NFL History: It was 10 years ago this season (2014)
It’s the final installment of a very nostalgic series.
Incredibly, it was 50 years ago that saw the start of the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty. Then there was 1984, when an exciting young quarterback exploded in just a second NFL season.
In 1994 there was a franchise that became the first to win five Super Bowls, and led by a future Hall of Fame quarterback that finally got the monkey off his back. Ten years later, there was an epic draft class featuring three standout signal-callers. Meanwhile, there was also a team that captured its third Lombardi Trophy in four years.
Now there's a look back to the 2014 season. It had some interesting moments for some individual wide receivers, as well as a few memorable plays in one of the best Super Bowls ever.
Did all of this really happen in the back in 2014?
5. Look Cowboys…One hand!
Odell Beckham Jr. has had quite the NFL career and in many aspects. He’s currently a member of the Miami Dolphins, and it will be interesting to see just how many games he will play this season. Health has always been an issue for the one-time New York Giants wideout and 12th overall pick in the 2014 draft.
In Week 12 on a Sunday night vs. the visiting Dallas Cowboys, the former LSU product made his mark as a rookie. On the first play of the second quarter, he and quarterback Eli Manning connected for a 43-yard score. Beckham snared the ball with one hand and fell into the end zone for a memorable touchdown.
4. “Cam” they pull off the comeback?
The Carolina Panthers are one of the great examples of “it’s never over ‘til it’s over.” Ron Rivera’s club was coming off a stunning 12-4 campaign in 2013 (after a 1-3 start) and won the NFC South for the first time since their Super Bowl XXXVIII campaign in 2003. The club would dig an even bigger hole in 2013.
After jumping out to a 2-0 start, Rivera’s club would win one only one of its next 10 games. However, sitting with a 3-8-1 mark, Carolina got hot when it counted most, and had winning another division on its collective mind. The Panthers went on a season-ending four-game winning streak, and captured the NFC South with a 7-8-1 record.
3. Dez he catch it?
Dallas has not had a lot of postseason success over the last two decades plus. Jerry Jones’ team hasn’t even reached the NFC Championship Game since 1995. The ’96 Cowboys beat the Vikings in the wild card round, but the team is now a stunning 4-13 in its last 17 playoff games. That’s quite a disappointing run for a very proud franchise.
In 2014, the Cowboys were 12-4 and NFC East champions. They knocked off the visiting Lions in the first round of the playoffs. The team was in Green Bay a week later, and trailed 26-21. With 4:42 to play, Dallas had a 4th-and-2 on the Packers’ 32-yard line, and Tony Romo appeared to connect with Dez Bryant for 31 yards. Did he catch it?
2. Deflating accusations
It was simply referred to as “Deflategate.” It was a story that in some ways eventually became an eventual non-story. The New England Patriots were fined $1 million and docked a few draft choices, while veteran quarterback Tom Brady would wind up being suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season.
On their way to a comfortable 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the 2014 AFC Championship Game, there were rumblings that Brady was using footballs that that didn’t meet the league requirements in terms of inflation. It was a drawn-out saga that lasted for nearly two years, and remains controversial.
1. The Butler did it
The reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks owned a 24-14 third-quarter lead in Super Bowl XLIX at Arizona. However, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots rallied for two touchdowns in the final quarter and took a four-point advantage with 2:02 to play. However, Pete Carroll’s talented club wasn’t done quite yet.
The ‘Hawks marched to the Patriots’ five-yard-line. A Marshawn Lynch four-yard run got his team closer. Lynch figured to get the ball. Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, an undrafted rookie free agent, stepped in front of Seattle’s Ricardo Lockette and stole quarterback Russell Wilson’s unexpected pass. The Pats survived for the win.