Column: NFL season review

So, the stage is set. For the second time in 4 years, the Giants and Patriots will play each other in the Super Bowl. This is, quite possibly, the most underwhelming Super Bowl matchup in recent history. I am exponentially more excited for my eventual colonoscopy within the next 20 years than I am for this game. There isn't enough whiskey in Lynchburg to help me forget that this will, without a doubt, happen; the game AND the colonoscopy.

Anyway… It's better than Niners – Ravens Super Bowl. What an awful game that would have been.

Jokes aside, this year was pretty remarkable. There were several surprises and a few records were broken along the way.

Let us start with the surprises.

I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't sold on Cam Newton from the get-go. I was aware of his ‘rare athleticism' that he displayed in college and that he was hyped up with about as much ignorant enthusiasm as the McRib. Well, at least that's what I thought. Then, in his first regular season game, he broke the record for most passing yards in a game by a rookie. Sure, it was in a losing effort and the Panthers are terrible. But, in that first game, he threw two touchdown passes and rushed for another. He was a part of all of Carolina's 21 points that game. I thought I was going to get to make fun of him all season long. Instead, I started paying attention. He finished the season with a very respectable stat line. He threw for 4,051 yards, which also happens to be an NFL rookie record, and 21 touchdowns. He racked up over 700 yards rushing and scored another 14 touchdowns. If he keeps this up and the Panthers surround him with a little more help, he could wind up being something spectacular.

Another surprise this year was the realization that the Colts would be without Peyton Manning for the duration of the 2011-2012 regular season. Curtis Painter was surely the most surprised. Peyton Manning is, essentially, an on-field coach. He called the plays and executed them with precision. Peyton Manning is the Colts' offense. Without that crucial piece, they had no leg to stand on. Stumble and fall, they did. Just one year removed from an 11-5 record and a Wild Card playoff berth in 2010, they only won 2 games in 2011. Without Peyton Manning, this perennial AFC South powerhouse all but fell off the map. With Manning's return still uncertain, the Colts are rumored to be going after Stanford-standout quarterback Andrew Luck in the upcoming draft. Peyton is on his way out. Love him or hate him, we are staring the end of an era right in the eye. For any true fan of football, that's a tough pill to swallow.

Now that I've got you depressed, I'll pick you back up a bit. A Ginger had some success this season! Believe it or not, he even played for an orange team. Andy Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals was yet another rookie success at quarterback this year. It's easy to make a case, however, that Dalton wouldn't have had the same level of success without fellow rookie A.J. Green. This rookie tandem put up some very impressive numbers, showed promise, and gave hope to an organization that was in turmoil mere months before the first game.

The San Francisco 49ers shocked the world this season by making it all the way to the NFC Championship game. Yes, they lost. But, with the failures of Mike Singletary still lingering, nobody outside of San Francisco gave them a chance. First year coach Jim Harbaugh came in and made waves with his presence. Just ask Jim Schwartz. For one thing, he made Alex Smith look like the quarterback he was drafted to be. Second, his fiery attitude and smug disposition, while obnoxious and a task for some to tolerate, really seemed like it transferred to the players. The Niners played like a totally different team. Never count out a Harbaugh. Well, until they get to the Conference Championship game.

Speaking of Jim Schwartz, the Lions started out strong this season, as well. For a team that's been the literal laughing stock of the league to finally make their first playoff appearance since Y2K. All of the puzzle pieces were finally in place. Matthew ‘Glass Shoulder' Stafford was actually able to stay healthy for an entire season, which I think was the most significant factor. Calvin Johnson Jr. was absolutely in rare form this year, making everyone who tried to cover him look really short and untalented. The defense played football for the first time since the 60's. They started their first 5 games undefeated and reminded everyone in the country that Detroit's not dead. Yet. It's too bad that every Lions fan still wishes Barry Sanders were still playing.

I can't leave out the fact that Drew Brees broke Dan Marino's single season passing record that was set back in 1984. This year, Brees finished with 5,476 yards passing, edging out Marino's record by 392 yards. While that's very impressive, Tom Brady also broke Marino's record this year by 151 yards(5,235) and Matthew Stafford was just 46 yards shy(5,038) of breaking that record from '84, too. This year was full of over the top performances, and yes, that pun was intended.

The Dolphins and Chiefs were pretty terrible this season. The Chiefs' only bright spot was ending the Packers' undefeated streak. And they did it in those awful red and yellow uniforms. I would like to boycott Kansas City until they update their look. I mean, honestly, Miami's uniforms are hideous, too. That ‘Seafoam Green' color me think of Mountain Dew Baja at Taco Bell, and no one wants to think of that.