2006 NFL season

This article is about the American football season in the United States. For the Gaelic football season in Ireland, see 2006 National Football League (Ireland).

2006 National Football League season

Regular season
Duration	September 7 – December 31, 2006
Playoffs
Start date	January 6, 2007
AFC Champions	Indianapolis Colts
NFC Champions	Chicago Bears
Super Bowl XLI
Date	February 4, 2007
Site	Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Champions	Indianapolis Colts
Pro Bowl
Date	February 10, 2007 (2007-02-10)
Site	Aloha Stadium
← 2005 NFL seasons 2007 →

The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League. Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006.

The season began with the reigning Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Miami Dolphins 28-17 in the NFL Kickoff Game.

The NFL title was eventually won by the Indianapolis Colts, when they defeated the Chicago Bears 29–17 in Super Bowl XLI at Dolphin Stadium at Miami Gardens, Florida on February 4, 2007.

New NFL commissioner

On March 20, 2006, Paul Tagliabue announced his plans to retire as NFL commissioner. During an NFL meeting in Northbrook, Illinois, on August 8, league team owners selected Roger Goodell, the NFL's then-current chief operating officer, as the new commissioner. Tagliabue continued to serve as commissioner until Goodell officially replaced him on Friday September 1.

Tagliabue became NFL commissioner on October 26, 1989. During his tenure, the league added four new teams; saw four franchises move (including two franchises—the Rams and Raiders—from Los Angeles, the second-largest television market in the U.S.); the construction of seventeen new stadiums; began its own in-house television specialty cable network, the NFL Network; greatly increased television rights fees with its broadcasters, including the addition of the Fox network and its NFL programming; and maintained labor peace with the players' union.

Draft

The 2006 NFL Draft was held from April 29 to 30, 2006 at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. With the first pick, the Houston Texans selected defensive end Mario Williams from North Carolina State University.

New referees

Bernie Kukar and Tom White retired. Jerome Boger and Gene Steratore were promoted to referee.

Major rule changes

The Seattle Seahawks host the Green Bay Packers in snow at Qwest Field, November 26, 2006

• End zone celebrations became more restricted. Players cannot celebrate by using any type of prop, or do any act in which they are on the ground. Players may still spike, spin the ball, or (until 2014), dunk it over the goal posts. Dancing in the end zone is also permitted as long as it is not a prolonged or group celebration. The Lambeau Leap, though, is still legal. ^[1]
• Defenders were prohibited from hitting a passer in the knee or below unless they are blocked into him. This rule was enacted in response to the previous season's injuries to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Brian Griese.
• Down-by-contact calls could now be reviewed by instant replay to determine if a player fumbled the ball before he was down, and who recovered it. Previously, these plays could not be reversed once officials blew the whistle.
• The "horse-collar tackle" rule enacted during the previous 2005 season was expanded. Players are now prohibited from tackling a ball carrier from the rear by tugging inside his jersey. Previously, it was only illegal if the tackler's hand got inside the player's shoulder pads.
• To reduce injuries, defensive players cannot line up directly over the long snapper during field goal and extra point attempts.

Officials' uniform makeover

The 2006 season marked the debut of new officiating uniforms which are supposed to be more comfortable for officials to wear in extreme weather over the old polyester uniforms. The uniforms were designed by Reebok using a proprietary material technology to keep officials both warm and dry during the winter months of the season. On the shirt, the position and number are removed from the front pocket and the lettering and numbers on the back side were black-on-white and are smaller print and the sleeve shows the uniform number. Officials also wore full-length black pants with white stripe during the winter months to stay warm, which was criticized by media. This was the first major design overhaul since 1979, when the position name was added to the shirt, but later abbreviated in 1982.

Return of "The Duke" football

A Philadelphia fumble is recovered by Washington's Ade Jimoh, week 14

For the first time since Super Bowl IV at the conclusion of the 1969 season, the official NFL game ball was known as "The Duke" in honor of Wellington Mara, whose family owns the New York Giants. Son John is the current CEO of the team. The NFL first used "The Duke" ball in honor of owner Tim Mara (Wellington's father) made a deal with Wilson Sporting Goods to become the league's official supplier of game balls, a relationship that continued into its sixty-fifth year in 2006. ^[2]

"The Duke" ball was discontinued after the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, and the merged league began using a different standardized ball made by Wilson. The only other time that "The Duke" ball name was used was during the two "Thanksgiving Classic" games in 2004.

One side of the new 2006 "Duke" football featured the NFL shield logo in gold, the words "The Duke", and the NFL commissioner's signature. The obverse side has a small NFL logo above the needle bladder hole, the conference names between the hole, and the words "National Football League" in gold. As per the custom, specially branded balls were used for the first week of the 2006 season (the "Opening Kickoff") as well as for the Thanksgiving Day, conference championships, Super Bowl XLI and Pro Bowl games.

2006 deaths

Death of Lamar Hunt

Lamar Hunt died in Dallas, Texas on December 13 from complications from prostate cancer at the age of 74. He is credited with challenging the NFL with the formation of the American Football League, which led to the subsequent merger of the two leagues.

Death of two Broncos

At 3 a.m. on January 1, 2007, Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed in Denver, within hours after the last regular season game against the San Francisco 49ers. Less than two months after, on February 24, 2007, Broncos running back Damien Nash collapsed and died after a charity basketball game at a high school. Both players died at the age of 24.

Flexible scheduling added to regular season

Further information: NFL_on_television § Flexible-scheduling

This was the first season that the NFL used a "flexible-scheduling" for the last few weeks of the season, allowing the league flexibility in selecting games to air on Sunday night, in order to feature the current hottest, streaking teams. This was implemented to prevent games featuring losing teams from airing during primetime late in the season, while at the same time allowing NBC to rake in more money off of the higher ratings from surprise, playoff-potential teams that more fans would enjoy watching.

Under the flexible-scheduling system, all Sunday games in the affected weeks tentatively had the start times of 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, except those played in the Pacific or Mountain time zones, which will have a tentative start time of 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT (or 4:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. PT if it is a doubleheader weekend). On the Tuesday 12 days before the games, the league moved one game to the primetime slot, and possibly one or more 1 p.m. slotted games to the 4 p.m. slots. During the last week of the season, the league could reschedule games as late as six days before the contests so that all of the television networks will be able to broadcast a game that has playoff implications.

Final regular season standings

AFC East view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (4) New England Patriots 12 4 0 .750 4–2 8–4 385 237 W3 (5) New York Jets 10 6 0 .625 4–2 7–5 316 295 W3 Buffalo Bills 7 9 0 .438 3–3 5–7 300 311 L2 Miami Dolphins 6 10 0 .375 1–5 3–9 260 283 L3 AFC North view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (2) Baltimore Ravens 13 3 0 .813 5–1 10–2 353 201 W4 Cincinnati Bengals 8 8 0 .500 4–2 6–6 373 331 L3 Pittsburgh Steelers 8 8 0 .500 3–3 5–7 353 315 W1 Cleveland Browns 4 12 0 .250 0–6 3–9 238 356 L4 AFC South view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (3) Indianapolis Colts 12 4 0 .750 3–3 9–3 427 360 W1 Tennessee Titans 8 8 0 .500 4–2 5–7 324 400 L1 Jacksonville Jaguars 8 8 0 .500 2–4 5–7 371 274 L3 Houston Texans 6 10 0 .375 3–3 6–6 267 366 W2 AFC West view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (1) San Diego Chargers 14 2 0 .875 5–1 10–2 492 303 W10 (6) Kansas City Chiefs 9 7 0 .563 4–2 5–7 331 315 W2 Denver Broncos 9 7 0 .563 3–3 8–4 319 305 L1 Oakland Raiders 2 14 0 .125 0–6 1–11 168 332 L9

NFC East view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (3) Philadelphia Eagles 10 6 0 .625 5–1 9–3 398 328 W5 (5) Dallas Cowboys 9 7 0 .563 2–4 6–6 425 350 L2 (6) New York Giants 8 8 0 .500 4–2 7–5 355 362 W1 Washington Redskins 5 11 0 .313 1–5 3–9 307 376 L2 NFC North view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (1) Chicago Bears 13 3 0 .812 5–1 11–1 427 255 L1 Green Bay Packers 8 8 0 .500 5–1 7–5 301 366 W4 Minnesota Vikings 6 10 0 .375 2–4 6–6 282 387 L3 Detroit Lions 3 13 0 .188 0–6 2–10 305 398 W1 NFC South view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (2) New Orleans Saints 10 6 0 .625 4–2 9–3 413 322 L1 Carolina Panthers 8 8 0 .500 5–1 6–6 270 305 W2 Atlanta Falcons 7 9 0 .438 3–3 5–7 292 328 L3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 12 0 .250 0–6 2–10 211 353 L1 NFC West view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (4) Seattle Seahawks 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 335 341 W1 St. Louis Rams 8 8 0 .500 2–4 6–6 367 381 W3 San Francisco 49ers 7 9 0 .438 3–3 5–7 298 412 W1 Arizona Cardinals 5 11 0 .313 4–2 5–7 314 389 L1

Tiebreakers

Source:2007 NFL Record and Fact Book ( ISBN   978-1-933821-85-6)

• Cincinnati finished ahead of Pittsburgh in the AFC North based on division record (4–2 to 3–3).
• Tennessee finished ahead of Jacksonville in the AFC South based on division record (4–2 to 2–4).
• Kansas City finished ahead of Denver in the AFC West based on division record (4–2 to 3–3).
• Indianapolis clinched the AFC #3 seed based on their head-to-head victory over New England (Week 9).
• New Orleans clinched the NFC #2 seed based on their head-to-head victory over Philadelphia (Week 6).
• N.Y. Giants clinched the NFC #6 seed based on better strength of victory than Green Bay (.422 to .383), while Carolina and St. Louis both were eliminated from playoff contention because the N.Y. Giants and Green Bay had better conference records (7–5 to 6–6).

Playoffs

Further information: 2006–07 NFL playoffs

Within each conference, the four division winners and the two wild card teams (the top two non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5 and 6. The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round. In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the third-seeded division winner hosts the sixth seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference then receive a bye in the first round. In the second round, the divisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosts the worst surviving seed from the first round (seed 4, 5, or 6), while the number 2 seed will play the other team (seed 3, 4, or 5). The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl, the fourth and final round of the playoffs, is played at a neutral site, the designated home team is based on an annual rotation by conference.

Playoff seeds
Seed	AFC	NFC
1	San Diego Chargers (West winner)	Chicago Bears (North winner)
2	Baltimore Ravens (North winner)	New Orleans Saints (South winner)
3	Indianapolis Colts (South winner)	Philadelphia Eagles (East winner)
4	New England Patriots (East winner)	Seattle Seahawks (West winner)
5	New York Jets (wild card)	Dallas Cowboys (wild card)
6	Kansas City Chiefs (wild card)	New York Giants (wild card)

Bracket

	Jan. 7 – Gillette Stadium					Jan. 14 – Qualcomm Stadium
	5	NY Jets	16
						4	New England	24
	4	New England	37								Jan. 21 – RCA Dome
						1	San Diego	21
						AFC
	Jan. 6 – RCA Dome										4	New England	34
						Jan. 13 – M&T Bank Stadium
											3	Indianapolis	38
	6	Kansas City	8								AFC Championship
						3	Indianapolis	15
	3	Indianapolis	23													Feb. 4 – Dolphin Stadium
						2	Baltimore	6
	Wild Card playoffs
						Divisional playoffs
	Jan. 7 – Lincoln Financial Field															A3	Indianapolis	29
						Jan. 13 – Louisiana Superdome
																N1	Chicago	17
	6	NY Giants	20													Super Bowl XLI
						3	Philadelphia	24
	3	Philadelphia	23								Jan. 21 – Soldier Field
						2	New Orleans	27
						NFC
	Jan. 6 – Qwest Field										2	New Orleans	14
						Jan. 14 – Soldier Field
											1	Chicago	39
	5	Dallas	20								NFC Championship
						4	Seattle	24
	4	Seattle	21
						1	Chicago	27*

* Indicates overtime victory

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Pro Bowl

• 2007 Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii : AFC 31, NFC 28

Milestones

The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the regular season:

Record	Player/Team	Date/Opponent	Previous Record Holder [3]
Most Points, Career	Morten Andersen, Atlanta	December 16 vs. Dallas	Gary Anderson, 1982–2004 (2,434)
Most Field Goals, Career	Morten Andersen, Atlanta	December 24 vs. Carolina	Gary Anderson, 1982–2004 (538)
Most Passes Completed, Career	Brett Favre, Green Bay	December 17 vs. Detroit	Dan Marino, 1983–1999 (4,967)
Most Touchdowns, Season	LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego (31)	December 10 vs. Denver	Shaun Alexander, Seattle, 2005 (28)
Most Rushing Touchdowns, Season	LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego (28)	December 10 vs. Denver	Shaun Alexander, 2005 Priest Holmes, 2003 (27)
Most Points, Season	LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego (186)	December 17 vs. Kansas City	Paul Hornung, 1960 (176)
Most Rushing Attempts, Season	Larry Johnson, Kansas City (416)	December 31 vs. Jacksonville	Jamal Anderson, Atlanta, 1998 (410)
Most Kick Returns for a Touchdown, Season	Devin Hester, Chicago (5; 3 punts and 2 kickoffs)	December 11 at St. Louis	Tied by 9 players (4)

Regular season statistical leaders

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najeh Davenport against the Baltimore Ravens in week 12 of the 2006 season

Team

Points scored	San Diego Chargers (492)
Total yards gained	New Orleans Saints (6,264)
Yards rushing	Atlanta Falcons (2,939)
Yards passing	New Orleans Saints (4,503)
Fewest points allowed	Baltimore Ravens (201)
Fewest total yards allowed	Baltimore Ravens (4,225)
Fewest rushing yards allowed	Minnesota Vikings (985)
Fewest passing yards allowed	Oakland Raiders (2,413)

Individual

Scoring	LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego (186 points)
Touchdowns	LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego (31 TDs)
Most field goals made	Robbie Gould, Chicago and Jeff Wilkins, St. Louis (32 FGs)
Rushing	LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego (1,815 yards)
Passer rating	Peyton Manning, Indianapolis (101.0 rating)
Passing touchdowns	Peyton Manning, Indianapolis (31 TDs)
Passing yards	Drew Brees, New Orleans (4,418 yards)
Pass receptions	Andre Johnson, Houston (103 catches)
Pass receiving yards	Chad Johnson, Cincinnati (1,369 yards)
Punt returns	Adam "Pacman" Jones, Tennessee (12.9 average yards)
Kickoff returns	Justin Miller, New York Jets (28.3 average yards)
Interceptions	Asante Samuel, New England and Champ Bailey, Denver (10)
Punting	Mat McBriar, Dallas (48.2 average yards)
Sacks	Shawne Merriman, San Diego (17)

Awards

Most Valuable Player	LaDainian Tomlinson, Running Back, San Diego Chargers
Coach of the Year	Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
Offensive Player of the Year	LaDainian Tomlinson, Running Back, San Diego Chargers
Defensive Player of the Year	Jason Taylor, Defensive End, Miami Dolphins
Offensive Rookie of the Year	Vince Young, Quarterback, Tennessee Titans
Defensive Rookie of the Year	DeMeco Ryans, Linebacker, Houston Texans
NFL Comeback Player of the Year	Chad Pennington, Quarterback, New York Jets
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year	LaDainian Tomlinson, Running Back, San Diego Chargers and	Drew Brees, Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
Super Bowl Most Valuable Player	Peyton Manning, Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts

---

All-Pro Team

Offense
Quarterback	Drew Brees, New Orleans
Running back	LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Larry Johnson, Kansas City
Fullback	Lorenzo Neal, San Diego
Wide receiver	Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis Chad Johnson, Cincinnati
Tight end	Antonio Gates, San Diego
Offensive tackle	Willie Anderson, Cincinnati Jammal Brown, New Orleans
Offensive guard	Alan Faneca, Pittsburgh Shawn Andrews, Philadelphia
Center	Olin Kreutz, Chicago

Defense
Defensive end	Jason Taylor, Miami Julius Peppers, Carolina
Defensive tackle	Jamal Williams, San Diego Kevin Williams, Minnesota
Outside linebacker	Shawne Merriman, San Diego Adalius Thomas, Baltimore
Inside linebacker	Brian Urlacher, Chicago Zach Thomas, Miami
Cornerback	Champ Bailey, Denver Rashean Mathis, Jacksonville
Safety	Brian Dawkins, Philadelphia Ed Reed, Baltimore

Special teams
Kicker	Robbie Gould, Chicago
Punter	Brian Moorman, Buffalo
Kick returner	Devin Hester, Chicago

Team Superlatives

Offense

• Most points scored: San Diego, 492
• Fewest points scored: Oakland, 168
• Most total offensive yards: New Orleans, 6,264
• Fewest total offensive yards: Oakland, 3,939
• Most total passing yards: New Orleans, 4,503
• Fewest total passing yards: Atlanta, 2,371
• Most rushing yards: Atlanta, 2,939
• Fewest rushing yards: Detroit, 1,129

^[4]

Defense

• Fewest points allowed: Baltimore, 201
• Most points allowed: San Francisco, 412
• Fewest total yards allowed: Baltimore, 4,225
• Most total yards allowed: Tennessee, 5,915
• Fewest passing yards allowed: Oakland, 2,413
• Most passing yards allowed: Cincinnati / Minnesota (tie), 3,818
• Fewest rushing yards allowed: Minnesota, 985
• Most rushing yards allowed: Indianapolis, 2,768

^[5]

Coaching changes

• Buffalo Bills – Dick Jauron; replaced Mike Mularkey, who resigned after the 2005 season
• Detroit Lions – Rod Marinelli; replaced interim head coach Dick Jauron who replaced Steve Mariucci who was fired following Thanksgiving Day during the 2005 season.
• Green Bay Packers – Mike McCarthy; replaced Mike Sherman
• Houston Texans – Gary Kubiak; replaced Dom Capers
• Kansas City Chiefs – Herman Edwards; replaced Dick Vermeil who retired following the 2005 season
• Minnesota Vikings – Brad Childress; replaced Mike Tice
• New Orleans Saints – Sean Payton; replaced Jim Haslett
• New York Jets – Eric Mangini; replaced Herman Edwards
• Oakland Raiders – Art Shell; replaced Norv Turner
• St. Louis Rams – Scott Linehan; replaced interim head coach Joe Vitt who replaced Mike Martz who was not allowed to coach due to health problems during the 2005 season.

Stadium changes

• Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals moved from Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, with the University of Phoenix acquiring the naming rights
• Miami Dolphins: Dolphins Stadium was renamed to the singular Dolphin Stadium
• The New Orleans Saints returned to their home at the Louisiana Superdome in Week Three. Due to damage by Hurricane Katrina, the Saints' first 2005 home game against the New York Giants was moved to Giants Stadium. The Saints then played their remaining 2005 home schedule at Baton Rouge’s Tiger Stadium for four games and at San Antonio's Alamodome for three games.
• Tennessee Titans: The Coliseum was renamed LP Field after the manufacturing company Louisiana-Pacific (LP) acquired the naming rights

Uniform changes

• The Minnesota Vikings added trim lines to the outside shoulders and sleeves, and the jersey sides and pants. The horn on the helmet was also modified to be slightly more defined. Purple pants were also worn at selected games.
• The New Orleans Saints began wearing black pants at selected games.

Broadcasting and ticket sales

Sellouts

Through week 11 of the season, all NFL games had been sold out, and for the 24th time, all blackout restrictions had been lifted. ^[6] The streak was ended by the Jacksonville at Buffalo game in Week 12. ^[7]

Television

CBS's The NFL Today, Super Bowl XLI

This was the first season that NBC held the rights to televise Sunday Night Football , becoming the beneficiaries by negotiating the new flexible-scheduling system (it also marked the network's return to carrying NFL games since the end of the 1997 season). ^[8] ESPN became the new home of Monday Night Football , replacing sister network ABC, who chose to opt out of broadcasting league games. ^[8] Meanwhile, CBS and Fox renewed their television contracts to the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference packages, respectively. ^[9]

Game highlights on iTunes

Starting September 18, fans were able to download highlights of their teams' games through Apple's iTunes Store. Each video costs US$1.99 each but fans have the chance of buying a "Follow Your Team season ticket" which brings every game of that team to the fan for $24.99. ^[10]

Also available will be NFL GameDay, the NFL Network's comprehensive Sunday night review which features post-game reactions and game analysis, all for $1.99 a show or $19.99 for the full season.

External links

• Football Outsiders 2006 DVOA Rankings

References

1. Expert: Simple celebration rule – stay on your feet – NFL – MSNBC.com
2. "Michael Eisen – Story – 3.27 "The Duke" is Back – Giants.com". Archived from the original on October 21, 2006. Retrieved April 1, 2006.
3. "NFL.com – NFL Record and Fact Book". Archived from the original on December 27, 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2007.
4. Pro-Football-Reference.com: 2006 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics
5. Pro-Football-Reference.com: 2006 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics
6. "All games sold out for 11th consecutive week". Archived from the original on November 25, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-17.
7. "In depth: Frustration in Buffalo shows how NFL's television policies irking fan base". USA Today. November 26, 2006. Retrieved November 27, 2006.
8. "NFL announces new prime-time TV packages". NFL.com . Archived from the original on November 30, 2005. Retrieved December 13, 2005.
9. "NFL to remain on broadcast TV". NFL.com . Archived from the original on December 4, 2005. Retrieved December 13, 2005.
10. "NFL and Apple offer highlights on iTunes". NFL. September 12, 2006. Archived from the original on October 14, 2006. Retrieved September 13, 2006.

• 2006 NFL Schedule (Last accessed April 6, 2006)
• NFL curtails end-zone celebrations from NFL.com, March 29, 2006 (Last accessed March 29, 2006)
• Process of game-time decisions will eliminate TV duds, create chaos by Michael Hiestand, USA Today, April 5, 2006 (Last accessed November 6, 2006)