2008 NFL Season Wrap Up

[YoFuggedaboutit]

To the Atlanta Falcons, mired in a 4-12 record, your star QB going to jail for a heinous crime, and your coach quitting on you.  Thank you for a wonderful showing in 2008. 

To James Harrison, coming out of a small school to terrorize QB’s and making a big play on the big stage.  You are the Defensive Player of the Year.
 
To  the New England Patriots, going 11-5 and barely missing the playoffs with a backup quarterback, backup running back, backup linebackers, and a depleted secondary.  If this is not heart, then tell me what is. 

To Jay Cutler, diagnosed with an illness that can be life threatening if not cared for properly and still turning in a great performance.  You are an inspiration for thousands of teen athletes with this disease.

To the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles, sixth seeded teams that blasted their way into their respective Conference Title games.  Thank you for making history and providing hope for wild card teams.

To Peyton Manning, keeping the Indianapolis Colts in contention after a slow start, and overcoming major obsticles to storm into the playoffs.  You are the NFL MVP. 
 
To Bill Parcells, Tony Sparano, and the Miami Dolphins, coming back from 1-15 a year ago to win the division.  Thank you for making me and my fellow Fins fans believe again.

To Chad Pennington, discarded by your team, you signed with its divisional rival and came back and beat your former team in their own house, all the while assuming the leadership role that your current team was so desperately lacking.  You are the Comeback Player of the Year.
 
To the Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars.  You’ve got talent and were expected to do a lot this year, but you’ve met some misfortunes along the way.  I see a strong rebound for you both next season.

To Mike Smith, teaching a team in disarray what can happen when it comes together as a team.  Welcome to the Coach of the Year club.

To the Arizona Cardinals, after years being a perennial loser, you have finally made it to where the big boys play, and almost took it all home.  You have nothing to be ashamed of.  Hold your heads up high. 

To Matt Ryan and Jerrod Mayo, Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year respectively.  Made you ride this wave of confidence into long and successful careers. 

To Mike Tomlin, young enough to step into the defensive backfield, you’re a champ two years into your coaching tenure.  Soak this one in, as it could be the first of many, or your first and only. 

To Santonio Holmes, coming out from selling drugs on a street corner to stepping up and making key plays on the big stage when your team desperately needed to.  Super Bowl MVP.  Enough said. 

To the Pittsburgh Steelers, you’ve made it to the winners circle for the sixth time, more than any other NFL team.  Those who say it’s lonely at the top have never been there before. 

I sit in my office and look out the window.  A big chill is in the air today in Orlando.  The skies are gray and gloomy, threatening to dump buckets of rain on us.  Team media guides sit unopened on my desk.  The Tennessee Titans,   the New York Giants, my beloved Miami Dolphins.  I play and replay the highlight video of the Dolphins-Jets game in the final week of the season, reliving the moment of the Dolphins completing the best turnaround in NFL history from a 1-15 team.  A few e-mails trickle in from high school buddies that played in the NFL; Rod Payne, Tony Gaiter, and of course, Derrick Gibson.  They all have pretty much the same message, “Man, it’s a long way from training camp.”

A long way away it is.  Six months, to be exact.  All across America this coming Sunday will be empty football stadiums, stadiums that once held 70,000 rabid, screaming, face-painted, beer-chugging fans.  No cheerleaders, parking attendants, or food vendors will be coming to work on Sunday.  Soon these stadiums will face a silent spring, and the blistering heat of summer.  Team pendants will be taken down, jerseys hung up in closets, grills and coolers stored in garages, and inflatable chairs packed away.  The sports world will now focus on March Madness, MLB spring training, and the NHL and NBA playoff races.  The football diehards will go into hibernation until the preseason begins in August, coming out only once in late April for the NFL Draft.

And so it’s time to say goodbye to another NFL season.  As the Steelers swarm the podium, basking in the joy of a well deserved Super Bowl, I choke back the same tears I’ve always choked back this time of the year.

NFL Football.  I live for this.

[SCFinfan]

...it breaks your heart, it's designed to break your heart...

[YoFuggedaboutit]

...it breaks your heart, it's designed to break your heart...

Baseball season ending might break Maine's heart more, but this breaks MY heart more.

[dolphins4life]

Excellent piece of writing Tommy

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Only 82 more shopping days until the draft!

[MaineDolFan]

I sit in my office and look out the window.  A big chill is in the air today in Orlando.  The skies are gray and gloomy, threatening to dump buckets of rain on us.  Team media guides sit unopened on my desk.  The Tennessee Titans,   the New York Giants, my beloved Miami Dolphins.  I play and replay the highlight video of the Dolphins-Jets game in the final week of the season, reliving the moment of the Dolphins completing the best turnaround in NFL history from a 1-15 team.  A few e-mails trickle in from high school buddies that played in the NFL; Rod Payne, Tony Gaiter, and of course, Derrick Gibson.  They all have pretty much the same message, “Man, it’s a long way from training camp.”

I feel so...violated.  So...plagiarized!

[StL FinFan]

^ I was having a sense of deja vu!

[Sunstroke]

I feel so...violated.  So...plagiarized!   

From Tommy? Say it ain't so!!

[dolphins4life]

As I read this, I sit in my office at work.  I reflect on this season, which really began in December of 2007, when Parcells was hired.

I remember the makeover of the roster, veterans were let go, Zach found another team, Josh McCown was signed, to my disgust.

I remember the draft, watching Jake Long don the Dolphins cap and hold up the jersey, and being shocked that Lorenzo Booker was traded away.

I remember those Saturday Nights in the summer I spent chatting with Stroke on the radio show, how we kept saying this would be a rebuilding year.

I remember Pennington coming to town and thinking, "Well, he'll be another Gus Frerotte"

I think back on the first two games, the heartbreaker to NYJ and the ugliest game I have ever seen the dolphins play in the desert.

I could not fathom this team would turn around the way it did, even as they broke out the wildcat against the Pats week 3.

Twice, I thought we were down for the count.  First, when Matt Schaub found the endzone in the Texans game and Second after the loss to the Patriots.

But this team kept fighting and fighting and everybody stepped up

Now, here we are, back in the playoffs, for the first time since 2001 and division champs for the first time since 2000

It's why they play the game and why we love it.

To all my fellow Dolfans at TDMMC,

thanks for standing by this team through all the years of misery, thanks for making this site the best Dolphins site ever.  Even after we lost so many of our posts thanks to the crash, we did not let that stop us.  We are back at full speed.

I love being a part of this community, even though you guys sometimes wonder if I have a brain in my head.  (believe me, you're not the only people who have wondered this about me : ))

you all make me proud to be a Dolphins fans

Dolphins fan for life
NFL fan for life

[StL FinFan]

I was not sure where to post this.  This thread is good as anywhere, I guess.  I posted the same thing on another sports MB that I belong to earlier this morning.

To the true Cardinals fans- That was a tough loss but a great game. Warner put that team on his back and came up just short. Keep you heads up and be proud.

To Kurt Warner - You are a class act and a great player. Please don't retire. The NFL needs guys like you.

To Santonio Holmes - From drug riddled streets to Super Bowl MVP. You picked up your team mates and had the game of your life. That must feel pretty good right now.

To the bandwagon fans- I hope you did not injure yourselves jumping right back off.

To everyone who gave me crap for supporting the Steelers (not necessarily meaning people here) - You and Bill Bidwell can suck it!!! STEELERS BABY!!! WOO!!!