At the start of the season, the biggest change in the NFL was that Roger Goodell replaced Paul Tagliabue as league commissioner on September 1. Goodell is the COO of the NFL and has been involved in pressure decisions (labor negotiations). , expansion, relocation) and is heavily involved in many business aspects of the league. He was elected as the next commissioner on 8 August and came to power less than a month later. Here are some other developments:
* The NFL brought back “The Duke” football for the first time since the NFL/AFL merger in 1969.
* Flexible scheduling was introduced. As some of the scheduled primetime games turned into bad games at the end of the season, the NFL decided to use flexible scheduling to move the more important and interesting games into the slot. Sunday.
* A major shift in primetime broadcasting has resulted in flexible scheduling. NBC, which lost the rights to CBS in 1998, purchased the rights to a new Sunday Night Soccer format, making the game a must-see game of the week. ESPN has switched from Sunday Night Football and taken over Monday Night Football from ABC.
*Part of that NBC/ESPN switch involved Disney (ESPN and ABC’s parent company) “trading” Al Michaels to NBC for several Universal properties, including the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. John Madden also left ABC for NBC.
* The New Orleans Saints triumphantly returned to the Superdome in Week 3. The team spent last season as a nomadic franchise due to damage to the stadium and the community at large by Hurricane Katrina. In one of the most emotional games on Monday Night Football, the Saints defeated the Falcons in the second leg.
* University of Phoenix Stadium made its debut as the home ground of the Arizona Cardinals. The stadium, now known as State Farm Stadium, will host the Super Bowl next season.
* LaDainian Tomlinson set the NFL record for the most rushed touchdowns in a season. His 28-time rush TD beat Shaun Alexander’s total – one – that had been set the previous year. Plus his three points received, his total of 31 touchdowns is also an NFL record (both records remain the same). He even threw two touchdown passes that season and was named the NFL’s MVP.
* Morten Andersen sets an NFL record (since broken) for most career points and goals.
* Lamar Hunt, one of the founders of the AFL and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, passed away on December 13.
* Broncos winger Darrent Williams was fatally shot in an overnight drive-in shooting on New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day in Denver… just hours after the Broncos game against the 49ers.
