Best NFL Player ESPY Award
Winners
Table:
Year

Player

Team represented

Position played

1993

Emmitt Smith

Dallas Cowboys

Running back

1994

Emmitt Smith†*

Dallas Cowboys

Running back

1995

Barry Sanders

Detroit Lions

Running back

1996

Brett Favre*

Green Bay Packers

Quarterback

1997

Brett Favre*

Green Bay Packers

Quarterback

1998

Barry Sanders

Detroit Lions

Running back

1999

Terrell Davis*

Denver Broncos

Running back

2000

Kurt Warner†*

St. Louis Rams

Quarterback

2001

Marshall Faulk*

St. Louis Rams

Running back

2002

Marshall Faulk

St. Louis Rams

Running back

2003

Michael Vick

Atlanta Falcons

Quarterback

2004

Peyton Manning*

Indianapolis Colts

Quarterback

2005

Peyton Manning*

Indianapolis Colts

Quarterback

2006

Shaun Alexander*

Seattle Seahawks

Running back

2007

LaDainian Tomlinson*

San Diego Chargers

Running back

2008

Tom Brady*

New England Patriots

Quarterback

2009

Larry Fitzgerald

Arizona Cardinals

Wide receiver

2010

Drew Brees †[1]

New Orleans Saints

Quarterback

2011

Aaron Rodgers†[2]

Green Bay Packers

Quarterback

2012

Aaron Rodgers*

Green Bay Packers

Quarterback

Using the table and the passages listed below.

State the answer to the question: Which pick was the NFL player named best of 2006 by ESPY ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Base your answer solely on the given information.

The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Football League . Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew , the New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins game that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium was rescheduled to October 18 . Both teams originally had that weekend off . This marked the first time since the 1966 NFL season and the AFL seasons of 1966 and 1967 that there were byes in week 1 ; in those years , byes were necessary every week since there were an odd number of teams , which would happen again between 1999 and 2001 . The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dolphins also had their 2017 season opener postponed due to Hurricane Irma . The Atlanta Falcons played their first season in the new Georgia Dome , replacing Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium , playing there until 2016 . The season ended with Super Bowl XXVII when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills 52-17 at the Rose Bowl . This would be the third of the Bills four consecutive Super Bowl losses . Buffalo would join the Miami Dolphins of the early 1970s as the only team to reach three straight Super Bowls and not until the New England Patriots of the late 2010s would another team reach three in a row .
Emmitt James Smith III ( born May 15 , 1969 ) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for fifteen seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) during the 1990s and 2000s , primarily with the Dallas Cowboys . A three-time Super Bowl champion with the Cowboys , he is the league 's all-time leading rusher . Smith grew up in Pensacola , Florida and became the second-leading rusher in American high school football history while playing for Escambia High School . Smith played three years of college football for the Florida Gators , where he set numerous school rushing records . After being named a unanimous All-American in 1989 , Smith chose to forgo his senior year of eligibility and play professionally . The Cowboys selected Smith in the first round of the 1990 NFL draft . During his long professional career , he rushed for 18,355 yards , breaking the record formerly held by Walter Payton . He also holds the record for career rushing touchdowns with 164 . Smith is the only running back to ever win a Super Bowl championship , the NFL Most Valuable Player award , the NFL rushing crown , and the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award all in the same season ( 1993 ) . He is also one of four running backs to lead the NFL in rushing three or more consecutive seasons , joining Steve Van Buren , Jim Brown and Earl Campbell . Smith led the league in rushing and won the Super Bowl in the same year three times ( 1992 , 1993 , and 1995 ) when to that point it had never been done . Smith is also one of only two non-kickers in NFL history to score more than 1,000 career points ( the other being Jerry Rice ) .
The 1992 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise 's 33rd season in the National Football League and was the fourth year of the franchise under head coach Jimmy Johnson which the Cowboys made one of three Super Bowl appearances between 1992-95 . Headed by a powerful offense and the NFL 's number one ranked defense , Dallas fielded at the time , the youngest team in the NFL and posted a franchise-best 13-3 record throughout the regular season . In the playoffs , the Cowboys disposed of the Philadelphia Eagles , followed by a memorable victory against the San Francisco 49ers en route to a Super Bowl XXVII win over the Buffalo Bills .
A running back ( RB ) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football . The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball , and block . There are usually one or two running backs on the field for a given play , depending on the offensive formation . A running back may be a halfback ( in certain contexts also referred to as a tailback ) , a wingback or a fullback . A running back will sometimes be called a feature back if he is the team 's starting running back .
The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League . It was the only season in league history where all NFL teams were scheduled to play their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks ( the league again played 16 games over 18 weeks in 2001 , but this was not planned and instead was caused by the postponement of a week of games due to the September 11 , 2001 terrorist attacks ) . After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990 , the league hoped this new schedule would generate even more revenue . This was also done to avoid scheduling playoff games on January 1 and competing with college football bowl games . However , teams felt that having two weeks off during the regular season was too disruptive for their weekly routines , and thus it reverted to 17 weeks immediately after the season ended . On March 1 , 1993 , the current free agent system was introduced to the league . When new TV contracts were signed in December 1993 , CBS lost their rights to broadcasting NFC games to the then seven-year old Fox Network ( which had just started up its own sports division ) , which took effect next season ; this ended a 37 year association with the NFL for CBS . The season ended with Super Bowl XXVIII when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills 30-13 for the second consecutive season at the Georgia Dome . This remains the only time both Super Bowl participants have been the same in successive seasons . The Cowboys became the first team to win a Super Bowl after losing their first two regular season games . This game also marked the fourth consecutive Super Bowl loss by the Bills , who remain the only team to reach four straight Super Bowls .
The 1993 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise 's 34th season in the National Football League and was the fifth and final year of the franchise under head coach Jimmy Johnson which the Cowboys made two of three Super Bowl appearance between 1992-95. and a won back-to-back Super Bowl titles . The season is notable for seeing the Cowboys that became the first team to start 0-2 and still reach ( and subsequently win ) the Super Bowl . The following off-season was marked by the sudden resignation of Johnson , though he would coach the Miami Dolphins for the 1996 season .
The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League . To honor the NFL 's 75th season , a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season . Also , a selection committee of media and league personnel named a special NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team , honoring the best NFL players from the first 75 seasons . The Phoenix Cardinals changed their name to Arizona Cardinals in an attempt to widen their appeal to the entire state of Arizona instead of just the Phoenix area . The name was initially resisted by Bill Bidwill . The Seattle Seahawks played their first three regular season home games at Husky Stadium because the Kingdome , the Seahawks ' regular home field , was undergoing repairs for damaged tiles on its roof . The Seahawks returned for the 2000 and 2001 seasons while their new stadium was under construction . This marked the last season until 2016 that the city of Los Angeles had an NFL team and the last one until 2017 that the city had two . Both the Rams and the Raiders left the city following the season . The Rams moved east to St. Louis , Missouri after being in Los Angeles for 49 years , while the Raiders left after twelve seasons to return to their previous home in Oakland , California . The Rams eventually returned in 2016 after failing to reach an agreement with St. Louis on a new stadium . This was also the first season that the then eight-year old Fox network televised NFL games ; the network had started its own sports division a year prior .
Barry Sanders ( born July 16 , 1968 ) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League ( NFL ) . A Pro Bowl invitee in each of his ten NFL seasons and two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year , Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times and established himself as one of the most elusive runners in pro football with his quickness and agility . In 2007 , he was ranked by NFL Network 's NFL Top 10 series as the most elusive runner in NFL history , and also topped its list of greatest players never to play in a Super Bowl . He is often regarded as one of the greatest running backs in NFL history . Sanders played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys football team , where , as a junior in 1988 he compiled what is considered one of the greatest individual seasons in college football history , rushing for 2,850 yards and 42 touchdowns in 12 games . He was awarded the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding college player in the nation and was unanimously recognized as an All-American . Sanders was first inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 . He then was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003 and in that same year inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame . Sanders joined the Lions in 1989 and had an immediate impact , winning the NFL 's Rookie of the Year award . Through ten seasons in Detroit , he averaged over 1,500 rushing yards per season and just under 100 rushing yards per game . In 1997 , he became the third player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season and was named the NFL Most Valuable Player . Still seemingly in his prime , Sanders unexpectedly retired from football after the 1998 season , 1,457 yards short of breaking the then NFL 's all-time rushing record .
The 1994 Detroit Lions season was the 65th season in franchise history . The Lions finished with a 9-7 record and made their second consecutive playoff appearance as one of the NFC 's Wildcard teams -- the first time the franchise had made the playoffs in consecutive non-strike seasons since 1954 . Despite the signing of Scott Mitchell from Miami in the offseason , it was former Seattle quarterback Dave Krieg who led the Lions into the playoffs following an injury to Mitchell . For the second consecutive year , the Lions lost in the playoffs to the Green Bay Packers .
The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League . The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars . The two expansion teams were slotted into the two remaining divisions that previously had only four teams ( while the other four had five teams ) : the AFC Central ( Jaguars ) and the NFC West ( Panthers ) . Meanwhile , the two teams in Los Angeles relocated to other cities : the Rams transferred to St. Louis ( but would return to Los Angeles in 2016 ) and the Raiders moved back to Oakland ; this would be the start of a 20-year absence for the NFL in Los Angeles . During the course of the season it emerged that the Cleveland Browns would relocate to Baltimore for the 1996 season . The Raiders move was not announced until after the schedule had been announced , which resulted in a problem in the third week of the season when both the Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers had games scheduled to air on NBC which ended up overlapping each other . The Raiders game was rescheduled for 10:00 AM PDT in case they were to relocate and NBC was given the doubleheader so that both Bay Area teams had their games televised locally . The season ended with Super Bowl XXX , when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 at the Sun Devil Stadium . They became the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in four years . This season was legendary Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shulas last season as coach .
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( /ˈfɑːrv/ ( listen ) ; FARV ; born October 10 , 1969 ) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League ( NFL ) , spending the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL , having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons in 1991 , the Packers from 1992 to 2007 , the New York Jets in 2008 , and the Minnesota Vikings from 2009 to 2010 . Favre was the first NFL quarterback to pass for 500 touchdowns , throw for 70,000 yards , complete 6,000 passes , and attempt 10,000 passes . A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi , Favre played college football for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles for four years , setting many school records . He was selected in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Falcons , with whom he spent one season as a backup before being traded to Green Bay for the Packers ' first-round pick in the 1992 NFL Draft . Favre became the Packers ' starting quarterback in the fourth game of the 1992 NFL season and started every game through the 2007 season . He played for the Packers for 16 years before being traded to the Jets for the 2008 season and spending his final two seasons with the Vikings . In that time , he made an NFL-record 297 consecutive starts , 321 including the playoffs . Favre 's eleven Pro Bowl invitations is the third most among quarterbacks in NFL history . He is the only player to win the Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award three consecutive times , doing so from 1995 to 1997 , and is one of only six quarterbacks to have won the award as well as the Super Bowl in the same season . He led teams to eight division championships , five NFC Championship Games , and two Super Bowl appearances : Super Bowl XXXI and Super Bowl XXXII . He and the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI over the New England Patriots .
The 1995 Green Bay Packers season was their 77th season overall and their 75th in the National Football League . The Packers finished with an 11-5 record in the regular season and won the NFC Central , their first division title since 1972 . In the playoffs , the Packers defeated the Atlanta Falcons at home and the defending champion San Francisco 49ers on the road before losing to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game . Packers ' quarterback Brett Favre was named the NFL 's Most Valuable Player , the first of three such awards he would win . This was the first season that the Packers played home games exclusively at Lambeau Field , after playing part of their home slate at Milwaukee County Stadium since 1953 . After losing their home opener to St. Louis , the Packers would win an NFL-record 25 consecutive home games between the rest of 1995 and early in 1998 .
The quarterback ( commonly abbreviated QB ) , colloquially known as the signal caller , is a position in gridiron football . Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line . In modern American football , the quarterback is usually considered the leader of the offensive team , and is often responsible for calling the play in the huddle . The quarterback also touches the ball on almost every offensive play , and is the offensive player that almost always throws forward passes . When the QB is tackled behind the line of scrimmage , it is called a sack .
The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end . The season ended with Super Bowl XXXI when the Green Bay Packers defeated the New England Patriots 35-21 at the Louisiana Superdome .
The 1996 Green Bay Packers season was their 78th season overall and their 76th in the National Football League , which culminated with the franchise winning its third Super Bowl and league-record 12th NFL Championship . The Packers posted a league-best 13-3 regular season won-loss record , going 8-0 at home and 5-3 on the road . It was the first time since 1962 that the club went undefeated at home . Additionally , the Packers had the NFL 's highest-scoring offense ( 456 ) and allowed the fewest points on defense ( 210 ) . Green Bay was the first team to accomplish both feats in the same season since the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins . They finished the season with the number one ranked offense , defense , and special teams . They also set a then NFL record for the fewest touchdowns allowed in a 16-game season , with 19 . The Packers also allowed the fewest yards in the NFL and set a record for punt return yardage . Brett Favre won his second straight MVP award while also throwing for a career-high and league leading 39 touchdown passes . In the postseason , the Packers defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round and the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game . Green Bay beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI to win their third Super Bowl and twelfth NFL Championship . In 2007 , the 1996 Packers were ranked as the 16th greatest Super Bowl champions on the NFL Network 's documentary series America 's Game : The Super Bowl Champions .
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League . The Oilers relocated from Houston , Texas to Nashville , Tennessee . The newly renamed Tennessee Oilers played their home games during this season at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis , Tennessee while construction of a new stadium in Nashville started . Houston would rejoin the NFL with the expansion Texans in 2002 . This was the last season to date that TNT broadcast NFL games , as well as the last for NBC until 2006 . When the TV contracts were renewed near the end of the season , Fox retained the National Football Conference package , CBS took over the American Football Conference package and ESPN won the right to televise all of the Sunday night games . Due to Game 7 of the 1997 World Series , the Chicago Bears-Miami Dolphins game at Pro Player Stadium was delayed one day to Monday , October 27 . The Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers both changed their uniforms , and the new uniforms for both teams were introduced during this season . The season ended with Super Bowl XXXII when the Denver Broncos defeated the Green Bay Packers 31-24 at Qualcomm Stadium . This broke the National Football Conference 's streak of thirteen consecutive Super Bowl victories , the last American Football Conference win having been the Los Angeles Raiders defeating the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII .
The 1997 Detroit Lions season was their 68th in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The Lions rebounded from a disastrous 1996 season , finishing 9-7 and qualifying for the playoffs for the fifth time in seven seasons - the best stretch in franchise history . Bobby Ross replaced Wayne Fontes as head coach . The highlight of the season was Barry Sanders becoming the third player in NFL history to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a season . Sanders shared the 1997 Associated Press MVP Award with Packers quarterback Brett Favre . As a team , the Lions set an NFL rushing record , gaining 5.51 yards per rushing attempt . The Lions scored 379 points in 1997 , the fourth-most of any team in the league .
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League . The season culminated with Super Bowl XXXIII , with the Denver Broncos defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 at Pro Player Stadium . The Broncos had won their first thirteen games , the best start since the undefeated 1972 Dolphins , and were tipped by some to have a realistic chance at winning all nineteen games . The Minnesota Vikings became the first team since the 1968 Baltimore Colts to win all but one of their regular season games and not win the Super Bowl . After no team had won 14 regular season games since the 1992 49ers , three teams went 14-2 or better for the only time in a 16-game season . Football Outsiders noted :
Terrell Lamar Davis ( born October 28 , 1972 ) is a former American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League ( NFL ) from 1995 to 2001 . Davis was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 . Davis was drafted by the Broncos in the sixth round ( 196th pick overall ) of the 1995 NFL Draft . He is the Denver Broncos all-time leading rusher , with 7,607 rushing yards . Davis still holds the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns in a single postseason , scoring 8 in the 1997 playoffs . As a player , he was given the nickname T. D. by players , fans and the media ; this denoted both the initials of his first and last name as well as being an abbreviation for touchdown .
The 1998 Denver Broncos season was the franchise 's 29th season in the National Football League , and the 39th overall . The Broncos entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champions and looked to become only the fifth team in league history to win consecutive Super Bowls . Finishing with a record of 12-4 the previous year , the Broncos improved on that mark by two wins and tied the Atlanta Falcons for second best record at 14-2 . They won their first thirteen games , the best start since the unbeaten 1972 Dolphins . After sixteen seasons , John Elway retired following the Super Bowl . He finished his Broncos career with 51,475 yards passing and 300 touchdowns . Until Peyton Manning won in Super Bowl 50 , Elway stood as the only Broncos quarterback to win a Super Bowl . However , Elway even played a large role in that victory as the general manager and president of football operations for the Broncos . Running back Terrell Davis set a team single season rushing mark . His final total was 2,008 yards , making him only the fourth player to rush for over 2,000 yards in single season . In 2007 , the 1998 Broncos were ranked as the 12th greatest Super Bowl champions on the NFL Network 's documentary series America 's Game : The Super Bowl Champions .
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League . The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season , while the Tennessee Oilers changed their name to Tennessee Titans , with the league retiring the name Oilers . The return of the Browns increased the number of teams to 31 , the first time the league had played with an odd number of teams since 1966 . This required the NFL to give at least one team a bye each week ; previously , barring extreme circumstances , a club never received a bye during the first two weeks or last seven weeks of the season . Under a new system , for ten weeks of the season ( Week # 1 , Week # 2 and Week # 10 to Week # 17 ) , one team received a bye , and for seven weeks of the season ( Week # 3 to Week # 9 ) , three teams received a bye . This format would continue until the Houston Texans joined the NFL in 2002 , returning the league to an even number of teams . The start of the 1999 NFL Season was pushed back one week and started the weekend after Labor Day , a change from the previous seasons : due to the Y2K concerns , the NFL did not want to hold the opening round of the playoffs on Saturday January 1 , 2000 , and did not want teams traveling on that day . This was also done to avoid competing against college football 's New Years Day bowl games . Week 17 games were held on January 2 , 2000 , and the opening round of the playoffs would be scheduled for January 8 and 9 , with the bye week before the Super Bowl removed to accommodate the one-week adjustment . The start of the season after Labor Day would become a regular fixture for future seasons , beginning in 2001 . The final spot in the NFC playoffs came down to an exciting final day of the season . The Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers were both at 7-8 , tied for the last spot in the playoffs with the Dallas Cowboys and tied in other tiebreakers .
Kurtis Eugene Warner ( born June 22 , 1971 ) is an American former football quarterback . He played for three National Football League ( NFL ) teams : the St. Louis Rams , the New York Giants , and the Arizona Cardinals . He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing college football at Northern Iowa . Warner went on to be considered the best undrafted NFL player of all time , following a 12-year career regarded as one of the greatest stories in NFL history . Warner was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 , and is the only person inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Arena Football Hall of Fame . Warner first attained stardom while playing for the St. Louis Rams from 1998 to 2003 , where he won NFL MVP awards in 1999 and 2001 as well as the Super Bowl MVP award in Super Bowl XXXIV when he and the Rams beat the Tennessee Titans . He led the 2008 Arizona Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII ( the franchise 's first Super Bowl berth ) , and owns three of the top five highest single-game passing yardage totals in Super Bowl history . Warner is one of only two quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl in their first season as a starter , the other being Tom Brady . He is also the only undrafted player in NFL history to win the NFL MVP award , and the only undrafted quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory . Warner currently holds the thirteenth-highest career passer rating of all-time ( 93.7 ) , and the fifth-highest career completion percentage in NFL history with 65.5% . In 13 career playoff games , Warner ranks fifth all-time in completion percentage ( 66.5% ) , tenth in yards per attempt ( 8.55 ) , and tenth in passer rating ( 102.8 ) . He announced his retirement after the conclusion of the 2009 season .
The 1999 St. Louis Rams season was the team 's 62nd year with the National Football League and the fifth season in St. Louis , Missouri . The Rams finished the regular-season with a record of 13-3 , and the NFC West Championship . It was the team 's first playoff appearance in St. Louis , their first since 1989 , and their first division title since 1985 . The Rams were undefeated at home for the first time since 1973 . On the road , the Rams were 5-3 . In the post-season , they defeated the Minnesota Vikings , who had just posted one of the greatest offenses in NFL history the year before , by a score of 49-37 in the NFC Divisional Playoffs and went on to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 11-6 in the NFC Championship Game . Both of those games were played in St. Louis . The Rams then won their first ever Super Bowl title , defeating the Tennessee Titans by a score of 23-16 in Super Bowl XXXIV . The game was played on January 30 , 2000 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta . It was also the franchise 's first NFL World Championship since 1951 , when the Rams played in Los Angeles . The Rams also became the first dome-field ( indoor home games ) team to win a Super Bowl . It was the first season of the Rams Greatest Show on Turf offense .
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League . The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants 34-7 at the Raymond James Stadium . Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000 . It would be the last NFL season to date to start on Labor Day weekend . It would also be the last time until 2015 that CBS televised the late afternoon games in Week 1 . This was because both Week 1 of the NFL season and CBS coverage of the U.S. Open tennis finals would take place on the same day beginning next season .
Marshall William Faulk ( born February 26 , 1973 ) is a former American football player who was a running back in the National Football League ( NFL ) for twelve seasons . He played college football for San Diego State University , and was a two-time consensus All-American . He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts as the second overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft , and he also played professionally for the NFL 's St. Louis Rams . Faulk was a member of the Greatest Show on Turf , a name given to the St. Louis Rams team that appeared in two Super Bowls and won Super Bowl XXXIV . In 2000 , Faulk was named the Most Valuable Player of the NFL . Faulk is one of only three NFL players ( Marcus Allen and Tiki Barber being the others ) to reach at least 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards ; he is the only one to amass 12,000 yards rushing and 6,000 yards receiving . Faulk was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017 . He was an analyst for various programs on the NFL Network until December 2017 .
The 2000 St. Louis Rams season was the team 's 63rd year with the National Football League and the sixth season in St. Louis . For the first time in franchise history , the Rams entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champions . The Rams finished the regular-season with a record of 10-6 but would go on to lose to the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round of the playoffs . They led the NFL in scoring for a second straight year with 540 points . The Rams became the first team in NFL history to score more than 500 points on offense , while allowing more than 450 points on defense . Running back Marshall Faulk was named the MVP of the regular season . It was the second straight time a Rams player was named MVP . After the resignation of Dick Vermeil , who had been the Rams ' head coach through St. Louis ' 1999 championship season , Mike Martz took over as head coach , and attempted to defend the Rams ' Super Bowl XXXIV title . The Rams ' Greatest Show on Turf continued its offensive dominance , scoring 33.7 points per game . Statistically , Football Outsiders calculates that the 2000 Rams had the most efficient rushing attack of any single-season NFL team from 1993-2010 . The 2000 Rams are one of only three teams in NFL history to score 35 points or more nine times in a single season . The Rams ' offense offset the team 's defensive struggles : St. Louis ' 471 points allowed in 2000 is the most ever surrendered by an NFL team with a winning record .
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League ( NFL ) . In the wake of the September 11 attacks , the NFL 's week 2 games ( September 16 and 17 ) were postponed and rescheduled to the weekend of January 6 and January 7 . In order to retain the full playoff format , all playoff games , including Super Bowl XXXVI , were rescheduled one week later . The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl , defeating the St. Louis Rams 20-17 at the Louisiana Superdome .
The 2001 St. Louis Rams season was the franchise 's 65th season in the National Football League , the seventh season in St. Louis and the second under head coach Mike Martz . The Rams set a franchise record for wins in a season ( 14 ) , while also going a perfect 8-0 on the road . Quarterback Kurt Warner would go on to win his second league MVP award . Along with Warner 's 1999 MVP award and Marshall Faulk 's 2000 award , the Rams had amassed the last three NFL MVP awards . The Rams also became the first team in NFL history to open three consecutive seasons with six straight wins and the first to score 500 or more points in three consecutive seasons . The Rams returned to the Super Bowl for a second time after shockingly winning their first title 2 years before , but this time against the 11-5 New England Patriots , led by Bill Belichick and sophomore quarterback Tom Brady . The Rams were expected by many to win their 2nd Super Bowl title , but lost 17-20 after Patriots placekicker Adam Vinatieri kicked the game-clinching field goal . This was the Rams ' last Super Bowl appearance until the 2018 season , when they defeated the Saints 26-23 in the NFC Championship game , and would meet the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII in a rematch of Super Bowl XXVII , but lost 3-13 . By that time , the Rams would be based in Los Angeles after relocating from St. Louis in 2016 . This was also the final season with the Rams as The Greatest Show on Turf as Kurt Warner struggled the following two seasons with the team . He was then replaced by Marc Bulger .
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League . The league went back to an even number of teams , expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans ; the league has since remained static with 32 teams since . The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions , four teams in each . Also , the Chicago Bears played their home games in 2002 in Champaign , Illinois at Memorial Stadium because of the reconstruction of Soldier Field . The NFL title was eventually won by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they defeated the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII , at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego , California on January 26 , 2003 .
Michael Dwayne Vick ( born June 26 , 1980 ) is a former professional American football quarterback who played 13 seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) , primarily with the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles . He played college football at Virginia Tech and was selected by the Falcons as the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft . During his six years with the Falcons , Vick was regarded as having transformed the quarterback position with his rushing abilities and was named to three Pro Bowls . He was the first NFL quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and holds the record for the most career rushing yards by a quarterback
The 2002 Atlanta Falcons season was their 37th in the league and first in the newly-formed NFC South . This was the first season under new owner Arthur Blank , who acquired the team during the 2002 off-season . The team improved upon their previous seasons output of 7-9 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in four years . The team was also involved in a rare tie , matching the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-34 at the end of overtime . Before the season , the Falcons acquired running back Warrick Dunn to help with the teams running game . Their running game has suffered the past three years . Dunn finished the season with 927 rushing yards and 9 total touchdowns . After seeing limited action as a rookie , this was Michael Vicks first full season as starting quarterback . In the Wild Card Game , Vick and the Falcons easily stunned the Brett Favre-led Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field , 27-7 , giving the Packers their first ever playoff loss in Lambeau . However , a 20-6 loss to Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles in the next round kept the Falcons from advancing in the playoffs . This was Dan Reeves last full season as head coach as he was replaced by interim Wade Phillips during the following season . Vick and linebacker Keith Brooking were voted to play in the Pro Bowl after the season .
The 2003 NFL season was the 84th regular season of the National Football League ( NFL ) . Regular-season play was held from September 4 , 2003 , to December 28 , 2003 . Due to damage caused by the Cedar Fire , Qualcomm Stadium was used as an emergency shelter , and thus the Miami Dolphins-San Diego Chargers regular-season match on October 27 was instead played at Sun Devil Stadium , the home field of the Arizona Cardinals . The playoffs began on January 3 , 2004 . The NFL title was won by the New England Patriots when they defeated the Carolina Panthers , 32-29 , in Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium in Houston , Texas , on February 1 . This was the last season until the 2016 NFL season where neither of the previous Super Bowl participants made the playoffs .
Peyton Williams Manning ( born March 24 , 1976 ) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League ( NFL ) for 18 seasons . Considered to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time , he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and was a member of the Denver Broncos in his last four seasons . Manning played college football for the University of Tennessee , leading the Tennessee Volunteers to the 1997 SEC Championship Game in his senior season . He is the second son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and older brother of former NFL quarterback Eli Manning . Manning was selected by the Colts as the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft . From 1998 to 2010 , he improved the fortunes of the struggling Colts franchise and helped transform them into consistent playoff contenders . During his tenure as starting quarterback , Manning led the team to eight division championships , two AFC championships , and one Super Bowl title , the franchise 's first in over three decades , as well as their first since relocating to Indianapolis . After undergoing neck surgery that forced him to miss the entire 2011 season , Manning was released by the Colts and signed with the Broncos . Serving as the team 's starting quarterback from 2012 to 2015 , he contributed to the Broncos clinching their division each year and his playing career concluded with a victory in Super Bowl 50 . Manning holds many NFL records , including AP MVP awards ( 5 ) , Pro Bowl appearances ( 14 ) , 4,000-yard passing seasons ( 14 ) , single-season passing yards ( 5,477 in 2013 ) , single-season passing touchdowns ( 55 in 2013 ) . He is also tied with Otto Graham for the most First-Team All Pros for a quarterback ( 7 ) , and is second in career passing yards ( 71,940 ) and passing touchdowns ( 539 ) . A two-time Super Bowl winner and the most valuable player of Super Bowl XLI , Manning is also the only quarterback to have multiple starts in the Super Bowl for two franchises and the only starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two franchises .
The 2003 Indianapolis Colts season was the 51st season for the team in the National Football League and 20th in Indianapolis . The Colts improved on their 10-6 record from 2002 , going 12-4 and reached the postseason for the second straight season . After the season , quarterback Peyton Manning was named league MVP along with Steve McNair of Tennessee . After defeating the Broncos and the Chiefs in the first two rounds , the Colts lost to the New England Patriots in the title game , which saw the first playoff meeting between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning . New England would go on to defeat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII . It was the final season seeing the Colts wear their blue facemasks and white shoes . [ citation needed ]
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League . With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions , regular season play was held from September 9 , 2004 to January 2 , 2005 . Hurricanes forced the rescheduling of two Miami Dolphins home games : the game against the Tennessee Titans was moved up one day to Saturday , September 11 to avoid oncoming Hurricane Ivan , while the game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday , September 26 was moved back 7½ hours to miss the eye of Hurricane Jeanne . The playoffs began on January 8 , and eventually New England repeated as NFL champions when they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX , the Super Bowl championship game , at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville , Florida on February 6 .
The 2004 Indianapolis Colts season was the 52nd season for the team in the National Football League and 21st in Indianapolis . The 2004 Colts season began with the team trying to maintain or improve on their 12-4 record from 2003 , and advance farther into the playoffs . The Colts finished the season 12-4 , and defeated the Denver Broncos for the second straight time in the playoffs , but they were halted in the Divisional round by the defending and eventual Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots . Peyton Manning had one of the best seasons ever by an NFL quarterback , throwing 49 touchdown passes and breaking the previous record of 48 held by Dan Marino . At season 's end , Peyton Manning was named the NFL MVP . For the season the Colts set an NFL record with 51 total touchdown passes . The Colts led the NFL with 522 points scored . The Colts tallied more points in the first half of each of their games of the 2004 NFL season ( 277 points ) than seven other NFL teams managed in the entire season . Despite throwing for 49 touchdown passes , Peyton Manning attempted fewer than 500 passes for the first time in his NFL career . Sports statistics site Football Outsiders calculates that Manning had the best-ever season by a quarterback , play-for-play , in 2004 . The 2004 Colts are the only team in NFL history to convert five or more passing touchdowns in a game four different times during the regular season .
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League . Regular season play was held from September 8 , 2005 to January 1 , 2006 . The regular season also saw the first ever regular season game played outside the United States , as well as the New Orleans Saints being forced to play elsewhere due to damage to the Superdome and the entire New Orleans area by Hurricane Katrina . The playoffs began on January 7 . New England 's streak of 10 consecutive playoff wins and chance at a third straight Super Bowl title was ended in the Divisional Playoff Round by the Denver Broncos , and eventually the NFL title was won by the Pittsburgh Steelers , who defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in Super Bowl XL at Ford Field in Detroit , Michigan on February 5 for their fifth Super Bowl win . This also marked the first time that a sixth-seeded team , who by the nature of their seeding would play every game on the road , would advance to and win the Super Bowl . The season formally concluded with the Pro Bowl , the league 's all-star game , at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu , Hawaii on February 12 .
Shaun Edward Alexander ( born August 30 , 1977 ) is a former American football running back who played for the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of Alabama , and was drafted by the Seahawks 19th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft . In May 2011 , he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame . Alexander set numerous NFL and Seattle Seahawks ' franchise records , and was named the NFL MVP in 2005 . He was also named to the NFL 's 2000 All-Decade team .
The 2005 Seattle Seahawks season was the franchise 's 30th season in the National Football League ( NFL ) , their fourth playing their home games at Qwest Field and their seventh season under head coach Mike Holmgren . They won the National Football Conference ( NFC ) Championship Game and played in Super Bowl XL , which they lost 21-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers . The Seahawks compiled a 13-3 record in the regular season , easily winning the NFC West and earning the NFC top seed , thus clinching home field advantage in the NFC playoffs for the first time in franchise history . There , they beat the Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers to win the George Halas Trophy , and advance to their first ever Super Bowl . Combining the regular season and postseason , the Seahawks finished with a perfect 10-0 record at Qwest Field . The 2005 team was widely considered the best team in club history until the Super Bowl XLVIII championship . The 2005 season was also the team 's 30th anniversary season in the National Football League . The Seahawks were the only NFC team from the 2004 playoffs to qualify for the 2005 playoffs . The Seahawks touted Pro Bowlers on offense , and boasted season MVP , running back Shaun Alexander , who would eventually break Priest Holmes 's single-season touchdown record , with 28 total TDs . Alexander also led the league in rushing yards for the second consecutive year , which in turn helped the Seahawks lead the league in scoring . The offense was led by 7th-year veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck , who compiled a career-high and NFC leading 98.2 passer rating , while completing 65.5% of his passes , earning his second trip to the Pro Bowl . Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson anchored the offensive line at left tackle and guard respectively , and Mack Strong effectively blocked and rushed from the backfield at fullback .
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 .
LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson ( born June 23 , 1979 ) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League ( NFL ) for eleven seasons . He is widely considered one of the greatest running backs of all time . He played the majority of his career with the San Diego Chargers , who selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft . Tomlinson was invited to five Pro Bowls , was an All-Pro six times , and won consecutive rushing titles in 2006 and 2007 , while being named 2006 NFL MVP . At the time of his retirement , he ranked fifth in career rushing yards ( 13,684 ) , seventh in all-purpose yards ( 18,456 ) , second in career rushing touchdowns ( 145 ) , and third in total touchdowns ( 162 ) . He is currently an analyst on NFL Network . After being elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014 , Tomlinson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August 2017 , his first year of eligibility ; he is the first Pro Football Hall of Famer whose professional career began in the 21st century . Tomlinson played college football for Texas Christian University ( TCU ) , earned consensus All-America honors , and won the Doak Walker Award as the best college running back . He spent nine seasons with the Chargers . During the 2006 NFL season , he set several NFL touchdown scoring records and received numerous honors and awards including the NFL 's Most Valuable Player Award and the Associated Press 's Offensive Player of the Year Award . In 2010 , he signed as a free agent with the New York Jets , playing for two seasons before retiring after 2011 . Tomlinson is often referred to by his initials , L.T .
The 2006 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise 's 37th season in the National Football League , and the 47th overall . They improved on their 9-7 record in 2005 and finished the campaign as the No . 1 seed in the AFC ending the season at 14-2 , best record in the NFL , however , The team would experience a heartbreaking home field playoff loss for the second time in the past three seasons losing in the final minutes , this time to the New England Patriots 21-24 . Running back LaDainian Tomlinson led the league in rushing with 1,815 yards , as well as setting NFL single-season records for rushing touchdowns ( 28 ) and total touchdowns ( 31 ) .
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League . Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30 . The campaign kicked off with the defending Super Bowl XLI champion Indianapolis Colts defeating the New Orleans Saints 41-10 in the NFL Kickoff Game . The New England Patriots became the first team to complete the regular season undefeated since the league expanded to a 16-game regular season in 1978 . Four weeks after the playoffs began on January 5 , 2008 , the Patriots ' bid for a perfect season was dashed when they lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII , the league championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale , Arizona on February 3 , by a score of 17-14 .
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. ( born August 3 , 1977 ) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League ( NFL ) . Brady has played in a record nine Super Bowls , winning six of them ( XXXVI , XXXVIII , XXXIX , XLIX , LI , and LIII ) , the most of any player in NFL history . He has won a record four Super Bowl MVP awards ( XXXVI , XXXVIII , XLIX , and LI ) as well as three NFL MVP awards ( 2007 , 2010 , 2017 ) . [ a ] Due to his numerous records and accolades , it is often discussed whether he is the greatest quarterback of all time . [ discuss ] After playing college football for the University of Michigan , Brady was drafted 199th overall by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft . Due to his late selection , Brady is considered the biggest steal in the history of the NFL Draft . He went on to become the team 's starting quarterback in his second season after an injury to Drew Bledsoe , and has been with the Patriots for 20 seasons , the NFL record for seasons as quarterback for one team . [ b ] He is one of only two quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl in their first season as a starter . [ c ] The only quarterback to reach 200 regular-season wins , Brady is the winningest quarterback in NFL history , and has never had a losing season as a starting quarterback . He has led his team to more division titles ( 16 ) than any other quarterback in NFL history . With a postseason record of 30-11 , he is first all-time in playoff wins and appearances for an NFL player . Brady has led the Patriots to an NFL-record eight consecutive AFC championship games since 2011
The 2007 New England Patriots season was the franchise 's 38th season in the National Football League , the 48th overall and the 8th under head coach Bill Belichick . The Patriots looked to improve on their 12-4 record from 2006 and win the AFC East for the sixth time in seven years . The Patriots finished the 2007 regular season by winning all sixteen of their games . They became only the eighth team in NFL history to finish a regular season undefeated , and first to do so since the 1972 Miami Dolphins , as well as only the fourth to finish undefeated and untied . The Patriots were also the first team with a perfect regular season since the NFL expanded its schedule to sixteen games in 1978 . Thus , they broke the record for victories in a single regular season that had been shared by the 1984 San Francisco 49ers , the 1985 Chicago Bears , the 1998 Minnesota Vikings , and the 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers , and later tied by the 2011 Green Bay Packers and 2015 Carolina Panthers , who each finished with a record of 15-1 , and are one of the only teams before or since that had nearly went 16-0 . Honorable mentions include the 1998 Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts in 2005 and 2009 , all of whom had started 13-0 and finished 14-2 respectively . The 1984 49ers and 1985 Bears would win Super Bowl XIX and Super Bowl XX respectively , the 1998 Vikings and 2004 Steelers would lose their conference championship games , the 2011 Packers would lose their first playoff game , and the 2015 Panthers would lose Super Bowl 50 . In Super Bowl XLII , the New York Giants defeated the Patriots 17-14 in an upset . With the loss , the Patriots were not able to join the 1984 49ers and 1985 Bears as Super Bowl champions , failing to go 19-0 and claim their fourth Super Bowl victory .
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League , themed with the slogan Believe in Now . Super Bowl XLIII , the league 's championship game , was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa , Florida , on February 1 , 2009 , with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 and winning their NFL-record sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy . Conversely , the Detroit Lions became the first NFL team with a winless season since the strike-shortened 1982 NFL season , finishing their season 0-16 . For the first time since the NFL expanded to the sixteen game season in 1978 , three teams won two or fewer games : the Lions , the Kansas City Chiefs , and the St. Louis Rams . Previously two teams won two or fewer games in 1979 , 1981 , 1983 , 1985 , 1992 , and 2001 . Also , for the first time since the 1985 Denver Broncos , a team finishing with an 11-5 record missed the playoffs . The regular season began on September 4 with the defending Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants defeating the Washington Redskins 16-7 , and concluded with the 2009 Pro Bowl on February 8 , 2009 , in Honolulu .
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald Jr. ( born August 31 , 1983 ) is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football at Pittsburgh , where he earned unanimous All-America honors . He was drafted by the Cardinals third overall in the 2004 NFL Draft . Fitzgerald has been selected for the Pro Bowl eleven times . He was named First-team All-Pro in 2008 and Second-team All-Pro twice in 2009 and 2011 . As of September 29 , 2019 [ update ] , he is second in NFL career receiving yards , second in career receptions , and sixth in receiving touchdowns . Fitzgerald is a minority owner of the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association .
The 2008 Arizona Cardinals season was the 89th season for the team in the National Football League and their 21st season in Arizona . The season marked the Cardinals ' first Super Bowl appearance , coming as a result of their victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship . The Cardinals slogan for the season was Shock The World ! Riding the back of quarterback Kurt Warner , who had gone from being a backup for the St. Louis Rams in 1999 to leading the Greatest Show on Turf to a Super Bowl XXXIV victory , and franchise wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald , the Cardinals went on a playoff run for the ages after having won just one playoff game in the last sixty years , as Warner once again recreated the magic he had captured with the Rams . ( Coincidentally , both teams were based in St Louis at one point or another , only to relocate to different cities . ) The Cardinals began their season by compiling a 7-3 record by Week 11 and finished the regular season with a 9-7 record , which was good enough to win the NFC West , and the Cardinals , for the first time since 1947 , hosted a playoff game . In that wild card game , the Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Falcons . The next week , for the Divisional round of the playoffs , the Cardinals traveled to Charlotte , North Carolina , where they upset the number 2 seeded Carolina Panthers . Then , because the Philadelphia Eagles also achieved an upset the same week ( against the top-seeded New York Giants ) , the number-four seed Cardinals hosted the NFC Championship game , where they defeated the Eagles and qualified for the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history . In Super Bowl XLIII , the Cardinals ' winning streak ended . Though they led the Pittsburgh Steelers with less than a minute left to play in the game , they lost , 23-27 . The 2008 Cardinals were the second 9-7 team to reach the Super Bowl , joining the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV , who also lost to the Steelers ; however , the Rams had to win only two playoff games , rather than three , to reach the Super Bowl .
A wide receiver , also referred to as wideouts or simply receivers , is an offensive position in gridiron football , and is a key player . They get their name because they are split out wide ( near the sidelines ) , farthest away from the rest of the team . Wide receivers are among the fastest players on the field . The wide receiver functions as the pass-catching specialist .
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th season in the history of the National Football League ( NFL ) . The 50th anniversary of the original eight charter members of the American Football League was celebrated during this season . The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9 , 2009 , and the regular season began September 10 , with the reigning Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Tennessee Titans 13-10 in overtime . The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV , the league 's championship game , on February 7 , 2010 at Sun Life Stadium with the New Orleans Saints defeating the Indianapolis Colts 31-17. in Miami Gardens , Florida . The Colts and Saints began the season 14-0 and 13-0 respectively . This was the first time in NFL history two teams won their first thirteen games .
Andrew Christopher Drew Brees ( /briːz/ ; born January 15 , 1979 ) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He had a successful college football career at Purdue University , becoming one of the most decorated players in Purdue and Big Ten Conference history . Brees set two NCAA records , 13 Big Ten Conference records , and 19 Purdue University records during his college career . As of 2018 [ update ] , he remains the Big Ten record-holder in several passing categories , including completions ( 1,026 ) , attempts ( 1,678 ) , and yards ( 11,792 ) . Brees was chosen by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft . Brees earned the starting job with the Chargers in 2002 and made the Pro Bowl in 2004 . Nine months after suffering a dislocation in his right shoulder joint and a tear of the labrum and rotator cuff , Brees signed with the Saints as a free agent in 2006 . He experienced immediate success in New Orleans , leading the Saints to their first-ever Super Bowl in Super Bowl XLIV and helping the team to a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts . Since joining the Saints , Brees has led all NFL quarterbacks in touchdowns , passing yards , and 300-yard games . Brees holds NFL records for career pass completions , career completion percentage , career passing yards , and career touchdown passes . He is also second in regular season career pass attempts , third in regular season career passer rating and fourth in postseason career passer rating . In 2012 , he broke Johnny Unitas ' long-standing record of consecutive games with a touchdown pass .
The 2009 New Orleans Saints season was the franchise 's 43rd season in the National Football League ( NFL ) . It was the most successful season in franchise history , culminating with a victory in Super Bowl XLIV . The Saints recorded a franchise record 13 regular season victories ( later tied in the 2011 , 2018 , and 2019 seasons ) an improvement on their 8-8 record and fourth-place finish in the National Football Conference ( NFC ) 's southern division from 2008 . As a result , the Saints advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 . For head coach Sean Payton , this was his fourth season with the franchise , commanding a club overall record of 36-24 , though it also marked the first year of the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal that would ultimately result in his unprecedented ( for a coach ) one-year suspension from the league . With a victory over the Carolina Panthers on November 8 , the Saints jumped out to an 8-0 start , the best in franchise history . They went on to set the record for the longest undefeated season opening ( 13-0 ) by an NFC team since the AFL-NFL merger , eclipsing the previous record ( 12-0 ) held by the 1985 Chicago Bears . This record has since been tied by the 2011 Green Bay Packers and surpassed by the 2015 Carolina Panthers . Despite losing the last three games of the season to finish 13-3 , the team clinched a playoff berth , a first-round bye and - for the first time ever - the top seed in the NFC . The Saints defeated Kurt Warner and the defending NFC Champions Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Divisional playoffs , and proceeded to host the NFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history . There , they defeated Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings in overtime , then went on to face Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts at Super Bowl XLIV in the franchise 's first-ever Super Bowl appearance . The Saints won the Super Bowl 31-17 , giving the city of New Orleans its first NFL championship .
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League . The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday , September 9 , at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints , Super Bowl XLIV champions , defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14-9 . Tom Brady , quarterback of the New England Patriots , was named MVP for the 2010 season . In Super Bowl XLV , the League 's championship game played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington , Texas , the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 to win their fourth Super Bowl , spoiling the Steelers ' chance for a 7th title . This season also marked the first full-length season in which a team with a losing record made the playoffs , when the Seattle Seahawks won the NFC West with a 7-9 record , after defeating the St. Louis Rams in week 17 to clinch the division title . One week later , the Seahawks dethroned the defending champion New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round , to become the first ever sub-.500 playoff team to win a postseason game .
Aaron Charles Rodgers ( born December 2 , 1983 ) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League ( NFL ) . Rodgers played college football at California , where he set several career passing records , including lowest single-season and career interception rates . He was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers . After backing up Brett Favre for the first three years of his NFL career , Rodgers became the Packers ' starting quarterback in 2008 . In 2010 , he led them to a victory in Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers , earning the Super Bowl MVP . He was named Associated Press Athlete of the Year in 2011 , and was voted league MVP by the Associated Press for the 2011 and 2014 NFL seasons . Rodgers has led the NFL four times in touchdown-to-interception ratio ( 2011 , 2012 , 2014 , 2018 ) ; and four times in lowest passing interception percentage ( 2009 , 2014 , 2018 , 2019 ) , twice in passer rating ( 2011 , 2012 ) , touchdown passing percentage ( 2011 , 2012 ) ; and once in touchdown passes ( 2016 ) and yards per attempt ( 2011 ) . Rodgers is the NFL 's all-time regular season career passer rating leader and is one of two quarterbacks to have a regular season career passer rating of over 100 , the other being Russell Wilson . Rodgers is fifth all-time in postseason career passer rating , has the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in NFL history at 4.23 , holds the league 's lowest career interception percentage at 1.5 percent and the highest single-season passer rating record of 122.5 . Due to the fact that Rodgers is the NFL 's all-time regular season career passer rating leader , and his overall high level of play and leadership , Rodgers is considered by some sportscasters and players to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time .
The 2010 Green Bay Packers season was the 92nd season overall and their 90th season in the National Football League . Although they finished with only a respectable 10-6 record , good for a second-place finish in the NFC North , the Packers never lost a game by more than four points , and never trailed by more than seven the entire season , becoming the only team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to accomplish this . [ citation needed ] All six of their regular season losses were by a combined 20 points . They entered the playoffs as the NFC 's sixth seed . After defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 21-16 in the Wild Card round , the Atlanta Falcons 48-21 in the Divisional round and long time rivals , Chicago Bears 21-14 in the NFC Championship , the team advanced to Super Bowl XLV in which they faced the AFC 's 2nd seed Pittsburgh Steelers . The Packers defeated the Steelers 31-25 to win their fourth Super Bowl and 13th NFL championship . The Packers became the second overall team after the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers , and the first NFC team , to win the Super Bowl as a sixth seed , as well as becoming the second NFC team to win three straight road playoff games ( the 2007 New York Giants won three straight road games as a five seed ) . The Packers offense ranked ninth in yards per game , tenth in total points , & fifth in passing yards . The defense ranked fifth in yards allowed and finished second in fewest points allowed ( 240 , second best in team history ) , sacks ( 47 ) , and interceptions ( 24 ) , while also limiting quarterbacks to a 67.2 passer rating , first in the league .
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 Super Bowl XLIV champion 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 : 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 . It also saw Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers establish the all-time single-season best QB Rating of 122.5 . [ circular reference ] Further cementing the modern NFL 's reputation as a passing league 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 . ( 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 .
The 2012 Green Bay Packers season was the franchise 's 94th season overall and their 92nd in the National Football League , and the seventh under head coach Mike McCarthy . The Packers won the NFC North division title for the second year in a row with an 11-5 record . The Packers lost in the Divisional round of the playoffs to the eventual NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers by the score of 45-31 , finishing with a postseason record of 1-1 . The Packers offense finished the season fifth in points and eleventh in yards per game . The defense finished eleventh in points allowed and twenty-second in yards allowed per game .