by Igor Derysh
 The 2007-2008 NFL season can be summed up in just one word. Wow. 15 individual all-time NFL records were set this year, most of them by the New England Patriots. Broken were long standing scoring records by rookies and veterans both.
Oh, and did I mention that the Patriots did really well?
2007 was undoubtedly the year of the quarterback. Two quarterbacks to be exact. It was Brett Farve, en route to a 13-3 record, toppling the records of football greats Dan Marino and John Elway as he solidified his career among the greatest. Farve single-handedly broke five records, four of them good.
He broke John Elway’s record for most regular-season wins after winning his 160th game.
He surpassed Dan Marino in all-time touchdown passes, all-time pass attempts and all-time passing yards, reaching 442 touchdowns and 8,758 pass attempts and 61,655 passing yards. Perhaps the only blemish to Farve’s illustrious career was his passing George Blanda on the all-time interceptions list.
The long-time Packer has now thrown 288 interceptions, passing the mark that Blanda set over 30 years ago.
Farve wasn’t the only quarterback to topple seemingly impossible records.
Tom Brady, leading his team to perhaps the greatest season in NFL history, threw an incredible 50 regular season touchdowns, surpassing the equally incredible 49 touchdowns that Peyton Manning threw in 2004.
A quarterback is only as good as his receivers, however, and Brady had a great one. Brady’s partner in crime, Randy Moss passed Jerry Rice, regarded by most as the greatest NFL receiver of all time, when he caught 23 of Brady’s passes for touchdowns. Rice’s record of 22 receiving touchdowns had stood for 20 years.
The Patriots, as a team, were simply unstoppable in 2007 as they scored the most touchdowns (75) and the most points (589), passing the 1984 Miami Dolphins and the 1998 Minnesota Vikings respectively.
With star power like that, it comes as no surprise to find that the Patriots became only the fourth team to go undefeated in a regular season in NFL history and the first since 1972. Should the Patriots win the Superbowl, they would become one of two teams to go undefeated in both the regular season and the playoffs, the other being the ’72 Dolphins.
It wasn’t just Brett Farve and the Patriots that set marks this year. First-year running back Adrian Peterson broke Jamal Lewis’ rushing mark when he ran for 296 yards in a single game.
New Orleans’ quarterback Drew Brees set his own record when he attempted 443 passes in the regular season, passing Rich Gannon’s 418.
No NFL season would be complete without a kicking record, however, and that honor goes to Rob Bironas of the Tennessee Titans, who kicked an unprecedented 8 field goals in a single game.
Most striking, perhaps, is the fact that none of these players are going anywhere next year. Brett Farve has had one of the longest careers for an NFL quarterback, but is unlikely to retire after the season he has had.
Tom Brady and Randy Moss are both in the peaks of their careers and can be leading the Patriots to an unprecedented amount of Superbowls for a long time to come.
Adrian Peterson has just finished his rookie year in the NFL. After an amazing college career in Oklahoma, who knows what Peterson is capable of? And who knows what next year holds in store?
Perhaps Farve will reach the 200 touchdowns in a career mark. Perhaps a 300-yard rushing game. Perhaps the Patriots will become the first team to ever go undefeated in consecutive seasons. Perhaps the Dolphins will win more than one game.
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