012
Indianapolis, Indiana
ChampionsNew York Giants
Pro Bowl
DateJanuary 29, 2012
SiteAloha Stadium, Halawa, Honolulu, Hawaii
2011 NFL season is located in the United States
Patriots
Patriots
Bills
Bills
Dolphins
Dolphins
Jets
Jets
Bengals
Bengals
Ravens
Ravens
Steelers
Steelers
Browns
Browns
Colts
Colts
Titans
Titans
Jaguars
Jaguars
Texans
Texans
Broncos
Broncos
Chiefs
Chiefs
Raiders
Raiders
Chargers
Chargers
class=notpageimage|
AFC teams: West, North, South, East
2011 NFL season is located in the United States
Cowboys
Cowboys
Giants
Giants
Eagles
Eagles
Redskins
Redskins
Bears
Bears
Lions
Lions
Packers
Packers
Vikings
Vikings
Falcons
Falcons
Panthers
Panthers
Saints
Saints
Buccaneers
Buccaneers
Cardinals
Cardinals
Rams
Rams
Seahawks
Seahawks
49ers
49ers
class=notpageimage|
NFC teams: West, North, South, East

The 2011 NFL season was the 92nd

regular season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 46th of the Super Bowl era. It began on Thursday, September 8, 2011, with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the Super Bowl XLIV champion New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field and ended with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on February 5, 2012, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis where the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots
.

Due to a labor dispute between league owners and players, a lockout began on March 11 and ended on July 25, lasting 130 days. Although it initially threatened to postpone or cancel the season, the only game that was canceled was the August 7 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.

The 2011 season saw an unprecedented amount of passing offense: Three of the nine highest passing yardage totals of all time were established: No. 2 Drew Brees (5,476), No. 3 Tom Brady (5,235), and No. 9 Matthew Stafford (5,038); Eli Manning threw for 4,933 yards, which places him 14th all time.[1] It also saw Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers establish the all-time single-season best quarterback rating of 122.5.[2] Further cementing the modern NFL's reputation as a "passing league"[3][4][5] was that, for the second consecutive year, the league overall set a record for most average passing yards per team per game, with 229.7, breaking 2010's record by more than eight yards per game.[6] (For comparison, the league-wide average rushing yards total finished the 2011 season at 57th all-time.)

A subplot of the 2011 season was determining who would have the worst record, and therefore "earn" the right to the No. 1 overall pick in the

2012 draft. Stanford senior quarterback Andrew Luck was seen as the best quarterback prospect in years. Fans of some teams that started the season with numerous losses (notably the Indianapolis Colts) were openly rooting for their teams to "Suck for Luck."[7][8]

Labor dispute

Main article: 2011 NFL lockout

In May 2008 the owners decided to opt out of the 1993 arrangement and play the 2010 season without an agreement in place.

collective bargaining agreement (CBA), thus failing to resolve the labor dispute. Accordingly, the NFLPA informed the league and the clubs that the players had voted to have the NFLPA renounce its bargaining rights.[10] After the renunciation of collective bargaining rights, quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees joined seven other NFL players and filed an antitrust suit to enjoin the lockout.[11][10][12]

Following the settlement of the Brady et al. v. NFL antitrust suit on July 25, 2011, a majority of players signed union authorization cards approving the NFL Players Association to act as their exclusive collective bargaining representative.[13] The NFL officially recognized the NFLPA's status as the players' collective bargaining representative on July 30.[14] The NFL and NFLPA proceeded to negotiate terms for a new collective bargaining agreement, and the agreement became effective after ratification by the players on August 4.[15] The new collective bargaining agreement ran through 2021.[16]

NFL draft

The

2011 NFL Draft was held from April 28 to 30, 2011 at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. With the first pick, the Carolina Panthers selected quarterback Cam Newton from Auburn
.

Player movement

Free agency began on July 25, 2011, following the end of the 2011 NFL lockout.

Free agency

Notable players to change teams during free agency included:

Trades

The following notable trades were made during the 2011 league year:

  • July 28: Philadelphia traded QB Kevin Kolb to Arizona in exchange for CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Arizona's second-round selection in 2012.[17]
  • July 28: Chicago traded TE Greg Olsen to Carolina in exchange for a third-round selection in 2012.[18]
  • July 28: Washington traded DT Albert Haynesworth to New England in exchange for a fifth-round selection in 2013.[19]
  • July 29: Cincinnati traded WR Chad Ochocinco to New England in exchange for a fifth-round selection in 2012 and sixth-round selection in 2013.[20]
  • July 29: Washington traded QB Donovan McNabb to Minnesota in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2012.[21]
  • July 29: New Orleans traded RB Reggie Bush to Miami exchange for S Jonathon Amaya and a swap of sixth-round selections in 2012.[22]
  • August 12: Buffalo traded WR Lee Evans to Baltimore in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2012.[23]
  • August 22: San Francisco traded S Taylor Mays to Cincinnati in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2012.[24]
  • August 29: Seattle sent CB Kelly Jennings to Cincinnati with DE Clinton McDonald going the other way.[25]
  • October 12: Seattle traded LB Aaron Curry to Oakland in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2012 and a conditional pick in 2013.[26]
  • October 17: Denver traded WR Brandon Lloyd to St. Louis in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2012.[27]
  • October 18: Cincinnati traded QB Carson Palmer to Oakland in exchange for a first-round pick in 2012 and a conditional second-round pick in 2013.[28]

Rule changes

The following are rule changes that were passed at the league's annual owners meeting in March. All changes went into effect once the labor dispute was resolved.

  • Changes were made regarding kickoffs to limit injuries. First, kickoffs will be moved from the 30 to the 35-yard line, repealing a 1994 rule change. In addition, players on the kickoff coverage team cannot line up more than 5 yards behind the kickoff line, minimizing running starts and thus reducing the speed of collisions.[29] Other changes were also proposed, but a number of players and coaches expressed concern they would actually significantly reduce, if not eliminate, the number of kickoff returns.[30][31] Proposals that would have brought touchbacks out to the 25 instead of the 20, and eliminated all wedge blocks were not adopted.[29] Despite this rule, the Bears kicked off from the 30-yard line twice[citation needed][why?] in their preseason game against the Bills.
  • All replay reviews of scoring plays during the entire game can now be initiated by the replay booth official. Coaches will no longer have to use one of their challenges if a scoring play occurs outside of the two-minute warning.[29][30] Because the play is now "unchallengeable" by coaches, attempting to do so will result in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which several coaches were flagged for during the season.
  • Nicknamed the "
    Bronco Stadium, unless approval is granted by the league. This was passed in response to a few sponsors who requested to change the colors in a few stadiums.[32]

The following rule changes were adopted at the NFL Owners' Meeting on May 24, 2011:

  • Hits to the head of a passer-by an opponent's hands, arms or other parts of the body will not be fouls unless they are forcible blows, modifying the existing rule that any contact to a passer's head, regardless of the reason, is penalized as a personal foul (15 yards).
  • Players will be prohibited from "launching" (leaving both feet prior to contact to spring forward and upward into an opponent or using any part of the helmet to initiate forcible contact against any part of the opponent's body) to level a defenseless player, as well as "forcibly hitting the neck or head area with the helmet, facemask, forearm or shoulder regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the defenseless player by encircling or grasping him.", and lowering the head and make forcible contact with the top/crown or forehead/"hairline" parts of the helmet against any part of the defenseless player's body. Offenders will be penalised 15 yards for unnecessary roughness plus risking immediate disqualification if the contact is deemed flagrant.

A "defenseless player" is defined as a:

The league has instructed game officials to "err on the side of caution" when calling such personal foul penalties, and that they will not be downgraded if they make a mistake so that they will not hesitate on making these kinds of calls.[34]

Game-day testing

  • Game-day testing for performance-enhancing drugs. The NFL is adding game-day testing for performance-enhancing substances but not recreational drugs this season under the new collective bargaining agreement.[35]

Schedule

The preseason schedule was released April 12, 2011. The Hall of Fame Game, had it been played, would have featured the

Hurricane Irene
).

The 2011 season began on Thursday, September 8, 2011, at

kickoff game; the last regular season games were held on Sunday, January 1, 2012. The playoffs started on Saturday, January 7, 2012, and ended with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on February 5, 2012, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
.

Under the NFL's

scheduling formula
, intraconference and interconference matchups were:

Intraconference

Interconference

When the league was arranging the schedule in spring 2011, it added some cushion in case the labor dispute lasted into September and the planned start of the regular season. For example, every contest in Week 3 had teams which shared the same bye week later in the season, which would have allowed these games to be made up on what were originally the teams' byes. Weeks 2 and 4 were set up so that there were neither any divisional rivalry games nor teams on bye in those weeks, and every team with a home game in Week 2 was on the road in Week 4 and vice versa. This would have kept the season as fair as possible if those games had to be canceled.[37] These scheduling changes, along with eliminating the week off before the Super Bowl and moving the Super Bowl back a week, would have allowed the NFL to play a 14-game schedule beginning in mid-October while still having the Super Bowl in mid-February.

This season's International Series game featured the Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium in London on October 23, with the Buccaneers serving as the home team.[38] The Bears won 24–18.[39] It marked the Bears' second game played outside the United States in as many years, as they were a part of the Bills Toronto Series in 2010. The Buccaneers previously appeared in the International Series in 2009. One week later on October 30, the Buffalo Bills defeated the Washington Redskins in the Bills' annual game at Rogers Centre in Toronto by a score of 23–0. Although this was within the bounds of the 2011 CFL season, neither of the two Southern Ontario CFL teams was playing on the same day, and both played away games that weekend. The 2011–12 season also marked the 20th anniversary of the Bills and Redskins meeting in Super Bowl XXVI.

The

Detroit-Windsor market straddles the U.S.–Canada border).[40] The Lions defeated the Bears 24–13 for the team's fifth straight win, the most Lions wins to start a season since the team's glory years in the 1950s, continuing a streak that has been seen as a pleasant surprise for Lions fans, after over a decade of mediocrity.[41]

The 2011 Thanksgiving Day slate featured the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers winning 27–15 on the road against the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys coming back to defeat the Miami Dolphins 20–19 at home. The Thanksgiving nightcap on the NFL Network showed the Baltimore Ravens defeating the San Francisco 49ers 16–6 at home; this was the first Thanksgiving game for the 49ers since 1972, the first ever for the Ravens, and a game that put first-year 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh against his brother, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.

Christmas Day fell on Sunday. The TV contracts stated that the majority of afternoon games would be played on Christmas Eve (Saturday) and only one game was held over for Sunday night. The

Christmas evening on NBC
.

New Year's Day 2012 consequently also fell on a Sunday, and the NFL played its entire Week 17 schedule that day. The major college bowl games usually played on New Year's Day, as well as the NHL Winter Classic, were instead played on Monday, January 2. For the second straight year, Week 17 only featured divisional match-ups.

The

archrival Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. It marked the first time the two teams played in a season-opening game since 2003, as their heated rivalry usually prompts their games to be scheduled later in the season. There had been some speculation that the Giants and their same-city rival, the New York Jets, could have played each other that day since the two were scheduled to play each other in 2011; the Jets were the designated home team at MetLife Stadium in the matchup which had been predetermined due to the NFL's scheduling formula.[43] However, the Jets instead hosted the Dallas Cowboys.[44]

Scheduling changes

The following regular-season games were moved by way of

flexible scheduling
, severe weather, or for other reasons:

  • Week 10: The
    EST to 4:15 pm EST.[45]
  • Week 11: The Tennessee–Atlanta game was moved from 1:00 pm EST to 4:15 pm EST.[46]
  • Week 13: The Indianapolis–New England game was moved from the 8:20 pm EST time slot on NBC Sunday Night Football to 1:00 pm EST on CBS. The Detroit–New Orleans game, originally scheduled at 1:00 pm EST on Fox, was flexed into the 8:20 pm slot on NBC, in place of the originally-scheduled Colts–Patriots game. The Baltimore–Cleveland game was changed from 1:00 pm EST to 4:05 pm EST. The Denver–Minnesota game was changed from 4:05 pm EST to 1:00 pm EST, and aired on Fox instead of CBS because Fox had only two games in the early time slot. This was the first time that the league moved an interconference telecast to the home team's Sunday afternoon regional broadcaster.[46][47]
  • Week 14: The Oakland–Green Bay game was moved from 1:00 pm EST to 4:15 pm EST.[48]
  • Week 17: By way of flexible scheduling, the following games were moved due to playoff implications during the final week of the regular season: The Dallas–New York Giants game, originally scheduled at 1:00 pm EST on Fox, was selected as the final NBC Sunday Night Football game, which decided the NFC East division champion. The Tampa Bay–Atlanta, Baltimore–Cincinnati and Pittsburgh–Cleveland games were all moved from 1:00 pm EST to 4:15 pm EST.[49]

Regular season standings

Division

Conference

Postseason

Main article: 2011–12 NFL playoffs

Playoffs bracket

Jan 8 – MetLife Stadium Jan 15 – Lambeau Field
5 Atlanta 2
4 NY Giants 37
4 NY Giants 24 Jan 22 – Candlestick Park
1 Green Bay 20
NFC
Jan 7 –
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
 4 NY Giants 20*
Jan 14 – Candlestick Park
2 San Francisco 17
6 Detroit 28 NFC Championship
3 New Orleans 32
3 New Orleans 45 Feb 5 – Lucas Oil Stadium
2 San Francisco 36
Wild Card playoffs
Divisional playoffs
Jan 7 – Reliant Stadium N4 NY Giants 21
Jan 15 – M&T Bank Stadium
A1 New England 17
6 Cincinnati 10 Super Bowl XLVI
3 Houston 13
3 Houston 31 Jan 22 – Gillette Stadium
2 Baltimore 20
AFC
Jan 8 –
Sports Authority Field at Mile High
 2 Baltimore 20
Jan 14 – Gillette Stadium
1 New England 23
5 Pittsburgh 23 AFC Championship
4 Denver 10
4 Denver 29*
1 New England 45


* Indicates overtime victory
This bracket:

Records and milestones

  • Most points in the
    Kickoff Game, single team: 42, Green Bay (vs. New Orleans
    , September 8, 2011)
  • Most points in the
    Kickoff Game, total: 76, Green Bay (42) and New Orleans
    (34) – September 8, 2011
  • Longest kick return (tie): 108 yards, Randall Cobb (Green Bay vs. New Orleans – September 8, 2011)
  • Longest field goal (tie): 63 yards, Sebastian Janikowski (Oakland vs. Denver – September 12, 2011)[51]
  • Most combined passing yards in a single game, broken twice:
  • Most yards thrown by a rookie quarterback in his first game: 422, Cam Newton (Carolina vs. Arizona)[52]
  • Most passing yards, rookie, season: 4,051, Cam Newton, Carolina
  • Most yards thrown by a quarterback, first two games of the season, broken twice:
    • 854 yards, Cam Newton (September 18, 2011), Carolina, stands as record for a rookie[53]
    • 940 yards, Tom Brady (September 18, 2011), New England Patriots[53]
  • Most consecutive second-half drives to end in touchdowns: 5, Buffalo (vs. Oakland, September 18, 2011)[54]
  • Largest point margin prior to a successful comeback in consecutive games, modern era, broken twice:
  • Most field goals of 50 or more yards, single game (tied twice):
  • Highest net punting average for a season: 43.99 yards, Andy Lee, San Francisco[57]
  • Longest game-winning punt return touchdown in overtime: 99 yards, Patrick Peterson, Arizona (vs. St. Louis, November 6, 2011)[58]
  • Most punt returns in a season for touchdown (tied): 4, Patrick Peterson, Arizona
  • Most punt return yards by a rookie in a season: 699, Patrick Peterson, Arizona
  • Most field goals in a season: 44, David Akers, San Francisco
  • Most points in a season without a touchdown: 166, David Akers, San Francisco[57]
  • Most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season: 14, Cam Newton, Carolina
  • Most passing yards in a season: 5,476, Drew Brees, New Orleans.[59]
    • Tom Brady, New England (5,235) and Matthew Stafford, Detroit (5,038) also passed for more than 5,000 yards marking the 4th and 5th times an individual has reached that milestone in NFL history, and the first time more than one person has done it in a single season.
  • Fewest turnovers in a season (tied): 10, San Francisco[57]
  • The 2011 Saints broke many offensive records on January 1, 2012:[60]
    • Most net yardage of offense in a season: 7,474
    • Most net yards passing: 5,347
    • Most completions: 472
    • Highest completion percentage (team) for the season: 71.3
    • Fewest fumbles in a season: 6
    • Most first downs for the season: 416
    • Most passing first downs in a season: 280
    • Most kick-offs resulting in a touchback, season: 62
    • Highest third down conversion percentage: 57.9%
  • The 2011 Raiders also broke a few records:
    • Most penalties, season: 163
    • Most yards penalized, season: 1,358
  • Most all purpose yards in a season: 2,696, Darren Sproles, New Orleans
  • Most receiving yards by a tight end in a season, broken twice:
  • Most games, 300+ yards passing, season: 13, Drew Brees, New Orleans
  • Most consecutive 300+ yards passing games: 7, Drew Brees, New Orleans
  • Punt return touchdowns, career: 12, Devin Hester, Chicago
  • Most consecutive games, 100+ passer rating, season: 12, Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
  • Highest passer rating, season: 122.5, Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
  • Most field goals of 50 or more yards, season, all teams: 90
  • Highest field goals of 50 or more yards percentage, season, all teams: 63.8
  • Highest completion percentage (individual), season
    : 71.2, Drew Brees, New Orleans
  • Longest pass completion (tied twice):
    • 99, Tom Brady, New England (vs. Miami, September 12, 2011)
    • 99, Eli Manning, New York Giants (vs. New York Jets, December 24, 2011)
  • Most consecutive games, 2+ touchdown passes (tied): 13, Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
  • Most times finished in the first place: 23, New York Giants

Playoff records & milestones

  • Most offensive yards in a single playoff game: 627, New Orleans (vs. Detroit, Wild Card January 7, 2012)
  • First quarterback to reach 400+ yards in two consecutive postseason games: Drew Brees, New Orleans (First time: 2010 vs. Seattle; 2nd time: 2011 vs. Detroit – both Wild Card games)
  • Most first downs (tie): 34, New Orleans (vs. Detroit, Wild Card January 7, 2012)
  • Most receiving yards in a playoff debut: 210, Calvin Johnson, Detroit (vs. New Orleans, Wild Card January 7, 2012)
  • Most consecutive playoff games lost (tie): 7, Detroit Lions
  • Tim Tebow's game-winning pass to Demaryius Thomas for Denver (vs. Pittsburgh, Wild Card January 8, 2012) set several records:
    • Longest scoring play in a playoff overtime: 80 yards
    • Shortest time of a drive in regular and postseason overtime: 11 seconds
    • Quickest win in overtime: 11 seconds
  • Most playoff appearances: 31, New York Giants
  • Most completions to start a super bowl: 9, Eli Manning
  • Most passing yards in a single postseason: 1,219, Eli Manning
  • Most touchdown passes in a single playoff game (tie): 6, Tom Brady, New England
  • Most league championship game appearances: 19, New York Giants
  • Most Super Bowls Started as QB (tie): 5, Tom Brady
  • Record for most yards per completion (31.6) in an NFL playoff game Tim Tebow
  • 3rd player in NFL playoff history to pass for 300 yards, and rush for 50 yards. Tim Tebow
  • Most Super Bowls lost (tie): 4, New England Patriots
  • Most playoff games won starting QB (tie): 16, Tom Brady

Regular season statistical leaders

Individual[61]
Scoring leader David Akers, San Francisco (166)
Touchdowns LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia (20 TDs)
Most field goals made David Akers, San Francisco (44 FGs)
Rushing Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville (1,606 yards)
Passing touchdowns Drew Brees, New Orleans (46 TDs)
Passing yards Drew Brees, New Orleans (5,476 yards)
Passer rating Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay (122.5 rating)
Pass receptions Wes Welker, New England (122 catches)
Pass receiving yards Calvin Johnson, Lions (1,681 yards)
Combined tackles London Fletcher, Washington (166 tackles)
Interceptions Kyle Arrington, New England, Eric Weddle, San Diego and Charles Woodson, Green Bay (7)
Punting Britton Colquitt, Denver (4,783 yards, 47.2 average yards)
Sacks Jared Allen, Minnesota (22)

Awards

All-Pro Team

Further information: 2011 All-Pro Team

The following players were named first team All-Pro by the Associated Press:

Offense
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
Running back Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia
Fullback
 Vonta Leach, Baltimore
Wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Detroit
Wes Welker, New England
Tight end Rob Gronkowski, New England
Offensive tackle
 Jason Peters, Philadelphia
Joe Thomas, Cleveland
Offensive guard
 Carl Nicks, New Orleans
Jahri Evans, New Orleans
Center
 Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh
Defense
Defensive end Jared Allen, Minnesota
Jason Pierre-Paul, N.Y. Giants
Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, Baltimore
Justin Smith, San Francisco
Outside linebacker
 Terrell Suggs, Baltimore
DeMarcus Ware, Dallas
Inside linebacker
 Patrick Willis, San Francisco
NaVorro Bowman, San Francisco
Derrick Johnson, Kansas City
Cornerback Charles Woodson, Green Bay
Darrelle Revis, N.Y. Jets
Safety
 Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh
Eric Weddle, San Diego
Special teams
Kicker David Akers, San Francisco
Punter
 Andy Lee, San Francisco
Kick returner
 Patrick Peterson, Arizona

Players of the Week/Month

The following were named the top performers during the 2011 season:

Week/
Month 		Offensive
Player of the Week/Month 		Defensive
Player of the Week/Month 		Special Teams
Player of the Week/Month
AFC NFC AFC NFC AFC NFC
1 Tom Brady (Patriots)[62] Aaron Rodgers (Packers)[63] Terrell Suggs (Ravens)[62] Brian Urlacher (Bears) [63] Sebastian Janikowski (Raiders)[62] Ted Ginn Jr. (49ers)[63]
2[64] Tom Brady (Patriots) Tony Romo (Cowboys) Antonio Cromartie (Jets) Roman Harper (Saints) Josh Cribbs (Browns) Jason Hanson (Lions)
3 Darren McFadden[65] Eli Manning[66] Ray Lewis[65] Ronde Barber[66] Rian Lindell[65] Dan Bailey[66]
Sept.[67] Ryan Fitzpatrick Aaron Rodgers D'Qwell Jackson Sean Lee Sebastian Janikowski Jason Hanson
4 Arian Foster[68] Aaron Rodgers[68] Jarret Johnson[69] Brian Orakpo[70] Ryan Succop[71] Devin Hester[72]
5 Ben Roethlisberger[73] Adrian Peterson[74] George Wilson[73] Patrick Willis[74] Sebastian Janikowski[73] Mason Crosby[74]
6 Rashard Mendenhall[75] Ahmad Bradshaw[76] Darrelle Revis[75] Kurt Coleman[76] Jacoby Ford[75] Devin Hester[76]
7 Arian Foster[77] Drew Brees[78] Brandon Flowers[77] Lance Briggs[78] Josh Scobee[77] Mason Crosby[78]
8 Ben Roethlisberger[79] LeSean McCoy[80] Derrick Johnson[81] Cliff Avril[80] Brandon Tate[82] Robert Quinn[80]
Oct.[83] Arian Foster Aaron Rodgers LaMarr Woodley Jared Allen Joe McKnight Devin Hester
9 Matt Moore[84] Aaron Rodgers[85] David Harris[86] Mathias Kiwanuka[85] Eddie Royal[87] Patrick Peterson[85]
10 Michael Bush[88] Larry Fitzgerald[89] Andre Carter[88] Roman Harper[89] Marc Mariani[88] Devin Hester[89]
11 Torrey Smith[90] Kevin Smith[91] Von Miller[90] Chris Clemons[91] Julian Edelman[90] Kealoha Pilares[91]
12 Chris Johnson[92] Drew Brees[93] Terrell Suggs[92] DeAngelo Hall[93] Sebastian Janikowski[92] Patrick Peterson[93]
Nov.[94] Tom Brady Aaron Rodgers Connor Barwin Julius Peppers Sebastian Janikowski Patrick Peterson
13 Ray Rice[95] Cam Newton[96] Colin McCarthy[97] David Hawthorne[96]
Antonio Brown[98]
 Tim Masthay[96]
14 Rob Gronkowski[99] Matt Ryan[100] Terrell Suggs[101] Jason Pierre-Paul[100] Matt Prater[102] Doug Baldwin[100]
15 Reggie Bush[103] Calvin Johnson[104] Antwan Barnes[105] John Abraham[104] Ryan Succop[106] Andy Lee[104]
16 Tom Brady[107] Drew Brees[108] Robert Mathis[107] Jason Pierre-Paul[108] Richard Seymour[107] David Akers[108]
17 Ray Rice[109]
Matt Flynn[110]
 Troy Polamalu[111] Curtis Lofton[112] Richard Goodman[113] David Akers[114]
Dec.[115] Tom Brady Drew Brees Terrell Suggs Jason Pierre-Paul Matt Prater David Akers
Week FedEx Air
Player of the Week[116]
(quarterbacks) 		FedEx Ground
Player of the Week[116]
(running backs) 		Pepsi
Rookie of the Week[117]
1 Tom Brady (NE) LeSean McCoy (Phi) WR Randall Cobb (GB)
2 Matthew Stafford (Det) Fred Jackson (Buf) WR Denarius Moore (Oak)
3 Joe Flacco (Bal) Darren McFadden (Oak) OL Stefen Wisniewski (Oak)
4 Aaron Rodgers (GB)
Matt Forté (Chi
) 		QB Cam Newton (Car)
5 Aaron Rodgers (GB) Adrian Peterson (Min) LB Aldon Smith (SF)
6 Aaron Rodgers (GB) Frank Gore (SF) LB Aldon Smith (SF)
7 Aaron Rodgers (GB) DeMarco Murray (Dal) RB DeMarco Murray (Dal)
8 Ben Roethlisberger (Pit) LeSean McCoy (Phi) DE Marcell Dareus (Buf)
9 Aaron Rodgers (GB) Willis McGahee (Den) QB
Andy Dalton (Cin
)
10 Tony Romo (Dal) Michael Bush (Oak) WR Denarius Moore (Oak)
11 Matthew Stafford (Det) Kevin Smith (Det) WR Torrey Smith (Bal)
12 Drew Brees (NO) Beanie Wells (Ari) QB Andy Dalton (Cin)
13 Aaron Rodgers (GB) Ray Rice (Bal) LB Colin McCarthy (Ten)
14 Matt Ryan (Atl) Marshawn Lynch (Sea) QB T. J. Yates (Hou)
15 Drew Brees (NO) Reggie Bush (Mia) QB Cam Newton (Car)
16 Drew Brees (NO) C. J. Spiller (Buf) QB Cam Newton (Car)
17
Matt Flynn (GB
) 		Ray Rice (Bal) DB Sterling Moore (NE)
Month Rookie of the Month
Offensive Defensive
Sept.[67] Cam Newton Ryan Kerrigan
Oct.[83]
Andy Dalton
 Aldon Smith
Nov.[118] DeMarco Murray Von Miller
Dec.[115] Julio Jones Aldon Smith

Regular season awards

Further information: 1st Annual NFL Honors

For the first time, the league held the

Indianapolis, Indiana on February 4, 2012.[119]

Award Winner Position Team
AP Offensive Player of the Year
 Drew Brees Quarterback New Orleans Saints
AP Defensive Player of the Year
 Terrell Suggs Linebacker Baltimore Ravens
AP Coach of the Year
 Jim Harbaugh Head coach San Francisco 49ers
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
 Cam Newton Quarterback Carolina Panthers
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year
 Von Miller Linebacker Denver Broncos
AP Comeback Player of the Year
 Matthew Stafford Quarterback Detroit Lions
AP Most Valuable Player
 Aaron Rodgers Quarterback Green Bay Packers
Pepsi Rookie of the Year
 Cam Newton Quarterback Carolina Panthers
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Matt Birk Center Baltimore Ravens
Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Eli Manning Quarterback New York Giants

Team superlatives

Offense

[120]

Defense

  • Fewest points allowed: Pittsburgh, 227 (14.2 PPG)
  • Most points allowed: Tampa Bay, 494 (30.9 PPG)
  • Fewest total yards allowed: Pittsburgh, 4,348
  • Most total yards allowed: Green Bay, 6,585
  • Fewest passing yards allowed: Pittsburgh, 2,751
  • Most passing yards allowed: Green Bay, 4,796
  • Fewest rushing yards allowed: San Francisco, 1,236
  • Most rushing yards allowed: Tampa Bay, 2,497

[121]

Coaching changes

Pre-season

The uncertain labor issues and the possibility of a lockout were speculated to have a minimizing effect on coaching changes prior to the 2011 season, with owners predicted to be more hesitant than usual to hire a high-price, high-profile head coach.[122] Nevertheless, eight coaches were fired either during or immediately after the 2010 NFL season, compared to three in the year prior; only one of the new hires (John Fox) had ever been a head coach in the NFL prior to their hirings or promotions. However, Leslie Frazier, and Jason Garrett did get some experience as interim coaches during the 2010 season, with Garrett being successful in his debut season, going 5–3 in his tenure, improving the 1–7 Cowboys to a 6–10 season.

Team: 2010 head coach:
at start of season 		2010 interim head coach: 2011 replacement: Reason for leaving: Notes:
Dallas Cowboys Wade Phillips Jason Garrett Fired Phillips, son of former NFL head coach Bum Phillips, was fired on November 8, 2010, following a 45–7 Week 9 loss against the Green Bay Packers, leaving Dallas with a 35–24 (.593) record. Phillips was later hired as defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans. On January 5, 2011, Jason Garrett, the team's offensive coordinator and presumptive head coach in waiting, was named the Head coach for the 2011 season.
Minnesota Vikings Brad Childress Leslie Frazier Fired Childress was fired on November 22, 2010, following a Week 11 loss against the Green Bay Packers, 31–3. The Vikings entered week 12 with a 3–7 record, second-to-last in the NFC North after a 12–4 season a year ago. Childress also faced controversy by releasing Randy Moss without the approval of owner Zygi Wilf and lost control over the locker room.[123] Childress amassed a record of 40–37 (.519) record during his time in Minnesota. Frazier, the Vikings' defensive coordinator since 2007, was named head coach following the end of the 2010 season.
Denver Broncos Josh McDaniels Eric Studesville (retained as running back coach) John Fox Fired McDaniels was fired on December 5, 2010, following a 10–6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13. After a 6–0 start in the 2009 season, the Broncos lost 17 of their next 22 games, and became subject to a videotaping scandal.[124] McDaniels's record was 11–17 (.393) as coach of the Broncos. McDaniels was later hired by the St. Louis Rams to be their offensive coordinator.[125]
San Francisco 49ers Mike Singletary Jim Tomsula (retained as defensive line coach) Jim Harbaugh Fired Singletary compiled a record of 18–22 (.462) during his 2½ years as head coach of the 49ers and was criticized for his lack of focus on the team's offense.[126][127] Singletary is now the Linebackers coach for the Minnesota Vikings.[128]

Harbaugh, a former NFL quarterback, came from the

2011 NFL Draft
if Harbaugh left, but decided to stay at Stanford.)

Carolina Panthers John Fox Ron Rivera Expired contract The Panthers announced on December 31, 2010, two days before the final game of the 2010 season, that his contract will not be renewed for 2011.[129] Fox spent nine seasons with Carolina, including an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVIII, and leaves Carolina with a total record of 78–76 (.506).

Rivera had spent the previous three seasons as defensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers.

Cleveland Browns Eric Mangini Pat Shurmur Fired The Browns announced on Monday January 3, 2011, the day after the end of the 2010 regular season that Eric Mangini will not be returning to coach the Browns.[130] Mangini led the Browns to back to back 5–11 seasons and an overall record of 10–22 (.313), the second-worst in Browns history.[131] Mangini is currently an analyst for ESPN. On January 13, the Browns announced that they hired Pat Shurmur, a career assistant coach who spent the last two seasons on the staff of the St. Louis Rams and from 1999 to 2008 on the staff of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Oakland Raiders Tom Cable Hue Jackson Expired contract The Raiders announced on Tuesday January 4, 2011, that they will not exercise the option on Tom Cable's contract. He finishes with a 17–27 (.386) record, which included an 8–8 record in 2010, while going undefeated against division rivals, being the first team to go 6–0 against division opponents and miss the playoffs. On January 17, the Raiders announced that Hue Jackson, their previous offensive coordinator will replace Cable, who was later hired as the assistant head coach/offensive line coach for the Seattle Seahawks.
Tennessee Titans Jeff Fisher Mike Munchak Resigned On January 27, it was formally announced by the Tennessee Titans that Jeff Fisher would not return to coach the team in 2011,[132] following a dispute with quarterback Vince Young. Fisher, whose time with the team dated back to when it was still the Houston Oilers, had the longest tenure as head coach with one team among active head coaches in the league at the time of his dismissal. In 17 years with the Oilers and Titans, Fisher compiled a record of 147–126 (.538) and led the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV. Mike Munchak, who joined the Oilers in 1982 and has remained with the team as a player or coach every year since (serving most recently as offensive line coach), was promoted to the head coach position as Fisher's replacement.

In-season

The following head coaches were replaced in-season:

Team: 2011 head coach: Interim head coach: Reason for leaving: Notes:
Jacksonville Jaguars Jack Del Rio Mel Tucker Fired Del Rio was fired after compiling a 69–73 (.486) record (including postseason games) in 8¾ seasons as head coach; the team has not made the playoffs since 2007. Del Rio was fired at the same time that Wayne Weaver, the owner of the Jaguars, announced his intentions to sell the team to Pakistani-American automotive parts builder Shahid Khan.[133]
Kansas City Chiefs Todd Haley Romeo Crennel Fired Haley compiled a 19–27 (.413) record, including one postseason loss, in nearly 3 seasons with the Chiefs. Team ownership cited inconsistent play and a lack of progress in their decision; Haley was also cited for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in what turned out to be his final game. Crennel had previously served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2005 to 2008. Crennel won his first game as the interim head coach of the Chiefs on December 18, 2011, against the then undefeated Green Bay Packers 19–14, which was significant as Crennel snapped the Packers' 19-game winning streak ended their hopes for a perfect season. Crennel finished his stint as interim head coach with a 2–1 record. On January 9, 2012, Crennel was named the team's permanent head coach.
Miami Dolphins Tony Sparano Todd Bowles Fired Sparano compiled a 29–33 (.468) record, including one postseason loss, in nearly 4 seasons with the Dolphins. Ongoing speculation regarding Sparano's future in Miami prompted Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to dismiss Sparano prior to the end of the season instead of letting the speculation become a further distraction. The Dolphins intend on hiring someone from outside the organization in the 2012 offseason.[134]

Stadiums

Naming rights agreements

The following stadiums received new naming rights:

In addition, the

Snapdragon brand.[140]

Uniforms

This was the last season that

Nike and New Era now have the 40-year rights to manufacture on-field uniforms and fan apparel, with Nike handling uniforms and performance apparel, and New Era with on-field caps. For Reebok, this ends a 10-year exclusivity association that began in 2001.[141]

The first Sunday of the season fell on the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. To commemorate that event players, coaches, game officials and sideline personnel all wore a special stars and stripes ribbon bearing the dates "9/11/01" and "9/11/11" as a patch or pin. Players were also allowed to wear special red, white and blue gloves and shoes.[142]

The

whiteout promotion; the last time the team had worn their white uniforms at home was in 1986.[146]

The New England Patriots' uniforms bore a patch bearing the initials "MHK" in honor of team owner Robert Kraft's wife Myra Kraft who died of cancer in July.[147] The Patriots wore their red throwback uniforms in their week five game against the New York Jets. They wore their white jerseys at home against the Dallas Cowboys in week six, thus forcing the Cowboys to use their navy jerseys for the only time all season and the first time since 2009.[148] As per tradition, the Cowboys wore their throwbacks on Thanksgiving Day (November 24) at home against the Miami Dolphins.[148]

The St. Louis Rams wore their throwback uniforms in week 8 against the New Orleans Saints; the date was determined by fan voting.[149]

The Baltimore Ravens wore their black alternative jerseys twice in 2011: with black pants against the Jets and with white pants against the 49ers.[150]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wore their orange throwback uniforms during week 13 against Carolina.[151]

The Oakland Raiders wore stickers featuring "AL" on their helmets after owner Al Davis died on October 8, 2011.[152]

This season was the last in which the Denver Broncos wore their navy blue jerseys as their primary jersey, as the team has designated their orange jerseys—the team's alternate home jersey since 2002—as their new primary home jersey color, beginning with the 2012 season. The move was made due to overwhelming fan support to return to using orange as the team's primary home jersey color, which harkens back to the days of the Orange Crush Defense, as well as John Elway's return to the organization as the team's executive vice president of football operations. The team had considered making the switch for the 2011 season, but were too late to notify the NFL of the changes.[153] The team's navy blue jerseys, which had been their primary home jersey since they were first introduced in 1997, will become the alternate jerseys which will be worn in one or two home games each year.[154]

This season was the last in which the Seattle Seahawks wore their pacific blue (or "Seahawks blue") jerseys as the team's home jersey, as the team changed their home jersey color to dark navy for the 2012 season.[155]

Media

This was the sixth season under the

television contracts with the league's television partners: CBS (all AFC afternoon away games), Fox (all NFC afternoon away games), NBC (17 Sunday Night Football games and the kickoff game), ESPN (Monday Night Football), NFL Network (eight late-season games on Thursday night and Saturday nights), and DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket
package. These contracts originally ran through at least 2013.

ESPN extended its contract for Monday Night Football on September 8, during the opening week of the season. This new contract, valued between $14.2 billion and $15.2 billion, extended ESPN's rights for eight seasons until 2021. It also gave them rights to expanded highlights, international and digital rights, the Pro Bowl beginning with the 2015 installment, and possibly a wild card playoff game.[156] The league also signed a nine-year extension with CBS, Fox and NBC on their current contracts starting with the 2014 season through 2022.[157]

CBS added Marv Albert as a commentator,[158] while Gus Johnson departed from CBS to Fox Sports to call NFL and college football games.[159] ESPN lost both of their sideline reporters from 2010: Michele Tafoya moved to NBC, where she replaced the departing Andrea Kremer,[160] and Suzy Kolber reduced her on-field work to focus on hosting studio programming. ESPN, who had reduced the roles of its sideline reporters in recent years in response to NFL rule changes, used only one sideline reporter for each game of the 2011 season; among the rotating reporters include Kolber, Wendi Nix, Ed Werder, Sal Paolantonio, and Rachel Nichols. At NFL Network, Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock became its new broadcasting crew, replacing Bob Papa, Matt Millen, and Joe Theismann.

On December 22, 2010, the league announced that its national radio contract with

Sirius XM Radio through 2015.[162] In addition to these contracts, and in a first for an NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys signed a deal to allow for nationwide broadcasts of all of its home and away games broadcast on Compass Media Networks, in addition to its existing local radio network. Compass also acquired exclusive national broadcast rights to both the International Series and Toronto Series contests.[163]

The league did not announce plans to compensate their media partners had the season been shortened or canceled as a result of the work stoppage. NBC had ordered several low-cost reality television shows for the

United Football League had set aside a portion of their television contract for their 2011 UFL season, as a potential package of replacement programs for the networks;[165]
while CBS and Fox briefly negotiated with the UFL regarding the package, neither network committed to carrying the games, forcing the UFL to postpone its season by a month.

References

  1. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: For single seasons, from 1920 to 2011, sorted by descending Passing Yds, as of end of 2011 regular season.
  2. ^ "Aaron Rodgers Stats Summary". NFL. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  3. ^ "In a passing league, what is with all these ugly QB situations?". nfl. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  4. ^ Wild Shootout Sparks Start of 2011 season Archived July 28, 2013, at the Wayback Machine at National Football Post, September 9, 2011
  5. ^ Chase Stuart: Correction Has Arrived for N.F.L. Passing Barrage at The New York Times, October 18, 2011
  6. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: NFL Season By Season Team Offense Archived December 31, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Huffington Post
    , November 5, 2011
  8. ^ Steve Politi, 'Suck for Luck' could be best hope for NFL's worst CNN.com, October 21, 2011
  9. ^ a b Clayton, John (May 20, 2008). "NFL owners vote unanimously to opt out of labor deal". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  10. ^ a b Marvex, Alex (March 11, 2011). "NFL owners lock out players". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
  11. ^ Trotter, Jim (March 11, 2011). "NFLPA files to decertify as a union". SI.com. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  12. ^ "Union makes deadline demand for books". ESPN. March 12, 2011. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  13. ^ "Owners approve proposed labor deal". ESPN. July 22, 2011. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  14. ^ "Report: NFLPA recertified as union". ESPN. Associated Press. July 30, 2011. Archived from the original on December 16, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
  15. ^ Battista, Judy (July 25, 2011). "As the Lockout Ends, the Scrambling Begins". The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  16. ^ Davis, Nate (July 25, 2011). "NFL, players announce new 10-year labor agreement". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 26, 2011. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  17. ^ "Cardinals complete trade for Kevin Kolb". ESPN. July 28, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  18. ^ "Bears trade Greg Olsen for pick". ESPN. July 28, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  19. ^ "Sources: Albert Haynesworth traded". ESPN.com. July 28, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  20. ^ "Patriots get WR Ochocinco in trade with Bengals". Associated Press. July 28, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  21. ^ "Source: Donovan McNabb to Vikings". ESPN. July 27, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  22. ^ "Reggie Bush, Dolphins agree on deal". ESPN. July 28, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  23. ^ Thomasos, Christine (August 12, 2011). "Lee Evans Traded to Baltimore Ravens". The Christian Post. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  24. ^ "49ers trade Taylor Mays to Bengals". ESPN. August 23, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  25. ^ "Bengals acquire Kelly Jennings". ESPN. August 29, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  26. ^ Florio, Mike (October 12, 2011). "Seahawks agree to ship Curry to Raiders". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  27. ^ "Rams trade for WR Brandon Lloyd". ESPN. October 17, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  28. ^ "Carson Palmer traded to Cards". ESPN.com. April 2, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  29. ^ a b c "NFL moves kickoffs to 35-yard line; touchbacks unchanged". NFL. March 22, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  30. ^ a b Farmer, Sam (March 21, 2011). "NFL committee to vote on proposal to change kickoffs rule". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  31. ^ "Belichick crushes the kickoff proposal". Boston Globe. March 21, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  32. ^ Battista, Judy (March 22, 2011). "N.F.L. Moves Kickoffs to the 35". The New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  33. ^ Marvez, Alex (May 24, 2011). "Owners approve new rules changes". Fox Sports. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  34. ^ "NFL to refs: Err on side of caution with flags". CBS Sports.com. December 24, 2011. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  35. ^ "Logistical hurdles cleared, NFL to begin game-day drug testing". nfl.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  36. ^ "Bears-Rams game set to kick off 2011 preseason schedule". NFL. April 12, 2011. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
  37. ^ Schefter, Adam (April 21, 2011). "NFL schedule could buy three weeks". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  38. ^ Battista, Judy (April 18, 2011). "Lockout Could Jeopardize Game Set for London". The New York Times. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  39. ^ "Bears vs. Buccaneers – Recap". Sports Illustrated. October 23, 2011. Archived from the original on October 26, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  40. ^ O'Hara, Mike (April 19, 2011). Source: Lions-Bears on MNF. Fox Sports Detroit. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  41. ^ "Watch Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions [10/10/2011]". NFL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  42. ^ Vacchiano, Ralph (April 19, 2011). "Giants will open in Washington on 9/11". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  43. ^ "Schedule will be released in April, despite lockout". nbcsports.com. March 16, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  44. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (April 19, 2011). Report: Jets will open on Sunday Night Football against Cowboys. profootballtalk.com. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  45. ^ "Bears-Lions Week 10 meeting moved to 4:15 pm ET on Fox". NFL. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  46. ^ a b "NFL flexes Colts-Patriots out of SNF game". profootballweekly.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  47. ^ "NFL announces Week 13 flex plan". ESPN. November 21, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  48. ^ "Raiders-Packers Week 14 game flexed to late afternoon". profootballweekly.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  49. ^ "Cowboys-Giants Week 17 showdown moved to prime time". NFL. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
  50. ^ a b "2011 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  51. ^ a b King, Peter (September 19, 2011). From a reality winner to the upstart Bills, Week 2 boasts great stories. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  52. ^ "Panthers vs. Cardinals - Box Score - September 11, 2011". ESPN. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  53. ^ a b Associated Press (September 18, 2011). Newton throws for NFL rookie record 432 yards[dead link]. Forbes.com. Retrieved on September 18, 2011.
  54. ^ Brandt, Gil. Newton more impressive in first two games than any rookie QB. NFL.com. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  55. ^ Buscaglia, Joe (September 25, 2011). Reaction: Bills 34, Patriots 31 Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. WGR. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  56. ^ King, Peter (October 10, 2011). Raiders' emotional rally, 49ers' rout show sun is rising in the West. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  57. ^ a b c Matt Maiocco (January 2, 2012). "49ers enter NFL record book". CSN Bay Area. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  58. ^ "NFL Week 9: Top 10 plays". Retrieved October 20, 2021 – via www.washingtonpost.com.[dead link]
  59. ^ Brees locks up record in Saints win vs. Falcons. NewsTalk Cleveland. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  60. ^ [1]. NFL.com
  61. ^ "NFL Stats: Player". NFL.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2009. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  62. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  63. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  64. Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  65. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  66. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  67. ^ a b "Rodgers, Fitzpatrick among NFL's Players of the Month". Pro Football Weekly. September 29, 2011. Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  68. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  69. Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  70. Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  71. Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  72. Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  73. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  74. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  75. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  76. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  77. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  78. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  79. Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved November 3, 2011.
  80. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved November 3, 2011.
  81. Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved November 3, 2011.
  82. Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved November 3, 2011.
  83. ^
    usatoday.com
    . Retrieved November 3, 2011.
  84. Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  85. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  86. Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  87. Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  88. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  89. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  90. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  91. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  92. ^ a b c "Johnson, Suggs and Janikowski named AFC players of the week". Profootballweekly.com. November 30, 2011. Archived from the original on December 1, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  93. ^
    Profootballtalk.com
    . Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  94. usatoday.com
    . Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  95. Profootballtalk.com. Archived
    from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  96. ^
    Profootballtalk.com. Archived
    from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  97. Profootballtalk.com. Archived
    from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  98. Profootballtalk.com. Archived
    from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  99. Profootballtalk.com. Archived
    from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  100. ^
    Profootballtalk.com. Archived
    from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  101. Profootballtalk.com. Archived
    from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  102. Profootballtalk.com. Archived
    from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  103. Profootballtalk.com. Archived
    from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  104. ^
    Profootballtalk.com. Archived
    from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  105. Profootballtalk.com. Archived
    from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  106. Profootballtalk.com. Archived
    from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  107. ^ a b c "Brady, Mathis and Seymour named AFC players of week". Pro Football Weekly. December 28, 2011. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  108. ^ a b c "Brees, Pierre-Paul, Akers named NFC players of week". Pro Football Weekly. December 28, 2011. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  109. ^ Zrebiec, Jeff (January 3, 2012). "Rice is named AFC Offensive Player of the Week". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  110. ^ Walker, Don (January 4, 2012). "Flynn is NFC's offensive player of the week". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  111. ^ "Polamalu AFC Defensive Player of the Week". Steelers.com. January 4, 2012. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  112. ^ McIntyre, Brian (January 4, 2011). "Falcons LB Curtis Lofton Named NFC Defensive Player of the Week". Mac's Football Blog. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  113. ^ Christopher Smith (January 4, 2011). "Goodman, O-line honored". San Diego Chargers. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  114. ^ Branch, Eric (January 4, 2011). "Air Akers: 49ers kicker wins honor for 2nd straight week". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 5, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  115. ^ a b Davis, Nate (January 5, 2012). "Brees breaks Rodgers' hold on NFL player of the month honors". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  116. ^ a b "FedEx Air and Ground Players of the Week". NFL.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  117. ^ "Pepsi Rookie of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  118. Foxnews.com
    . December 1, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  119. ^ "First-ever 'NFL Honors' show will be hosted by Baldwin in Indy". NFL.com. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  120. ^ "2011 NFL Standings & Team Stats - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  121. ^ "2011 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  122. ^ Clayton, John (December 1, 2010). "Labor clues in coaching moves". ESPN. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
  123. ^ "Vikings fire coach Brad Childress". ESPN.com. November 22, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  124. ^ "Broncos fire McDaniels, name assistant Studesville interim coach". nfl.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  125. ^ "Ex-Broncos coach McDaniels picked to oversee Rams' offense". nfl.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  126. ^ "San Francisco 49ers fire Mike Singletary, need to right ship – Ann Killion – SI.com". cnn.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  127. ^ Mike Singletary out, D-line aide in at S.F. Archived December 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  128. ^ "Mike Singletary hired by Minnesota Vikings". mercurynews.com. January 18, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  129. ^ John Fox won't return to Panthers Archived January 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  130. ^ "Browns fire coach Eric Mangini". ESPN. January 3, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  131. ^ "After firing Eric Mangini, Mike Holmgren downplays chance of becoming Cleveland Browns coach: Searching for one who can 'lead us to the championship'". cleveland.com. January 4, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  132. ^ Wyatt, Jim (January 27, 2011). "Titans part ways with head coach Jeff Fisher". USA Today. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
  133. ^ "Jaguars sack Jack Del Rio, will sell team". ESPN. November 29, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  134. ^ Jackson, Barry (December 12, 2011). Miami Dolphins fire coach Tony Sparano. Miami Herald. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  135. Contra Costa Times
    . Retrieved April 27, 2011.
  136. ^ Condotta, Bob (June 20, 2011). "Qwest Field renamed CenturyLink Field". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  137. ^ "Broncos stadium renamed Sports Authority Field at Mile High". The Denver Post. August 16, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  138. ^ Caroom, Eliot (August 24, 2011). "MetLife Stadium naming deal official for Meadowlands home of Giants, Jets". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  139. ^ "Mercedes-Benz has Superdome deal". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 4, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  140. ^ "Qualcomm Stadium temporarily renamed Snapdragon Stadium". San Diego Chargers. December 16, 2011. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  141. ^ "New deal establishes Nike as league's official uniform provider". NFL. AP. October 12, 2011. Archived from the original on December 30, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  142. ^ "Patriotic gestures by Lance Briggs". ESPN. AP. September 9, 2011. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  143. ^ Graham, Tim (April 25, 2011). "Promo video leaks Buffalo's new uniforms". ESPN. Archived from the original on December 22, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  144. ^ Gaughan, Mark (June 24, 2011). "Bills show off new uniforms for 2011". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  145. ^ Gaughan, Mark (February 9, 2011). "Bills plan new uniforms". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on November 26, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  146. ^ Ly, Heather (November 6, 2011). ""Whiteout" Conditions at Bills Game". WGRZ. Archived from the original on December 22, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  147. ^ "Patriots will honor memory of Myra Kraft with uniform patch". NFL. August 10, 2011. Archived from the original on January 5, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  148. ^ a b "Cowboys to wear blue uniforms Sunday". ESPN. October 12, 2011. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  149. ^ Wagoner, Nick (June 14, 2011). "Rams to Wear Throwbacks Against Saints". StLouisRams.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  150. ^ "Ravens Wearing Black Jerseys, White Pants". BaltimoreRavens.com. November 23, 2011. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  151. ^ "Break Out the Orange! Throwback Game Is Dec. 4". Buccaneers.com. July 13, 2011. Archived from the original on December 18, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  152. Profootballtalk.com. Archived
    from the original on December 11, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  153. ^ Jones, Lindsay (November 16, 2010). "Fans start petition for orange jerseys". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on November 26, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
  154. ^ Klis, Mike (October 3, 2011). "NFL approves Broncos' switch back to orange uniforms". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on December 22, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  155. ^ "New Seahawks Uniforms Coming in 2012, Says Team President". pigskinbuzz.com. May 24, 2011. Archived from the original on January 2, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  156. ^ Updated: ESPN Kicks Off New Eight-Year, $14 Billion NFL Deal Multichannel News September 8, 2011
  157. ^ The Tradition Continues: NFL to Remain on Network TV Archived January 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, NFL Press Release, December 14, 2011
  158. ^ Sandomir, Richard (June 6, 2011). "Marv Albert to Call N.F.L. Games for CBS". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  159. ^ Raissman, Bob (May 9, 2011). "Gus Johnson officially out at CBS, headed to Fox after CBS declines to match Fox's offer". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on May 12, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  160. ^ "Michele Tafoya Joins "Sunday Night Football" As Sideline Reporter". TV By the Numbers. May 4, 2011. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  161. ^ "NFL, Westwood One extend radio deal through 2014". Bloomberg. Associated Press. December 22, 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
  162. ^ "SIRIUS XM Radio and NFL Announce Extension of Satellite Broadcast and Marketing Agreement". Sirius XM Radio Inc. November 30, 2010. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011.
  163. ^ RAIDERS KICK OFF SEASON ON MONDAY NIGHT AT DENVER; OPEN HOME SCHEDULE VS. NEW YORK JETS ON SEPTEMBER 25 Archived October 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Compass Media Networks press release. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  164. ^ "NFL lockout could cost networks billions". MSNBC. December 14, 2010. Archived from the original on December 17, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  165. ^ Kaplan, Daniel (November 29, 2010). "UFL positions itself for possible NFL stoppage". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on November 30, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2010.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2011_NFL_season&oldid=1218736221"