2007: Colts Come from Behind to Defeat Patriots for AFC Championship

In the first four seasons under Head Coach Tony Dungy, the Indianapolis Colts had reached the postseason. However, they had yet to advance to the Super Bowl, and in two of those years it had been losses to the New England Patriots that had brought them up short. The Patriots, led by Head Coach Bill Belichick, had proceeded to win championships in both of those postseasons. On January 21, 2007 the two teams met in the AFC Championship game at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, with New England looking to advance to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in six years, and the Colts seeking to finally get past them.

The key to the Colts offense was QB Peyton Manning (pictured above), as had been the case since his rookie season in 1998. He led the NFL in passing (101.0 rating) and touchdown passes (31) in 2006, and was second in passing yards (4397) and third in completion percentage (65.0). With the departure of RB Edgerrin James to the Cardinals, Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes combined for 1722 yards on the ground and 76 pass receptions. Pro Bowl wide receivers Marvin Harrison (95 catches, 1366 yards) and Reggie Wayne (86 receptions for 1310 yards) were outstanding, as usual. However, the defense had great difficulty against the run and the team slumped during the second half of the season as a result, losing four of the last seven games. Still, they won the AFC South for the fourth straight year with a 12-4 record and defeated the Chiefs and Ravens to get to the conference title game.

New England had a star quarterback as well, Tom Brady, who had taken over for the injured Drew Bledsoe during the 2001 season and had proceeded to lead the Patriots to ten straight postseason victories (including three Super Bowls) before finally suffering a loss in the Divisional round following the ’05 season. Despite a lack of quality receivers, Brady still threw for 3529 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2006. Veteran RB Corey Dillon and rookie Lawrence Maroney ran for a total of 1557 yards. The defense featured the outstanding line of ends Richard Seymour and Ty Warren and NT Vince Wilfork, a capable linebacking corps, and CB Asante Samuel, with his 10 interceptions.

There were 57,433 fans in attendance under the dome, and the home crowd made plenty of noise during key points in the contest. Things began quietly on the field, however, as the teams traded punts to start the game. On their second possession, the Patriots opened with Brady completing an 18-yard pass to WR Reche Caldwell and, on fourth-and-one at the Indianapolis 48, Dillon took off on a 35-yard run to the 13 yard line. Three plays later, Maroney fumbled, the ball rolled into the end zone, and G Logan Mankins fell on it for a touchdown.

The Colts responded with a long, 14-play drive in which Manning completed six passes. Ex-Patriot Adam Vinatieri kicked a 42-yard field goal to narrow New England’s lead to 7-3.


The Patriots started off the second quarter by finishing a 72-yard possession with a seven-yard run by Dillon. Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Manning was intercepted by Samuel (pictured at left), who returned it 39 yards for a TD. The Patriots were ahead by 21-3 and it seemed as though they would once again prevail over the Colts. Indianapolis scored once again before the half, on a 26-yard Vinatieri field goal, and the tally was 21-6 at the intermission.

The Colts received the second half kickoff and proceeded to drive 76 yards in 14 plays that culminated in a one-yard touchdown run by Manning. Following a three-and-out possession by the Patriots, the Colts drove to another score as Manning completed a 25-yard pass to TE Dallas Clark and Rhodes had a 19-yard run. A pass interference call on New England CB Ellis Hobbs moved the ball to the one, and from there Manning tossed a TD pass to OT Dan Klecko on a tackle-eligible play. The Colts went for a two-point conversion and succeeded on a Manning pass to Harrison, tying the score at 21-21.

The Patriots came right back as Hobbs, making up for the big penalty, returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards to the Indianapolis 21 yard line. Following a one-yard loss on a run by Maroney, Brady completed a 17-yard pass to WR Jabar Gaffney and three plays later threw to Gaffney again for a six-yard touchdown to put New England back in front at 28-21.

In a drive that extended into the fourth quarter, the Colts went 67 yards in seven plays, featuring a Manning-to-Clark pass play that covered 23 yards down to the New England nine. On second-and-goal from the one, Rhodes got the ball but fumbled and C Jeff Saturday recovered in the end zone for a Colts touchdown – the third lineman to score a TD in the game, with Mankins having scored in the same manner in the first quarter for the Patriots and Klecko catching the scoring pass for Indianapolis. In any event, following the successful extra point, the back-and-forth game was again tied at 28-28.

Both teams went three-and-out on their next possessions. With just over ten minutes remaining in regulation, Brady fired completions of 16 yards to Caldwell, 14 yards to Gaffney, and seven to WR Troy Brown as the Patriots reached the Indianapolis 13 yard line. The drive sputtered at the 10 and Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 28-yard field goal to give New England the lead at 31-28.

Once again the Colts responded in kind, as on the first play of their next possession Manning completed a pass to Clark that covered 52 yards to the Patriots’ 25. Four plays later, Vinatieri connected on a 36-yard field goal to once more knot the score at 31-31.

Hobbs returned the kickoff 41 yards and Brady threw to TE Daniel Graham for a 25-yard gain down to the Indianapolis 25. Gostkowski booted a 43-yard field goal, and with the clock now down to 3:49, the Patriots were back in front at 34-31.

Manning threw three incomplete passes on the next possession and the Colts punted. The Patriots reached nearly to midfield and had to punt it back. Taking over at the 20 yard line with 2:17 to play, Manning threw to Wayne for 11 yards and then, after an incomplete pass, connected with TE Bryan Fletcher for 32 yards to the New England 37. A 14-yard completion to Wayne received additional yardage due to a roughing-the-passer penalty, and following the two-minute warning, Addai ran the ball three straight times, the last for a three-yard touchdown (pictured below).


With the successful PAT, the Colts were up by four points, but the Patriots got the ball back with 54 seconds on the clock and two timeouts left. Following an incompletion, Brady was successful on passes of 19 yards to TE Ben Watson and 15 to RB Heath Evans to get the ball into Colts territory. But DB Marlin Jackson intercepted a pass intended for Brown to snuff out the threat and preserve the 38-34 win for Indianapolis.

The Colts outgained New England (455 yards to 319) and had more first downs (32 to 17). Both teams suffered just one turnover apiece. The Patriots sacked Manning three times, while Brady was dumped just once, but were penalized eight times, to four flags thrown on the Colts.

Peyton Manning completed 27 of 47 passes for 349 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Dallas Clark (pictured below) caught 6 passes for 137 yards while Reggie Wayne grabbed 5 for 68 and Marvin Harrison had a relatively quiet day at 4 receptions for 41 yards. Dominic Rhodes led the Indianapolis runners with 69 yards on 14 carries and Joseph Addai contributed 56 yards and the winning TD on his 14 attempts.


For the Patriots, Tom Brady (pictured below left) was successful on 21 of 34 passes for 232 yards, also with a TD and an interception. Ben Watson caught 5 passes for 48 yards to lead the receivers, while Reche Caldwell had 46 yards on his 4 receptions. Corey Dillon was the leading rusher with 48 yards on seven carries.


“I'm so proud of the way our guys fought,” said Tony Dungy afterward. “I'm very happy for Peyton. He was very, very calm. He had to bring us from behind three or four times. It's just fitting. Our team went the hard way the whole year.”

The Colts went on to defeat the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl, finally reaching the NFL summit. New England would retool in the offseason and come back stronger.

2006: Chargers Overcome 21-Point Deficit to Defeat Bengals in Offensive Battle

The San Diego Chargers were 6-2 as they traveled to Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium to take on the Bengals on November 12, 2006. Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer’s team had outstanding talent on both sides of the ball. Third-year QB Philip Rivers (pictured at right), taking over for the departed Drew Brees, was exceeding expectations in his first season as a starting quarterback. RB LaDainian Tomlinson was at the height of his game, and the defense, featuring LB Shawne Merriman and NT Jamal Williams, was solid.

The Bengals, coached by Marvin Lewis, made it to the postseason in 2005 after a 15-year absence, but were struggling thus far. They were 4-4 and had lost four of their last five games. The offense could score points, with QB Carson Palmer (pictured below left) having outstanding wide receivers in Chad Johnson (who legally changed his name to Chad Ochocinco in 2008) and T. J. Houshmandzadeh to throw to and RB Rudi Johnson to carry the ball. However, the defense was below average and prone to giving up too many points.


It appeared that it would be Cincinnati’s day as the Bengals scored the first three times they got the ball. First, FB Jeremi Johnson ran for a three-yard touchdown to complete a six-play possession that covered 61 yards. After the Chargers had to punt a second time, the Bengals took 10 plays to go 89 yards with Rudi Johnson running the last seven for a TD. San Diego went three-and-out and, following a punt with just seconds remaining in the first quarter, Palmer connected with Chad Johnson on the first play for a 51-yard touchdown. It was 21-0 after the opening period.

The Chargers finally got on the board in the second quarter thanks to a nine-yard run for a TD by Tomlinson. But the Bengals responded with a long, 14-play drive that ended with another touchdown pass by Palmer, this one to WR Chris Henry from seven yards out. Cincinnati took a 28-7 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, it was San Diego’s turn to score on three straight possessions. Tomlinson scored his second touchdown on a four-yard run to complete a six-play, 66-yard drive. After the Bengals went three-and-out and punted, Rivers immediately threw to WR Malcom Floyd for a 46-yard TD that narrowed the margin to seven points. Cincinnati responded with Palmer throwing to Chad Johnson for a 35-yard gain that led to a 21-yard field goal by Shayne Graham, making the score 31-21. But with Tomlinson running for 29 yards on three carries and Rivers throwing for 60 yards, including a nine-yard scoring pass to TE Brandon Manumaleuna, the Chargers closed the gap to 31-28.

The three-point margin didn’t last long as the passing combination of Palmer to Chad Johnson produced a 74-yard touchdown on the first play of Cincinnati’s next possession. The score stood at 38-28 in favor of the Bengals.

Following the Cincinnati touchdown, RB Michael Turner returned the kickoff 49 yards to the Bengals’ 40 yard line. Six plays later, the third quarter ended with the Chargers on the two. On the first play of the final period, Tomlinson ran around left end for a two-yard touchdown that again turned the contest into a three-point game.

Cincinnati got the ball at its own 20 after the ensuing kickoff resulted in a touchback, and on the first play Palmer fumbled when sacked by LB Shaun Phillips, who recovered for the Chargers at the Bengals’ nine yard line. On the next play, Tomlinson ran nine yards for his fourth touchdown, and in stunning fashion San Diego, twice down by 21 points in the first half, was ahead, 41-38.

The teams traded punts before the Bengals, helped by an 18-yard pass interference call, went back in front again with a 44-yard field goal by Graham. The Chargers responded with a methodical 12-play drive that was highlighted by a 27-yard pass completion from Rivers to TE Antonio Gates to the Cincinnati eight yard line. With third down at the five, Rivers scrambled for time and tossed a shovel pass to Manumaleuna for the game-winning touchdown.

The Bengals had one last chance and Palmer completed five passes to get down to the San Diego 15. But on fourth-and-ten with 49 seconds left to play, Palmer overthrew WR Glenn Holt, who was covered, and the Chargers could celebrate. The final score was 48-41.

Only once before, in 1983, had the Chargers ever overcome a 21-point margin to win. While they ran up 431 total yards, they were outgained by the Bengals, who had 545. But while Cincinnati outscored the Chargers 28-7 in the first half, San Diego significantly turned the tables in the second half, scoring 42 points to the Bengals’ 13.

In his best performance to date, Philip Rivers completed 24 of 36 passes for 338 yards with three touchdowns and none intercepted. LaDainian Tomlinson (pictured below) scored four TDs as he gained 104 yards on 22 carries and caught 6 passes for another 54 yards. Malcom Floyd had 109 yards and a touchdown on five pass receptions.


In defeat, Carson Palmer had the first 400-yard passing performance of his career as he went to the air 42 times and completed 31 for 440 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. Chad Johnson caught 11 of those passes for a club-record 260 yards and two scores. Rudi Johnson ran for 85 yards on 18 carries, including a TD.

The comeback was considered a key milestone in the development of the young QB Rivers, who demonstrated poise and leadership skills. “As he grows as a player, he's unbelievable,” said Antonio Gates. “He's doing a tremendous job leading this team. He was on the sideline saying they were going to need to score more than 28 points to beat us. What more could you ask for in a leader?”

As Marty Schottenheimer, a former AFL linebacker, summed up: “It took me back to the old AFL days where you just try to find a way to have one more point than they do.”

San Diego went undefeated through the rest of the regular season, finishing atop the AFC West with an NFL-best 14-2 record. However, it came to a bitter end when they lost to the Patriots in the Divisional round of the postseason. Schottenheimer, who had been at odds with GM A.J. Smith, was dismissed during the offseason. Cincinnati won its next four games, but then lost the last three to go 8-8 for the year, tied with the Steelers for second in the AFC North.

LaDainian Tomlinson led the league in rushing with 1815 yards on 348 carries (5.2 avg.) and 28 of his NFL-record 31 touchdowns. His 186 points scored broke the 46-year-old record of 176 set by Green Bay’s Paul Hornung in 1960. Tomlinson was named NFL MVP by the Associated Press, The Sporting News, and Pro Football Writers of America, and received the Bert Bell trophy from the Maxwell Club.

Philip Rivers made it into the top 10 in passer rating (92.0), passing yards (3388), touchdown passes (22), and yards per attempt (7.4). His 2.0 INT percentage was tied for sixth lowest – with the quarterback he had succeeded, Drew Brees.

Carson Palmer, a year following a serious knee injury, finished the season slowly but still threw for over 4000 yards (4035) and ranked second in the league with 28 touchdown passes. Both he and Rivers were selected to the Pro Bowl.

Chad Johnson (the future Ochocinco, pictured below) led the NFL with 1369 yards on his 87 pass receptions. He, too, was named to the Pro Bowl and also received consensus first-team All-NFL recognition.

2006: Delhomme & Smith Lead Panthers Past Boller & Ravens

Coming off of an 11-5 record in 2005 that ended with a loss in the NFC Championship game, the Carolina Panthers lost their first two contests in ’06. However, they won their next three games as they headed to Baltimore to take on the 4-1 Ravens on October 15 at M&T Bank Stadium.

Head Coach John Fox’s Panthers had been without WR Steve Smith (pictured at right) in the first two losing games due to injury, and his return had a positive impact on the offense’s performance. Smith gave the conservative, run-oriented unit a significant receiving threat. Meanwhile, Carolina had a strong defense, as did Baltimore. Under Head Coach Brian Billick, they had dipped to 6-10 in ’05 but made a significant upgrade at quarterback in acquiring 11-year veteran Steve McNair from the Titans. The Ravens entered the game with a six-game home winning streak.

McNair came out throwing, but not to great effect. The Ravens went three-and-out in the opening series, in which the veteran passed on each down, and the second possession was marked by his tossing an interception to safety Colin Branch on the third play.


QB Jake Delhomme (pictured at left) had thrown an interception to end Carolina’s first series, but after the pickoff of the McNair pass the Panthers drove 59 yards on nine plays, highlighted by pass completions of 32 and 16 yards to Smith, that culminated in a 21-yard field goal by John Kasay. On the first play of the next Baltimore possession, McNair was hit hard by LB Chris Draft and DE Mike Rucker - not only was he sacked, but the quarterback was forced to leave the game. He was replaced by backup Kyle Boller.

Boller, a fourth-year pro who had started nine games the previous season, had been relegated to the bench once McNair was obtained. However, after the teams traded fumbles and the Panthers punted early in the second quarter, Boller directed the Ravens on a 13-play, 73-yard drive that included a three-yard run in a fourth-and-one situation and ended with a touchdown pass of 14 yards to WR Mark Clayton. Baltimore was up by 7-3.

Carolina came back with an eight-play drive that also ended in a score as Delhomme connected with WR Drew Carter for a 42-yard touchdown. A 31-yard field goal by Kasay at the end of the half gave the Panthers a 13-7 lead at the intermission.

Both quarterbacks gave up interceptions in their teams’ initial second half possessions. Baltimore controlled the ball for most of the third quarter, but neither club scored. In the fourth quarter, after a long 15-play, 91-yard drive that ate up nearly eight minutes, Kasay kicked a 21-yard field goal to extend Carolina’s lead to 16-7. Along the way, Steve Smith gained 58 yards on three catches.

After the teams traded punts, the Ravens struck for a big play as Boller connected with Clayton for a 62-yard touchdown that narrowed the margin to 16-14. But the Panthers responded on the very next play from scrimmage with a 72-yard Delhomme-to-Smith TD pass, quieting the record crowd of 70,762.

Baltimore came back to score on the next possession, going 68 yards in seven plays highlighted by a 35-yard pass play from Boller to WR Demetrius Williams and capped with a seven-yard touchdown pass to TE Todd Heap. Once again, it was a two-point game with just over two minutes remaining in the game.

But while the Ravens had all three timeouts, they never got another chance on offense. On a key third-and-one situation at the Carolina 46, Delhomme completed a four-yard pass to Carter for a first down and the Panthers ran out the clock to win, 23-21.

Jake Delhomme completed 24 of 39 passes for 365 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Steve Smith was the recipient of 8 of those completions for 189 yards and the long TD. The aerial game had been crucial as the tough Baltimore defense held the Panthers to just 58 yards rushing on 30 attempts; RB DeShaun Foster accounted for all of the yards on 26 of the carries.


In relief, Kyle Boller (pictured at right) had a solid passing performance with 17 completions in 31 attempts for 226 yards with three touchdowns and one picked off. Mark Clayton caught 5 passes for 101 yards and two TDs; Todd Heap gained 55 yards on his 5 receptions and scored a touchdown. The Ravens were only a bit better running the ball, with a total of 80 yards, and RB Jamal Lewis accounted for 41 of that total on his nine carries; Boller took off and ran six times for 27 yards.

Overall, the Panthers gained 414 total yards, to 292 for Baltimore. Having come into the game ranked last in the league in third down conversions, Carolina converted a crucial 7 of 15, including the game-clincher at the end.

“It’s always frustrating when the other team converts third downs,” said Baltimore LB Terrell Suggs. “We wanted to get off the field, but they kept making big plays. I give them a lot of credit.”

DE Julius Peppers had two sacks and eight tackles for the Panthers and complimented the backup quarterback, Boller. “He did a good job when he came in. He got them some points and moved the ball.”

The win proved to be the high point of the season for Carolina – the Panthers lost six of their next eight games, including four straight at one point, and finished in second place in the NFC South with an 8-8 record. Baltimore went in the other direction, winning nine of their remaining ten contests to win the AFC North with a 13-3 tally. They lost to the Colts in the Divisional round of the playoffs.

Steve Smith caught 83 passes for 1166 yards (14.0 average) and eight touchdowns. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third time.

With Steve McNair returning to action, Kyle Boller went back to the bench and saw only limited time the rest of the way. He completed 33 of 55 passes for 485 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions.

2006: Saints Defeat Falcons in Return to Superdome

When the New Orleans Saints hosted the Atlanta Falcons at the Louisiana Superdome on September 25, 2006, it marked not just the first home game of the season for the Saints but a return to a city and stadium that the franchise had been forced to abandon for a year due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

The aftermath of the powerful storm in September of 2005 had, of course, been devastating for the city as a whole. The Superdome had sustained significant damage, and there were questions as to whether the Saints would return. For the team, it had meant a season on the road in which home games were split between San Antonio and Baton Rouge. They went 3-13 in ‘05, losing 11 of their last 12 games, and finished at the bottom of the NFC South.

The club that took the field in 2006 had been transformed in the offseason. There was a new head coach, Sean Payton, replacing Jim Haslett. There was also a new quarterback, Drew Brees, who had been signed away from the San Diego Chargers as a free agent. Star RB Deuce McAllister, who had been lost five games into the 2005 season with an ACL injury, was back healthy and joined by the Heisman-winning first round draft pick out of USC, Reggie Bush.

The Saints were already 2-0, having beaten Cleveland and Green Bay on the road, as they took the field for the Monday Night Football contest before a wildly enthusiastic crowd of 70,003 at the refurbished Superdome. They were hosting their arch-rivals, the Atlanta Falcons, who had also won their first two games in impressive fashion under third-year Head Coach Jim Mora Jr.

It didn’t take long for the Saints to take command. Atlanta had the first possession of the game and went three-and-out. The ensuing punt by Michael Koenen was blocked by safety and special teams standout Steve Gleason (pictured above) and recovered in the end zone for a touchdown by CB Curtis Deloach. It was the first touchdown given up in the ’06 season by the Falcons.

Atlanta followed up with a nine-play drive that yielded a 26-yard field goal by Morten Andersen. But after the two clubs traded punts, the Falcons gave up another TD when the Saints went 80 yards in eight plays capped by a double-reverse in which WR Devery Henderson ran for an 11-yard touchdown. New Orleans was up 14-3 at the end of the first quarter and in command the rest of the way.

John Carney kicked field goals of 37 and 51 yards in the second quarter, while the closest Atlanta came to scoring was a 25-yard field goal attempt by Andersen that was blocked. Carney booted a 20-yard field goal to cap the Saints’ first time-consuming possession of the second half, and that provided the final margin of 23-3.

The New Orleans defense didn’t let the Falcons offense get closer than the 31 yard line during the second half. They sacked Atlanta QB Michael Vick five times and held the Falcons to 229 yards (the Saints rolled up 326).

Drew Brees had a solid if unspectacular outing, completing 20 of 28 passes for 191 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Deuce McAllister led the running game with 81 yards on 19 carries while Reggie Bush ran the ball 13 times for 53 yards. Marques Colston was the leading receiver with 7 catches for 97 yards.

For the Falcons, Michael Vick was held to just 12 completions in 31 attempts for 137 yards, although none were picked off; Vick was also Atlanta’s leading rusher with 57 yards on six carries. Alge Crumpler led the receivers with 5 catches for 49 yards.

Afterward Brees said “From the moment I signed with the Saints, I was looking forward to this. It was a great night. It was something we’ll never forget.” Owner Tom Benson, who had taken heat for suggesting that the Saints might relocate, danced off the field with parasol in hand to the strains of “When the Saints Go Marching In”. A game ball was dedicated to the people of New Orleans.

The Saints went on to win the NFC South with a 10-6 record and advance farther into the postseason than any preceding team in franchise history, finally succumbing to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship game. Atlanta dropped to 7-9 to finish third in the division, costing Mora his job.

New Orleans led the NFL in team rushing with 6264 yards as McAllister ground out 1057 yards on 244 carries (4.3 average) with 10 TDs and Bush added 565 yards on 155 attempts with six scores. Bush also caught 88 passes for 742 yards and two TDs and averaged 7.7 yards on 28 punt returns with another touchdown.

Drew Brees (pictured below) led the league in passing yards with 4418 and had the best passer rating in the NFC (96.2). His 26 touchdown passes ranked third in the NFL, as did his 8.0 yards-per-attempt.

Michael Vick became the first quarterback to rush for a thousand yards (1039) with a league-leading 8.4 yards-per-carry.

2006: Texans Draft Mario Williams 1st Overall Ahead of Bush & Young

After steadily progressing in their first three seasons in the NFL, the Houston Texans dropped to a league-worst 2-14 record in 2005. Head Coach Dom Capers and his staff were dismissed, and offensive-minded Gary Kubiak was hired in his place.

However, with the first pick in the NFL draft on April 29, 2006 the Texans opted for help on defense and made official the selection of North Carolina State DE Mario Williams as their choice (he had actually been signed to a contract the night before).

The decision drew criticism from both commentators and fans. At a draft party held at Reliant Stadium, many of the attendees booed the selection of Williams and began chanting “Reg-gie! Reg-gie!” in reference to Reggie Bush, the star running back and Heisman Trophy winner from USC. There had also been sentiment for picking a local favorite, QB Vince Young from Texas. They ended up being the next two players drafted, by the Saints and Titans, respectively.

Not all of the reviews were critical, to be sure. As one scout said, “I like the Texans’ pick of Mario Williams over Reggie Bush. If you tell me I can have a great running back or I can have a great defensive end, I’ll take the defensive end every time. He’ll have a longer career, he’s on the field for more plays, and defensive ends are harder to find than running backs.”

The 6’7”, 295-pound Williams had chosen to leave school early to enter the draft, but was considered by scouts to be ready for the NFL. In 2005, he had recorded 62 tackles (24 of them for a loss) and 14.5 sacks over the course of 12 games. Moreover, he filled a clear need for a Houston defense that had ranked next to last in the league, including 32nd against the run and 24th vs. the pass (to be sure, they ranked 30th in total offense as well). New defensive coordinator Richard Smith was replacing the 3-4 scheme favored by Capers with a 4-3 alignment, and Williams seemed a good fit for the revamped defensive line.

Initially, the critics appeared to be vindicated by the results of the 2006 season. While the team’s record improved to 6-10, Williams suffered through an injury-marred and inconsistent campaign and recorded just 4.5 sacks. Meanwhile, Bush proved to be a potent complement to power runner Deuce McAllister, accumulating 1523 all-purpose yards (742 on 88 pass receptions alone) as the Saints ranked first in team offense and made it to the postseason. Vince Young showed great promise with the Titans, passing for 2199 yards and running for another 552 while being selected Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press.

The Houston offense ranked 28th in the NFL. QB David Carr, the first player ever drafted by the club in 2002, continued to be mired in mediocrity. RB Ron Dayne led the team in rushing with 612 yards. A revamping followed in the offseason.

However, the situation for Williams, especially in comparison to Bush and Young, shifted significantly from 2007 onward. Healthy and playing with greater confidence, he tied for third in the league in sacks with 14. In ’08, he had another 12 sacks, was a first team All-NFL selection of The Sporting News and second team pick by the AP, and went to the Pro Bowl for the first time. That was followed up in 2009 with another Sporting News first team All-NFL pick and second Pro Bowl invitation.

Reggie Bush failed to build upon his fine rookie season and his performance was decidedly uneven. While a dynamic player with outstanding outside running ability and good receiving skills out of the backfield who contributed to a championship team, he had durability issues and did not fulfill the hopes that he could be an every-down running back – let alone an elite performer. He averaged just 3.7 yards-per-carry in his first three seasons (although he also caught 213 passes). Strictly a role player, his numbers in all categories declined in 2009 - but his postseason performance was solid, in particular an impressive showing against Arizona in the NFC Divisional playoff.

Vince Young struggled in his second season and was benched for virtually all of his third; brought back into the starting lineup midway through the ’09 campaign with favorable results, his career is at an uncertain stage.

While all three careers are very much in progress, after four seasons, the selection of Williams in the top spot of the first round in ’06 has looked more justified with each passing year.