What we learned in the NFL in 2014

Defense still wins championships

The Seattle Seahawks proved just that in February, when they crushed the Denver Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVII. That game was the culmination of a campaign where the Seahawks dominated on the defensive side of the ball, finishing first in total defense and allowing a measly 14 points per game. 

Seattle has done it all with shrewd late-round draft selections. 

Outside of 2010 first rounder Earl Thomas, general manager John Schneider used fifth-round selections to grab Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Tharold Simon, and a sixth-round pick on Byron Maxwell. 

Seattle is poised for another playoff run, thanks to building its squad to withstand and take away the greatest strength of the majority of teams around the league. 

J.J. Watt is a generational talent

We always knew J.J. Watt was a tremendous talent, but 2014 has illustrated he may just be one of the best ever at his position. The Houston Texans defensive end finds himself being compared to the legendary Reggie White, due to manhandling offensive linemen like this with regularity. 

Watt is so far above his peers it's scary. His 110 pressures are 59 more than the next closest 3-4 defensive end and he's easily the most complete defensive lineman in the league, playing 1012 of Houston's snaps. Only three other pass rushers have even hit 900. 

Oh, and by the way, he's also scored five touchdowns this season.

This is the best WR class of all time

The Buffalo Bills were certainly convinced this rookie receiver class was going to be special, considering they traded up with Cleveland and gave them an additional first and fourth-round pick in order to draft Sammy Watkins. 

Odell Beckham Jr. has stolen the show, but this class has been so good there is a strong chance we could see six rookies with more than 65 catches, four with more than 1,000 yards and three with at least 10 touchdowns. 

It's going to be fun to watch the likes of Beckham, Watkins, Kelvin Benjamin and Mike Evans tear up the record books for years to come. 

Bruce Arians is doing one of the best coaching jobs ever

Everyone thought Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians did an excellent job last year leading the team to an improbable 10-6 record, but he has outdone himself in 2014.

Arians has guided the team to 11 wins and their first playoff berth since 2009, while dealing with a barrage of injuries. The Cards have lost a ridiculous amount of key players for stretches this season, with Darnell Dockett, John Abraham, Carson Palmer, Tyrann Mathieu, Larry Fitzgerald, Calais Campbell and Andre Ellington all missing significant time. 

Most teams would be looking at a top five draft at this point, but instead Arizona is fighting for home-field advantage. 

The NFL has a discipline problem

There were enough bad headlines in the past year to last the NFL a lifetime. Whether it was Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy or one of the several other players to be involved in off-field issues, it's evident that changes need to be made. 

Being in the public eye, the NFL had a unique opportunity to set an example that these types of actions from their players will not be tolerated. Instead, the mishandling of the Rice and Peterson cases took the focus off the real issues. 

It's unfair to paint the near 1,700 players in the league with one brush, or assume that the NFL workplace has a higher percentage of people committing crimes than other occupations. But, what is reasonable, is to expect the league to handle things in a swift and appropriate manner when someone crosses the line, which we continue to wait for.