The 2009 NFL season was the 90th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL). The 50th anniversary of the original eight charter members of the American Football League was celebrated during this season.
The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10, with the reigning Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Tennessee Titans in overtime. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium with the New Orleans Saints defeating the Indianapolis ColtsThe stadium will officially be known as "Dolphin Stadium" for the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl, but for the rest of the 2009 season will be known as "Land Shark Stadium" in a naming rights deal. 31–17 in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Colts and Saints began the season 14–0 and 13–0 respectively. This was the first time in NFL history two teams started 13–0 or better.
Player movement
Free agency Notable players to change teams during free agency included:
Quarterbacks A.J. Feeley (Philadelphia to Carolina), Brett Favre (N.Y. Jets to Minnesota), Ryan Fitzpatrick (Cincinnati to Buffalo), Rex Grossman (Chicago to Houston) and Byron Leftwich (Pittsburgh to Tampa Bay). Running backs Edgerrin James (Arizona to Seattle), Maurice Morris (Seattle to Detroit) and Derrick Ward (N.Y. Giants to Tampa Bay). Wide Receivers Laveranues Coles (N.Y. Jets to Cincinnati), Torry Holt (St. Louis to Jacksonville), TJ Houshmandzadeh (Cincinnati to Seattle). Bryant Johnson (San Francisco to Detroit), Terrell Owens (Dallas to Buffalo) and Nate Washington (Pittsburgh to Tennessee). Tight Ends Chris Baker (N.Y. Jets to New England) and L.J. Smith (Philadelphia to Baltimore). Offensive Tackles Khalif Barnes (Jacksonville to Oakland), Levi Jones (Cincinnati to Washington) and Orlando Pace (St. Louis to Chicago). Guards Derrick Dockery (Buffalo to Washington) and Kendall Simmons (Pittsburgh to New England). Centers Matt Birk (Minnesota to Baltimore), Jason Brown (Baltimore to St. Louis) and Jake Grove (Oakland to Miami). Defensive Ends Chris Canty (Dallas to N.Y. Giants), Greg Ellis (Dallas to Oakland), Demetric Evans (Washington to San Francisco) Igor Olshansky (San Diego to Dallas) and Antonio Smith (Arizona to Houston). Defensive Tackles Rocky Bernard (Seattle to N.Y. Giants), Colin Cole (Green Bay to Seattle), Jovan Haye (Tampa Bay to Tennessee), Albert Haynesworth (Tennessee to Washington) and Tank Johnson (Dallas to Cincinnati). Linebackers Eric Barton (N.Y. Jets to Cleveland), Michael Boley (Atlanta to N.Y. Giants), Keith Brooking (Atlanta to Dallas), Larry Foote (Pittsburgh to Detroit), Bart Scott (Baltimore to N.Y. Jets) and Pisa Tinoisamoa (St. Louis to Chicago). Cornerbacks Leigh Bodden (Detroit to New England), Phillip Buchanon (Tampa Bay to Detroit), Domonique Foxworth (Atlanta to Baltimore), André Goodman (Miami to Denver), Jabari Greer (Buffalo to New Orleans) and Bryant McFadden (Pittsburgh to Arizona). Safeties Brian Dawkins (Philadelphia to Denver), Sean Jones (Cleveland to Philadelphia), Jim Leonhard (Baltimore to N.Y. Jets) and Gibril Wilson (Oakland to Miami).
Trades
The following notable trades were made during the 2009 league year:
February 27: Houston traded QB Sage Rosenfels to Minnesota in exchange for the Vikings' fourth-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft February 27: Cleveland traded TE Kellen Winslow II to Tampa Bay in exchange for the Buccaneers' second-round pick in 2009 and a fifth-round pick in the 2010 NFL draft; February 28: New England traded QB Matt Cassell and LB Mike Vrabel to Kansas City in exchange for the Chiefs' second-round pick in 2009; February 28: Detroit traded QB Jon Kitna to Dallas in exchange for CB Anthony Henry; February 28: Philadelphia traded CB Lito Sheppard to N.Y. Jets in exchange for the Jets' fifth-round pick in 2009 and a conditional pick in 2010; March 16: Detroit traded DT Cory Redding to Seattle in exchange for LB Julian Peterson and the Seahawks' fifth-round pick in 2009; March 23: Miami traded C Samson Satele to Oakland in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2009 and a swap of fourth-round picks in 2010; April 3: Denver traded QB Jay Cutler and its fifth-round pick in 2009 to Chicago in exchange for QB Kyle Orton and the Bears' first- and third-round picks in 2009 and first-round round pick in 2010; April 7: Atlanta traded WR Laurent Robinson to St. Louis in exchange for a swap of fifth- and sixth-round picks; April 20: Buffalo traded OT Jason Peters to Philadelphia in exchange for the Eagles' first- and fourth-round picks in 2009 and a conditional pick in 2010; April 23: Kansas City traded TE Tony Gonzalez to Atlanta in exchange for a second-round pick; April 26: New England traded CB Ellis Hobbs to Philadelphia during the draft in exchange for two fifth-round picks; June 26: Detroit traded S Gerald Alexander to Jacksonville in exchange for WR Dennis Northcutt; August 6: Oakland traded DE Derrick Burgess to New England in exchange for the Patriots' third- and fourth-round picks in 2010; August 31: Houston traded DE Travis Johnson to San Diego in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2010; September 6: New England traded DT Richard Seymour to Oakland in exchange for a first-round pick in 2011; October 7: Cleveland traded WR Braylon Edwards to N.Y. Jets in exchange for the Jets' third- and fifth-round picks in 2010 and WR Chansi Stuckey and LB Jason Trusnik; October 19: Kansas City traded DT Tank Tyler to Carolina in exchange for a fifth-round pick; October 20: St. Louis traded LB Will Witherspoon to Philadelphia in exchange for WR Brandon Gibson and the Eagles' fifth-round pick in 2010.
Draft The 2009 NFL draft was held from April 25 to 26, 2009, at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. With the first pick, the Detroit Lions selected quarterback Matthew Stafford from the University of Georgia.
Referee change Bill Carollo resigned to become the Director of Officiating for the Big Ten Conference. Don Carey, brother of NFL referee Mike Carey, was promoted from back judge to take Carollo's place.
Rule changes Several rule changes were passed at the league's annual owners meeting in Dana Point, California, during the week of March 23.
The following rules were passed to improve player safety and reduce injuries: A blindside block cannot be initially delivered by a helmet, forearm or shoulder to an opponent's head or neck. The initial contact to the head of a defenseless receiver is also prohibited. On kickoffs, a blocking wedge cannot consist of more than two players. During onside kickoff attempts, the kicking team cannot have more than five players bunched together. Clarified the 2006 rule about hitting passers below the knees; a defender on the ground cannot lunge or dive at or below the passer's knees. This is unofficially referred to as the "Tom Brady Rule", after Brady was injured at the Patriots' 2008 opening game against the Kansas City Chiefs, when Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard hit Brady below the knees, sidelining him for the rest of the 2008 season.Gasper, C. L., Brady rule: Steps taken to protect QBs' knees , The Boston Globe, March 24, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
The replay system will now be allowed to cover the following situations:
Whether a loose ball from a passer is a fumble or an incomplete pass. Whether a loose ball actually hit the sideline.
Other new rules included:
If onside kick does not go 10 yards, goes out of bounds, or is touched illegally at any time during the kick, the ball is immediately awarded to the receiving team. This amends a rule that was first implemented during the 2003 season. Previously, if the kicking team committed this foul before the final five minutes of the game, they had another chance to kick again from five yards back. On all fumbles and laterals that go out of bounds, the clock will immediately start when the referee signals ready for play instead of waiting until next snap. After a punt hit the center-hung video display boards during a pre-season game, the league temporarily modified the rule regarding balls in play that strike an object such as a video board or a guy wire: in addition for the down being replayed, the game clock will also be reset to the time when the play was snapped. In November the United States Congress held hearings regarding NFL players on the field receiving concussions and other major injuries. Strong recommendations were made to the commissioner, and on December 2, 2009, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a memo effective immediately stating, in part: "Once removed for the duration of a practice or game, the player should not be considered for return-to-football activities until he is fully asymptotic, both at rest and after exertion, has a normal neurological examination, normal neuropsychological testing, and has been cleared to return by both his team physician(s) and the independent neurological consultant." The old standard, established in 2007, said a player shouldn't be allowed to return to the same game if he lost consciousness.
Preseason The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game was on August 9, 2009, at 8:00 pm EDT on NBC. The Tennessee Titans defeated the Buffalo Bills 21–18, and both wore "throwback" jerseys celebrating the two franchises' AFL origins. It was the first time since 1970 that the teams have not been from opposing conferences; also, both Bills owner Ralph Wilson, a 2009 Hall of Fame inductee, and Titans owner Bud Adams have owned their teams continuously since the AFL's inception in 1960, making them the longest-tenured team owners in the league. Both teams made their first Hall of Fame Game appearance since the 1980s (Buffalo last played in Canton in , Tennessee in as the former Houston Oilers).
The rest of the pre-season matchups were announced March 30, 2009. Highlights, among others, included a rematch of Super Bowl XLIII between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals on ESPN.Super Bowl rematch highlights 2009 NFL preseason schedule . NFL.com. March 30, 2009.
Regular season The 2009 season began on September 10, 2009. Under the current scheduling system, this is the latest date the NFL can start its season as the season typically starts the weekend after Labor Day, which falls on its latest possible date in 2009.
For the 2009 season, the intraconference and interconference matchups were:
Intraconference AFC East vs. AFC South AFC North vs. AFC West NFC East vs. NFC South NFC North vs. NFC West
Interconference AFC East vs. NFC South AFC North vs. NFC North AFC South vs. NFC West AFC West vs. NFC East
The 2009 schedule was released on April 14, 2009. Highlights of the 2009 season included:
NFL Kickoff Game: The 2009 season began with the Kickoff Game on September 10, with the Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Tennessee Titans 13–10 in overtime. The Week 1 doubleheader for Monday Night Football honored the 50th anniversary of the original eight charter members of the American Football League, with the New England Patriots defeating the Buffalo Bills 25–24, and the San Diego Chargers defeating the Oakland Raiders 24–20. NFL International Series: The NFL International Series game was played on October 26, 2009, at Wembley Stadium in London, featuring the New England Patriots defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35–7. Thanksgiving: Three games were contested on November 26, 2009. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Detroit Lions 34–12, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Oakland Raiders 24–7, while in the primetime Thursday Night Football game, the Denver Broncos defeated the New York Giants 26–6..