2007 NFL season

2007 NFL season

Regular season
Duration	September 6 2007 - December 30 2007
Playoffs
Start date	January 5 2008
Super Bowl XLII
Date	February 3 2008
Site	University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Champions	TBD
Pro Bowl
Date	February 10 2008
Site	Aloha Stadium

The 2007 season of the National Football League (NFL) is the 88th season played by the major professional American football league in the United States. Regular-season play started with the opening Kickoff game on September 6, 2007 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana, between the New Orleans Saints and the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts, which the Colts won by the score of 41-10, and will conclude on Sunday, December 30 of that year. The playoffs will begin on January 5, 2008, and will end with the league championship game, Super Bowl XLII, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on February 3, 2008. The season will formally conclude with the annual Pro Bowl all-star game on February 10 — moving back to Sunday after being held on a Saturday during the 2006 NFL season.

Schedule

On March 26 2007, the league announced the aforementioned opening Saints-Colts Kickoff game on September 6 that would be telecast on NBC. Pre-game activities featured Indiana native John Mellencamp, Faith Hill and Kelly Clarkson. The entertainment portion of events started 30 minutes earlier than the scheduled start time of the game, leading up to the unveiling of the Colts' Super Bowl XLI championship banner. The opening events were simulcast on NFL Network.

The Dallas Cowboys hosted the New York Giants in the first Sunday night game September 9 at 8:15 p.m. US EDT. Monday Night Football on ESPN kicked off with a doubleheader on September 10 with the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Baltimore Ravens at 7:00 p.m. US EDT, and the San Francisco 49ers hosting the Arizona Cardinals at 10:15 p.m. US EDT. The 49ers paid tribute to three-time Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Walsh, who died July 30, in that game.

For the second year in a row, three games were also held on the United States' Thanksgiving Day (November 22). In addition to the traditional games hosted by the Detroit Lions and Cowboys (with those teams respectively playing the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets, with the Packers-Lions game starting at 12:30 p.m. US EST and the Jets-Cowboys game kicking off at 4:15 p.m. US EST respectively), the Colts faced the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome, with kickoff at 8:15 p.m. US EST.

Based on the NFL's scheduling formula, the intraconference and interconference matchups for 2007 will be:

Intraconference

• AFC East vs. AFC North
• AFC West vs. AFC South
• NFC East vs. NFC North
• NFC West vs. NFC South

Interconference

• AFC East vs. NFC East
• AFC North vs. NFC West
• AFC South vs. NFC South
• AFC West vs. NFC North

Hall of Fame Game

The Hall of Fame Game was played in Canton, Ohio on Sunday August 5 2007, with the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Saints by a score of 20-7; the game was televised by the NFL Network, replacing NBC, who had been previously scheduled to broadcast the China Bowl exhibition game from Beijing, China. However, the league postponed that game until 2009.

Flex scheduling

The NFL enters its second year of flexible scheduling in the final weeks of the season. In each of the Sunday night contests from Weeks 11 through 17, NBC has the option of switching its Sunday night matchup for a more favorable contest, up to 12 days before the game's start. In addition to an extra week of flexible scheduling (because of the conflict with scheduling Christmas Eve last year), the NFL slightly changed its flex-schedule procedure. In 2006, the league did not reveal its predetermined Sunday night game; the reason given by the league was to avoid embarrassing the teams switched out for a more compelling game. In 2007, the league announced all predetermined matchups, with a footnote on the games subject to flex scheduling. Also, the network that carries the "doubleheader" week game (either CBS or FOX) will be able to switch one game per week into the 4:15 PM (US ET) time slot, except in the final week, when NBC will select one game for the 8:15 PM slot, and both CBS and FOX will have doubleheader games on December 30th. The first flex game was the New England Patriots visiting the Buffalo Bills on November 18th. The next flexing came when it was announced that the December 23rd Washington Redskins-Minnesota Vikings game was moved to 8:15 PM on NBC, replacing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers-San Francisco 49ers contest, which was moved to 4:05 PM to be aired on FOX. It was announced on December 23rd the Tennessee Titans-Indianapolis Colts game, originally scheduled for a 1 PM kickoff on CBS, would be the December 30th "flex game" and airing at 8:15 PM on NBC, replacing the Kansas City Chiefs-New York Jets game, which was moved to 1 PM on CBS. Additionally, the Dallas Cowboys-Washington Redskins game was switched on FOX from 1 PM kickoff to 4:15 PM.

Going global

In October 2006, NFL club owners approved a plan to stage up to two international regular season games per season beginning in 2007 and continuing through at least 2011. On February 2 2007, the league announced that the Week Eight contest between the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins would be played at Wembley Stadium in London on October 28 at 5 p.m. UTC, which is 1:00 p.m. US EDT) As the Giants were the away-team designate from the NFC, Fox broadcasted the game in the USA according to league broadcast contract rules.

The league was scheduled to hold a preseason game called the China Bowl on August 8, 2007 between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Workers Stadium in Beijing, China. However, with all efforts being put into the London regular season game, plans have been postponed until 2009 as Beijing will host the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Current regular season standings

Standings as of 11:30 p.m. EST (-5 UTC), December 23, 2007

Qualified for playoffs

Contending for playoffs

Eliminated from playoffs

Clinched playoff seeds are marked in parentheses

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

AFC East
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
(1) New England Patriots	15	0	0	1.000	551	239	Details
Buffalo Bills	7	8	0	.467	243	337	Details
New York Jets	3	12	0	.200	255	335	Details
Miami Dolphins	1	14	0	.071	242	399	Details
AFC North
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Pittsburgh Steelers	10	5	0	.667	372	242	Details
Cleveland Browns	9	6	0	.600	382	375	Details
Cincinnati Bengals	6	9	0	.400	342	360	Details
Baltimore Ravens	4	11	0	.267	248	363	Details
AFC South
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
(2) Indianapolis Colts	13	2	0	.867	440	246	Details
(5) Jacksonville Jaguars	11	4	0	.733	383	262	Details
Tennessee Titans	9	6	0	.600	285	287	Details
Houston Texans	7	8	0	.467	337	356	Details
AFC West
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
San Diego Chargers	9	5	0	.643	359	264	Details
Denver Broncos	6	8	0	.429	295	367	Details
Oakland Raiders	4	11	0	.286	266	368	Details
Kansas City Chiefs	4	11	0	.308	216	322	Details

NFC East
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
(1) Dallas Cowboys	13	2	0	.867	449	298	Details
(5) New York Giants	10	5	0	.667	338	313	Details
Washington Redskins	8	7	0	.500	275	283	Details
Philadelphia Eagles	7	8	0	.467	319	291	Details
NFC North
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
(2) Green Bay Packers	12	3	0	.800	401	278	Details
Minnesota Vikings	8	7	0	.571	325	257	Details
Detroit Lions	7	8	0	.467	333	410	Details
Chicago Bears	6	9	0	.400	301	323	Details
NFC South
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers	9	6	0	.600	311	239	Details
New Orleans Saints	7	8	0	.467	354	355	Details
Carolina Panthers	6	9	0	.400	236	324	Details
Atlanta Falcons	3	12	0	.200	215	373	Details
NFC West
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
(3) Seattle Seahawks	10	5	0	.667	352	247	Details
Arizona Cardinals	7	8	0	.467	356	380	Details
San Francisco 49ers	5	10	0	.333	212	344	Details
St. Louis Rams	3	12	0	.200	244	390	Details

Playoff Picture

Main article: NFL playoffs, 2007-08

Bold indicates Divisional leader.

AFC

1. h-New England (15-0)
2. f-Indianapolis (13-2)
3. d-Pittsburgh (10-5)
4. d-San Diego (9-5)
5. w-Jacksonville (11-4)
6. Tennessee (9-6)
7. Cleveland (9-6)

• Eliminated: Houston, Buffalo, Denver, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Oakland, Baltimore, N.Y. Jets, Miami

NFC

1. ht-Dallas (13-2)
2. f-Green Bay (12-3)
3. dt-Seattle (10-5)
4. d-Tampa Bay (9-6)
5. w-N.Y. Giants (10-5)
6. Washington (8-7)
7. Monnesota (8-7)
8. New Orleans (7-8)

• Eliminated: Atlanta, San Francisco, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Arizona, Carolina

t-Holds tiebreaker in season series.
w-Clinched wild card spot.
d-Clinched division
f-Clinched first-round bye
h-Clinched home-field advantage

Tiebreakers:

1. Dallas defeated Green Bay on November 29.
2. Seattle defeated Tampa Bay on September 9.

Playoff Scenarios for Week 17

These are the playoff scenarios for Week 17.

AFC Scenarios

AFC East

• New England clinched the AFC East Division title in Week 12, and home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs in Week 15.

AFC West

• San Diego clinched the AFC West Division with a win in Week 15.

AFC North

• Pittsburgh clinched the AFC North title with Cleveland's loss in Week 16
• Cleveland can clinch a playoff berth in Week 17 with:
  • A Tennessee loss to Indianapolis.
    • If Cleveland and Tennessee both lose and finish at 9-7, Cleveland would clinch based on a better conference record (7-5 to 6-6).

AFC South

• Indianapolis clinched a playoff berth in Week 14 and clinched the AFC South Division and a first-round bye in Week 15.
• Jacksonville clinched a playoff berth in Week 16.
• Tennessee can clinch a playoff berth with:
  • A win over Indianapolis.
    • If Tennessee and Cleveland both win and finish at 10-6, Tennessee would clinch based on a better record versus the common opponents of Cincinnati, Denver, Houston, and N.Y. Jets (4-1 to 3-2).

NFC Scenarios

NFC East

• Dallas clinched a playoff berth in Week 13, the NFC East division title in Week 14, a first-round bye prior to their game in Week 15 and home field advantage with Green Bay's loss in Week 16.
• The New York Giants clinched a wild card berth in Week 16.
• Washington can clinch a wild card berth with:
  • A win over Dallas.
• If Washington loses to Dallas, they need to have:
  • A Minnesota loss to Denver and
  • A New Orleans loss to Chicago.
    • Washington would clinch, having the best conference record out of all of the 8-8 teams.

NFC West

• Seattle clinched a playoff berth and the NFC West division title in Week 14.

NFC North

• Green Bay clinched a playoff berth and the NFC North division title in Week 14, and a first-round bye in Week 15.
• Minnesota can clinch a playoff berth with:
  • A win over Denver and
  • A New Orleans loss to Chicago and
  • A Washington loss or tie to Dallas.

NFC South

• Tampa Bay clinched a playoff berth and the NFC South division title in Week 15.
• New Orleans, should Washington beat Minnesota, can clinch a wild card berth with:
  • A win over Chicago and
  • A Washington loss to Dallas and
  • A Minnesota loss to Denver.
    • New Orleans would then clinch having the best conference record out of all of the 8-8 teams.

Rule changes

The following rule changes were passed at the league's annual owners meeting in Phoenix, Arizona during the week of March 25-28:

• The instant replay system, used since the 1999 season, was finally made as permanent officiating tool. Previously, it was renewed on a biennial basis.
• The system has also been upgraded to use high-definition technology. However, the systems at Texas Stadium (Dallas Cowboys), RCA Dome (Indianapolis Colts), and Giants Stadium (New York Giants and Jets) will not receive the HDTV updates since those stadiums will be replaced over the next few years. One reason that the technology was improved was that fans with high-definition televisions at home were having better views on replays than the officials and according to Dean Blandino, the NFL's instant replay director "that could have bit us in the rear if we continued [with the old system]." In addition, the amount of time allotted for the referee to review a play was reduced from 90 seconds to one minute.
• After a play is over, players who spike the ball in the field of play, other than in the end zone, will receive a 5-yard delay of game penalty.
• Forward passes that unintentionally hit an offensive lineman will no longer be an illegal touching penalty, but deliberate actions are still penalized.
• Roughing-the-passer penalties will not be called on a defender engaged with a quarterback who simply extends his arms and shoves the passer to the ground.
• During situations where crowd noise becomes a problem (when it becomes too loud that it prevents the offensive team from hearing its signals), the offense can no longer ask the referee to reset the play clock.
• It is necessary to have the ball touch the pylon or break the plane above the pylon to count as a touchdown. Previously, a player just had to have some portion of his body over the goal line or pylon to count a touchdown
• A completed catch is now when a receiver gets two feet down and has control of the ball. Previously, a receiver had to make "a football move" in addition to having control of the ball for a reception.
• Players will be subject to a fine from the league for playing with an unbuckled chin strap. Officials will not penalize for chin strap violations during a game.

Television

See also: NFL on television

The 2007 season marked the second year of the current television contracts with NBC, CBS, Fox, ESPN, and the NFL Network. The pre-game shows made some changes, with former Steelers coach Bill Cowher joining host James Brown, Boomer Esaison, Shannon Sharpe and Dan Marino on CBS's The NFL Today. On FOX, after one season on the road, FOX NFL Sunday returned to Los Angeles as Curt Menefee took over as full-time host. Chris Rose, who had been doing in in-game updates of other NFL games, was reverted to a part-time play-by-play role.

The biggest changes were at NBC and ESPN. Michael Irvin's contract with ESPN was not renewed, and former coach Bill Parcells returned to the network after four years as Cowboys head coach. Another pair of former Cowboys, Emmitt Smith and Keyshawn Johnson (who also holds a Super Bowl Ring from 2003 as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), also provided roles in the studio for Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown. The biggest change though, was at Monday Night Football. Joe Theismann was sacked (and later would resign from the network) after seventeen years in the booth between the Sunday and Monday Night packages, and former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and current Philadelphia Soul (AFL) president Ron Jaworski took his place alongside Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser. Part of the reason that Jaworski replaced Theismann was because of his chemistry with Kornheiser on Pardon The Interruption, where Jaworski was a frequent guest during the football season. In addition, all Monday Night shows (save PTI) were based in ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut instead of on-site as a money-saving measure.

NBC's Football Night in America also made two big changes. MSNBC Countdown anchor Keith Olbermann will join Bob Costas and Cris Collinsworth as another co-host, while Sterling Sharpe exited as a studio analyst, and former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber replaced him. And in another minor change, Faith Hill took over singing "Waiting All Day For Sunday Night" for Pink.

NFL Network's "Drive to the Playoffs" package has made a change as Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders replace Dick Vermeil for two Saturday night games when Collinsworth is unavailable. An unforced change saw Bryant Gumbel miss the Broncos-Texans game December 13 due to a sore throat and NBC announcer Tom Hammond pinch hit for Bryant in what turned out to be more or less a preview of one of NBC's Wild Card Game announcing teams.

Coaching changes

Seven major head coaching changes were made before the season started, including five new faces on the sidelines and two former coaches getting new chances.

The most notable change was in Atlanta, where Bobby Petrino had taken over as coach of the Falcons, replacing Jim Mora. Petrino had arrived from the University of Louisville, leading them to the 2006 Big East championship and a win in the FedEx Orange Bowl. However, in the midst of a disappointing season without the convicted Michael Vick, Petrino resigned the day after the Falcons' 34-14 loss to New Orleans in the Monday Night football contest on December 10th, leaving with a 3-10 record and accept the head coaching job at the University of Arkansas. Emmitt Thomas, the Falcons' defensive backs coach, took over as interim coach for the team's final three games of the season.

In other head coaching changes for the season:

• Ken Whisenhunt, who had been considered the favorite to become the Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach, surprised everyone in Pittsburgh and became head coach in Arizona, replacing Dennis Green.
• Cam Cameron, former head coach at Indiana University and offensive coordinator with the San Diego Chargers was named head coach in Miami, replacing the departed Nick Saban, who returned to college football and coach the University of Alabama.
• Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin was named the new head coach of the Steelers as Bill Cowher's replacement, becoming the seventh African-American head coach in the league, and the first black head coach in the Steelers' 75-year history.
• Lane Kiffin, former offensive coordinator at Southern California was named by the Oakland Raiders at age 31, the youngest head coach in NFL history, replacing Art Shell, who was fired after one year in his second term as head coach. Kiffin's father, Monte Kiffin, is the defensive coordinator for the Buccaneers.
• Former Chargers' defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was named the Cowboys' new head coach, replacing the aforementioned retired Bill Parcells and is the oldest of the seven coaches hired.
• The Chargers named former 49ers' offensive coordinator Norv Turner as their new head coach, replacing Marty Schottenheimer who was fired due to dysfunction and philosophical differences within the Chargers organization. Turner's head coaching résumé includes the Washington Redskins from 1994 to 2000, and the Raiders in 2004 and 2005.

Milestones

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

Record	Player/Team	Date/Opponent	Previous Record Holder
Longest Kickoff Return	Ellis Hobbs, New England (108 yards)	September 9, at N.Y. Jets	Tied by 3 players (106)
Most Regular-Season Wins by a Quarterback, Career	Brett Favre, Green Bay	September 16, at N.Y. Giants	John Elway, 1983-1998 (148)
Most Touchdown Passes, Career	Brett Favre, Green Bay	September 30, at Minnesota	Dan Marino, 1983-1999 (420)
Most Pass Attempts, Career	Brett Favre, Green Bay	September 30, at Minnesota	Dan Marino, 1983-1999 (8358)
Most Points Scored by a Team, 4th Quarter	Detroit Lions (34)	September 30, vs. Chicago	Tied by 3 teams (31)
Most Touchdown Catches by a Tight End, Career	Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City	October 14, vs. Cincinnati	Shannon Sharpe, 1990-2003 (62)
Most Passes Had Intercepted, Career	Brett Favre, Green Bay	October 14, vs. Washington	George Blanda, 1949-1975 (277)
Most Field Goals, Game	Rob Bironas, Tennessee (8)	October 21, at Houston	Tied by 4 players (7)
Most Consecutive Seasons in One Stadium	Lambeau Field, Green Bay Packers	2007 marks 51st season.	Wrigley Field, Chicago Bears (50 years, 1921-1970)
Longest Return of a Missed Field Goal/ Longest Play in NFL History	Antonio Cromartie, San Diego (109 yards)	November 4, at Minnesota	Tied by 2 players (108 yards)/ Tied by 3 players (108 yards)
Most Rushing Yards, Game	Adrian Peterson, Minnesota (296)	November 4, vs. San Diego	Jamal Lewis, 2003 (295)
Most Consecutive Games with 3 Touchdown Passes	Tom Brady, New England (10 games)	November 4, at Indianapolis	Peyton Manning (8 games)
Most Games with 3 Touchdown Passes, Career	Brett Favre, Green Bay (63)	November 22, at Detroit	Dan Marino, 1983-1999 (62)
Most Yards Passing, Career	Brett Favre, Green Bay	December 16, at St. Louis	Dan Marino, 1983-1999 (61,361)
Consecutive 12+ win season	2003-present Indianapolis (5)	December 16, at Oakland	1992-1995 Dallas (4)
Most Touchdowns Scored, Season	New England Patriots	December 23, vs. Miami	Miami Dolphins, 1984 (70)
Most Points After Touchdown Kicked, Season	Stephen Gostkowski, New England	December 23, vs. Miami	Uwe von Schamann, 1984 (66)
First 15-0 start/Most consecutive games won in one season	New England	December 23, vs. Miami	1972 Dolphins

The following players and teams may break league records during the rest of the 2007 season:

• Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is currently on pace to set numerous season passing records, including touchdowns, completion percentage, and passer rating.
• Wide receiver Randy Moss of the Patriots could break the record for most receiving touchdowns in a season.
• The New England Patriots are on pace for the highest-scoring season in NFL history for total points and points per game, and remain undefeated, attempting to be the first team in the 16-game regular season schedule era to be undefeated.
• Bears kick returner Devin Hester tied his own NFL records for most kick returns for a touchdown in a season and most kick returns for a touchdown in a game (two) when he got his fourth and fifth returns (one punt, one kickoff) against the Denver Broncos on November 25th at Soldier Field.

News

Player conduct off the field

Further information: National Football League player conduct controversy

The NFLPA, led by their president Gene Upshaw and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell are going to be working with player conduct in the form of suspensions for off the field conduct in light of the more than fifty arrests by local law enforcement since the start of the 2006 season. The hardest hit so far came on April 10 when Adam "Pacman" Jones of the Tennessee Titans was suspended for the entire season for his five arrests, the most blatant while in Las Vegas for the NBA All-Star Weekend in February where he caused a riot/shooting in a strip club. That same day, Chris Henry of the Cincinnati Bengals was suspended for the first eight games of the season for his run-ins with the legal system. The other big name that has been caught in the web of controversy was Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick. Vick was charged on July 24 with dogfighting and animal abuse, and has been suspended indefinitely following a guilty plea in the case, on which he was sentenced to 23 months in prison (retroactive to November) and three years probation on December 10th.

Death of Marquise Hill

On the evening of May 27, 2007, Marquise Hill, a defensive end for the New England Patriots and a friend fell off a jet ski in Lake Pontchartrain, north of New Orleans. The two were wearing neither personal flotation nor tracking devices. The friend was rescued and sent to Tulane Medical Center, but Hill did not survive; his body was found the next day. The Patriots are honoring Hill, the first Patriots player to die while still a member of the team, by wearing black circular decals on their helmets with Hill's number, 91.

Death of Sean Taylor

Fourth-year player Sean Taylor, a defensive back for the Redskins, was shot in his home near Miami, Florida on November 26; he died from his injuries the next day. For the remainder of the season, the Redskins will honoring him with a black patch on their right shoulder of the player uniform jerseys along with a decal with his playing number (21) on the back of their helmets. Taylor's memory was honored in all games during Week 13. Four men in the robbery were charged with murder and will go on trial after being denied bail.

Other news

File:Newnfllogo.png

The NFL's updated shield icon, going into effect starting with the 2008 NFL Draft.

• This will be the final season the classic NFL Shield logo, which has not changed since 1980, will be used. An updated version first seen on August 31st in USA Today will be put into use starting with the 2008 NFL Draft in April. The new logo design features eight stars (one for each division) instead of the current 25 stars, the football now resembles that on the top of the Vince Lombardi Trophy, given to the Super Bowl champion and the lettering and point has been updated and modified to that of the league's current typeface for other logos.
• The 2007 season will be the last in the RCA Dome for the Indianapolis Colts, who moved there from Baltimore in 1984. The franchise will move to the new Lucas Oil Stadium in time for the 2008 season.
• The Redskins are celebrating their 75th anniversary season as the franchise was founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves, and wore Vince Lombardi-styled uniforms against the New York Giants on September 23. The Philadelphia Eagles and their cross-state rival Pittsburgh Steelers are also celebrating their 75th anniversaries, having been founded in 1933. The Eagles wore replicas of their inaugural season uniforms against the Detroit Lions on September 23, while the Steelers wore 1960 uniforms against the Buffalo Bills on September 16 and did so again when the Baltimore Ravens visited on November 5.
• Throwback uniforms were not just limited to team anniversary celebrations. For example, the Minnesota Vikings wore 1970's uniforms against the Packers on September 30, while the Jets honored their historic predecessors on October 14 against the Eagles and in a rare instance, wore them in a road game at Miami December 2 by wearing the New York Titans' 1960 through 1962 uniforms. The team did not become the Jets until 1963. The Cowboys wore their 1960 uniforms on November 29th against the Packers, and the Bills wore their 1960's throwbacks at home against Dallas October 7 and against Miami December 9.
• San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan and Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio will both wear a suit on the sidelines for all of the team's home games to honor Nolan's father, former 49ers and Saints coach Dick Nolan. In 2006, both coaches were allowed to wear a suit on the sidelines for a maximum of two home games. Del Rio did not wear a suit in the September 16th game against the Falcons due to the extreme heat in Jacksonville that day. Nolan wore a suit at the Meadowlands against the Giants on October 21st.
• The 49ers honored the late Bill Walsh, coach of their wins in Super Bowls XVI, XIX and XXIII by wearing throwback uniforms from the 1980s in their opener on September 10th against the Arizona Cardinals. Mike Nolan had been considering wearing the 1980s uniforms for the entire season to honor Walsh's memory. The retro uniforms were worn again on November 18th against the Seahawks. In addition, all season long, the team has worn a black football-shaped decal on their helmets with the initials "BW" in white.

File:LH-Patch577w.png

The commemorative patch the Chiefs will wear to honor their late founder, Lamar Hunt.

• The Kansas City Chiefs honored their late former owner and team founder Lamar Hunt by wearing special American Football League logo patches on their jerseys with the letters "LH" emblazoned inside the logo's football.
• Teams that have permanent captains are allowed (on a team-by-team basis) to wear a "C" patch (similar to those in ice hockey) on their right shoulder. The patch is in team colors with four stars under the "C". A gold star is placed on a bar below the "C" signaling how many years (with a maximum of four years) that player has been captain.
• The controversy surrounding distribution of the NFL Network came to a head on November 29, when only 35% of the available homes got the Green Bay Packers-Dallas Cowboys game, including required over-the-air telecasts on Dallas, Green Bay and Milwaukee (the Packers' alternate home city for many years). Things were so bad, even the Governor of Wisconsin did not get the telecast because of the network not being carried on his cable service. He went to his brothers' home where he had satellite. According to Nielsen Ratings, the game drew 10.1 million viewers in spite of the limited availability of NFL Network, the network's highest rating ever.
• The ESPN Monday Night Football game between the unbeaten New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens on December 3rd drew the highest basic cable rating in history, with over 17.5 million viewers, beating the premiere of Disney Channel's High School Musical 2, which set the previous record on August 17th. The previous high water mark was a MNF telecast between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys on October 23, 2006, drawing over 16 million viewers .

See also

• 2007 NFL Draft
• Super Bowl XLII