2011 New Mexico Bowl, Teams, Temple
The Owls were led by offensively RB Bernard Pierce (1,381 yds., 25 TDs), QB Chester Stewart (743 passing yds.) and TE Evan Rodriguez (427 receiving yds. ); and defensively by LB Stephen Johnson (113 tackles, 2.0 sacks), DL Adrian Robinson (47 tackles, 6.0 sacks), and DB Justin Gildea (46 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 3 INT).


2011 New Mexico Bowl, Teams, Wyoming
Making its 13th bowl game appearance, the Cowboys were led offensively by RB Alvester Alexander (678 rushing yds., 6 TDs), QB Brett Smith (385 att., 233 of 385 passes, 2,495 yards, 18 TDs), and WR Chris McNeill (504 receiving yds., 4 TDs); and defensively by SS Luke Ruff (97 tackles),DE Gabe Knapton (74 tackles, 6.5 sacks) and DB Blair Burns (48 tackles, 4 INT).


2011 New Mexico Bowl, Game summary
Wyoming wore their home brown uniforms, and Temple wore white visitor uniforms. Temple sophomore quarterback Chris Coyer, the offensive MVP, threw for 169 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 71 yards. Defensive MVP, senior linebacker Tahir Whitehead, tallied 11 tackles including 1.5 for a loss. Temple jumped out to a 37-7 lead behind a balanced offensive attack and out-gained Wyoming 424 yards to 267. Bernard Pierce ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns while backup Matt Brown added 49 yards and another score. Wide receiver Rod Streater caught a 61-yard touchdown at the end of the first half.


2011 New Mexico Lobos football team
The 2011 New Mexico Lobos football team represented the University of New Mexico in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Lobos were led by third-year head coach Mike Locksley for the first four games and by interim head coach George Barlow for the remainder of the season. They played their home games at University Stadium and are members of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 1–11, 1–6 in Mountain West play to finish in a three way tie for sixth place.


2011 New Mexico Lobos football team, Coaching change
On September 25, 2011, Mike Locksley was relieved of his duties as head coach after an 0–4 start. Associate head coach and defensive coordinator George Barlow assumed the job on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.


2011 New Mexico Lobos football team, Coaching change
On November 16, New Mexico announced the hiring of former Notre Dame head coach and ESPN analyst Bob Davie as their new head coach beginning in the 2012 season.


2011 New Mexico Lobos football team, Roster
Ricardo Young, Emmanuel McPhearson, Mark Hunter and Carmeiris Stewart left the team after Mike Locksley was fired.


2011 New Mexico State Aggies football team
The 2011 New Mexico State Aggies football team represented New Mexico State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Aggies were led by third–year head coach DeWayne Walker and played their home games at Aggie Memorial Stadium. They are members of the Western Athletic Conference. They finished the season 4–9, 2–5 in WAC play to finish in seventh place.


2011 New Orleans Bowl
The 2011 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, part of the 2011–12 bowl game season, took place on December 17, 2011, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 11th edition of the game featured the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns from the Sun Belt Conference (Sun Belt), and the San Diego State Aztecs from the Mountain West Conference. The game was telecast at 8:00 p.m. CT on ESPN and ESPN 3D.


2011 New Orleans Bowl
In March 2016, Louisiana–Lafayette vacated its 2011 and 2013 New Orleans Bowl wins, due to major NCAA violations including ACT exam fraud and payments to recruits.


2011 New Orleans Bowl, Teams
Louisiana–Lafayette accepted a bid to compete in the 2011 edition of the game on November 21, while San Diego State accepted a bid on December 4.


2011 New Orleans Bowl, Teams, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
On November 21, 2011, the UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns accepted an invite to represent the Sun Belt Conference. Prior to the start of the 2011 season, the Ragin' Cajuns were expected to finish last in the Sun Belt Conference and be ranked last among the 120 FBS school. However, the Ragin' Cajuns team was a surprise and finished the regular season with an 8-4 record. The New Orleans Bowl marked UL Lafayette's first ever division I FBS bowl appearance and their first bowl appearance since the 1970 Grantland Rice Bowl. Because of UL Lafayette's close proximity to New Orleans, the New Orleans Bowl set an attendance record at 42,841. However, in 2015, Louisiana–Lafayette was forced to vacated all nine wins including the New Orleans Bowl due to major NCAA violations including ACT exam fraud and payments to players.


2011 New Orleans Bowl, Teams, San Diego State University
On December 4, 2011, the San Diego State Aztecs accepted an invite to represent the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs entered the bowl with a record of 8–4. SDSU's season was helped by Ronnie Hillman, who rushed for 1,656 yards and 19 touchdowns. This marked SDSU's sixth bowl appearance and their second consecutive following the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl. The bowl game also marked the first time the Aztecs appeared back-to-back division I bowl games.


2011 New Orleans Bowl, Teams, San Diego State University
Neither team previously appeared in the New Orleans Bowl. The bowl game marked the first ever meeting between the two schools.


2011 New Orleans Bowl, Game summary
The Aztecs scored first with a 27-yard field goal from Abelardo Perez. The Ragin' Cajuns responded with a touchdown to make the score 6–3, after the point after was blocked. In the second quarter, the Ragin' Cajuns went up 13–3 when Darryl Surgent scored on an 87-yard punt return. Lafayette added to their lead when they scored a touchdown in the third quarter to go up 19–3 (the PAT failed). However, the Aztecs closed the deficit to two at the end of the third quarter with two San Diego State touchdown passes from quarterback Colin Lockett. Lockett's second touchdown pass capped off a seven-play, 99-yard drive.


2011 New Orleans Bowl, Game summary
Louisiana-Lafayette scored another touchdown in the fourth quarter to make it 26–17. The Aztecs responded with their own touchdown to make it 26–24 with 5:40 left. On their next possession, the Ragin' Cajuns marched towards the three-yard line but had to settle for a field goal with 2:09 left. The Aztecs then scored a touchdown to take the lead 30–29 with 35 seconds left. The Aztecs attempted go up by three points on a two-point conversion, but failed. With no timeouts left, Louisiana managed to get in range for a 55-yard field, before the Aztecs were called for an "illegal stemming" penalty, thus reducing the field goal range to 50-yard. Placekicker Brett Baer made the kick, sealing a 32–30 victory for the Ragin' Cajuns.


2011 New Orleans Bowl, Game summary
UL Lafayette's Blaine Gautier had 470 passing yards in the game, breaking the previous New Orleans Bowl record of 387 passing yards set in 2010. Gautier's performance in the bowl game also helped him finish the season with 2,958 yards passing and 23 touchdowns, breaking the previous school single-season record set by Jake Delhomme. Aztec running back Ronnie Hillman was limited to only 55 yards; Hillman had been averaging 138 yards per game coming into the New Orleans Bowl.


2011 New Orleans Bowl, Reaction, Controversy
Prior to a 55-yard field goal attempt by the UL-Lafayette Cajuns with four seconds to go, an official called a five-yard "illegal stemming" penalty against the SDSU Aztecs to set up the Cajuns' 50-yard game-winning field goal. Following the game, Aztecs coach Rocky Long said it was a "phantom call," claiming that no one was moving on the Aztec's side. However, replays clearly show the Aztec defender moving.


2011 New Orleans Saints season
The 2011 season was the New Orleans Saints' 45th in the National Football League, their 36th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their sixth under head coach Sean Payton. In Week 16, Drew Brees broke the single-season passing record previously held by Dan Marino; Brees ended the season with 5,476 passing yards, an NFL record. The team also broke the record for offensive yards from scrimmage with 7,474 and Darren Sproles broke the record for all purpose yards, with 2,696. The Saints also finished second in scoring for total points with 547, and finished second for points per game with 34.2 points and sacks with 24.


2011 New Orleans Saints season
The Saints improved on their 11–5 finish from a season earlier and won the NFC South Division with a 13–3 record, and went undefeated at home, so there was much talk of the Saints potentially winning a second Super Bowl in three seasons. Despite their impressive record, however, New Orleans failed to receive a first-round bye due to losing tiebreakers with the San Francisco 49ers for the #2 seed in the NFC behind the 15–1 Green Bay Packers. The Saints won their first playoff game against the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card round but fell to the 49ers on a last-minute touchdown in the Divisional Playoffs. The Saints finished with a final record of 14–4.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 1: at Green Bay Packers
The Saints began their 2011 campaign at Lambeau Field, taking on the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers in the annual NFL Kickoff Game. New Orleans trailed early in the first quarter as Packers QB Aaron Rodgers completed a 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Greg Jennings. The Saints answered with quarterback Drew Brees finding wide receiver Robert Meachem on a 31-yard touchdown pass, but Green Bay struck back with Rodgers completing a 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Randall Cobb.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 1: at Green Bay Packers
New Orleans clawed their way back into the game in the second quarter with a 30-yard field goal from kicker John Kasay, followed by running back Darren Sproles returning a punt 72 yards for a touchdown. However, the Packers came right back with running back James Starks getting a 17-yard touchdown run.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 1: at Green Bay Packers
The Saints led off the third quarter with Kasay's 38-yard field goal, but Green Bay replied with Cobb returning a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown. Afterwards, New Orleans kept fighting as Brees connected with wide receiver Devery Henderson on a 29-yard touchdown pass. In the fourth quarter, the Packers replied with fullback John Kuhn getting a 1-yard touchdown run. New Orleans tried to rally as Brees found tight end Jimmy Graham on a 5-yard touchdown pass, but Green Bay's defense held stuffing a potentially game tying Ingram run on the 1-yard line on the last play of the game to preserve the win.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 1: at Green Bay Packers
With the loss, the Saints began their season at 0–1.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. Chicago Bears
Coming off a loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Saints hosted the Chicago Bears in week 2. Falling early, Drew Brees responded with a 79-yard touchdown pass to Devery Henderson. The Saints defense got six sacks on Jay Cutler and wore down the Bears defense to beat them 30–13. In this rematch of the NFC Championship Game 5 seasons earlier, this was the first time in Drew Brees' career that he beat the Bears with the Saints. With the win, the Saints improved to 1–1.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 5: at Carolina Panthers
A NFC South rivalry rookie Cam Newton and Drew Brees go head to head for the first time. After an early lead DeAngelo Williams starts a comeback with a 69-yard touchdown run. Former Carolina kicker John Kasay kicked two straight field goals, and then Cam Newton ran for a touchdown. Then, Cam Newton threw a touchdown pass to take the lead. Then, Drew Brees led the Saints down to the redzone and with less than a minute, threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Thomas to win the game.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Saints hosted the Colts in a rematch of Super Bowl XLIV. With the win, The Saints improved to 5–2In a game against the currently winless Indianapolis Colts (0–7), the Saints began the game with recovering a fumbled snap by Curtis Painter. The Saints would convert that turnover into a touchdown with a 14-yard pass from Drew Brees to Marques Colston. The Saints would continue again with a 4-yard TD pass from Drew Brees to Marques Colston.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Then Delone Carter fumbled and the Saints recovered for their second fumble recovery of the game, and their next TD of the night came with a 6-yard pass from Brees to Darren Sproles, as the Saints convert another turnover into points begin the game and end the first quarter 21–0. The Saints would continue with a Jed Collins 1-yard run and a field goal, but the Colts would score with a Delone Carter 2-yard run. The Saints would end the first half with another John Kasay field goal.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Saints would outscore the Colts 28–0 in the second half, with the Saints outscoring the Colts 14–0 in each of the second half quarters. Drew Brees would throw a 4-yard and a 2-yard TD pass to Jimmy Graham. In the fourth quarter, Darren Sproles ran 16 yards for a TD, and with under 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Leigh Torrence intercepted a pass from Curtis Painter and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown as the Saints ousted the Colts 62–7 and wins the game with the most points in a single game in franchise history.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Drew Brees finished the game 31/35 for 325 yards and 5 touchdowns with no interceptions. The Saints also rushed for 236 yards with 2 touchdowns, with Mark Ingram's 91 yards, Darren Sproles' 88 yards and Pierre Thomas' 57 yards. The New Orleans Saints offense gained 557 yards of total offense, and ran 73 plays, and gained 36 first downs and was also 6/8 in third-down efficiency.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 8: at St. Louis Rams
After a franchise record setting performance the Saints went to face another winless team, the St. Louis Rams. This time, however, the Rams pulled off one of the best upsets in the NFL season. A defense kept the Saints scoreless for the first half. The second the Rams sealed the deal with an interception return for 27 yards. With this the Saints fell to 5–3, however this would be the last time the Saints would lose in the regular season.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 15: at Minnesota Vikings
at Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Atlanta Falcons
During this game, Drew Brees set the record for most passing yards in a season, breaking the previous record set by Dan Marino.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, NFC Wild Card Playoff Game: vs. #6 Detroit Lions
Entering the postseason as the NFC's #3 seed, the Saints began their playoff run at home in the NFC Wild Card Round against the #6 Detroit Lions, in a rematch of their Week 13 contest.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, NFC Wild Card Playoff Game: vs. #6 Detroit Lions
New Orleans trailed early in the first quarter with Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford completing a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Will Heller. The Saints answered with a 2-yard touchdown run from running back Darren Sproles, but Detroit replied with Stafford completing a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Calvin Johnson. New Orleans would close out the half with a 24-yard field goal from kicker John Kasay.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, NFC Wild Card Playoff Game: vs. #6 Detroit Lions
The Saints took the lead in the third quarter with quarterback Drew Brees finding wide receiver Devery Henderson and tight end Jimmy Graham on a 41-yard and a 3-yard touchdown pass, while the Lions tried to stay close as Stafford got a 1-yard touchdown run. Afterwards, New Orleans would pull away in the fourth quarter with a 17-yard touchdown run from Sproles, followed by Brees connecting with wide receiver Robert Meachem on a 56-yard touchdown pass.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, NFC Wild Card Playoff Game: vs. #6 Detroit Lions
Detroit tried to rally with Stafford completing a 12-yard touchdown pass to Johnson, and following this, the Lions attempted an onside kick, but the Saints recovered the kick. The Saints were still able to drive down the field and closed out the game with a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Pierre Thomas.


2011 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, NFC Wild Card Playoff Game: vs. #6 Detroit Lions
With the win, New Orleans improved its overall record to 14–3.


2011 New Orleans VooDoo season
The 2011 New Orleans VooDoo season was the fifth season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Derek Stingley until his firing on June 26. Jon Norris, who coached the Bossier–Shreveport Battle Wings in 2010, stepped down from his General Manager position with New Orleans to become the team's interim head coach. The VooDoo played their home games at New Orleans Arena. This was the first season for the VooDoo since 2008, after the league went on hiatus in 2009 and the franchise was not active in 2010. The VooDoo went 3–15, missing the playoffs, and finishing with the worst record in the league.


2011 New Orleans VooDoo season, Standings
z - Clinched division and conference's best recordx - Clinched playoff berth


2011 New Orleans VooDoo season, Season schedule, Regular season
The VooDoo began the season at home against the Tampa Bay Storm on March 11. They will visit the Orlando Predators in their final regular season game on July 23.


2011 New Patriotic Party Primaries
The 2011 New Patriotic Party constituency primaries was a nationwide election organised by the Electoral Commission of Ghana at the request of the New Patriotic Party for the election of candidates that would represent the party in the 2012 parliamentary elections. The New Patriotic Party is the biggest opposition party in the Parliament of Ghana with 107 members of parliament out of 230. Nominations for the primaries opened on 28 February and closed on 6 March 2011. 73 constituencies had their current members of parliament standing unopposed. At such places, the members were elected by acclamation. A total of 516 persons contested the 220 constituency seats.


2011 New Patriotic Party Primaries, Application process
The NPP set out clear rules in the run up to the primaries. They were as follows:


2011 New Patriotic Party Primaries, Closing of nominations
At the close of nomination on Sunday March 6, 2011, 516 applicants picked up nomination forms to commence the process of contesting the April 30 NPP primaries.


2011 New Patriotic Party Primaries, Suspended primaries
Ten out of the 230 constituencies across the country  were suspended from holding primaries to elect parliamentary candidates as there had been issues obstructing the run of the elections in those 10 constituencies. Party officials held the view that the decision was strategic, serving the best interest of the party and effected constituencies. The constituencies where primaries were suspended were:


2011 New Patriotic Party Primaries, Voting day
Prior to the start of the elections for the party’s historic nationwide parliamentary primaries, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the 2012 presidential candidate of the party, and Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, National party Chairman, urged all the aspirants, delegates and other stakeholders to "have healthy primaries and continue to show to the country that they were a united force, deserving of their mandate...with competence, maturity, spirit de corps and unity of purpose."


2011 New Patriotic Party Primaries, Voting day
Furthermore, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the ruling party extended its “warmest felicitations” to the New Patriotic Party as the NPP held its parliamentary primaries to elect candidates for the 2012 general elections. Over 123,000 delegates were expected to elect the party’s parliamentary candidates for the 2012 general elections. Voting at the 220 constituencies begun at 9 hours GMT and ended at 14 hours GMT in almost all the constituencies.


2011 New Patriotic Party Primaries, The results, First winner
Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia, who was a former Member of Parliament for Builsa North and current Upper East Regional Chairperson of the party won the right to represent the party in the 2012 parliamentary elections. Mrs. Chigabatia, who had served as a deputy Regional Minister under the John Kufuor administration, polled 171 votes to defeat her two male opponents: Thomas Alonsi, a former District Chief Executive, who polled 116 votes and James Abukasey with 70 votes.


2011 New Patriotic Party Primaries, The results, Results
The results of the primaries started trickling into various news agencies after 14 hours GMT. Like in all nationwide elections, there were hot spots in which many people in the country could not tell who would emerge the winner. In most of such constituencies the NPP's candidate was the incumbent MP.


2011 New Patriotic Party Primaries, The results, New records
The organizing of the NPP primaries was a first in itself as so many constituencies primaries were held on the same day. Another first was seen when Musa Superior won the elections to be the NPP's candidate for the Tamale Central constituency without being in Ghana. Superior polled 278 votes to win the NPP parliament primaries ticket in the election with Iddrisu Sunday and Mohammed Ishmael polling 129 and 38 votes respectively.


2011 New Patriotic Party Primaries, The results, New records
Another record was set by Frances Asiam who became the first former executive of the NDC to win a primary in the NPP. She was a former women's organizer of the opposition NDC but left the party before the 2008 parliamentary and presidential election to join the NPP. She won the Adenta constituency primaries.


2011 New Patriotic Party Primaries, The aftermath of the elections
Though most contestants were happy with the outcome of the elections, a few like defeated aspirant for the Okaikoi South constituency Vicky Bright challenged the results of the polls. She lost to Ahmed Asser by 12 votes at the end of the election. According to her, the voting process was flawed in that the number of votes cast that were ticked in the electoral register did not tally with the number of votes that were actually cast.


2011 New Radiant S.C. season
The 2011 season is New Radiant Sports Club's 32nd year in existence as a football club.


2011 New Radiant S.C. season, Background
New Radiant finished at the 4th position of last year's Dhivehi League, as runners-up in FA Cup and 3rd in President's Cup as they were beaten by VB Sports Club in the semi final.


2011 New Radiant S.C. season, Background
Ali Fasir, Mohamed Jameel and Ahmed Niyaz were some of the biggest signings by the club for the 2011 season.


2011 New Radiant S.C. season, Competitions, Dhivehi League, League table
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. Updated to games played on 24 September 2011. Source:


2011 New Radiant S.C. season, Competitions, Dhivehi League, League table
1 Victory SC qualified for the 2012 AFC Cup as VB Sports Club also won the 2011 Maldives FA Cup.


2011 New South Wales Cup
The 2011 New South Wales Cup is the 104th season of New South Wales's top-level statewide rugby league competition. The competition is contested by eleven teams over a 30 Week Long Season (including Finals), which concludes with the 2011 Grand Final at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.


2011 New South Wales Cup, Grand final
A try on the siren by Jonathan Wright has secured the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs their third straight NSW Cup title, triumphing 30 points to 28 over the Auckland Vulcans in the Grand Final at ANZ Stadium. The Bulldogs led by eight points twice in the second half only to surrender both leads, with a Vulcans try in the 75th minute to Ivan Penehe seeing them hit the lead 28-26. With their backs to the wall the Bulldogs secured a turnover 25 metres from the Vulcans line with 60 seconds on the clock, and sending the ball from side to side they found Wright, who jinked off his right foot to score the match winner as the siren sounded.


2011 New South Wales Swifts season
The 2011 New South Wales Swifts season saw New South Wales Swifts compete in the 2011 ANZ Championship. During the regular season, Swifts finished in third place. They qualified for the play offs but subsequently lost to Northern Mystics in the minor semi-final, finishing the season in 4th place. After fifteen seasons as Sydney Swifts/New South Wales Swifts head coach, this was the last season Julie Fitzgerald served as head coach.


2011 New South Wales Swifts season, 2011 roster
The 2011 Swifts roster saw the addition of Mo'onia Gerrard, the Australia international and former Sydney Swifts player,  and Carla Dziwoki, a former Queensland Firebirds player. Dziwoki made her Swifts debut in the fourth quarter of the Round 1 match against Adelaide Thunderbirds, scoring 11 goals from 11 attempts. Two players also reached notable numbers of combined Commonwealth Bank Trophy/ANZ Championship appearances. Kimberlee Green celebrated her 100th game in Round 2 against Firebirds, while Gerrard celebrated her 150th game in Round 5 against Canterbury Tactix.


2011 New South Wales Swifts season, 2011 roster
Manager: Angela KerrPhysiotherapist: Sean MungovanPaula PeraltaStrength and conditioning: Bryce Cavanagh


2011 New South Wales state election
Elections to the 55th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 26 March 2011. The 16-year-incumbent Labor Party government led by Premier Kristina Keneally was defeated in a landslide by the Liberal–National Coalition opposition led by Barry O'Farrell. Labor suffered a two-party swing of 16.4 points, the largest against a sitting government at any level in Australia since World War II. From 48 seats at dissolution, Labor was knocked down to 20 seats—the worst defeat of a sitting government in New South Wales history, and one of the worst of a state government in Australia since federation. The Coalition picked up a 34-seat swing to win a strong majority, with 69 seats–the largest majority government, in terms of percentage of seats controlled, in NSW history. It is only the third time since 1941 that a NSW Labor government has been defeated.


2011 New South Wales state election
New South Wales has compulsory voting, with an optional preferential ballot in single-member seats for the lower house and single transferable vote with optional preferential above-the-line voting in the proportionally represented upper house. The election was conducted by the New South Wales Electoral Commission (NSWEC).


2011 New South Wales state election, Results, Lower house
New South Wales state election, 26 March 2011Legislative Assembly << 2007–2015 >>


2011 New South Wales state election, Background
The centre-left Labor Party, led by Premier Kristina Keneally, and the centre-right Liberal Party, led by Leader of the Opposition Barry O'Farrell, were the two main parties in New South Wales. In the 2007 state election, of 93 seats total, Labor won 52 seats, the Liberals won 22 seats and the Nationals, led by Andrew Stoner, who are in coalition with the Liberals, won 13 seats. Six seats were retained by independents. Smaller parties which hold no seats in the lower house but achieved significant votes in 2007 include The Greens and the Christian Democratic Party.


2011 New South Wales state election, Background
On 18 October 2008, four state electorates (Lakemba, Ryde, Cabramatta, Port Macquarie) went to by-elections as a result of the resignation of the Premier, two of his ministers, and an independent who left after winning a federal by-election. The results in Ryde, Cabramatta, and Lakemba showed the largest by-election swing against Labor in its history.


2011 New South Wales state election, Background
The results showed a significant swing towards the Liberal Party with a swing of 22.7 percentage points in former health minister Reba Meagher's seat of Cabramatta, but it was retained by ALP candidate Nick Lalich, and a swing of 13 points against Labor in former premier Morris Iemma's seat of Lakemba, also retained by an ALP candidate, Robert Furolo. Ryde, once a safe Labor seat, with a swing of 23.1 points delivered former deputy premier John Watkins' seat to Victor Dominello.


2011 New South Wales state election, Background
Peter Besseling, the independent candidate, won Port Macquarie, left vacant after the resignation of Nationals-turned-independent member Rob Oakeshott, over the Nationals by a two-party margin of 54.5–45.5%, despite a swing of 23.7 points to the Nationals.


2011 New South Wales state election, Background
On 19 June 2010 a by-election in the electoral district of Penrith was triggered as a result of the resignation of Labor Party MP Karyn Paluzzano, with Liberal candidate Stuart Ayres winning the seat with a two-party-preferred swing of more than 25 points, the biggest swing against an incumbent government in New South Wales history, until the 2013 Miranda by-election which eclipsed it with a 26-point two-party swing against the Liberal/National government.


2011 New South Wales state election, Background, Campaign
The Labor Party launched their campaign on 5 February 2011 in Liverpool within the electoral district of Macquarie Fields. Premier Keneally launched the Labor Party's campaign slogan "Protecting jobs – Supporting families". In attendance for the launch were former Prime Minister Bob Hawke and former Premiers Wran and Carr.


2011 New South Wales state election, Background, Campaign
The Liberal and Nationals Coalition launched their campaign on 20 February 2011 at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre in Penrith within the electoral district of Penrith with the slogan: "Real Change for NSW". In attendance for the launch were both Liberal and Nationals Leaders O'Farrell and Stoner as well as federal Liberal Party leader Tony Abbott, former Liberal Premiers and Leaders Greiner, Fahey, and Chikarovski.


2011 New South Wales state election, Background, Campaign
The Coalition had been leading in opinion polling for almost three years, and were unbackable favourites throughout the campaign to win the election. The final Newspoll had support for Labor at an all-time low with 23 percent of the primary vote and 35.9 percent of the two-party vote. Bookmakers were paying $1.01 for a Coalition win with Labor getting as much as $36 and one agency even paid out the winnings and declared the winner a week earlier. At one point, Labor was widely predicted to win as few as 13 seats, seven less than the actual result.


2011 New South Wales state election, Background, Campaign
According to several pollsters, Labor was in danger of losing several seats where it had not been seriously threatened in decades, as well as several that it had held for a century or more. Indeed, there were concerns that Labor would not win enough seats to form a credible shadow cabinet.


2011 New South Wales state election, Background, Resulting parliament
The Liberal/National Coalition won the largest proportional number of seats in NSW state history with 69 of 93 seats in the lower house (74.2 percent of the chamber)—in contrast, Labor won 69 of 99 seats (69.7 percent of the chamber) at Neville Wran's second "Wranslide" in 1981 election. Labor won 20 seats, the lowest for Labor in NSW Parliament in over a century, and the worst defeat that a sitting government in NSW has ever suffered.


2011 New South Wales state election, Background, Resulting parliament
Many prominent Labor MPs and ministers lost their seats including Verity Firth, David Borger, Matt Brown, Jodi McKay, Virginia Judge, Phil Costa and Kevin Greene. In the process, the Coalition took dozens of seats in areas considered Labor heartland, such as western Sydney and the Upper Hunter—some on swings of well over 10 per cent. The Liberals actually won 51 seats, enough for a majority in their own right—the first time the main non-Labor party in the state had achieved this since adopting the Liberal banner in 1945. Although O'Farrell thus had no need for the support of the Nationals, he opted to retain the Coalition.


2011 New South Wales state election, Background, Resulting parliament
In the upper house however, where half of the chamber was up for election, the landslide was not enough to deliver a Coalition majority. Three additional votes outside of the Liberal/National Coalition were required to pass legislation. The balance of power shifted from the Greens to the Shooters and Fishers Party and Christian Democratic Party. With two seats each held by the latter two parties, both needed to give legislative support if Labor and the Greens opposed legislation.


2011 New South Wales state election, Retiring members
Where a Member of the Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council did not renominate to contest the election, their term ended at the dissolution of the parliament. Members who confirmed their retirement were:


2011 New South Wales state election, Polling
Newspoll polling is conducted via random telephone number selection in city and country areas. Sampling sizes consist of around 1200–1300 electors. The declared margin of error is ±3 percentage points.


2011 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 2011 were announced on 31 December 2010 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, The Cook Islands Grenada, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Christopher and Nevis, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2011


2011 New Year Honours
The recipients of honours are displayed as they were styled before their new honour and arranged by the country (in order of independence) whose ministers advised The Queen on the appointments, then by honour with grades i.e. Knight/Dame Grand Cross, Knight/Dame Commander etc. and then divisions i.e. Civil, Diplomatic and Military as appropriate.


2011 New Year Honours (New Zealand)
The 2011 New Year Honours in New Zealand were appointments by Elizabeth II in her right as Queen of New Zealand, on the advice of the New Zealand government, to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders, and to celebrate the passing of 2010 and the beginning of 2011. They were announced on 31 December 2010.


2011 New Year Honours (New Zealand)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


2011 New York City Marathon
The 2011 New York City Marathon was the 42nd running of the annual marathon race in New York City, United States, which took place on Sunday, November 6. Sponsored by ING Group, it was the final race of the 2010/11 World Marathon Majors series and an IAAF Gold Label Road Race. Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya won the men's elite race in a course record time of 2:05:05 hours while Ethiopia's Firehiwot Dado won the women's section in a time of 2:23:15.


2011 New York City Marathon
In the wheelchair races, Japan's Masazumi Soejima (1:31:41) and America's Amanda McGrory (1:50:24) won the men's and women's divisions, respectively. In the handcycle race, former racing driver Alex Zanardi of Italy won the men's race in 1:13:58 while Poland's Renata Kaluza took the women's title in 1:49:49.


2011 New York City Marathon
A then-record high of 47,107 runners entered the competition, with a total of 46,536 runners finishing the distance (29,669 men and 16,867 women). At this race Joy Johnson became the oldest female marathon finisher at age 84.


2011 New York Film Critics Circle Awards
The 77th New York Film Critics Circle Awards, honoring the best in film for 2011, were announced on 29 November 2011 and presented on 9 January 2012.


2011 New York Giants season
The 2011 New York Giants season was the 87th season for the team in the National Football League. They played all of their home games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Although the team failed to improve on their 10–6 mark from 2010, the Giants were able to qualify for the playoffs, and in another Cinderella run that paralleled what they did in 2007, they won Super Bowl XLVI, their fourth Super Bowl win in franchise history.


2011 New York Giants season
Many analysts predicted a rough year for the Giants. Despite highs and lows throughout the season, the Giants, with a 9–7 record, returned to the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2008, when they won the NFC East and finished the season as the NFC's #4 seed. New York finished 10–6 in 2010 but failed to qualify for the playoffs due to not having any tiebreakers over any NFC playoff team. The Giants entered their week 17 match up with the Cowboys with both teams tied for the division lead with 8–7 records. The Giants took a 21–0 first half lead and while the Cowboys closed the gap to make the score 21–14 early in the 4th quarter, the Giants held on to defeat the Cowboys 31–14, clinching the divisional title and a playoff berth.


2011 New York Giants season
In the playoffs, the Giants defeated the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, and the San Francisco 49ers to win the NFC championship. The Giants defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, which was a rematch of Super Bowl XLII from 4 years earlier in which the Giants defeated the previously undefeated Patriots. As in 2007, 1990, and 1986, the Giants played their eventual Super Bowl opponent during the regular season. The Giants also played the Packers and 49ers during the season, losing both games in the final minutes of play.


2011 New York Giants season
The 2011 Giants were the first team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl with a negative point differential (minus-6, 394 points scored, 400 points allowed). With a 9–7 record, the Giants became the third NFL team to win fewer than 10 games in a 16-game season, and reach the Super Bowl. but became the first of the three to win the Super Bowl. The previous teams to go 9–7 and reach the Super Bowl (the '79 Rams, who only needed two playoff wins were the first, and the 2008 Arizona Cardinals) were both defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers.


2011 New York Giants season
Additionally, upon defeating the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI the Giants became the first NFC East Division champion to win the Super Bowl since the Dallas Cowboys in 1995 (the Giants were a Wild Card team when they won Super Bowl XLII). The Giants were also close to rematching the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2000.


2011 New York Giants season
The 2011 Giants were an aberration from other great Giants teams of the past who were built around tough, physical defensive play and an offense built around a power running attack. Despite Jason Pierre-Paul having a breakout Pro Bowl season with 16.5 sacks, the defense was ranked in the bottom 10 in points and yards allowed and was top 10 in penalties. Their normally durable rushing attack of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw was ranked last in the NFL with 89 rushing yards per game as a team.


2011 New York Giants season
The standout of the year was the quarterback play of Eli Manning who threw a career-high and franchise record 4,933 passing yards with 29 touchdown passes. Manning, who was criticized for throwing 25 interceptions in 2010 and considering himself an "elite quarterback" in a class that included his brother and Tom Brady, engineered 6 regular season game-winning drives in 2011 and threw 15 touchdown passes in the 4th quarter, NFL records that still stand. He had 2 more game-winning drives in the playoffs, the NFC Championship and Super Bowl XLVI.


2011 New York Giants season
Manning's 5 career game-winning drives in the playoffs are tied for third in NFL history with Joe Montana and became the fifth player to win multiple Super Bowl MVP awards. Manning's play subsequently led to the breakout of undrafted wide receiver Victor Cruz and the emergence of Cruz and Hakeem Nicks as the best wide receiver duo in the NFL. Cruz set a franchise record 1,536 receiving yards from 82 receptions, while Nicks had 76 receptions for 1,192 yards.


2011 New York Giants season
Some news organizations, among them The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, said that the Giants' victory in the Super Bowl made them the NFL's version of the 2011 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, saying that these two championship teams that had been given the last rites by many near the end of the season, emerged as champions at the end.


2011 New York Giants season
This season was the last time the Giants qualified for the playoffs under Coughlin, and would not reach the playoffs again until the 2016 season. To date, this is also the last time the Giants have won the NFC East.


2011 New York Giants season, Offseason, Draft Class
Todd McShay (ESPN), Steve Wyche (NFL.com), Pat Kirwan of NFL.com, New Era Scouting, and DraftKing.com predicted that the Giants would use their first round pick (19th overall) to draft Gabe Carimi (who went 29th overall), a left tackle for the Wisconsin Badgers who won the 2010 Outland Trophy as the nation's top collegiate interior lineman, and was a Consensus All-American. Charles Davis of NFL.com predicted that they would draft Mike Pouncey (who went 15th overall), a center/offensive guard from the University of Florida. They instead drafted Prince Amukamara, an all-American cornerback from the University of Nebraska.


2011 New York Giants season, Players, Movement
In the first week of the offseason the Giants signed some road free agents and former members of their 2010 practice squad to reserve/future contracts in order to bolster the roster for the 2011 season. In early March the team signed potential free agents to contract extensions: on March 2 the team signed running back D.J. Ware to a two-year extension and on March 3 they signed wide receivers Domenik Hixon and Darius Reynaud to one and two-year extensions, respectively. They also offered tenders to some of their restricted free agents but the effectiveness of these tenders rely on the ongoing CBA talks.


2011 New York Giants season, Schedule, Preseason
The Giants' preseason schedule was announced on April 12, 2011.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 1: at Washington Redskins
The Giants opened the 2011 season where they had finished the 2010 season, on the road at FedExField against their division rival Washington Redskins to mark the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001; both teams' cities were attacked by the terrorists that day.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 1: at Washington Redskins
New York had not lost to Washington in the regular season in their last six meetings, but fell in this meeting 28–14. After scoring two first-quarter touchdowns and taking a 14–7 lead, the Giants failed to score again. A Ryan Kerrigan interception return in the third quarter put the Redskins in front and they added an insurance score in the fourth quarter when Rex Grossman found Jabar Gaffney in the end zone. Grossman threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns, while Eli Manning threw for 268 with the one interception.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 2: vs. St. Louis Rams
The Giants' home opener was played on Monday night and they took a 28–16 victory over the NFC West runners-up from the previous year. The Rams, coached by former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, took an early lead on a Josh Brown field goal, but that would be their only lead as Eli Manning hit Hakeem Nicks and Domenik Hixon for touchdowns. A Michael Boley fumble return added to that and gave New York a 21–6 lead at the half.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 2: vs. St. Louis Rams
St. Louis' only touchdown came in the third quarter as Bradford found Alexander to cut the Giants' lead to 28–16, where the game finished. Manning finished with 200 yards passing and threw his first two touchdown passes of the season while Bradford threw for 331 and one score. After the game, it was announced that Hixon would be lost for the year with a torn ACL.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 3: at Philadelphia Eagles
Taking to the road to face another divisional rival, the Giants took care of the Eagles in Philadelphia for the first time since 2008 after having lost the previous five meetings. It was the teams' first meeting since the infamous finish to their second matchup in 2010 which saw DeSean Jackson return a punt for a touchdown as time expired. Giants receiver Victor Cruz had a breakout game with 3 receptions for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns. Manning threw for 254 yards and four touchdowns. Jason Pierre-Paul added two sacks and Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 86 yards. Michael Vick threw for 176 yards and an interception and was knocked out of the game.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 4: at Arizona Cardinals
After trailing the Cardinals for most of the game, the Giants scored two touchdowns in the final 100 seconds of the game for their second comeback victory in as many games. Arizona led 20–10 entering the fourth on the strength of two Beanie Wells rushing touchdowns and two Jay Feely field goals. The Giants were aided by a controversial play on their final drive when Victor Cruz appeared to fumble the ball without being tackled. However, upon review it was determined that he had willfully given himself up before he fumbled and as such, he was considered to be down.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 4: at Arizona Cardinals
On the next play Eli Manning snapped the ball before the Cardinals defense was set and threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks. Wells rushed for 138 and three scores while Larry Fitzgerald caught eight of Kevin Kolb's passes for 102 yards. Manning finished 27-40 with 321 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, both in the 4th quarter.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 5: vs. Seattle Seahawks
The Giants could not contain their momentum from the previous week's comeback and lost a mistaken-laden game to the Seahawks. Despite Eli Manning throwing three touchdowns and for over 400 yards, his three interceptions proved costly. While the Giants were in the red zone to win the game, Victor Cruz slipped on a pass from Manning, and the pass was intercepted by Brandon Browner, who returned it for a Seahawks touchdown, ending the game. This and a Doug Baldwin touchdown pass from Charlie Whitehurst came following the Giants taking a 25–22 lead on a Lawrence Tynes field goal.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 5: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Whitehurst finished the game for an injured Tarvaris Jackson, who finished 15 for 22 for 166 yards. Baldwin and Victor Cruz tied for the game lead with receptions with eight and both recorded a touchdown. Cruz's, however was regarded as a play-of-the-year candidate as he caught the ball off his own deflection and ran it 68 yards to give the Giants a 22–19 lead in the fourth. Marshawn Lynch led all rushers with 98 yards and a touchdown while Cruz recorded 161 receiving yards.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 6: vs. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills surprised the NFL world when they opened up to a 4–1 record coming into this game compared to the Giants' 3–2 record. The Giants bounced back from their loss to the Seahawks last week at Metlife Stadium by recording another last-minute win, beating the Bills 27–24 on a Lawrence Tynes field goal. Buffalo took an early 14–7 lead on two big offensive plays, an 80-yard run by Fred Jackson and a 60-yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Naaman Roosevelt. Ahmad Bradshaw recorded three one-yard touchdown runs and recorded his first 100-yard game of the year while Jackson rushed for 121. Hakeem Nicks led all receivers in yards with 96 and Eli Manning threw for 292 yards with no touchdowns. Fitzpatrick recorded two passing touchdowns but also threw two interceptions.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 8: vs. Miami Dolphins
The Giants again found themselves trailing the winless Dolphins entering the fourth quarter. New York was down 17–10 behind two rushing touchdowns, one by wildcat quarterback Steve Slaton and the other by starter Matt Moore, and a Dan Carpenter field goal. Lawrence Tynes recorded a field goal of his own while Eli Manning threw a touchdown to Mario Manningham in the second quarter. After Tynes recorded his second field goal in the fourth, Manning found Victor Cruz for a 25-yard touchdown with 2:30 left to give the Giants the victory. Cruz recorded 99 yards on seven receptions while Manning threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns. Reggie Bush led all runners with 103 yards and Moore threw for 138 and an interception.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 9: at New England Patriots
In the rematch of Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI preview, Tom Brady was picked off two times in this game. With the ball at the New York 29, Brady's pass was tipped by Michael Boley and intercepted by Mathias Kiwanuka, who returned it to the Giants 28, for Brady's 2nd pick of the game. However, the next possession had the Patriots drive down to the Giants 12. Stephen Gostowski's 27-yard field goal went slight left, making this the first time the Patriots had no score at halftime since December 10, 2006. In this game, turnovers marred both teams.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 9: at New England Patriots
First, Lawrence Tynes kicked a 22-yard field goal that put them on 3–0. Then Brandon Jacobs ran it in 10 yards to put the Giants up 10–0. After that, Aaron Ross muffed the punt, giving the Patriots the ball at the Giants 33. However, they could only muster a 32-yard field goal. Devin Thomas muffed his punt, but scooped it up. Then, Julian Edelman fumbled the punt in Giants territory. Driving in the red zone, Manning got picked off by Kyle Arrington in the end zone.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 9: at New England Patriots
Seven plays later, Brady hit Aaron Hernandez for a 5-yard touchdown, tying the game at 10 just 32 seconds into the fourth quarter. With 7:08, Gostkowski's 45-yard field goal gave the Pats their first lead of the game, 13–10. Manning then led the Giants on an 85-yard march to a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham with 3:03 remaining, putting the Giants on top 17–13. It looked like the Pats would win with a comeback of their own when Tom Brady threw a 14-yard pass to Rob Gronkowski, making it 20–17 with 1:36 to go.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 9: at New England Patriots
However, leading the New York Giants 80 yards in just over a minute, Manning hit Jake Ballard for a 1-yard touchdown with 15 seconds left for a 24–20 win on Sunday, repeating a come-from-behind victory similar to the 2008 title game between the teams. They were helped by a 20-yard pass interference penalty against safety Sergio Brown of the Patriots (5–3) that put the ball at the 1 with 30 seconds left. The Giants shocked the NFL and opened up to a 6–2 record. Eli Manning was praised by critics for his recent comeback victories. This was the first time the Patriots lost at home with Tom Brady as their quarterback in 31 regular season starts, and it was also the first Patriots loss at home where they had a 4th quarter lead in the Tom Brady era.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 10: at San Francisco 49ers
The Giants' winning streak came to an end in San Francisco but they once again had the game in doubt into the final minutes. Field goals comprised the first half scoring, with Lawrence Tynes hitting two and the 49ers' David Akers recording three. The Giants took their only lead in the third quarter as Eli Manning found Mario Manningham for 13 yards to complete an 84-yard drive. The 49ers recorded two touchdowns on a pass to Vernon Davis and a run by Kendall Hunter, while Manning hit Hakeem Nicks for a 32-yard touchdown late in the game.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 10: at San Francisco 49ers
New York received the ball late in the game and drove inside the 49ers' red zone, but Manning's last pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage to preserve the San Francisco win. Manning threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns but also recorded two interceptions, while Alex Smith threw for 242 and the touchdown pass to Davis. Brandon Jacobs rushed for 55 yards to lead the runners while Victor Cruz's 84 yards was tops for the receivers.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 11: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Playing on Sunday night for the first time all season, the Giants could not take advantage of three Vince Young interceptions and fumbled on their final drive, allowing the Eagles to salvage a split in the season series. New York fell behind 10–0 on an Alex Henery field goal and a touchdown pass from Young to former Giant Steve Smith. Trailing 10–3 entering the fourth, Eli Manning sought out Victor Cruz who caught a pass for 24 yards and the tying touchdown. However, they allowed Young to put together an 18-play drive finishing with a Riley Cooper touchdown pass.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 11: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Giants got the ball and Manning completed a pass to Cruz for 47 yards. The next play, Manning was stripped of the ball, sealing the Eagles victory. Despite his three interceptions Young threw for 258 yards in his relief effort for the injured Michael Vick. Manning threw for 264 yards, 128 of which went to Cruz. LeSean McCoy again rushed for 100 yards, recording 113 on 23 carries.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 12: at New Orleans Saints
The week 12 Monday night matchup with the Saints in New Orleans was perhaps the lowest point of the Giants' season. New York fell behind 21–3 at halftime and New Orleans cruised to a huge victory. Eli Manning threw for 406 yards and two touchdowns, both to Victor Cruz, but by that time the game had long been decided. Drew Brees recorded 363 yards and 4 touchdowns, two of which were recorded by Jimmy Graham, and rookie halfback Mark Ingram picked up 80 yards on the ground and scored the game's final touchdown on a 35-yard run. The 49 points were the Giants' most given up to that point in the season.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 13: vs. Green Bay Packers
Looking to snap their losing streak, the Giants took on the undefeated Packers at home following their blowout loss in New Orleans. New York rebounded from their poor offensive effort against the Saints by putting up 35 points on the defending Super Bowl Champions and had the lead three separate times during the course of the game. With 58 seconds remaining in the game and Green Bay leading 35–27, the Giants tied the game on a touchdown and two-point conversion by Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks, and DJ Ware.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 13: vs. Green Bay Packers
The Giants could not stop Aaron Rodgers from leading the Packers back down the field, however, and Mason Crosby's field goal as time expired kept the hopes for an undefeated season in Green Bay alive for the moment. Manning threw three touchdown passes, with Nicks recording two and backup tight end Travis Beckum the other, and recorded 347 yards passing while Victor Cruz added 119 yards on seven catches. Rodgers recorded 369 yards and four touchdowns, two of which went to Donald Driver.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 14: at Dallas Cowboys
The Giants went to Arlington, Texas for their first meeting with the division rival Cowboys. Once again, the Giants were able to record a victory in the final minutes. Trailing late in the fourth quarter, Eli Manning recorded a touchdown pass to tight end Jake Ballard to pull the team within five. After Tony Romo failed to hit Miles Austin on a third down and short on the Cowboys' next drive, the Giants drove down the field in 1:26 and Brandon Jacobs scored to give the Giants a 35–34 lead, extended to 37–34 when DJ Ware converted the two-point play.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 14: at Dallas Cowboys
Dallas drove down the field and got into position for a Dan Bailey field goal that would have tied the game. Just before he kicked the ball, however, Giants coach Tom Coughlin called timeout, negating Bailey's successful kick. On the retry, Jason Pierre-Paul recorded a block field goal by tipping the kick as it was coming up, securing the win and finishing what was a huge night for the second-year defensive end; Pierre-Paul recorded two sacks and a safety as well. NBC color analyst Cris Collinsworth praised Eli Manning for generating yet another fourth quarter comeback.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 14: at Dallas Cowboys
Manning threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns while Romo recorded 321 yards and four scores. Laurent Robinson caught one of those passes as part of his four-catch, 137-yard day while Hakeem Nicks recorded 154 yards on seven catches. Jacobs scored two rushing touchdowns, while recording his first 100-yard rushing game of the season. This game was ranked #2 on NFL.com's Top 20 Games of 2011, the highest regular season game on the list.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 15: vs. Washington Redskins
The Giants failed to capitalize on their win from the week before and once again were defeated by the Redskins for the season sweep. Washington never trailed in this game and forced Eli Manning into three interceptions. Although the Giants recorded two off of Rex Grossman, they never were able to get into any sort of offensive groove and lost 23–10. Washington led 17–3 at halftime and never looked back. Grossman threw for 185 yards and a touchdown to Santana Moss. Jabar Gaffney led the Redskins with 85 yards receiving while Hakeem Nicks recorded 73 for the Giants. Manning finished with 257 yards.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 15: vs. Washington Redskins
As of 2020, this is the most recent season in which the Giants were swept by Washington.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 16: at New York Jets
This matchup on Christmas Eve against the crosstown rival New York Jets was considered the most important ever. Both teams needed to win their last two games to make the playoffs and Jets coach Rex Ryan, while trying to motivate his players, added fuel to the fire. He publicly claimed the Jets were the better New York team, saying he didn't get hired to be anybody's "little brother."


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 16: at New York Jets
He went on and covered the Giants three Super Bowl logos in the locker room hallway leading up to the game and sent former Giants Super Bowl hero and current Jet Plaxico Burress as the only captain for the coin toss. The Jets scored a touchdown on their opening drive on a Mark Sanchez touchdown pass to fullback Josh Baker, aided by the Giants having 12 men on the field on a 4th down earlier in the drive.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 16: at New York Jets
Trailing 7–3 in the second quarter and facing 3rd & 10 from their own 1-yard line, Eli Manning threw a short out pass to Victor Cruz. Cruz broke two tackles and then took off for the end zone, outrunning the remaining Jet defenders on his way to a record-tying 99-yard touchdown reception and a 10–7 lead which the Giants never looked back from. Ahmad Bradshaw had a punishing touchdown run near the end of the third quarter.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 16: at New York Jets
Down 20-14 and with an opportunity to march down the field to take the lead, Chris Canty forced an intentional grounding penalty in the endzone on Sanchez resulting in a safety. Bradshaw had a 19-yard touchdown run on the next play to seal the 29-14 victory and set up a winner-take-all season finale against the Cowboys. Manning recorded 225 yards and a touchdown, while Cruz's three receptions garnered him 164 of those. Sanchez threw a career-high 59 passes for 258 yards and two total touchdowns but was intercepted twice and Dustin Keller led all receivers with eight receptions.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 17: vs. Dallas Cowboys
With the NFC East title on the line the Giants-Cowboys game was moved to Sunday night, marking the first time in the history of prime-time television that both meetings between division rivals were played on the showcase game of the week. The Giants finished off the Cowboys to record the season sweep and win the division. This time, the Giants got out to a 21–0 halftime advantage on a 74-yard hookup from Eli Manning to Victor Cruz and two touchdowns from Ahmad Bradshaw.


2011 New York Giants season, Regular season results, Week 17: vs. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys rallied to within a touchdown when Tony Romo found Laurent Robinson for a second time in the game, but the Giants put the game away with clutch 4th quarter play from Manning and put the nail in the coffin with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks. Manning finished with 346 yards and three touchdowns, finishing with a career-high 4,933 passing yards and 29 touchdown passes. Cruz again had a huge game with 178 receiving yards and a touchdown, finishing with 1,536 yards, a franchise record, and nine touchdowns.


2011 New York Giants season, Playoffs, Super Bowl XLVI: vs. New England Patriots
In winning the Super Bowl, the Giants became the first team to have won Super Bowl games broadcast on all four U.S. national networks (CBS, ABC, Fox, and now NBC), as well as the first team to win Super Bowls in four different decades. The Giants-Patriots game was the 11th time that there was a rematch in a Super Bowl. In doing so, the 2011 Giants became the first team with fewer than 10 wins (9 wins – 7 losses) in the regular season to win a Super Bowl.


2011 New York Giants season, Playoffs, Super Bowl XLVI: vs. New England Patriots
Furthermore, Super Bowl XLVI marked just the second time in Super Bowl history that opening score of the title game occurred with a safety when Justin Tuck pressured Tom Brady, and he was called for intentional grounding; the first instance was Super Bowl IX, when Pittsburgh registered a safety on Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant's Vikings. Eli Manning won his second Super Bowl MVP award in four years after orchestrating another game-winning touchdown drive in the game's final moments.


2011 New York Jets season
The 2011 New York Jets season was the franchise's 42nd season in the National Football League (NFL), the 52nd season overall and the team's third season under head coach Rex Ryan. They failed to improve upon their 11–5 record from 2010 and failed to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2008. This season would begin a lengthy postseason drought for the Jets. From 2011 to present, the team has failed to qualify for the playoffs.


2011 New York Jets season, Transactions, Trades, To Jets
The Jets traded an unconditional draft pick to the Green Bay Packers for Caleb Schlauderaff.


2011 New York Jets season, Regular season results, Week 1: vs. Dallas Cowboys
The Jets trailed 24-10 heading into the 4th quarter. In the 4th quarter, the Jets scored 17 unanswered points preserving the win for them. With the win, the Jets started their season 1–0.


2011 New York Jets season, Regular season results, Week 4: at Baltimore Ravens
Hoping to rebound from their Week 3 road loss to the Raiders, the Jets flew to M&T Bank Stadium for a Week 4 Sunday night battle with the Baltimore Ravens, also head coach Rex Ryan's first return to Baltimore since leaving the Ravens following the 2008 season. Ryan served as the Ravens' defensive line coach, defensive coordinator, and assistant head coach from the 1999 to 2008 seasons, and was part of their 2000 Super Bowl-winning squad. New York trailed early in the first quarter with Ravens linebacker Jameel McClain returning a fumble 6 yards for a touchdown.


2011 New York Jets season, Regular season results, Week 4: at Baltimore Ravens
The Jets would respond with running back Joe McKnight returning a kickoff 107 yards for a touchdown. Baltimore would regain the lead with kicker Billy Cundiff getting a 38-yard field goal, followed by running back Ray Rice getting a 3-yard touchdown run. The Ravens added onto their lead in the second quarter with Cundiff making another 38-yard field goal, followed by linebacker Jarret Johnson returning a fumble 26 yards for a touchdown. New York responded with linebacker David Harris returning an interception 36 yards for a touchdown, followed by a 40-yard field goal from kicker Nick Folk. Baltimore came right back in the third quarter with cornerback Lardarius Webb returning an interception 73 yards for a touchdown. From there, the Ravens' defense prevented any comeback attempt.


2011 New York Jets season, Regular season results, Week 7: vs San Diego Chargers
With the win, the Jets went into their bye week at 4–3.


2011 New York Jets season, Regular season results, Week 10: vs. New England Patriots
The Patriots head to MetLife Stadium for a Week 10 Sunday Night game with the Jets. The only time the Jets would lead would be in the 2nd quarter when they led 9-7 but they would get blown out in front of their home crowd 37-16. With the loss, the Jets dropped to 5-4. New York was also swept by New England for the first time since New England's 2007 season.


2011 New York Jets season, Regular season results, Week 11: at Denver Broncos
The second primetime game in a row for the Jets yet it was a Thursday Night game. The Jets led 13-10 with a little over a minute remaining when Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow marched his team down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown. With the loss, the Jets fell to 5-5 and needing to win some more games to qualify for the playoffs.


2011 New York Jets season, Regular season results, Week 12: vs. Buffalo Bills
The Jets would come out on top in a seesaw battle over the Buffalo Bills. This time the Jets scored a game-winning touchdown. With the win, the Jets improved to 6-5 continuing on the road to a playoff berth.


2011 New York Jets season, Regular season results, Week 13: at Washington Redskins
The Jets would not lead for much of the game until the very end of the 4th quarter when they blew the game wide open. With the win, the Jets improved to 7-5.


2011 New York Jets season, Regular season results, Week 14: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Jets won easily in a crushing rout, with the final score overstating the closeness of the game as the Chiefs' only touchdown came in garbage time after the game was already decided. The Chiefs offense gained only 4 total yards in the first two quarters. The Chiefs were also plagued with penalties, finishing the game with 11 penalties total. The Jets' final touchdown drive in the third quarter proved to be a particularly humiliating stretch.


2011 New York Jets season, Regular season results, Week 14: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Starting from their own 10-yard line, the Jets gained 81 penalty yards on 5 penalties committed by the Chiefs, including a rare penalty directly assessed against head coach Todd Haley for unsportsmanslike conduct. The Jets improved to 8–5 and could "control their playoff destiny" at this point in the season, guaranteed to make it to the playoffs by winning the rest of their games.


2011 New York Jets season, Regular season results, Week 15: at Philadelphia Eagles
The Jets would be thoroughly dominated by the Eagles throughout the game. With the loss, the Jets fell to 8–6. The Jets have never beaten the Eagles in franchise history.


2011 New York Jets season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. New York Giants
Both the Jets and Giants needed a win in order to stay in the playoff race. The Jets (8–6) hosting the Giants (7–7) would battle each other on Christmas Eve, Saturday afternoon edition. The Jets would lead 7–0 early on but the Giants responded and took over the rest of the game. With the loss for the Jets, they fell to 8–7.


2011 New York Liberty season
The 2011 WNBA season is the 15th season for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Liberty played at Prudential Center in New Jersey from 2011 through 2013 during renovations at Madison Square Garden.


2011 New York Liberty season, Transactions, WNBA Draft
The following are the Liberty's selections in the 2011 WNBA Draft.


2011 New York Mets season
The New York Mets' 2011 season was the franchise's 50th season and its third at Citi Field. Following a poor 2010 season, the Mets sought their first postseason appearance since 2006. However, they failed to make the playoffs for the 5th straight season.


2011 New York Mets season, Offseason
On October 4, 2010, one day after the conclusion of the 2010 season, the Mets fired general manager Omar Minaya and Manager Jerry Manuel. On October 29, the team hired former Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres and MLB executive Sandy Alderson to replace Minaya as general manager. On November 23, Terry Collins was hired as manager.


2011 New York Mets season, Offseason
As of December 3, 2010, the Mets non-tendered contracts to John Maine, Sean Green, Chris Carter which made them free-agents.


2011 New York Mets season, Offseason
In December 2010, Mets owner Fred Wilpon was named in a lawsuit filed on behalf of the victims of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme and on January 28, 2011 Wilpon issued a statement in which he intends to seek "one or more strategic partners" to buy a 20 to 25% interest in the Mets to offset pending losses due to litigation. As a result, the Mets were unable to sign any high priced free agents as they did during the Omar Minaya era.


2011 New York Mets season, Offseason
In March 2011, the Mets released Luis Castillo and Óliver Pérez from the team. The two players became the target of the fans' wrath in the previous two seasons due to their poor performance on the field.


2011 New York Mets season, Regular season
The team began the season with high-priced stars Johan Santana and Jason Bay on the disabled list. Santana never played for the Mets in 2011, while Bay returned on April 21.


2011 New York Mets season, Regular season
After seeing limited action in spring training following a 2010 knee injury, Carlos Beltrán started on opening day and played the full game.


2011 New York Mets season, Regular season
The initial five-man rotation consisted of, in order, Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese, R. A. Dickey, Chris Young and Chris Capuano.


2011 New York Mets season, Regular season
The Mets started 2011 with a 3-1 record but, after losing consecutive doubleheaders on April 14 and 16, their record was 4-11, tying for third-worst in Mets history. Only the 1962 and 1964 New York Mets seasons were worse after 15 games. The seven-game losing streak was the longest since 2004 and the consecutive doubleheader losses were the first since 1982. However, the Mets went 7–5 to close out the month of April, with the return of Jason Bay and offensive power.


2011 New York Mets season, Regular season
The Mets began the month of May with a memorable 2–1, 14 inning win over rival Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia on May 1. The Mets' Daniel Murphy was batting as a pinch-hitter against Phillies' reliever Ryan Madson when the fans started chanting "U-S-A!" in response to the news that Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11 attacks, had been killed by US Special Forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.


2011 New York Mets season, Regular season
After the Mets won the game, Terry Collins said that catcher Ronny Paulino's game-winning RBI double in his Mets debut delivered "a good win for us, and obviously a huge win for America tonight." This win also conjured up parallels to their 3–2 win over rival Atlanta Braves on September 21, 2001 in the first major professional sporting event held in New York City since the attacks. Appropriately, the Mets hosted a Sunday night game on ESPN on September 11 to mark the tenth anniversary of the attacks.


2011 New York Mets season, Regular season
Justin Turner contributed to the Mets' success in the month of May, becoming the first Met to be named the NL Rookie of the Month since the award's creation in 2001. On May 26, the Mets agreed to sell a portion of the team to hedge fund manager David Einhorn for $200 million, making him a minority owner of the team. The deal with Einhorn ultimately fell through.


2011 New York Mets season, Regular season
On June 28, playing against the Detroit Tigers, Jason Bay and Carlos Beltrán both hit grand slams in a 14-3 rout. It marked only the second time in Mets history that the team hit two grand slams in the same game (the other time coming in 2006 when Beltran and Cliff Floyd connected in the same inning against the Cubs). It also broke a drought in which the Mets had not hit a grand slam in 299 team games, during which the Mets were out-grand slammed 18-0.


2011 New York Mets season, Regular season
On July 12, the Mets dealt closer Francisco Rodríguez to the Milwaukee Brewers for cash and Adrian Rosario and Danny Herrera. On July 27, the Mets agreed to trade Carlos Beltrán to the San Francisco Giants for minor league pitching prospect Zack Wheeler.


2011 New York Mets season, Regular season
On September 1, the Mets announced that they will not sell minority ownership of the team to Einhorn.


2011 New York Mets season, Regular season
The pregame ceremonies on September 11, fittingly, featured members of the 2001 team. Appropriately, singer Marc Anthony sang the national anthem, like he did on September 21, 2001. Throwing out the ceremonial first pitch was John Franco, the closer on their 2001 team to Mike Piazza, the catcher on their 2001 team.


2011 New York Mets season, Regular season
Jose Reyes became the first player in Mets history to win the National League batting title by hitting .337.


2011 New York Mets season, Player stats, Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In; SB = Stolen Bases; BB = Base on Balls; K = Strike Outs AVG = Batting average;


2011 New York Mets season, Player stats, Pitching
Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits; R = Runs; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed;  K = Strikeouts; ERA = Earned run average;


2011 New York Red Bulls season
The 2011 New York Red Bulls season was the club's seventeenth year of existence, as well as its sixteenth season in Major League Soccer, the top-flight of American soccer.


2011 New York Red Bulls season
After a successful turnaround season in 2010, in which Red Bulls finished in third place overall before losing in the quarterfinals of the post-season tournament, the club started 2011 hoping to find consistency, make a deeper run in the MLS Cup Playoffs, and vie for the Supporters Shield. By season's end it was clear the club failed on all three fronts. Red Bulls were labeled the biggest underachievers in MLS after performing with a maddening inconsistency, struggling even to earn the 10th and final spot in an expanded playoff field, and falling again in the playoff quarterfinals.


2011 New York Red Bulls season
Prior to the 2011 MLS season, New York Red Bulls manager Hans Backe declared that the club's goal for the season was to win the Shield, claiming that it was more of a test for the league title rather than the MLS Cup, which he called a crapshoot. As this goal drifted out of reach, Backe backtracked from his Supporters' Shield emphasis and remarkably blamed international call-ups due to the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup as the reason the Shield was unobtainable. New York ended the season 21 points shy of the Shield.


2011 New York Red Bulls season
At the conclusion of the season, Backe acknowledged that he didn't know the biennial CONCACAF tournament was being held in 2011. That lack of awareness seemed to haunt the club throughout the season, both on field and off. The average MLS regular season and playoff home attendance of the New York Red Bulls in 2011 was 20,000.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, November 2010
On 4 November, due to the 2010 season ending with a disappointing home playoff loss to San Jose Earthquakes, the roster changes began immediately. The playoff loss marked the end of the careers for defender Mike Petke and midfielder Seth Stammler, each of whom had announced his retirement upon completion of the season. Petke joined the Red Bulls front office in January; Stammler pursued an MBA degree at the University of Chicago.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, November 2010
On 22 November, the Red Bulls traded midfielder/defender Jeremy Hall to the expansion Portland Timbers in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. Two days later the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft was held but neither Portland nor fellow expansion side Vancouver Whitecaps selected an available Red Bulls player.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, November 2010
The coaching staff saw assistant Coach Goran Aral leave the club after one season.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, November 2010
Internationally, forward Juan Agudelo and defender Tim Ream each earned their first senior caps with the U.S. National Team on 17 November. Playing in Cape Town against South Africa, Ream started and played 67 minutes while Agudelo came on as a 60th-minute substitute. Agudelo then scored the game's only goal in the 85th minute, winning the match and becoming the youngest scorer in U.S. Men's Team history at 17 years, 359 days. Agudelo bested the mark previously held by Jozy Altidore, who also set the mark while a member of New York Red Bulls.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, December 2010
The departure of captain Juan Pablo Ángel was made official when Red Bulls declined his 2011 contract option and he opted to participate in the inaugural MLS Re-Entry Draft. Midfielder Luke Sassano and defender Carey Talley also elected to participate in the Re-Entry draft when their 2011 contract options were declined. On 15 December, Los Angeles Galaxy traded up in the draft order to select Ángel. On 19 January the sides agreed terms on a multi-year, Designated Player contract.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, December 2010
Sassano was also selected by Los Angeles Galaxy in the Re-Entry Draft but his rights were traded to Sporting Kansas City later that same day. He signed with Sporting KC on 12 January 2011. Talley was not selected and subsequently announced his retirement on 19 January 2011. Red Bulls did not select any players in the Re-Entry draft.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, December 2010
On 17 December, the club announced a trade with Houston Dynamo in which Red Bulls received an undisclosed amount of allocation money. In return, Houston received New York's natural third-round selection in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft and the rights to defender Hunter Freeman, whom Houston immediately signed. Red Bulls had traded Freeman to Toronto FC for the last months of the 2008 MLS season even though Freeman had already agreed a pre-contract with IK Start of the Norwegian Premier League. The trade with Toronto included a provision that Red Bulls retain Freeman's MLS rights should he return to the league.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, December 2010
In international duty, midfielder Dane Richards scored three goals over five games to help Jamaica win the 2010 Caribbean Cup.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, January 2011
The club was active in January 2011 with a number of players coming and going. The long-rumored acquisitions of Norwegian midfielder Jan Gunnar Solli and English forward Luke Rodgers were finalized on 26 January and 28 January, respectively. The club also signed young Brazilian midfielder Marcos Paullo, who had trialed with New York in 2010, on 30 January.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, January 2011
Red Bulls announced the signing of two more Homegrown players from Red Bull Academy in January: midfielder Matt Kassel and defender Šaćir Hot. Kassel and Hot joined prior Academy signings Juan Agudelo and Giorgi Chirgadze on the Red Bulls roster.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, January 2011
At the 13 January 2011 SuperDraft, the club selected Generation adidas forward Corey Hertzog in round one, English midfielder John Rooney (brother of English international Wayne Rooney) and defender Tyler Lassiter in round two, and defender Billy Cortes in round three. The following week, Red Bulls selected goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer and defender Teddy Schneider in the 2011 Supplemental Draft. Of the draft choices,  Hertzog and Rooney were immediately added to the club's roster as both had already signed contracts with Major League Soccer. Lassiter, Cortes, Maurer, and Schneider were not guaranteed contracts and were invited to preseason training camp to earn a spot on the club's final roster.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, January 2011
On 17 January, the club announced that Jan Halvor Halvorsen had been hired as assistant coach, replacing Goran Aral.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, January 2011
In the final week of January, the club announced that midfielder Siniša Ubiparipović and defender Andrew Boyens would not be returning to the club in 2011. Boyens signed with Chivas USA in early February.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, January 2011
The club announced its preseason schedule would include training stints in Cancún, Guadalajara, Fort Lauderdale, and Arizona. The list of preseason opponents included Mexico's Chivas, D2 side Miami FC, plus Chicago Fire, Sporting Kansas City, and FC Dallas of MLS.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, February
On 1 February, MLS announced that Red Bull Arena would host the 2011 MLS All-Star Game on 27 July when the MLS All-Stars would take on perennial Premier League power Manchester United for the second consecutive season.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, February
On 9 February, the preseason schedule kicked off when the Red Bulls defeated Mexican side Atlante F.C. 0–0 (4–3 penalties) in Cancún. Preseason continued with very little to report in roster changes or injuries. The club brought in a few trialists, most notably Teemu Tainio, and late in the month released third-round SuperDraft pick Billy Cortes.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, February
A major shake-up occurred on 28 February when Red Bulls fired longtime assistant coaches Richie Williams and Des McAleenan. Williams was a popular figure among club supporters and guided the club as caretaker manager in two different seasons. His MLS experience had been credited with helping Sporting Director Erik Solér and Head Coach Hans Backe adjust to the peculiarities of the league, such as the MLS SuperDraft. Williams had played the 2001 and 2003 seasons for the club before returning as assistant coach in 2006. McAleenan had been goalkeeping coach since 2002, a remarkable run given the ownership change and constant turnover around him in the coaching and front office ranks.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, March
The club met the 1 March official MLS roster compliance of 30 players by waiving two second-year players, forward Conor Chinn and midfielder Irving Garcia. While neither made an impact during the 2010 regular season, each performed well as part of the "Baby Bulls" squad in the 2010 U.S. Open Cup.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, March
A few injuries did hit the squad as preseason came to an end. Strikers Luke Rodgers and Juan Agudelo battled nagging injuries which limited their participation in exhibition matches. The club announced on 8 March that defender Chris Albright had undergone knee surgery and would miss 4–6 weeks. On 9 March, Red Bulls announced the signings of two trialists, midfielder/defender Teemu Tainio and defender Stephen Keel. Tainio was penciled in for a starting role while Keel was signed to provide defensive depth from the bench.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, March
The club released Giorgi Chirgadze, its first ever homegrown player signing, on 15 March. Though Chirgadze signed with the club in 2009 he never did appear in a league match with Red Bulls.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, March
The 2011 Major League Soccer season officially kicked off for Red Bulls when the club hosted Seattle Sounders FC on 19 March. New York dominated possession 63%-37% and out-shot Seattle 13-8 en route to a 1-0 victory. The lone goal was scored in the 70th minute by Juan Agudelo off a long ball by MLS debutante Teemu Tainio.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, March
Two days later the club announced it had waived forward Salou Ibrahim which was a bit surprising given New York's thin ranks at forward. Ibrahim's release left only four forwards on the roster: Juan Agudelo, Thierry Henry, Luke Rodgers, and Corey Hertzog. Salou spent the 2010 season with Red Bulls, scoring 3 goals in 19 league games (8 starts).


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, March
Red Bulls signed second-round SuperDraft choice Tyler Lassiter on 23 March. The rookie defender earned much praise from the club in pre-season, with coach Hans Backe stating, "The way he started this preseason, he looks better in February than Tim Ream did when he arrived." Ream went on to be an MLS Rookie of the Year finalist. The club also signed Alex Horwath as the third-string goalkeeper on 25 March. Horwath was immediately placed into action on 26 March at Columbus Crew due to an injury to starting goalkeeper Greg Sutton and the international call-up of backup keeper Bouna Coundoul.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, March
Horwath and a lineup sprinkled with reserves earned a point with a 0-0 draw. Injuries kept Sutton and Thierry Henry from traveling with the club, while international duty removed Coundoul, Juan Agudelo, Tim Ream, Dane Richards, and Rafael Marquez from the Red Bulls lineup. In addition to Horwath, forward Luke Rodgers made his Major League Soccer debut, backups Carlos Mendes and Stephen Keel started in central defense, and backup Danleigh Borman started in midfield. Rookie Corey Hertzog made his MLS debut as a late substitute.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, March
Several Red Bulls players enjoyed productive spells with their national sides during the late March international window. Forward Juan Agudelo came on as a second-half substitute and scored the tying goal for the United States in its 1-1 draw with Argentina on 26 March. Three days later, Agudelo and defender Tim Ream went the full 90 for the U.S. in its 1-0 loss to Paraguay. Midfielder Dane Richards scored two goals for Jamaica in a 3-2 victory over El Salvador on 29 March while defender Rafael Marquez earned his 100th cap for Mexico when he captained El Tri to a victory over Paraguay on 26 March.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, March
MLS Results for March: 1 victory, 1 draw, 0 lossesMLS Results Season-to-Date: 1 victory, 1 draw, 0 losses; 4 points, 7th overall through 2 matches


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, April
The month started off with a blockbuster trade to acquire the #10 that Red Bull fans have long wanted. On 1 April, the club pulled the trigger and sent second-year midfielder Tony Tchani, defender Danleigh Borman, and a first-round pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft to Toronto FC in exchange for midfielder Dwayne De Rosario. The deal provided New York with its most dangerous midfield playmaker since Amado Guevara left the squad in 2006. The trade of De Rosario by his hometown side was predicated on his demand for a new contract.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, April
The money issue was solved by Red Bulls with De Rosario's agent stating, "We have a very satisfactory agreement with NY and Dwayne can't wait to get on the field for them. Press reports also stated that Toronto would pay "a significant amount" of De Rosario's salary for 2011 and that De Rosario possesses a U.S. green card so he would not occupy an international roster slot for New York.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, April
De Rosario debuted for New York as a second-half substitute versus Houston on 2 April. His assist to Dane Richards proved the lone New York goal in a 1-1 draw. One week later, Red Bulls fell at Philadelphia Union by a 1-0 score, the lone goal a result of a horrible gaffe by defender Tim Ream.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, April
Red Bulls then dominated the next two matches, winning by scorelines of 3-0 over San Jose Earthquakes and 4-0 at D.C. United. Luke Rodgers was named MLS Player of the Week for his 2-goal, 1 assist performance against San Jose. The thrashing of rivals D.C. United was especially sweet for Red Bull fans, marking New York's first 4-goal margin of victory on the road since 1996 and the largest ever margin of victory against DC. New York finished the month with a 1-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City with Rodgers again supplying the goal, giving him 3 goals in 3 matches. Likewise, strike partner Thierry Henry closed the month with a tally of 4 goals in 4 matches.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, April
The club signed Supplemental Draft pick Teddy Schneider on 12 April to provide defensive cover. Two days later Red Bulls added Todd Hoffard as goalkeeping coach. Sporting Director Erik Solér stated, "Todd has a great deal of experience in American soccer and will be a valuable asset to our coaching squad."


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, April
Red Bulls also announced on 28 April that the club would go to London in late July to participate in the Emirates Cup, hosted by English Premier League side Arsenal. Red Bulls would become the first MLS club to participate in the tournament. It was widely viewed that the invitation came due to the storied past of New York Designated Player Thierry Henry with Arsenal. Opponents were announced as Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, April
MLS Results for April: 3 victories, 1 draw, 1 lossMLS Results Season-to-Date: 4 victories, 2 draws, 1 loss; 14 points, 2nd overall through 7 matches


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, May
7 May 2011 witnessed the most expensive match in MLS history as New York traveled to play at Los Angeles Galaxy. For the first time ever five designated players were on the field for a league match: Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez for Red Bulls and Landon Donovan, David Beckham, and former Red Bull Juan Pablo Ángel for Los Angeles. The game did not disappoint. Henry's early goal was matched by a Donovan score just before half. Tim Ream made an outstanding goal-line clearance, winning MLS Save of the Week, to thwart a second Donovan scoring chance before the break. The match ended a 1-1 draw, a fair result for Red Bulls against a quality opponent.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, May
From Los Angeles, the club traveled cross-continent to Montreal for a mid-week friendly versus Montreal Impact. The timing of the match, which New York lost 1-0, left fans perplexed as Red Bulls had an upcoming match versus Chivas USA in just 4 days time. Sure enough, Red Bulls lost at home to Chivas USA in a driving rain by a 3-2 scoreline. Two Goats' goals came from set pieces, which quickly emerged as Red Bulls largest defensive failing for the rest of the season.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, May
The remaining three matches of May all resulted in draws: at Houston 2-2, home to Colorado 2-2, and at Vancouver 1-1.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, May
Near month's end, five players were called to international duty for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup: Juan Agudelo and Tim Ream for the United States, Rafa Marquez for Mexico, Dane Richards for Jamaica, and Dwayne De Rosario for Canada. New York faced the prospect of losing the services of these 5 players for the entire month of June.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, May
MLS Results for May: 0 victories, 4 draws, 1 lossMLS Results Season-to-Date: 4 victories, 6 draws, 2 losses; 18 points, 5th overall through 12 matches


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, June
The loss of the regulars was keenly felt during a 1-1 draw at Columbus on 4 June. A makeshift squad including Mehdi Ballouchy, Stephen Keel, Carlos Mendes, Austin da Luz, and substitute Matt Kassel conceded a 92nd-minute goal to drop 2 points. This match exposed the lack of depth on the squad, a shortcoming exacerbated by the reluctance of Hans Backe to give his younger players any meaningful minutes. The lack of depth, the unwillingness to use the bench, and consistently poor set piece defending became the defining points of the 2011 Red Bulls.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, June
On 10 June, Red Bulls saw their first victory in over a month when they defeated New England 2–1 at Red Bull Arena. GK Greg Sutton played hero as he saved a penalty in the 33rd minute.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, June
Off the field, the club announced on 10 June that Chris Heck, a former National Basketball Association executive, would take over business operations from Erik Stover, who had overseen the construction of Red Bull Arena. As the season progressed, Heck expanded marketing and promotions geared more toward casual fans and families, including the use of Groupon.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, June
The club signed rookie defender Mike Jones on 12 June. Jones was released earlier in the season by Sporting Kansas City.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, June
On 19 June, Red Bulls made a fighting comeback against Portland Timbers to draw 3–3. After being down 3–1 and with less than 20 minutes to play, Henry started the comeback with a goal in the 73rd minute and De Rosario sealed the draw with a penalty goal in extra time by converting the spot kick in the 96th minute.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, June
From Portland, Red Bulls traveled to Seattle Sounders FC and left with a tough 4–2 loss in front of a crowd of over 46,000. Seattle forward Roger Levesque came off the bench to score two goals within 10 minutes to assure his side's victory. GK Greg Sutton this time played goat, conceding one goal while arguing with the referee and another after being stripped of possession under little pressure. Also, New York played without Henry after the captain was controversially red carded late in the Portland match.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, June
The road warrior segment of the schedule continued with a 26 June match at Chicago Fire. The match ended in a 1–1 draw with Joel Lindpere scoring the Red Bulls goal.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, June
Internationally, the Gold Cup concluded with Rafa Marquez's Mexico squad beating Tim Ream and Juan Agudelo's United States side in the final on 25 June.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, June
On 28 June, the first New York Derby was contested when Red Bulls faced F.C. New York in the third round of the 2011 U.S. Open Cup. The match ended with a 2–1 Red Bulls victory at Red Bull Arena. Rookies Corey Hertzog and John Rooney were the Red Bull goal scorers.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, June
The shock of the month - if not the season - was provided on 27 June when the club announced it traded Dwayne De Rosario to rivals D.C. United for midfielder Dax McCarty. Red Bulls General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler said "Dax is an exciting young player who will immediately add his dynamic style of play to our midfield," and "he is an excellent two-way player who will contribute both to our defense and to our attack for seasons to come."


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, June
The trading of perennial All Star De Rosario after only three months with New York stunned fans and media alike. That the club received only McCarty, who was left exposed in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft just months earlier and had since fallen out of favor with his new D.C. club, was difficult to understand as captured in this actual column title from a Washington Post article: D.C. United trades McCarty for De Rosario, New York watches, giggles. The bewildering trade left Red Bull fans questioning the competence of General Manager Erik Soler. With only one league victory in the past two months, the abilities of Coach Hans Backe also became a growing subject of consternation.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, June
MLS Results for June: 1 victory, 3 draws, 1 lossMLS Results Season-to-Date: 5 victories, 9 draws, 3 losses; 24 points, 6th overall through 17 matches


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, July
Red Bulls opened July in similar fashion as June, with a 2-2 draw against San Jose Earthquakes at Stanford Stadium. Joel Lindpere saved the point for New York with his first brace of the season. He earned MLS Player of the Week for his performance.


2011 New York Red Bulls season, Month-by-Month Overview, July
On 6 July, the team emphatically beat Toronto 5–0 with goals from Henry, Rodgers, Lindpere and a brace by Agudelo. The win was the club's biggest of the season and gave hope heading into the 9 July home match against D.C. United and De Rosario. The hope was misplaced, as a De Rosario goal gave D.C. a 1–0 victory at Red Bull Arena. This match would also prove to be the last started by Luke Rodgers for two months as the striker battled plantar fasciitis.