The 2011 NFL season was the 92nd regular season of the National Football League. It began on Thursday, September 8, 2011, with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the New Orleans Saints 42–34 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 21–17.

Due to a labor dispute between league owners and players, a lockout began on March 11 and ended on July 25, lasting 18 weeks and 4 days (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: Four of the six highest passing yardage totals of all time were established 2011: No. 1 Drew Brees (5,476), No. 2 Tom Brady (5,235), No. 5 Matthew Stafford (5,038) and No. 6 Eli Manning (4,933).^[1]

Further cementing the modern NFL's reputation as a "passing league"^[2][3][4] was the fact 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.^[5] (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 Indianapolis) were openly rooting for their teams to "Suck for Luck."^[6][7]

Labor dispute[link]

In May 2008 the owners decided to opt out of the 1993 arrangement and play the 2010 season without an agreement in place.^[8] Some of the major points of contention included openness of owners' financial books, the rookie pay scale, a proposed 18 percent reduction in the players' share of revenues, forfeiture on bonus payments for players that fail to perform, players' health and retirement benefits, details of free agency, the cost and benefit of new stadiums, players' salaries, extending the regular season to 18 games, and the revenue-sharing structure.^[8] By March 2011, the NFLPA and the NFL had not yet come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement, 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.^[9] 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.^[10][11][12]

Following the settlement of Brady et al. v. NFL anti-trust 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, 2011.^[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 August 4, 2011.^[15] The new collective bargaining agreement runs through 2021.^[16]

Schedule[link]

The preseason schedule was released April 12, 2011. The Hall of Fame Game, had it been played, would have featured the Chicago Bears against the St. Louis Rams in only the second time since 1971 that the game would have featured two teams from the same conference.^[17] Instead, the preseason began with the San Diego Chargers hosting the Seattle Seahawks on August 11; the remainder of the preseason and all other games was played as originally scheduled (with the exception of the preseason Jets-Giants game, which was postponed two days due to Hurricane Irene).

The 2011 season began on Thursday, September 8, 2011 at Lambeau Field, with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers hosting the New Orleans Saints in the kickoff game; the last regular season games were held on Sunday, January 1, 2012; the playoffs started on Saturday, January 7, 2012; and end 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:

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.^[18] 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.

In a scheduling quirk, the NFC North's Chicago Bears played all four of their interconference games in consecutive weeks: San Diego in Week 11, Oakland in Week 12, Kansas City in Week 13, and Denver in Week 14.

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.^[19] The Bears won 24–18.^[20] The Bears won 24–18. This marks 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 the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada 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 are playing on the same day, and both played away games that weekend.

The Detroit Lions hosted their first Monday Night Football game since 2001, when they faced the Chicago Bears on Columbus Day/Canadian Thanksgiving (the Detroit-Windsor market straddles the U.S.-Canadian border).^[21] Detroit defeated Chicago, 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 after over a decade of mediocrity.^[22]

The 2011 Thanksgiving Classic featured the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers winning 27–15 on the road against the Detroit Lions and the 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 1st-year 49ers' head coach Jim Harbaugh against his brother, Ravens' head coach John Harbaugh.

Christmas Day, December 25, fell on Sunday. The league's general policy when this happens is to hold the majority of its games during the day on Christmas Eve and hold over one or two feature games for Sunday night; in the case of 2011, it was one game. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears 35–21 on Christmas evening on NBC.

New Year's Day, January 1, 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 New York Giants visited the Washington Redskins on September 11, 2011 – the first Sunday of the regular season – to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks (both Washington, D.C. and New York City were targeted in the attacks), as well as the first such anniversary since the killing of Osama bin Laden.^[23] Due to the close proximity of Baltimore with Washington, D.C. as well as the close proximity of Pittsburgh with the site where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed on 9/11, the Pittsburgh Steelers visited 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 match-up which had been predetermined due to the NFL's scheduling formula.^[24] However, the Jets instead hosted the Dallas Cowboys.^[25]

Scheduling changes[link]

The following regular season games were moved either by way of flexible scheduling, severe weather, or for other reasons:

• Week 10: The Lions–Bears game was moved from 1:00 pm EST to 4:15 pm EST.^[26]
• Week 11: The Titans–Falcons game was moved from 1:00 pm EST to 4:15 pm EST.^[27]
• Week 13: The Colts–Patriots game was moved from the 8:20 pm EST time slot on NBC Sunday Night Football to 1:00 pm EST on CBS. The Lions–Saints 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 Ravens–Browns game was changed from 1:00 pm EST to 4:05 pm EST. The Broncos–Vikings 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.^[27][28]
• Week 14: The Raiders–Packers game was moved from 1:00 pm EST to 4:15 pm EST.^[29]
• Week 17: The Cowboys–Giants game was moved from 1:00 pm EST on Fox to 8:20 pm EST on NBC, while the Buccaneers–Falcons, Ravens–Bengals and Steelers–Browns game were all moved from 1:00 pm EST to 4:15 pm EST.^[30]

Regular season standings[link]

Playoff seeds are marked in parentheses and shaded in green

[edit] Tie-breakers

• ^a Miami finished in third place in the AFC East based on a head-to-head sweep over Buffalo.
• ^b Baltimore clinched the AFC North title based on a head-to-head sweep over Pittsburgh.
• ^c Cincinnati clinched the AFC 6 seed instead of Tennessee based on a head-to-head victory.
• ^d Denver clinched the AFC West title instead of San Diego or Oakland based on record versus common opponents (5–5 to San Diego's and Oakland's 4–6).
• ^e San Diego finished ahead of Oakland in the AFC West based on better conference record (7–5 to 6–6).
• ^f Philadelphia finished in second place in the NFC East based on a head-to-head sweep over Dallas.
• ^g Atlanta clinched the NFC 5 seed instead of Detroit based on a head-to-head victory.
• ^h San Francisco clinched the NFC 2 seed instead of New Orleans based on better conference record (10–2 to 9–3).

Postseason[link]

Bracket[link]

* Indicates overtime victory

Rule changes[link]

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 back up 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.^[31] 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.^[32][33] Proposals that would have brought touchbacks out to the 25 instead of the 20, and eliminated all wedge blocks were not adopted.^[31] Despite this rule, the Bears kicked off from the 30-yard line twice 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.^[31][32] Because the play is now "unchallengable" 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 "Boise State Rule", all playing fields must remain green, and not be in another color like the blue turf at Boise State's 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.^[34]

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 penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness and ejected from the game if the contact is deemed flagrant.

A "defenseless player" is defined as a:

• Player in the act of or just after throwing a pass.
• Receiver attempting to catch a pass or one who has not completed a catch and hasn’t had time to protect himself or hasn’t clearly become a runner. If the receiver/runner is capable of avoiding or warding off the impending contact of an opponent, he is no longer a defenseless player.
• Runner whose forward progress has been stopped and is already in the grasp of a tackler.
• Kickoff or punt returner attempting to field a kick in the air.
• Player on the ground at the end of a play.
• Kicker/punter during the kick or return.
• Quarterback any time after a change of possession (i.e. turnover).
• Player who receives a "blindside" block when the blocker is moving toward his own end-line and approaches the opponent from behind or the side.^[35]

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.^[36]

Game-day testing[link]

• 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.^[37]

Media[link]

This was the sixth season under the current 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 (17 Monday Night Football games over sixteen weeks), NFL Network (eight late-season games on Thursday night and Saturday nights), and DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket package. These contracts run through at least 2013. ESPN extended its contract for Monday Night Football on September 8, during the opening week of the season. The new contract extended the rights for eight seasons, giving the network rights until 2021. The new deal, valued between $14.2 billion and $15.2 billion, also gave them rights to expanded highlights, international and digital rights, the Pro Bowl beginning with the 2015 installment, and possibly a Wildcard playoff game.^[38] Also, the league announced a nine-year extension with CBS, Fox and NBC on their current contracts starting with the 2014 season.^[39]

The 2011 NFL season version of "musical chairs" brought some changes. At CBS, Dick Enberg officially retired (he now does San Diego Padres games for Fox Sports San Diego and its' predecessor, 4SD), and Marv Albert replaces him, coming over from Westwood One radio. Gus Johnson has also departed CBS and will begin calling play-by-play for Fox, mostly college games as well on FX. ESPN lost both of their sideline reporters from 2010: Michele Tafoya to NBC, where she replaced the departing Andrea Kremer, and Suzy Kolber reduced the number of games she covers to work on ESPN2's new NFL32 show, which she is hosting. 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.

On December 22, 2010, the league announced that its national radio contract with Westwood One, which was acquired by Dial Global in the 2011 offseason, had been extended through 2014.^[40] The league also extended its contract with Sirius XM Radio through 2015.^[41] 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.^[42]

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 2011–12 TV season in the event that Sunday Night Football could not be played, but other networks had not made public any contingency plans in the event NFL games could not be televised (in the case of CBS and Fox, the Sunday afternoon time slots could have been left unfilled and turned over to the affiliates, likely to be used for time buys by minor and extreme sports organizations, or locally-programmed infomercials or movies as they are during the offseason). A work stoppage could have potentially cost these networks billions of dollars in ad revenue and other entertainment platforms that depend on the games being played. (Under the NFL's television contracts, the networks must still pay the league a rights fee regardless of whether or not the league plays any games; a March 2 ruling states that this money must be put into escrow and not be spent.)^[43] Meanwhile, 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;^[44] 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.

Uniforms[link]

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.^[45]

The Buffalo Bills introduced redesigned uniforms on June 24, 2011. Early rumors fueled by a Madden NFL 12 trailer featuring a Bills throwback uniform had indicated the team would be adopting the uniforms the team wore between 1975 and 1983;^[46] the final product indeed resembled those uniforms, with some minor adjustments.^[47] The new uniforms (which marked the first redesign since 2002) were unveiled at a fan appreciation event at Ralph Wilson Stadium.^[48] The Bills wore their white "away" uniforms in their week nine home game against the New York Jets as part of a whiteout promotion; the last time the team had worn their white uniforms at home was in 1986.^[49]

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.^[50] The team wore their red throwback uniforms in their week five game against the New York Jets, and their white jerseys at home against the Dallas Cowboys in week six to force the Cowboys to be in their rarely worn road blue jerseys.^{[citation needed]}

The St. Louis Rams wore their throwback uniforms in week 8 against the New Orleans Saints; the date was determined by fan voting.^[51]

As per tradition, the Dallas Cowboys wore their throwbacks on Thanksgiving Day (November 24) at home against the Miami Dolphins. Also the Baltimore Ravens wore their black alternative jerseys for the night game against the San Francisco 49ers and also against the New York Jets earlier in the season.^{[citation needed]}

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wore their orange throwback uniforms during week 13 against Carolina.^[52]

The Oakland Raiders wore stickers featuring "AL" on their helmets after owner Al Davis died on October 8, 2011.^[53]

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.^[54] 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.^[55]

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.^[56]

End of the Reebok Era[link]

This was the last season that Reebok exclusively supplied uniforms and sideline caps along with performance and fan apparel for all 32 teams in the league, as Nike and New Era now have the 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.^[57]

Coaching changes[link]

Pre-season[link]

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.^[58] 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.

In-season[link]

The following head coaches were replaced in-season:

Records and milestones[link]

• 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)^[71]
• Most combined passing yards in a single game, broken twice:
  • 933, Tom Brady (New England, 517) and Chad Henne (Miami, 416) — September 12, 2011^[71]
  • 1,000, Matthew Stafford (Detroit, 520) and Matt Flynn (Green Bay, 480) — January 1, 2012
• Most yards thrown by a rookie quarterback in his first game: 422, Cam Newton (Carolina vs. Arizona)^[72]
• 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^[73]
  • 940 yards, Tom Brady (September 18, 2011), New England Patriots^[73]
• Most consecutive second-half drives to end in touchdowns: 5, Buffalo (vs. Oakland, September 18, 2011)^[74]
• Largest point margin prior to a successful comeback in consecutive games, modern era, broken twice:
  • 18, Buffalo (18 vs. Oakland, 21 vs. New England)^[75]
  • 20, Detroit (20 vs. Minnesota, 24 vs. Dallas)
• Most field goals of 50 or more yards, single game (tied twice):
  • 3, Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland (54, 55, and 50; vs. Houston, October 9, 2011)^[76]
  • 3, Josh Scobee, Jacksonville (54, 54, and 51; vs. Baltimore, October 24, 2011)
• Highest net punting average for a season: 43.99 yards, Andy Lee, San Francisco^[77]
• Longest game-winning punt return touchdown in overtime: 99 yards, Patrick Peterson, Arizona (vs. St. Louis, November 6, 2011)^[78]
• 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^[77]
• 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.^[79]
  • 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^[77]
• The 2011 Saints broke many offensive records on January 1, 2012:^[80]
  • 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:
  • 1310, (Jimmy Graham, New Orleans vs. Carolina)
  • 1327, (Rob Gronkowski, New England vs. Buffalo)
• 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 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 first: 23, New York Giants

Playoff records & milestones[link]

• 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: vs. 2010 Seattle; 2nd time: vs. 2011 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 an nfl game (nfl record): 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

Awards[link]

Players of the Week[link]

The following were the players of the week during the 2011 season:

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)

The National Football League has enjoyed success in selling out many of their venues from season ticket sales alone. Out of 32 teams in the league, 24 claim to have waiting lists from under 1,000 people to over 150,000. For some fans, this means a wait not just of years, but decades. This is due mostly to the NFL's short window of play; there are only eight regular-season home games, forcing the most devoted fans into a desperate and sometimes costly search for a limited number of events.^[1]

Since 1973, the waiting lists have also had the by-product of preventing any home games of certain teams from being blacked out on local television. Home games must be sold out within 72 hours of kickoff before a telecast is allowed, and the longest waiting lists have ensured every home game of the applicable teams being locally televised. Prior to 1973, home games could not be locally televised even if they were sold out. Four teams have had the benefit of not seeing any blackouts at all since 1972.

Personal Seat Licenses (PSLs)[link]

Personal Seat Licenses (PSLs) is a license which grants the holder the right to buy season tickets for a particular team. PSLs were first used in the NFL by the expansion Carolina Panthers in 1993 to help finance their new stadium. Since that time, several teams have used the mechanism to finance new stadium projects including the Chicago Bears remodel of Soldier Field and more recently the Dallas Cowboys. The New York Jets and the New York Giants used PSL programs to finance the construction of the New Meadowlands Stadium, now MetLife Stadium.^[2]

Criticism related to waiting lists[link]

In 2003, the New York Jets changed their waiting list policy to require a $50 annual maintenance fee to remain on the waiting list. However, due to the long list of names and high renewal rates among existing ticket holders, there was uncertainty about the fees a person may possibly have to pay if they remained on the list for many years. After attention from the media and the New York Attorney General's Office, the Jets agreed to cap the maintenance fees at $500, allow the transfer of the waiting list position if the person moved out of state and provide at least 80% of non-renewed season tickets to waiting list members. In 2008, the Jets sent notices to those on the waiting list that the $50 annual maintenance fee would be waived and any money already accrued would be either refunded or credited toward the purchase of Jets merchandise.

In 2004, the New England Patriots, who have a substantial season ticket waiting list, received media attention for not allowing the son of a deceased season ticket holder to retain his father's season tickets. The following year, the New England Patriots introduced the "Pass It On" transfer program, which allows season ticket holders to transfer season tickets to immediate family members for $2,000 to $5,000 per ticket, depending on the location of the seat.^[3]

The NFL requires that season ticket purchasers not only purchase the regular season games, but also typically two preseason games whether they want the exhibition games or not. The legality of requiring the purchase of the preseason games has been challenged all the way to the Supreme Court but it has not resulted in a change of policy for the NFL.^[4]

Lengthiest waiting lists[link]

Annual postcard sent out by the Green Bay Packers organization to those on the waiting list for season tickets

The Green Bay Packers have the most famous waiting list, with more than 90,000 names. Turnover is generally low; the Packers estimate that only 90 tickets turn over every year, a rate which would mean a name placed on the list today would be eligible for season tickets in 1000 years.^[5] It is a common custom in Green Bay and other Wisconsin cities to put a baby's name on the list as soon as the birth certificate is obtained.^[6][7][8] Transfer of standing to surviving relatives is permitted by the Packers.^[5]

The Washington Redskins were reported to have the most number of names on their waiting list at over 150,000. However, recent investigations question if a waiting list exists at all,^[9] which would seem to contradict the fact that FedExField has demolished 10,000 seats heading into the 2011 season. The New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Denver Broncos historically have also maintained long waiting lists for season tickets.^[1]

Waiting lists[link]

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} "Toughest NFL Waiting Lists - Forbes.com". Forbes. 2007-09-07. http://www.forbes.com/2007/09/07/nfl-football-tickets-forbeslife-cx_ls_0907tickets.html. 
2. ^ Mascarenhas, Rohan (2010-08-17). "New Meadowlands Stadium opens to Giants, Jets fans in East Rutherford". The Star-Ledger (Newark). http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/08/new_meadowlands_stadium_opens.html. Retrieved 2011-08-23. 
3. ^ Mohl, Bruce (2005-02-25). "Season ticket transfer fees irk fans". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2005/02/25/season_ticket_transfer_fees_irk_fans/. 
4. ^ Angelo F. Coniglio v. Highwood Services, Inc., 495 F.2d 1286 (2d Cir. 1974-04-17).
5. ^ ^{a b} Gary D’Amato (19 January 2011). "Packers season tickets worth the wait - 1000 years for some on the list". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/114877119.html. Retrieved 24 February 2011. 
6. ^ Packers.com - Fan Zone - Faq - Tickets
7. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Waitlist_Postcard.jpg
8. ^ "SI.com - Be the 74,659th In Line! - Oct 9, 2007". CNN. 2007-10-09. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/rick_reilly/10/09/reilly1015/index.html. Retrieved 2010-05-20. 
9. ^ [1]
10. ^ The Baltimore Ravens' waiting list is capped at 3,000.
11. ^ http://cheeseheadtv.com/blog/green-bay-packers-daily-links-season-ticket-waiting-list-expands-to-96000
12. ^ http://www.seasonticketwaitinglist.com/2010/03/indianapolis-colts-season-tickets.html
13. ^ http://www.seasonticketwaitinglist.com/2010/03/new-england-patriots-season-tickets.html
14. ^ "#21 New Orleans Saints". Forbes. 2010-08-25. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/30/football-valuations-10_New-Orleans-Saints_309939.html. 
15. ^ http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2007/06/01/want-eagles-season-tickets-wait-4-000-years/
16. ^ http://www.seasonticketwaitinglist.com/2009/05/pittsburgh-steelers-season-tickets.html
17. ^ O'Neil, Danny (2010-03-03). "Seahawks raise prices slightly for season-ticket renewals". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2011244325_hawktickets04.html. 
18. ^ http://www.seasonticketwaitinglist.com/2010/03/seattle-seahawks-season-tickets.html

13 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/01/AR2009090103984_pf.html

This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; suggestions may be available. (July 2011)

This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (May 2011)

Kavita Channe
Kavita Channe
Born	Kavita Channe London, England
Education	University of Florida
Occupation	Broadcaster, Correspondent
Website
http://kavitachanne.com

Kavita Channe is an American Television and Radio Personality, best known for appearing on Paradise Hotel.^[1]

Early life[link]

Channe was born in London, England then moved to Coral Springs, Florida at the age of 5. In 2002 Channe graduated from the University of Florida and received a Bachelors of Science in Journalism & Telecommunications with a specialty in Business. In 2006, Channe co-founded a celebrity-concierge and marketing firm, The Procurer.^[2]

Career[link]

Channe is currently a co-host and sports correspondent for Mantalk Radio^[3] as well as The Miami Heat Podcast which is available on iTunes. Channe recently created her own show titled, 1stDown&Dirty,^[4] where she produces, writes, and directs, parodies and interviews with popular athletes including LeBron James^[5] and Dexter Pittman^[6] of the Miami Heat. In 2011 Channe became a team correspondent for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers ^[7] and was also named the #2 "Sexiest Sports Moments of 2011".^[8]

In addition to interviewing athletes, Channe has also interviewed celebrities including Sofia Vergara, Paris and Nicky Hilton, Kendra Wilkinson, Joe Francis, Solange Knowles, Megan Goode, Tila Tequila and LMFAO.^[9][10] Channe was featured in Broke: the New American Dream a film by Michael Covel^[11] and has been a featured correspondent on Designing Spaces installments including Kid Spaces^[12] and Beauty Spaces,^[13] which air on TLC and WE network. In 2004 Channe also auditioned for The View the role ultimately went to Elizabeth Hasselback. Channe was nominated for Leukemia & Lymphoma’s Woman of the Year 2010 and raised over $12,000.^[14]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Marv Albert (born Marvin Philip Aufrichtig; June 12, 1941) is an American sportscaster. Honored for his work as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he is commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball." From 1967–2004, he was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks."

Including Super Bowl XLII, Marv has called the play-by-play of six Super Bowls, NBA Finals and seven Stanley Cup Finals. He has also called the Wimbledon Tennis Championships for TNT with Jim Courier and Mary Carillo. He also worked as a co-host and reporter for two World Series (1986 and 1988).

Albert currently works for TNT and CBS. He is TNT's lead NBA voice, calls NFL games for CBS, and also calls NCAA tournament action for CBS and Turner Sports.

Early life[link]

Albert was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, where he went to Abraham Lincoln High School.^[1] While growing up, members of Albert's family owned a grocery store on Brighton Beach Avenue between 3rd and 4th streets known as Aufrichtig's. He then attended Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications from 1960 through 1963. He then graduated from New York University in 1965.^[2]

Broadcasting career[link]

National Basketball Association[link]

New York Knicks (MSG)[link]

For 37 years beginning in 1967, Albert was the voice of the New York Knicks on radio and television (getting his start by being a ball boy for the Knicks before getting his first break on New York radio by sportscaster Marty Glickman) before being let go by the chairman of the MSG Network and Cablevision after Albert criticized the Knicks' poor play on-air in 2004. His son Kenny Albert also began to work as a part-time play-by-play announcer for the Knicks since 2009, whenever the older Albert's successor Mike Breen (whom he later followed on the NBA on NBC broadcasts and now works on ESPN and ABC aside from his role at MSG) is unavailable.

For a brief period before he resumed his normal broadcasting duties following his sexual assault arrest (see below), Albert anchored MSG's former nightly sports news report, MSG SportsDesk.

NBC Sports[link]

Marv Albert was the lead play-by-play broadcaster for the NBA on NBC for most of its run from 1990-2002, calling every NBA Finals during that timeframe except for 1998, 1999 and 2000. During this time, Bob Costas had taken over the lead job and called the Finals after Marv's arrest for sexual assault had brought him national disgrace. Marv resumed his previous position for the 2000-2001 season and called Game 4 of the 2002 NBA Finals which was the final NBA telecast on NBC. During his time on NBC, Albert continued as lead play-by-play man for the New York Knicks on local MSG Network telecasts and began calling national games for TNT in 1999 as well. When he regained the lead broadcaster position on NBC, he continued to call play-by-play for both networks until the end of NBC's coverage in 2002.

TNT[link]

Albert continues to be the lead play-by-play announcer for National Basketball Association games on TNT, a position he assumed in 1999. Indeed, TNT has become his primary commitment ever since his longtime employer NBC lost the NBA broadcasting rights in 2002, and may have played a role in his departure from the Knicks' broadcast booth^{[citation needed]}. The Knicks reportedly wanted Albert to accept a salary commensurate with his reduced Knicks schedule, but also weren't happy about Albert making what Knicks management felt were overly critical comments about their team in spite of their losing record. In basketball, his most famous call is his simple "Yes!" for a basket, rendered in many variations of volume and length depending on the situation; and a catchphrase that he began using in his youth when playing pickup games with friends.

On April 17, 2002, shortly after calling a game between the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers on TNT, both Albert and color analyst Mike Fratello were injured in a limo accident in Trenton, New Jersey. Albert sustained facial lacerations, a concussion, and a sprained ankle. The 2002 NBA Playoffs were scheduled to begin two days later, with Albert scheduled to call multiple games that week. Bob Costas filled in those games, and Albert returned to call Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings.

New Jersey Nets (YES)[link]

In 2005, Albert officially became the lead play-by-play man for the New Jersey Nets franchise and started calling their games in the 2005–2006 basketball season on the YES Network, often teaming with Brooklyn native and NBA veteran, Mark Jackson. Beginning with the 2008–09 season, Albert was also paired with his TNT broadcast colleague Mike Fratello on the YES Network. However with the Nets' struggles in the 2009–10 season, the Nets management relegated Albert to secondary play-by-play, to avoid a similar incident while Albert was with the Knicks. Since then Ian Eagle has taken over the broadcasts. In the 2011-12 season Albert decided to leave the YES Network upon joining CBS Sports for both NFL and NCAA March Madness coverage.

Other basketball related duties[link]

He will reportedly call about 50 games a season, with his focus remaining on duties for Westwood One and TNT. He also hosts a basketball-focused interview show on NBA TV, which also airs later on YES.

Since 2003, Albert has also been providing the play-by-play voice on the NBA Live video-game series on EA Sports, a role he fulfilled until NBA Live 10.

In 2011, Albert was named an announcer for the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, the result of longtime tournament broadcaster CBS handing off some of its coverage to Turner Sports.

Outside of basketball[link]

New York Giants[link]

From 1973 to 1976 Albert called radio broadcasts of New York Giants football games, succeeding Marty Glickman after the latter's defection to the New York Jets.

New York Rangers[link]

In addition to the Knicks, Albert had a lengthy tenure (beginning in 1965) calling the games of another Madison Square Garden tenant, the New York Rangers. He handled the radio call of the Rangers' Stanley Cup–clinching victory in 1994.

He also famously coined the phrase "Red Light" for radio analyst Sal Messina, a former Rangers goaltender. His signature play-by-play phrase was "kick save and a beauty."

Over his years as the Rangers broadcaster, Albert would miss a large number of games for other commitments. Many other broadcasters filled in, including several who would serve long stints for other NHL teams, including Howie Rose, Mike Emrick and John Kelly, as well as brothers Al and Steve. It was Albert's absence from Game 7 of the Rangers–Devils Conference Championship game that led to Rose's famed Matteau, Matteau, Matteau call.

Albert left the Rangers after the 1994–95 season at the same time Rose took the job as play-by-play announcer of the New York Islanders. Albert's son, Kenny, replaced him, and has been the radio voice of the Rangers ever since.

Non-NBA-related NBC and TNT duties[link]

Other NBC Sports duties that Albert held were play-by-play announcing for the NFL, college basketball, horse racing, boxing, NHL All-Star Games, and Major League Baseball, as well as hosting baseball studio and pre-game shows. He also spent 13 years as the sports director of the network's flagship station, WNBC-TV in New York.

From 2000 to 2002, Albert helped call TNT's coverage of the Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament.

[edit] Monday Night Football

Albert was also the lead play-by-play voice of the Westwood One radio network's NFL coverage for several years, calling Monday Night Football as well as numerous playoff games and every Super Bowl beginning 2002. On June 4, 2010, it was announced that Albert would not be continuing his NFL on Westwood One duties beyond the 2009 season.^[3]

[edit] NFL on CBS

On June 6, 2011, it was announced that Albert was joining CBS Sports to call play-by-play for The NFL on CBS.^[4]

Popularity[link]

Marv has gained credibility and popularity among younger television viewers during his many guest appearances on David Letterman's late night talk shows for NBC and CBS. Each time Albert appears, he brings with him a group of clips featuring sports bloopers and outstanding plays, which he narrates and dubs the "Albert Achievement Awards." The music accompanying the bloopers is "12th Street Rag." Albert earlier did a similar segment for the Today Show, introduced by Don Pardo and called "Spanning the Globe".

Albert was placed as number 14 on David J. Halberstam's list of Top 50 All Time Network Television Sports Announcers on Yahoo! Sports.

In 1992, he appeared as himself on Roger Waters's rock album Amused to Death, giving a mock commentary on the destruction of an oil rig on the song "Perfect Sense, Part II".

An "Albert Achievement Awards" video was released in 1993. It featured cameos by Charles Barkley, David Letterman, O. J. Simpson, Bob Costas, and Tom Brokaw.

Albert also appeared as a special guest on The Simpsons' Season 20 episode The Burns and the Bees in 2008.

Honors and awards[link]

• Cable ACE Award – six times.^[5]
• Curt Gowdy Media Award – awarded by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, 1994.^[6]
• American Sportscasters Association Sportscaster of the Year (Play-by-Play) – 1996. Other honorees included Sportscaster of the Year (Studio Host) Chris Berman, Hall of Fame inductee Jack Whitaker, Sports Legend Joe Frazier and Honorary Sportscaster Dr. Henry Kissinger.^[7]
• Emmy Award – for national sports: five times; for New York: three times.^[5]
• Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame – inducted in 2006.^[8]
• National Jewish Museum Sports Hall of Fame – inducted in 1992.^[9]
• New York State Sportscaster of the Year – twenty times.^[5][9]

Family[link]

As previously mentioned, Albert's son, Kenny, is also a sports commentator, as he calls baseball and football for Fox, New York Rangers games on the radio, and has been one of NBC's commentators for ice hockey at the Winter Olympics, as well as NBC's NHL coverage. His daughter, Denise, is a reporter for NBA TV.

Marv has two younger brothers who also are announcers. Steve Albert is the former play-by-play announcer for several teams, including the New Orleans Hornets, New Jersey Nets, New York Islanders, New York Mets, and Golden St. Warriors. Steve is best known for his work on Showtime Championship Boxing, notably the Holyfield-Tyson bouts. Al Albert was the former play-by-play announcer for USA Tuesday Night Fights, the Indiana Pacers and the Denver Nuggets.

Sexual assault charges[link]

Albert became the focus of a media frenzy in 1997, Albert went on trial for felony charges of forcible sodomy.^[10] A 42-year-old woman named Vanessa Perhach^[11] accused Albert of throwing her on a bed, biting her, and forcing her to perform oral sex after a February 12, 1997 argument in his Pentagon City hotel room. DNA testing linked Albert to genetic material taken from the bite marks and from semen in Perhach's underwear.^[12] During the trial, testimony was presented from another woman, Patricia Masden, who told the jury that Albert had bitten her on two different occasions in 1993 and 1994 in Miami and Dallas hotels, which she viewed as unwanted sexual advances.^[13] Masden claimed that in Dallas, Albert called her to his hotel room to help him send a fax, only for her to find him wearing "white panties and garter belt", where he then asked her to "serve him up a facial".^[14] Albert maintained that Perhach had requested that he bite her, and that she only pressed charges as revenge for his asking her to bring another man into their sexual affair. He described the recorded conversation of hers with the police on the night of the incident "an Academy Award performance".^[11] After tests proved that the bite marks were his, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery charges, while the sodomy charge was dropped.^[10][15] Albert was given a 12-month suspended sentence,^[16] and that charge was dropped after a year.^[17]

Ousted from NBC[link]

Consequently, NBC – for whom Albert worked for over 20 years – fired him shortly before the 1997-98 NBA season began on The NBA on NBC. Bob Costas took over for Albert on the basketball side in the 1997–98 season before stepping down after the 2000 NBA Finals for Albert's return. In addition, Tom Hammond spelled his football duties. It is also revealed on a Simpsons DVD commentary that he was to appear in the episode "Bart Star" but, due to the scandal, was replaced by Roy Firestone.

Return to NBC[link]

NBC brought Albert back less than two years later, and he was the network's main play-by-play man for the 2000–01 and 2001–02 NBA seasons, including the finals. NBC lost the rights to the NBA to ABC following the 2001–02 season.

References[link]