Posted by: Pete Roussel on December 23, 2012

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all.  Here's my list of Top 12 best football decisions of 2012.

John Elway signs Peyton Manning: Jon Gruden recently summarized what Peyton Manning has meant to the Denver Broncos: "Manning could be the comeback player of the year, the MVP, and the coach of the year." A college friend of mine who lives in Denver described to me, "You have no idea what Peyton Manning has done for Denver.  The economy is thriving because of 18. He totally impacts the economy.  Everyone is happy.  People go out on Wednesday nights; they eat, drink and talk Broncos' football.  Everyone believes we're going to win every Sunday." Elway called it 'truly one of the most exciting times of my life'.

South Carolina athletic department sets the stage for special moment: Perhaps the moment of the year in football occurred during pre-game festivities of the South Carolina-Georgia game. South Carolina's athletic department set the stage for an emotional military family reunion.  It was a genius idea by the South Carolina athletic department that everyone in Williams-Brice Stadium that afternoon will remember forever. It's our clear choice for must-watch video of the year.

Penn State names Bill O'Brien head coach: When Penn State introduced Bill O'Brien as head coach on January 8th, most football fans reacted, 'Huh? Who?  Bill O'Brien?'  Less than a year later, O'Brien was honored as the National Coach of the Year by the Maxwell Club.  He led Penn State to an 8-4 season despite numerous players deciding to transfer just before August camp began.  The distractions were endless and the adversity was enormous.  Penn State obviously chose the right person to lead their football program. O'Brien was THE leader that Penn State needed.

Greg Roman with the NFL play-call of the year: San Francisco trailed New Orleans 24-23 with 2:18 remaining in the fourth-quarter of the NFC divisional championship game.  Roman dialed a quarterback sweep out of an Empty formation.  Alex Smith went 28 yards for the touchdown.  The Saints amazingly regained the lead, but the 49ers won it with a Smith to Vernon Davis touchdown.

Pete Carroll drafts Russell Wilson: The Seahawks stole Russell Wilson in the third-round.

Mike Shanahan acquires #2 overall pick to draft RG3: The Redskins traded three first round picks and a second round pick to acquire the #2 overall pick from the Rams.  Shanahan knows the NFL is a quarterback driven league and he got his guy.

Brian Kelly names Everett Golson as starting quarterback: The easy decision would have been to stay the course with experienced quarterback Tommy Rees, but Kelly figured that if Notre Dame were to make a run at the national championship, they would need Everett Golson as the Notre Dame starting quarterback.

James Franklin signs new contract to remain at Vanderbilt: The grass isn't always greener somewhere else.  The Vanderbilt community is thrilled about Franklin and what he has done for their football program and university.  Why leave when you're happy and you believe in the administration?  Franklin easily could have jumped ship this off-season.

ESPN executives decide to move forward with Tirico-Gruden combination: Nothing against Ron Jaworski, but Monday Night Football has never been better than this season.  The combination of Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden make even the Jets-Titans entertaining to watch.  Whichever ESPN executive made the decision to move to a 2-man crew, nice call.

Arkansas State president Chuck Welch for hiring the right people: Welch has been pretty good as of late.  He didn't hesitate to hire Hugh Freeze.  He moved quickly to hire Gus Malzahn.  In September, Welch hired athletic director Terry Mohajir, who didn't need a search firm and didn't hesitate when hiring Bryan Harsin. There is nothing more important that surrounding your organization with the right people.  Welch makes it look easy.

Doug Nussmeier with the college play-call of the year: The perfect call at the perfect time.  Trailing 17-14 with 51 seconds to play, Nussmeier dialed a screen play on 2nd and 8 from the 28 yard-line. Freshman tailback TJ Yeldon took it to the house to defeat LSU in Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night.

In Lexington, Willie Taggart dials a throwback to beat Kentucky: Taggart lived large by dialing up a throwback to the quarterback scheme on a 2-point conversion attempt.  His players executed the play and Western Kentucky defeated Kentucky 32-31 in overtime.

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Pete Roussel is a valuable resource for coaches, athletic directors, NFL front-office personnel, and college football enthusiasts. A former college football coach, Roussel shares insight on coaches 365 days a year and is recognized as the most trusted expert on coaching transactions. Follow @CoachingSearch on twitter and send your feedback to pete@coachingsearch.com