It was an NFL season of dramatic highs and disappointing lows. There were breathtaking highlights, surprise packets, disappointments, good guys and bad.

The NFL was enveloped in scandal as the league and the players created more controversy than ever before, but there were also inspirational and uplifting stories to be told.

In 2014-2015 we saw the New England Patriots crowned champions for the first time in 10 years; Tom Brady’s legacy as one of the greatest ever quarterbacks was assured.

Super Bowl XLIX between the defending champion Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots was the most watched show in US TV history. The game lived up to its billing, with the final two drives ensuring it was one of the most unforgettable deciders in recent memory. It was an NFL season unlike any other. Here is The Roar’s 2014-2015 NFL season in review.

Biggest stories/headlines:

Deflate Gate
Storm in a teacup or biggest scandal of the 21st century? Probably more of the former.

The Patriots blew out the Colts 45-7 in a rainy AFC Championship game at Foxborough. The balls were inspected at half time and 11 of the 12 footballs used in the first half were judged by officials to be under the minimum of 12.5 PSI, but just one was two pounds under. Many of them were just a few ticks under the minimum, it has since been revealed.

The media grilled Brady and Belichick on the issue and both proclaimed their innocence, saying they had no knowledge of how the balls became deflated.

Despite being a somewhat trivial matter, the issue had the potential to derail the Patriots’ Super Bowl preparation. But they cast it aside and held off the Seahawks 28-24 for a historic win.

#DeflateGate was a big deal because it was the Patriots, one of the league’s most disliked teams, who were disciplined by the NFL over the Spygate controversy in 2007. It also carried so much prominence because the US news media were desperately searching for something to talk about for two weeks in the lead up to the Super Bowl.

The findings from the investigation are yet to be released, but if you are an NFL fan you have already made up your mind. Your opinion is likely based on how you view the Patriots. Or whether you care at all.

The Ray Rice assault and video
What a scandal.

Did Goodell see the video of Ray Rice knocking out his then fiancee Janay Palmer with a single punch in an Atlantic City elevator? If he didn’t see it then why wasn’t it made available? If TMZ can get their hands on a key piece of evidence then surely the police and the NFL could. Even if Goodell hadn’t seen the video then surely a charge of domestic assault and the disgusting image of Rice dragging his lifeless fiancée’s body out of the elevator deserves more than a two-game suspension.

This is a league with millions of female fans, what sort of example was Goodell setting when he came up with that punishment?

Since the ensuing public outrage, the NFL has gone completely in the opposite direction; anyone charged with a domestic violence offence is suspended indefinitely. The scandal was too great, they couldn’t have alleged domestic violence perpetrators taking the field. And Rice and the TMZ video started it all.

Michael Sam announces he is gay
So Michael Sam is gay, big deal right?

Yep, it was a big deal to the US media who focused on it so intensely we got stories about Sam’s showering habits with his teammates. It was perhaps less of a big deal to the US public or fellow NFL players, in fact Rams defensive end Chris Long responded to the shower story with a succinct tweet: “Dear ESPN, Everyone but you is over it.”

Dear ESPN, Everyone but you is over it.

— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) August 26, 2014

That pretty much summed up the general feeling from the start, but that didn’t stop the media. This was a big story to them because it transcended sport.

Sam was the first openly gay college player and then eventually, once he was drafted at the end of the seventh round, NFL player.

How would his coming out affect his draft stock? Who would draft him? Would his teammates want to play with him?

When Sam was eventually cut by the Rams, the team perhaps most likely to select him due to his Missouri roots, he landed briefly in Dallas before being waived again. Some suggested his sexuality was to blame, but Sam has publicly disagreed and has handled the entire ordeal with dignity.

Adrian Peterson and other domestic abuse charges
Two years after coming so close to breaking the single-season rushing record, Adrian Peterson was suspended almost the entire season after he was charged with reckless or negligent injury to a child.

The allegations came in the centre of the storm around Ray Rice and the images of Peterson’s four-year-old son’s wounded legs boiled the blood of every parent in America.

He was stood down initially by the Vikings, then recalled and appeared set to play before the team chose to place him on the exempt/commissioners list until his legal troubles were resolved.

That’s where he remains, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ruling that Peterson will not be eligible for reinstatement until April, 2015. Peterson is appealing that ruling. The story was yet another scandal for the NFL and proved to be a landmark case for the league, with Goodell punishing Peterson for the sins of others and coming down hard on the running back.

Biggest plays:

Odell Beckham Jr’s catch
I went nuts for this catch back in November and wrote that it would help land Beckham Jr the Rookie of the Year award.

When the awards were announced on the eve of the Super Bowl Beckham Jr also won play of the year for the incredible one-handed 43-yard touchdown catch. The sheer athleticism launched Beckham Jr onto the world stage, in one play he went from promising rookie to NFL superstar.

Marshawn Lynch’s Desert Storm
I wrote about this play back in December, saying that, while it was a worthy sequel, just like Die Hard 2 it wasn’t quiet as good as the original.

Don’t get me wrong, it was an incredible play, Lynch goes “Full Beast Mode” on Arizona in the desert, he takes a hand-off up the middle, sheds a few tackles before breaking it out to the right, stiff-arming a few of his foes out of the way and setting up blocks downfield before he dives in backwards with his now trademark celebration.

Devin Hester 20th career return TD (NFL record)
Hester enjoyed a number of incredible years returning kicks and punts in Chicago, but when his career dipped after 2011 it looked like he may never break Deion Sanders’ record of 19 return touchdowns.

He was getting older, teams were kicking away from him and NFL rules were making it harder for teams to score on returns. Hester was let go by the Bears in 2013 and landed in Atlanta, when on September 18 he caught a punt against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, broke it up the middle, raced around the punter and high-stepped it into the end zone, just like his mentor used to do.

JJ Watt’s 80-yard interception return
Anyone who has seen Watt play has asked; is there anything this guy can’t do?

He gets sacks, forces and recovers fumbles and catches touchdown passes. And in a September game against the Buffalo Bills he took an interception back 80-yards for a touchdown.

That’s right, 1.96 metre, 131 kilogram JJ Watt returned an interception nearly the length of a football field. Watt was given a free run towards Bills quarterback EJ Manuel on what was a designed quick pass play to the running back, but leapt up to bat down a pass that stuck to his hands.

He then took off running, received a few helpful blocks and powered into the end zone.

Brent Grimes one handed interception vs Lions
This play didn’t get as much attention as Odell Beckham Jr’s Gumby catch against the Cowboys, but Grimes’ deserves just as much praise.

While covering elite receiver Calvin Johnson on a deep throw down field, Grimes turns, leaps backwards, extends his arm and pulls Matt Stafford’s pass down one-handed. An incredibly athletic interception from an undersized defensive back.

Rams 90-yard punt return touchdown
The only thing better than a special teams touchdown is a special teams touchdown with a bit of trickery, or “trickeration” as NFL analysts call it.

The Rams don’t mind delving into the trick play section of the playbook and in a surprise win over the Seahawks in week 7 they fooled the Seahawks special teamers good. Tavon Austin, the Rams’ usual return man, pretended to be tracking the ball toward the Rams’ sideline, attracting most of Seattle’s defenders, while Stedman Bailey fielded the punt and zoomed up the sideline for the score.

Biggest (pleasant) surprises:

Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals were the league’s best team for a stretch in 2014, an unlikely feat given they lost a number of key starters on defence to injury before the season and quarterback Carson Palmer after just six games.

Arizona used a number of different quarterbacks, struggled to run or pass the ball, were mediocre defending the pass, but were still managing to beat teams like the Cowboys, Eagles and Lions.

They were 9-1 before the wheels fell of somewhat and they finished 11-5 and crashed out the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card round.

The 2014 Coach of the Year Bruce Arians held his group together and they adopted a “next man up mentality”, which helped them overcome the adversity. They may not have looked pretty doing it, but they were undoubtedly the league’s gutsiest team.

Raiders’ rookies
I read a recent 2014 NFL re-draft that had Khalil Mack at number 1 overall, not Jadeveon Clowney, and Derek Carr at the end of the first round. The Raiders drafted particularly well in 2014 and the future looks somewhat brighter in Oakland.

Mack in particular is regarded as a future superstar, with Raiders defensive end Justin Tuck recently saying he had Lawrence Taylor like qualities. Tuck cited Mack’s football intelligence and incredible work ethic as reasons why his future is so bright, and why he could end up among the league’s all-time great defensive players when his career is over.

Mack finished 2014 with 75 tackles and four sacks, and was the top-rated 4-3 outside linebacker in the league in 2014 according to Pro Football Focus’ grading system.

Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys surprised most by winning six of their first seven games and six of their last seven to clinch the NFC East behind the power run game of DeMarco Murray and the stellar play of quarterback Tony Romo.

The Cowboys even won a playoff game, albeit in somewhat controversial circumstances, against the Detroit Lions, but a visit to Green Bay showed they are maybe a year or two away from being in that elite company.

Justin Forsett
Alright, hands up if you had Justin Forsett, the 29-year-old journeyman, finishing with the fifth most rushing yards in 2014? None of you?

Forsett signed a one-year deal with the Ravens in April this year and was supposed to act as a third-string running back behind Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce. Forsett was thrust into the starting role at the beginning of the season due to the suspension of Rice and injuries to Pierce.

Forsett was fearless and ran hard behind a good offensive line, producing 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns and was named to his first Pro Bowl.

Biggest disappointments:

The NFC South
Just the whole NFC South. All of them. All 41 losses and one tie between them.

The NFC South shocked the NFL watching world by just being absolutely horrible in 2014. No team had a winning record, none of them could vanquish the others and claim a playoff spot until the Panthers went on a four-game streak to qualify for the post season at 7-8-1.

Bad NFC South, very bad.

Jadeveon Clowney
The naysayers and critics were right to doubt Clowney and question his dedication in the lead-up to the NFL draft. A physical specimen who made some incredible plays for South Carolina, Clowney was selected first overall in 2014 by the Houston Texans.

But after one season he appears far from a guaranteed star in the NFL. Clowney played in four lacklustre games for the Texans in 2014 and had no sacks and seven tackles. He was supposed to be a force on the other side of the defensive line from JJ Watt, but Clowney suffered multiple injuries and is sidelined for most of 2015 after ongoing microfracture knee surgery in December.

San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers were frustrating to watch in 2014. Their offence was stagnant, their defence, albeit missing key personnel, was not the same beast it was during deep playoff runs in previous years.

The media got on them early and neither quarterback Colin Kaepernick nor coach John Harbaugh looked happy to be there.

They missed the playoffs for the first time since Mike Singletary’s final year at the helm in 2010 and Harbaugh mutually parted ways with the organisation. We had come to expect consistent greatness from the 49ers, but despite three Conference Championship appearances the Harbaugh era will be remembered for its lack of championships.

Chicago Bears
What can one say about the Chicago Bears that hasn’t already been screamed at a big screen in a Chicago-area sports bar or wildly sent to Jay Cutler on Twitter?

The Bears stunk up the joint in 2014. Plain and simple. Cutler was so bad that media analysts began prefacing his name with “a guy who is not as good as we thought he was is…” or saying things like “Jay Cutler, who it is now evident is incapable of taking the Bears to a Super Bowl…”

The Bears underachieved mightily in 2014, they had a productive running back, two excellent receivers and a handy tight-end and, of course, Cutler, who is supposed to have a rocket for an arm. Problem was the Bears were 30th in total defense and Cutler had 27 turnovers.

Biggest heroes:

Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis
Davis delivered an emotional and moving speech after being named the Walter Payton Man of the Year on the eve of the Super Bowl. Davis is an outstanding linebacker, but a glance at his extracurricular activities shows he is an even better human being.

He founded the Thomas Davis Defending Dreams Program, which has given $500,000 to local residents of Charlotte, North Carolina. He also provides two college scholarships every year to seniors who have completed the Youth Leadership Academy Program.

On top of this, the talented linebacker offers a free annual football camp for more than 350 children each year, which not only focuses on football, but also on building life skills.

Here is an extract from Davis’s speech: “To the guys in this league, I just want to say to you, let’s take charge. Dare to be different. We are a village. Let’s step up and be a village of guys that make a difference. Let’s change this world. We’re well compensated for what we do. Let’s show these kids how much we care about them. Let’s give the media something positive to talk about instead of bashing our league.”

Stirring stuff.

St Louis Rams players Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Jared Cook, Chris Givens and Kenny Britt
NFL players are not encouraged to speak their mind on political or social issues. In fact, it is widely discouraged. First Amendment rights be damned, you are representing a billion dollar industry, don’t step out of line!

So when these five Rams’ pass catchers chose to enter the field for a game against the Raiders in December with their hands raised in a “don’t shoot pose” it divided opinions in the United States.

The players were showing their support for the protesters in nearby Ferguson, who had been battling with police since black teenager Michael Brown was killed by a Ferguson police officer. The officer was later acquitted, despite some claiming Brown had his hands up before being shot.

The show of support came at an incredibly volatile time in Missouri, with critics claiming they were encouraging the protesters and condemning the police.

The St Louis Police Officers Association called for the players involved to be disciplined and for the Rams and the NFL to deliver a “very public apology’. But no fines were issued and rightfully so.

Sean Payton
A few years ago Saints coach Sean Payton was serving a one-year suspension for his alleged role in the team’s bounty gate scandal. But this season he can take his place among the genuine good guys in the league.

Payton heard the story of Cincinnati Bengals DT Devon Still and his four-year-old daughter Leah, who is fighting pediatric cancer. So Payton purchased 100 of Still’s jerseys and donated them to the Boys and Girls Clubs in Cincinnati. The Bengals had arranged for all of the proceeds from Still’s jersey sales to go to the charity, but the three-year pro was one of the lesser-known players in the league. Not after Payton’s charitable gesture.

All of the proceeds from the jersey sales went towards the nearly $1.3 million raised that went to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center’s pediatric cancer research efforts.

Tom Brady
Brady finally won that elusive fourth Super Bowl and he did it with poise and grace. When Richard Sherman, who had famously quizzed Brady if he was “mad, bro” after a Patriots loss a few seasons earlier, extended his hand of congratulations after Super Bowl Sunday, Brady took it.

Many wrote the Patriots and particularly Brady off after a big loss to the Chiefs in Week 4, so he could have been forgiven for throwing it back in people’s faces. But he didn’t.

Also, he is rumoured to be giving his MVP truck to the little known cornerback who undercut Ricardo Lockett’s route and picked Russell Wilson to seal the win for the Patriots.

Biggest villains:

Roger Goodell
Goodell is not the most popular commissioner in US sports. In fact, he is pretty much the least popular. And that was before he completely messed up the Ray Rice punishment in 2014.

Here is a quick chronological series of events from that scandal:
Rice is arrested and indicted for third-degree assault. TMZ posts a video from the casino’s cameras showing Rice dragging an unconscious Palmer out of an elevator. Goodell suspends Rice for two games.

Goodell is heavily criticised by the media and domestic violence activists, some who call on him to resign. Goodell acknowledges he ‘‘didn’t get it right’’ regarding Rice’s punishment.

Goodell announces new, stricter suspension guidelines for cases of domestic violence. TMZ releases footage from the elevator that showed Rice striking Palmer in the face and Palmer falling to the floor unconscious.

Goodell is criticised again for initial suspension and accused of having seen the video. The NFL says no one in the league office had viewed this video before Rice’s suspension was announced.

Goodell suspends Rice from the NFL indefinitely. The Ravens released Rice. More people accuse Goodell of covering up the incident and call for him to resign. The Associated Press reports that a copy of the tape was sent to a league executive in April, 2014.

Former FBI director Robert Mueller’s investigation into the NFL’s handling of the Rice case finds the league never saw the tape before it became public in September. Rice wins his appeal and is reinstated by the NFL. Ehhhh…. exhausting, isn’t it.

Anyway, we’re pretty much back to where we started. Except even less people like Goodell.

Ndumakong Suh
This guy has more stamps than an elephant… or a post office. Alright, well all the pieces are there… somebody make somethin’ outta that.

Suh just cannot seem to keep his feet to himself and has been responsible for some almighty brain snaps during his tumultuous career. This time it was Green Bay’s quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was lying prone on the ground after throwing a pass when Suh ‘inadvertently’ stepped onto his injured leg.

Suh was handed a one-game suspension but appealed and the punishment was reduced to a $70,000 fine.

This isn’t the first time Suh has had issues with Green Bay. He was suspended for two games in 2011 after stomping on the arm of then-Packers center Evan Dietrich-Smith. Suh was also fined $100,000 last season for an illegal low block on Minnesota center John Sullivan.

He has been fined for roughing up Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton, Chicago’s Jay Cutler, then-Houston quarterback Matt Schaub and then-Cleveland quarterbacks Jake Delhomme and Brandon Weeden.

Tom Brady (again?)
Was Brady telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when quizzed on the Deflate Gate scandal? We may never know, but several media analysts and former players believe he must have had some knowledge of the situation. Joe Montana said he thought it was pretty simple who was responsible, alluding to Brady.

“If it was done, it was done for a reason,” he said.

“There is only one guy that does it. Nobody else cares what the ball feels like.”

After watching Brady’s press conference, former quarterback Mark Brunell got a little choked up when asked if he believed Brady.

“I did not believe what Tom Brady had to say,” Brunell said. “Those balls were deflated. Somebody had to do it. And I don’t believe there is an equipment manager in the NFL that would on his own initiative deflate a ball without the starting quarterback’s approval.”

Football fans who don’t like the Patriots now have another reason to not change their mind. Brady has such a clean-cut image, the Super Bowls, the super model wife, he is like Mr America. But that image was tarnished to some degree in the wake of these allegations, whether true or not.

Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson
It might be hard to find an athlete as universally disliked as these two running backs after video and photographic evidence, respectively, emerged of the two committing heinous acts of domestic violence in 2014.

The Rice case is outlined above, but Peterson created his own controversy when images of his injured son hit the internet. Peterson claimed he was just replicating his childhood and disciplining his son the way he was disciplined. Critics called it child abuse, Peterson called it tough parenting.

What to watch for in season 2015-2016:

Will Peyton Manning return?
Has The Sheriff got one last duel in him? After 17 years at the top, Manning finally started acting his age during the second half of the regular season.

Any mobility he ever had is all gone and that arm strength is starting to leave him as well. The Broncos were eliminated by the Colts in the Divisional Round of the playoffs as Manning went 26/46, 211 yards and one touchdown. Not exactly gaudy numbers.

With John Fox moving on and the offensive minded Gary Kubiak returning to the Broncos it remains unclear whether Manning will hang ‘em up or go around once more.

Manning owns the majority of the NFL passing records already and is a no doubt first ballot Hall of Famer, the only thing that might lure him back is the chance at one more Super Bowl run.

Do the Patriots have time for another dynasty?
It’s unlikely, given how difficult it is to even go back to back anymore, but this is the Patriots we are talking about. Tom Brady wants to play until he is 45, which means at this stage he is only two-thirds of the way through his career. I joke, of course.

The Patriots have got the pieces in place, if they can hold onto Revis and Browner and maybe add a bit of talent at receiver they should be in the mix in 2015.

At this stage they are a lock to win the AFC East for the 12th time in 14 years. The Colts will be good again in 2015, the Steelers and Ravens perhaps, but other than that the AFC could be ripe for the Patriots picking. All that is missing is a rematch against the Seahawks in Northern California.

Will the Seahawks bounce back?
Most likely. They just have too much talent on defense and boast such a young roster. Re-signing Marshawn Lynch will be a massive key and adding a bit more talent around Wilson, perhaps a pass-catching tight-end.

Seattle will have the memory of that heartbreaking loss etched into their brains during the off-season and will be keener than ever to get back on the field. The Seahawks players talk a big game and they don’t want to be labelled chokers, so I think you can expect big things from them again in 2015.

How will rookie QBs Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston perform?
It’s the $20 million question. Mariota or Winston? Winston or Mariota?

Who do you take if you have a high pick and are in need of a quarterback? Winston disgraced himself in the Rose Bowl, turning out a Troy Smith-like big game performance against Mariota’s Oregon Ducks. But some say he has the better NFL skill-set and should come off the board first.

Regardless of where they land, it should be intriguing to see whether either can adapt to the pro game.

A few years ago there was a similar quarterback battle between Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. RGIII was the Heisman Trophy winner, the more mobile quarterback, but Luck went first to Indianapolis and RGIII second to Washington.

Indy got the quarterback of the future, while Washington are still unsure if Griffin is their man.

When will Rice and Peterson play again?
Or should that be will Rice and Peterson play again. Rice is good to go, having been reinstated on appeal in November.

Peterson is appealing his suspension, which states he will not be considered for reinstatement until April 15, 2015. Rice was let go by the Ravens and is free to sign with anyone who wants a major running back who minors in domestic assault.

The inevitable injuries will mean a team or two will come looking for a quality running back at some point in 2015 and perhaps Rice’s ability will be enough to convince them that his past is behind him.

Peterson is an interesting one. Scheduled to earn a non-guaranteed salary that would count a prohibitive $15.4 million against the Vikings’ salary cap in 2015, the suspended running back’s Minnesota future is up in the air entering the offseason.

He could stay with Minnesota, or possibly sign with Dallas where he has said he would like to finish his career. Bottom line, Rice is available now but teams might be more likely to forgive and forget Peterson’s indiscretions.