2008 NFL season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia / This article documents a current NFL season. Information may change as the event progresses. 2008 National Football League season The NFL's newly revamped shield. Regular season Duration September 4[1] to December 28, 2008 Playoffs Start date January 3, 2009 Super Bowl XLIII Date February 1, 2009[2] Site Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida Pro Bowl Date February 8, 2009 National Football League seasons < 2007 The 2008 NFL Season is the 89th season of the National Football League, the major professional American football league in the United States, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now." Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, is scheduled to be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009.[2] The regular season began on September 4 with the Super Bowl champion New York Giants defeating the Washington Redskins 16-7, and will conclude with the 2009 Pro Bowl on February 8, 2009 near Honolulu. Contents [hide] 1 Schedule 1.1 Preseason 1.2 Regular Season 1.2.1 Formula 1.2.2 Opening Weekend 1.2.3 Flexible scheduling 1.2.4 International play 1.2.5 Thanksgiving 1.2.6 Christmas 1.2.7 Pro Bowl 2 Standings 3 Playoffs 3.1 Playoff scenarios 4 Rule changes 5 Media 5.1 Television 5.1.1 Changes 5.2 Radio 5.3 Internet television 6 Changes 6.1 Coaching 6.2 Firing of Matt Millen 7 Milestones 8 Season highlights 8.1 New logo 8.2 New stadiums 8.3 Retirement/Unretirement of Brett Favre 8.4 Chad Johnson becomes Chad Ocho Cinco 8.5 Hurricane Ike 8.6 The halfback option gains popularity 8.7 Tie game 8.8 Tributes 8.8.1 St. Louis Rams and Georgia Frontiere 8.8.2 Kansas City Chiefs and Lamar Hunt 8.8.3 Tim Russert 8.8.4 Gene Upshaw 8.9 Apparel 9 See also 10 References [edit] Schedule [edit] Preseason In preseason games, the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game was played August 3 between the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins, which aired on NBC Sunday Night Football.[3] Washington won the game, 30–16.[4] On April 3, the league revealed the other preseason games[5] which includes the first game of the Toronto Series, which was played August 14 between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Toronto's Rogers Centre. The Bills won that game, 24–21. [edit] Regular Season [edit] Formula Based on the NFL's scheduling formula, the intraconference and interconference matchups for 2008 are:[6] Division AFC opponent NFC opponent AFC East West West AFC North South East AFC South North North AFC West East South NFC East North West NFC North South South NFC South West North NFC West East East [edit] Opening Weekend The annual NFL Kickoff Game to start the season took place on September 4 and featured the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants winning over their division rivals, the Washington Redskins, at Giants Stadium by a score of 16–7. The game's kickoff was ninety minutes earlier than previous years, at 7 p.m. EDT, because of a time conflict with the 2008 Republican National Convention.[1] Other featured games during the opening week included the NBC Sunday Night Football game between the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts (the first regular season game at Lucas Oil Stadium, and a rematch of Super Bowl XLI), in which the Kyle Orton-led Bears upset the Colts 29–13. In addition, there were two Monday Night Football contests, both division rivalries, as part of the now annual doubleheader: The Minnesota Vikings at the Green Bay Packers (the Packers' first time without Brett Favre since 1992, in which Aaron Rodgers helped the Packers win, 24–18), and the Denver Broncos at the Oakland Raiders, where Jay Cutler and Eddie Royal led the Broncos in beating the Raiders, 41–14.[7] [edit] Flexible scheduling The 2008 season also is the third season of the use of the "flexible scheduling" for Sunday games starting with Week 11. [edit] International play This will be the second consecutive season that the league will play at least one regular season game outside the United States as part of its International Series. The contest between the San Diego Chargers and the New Orleans Saints was played at Wembley Stadium in London on October 26, with New Orleans winning 37–32.[8][9] The Chargers played at Buffalo the week beforehand on October 19 so they could immediately travel to London afterward in order to get used to the time difference.[8] The league has also approved the Bills' request to play at least one regular season home game at Toronto's Rogers Centre over each of the next five seasons.[10] Team owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. petitioned the league to play at least one game in Canada to strengthen his club's fan base in Ontario. [11] The game in Toronto will be on December 7, after the end of the 2008 CFL season[10], against the Miami Dolphins. CBS will telecast both games regionally; the Toronto game will be carried across Canada on Rogers Sportsnet and City TV. [edit] Thanksgiving Meanwhile, the traditional Thanksgiving Day games will be held on November 27, with the Detroit Lions hosting the Tennessee Titans at 12:30 PM EST on CBS, the Dallas Cowboys' home game following suit on FOX at 4:15 PM EST against the Seattle Seahawks. A third game on NFL Network, featuring the Arizona Cardinals and the Philadelphia Eagles will follow at 8:15 PM EST.[1][6] It will be the first home game for the Eagles on Thanksgiving Day since 1940, and their first Thanksgiving game at any location since the infamous Bounty Bowl Game in 1989. [edit] Christmas Despite NFL tradition to play games on Christmas if the holiday lands on a day of the week when the NFL normally plays, and the fact that Christmas lands on a Thursday in 2008, the NFL opted not to hold a Christmas game this season, instead scheduling all of its week 17 matchups for Sunday. [edit] Pro Bowl The NFL's Pro Bowl all-star game at the end of the season will be played at Aloha Stadium in the Honolulu suburb of ʻAiea, Hawaiʻi for the 30th consecutive season. The league had the option under their current contract to hold the game elsewhere, including the possibility of

moving it to the host site of the Super Bowl.[12][13] [edit] Standings W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against AFC East Team W L T PCT PF PA New York Jets 7 3 0 .700 289 221 Details Miami Dolphins 6 4 0 .600 209 197 Details New England Patriots 6 4 0 .600 219 194 Details Buffalo Bills 5 5 0 .500 219 218 Details AFC North Team W L T PCT PF PA Pittsburgh Steelers 7 3 0 .700 209 150 Details Baltimore Ravens 6 4 0 .600 222 180 Details Cleveland Browns 4 6 0 .400 201 221 Details Cincinnati Bengals 1 8 1 .150 138 249 Details AFC South Team W L T PCT PF PA Tennessee Titans 10 0 0 1.000 244 131 Details Indianapolis Colts 6 4 0 .600 224 224 Details Jacksonville Jaguars 4 6 0 .400 212 210 Details Houston Texans 3 7 0 .300 236 287 Details AFC West Team W L T PCT PF PA Denver Broncos 6 4 0 .600 248 271 Details San Diego Chargers 4 6 0 .400 254 229 Details Oakland Raiders 2 8 0 .200 128 235 Details Kansas City Chiefs 1 9 0 .100 165 273 Details NFC East Team W L T PCT PF PA New York Giants 9 1 0 .900 292 170 Details Washington Redskins 6 4 0 .600 181 182 Details Dallas Cowboys 6 4 0 .600 230 229 Details Philadelphia Eagles 5 4 1 .550 264 194 Details NFC North Team W L T PCT PF PA Green Bay Packers 5 5 0 .500 274 209 Details Chicago Bears 5 5 0 .500 240 231 Details Minnesota Vikings 5 5 0 .500 223 234 Details Detroit Lions 0 10 0 .000 173 308 Details NFC South Team W L T PCT PF PA Carolina Panthers 8 2 0 .800 222 155 Details Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7 3 0 .700 219 160 Details Atlanta Falcons 6 4 0 .600 231 198 Details New Orleans Saints 5 5 0 .500 266 249 Details NFC West Team W L T PCT PF PA Arizona Cardinals 7 3 0 .700 289 228 Details San Francisco 49ers 3 7 0 .300 230 275 Details Seattle Seahawks 2 8 0 .200 190 257 Details St. Louis Rams 2 8 0 .200 144 317 Details [edit] Playoffs Main article: NFL playoffs, 2008-09 The playoffs are scheduled to start with Wild Card Weekend on January 3–4, 2009. The Divisional Playoffs are scheduled for January 10–11, while the Conference Championship Games will be held on January 18. Super Bowl XLIII will then be played on February 3 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. [edit] Playoff scenarios The following team(s) can qualify for the playoffs during Week 12: Arizona can clinch the NFC West title with a win over the New York Giants, a San Francisco loss to Dallas, and a Seattle loss or tie to Washington. [edit] Rule changes The following rule changes were passed at the league's annual owners meeting in Palm Beach, Florida during the week of March 31:[14] One defensive player will be allowed to wear a radio similar to the one worn by the quarterback to communicate with the coaching staff on the field. The "force-out" rule on catches made near the sidelines has been eliminated. A receiver now must come down with the ball and both feet in bounds for a pass to be ruled complete; previously, passes would be ruled complete if the receiver was pushed by a defender while in the air and the official judged that he would have come down in bounds had he not been pushed. However, if a receiver is wrapped up in mid-air by a defender and carried out of bounds before both feet touch the ground, the official can still rule the play a completion.[15] The 5-yard incidental grabbing of the face mask penalty has been eliminated; incidental contact will not result in a penalty, though intentional grabbing of the face mask will remain a 15-yard personal foul. Teams that win the opening coin toss now have the option to defer the decision until the start of the second half, the same as in college football. Field goal attempts that bounce off the goal post are now reviewable under instant replay. This change followed a decision during the previous season during a Browns-Ravens game when Phil Dawson's game-tying field goal hit an upright, then the crossbar and the back of the goal post. Legal forward hand offs that touch the ground and attempted snaps when the ball hits the ground before the quarterback touches it are now considered fumbles; previously, forward hand offs were treated as incomplete passes, while a snap that hit the ground before the quarterback touched it was a 5-yard illegal procedure penalty. [edit] Media [edit] Television For more details on this topic, see NFL on television. This is the third season under the league's

current television contracts with its American broadcast partners. CBS Sports and FOX Sports are televising Sunday afternoon AFC and NFC games, respectively.[16] For primetime games, NBC broadcasts Sunday Night Football and ESPN airs Monday Night Football.[17] The NFL Network's Run to the Playoffs will also broadcast selected seven Thursday and one Saturday late season night games,[18] although there were reportedly negotiations to move those games to ESPN Classic.[19] This is also the last NFL season to be broadcast over the air in analog television in the United States; the digital television transition occurs on February 17, 2009, just eight days after the Pro Bowl. Border stations in Canada and Mexico will continue to broadcast in analog; cable stations are unaffected and will be distributed in the format of the cable provider's choice. NBC has the rights to broadcast Super Bowl XLIII, their first Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXXII at the end of the 1997 season.[17] [edit] Changes ESPN has reduced the on-air roles of sideline reporters Michele Tafoya and Suzy Kolber during the Monday Night Football telecast.[20] Also, Emmitt Smith has been replaced on Sunday NFL Countdown by Cris Carter, who comes over from HBO. Meanwhile, NBC's Football Night in America reunites Dan Patrick with Keith Olbermann on television for the first time since 1997 when they co-hosted SportsCenter. The in-house NFL Network saw Bryant Gumbel resign as their play-by-play announcer after two seasons on the network's Run to the Playoffs package after critics described his play-by-play calling as "lackluster."[21] Taking his place will be New York Giants radio announcer Bob Papa. Additionally, NFL Films-produced Inside the NFL has changed premium cable homes from Time Warner's HBO after three decades to CBS' Showtime. Also changed: James Brown (from the parent network's The NFL Today) as host and Phil Simms as one of the analysts. Cris Collinsworth is staying, but Dan Marino has been dropped as a studio analyst, and the aforementioned Cris Carter moved to ESPN. Taking their place is Warren Sapp. [edit] Radio On radio, Westwood One has separated from its longtime corporate sister, CBS Radio. This could possibly affect the network's NFL on Westwood One coverage, which it has carried since the two networks merged in the late 1990s. The Westwood One coverage currently uses the NFL on CBS branding on its broadcasts. Also, the Sports USA Radio Network, another syndicator, has been sold along with parent company Jones Radio Networks to the Triton Media Group. [edit] Internet television On Internet television, both NFL.com and NBCSports.com are carrying complete live games, for the first time ever, of NBC Sunday Night Football. Meanwhile, NFL.com will continue its live coverage of Thursday and Saturday Night Football, which began in 2007. [edit] Changes [edit] Coaching The following teams hired new head coaches prior to the start of the 2008 season: Team 2008 Coach Former Coach(es) Reason for leaving Story/Accomplishments Atlanta Falcons Mike Smith, Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator[22] Bobby Petrino[23]; Emmitt Thomas, interim for 3 games[24] Petrino resigned after 13 games to take the head coaching job at the University of Arkansas. In his first and only season, Petrino went 3–10 before resigning. Under interim head coach Thomas, the Falcons went 1–2 over the remainder of the season. Thomas would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008, and remain as a special assistant coach for the Falcons. Baltimore Ravens John Harbaugh, Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs coach [25] Brian Billick[26] Fired Billick coached the Ravens to a victory in Super Bowl XXXV, and was 80-64 with the Ravens in the regular season and 5-3 in the postseason, but went 5-11 in 2007, the worst record the Ravens had in his nine-year tenure. Became a color commentator for Fox Sports in 2008. Miami Dolphins Tony Sparano, Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach/offensive line coach[27] Cam Cameron[28] Fired In his first and only season, the Cameron-led Dolphins finished with a league worst 1–15 record. After his sacking, Cameron became John Harbaugh's offensive

coordinator at Baltimore. Washington Redskins Jim Zorn, Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks coach[29] Joe Gibbs[30] Retired Finished 16 overall seasons as Redskins head coach. During his first tenure, 1981–92, the club won three Super Bowls (XVII, XXII, and XXVI) and four NFC Championships (1982, 1983, 1987 and 1991). After being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996, he rejoined the team in 2004, and returned to running the day-to-day operations of his self-owned racing team after his second retirement. The following head coaches were fired or resigned during the 2008 season: Team Interim Coach Former Coach Reason for leaving Story/Accomplishments St. Louis Rams Jim Haslett, defensive coordinator; former head coach of the New Orleans Saints Scott Linehan Dismissed September 29 four games into the season Linehan went 11-25 (.306 percentage) in his 2¼ seasons as Rams coach, and lost the locker room. Oakland Raiders Tom Cable, offensive line coach Lane Kiffin Relieved of duties September 30 after four games Kiffin was fired in spite of being hired as the yougest coach in the NFL one year earlier, as shown by a 5-15 record (.250 percentage) in his 1¼ seasons as the fourth coach since Jon Gruden left. A dispute with owner Al Davis was said to be behind his dismissal. San Francisco 49ers Mike Singletary, assistant head coach and linebackers coach Mike Nolan Fired October 20 after seven games The son of former coach Dick Nolan went 18-37 (.327 percentage) after nearly 3½ seasons as 49ers coach The firing of Kiffin and Linehan marked the first time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the start of the "modern era," that multiple head coaches were fired before Week 5 of the season, and the first since 1989 that any coach was fired this early in a season. Both were also released heading into their teams' respective bye weeks, while Nolan was released prior to the game just before the 49ers' bye. [edit] Firing of Matt Millen On September 23, the Detroit Lions fired President/General Manager Matt Millen after seven seasons. During that time, the Lions compiled the worst record in the league (35-84, .294 percentage) and had many questionable draft choices. [edit] Milestones The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the regular season: Record Player/Team Date Broken/Opponent Previous Record Holder Longest Field Goal Attempt Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland (76 yards) September 28, vs San Diego Unknown; record is presumed since the league has not kept records on this statistic prior to this kick.[citation needed] (Kick was unsuccessful) Most Receiving Yards by a Tight End, Career Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City (10,079 yards) October 5, at Carolina Shannon Sharpe, 1990-2003 (10,060)[31] Longest Overtime Blocked Punt Return for a Touchdown Monty Beisel, Arizona (3 yards) October 12, vs Dallas None, first time in NFL history[32] Longest Overtime Field Goal Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland (57 yards) October 19, vs NY Jets Chris Jacke, Oct. 4, 1996 (53)[33] Consecutive Games with 6+ Receptions, Start of Season Wes Welker, New England (9 games) November 9, vs Buffalo Jimmy Smith, 2001 (8)[34] [edit] Season highlights [edit] New logo This is the first season that the league uses a new, updated logo. Unveiled on August 31, 2007 in USA Today, the new design features eight white stars, representing each of the league's eight divisions, instead of 23 on the old logo. The football has been redesigned and rotated to the same angle as the one on the top of the Vince Lombardi Trophy given to the Super Bowl champion. Darker shades of red and blue, specifically navy blue, are also used, along with font lettering to that of the league's current typeface for other logos.[35] The new logo officially made its debut during the 2008 NFL Draft on April 26. [edit] New stadiums In addition to the Bills playing one home game in Toronto's Rogers Centre, this is the first season that the Indianapolis Colts will play their home games at Lucas Oil Stadium.[36] Meanwhile, 2008 is the final year that the Dallas Cowboys will play at Texas Stadium; they are scheduled to move into their new stadium in Arlington, Texas in 2009.[37] [edit] Retirement/Unretirement of Brett Favre The 2008 season marked the first time since September 20, 1992 that someone other than Brett Favre started at quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, as Aaron Rodgers became the new offensive "Leader of The Pack." At first, this was given Favre's

announcement on March 4 that he would retire from the league after seventeen seasons. He owns many NFL records, including most wins as a quarterback, most touchdowns thrown, and most consecutive starts at quarterback, as well as most interceptions. He started every Packers game, regular season and postseason, for nearly sixteen full seasons (September 27, 1992–January 20, 2008). The Packers were scheduled to retire Favre's #4 jersey in a ceremony during the first week of the season. However, in July he publicly indicated that he wanted to play again as the starting quarterback. The Packers did not give it to him, but they were willing to release him and he was reinstated on August 3 by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Three days later, Favre was traded to the New York Jets for a draft pick. [edit] Chad Johnson becomes Chad Ocho Cinco Main article: Chad Ocho Cinco Prior to the 2008 season, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson legally changed his name to Chad Ocho Cinco so that he could wear the name "Ocho Cinco" (Spanish for the digits on his jersey number, 8 and 5) on his jersey. Nicknames on the back of jerseys, a stunt popularized by Vince McMahon's short-lived XFL (see Rod "He Hate Me" Smart,) are banned by the league, and Johnson was fined for wearing an "Ocho Cinco" patch over his jersey in 2006 (although he did not wear the patch during the game). Though his legal name is Chad Ocho Cinco, he continues to wear the "C. Johnson" name on his jersey, and will continue to do so through the rest of the season. This is because under the current NFL contract with Reebok he would have been forced to pay millions of dollars to parent company Adidas to make new jerseys with "OCHO CINCO" on them.[38] [edit] Hurricane Ike Main article: Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike forced several changes to the 2008 schedule. The Houston Texans' Week 2 home game against the Baltimore Ravens was first postponed to Monday, September 15, before Ike made landfall; damage to Reliant Stadium forced a further postponement, to Week 10, on Sunday, November 9, giving the Texans and the Ravens their bye weeks in Week 2. Furthermore, to accommodate this move, the Texans' home game against the Cincinnati Bengals was moved up from November 9 to Sunday, October 26, pushing the Bengals' bye week from Week 8 to Week 10.[39] [edit] The halfback option gains popularity The 2008 season saw a marked increase in the use of the "wildcat formation," which relies on the halfback option play. In week 3 of that season, the system, used up until this point primarily as a trick play, was used eight times, including four times in a Miami Dolphins game and three times in a game between the Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills.[40] [edit] Tie game On November 16, during Week 11, a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium ended in a 13-13 tie, the first NFL tie game since November 10, 2002, when the Atlanta Falcons and the Pittsburgh Steelers ended in a 34-34 draw. [edit] Tributes [edit] St. Louis Rams and Georgia Frontiere On January 18, 2008, Georgia Frontiere, owner of the St. Louis Rams died due to complications with breast cancer.[41] The Rams announced that during the 2008 season they will wear a commemorative patch in her honor, with her signature on their left shoulder. [edit] Kansas City Chiefs and Lamar Hunt On January 31, 2008, Clark Hunt, chairman of the board for the Kansas City Chiefs announced that henceforth the team's Lamar Hunt/American Football League tribute patch that was introduced in the 2007 season will be a permanent part of the Chiefs' uniform.[42] joining the Chicago Bears (with George Halas) and the Cleveland Browns (with Al Lerner) with such a patch. [edit] Tim Russert The stretch of highway outside Ralph Wilson Stadium along U.S. Route 20A in Orchard Park, New York has been named the Timothy J. Russert Highway. Russert, who was NBC News's chief Washington bureau correspondent and the host of Meet the Press, was a noted Buffalo Bills fan. He died of a heart attack in June 2008. [edit] Gene Upshaw The league is also honoring the memory of NFLPA leader Gene Upshaw, who died suddenly at age 63 on August 20th just three days after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. For the entire season, the Oakland

Raiders are wearing a patch on the left chest of the jerseys with the initials "GU" and his number 63, his jersey number with the Raiders.[43] All NFL teams also honored Upshaw with a video tribute and a replica of the uniform patch painted onto the field during the opening weekend.[44] Originally, the patch on the field and the video tribute were only going to be done in Oakland at the Raiders' home opener against the Denver Broncos as Upshaw played his entire 15 year Hall of Fame career with the Silver and Black, and at Giants Stadium, when the Giants and Redskins opened the NFL season on September 4th. All players wore the same patch during Week One, and have since changed to a smaller helmet decal. The Raiders will still wear the patch through the remainder of the season. [edit] Apparel The 2008 season will mark just the third time in the salary cap era (and first since 2001) that no NFL team made major changes to their uniforms or logo. Since 1993, half of the league's teams (Arizona, Atlanta, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Denver, Minnesota, New England, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, and Tennessee) have completely redesigned their uniforms (The Patriots doing it three times, though none since 2000) while another five (Detroit, Green Bay, Miami, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh) making minor, though noticeable, changes. The Titans are swapping home and alternate designations on their light blue and navy blue jerseys though. The Detroit Lions, in celebration of their 75th season in Motown as well as by popular demand by the fans, abandoned their black third jerseys in favor of their '50s style throwback uniforms. They will wear these uniforms against Jacksonville (November 9th) and Tennessee (Thanksgiving Day – November 27th). In addition, the Pittsburgh Steelers will make their throwbacks from the previous season their alternate uniform, wearing them against the Baltimore Ravens on September 29th and the New York Giants on October 26th.[45] The Jets wore their New York Titans throwbacks at home against Arizona on September 27th and Cincinnati on October 12th this season, and the Bills donned their retro uniforms at home against Oakland Raiders September 20th. [edit] See also Super Bowl XLIII 2008 NFL Draft [edit] References ^ a b c NFL Considering Early Start for Opener. Associated Press. 26 March 2008. ^ a b "NFL.com: Future Super Bowl sites". Retrieved on 2007-12-25. ^ Colts vs. Redskins in '08 HOF Game. Pro Football Hall of Fame. 10 February 2008. ^ [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter?game_id=29848&displayPage=tab_gamecenter&season=2008&week=PRE0 NFL.com Gamecenter: Hall of Fame Week 2008 - Colts vs. Redskins ^ Preseason national TV lineup to feature every '07 playoff team. NFL.com. 3 April 2008. ^ a b 2006 NFL Record and Fact Book, 16. ISBN 1-933405-32-5. ^ Kickoff Weekend primetime schedule includes Monday doubleheader. NFL.com. 31 March 2008. ^ a b "Chargers to play Saints in London", The San Diego Union-Tribune (2008-01-27). Retrieved on 27 January 2008. ^ "New Orleans Saints to host the San Diego Chargers as the NFL returns to Wembley", Daily Mail (2008-01-27). Retrieved on 27 January 2008. ^ a b "Bills have deal in place for Toronto games", The Buffalo News (2008-01-30). Retrieved on 2 February 2008. ^ Chris, Mortensen (2008-01-08). "Bills likely to get OK to play game in Toronto", ESPN.com. Retrieved on 2 February 2008. ^ "Pro Bowl: More moving talk", StarBulletin.com (2007-10-14). Retrieved on 17 December 2007. ^ "NFL's Pro Bowl will stay in Honolulu", SI.com (2007-12-28). Retrieved on 29 December 2007. ^ "Proposal to reseed playoff teams withdrawn by owners" (2008-04-02). Retrieved on 2 April 2008. ^ "Boers and Bernstein 3:00 PM 7/24/08". WSCR (2008-07-24). Retrieved on 2008-07-25. ^ Archive copy at the Internet Archive ^ a b Archive copy at the Internet

Archive ^ Archive copy at the Internet Archive ^ Pergament, Alan. Sports on the Air. The Buffalo News. 28 June 2008. ^ Hiestand, Michael (2008-02-10). "MNF' reduces roles for field reporters Kolber, Tafoya", USA Today. Retrieved on 14 February 2008. ^ Gumbel decides to leave NFL Network. NFL.com. 13 April 2008. ^ Falcons hire Jaguars' Smith as head coach ^ "Petrino leaves Falcons", SI.com (2007-12-11). Retrieved on 7 January 2008. ^ "Thomas named Falcons interim coach", Atlanta Journal Constitution (2007-12-12). Retrieved on 7 January 2008. ^ "Ravens Hire Haubaugh As New Head Coach", NFL.com (2008-01-18). Retrieved on 18 January 2008. ^ "Billick fired", Baltimore Sun (2008-01-01). Retrieved on 7 January 2008. ^ "Dolphins hire Sparano away from Cowboys", Foxsports.com (2008-01-16). Retrieved on 16 January 2008. ^ "Dolphins Fire Cameron After 1-15 Season", Washington Post (2008-01-04). Retrieved on 7 January 2008. ^ "Redskins hire Jim Zorn as head coach", SI.com (2008-02-09). Retrieved on 9 February 2008. ^ "Joe Gibbs Resigns as Redskins Head Coach", Washington Post (2008-01-08). Retrieved on 8 January 2008. ^ "Gonzalez sets NFL record for yards receiving by tight end", ESPN.com (2008-10-05). Retrieved on 5 October 2008. ^ "Cowboys rally in fourth, but blocked punt gives Cards OT win", ESPN.com (2008-10-12). Retrieved on 12 October 2008. ^ "Longest FG in OT history", Pro Football Hall of Fame.com (2008-10-20). Retrieved on 20 October 2008. ^ "Patriots vs. Bills game notes", Patriots.com (2008-11-09). Retrieved on 9 November 2008. ^ McCarthy, Michael. "NFL to revamp shield with redesigned logo", USA Today. Retrieved on 24 December 2007. ^ "Lucas Oil: Lucas Oil Stadium". LucasOil.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-07. ^ "Cowboys Build For The Future By Honoring The Past". DallasCowboys.com (2006-12-12). Retrieved on 2008-01-07. ^ Ocho Cinco will stick with old jersey for season - Associated Press ^ "Ravens-Texans game postponed; Bengals also affected". NFL.com (2009-09-13). Retrieved on 2009-09-14. ^ Bell, Jarrett. Odd formations could become latest fad across NFL. USA Today. 24 September 2008. ^ "Former Rams owner Frontiere dies.". MSNBC. Retrieved on 2008-01-20. ^ Lamar Hunt patch becomes a permanent part of the Chiefs' uniform KCChiefs.com, 28 January 2008, ^ NFL players to wear uniform patch this season in honor of Upshaw - ESPN.com ^ NFL honors Upshaw at all 16 games - Yahoo! Sports ^ http://news.steelers.com/catalog/product/91379/ 2008 NFL season v • d • e AFC East North South West NFC East North South West Buffalo Baltimore Houston Denver Dallas Chicago Atlanta Arizona Miami Cincinnati Indianapolis Kansas City NY Giants Detroit Carolina St. Louis New England Cleveland Jacksonville Oakland Philadelphia Green Bay New Orleans San Francisco NY Jets Pittsburgh Tennessee San Diego Washington Minnesota Tampa Bay Seattle 2008 NFL Draft • NFL Playoffs • Pro Bowl • Super Bowl XLIII [hide]v • d • eNational Football League seasons Early Era (1920-1969) 1920s: 1920 • 1921 • 1922 • 1923 • 1924 • 1925 • 1926 • 1927 • 1928 • 1929 1930s: 1930 • 1931 • 1932 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 1940s: 1940 • 1941 • 1942 • 1943 • 1944 • 1945 • 1946 • 1947 • 1948 • 1949 1950s: 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 1960s: 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 Modern Era (1970-present) 1970s: 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 1980s: 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 1990s: 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 2000s: 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_NFL_season" Categories: Current sports events | 2008 National Football League season | 2008 in American football | National Football League seasons