2015 NFLHC Season
| | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||
| Duration | August 24, 2014 - December 7, 2014 | ||
| Playoffs | |||
| Start date | December 9, 2014 | ||
| AFC Champions | Miami Dolphins | ||
| NFC Champions | St. Louis Rams | ||
| Super Bowl II | |||
| Date | December 21, 2014 | ||
| Site | Bank of America Field, Charlotte, NC | ||
| Champions | Miami Dolphins | ||
| Pro Bowl | |||
| Date | December 17, 2014 | ||
| Site | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI | ||
National Football League seasons
| |||
The 2015 NFL season is the 2nd season in the history of the National Football League (NFLHC).
The regular season got underway on Sunday, August 24, 2014, with the the Minnesota Vikings, Champions of Super Bowl I, hosting the Detroit Lions. The regular season finished on Sunday night, December 7, 2014.
The 2015 NFL Playoffs began Tuesday, December 9, 2014 with the Divisional Round.
Contents
Expansion
The 2nd season will see the addition of four new franchises awarded through the NFLHC Expansion System. Franchises were awarded to the Houston Texans (AFC East), Baltimore Ravens (AFC West), New York Giants (NFC North), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC South).
The 2015 NFLHC Expansion Draft took place on July 30, 2014 with the New York Giants selecting Stephen Elliott with the first overall pick.
Draft
The 2015 NFLHC Draft was held August 10-12, 2014. Prior to the draft the NFLHC Scouting Combine, where draft-eligible players were evaluated by team personnel, was held on March 23. In the draft the Baltimore Ravens made LSU Outside Linebacker Tyrone Jones the 1st Overall pick.
Preseason
The 2015 Season was the first that included a pre-season. Two pre-season games were played on Friday, August 15th, and Monday, August 18th.
Regular season
The 2015 season featured 140 games played out over a sixteen week schedule. Each of the league's 20 teams will play a 14-game schedule which includes two Bye weeks for each team.
- Scheduling formula
Under the NFLHC Scheduling Formula, each team plays each of the other four teams in their own division twice. In addition, a team plays against all five teams in one other division from the opposite conference. The remaining game on a team's schedule is against the team who finished in the same divisional rank in the other division in the team's conference. The pre-set division pairings for 2015 are as follows:
Major Storylines
- The temporary return of HaiThere as Owner of the Rams
- The four Expansion Teams
The 2015 regular season schedule was released on August 3, 2014.
Standings
- Legend
- x - Playoffs
- y - Division Winner
- z - Home-field advantage throughout playoffs
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Miami Dolphins (z) | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0.786 | 7–1 | 8–1 | 447 | 344 | W1 |
| New England Patriots (x) | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0.714 | 6–2 | 7–2 | 392 | 234 | L2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0.429 | 4–4 | 5–4 | 301 | 317 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0.500 | 4–4 | 4–5 | 307 | 307 | W4 |
| Houston Texans | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0.143 | 0–8 | 0–9 | 183 | 377 | L2 |
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Oakland Raiders (y) | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0.571 | 5–3 | 5–4 | 334 | 294 | W2 |
| Baltimore Ravens (x) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0.536 | 5–2-1 | 6-2-1 | 271 | 291 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0.536 | 5–2-1 | 5–3-1 | 311 | 343 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0.357 | 3–5 | 3–6 | 261 | 339 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0.214 | 1–7 | 2–7 | 222 | 380 | W2 |
| NFC North | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Minnesota Vikings (z) | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0.714 | 6–2 | 7–2 | 355 | 228 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers (x) | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0.643 | 5–3 | 6–3 | 306 | 282 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions (x) | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0.643 | 3–5 | 4–5 | 266 | 266 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0.571 | 4–4 | 5–4 | 298 | 235 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0.357 | 2–6 | 3–6 | 264 | 284 | L4 |
| NFC South | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| St. Louis Rams (y) | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0.643 | 5–3 | 5–4 | 327 | 225 | W3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0.500 | 3–5 | 3–6 | 283 | 316 | W6 |
| Carolina Panthers | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0.429 | 3–5 | 3–6 | 281 | 273 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0.351 | 5–3 | 5–4 | 241 | 311 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0.357 | 4–4 | 4–5 | 237 | 323 | L3 |
- NFLHC Tiebreakers
Two Teams
- Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
- Strength of victory.
- Strength of schedule.
- Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
- Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
- Best net points in common games.
- Best net points in all games.
- Best net touchdowns in all games.
- Coin toss
Three Teams (or more)
- Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games among the clubs).
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
- Strength of victory.
- Strength of schedule.
- Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
- Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
- Best net points in common games.
- Best net points in all games.
- Best net touchdowns in all games.
- Coin toss
Postseason
- Playoffs bracket
| Divisional Round | Conference Championship | Super Bowl | ||||||||
| December 9 - Miami, FL | ||||||||||
| Miami Dolphins | 23 | |||||||||
| December 13 - Miami, FL | ||||||||||
| Baltimore Ravens | 10 | |||||||||
| Miami Dolphins | 31 | |||||||||
| December 10 - Oakland, CA | ||||||||||
| Oakland Raiders | 20 | |||||||||
| Oakland Raiders | 35 | |||||||||
| December 21 - Charlotte, NC | ||||||||||
| New England Patriots | 31 | |||||||||
| Miami Dolphins | 41 | |||||||||
| December 10 - Minneapolis, MN | ||||||||||
| St. Louis Rams | 30 | |||||||||
| Minnesota Vikings | 31 | |||||||||
| December 14 - Minneapolis, MN | ||||||||||
| Detroit Lions | 14 | |||||||||
| Minnesota Vikings | 20 | |||||||||
| December 9 - St. Louis, MO | ||||||||||
| St. Louis Rams | 21 | |||||||||
| St. Louis Rams | 30 | |||||||||
| Green Bay Packers | 24 | |||||||||
Player movement
Notable Player Movement
Free agency
- Spec Davidson, TE, moved from the Carolina Panthers to the New Orleans Saints for 3 years and 22.2 million dollars.
Major trades
The following trades are notable as they involved Pro Bowl-caliber players and/or high draft picks in the first three rounds:
- Offseason
- Allan Taylor, QB, New Orleans Saints to Jacksonville Jaguars for Kareem Taylor, QB.
- Rodney Galbreath, DE, Cincinnati Bengals (+ 2015 St. Louis 7th Round Pick) for Tom Grant, WR, and Alex Collins, FS, Indianapolis Colts.
- In-season
- David Gaines, WR, New York Jets to St. Louis Rams for their 2015 5th Round Pick
Head coach/front office changes
Head coach
- Offseason
| Team | 2014 Coach | 2015 Coach | Reason for leaving | Story/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | DollaBill | Dean_Craig_Pelton | Resigned | |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Kingazzal | Smokingcricket | Open Vacancy |
- In-season
| Team | 2014 Head Coach | 2015 Head Coach | Reason for leaving | Story/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
General Managers
- Offseason
| Team | 2014 General Manager | 2015 General Manager | Reason for leaving | Story/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | N/A | TheCrimsonChin |
- In-season
| Team | 2014 General Manager | 2015 General Manager | Reason for leaving | Story/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | Double117 | Quasar | Double to take over new franchise | |
| Green Bay Packers | constapatedape | DescretoBurrito | Make Room for Internal promotion1 |
Owners
- Offseason
| Team | 2014 Owner | 2015 Owner | Reason for leaving | Story/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Rams | taffyowner | HaiThere | Re-organization | HaiThere returns to the Rams Ownership position after a 4 month absence in which taffyowner served as temporary owner. |
| St. Louis Rams | HaiThere | taffyowner | Fired | The return didn't last long as HaiThere was fired after a period of absence 1 month into his contract. |
- In-season
| Team | 2014 Owner | 2015 Owner | Reason for leaving | Story/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | owl_man | CadeRich5 | Departed to become oil tycoon | |
| St. Louis Rams | taffyowner | SageBow | Purchased | After the departure of HaiThere, taffyowner was contacted by potential buyer SageBow, who took over as owner |
Awards and statistics
Individual season awards
| Award | Winner | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Brian Brown | QB | Miami Dolphins |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Brian Brown | QB | Miami Dolphins |
| Defensive Player of the Year | David Wilburn | CB | Atlanta Falcons |
| Head Coach of the Year | alwl9 | Head Coach | Minnesota Vikings |
| Offensive Rookie Player of the Year | Brian Brown | QB | Miami Dolphins |
| Defensive Rookie Player of the Year | Tyrone Jones | OLB | Baltimore Ravens |
| Comeback Player of the Year | Allan Taylor | QB | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Pepsi Rookie Player of the Year | Brian Brown | QB | Miami Dolphins |
| Walter Payton Man of the Year | Keyshawn Thompson | CB | Detroit Lions |
| Pro Football Writer's Association Executive of the Year | alienufo | Owner/GM/Head Coach | Oakland Raiders |
| Super Bowl Most Valuable Player | Riddick Smith | WR | Miami Dolphins |
All-Pro team
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Special teams | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kicker | Ben Morrison, Miami Dolphins | ||||
| Punter | Steve Noonan, Baltimore Ravens | ||||
| Kick returner | Brian Kanell, Oakland Raiders | ||||
Players of the Week
The following were named the top performers during the 2015 season:
| Week | Offensive Player of the Week |
Defensive Player of the Week |
Special Teams Player of the Week | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | NFC | AFC | NFC | AFC | NFC | |
| 1 | O.J. Carano, RB New York Jets |
Thomas Wheeler, QB New York Giants |
Mark Logan, DE New England Patriots |
Rudi Sinceno, DE Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Ben Morrison, K Miami Dolphins |
Sean Woody, RB Green Bay Packers |
| 2 | Brian Brown, QB Miami Dolphins |
Kevin Richards, RB New Orleans Saints |
Andre Brooks, ILB New England Patriots |
Cleveland Merrill, ILB Minnesota Vikings |
Ben Morrison, K Miami Dolphins |
Jarrett Veals, K Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 3 | Brian Brown, QB Miami Dolphins |
Thomas Wheeler, QB New York Giants |
Tyrone Jones, OLB Baltimore Ravens |
Brant Thomas, DE Minnesota Vikings |
Ben Morrison, K Miami Dolphins |
Keyshawn Thompson, KR Detroit Lions |
| 4 | Allan Taylor, QB Jacksonville Jaguars |
Chad Dess, RB Green Bay Packers |
Jeff Williams, OLB Jacksonville Jaguars |
Derrick Martin, OLB Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Ken Hodel, K New York Jets |
Kent Evans, K New York Giants |
| 5 | Brian Brown, QB Miami Dolphins |
Brian Vardell, QB Minnesota Vikings |
Quentin Smith, DT Indianapolis Colts |
Justin Bullard, ILB Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Lloyd Williams, K Cleveland Browns |
Cliff Chamblin, K St Louis Rams |
| 6 | Tony Peaks, RB Indianapolis Colts |
Walt Peck, WR St Louis Rams |
Tyrone Jones, OLB Baltimore Ravens |
Keyshawn Thompson, CB Detroit Lions |
Ben Morrison, K Miami Dolphins |
Leonard Parros, K Atlanta Falcons |
| 7 | Allan Taylor, QB Jacksonville Jaguars |
Christian Skaggs, QB Carolina Panthers |
Vince Smith, OLB Indianapolis Colts |
David Wilburn, CB Atlanta Falcons |
James Harris, K Baltimore Ravens |
Robert Rodriguez, PR New York Giants |
| 8 | Allan Taylor, QB Jacksonville Jaguars |
Darrell Murphy, QB St Louis Rams |
Alvis Brumm, DE New York Jets |
Cleveland Merrill, ILB Minnesota Vikings |
Brandon Burks, PR Oakland Raiders |
Morris Millen, OLB St Louis Rams |
| 9 | David Ortiz, RB Houston Texans |
Christian Skaggs, QB Carolina Panthers |
Rodney Galbreath, DE Indianapolis Colts |
David Wilburn, CB Atlanta Falcons |
Brad Weathersby, K New England Patriots |
Leonard Parros, K Atlanta Falcons |
| 10 | Nick Hall, QB Oakland Raiders |
Kareem Taylor, QB New Orleans Saints |
Keyshawn Ayanbadejo, SS Oakland Raiders |
Damione Ellis, OLB Green Bay Packers |
Stephen Morris, K Jacksonville Jaguars |
Frank McFarlane, K Minnesota Vikings |
| 11 | Rob LeCount, QB New England Patriots |
Kamau Davis, QB Dallas Cowboys |
De'Mond Goode, ILB New England Patriots |
Terrence Adams, DT Carolina Panthers |
James Otero, RB Miami Dolphins |
Cliff Chamblin, K St Louis Rams |
| 12 | Aaron Kotar, QB New York Jets |
Javier Fields, QB Atlanta Falcons |
Jeff Williams, OLB Jacksonville Jaguars |
Joe Micho, DT New York Giants |
Ben Morrison, K Miami Dolphins |
Jarret Veals, K Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 13 | Tony Peaks, RB Indianapolis Colts |
Gerald Bright, QB Detroit Lions |
Andre Brooks, ILB New England Patriots |
David Wilburn, CB Atlanta Falcons |
James Harris, K Baltimore Ravens |
Keena Kane, RB Green Bay Packers |
| 14 | Elvis Williams, RB New England Patriots |
Brian Vardell, QB Minnesota Vikings |
Mark Logan, DE New England Patriots |
Deuce Harris, OLB New Orleans Saints |
Lloyd Williams, K Cleveland Browns |
Art Baber, WR Atlanta Falcons |
| 15 | Booker T Washington, RB Baltimore Ravens |
Brian Vardell, QB Minnesota Vikings |
Ray Traux, OLB Cincinnati Bengals |
Mark Bassett, DT Green Bay Packers |
Brian Kanell, RB Oakland Raiders |
Morten Smith, CB Dallas Cowboys |
| 16 | Onterrio Smith, QB New York Jets |
Ken Peelle, WR Detroit Lions |
Jacoby Seaverns, CB Cincinnati Bengals |
Jeffrey Bryant, DT St. Louis Rams |
Mike Waters, K Oakland Raiders |
Ross Parker, ILB Atlanta Falcons |
Team statistical leaders
- Offense
- Most points scored: Miami Dolphins, 447, 31.9 ppg
- Fewest points scored: Houston Texans, 183, 13.0 ppg
- Most total offense: Team, Yards, Average
- Least total offense: Team, Yards, Average
- Most total passing: Team, Yards, Average
- Least total passing: Team, Yards, Average
- Most rushing: Team, Yards, Average
- Least rushing: Team, Yards, Average
- Defense
- Fewest points allowed: St. Louis Rams, 225, 16.0 ppg
- Most points allowed: Cincinnati Bengals, 380, 27.1 ppg
- Fewest total yards allowed (defense): Team, Yards, Average
- Most total yards allowed (defense): Team, Yards, Average
- Fewest passing yards allowed: Team, Yards, Average
- Most passing yards allowed (defense): Team, Yards, Average
- Fewest rushing yards allowed (defense): Team, Yards, Average
- Most rushing yards allowed (defense): Team, Yards, Average
