There has been and never will be anyone like the mercurial Raiders owner. On Oct. 8, he passed away at the age of 82. The legend will live on forever.

No football? It happened. Failure to reach a collective bargaining agreement caused the NFL owners to lock out the players' union on March 11. For a little more than four months, team activities were eliminated and the 2011 season itself was in danger of being lost.

It's hard to imagine the Colts without No. 18 calling signals and throwing TD passes. But that's what Indy had to deal with in a season turned upside down. With the team primed to pick QB Andrew Luck in the NFL Draft, have we seen the last of Manning?

In front of a huge audience on Thanksgiving, the Detroit Lions DT drew the ire of the league and the country when he stomped on the arm of a Green Bay Packers opponent. The result: a two-game suspension and a public outcry and further sullying of Suh's image.

With healthy and safety at the forefront of today's game, somehow the injuries are still piling up. One of the uglier moments came on Dec. 8, when Browns QB Colt McCoy was laid out by a vicious hit and went back into the game despite suffering a concussion. Expect rules to stiffen even more in 2012.