We hear it so often. “The Sophomore Slump” that lurks around the corner from any strong rookie season. 2012 saw more impressive (legendary?) rookie campaigns than almost any year in NFL history, led by the quarterbacking trio of Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, and RGIII. However, as fantastic as those three were in their first years in the league, the threat of regressing to the mean is still out there as they enter their sophomore seasons. In fact, RGIII already has an uphill battle to climb, as he is of course battling back from ACL/MCL surgery in January with hopes of playing in Week 1.
However, not all first-year standouts fall victim to the second year tendency to come back to earth; some of the best seasons in NFL history have come in players’ second go-around. With that in mind, here are the greatest 10 sophomore seasons of all time:
10. Adrian Peterson, 2008 (MIN) Peterson has been an instant star since breaking into the NFL in 2007, so it can be hard to remember when exactly his “breakout season” occurred, but one could definitely make a strong case for 2008. Peterson led the league in rushing yards with 1,760, scored 10 times, and led the league in YPG with 110.0 Peterson took home the 2008 Bert Bell Award for Player of the Year. AD reached his second Pro Bowl and first All-Pro selection in a pass-first Viking offense that made it a Brett Favre interception away from a Super Bowl. Outside of his other-worldly 2013, 2008 comes in as Peterson’s second best overall season.
9. Jerry Rice, 1986 (SF) After a solid rookie season in ’85, Rice’s season in 1986 was his welcome party to NFL stardom on his way to becoming the best wideout of all time. By yardage total, it was Rice’s second best season ever, only bested by his 1,848 yards in 1995, a record that stood until Calvin Johnson broke it last year. In 16 games, Rice hauled in 86 Joe Montana passes for 1,570 yards, with 15 TD’s, the last two totals being league leaders. Rice was named to both the Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro squads in 1986, a year that truly kicked off an unforgettable career.
8. Derrick Thomas, 1990 (KC) For what it’s worth, Thomas is probably one of the more under-appreciated defensive players of all time. In 1990, he put together what was arguably the best year of his career. Appearing in just 15 games, Thomas registered a league-leading 20 sacks, in addition to 63 tackles. After being named to the Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro, Thomas had officially asserted himself as one of the best linebackers in all of the NFL in the early 90′s.
7. J.J. Watt, 2012 (HOU) This dominating year-long performance by Watt should be fresh enough in everyone’s mind to have to avoid too much detail….but it was such a surreal season, I’ll indulge myself. The first second-year player to be named Defensive Player of the Year since Lawrence Taylor in 1982, Watt had 20.5 sacks, the 6th most ever, 16 pass deflections, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and just for good measure, he totaled 69 tackles. For the 11th round selection in the 2011 draft, it was one of the most complete seasons a defensive lineman has ever put up, and it is scary to think that Watt played almost the entire season with torn ligaments in his left arm. Watt registered 39 tackles for a loss in 2012; Geno Watkins, who had the second most, had 18.
6. Earl Campbell, 1979 (HOU) Earl Campbell’s first three season in the NFL are almost unparalleled for running backs, and his 1979 season is one of the best ever for a second-year player. Earning his 2nd straight MVP and AP Offensive Player of the Year Awards, Campbell ran for 1,697 yards and 19 touchdowns, which led the league in both categories. While Campbell’s greatness was short lived, few players ever have come into the league and started to immediately dominate as quickly as he did.
5. Chris Johnson, 2009 (TEN) Because he has become a shell of him former self, it can be easy to forget how good he once was, especially in his record-setting 2009. Johnson recorded just the 6th ever 2000-yard season for a running back in ’09, and averaged an insane 125.4 YPG for a final total of 2,006 yards. 14 touchdowns were produced on the ground by Johnson this year, but he didn’t stop there. “CJ2K” caught 50 passes out the back field, two of which went for 6, and added 503 receiving yards, bringing his total yards from scrimmage to an NFL record of 2509, a mark which still stands today. Here are some highlights from Johnson’s year in 2009, for which he earned the AP Offensive Player of the Year award, in addition to clear-cut Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods.
4. Kurt Warner, 1999 (STL) Most will think of Warner’s 1999 season as his first, but 3 appearances in 1998 make his storybook season a sophomore campaign. Warner, who worked a grocery store before working out with the Rams, put together one of the best seasons a quarterback had ever had up to that point in NFL history, and capped it off with a Super Bowl victory, in which he was named MVP, and set the still-standing record for passing yards in a Super Bowl with 414. Warner became just the 7th player in league history to take home a league MVP and Super Bowl MVP award in the same year. In the regular season, Warner led “The Greatest Show on Turf” with 41 touchdowns against only 13 INT’s with 4,353 yards. A Pro Bowler and All-Pro, a Hall of Fame career for Warner would not have been possible without Trent Green’s injury in the 1999 preseason.
3. Jim Brown, 1958 (CLE) Almost everyone is who even a casual fan of the NFL and its history knows how great Jim Brown was. However, what the Syracuse legend accomplished in his 2nd season is hard to believe, even more than 50 years later. Brown played just 12 games, and put up stats that would earn a player an automatic Pro Bowl berth in today’s 16-game slate. The NFL MVP in ’58, Brown averaged 127.3 YPG in those 12 games for a grand total of 1,527. At that rate, Brown would have eclipsed 2,000 yards in a 16-game schedule, and would have had a great chance at setting a rushing record that might’ve still been standing today. Brown added 18 TD’s, 17 coming on the ground, to his ridiculous season, which, I know it’s hard to believe, ended with a Pro Bowl berth and All-Pro honors.
2. Eric Dickerson, 1984 (LA Rams) Eric Dickerson not only put together the second best year that a second-year player has ever had in the NFL, but probably the best year ever by a running back. Dickerson’s record-setting 2, 105 rushing yards is one of the most sought-after marks in all of sports, and still stands today even though Adrian Peterson came awfully close in 2012 to passing it. Dickerson found the end zone 14 times for the Rams, and averaged 131.6 YPG, which led all players in that season, and is still the 4th highest total ever. The 12 times he ran for 100 yards minimum in 1984 set a new record for those games in NFL history (O.J. Simpson previously held the mark). Dickerson fell short of the taking home the MVP award (you’ll see why shortly), but achieved the Pro Bowl-All Pro combination for the second time in as many pro seasons, which was a nice way to kick off a Hall of Fame career.
1. Dan Marino, 1984 (MIA) George Orwell once wrote a book about a futuristic world of dystopia that would occur in 1984, but he clearly didn’t foresee what Dan Marino would accomplish that very same year (I think I strained my neck reaching for that one). Marino’s 1984 is one of the most fabled season’s in NFL history, and for good reason. Marino made it to his only Super Bowl in ’84, leading the Dolphins to a 14-2 record and the AFC championship, before losing to the 49ers. That year, he set multiple NFL passing records that stood for decades. His 48 touchdown passes lasted until Peyton Manning eclipsed that total in 2004, and his 5, 084 passing yards were the NFL standard until Drew Brees (and Tom Brady) both surpassed it in 2011. The former Pittsburgh Panther’s 48 TD’s were 12 more than Y.A. Tittle and George Blanda’s previous record of 36. The MVP in ’84, Marino put together is overall best season in his sophomore year in the league, and continued that dominance to the footstep of a Super Bowl victory. Needless to say, Dan the Man made it to the Pro Bowl and was named as an All-Pro for his impressive resume in 1984.
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