The 5 Most Shameful Moments in the 2009 NFL Season

The regular season may be over and done with, but a sports league that requires a police blotter to track is bound to leave a ton of embarrassing, head-shaking moments in its wake. What better person to give us a definitive list than FOX News Channel's correspondent Bill Hemmer? Formerly a weekend sports anchor at a local Ohio CBS affiliate, Bill knows all about disappointment and absolute failure...he's a Cincinnati Bengals fan. Here are his picks for what will, unfortunately, be remembered from this past year.

"They may prove everybody wrong and win out, but I thought one of the biggest coaching blunders in recent memory was the coaching decision to sit the star players for a month. The variables are many in the playoffs, but taking away the opportunity away from your players who have earned it is a big mistake for me."
Image: YouTube

"His inability to coach Brett Favre was more than apparent last year with the Jets. Favre came back this year with Minnesota and proved his arm was as strong as any other quarterback in the league. Mangini could not coach that...I always find it hard to give someone like that a second chance, even though he is very smart."
Image: YouTube

"I think both teams clearly had enough talent to make it to the postseason. It may be something about peaking too soon in the season. If I were a player, coach, or a fan for either one of those teams, I'd be really ticked off. If you get five or six wins in the first month and a half of the season, you should be on Easy Street. That is what is great about how the NFL has built itself: wild card teams can win championships and there is always a cycle of teams in and out of the playoffs."
[Editor's note: The top four teams from last year's postseason (Giants, Panthers, Titans, Steelers) have missed this year's playoffs.]
Image: Eli Manning/Giants.com, Kyle Orton/YouTube

"Don't mess with Bills fans. They're close to cave people. (Kidding!)"
Image: YouTube

1. Any Player Who Uses Twitter
"Look at what Ocho Cinco did against the New York Jets the last game of the season. All that talk on his Twitter page [about Revis Island] and he slips during warm-ups and bangs his knee. You can't win with that!"
Image: Twitter

Dishonorable Mention: Belichick Goes For It on 4th Down vs. Colts, Loses the Game
"It shows the hubris that can cloud a good decision. You know how badly you want it, but your inability to control those emotions and make the right decision causes you to lose games. It's only lower on the list because the Patriots made it to the postseason, so it probably won't have as big effect as, say, the Colts allowing a perfect season to go by the wayside so close to playoff season."
Image: YouTube