Category Archives: Football

Football

Why I Don’t Watch the NFL Anymore

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The NFL ain’t what it used to be.

There are plenty of reasons why I don’t watch the NFL anymore. Some of them are purely selfish reasons (my team stinks and I’m struggling to care about them…go Jets). I can’t say I completely care for how Fantasy sports changed my perspective of the NFL. It was fun in college I suppose, but rooting for individual stats over whether a team wins or loses took away something over time for me. Daily Fantasy Sports only made that perception for me worse. But none of that stuff really mattered in the long run for my decision to stop watching the NFL. Neither has the protesting debate that consumes the NFL now. While that topic is a whole other article, players kneeling during the National Anthem is quite low in regards to me watching the NFL as there are far more pressing issues (and reasons not to watch) facing the NFL.

The first event that made me think twice about the NFL was when Ray Rice punched his finance Janay Palmer in the face…and the NFL gave him a two game suspension because “they didn’t see the video” or whatever their excuse was at the time. A week later, Adrian Peterson was indicted for beating his son with a switch as a form of discipline. NFL fucked that up too. There was also Greg Hardy’s situation, NFL didn’t even initially suspend him. While I always knew in the back of my mind the NFL and their owners didn’t really give a shit about their players, just what they do on the field.

You’d think this would have turned everyone against Peterson…

Which brings me to the real point of the article. Hypocritical as it may seem, I didn’t just turn off the TV when a NFL game was on because of what I just wrote in the prior paragraph. I still talked about the NFL with friends. I still played on Draftkings. I did all that stuff last year. This has been something that’s been building over time for me. And while it started specifically with the NFL in regards to Ray Rice, my current concerns with the NFL really began with an event that had nothing to do with the NFL.

It all started for me when professional wrestler Chris Benoit killed his wife and family.

As I’ve gotten older, I guess extreme violence directed toward the head has started to make me feel bad for what I’m watching. In Bill Simmons’ most recent article he talked about how he still watched boxing even after it seemed clear Muhammad Ali suffered brain damage because of the sport. I guess it was that with me and professional wrestling. Plenty of professional wrestlers had died at abnormally young ages, and some of them due to some sort of depression (The Renegade, Mike Awesome, Chris Kanyon, Andrew Martin, Axl Rotten, Balls Mahoney just to name six quick ones, three of which were confirmed to have what I will mention in the next sentence). But none of them really hit hard as the Chris Benoit tragedy. It was later revealed Chris Benoit had severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This was in 2007.

Chairshots like this aren’t allowed in WWE anymore, and for good reason…

It took me years to understand why WWE changed their product and promotes a much safer style than it did in the late 90s/early 2000s. It’s a reason I’m still okay with following and watching today.

It’s not to say the NFL hasn’t made changes to make the game safer. Only those changes aren’t enough. And while NFL players are practically killing themselves on the field for (non-guaranteed) contracts, the NFL is making billions of dollars off of these players. Before I get the argument that “the players know what they are getting into”, I would counter that no they don’t and that’s not a good argument to make anyway. That, and the biggest reason I’m not watching, the NFL is trying to hide the fact that a diagnosis for CTE is likely for their players.

The biggest thing that stuck in my mind wasn’t even a factual event. It was the movie Concussion that came out in 2015 which detailed the work on CTE that was done by Dr. Bennet Omali. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the film isn’t 100% accurate. But it opened my eyes as something I felt like I needed to look into. Dave Duerson and Junior Seau both killed themselves and were found to have CTE in their brain. There was Jovan Belcher, the Kansas City Chiefs player who killed his girlfriend, showed up at the Chiefs practice facility and killed himself. He had CTE too. What about college player Owen Thomas, a 21 year old who committed suicide? CTE there too.

Not surprisingly, the film didn’t get a lot of hype from the NFL

What about, overshadowed in all this kneeling for the flag stuff, what about the revelation that Aaron Hernandez what found to have Stage 3 CTE on September 21?

The Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that in 111 former NFL player brains that were tested, 110 had CTE. 110!

And the NFL doesn’t care. Their concussion lawsuit settlement was ridiculous (and will be rendered moot once the next thing I mention becomes true). Before 2016, the NFL downplayed the connection between CTE and football (read up on Dr. Elliot Pellman).

CTE isn’t covered in that concussion settlement. This is because CTE can’t be diagnosed until a person is dead. And it looks like that’s about to change. Boston University has said they’ve potentially found a way to diagnose CTE in people that are living. The NFL can’t hide it now. American football, a game that’s already changed drastically for safety changes will soon not even closely resemble the game we all once watched and enjoyed. Bill Simmons wrote it best:

   “And there’s no way to stop it. You can’t change football. You can dump kickoffs and punts. You can eject anyone for a helmet-to-helmet hit. You can keep cutting the number of practices. You can dump the preseason. But you can’t rewire trained missiles going 20 miles per hour. It’s not a contact sport; it’s a collision sport.

   Advertisers have the luxury of deciding, “Things are changing … instead of doing A, B, and C, we have to start doing X, Y, and Z.” Football owners don’t have that luxury. Even worse, they don’t want to change. They want everything to stay EXACTLY THE SAME. Collectively, they’ve made tens of billions of dollars the old way. They don’t want a new way.

   That’s why they leveraged the stunningly short length of the average NFL career — not once but twice — to force players to accept unfavorable collective bargaining agreements. They buried concussion research until they couldn’t bury it anymore, even bullying ESPN from participating in Frontline’s concussion special. They stifled individual expression until NBA stars became more popular and recognizable than NFL stars, forcing them to begrudgingly (and awkwardly) change course. They effectively blackballed Colin Kaepernick. And when a president who many of them supported — with their money — threatened their business last weekend, they chose to unite with their players for a few hours. Like they give a shit.”

Sure, I’ll be a bit of a hypocrite. I’ll probably watch the Super Bowl. It’ll still look up some scores. See what players are doing well. But as time moves on the NFL will probably become a distant memory for me. I just can’t get past players wrecking their entire lives just to provide me some entertainment for a few hours every Sunday. And in case this didn’t make you think, don’t forget what Davante Adams looked like this last Thursday night. One day a player is going to die on the field. Let’s hope that’s not what it takes to change everything like it did for WWE.

Football

Super Bowl LI Prediction

We’re 5-5 heading into Super Bowl 51. This game means everything in regards to finishing with a over .500 record!

This also may go down as one of the all-time great Super Bowls…

Super Bowl 51: Atlanta Falcons (13-5) vs. New England Patriots (16-2)

There are so many different directions this game could go in.

Elite offense vs. elite offense. Hungry first timers against a team that’s made seven of the last sixteen Superbowls with the same Head Coach/QB combo. Battle of MVP candidate QBs. New England’s D vs. an unstoppable WR.

Here’s what matters. The Matt Ryan led Atlanta Falcons are unstoppable on offense. No matter what double teams New England throws at Julio Jones he’s going to get his catches and his yards. That, combined with the Falcons running game combo of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman means the Falcons are getting their points when they have the ball.

But that’s the key. They need to have the ball. In a similar strategy that I thought Dallas would beat Green Bay with, New England can run the ball down the weak (we’ll get to that in a second) Falcons run defense and keep Atlanta off the field. And guess what, Tom Brady and the Patriots are going to score their points too. The Falcons defense has improved according to DVOA over the second half of the regular season, but it isn’t elite. They did bottle up Aaron Rodgers last week though. The run defense ranked dead last in DVOA though (for all you gambling people out there, LaGarrette Blount is a sneaky Super Bowl MVP candidate), and that’s going to be tough to overcome. Also, if you just consider Tom Brady’s 12 games in the regular season, New England’s offense was ranked above Atlanta’s.

I’ll make the call that this becomes the first ever Super Bowl that goes to overtime. But after making the mistake last week, I won’t pick against the Patriots in this situation.

Patriots 35, Falcons 32 (OT)

Football

2017 Conference Title Game Predictions

3-1 last week puts me at 5-3 for this playoffs. (20-10 all-time). Look at that, I didn’t believe in Aaron Rodgers again.

Green Bay Packers (12-6) @ Atlanta Falcons (12-5)

And I’m not quite sure I’m picking him here either. I was happy to see the Falcons live up to what I said last week about their game against the Seahawks. Matt Ryan and Co. have been disappointing for years now, but their amazing offense has felt like the real deal.

There are a lot of factors in play here. This is the last game in the Georgia Dome and you know the crowd will be insane. Matt Ryan has faced many playoff disappointments, so he’s hungry for a Super Bowl run. Atlanta’s offense was historically good, and it’s not like Green Bay is known for their defense. The Falcons beat the Pack by 1 back in the middle of the season, 33-32, winning the game in the last minute. Both Ryan and Rodgers were amazing in that game. We know Jordy Nelson is injured too, which hurts the Green Bay offense. Everything points to a shootout here, where the superior Atlanta firepower wins out.

But I really don’t want to pick against Aaron Rodgers again. I really don’t. He’s playing at an insane level right now. That whole narrative about him being a bad leader? Well, that’s went to hell. I can’t help but feels he’s going to pull this one out. It’ll be close, but whoever gets the ball last in this close one with at least 30 seconds left is probably going to win it, and if I had to pick a QB in this matchup it’s Rodgers

Packers 38, Falcons 35

Pittsburgh Steelers (13-5) @ New England Patriots (15-2)

Fun fact: when picking the Steelers last week, a big reason I came to that decision, other than the history of the Kansas City Chiefs choking away pretty much every important game with a coach who historically does poorly in the playoffs, is that I actually felt that the they are the best team in the AFC.

Let’s look at the Patriots. They had five games against playoff teams in the regular season: the Dolphins twice (won both), the Steelers (with Landry Jones at QB, a W) , the Texans (beat them 27-0, but lol Texans) and the Seahawks (loss). They also had wins over decent teams like the Ravens and Broncos. But I wouldn’t call their schedule remotely tough. So that 14-2 is a bit inflated. Despite the big record, I don’t feel super confident about the Patriots week in and week out. I guess I can’t completely explain this, but even the Texans hung around a little last week. Something feels off here.

Pittsburgh is hot. They’ve won nine straight. Their last loss was a close one against a really good Dallas Cowboy team. Le’Veon Bell is a monster. Roethlisberger is mostly playing well. They just beat the Chiefs again in Kansas City. Their defense has improved as the season progressed. This is a team that’s been there before.

Something just smells like upset.

Steelers 24, Patriots 21

Football

2017 NFL Divisional Round Predictions

2-2 last week (17-9 all-time). That’s what I get for believing in some Giants miracle and not believing in Aaron Rodgers.

Seattle Seahawks (11-5-1) @ Atlanta Falcons (11-5)

At first I was all ready to take the Seahawks under my “Matt Ryan has always been subpar in the playoffs” + “Seattle has the experience factor in their favor”. But I had to change my mind here for a few reasons.

One, I have to give Matt Ryan his due. He finally played like the quarterback everyone has said he’s been over the past few years. He, Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman, and Tevin Coleman have run an incredible offense here. If this were the Seahawks of a few years ago I’d say their defense could take Atlanta down…but this isn’t the same defense. I also don’t completely buy the Seahawks at this point. Yeah, them beating a banged up Lions team is no surprise, but the Falcons are a different story. Then again Seattle did down New England on the road back in November, so I might be underselling them.

You know what kind of teams Seattle reminds me of though? Those dynasty teams that are in their last few years where they are considered a threat by name, but they are probably losing to the hot new team. My favorite examples are the 97 Cowboys who dropped a Divisional Round game to the 2nd year Carolina Panthers and the 98 49ers, who lost to the Chris Chandler-Jamal Anderson Falcons. Their runs were just over. Just like Seattle’s probably is.

Plus maybe it was all Mike Smith’s fault.

Falcons 28, Seahawks 24

Houston Texans (10-7) @ New England Patriots (14-2)

What is there to say really? You know that the Patriots beat the Texans 27-0 with Jacoby Brissett at Quarterback, right?

Patriots 40, Texans 7

Green Bay Packers (11-6) @ Dallas Cowboys (13-3)

I’m ready to pick against Rodgers again! There’s a little too much of “omg we underrated Aaron Rodgers he’s gonna tear through the players” and we forget the Giants were a bit shaky all year. Plus, Dallas has the best weapon possible against Rodgers: Ezekiel Elliott moving the chains and creating long, time killing drives. Aaron Rodgers can’t beat you when he’s on the bench. Do we really think this Packer defense is slowing down Elliott?

Cowboys 20, Packers 13

Pittsburgh Steelers (12-5) @ Kansas City Chiefs (12-4)

Andy Reid sure knows how to put together great regular seasons. I just can’t bring myself to believe in the Chiefs. Weather it’s the coach (Reid), the playoff history (so many disappointing Chiefs losses, many of them when they had a first round bye), the QB (Alex Smith is good and all, but never going to scare you) I just can’t do it. I correctly predicted three years ago that Andrew Luck would beat them and he did. I like this Steelers team a lot. They’re on fire. They took care of business last week. They have good DVOA ratings. They seem superior in every way. I just think they’re better. Only thing that can stop Big Ben and co. is the weather. Even then, is that going to do Kansas City any favors?

Steelers 24, Chiefs 17

 

 

Football

2017 NFL Wildcard Predictions

Ok, Wildcard predictions! We went 9-2 two years ago and 6-5 last year for a total of 15-7. Let’s have a good year!

Oakland Raiders (12-4) @ Houston Texans (9-7)

What a depressing game. The Raiders looked primed for at minimum a showdown with the Patriots in these playoffs and maybe a Super Bowl run. Derek Carr then breaks his leg and now we’re here. Connor Cook inherits a solid running game, a great offensive line and good weapons at WR. On the flip side, this is his first NFL start ever. It’ll probably be bad…but who knows who what we’ll get!

But we know what we’re getting with Brock Osweiler. He stinks. And there isn’t much else in Houston to make me think they are going to really do anything against Oakland. Houston is ranked 29th in total DVOA, 30th in offense. Their defense is still considered Top 10, but when they are probably scoring three points it won’t matter.

Raiders 13, Texans 3

Detroit Lions (9-7) @ Seattle Seahawks (10-5-1)

Sure, Seattle isn’t the same team they’ve been over the past few years and Detroit looked good this year, but this has a big Russell Wilson game all over it. Speaking of DVOA, Detroit’s defense ranked dead last. Matthew Stafford hasn’t been the same since his finger injury either. There’s just nothing here to make me think Detroit is going to win a shootout against the Seahawks in Seattle. And the Seahawks will be scoring big points.

Seahawks 37, Lions 17

Miami Dolphins (10-6) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)

Miami’s an old school team that can run the ball and pound away at a defense. And they beat Pittsburgh in October doing just that as Jay Ajayi rushed for 204 yards. I don’t think the Matt Moore starting deal is going to hurt Miami that much…I mean it’s not ideal but it isn’t like Ryan Tannehill is some great QB. Miami finally seems to have a good direction under new Head Coach Adam Gase. There’s a lot to like there.

But I am taking the Steelers. They looked great down the stretch (against subpar competition but still) and do have a couple of impressive wins this season. The Steelers feel like a good team hitting their stride. Sure, momentum isn’t everything, especially when you’re beating up on the Browns, but on paper they are the better team and have experience. It’ll be close though.

Steelers 22, Dolphins 21

New York Giants (11-5) @ Green Bay Packers (10-6)

Everyone is counting out the Giants this post-season. A lot of people off the Eli Manning train. Aaron Rodgers is hot and just led the Packers to what looked to be an unlikely division title. Where have I seen this script before?

The Giants should not be slept on. Their defense is great and probably a lot better off to play in a cold weather game than the Packers offense is. What am I missing? We’ve seen this twice before.

And there’s this. Mid-season, there was all this talk about how dysfunctional the Packers were and how Aaron Rodgers wasn’t a great leader. The Packers then reel off six straight wins, one of them quite impressive against the Seahawks…but otherwise against teams with real weaknesses the Packers could exploit (Jaguars, Texans and Bears are all bad, we went over Detroit’s terrible D and home against a disappointing Vikings team). Not really buying it. Not sure I should be buying the Giants either, but again, I feel like I’ve seen this script before.

Giants 27, Packers 17

 

 

Football

2016 NFL Season Predictions

We are merely hours away from kickoff for the 2016 NFL Season! I wrote last year how parity had been escaping the NFL over the years, and no worries, that once again was the case. The Denver Broncos, a top 8 team for five straight years now (meaning they lost in the Divisional Round or better), took home a SuperBowl ring behind a vaunted defense. The Carolina Panthers, who I selected to win the NFC South (but I didn’t have the guts to pick them for the SuperBowl), continued to improve after winning their third straight division title. The Patriots were a top 4 team once again for the fifth straight year. Roger Goodell though, seems to be doing everything in his power to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

With that being said…RDT’s 2016 NFL Predictions.

2016eli

NFC East
Giants: 9-7 (4th)
Eagles: 8-8
Redskins: 5-11
Cowboys: 5-11

I feel like I pick the Giants every year for this division. I couldn’t even remember who won it last year (Washington). The Giants still have the steadiest presence as Quarterback in Eli Manning. Eli’s a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde QB at this point, either he’s great or he’s wildly inconsistent. He has Odell Beckham Jr. to throw to, so I’m sure he’ll be fine. I’m sure there are a lot of Kirk Cousins fans out there and he did play well last season. He’s not someone I’m willing to back and their defense is pretty bad. The Eagles have a rookie at QB and nothing else truly inspiring as they recover from the Chip Kelly era. Dallas just dropped lost Tony Romo again for half the season and I think we’re finished with Romo being a difference making QB. What a bad division overall.

2016rodgers
NFC North
Packers: 12-4 (1st)
Lions: 9-7 (6th)
Vikings: 8-8
Bears: 3-13

Kind of a shame for the Vikings. Teddy Bridgewater seemed poised to break out after improving in most statistical categories last season but now he’s done for 2016 and probably part of 2017 too. Adrian Peterson should be regressing, but who knows really as he’s a physical freak. Unfortunately now the Vikings are going to have Sam Bradford at the helm, who’s pretty much known for winning 7 games in a season. The Packers should take the division with ease this year, although Detroit might be able to make it interesting as that’s a team that underperforms year in and year out. The Chicago Bears meanwhile just need to start over.

Super Bowl Football
NFC South
Panthers: 12-4 (2nd)
Falcons: 8-8
Buccaneers: 7-9
Saints: 7-9

The NFC South is full of incomplete teams. I still need to see an improved Saints defense (now that Ryan is gone it should happen) before I believe it. Buccaneers can be one year away if Winston develops. Matt Ryan continues to be perhaps the most overrated quarterback in football, posting big yardage with big attempts, a meager TD:INT ratio and a below average passer rating despite having Julio Jones to throw to. The only team to believe in here is The Panthers. I’m all in on “Riverboat” Ron and Cam Newton. I feel like I somehow doubted them last year when I made them 10-6 to win the South even though I was the only one it seemed who actually picked them to do so.

2016fitz
NFC West
Cardinals: 11-5 (3rd)
Seahawks: 10-6 (5th)
Rams: 4-12
49ers: 4-12

Seattle did regress last year, and they may again this year but they are still in the Superbowl hunt. A lot will bank on if Thomas Rawls can make the plays Marshawn Lynch made for Seattle in their peak years. I totally counted out the Cardinals as a fluke last year and was wrong…but their record here is more indicative of playing in the same division as the Rams and 49ers than my confidence in them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they fell off. I don’t think Los Angeles cares about football and while the Rams have been on that outside looking in level for years now, I don’t think they are breaking in unless Goff plays and is the real deal immediately. The 49ers have been a disaster since Harbaugh left and their biggest story is Kaepernick and the National Anthem, which isn’t a great sign.

2016brady
AFC East
Patriots: 10-6 (4th)
Bills: 9-7
Dolphins: 6-10
Jets: 5-11

I still have New England winning the AFC East although it should be a bit of a competition with Buffalo. A lot depends on how New England starts without Brady. The Bills will hang around…but there isn’t much to indicate that this year will be much different than the past two. Miami’s also a “just there” team and their running situation might make Tannenhill someone who has to throw a lot, which isn’t good. The Jets had a really easy schedule to start last year and did nothing with that, this year is a lot worse. Jets need to get past Ryan Fitzpatrick ASAP.

2016bigben
AFC North
Steelers: 11-5 (2nd)
Bengals: 11-5 (5th)
Ravens: 9-7
Browns: 3-13

The Steelers were a few plays away from perhaps making their own Super Bowl run last season and as long as Ben Roethlisberger is around they will usually be 8-8 or better. The Bengals may have been robbed of their own Super Bowl run thanks to Pacman Jones and Vontaze Burfict giving Landry Jones an easy 30 years. While I have no faith in Marvin Lewis as a head coach, there is no reason to think a healthy Andy Dalton won’t at least guarantee them another playoff berth. The Ravens should be better than last year too…although there are a lot of depth problems there (which really showed on offense last year). The Browns are just a mess.

2016luck
AFC South
Colts: 10-6 (3rd)
Jaguars: 9-7
Titans: 8-8
Texans: 6-10

The AFC South should be quite a fun division to follow. Will Andrew the Giant reclaim his throne as the best young passer in football? Probably depends what his team can do around him. The Jaguars look improved all around and they may steal the division. There is a lot of Blake Bortles hype out there. Speaking of hype, if Marcus Mariota continues to develop and DeMarco Murray regains his form the Titans could storm through the division too. I’m not a fan of Brock Osweiler though. The fact he couldn’t keep his job over probably the worst starting QB in the league in Peyton Manning last year is a bad sign all around.  Kudos for the Texans for taking a shot as their QB situation was a disaster last year though. I’m worried about J.J. Watt’s injuries too.

2016andyreid
AFC West
Chiefs: 12-4 (1st)
Broncos: 9-7 (6th)
Raiders: 9-7
Chargers: 7-9

The Chiefs still rank as a stereotypical Andy Reid team to me. So once again they should lose early in the playoffs despite giving them the #1 seed here. I’d rather have Denver’s amazing defense with no quarterback than Oakland’s young, high upside offense. San Diego probably needs to hit the reset button at this point.

Superbowl feels wide open to me. Let’s go with Green Bay finally getting back there against a returning to form Pittsburgh Steeler team, with the Packers beating them once again.

 

 

Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, NASCAR

Top 25 Greatest Teams That Failed To Win The Championship

#25: 1988 New York Mets

mets88

Notable Statistics
Record: 100-60 (1st in NL)
Won NL East
Led NL in HRs, RBI, Slugging, OPS, ERA
Notable Players: David Cone, Dwight Gooden, Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez, Darryl Strawberry
Manager: Davey Johnson
Finish: Lost in NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 7.

Only two years removed from their ’86 World Series, the Mets were at it again, dominating the National League for the season. The Mets led the NLCS 1-0 and 2-1, but the Dodgers came back to lead 3-2. Future Met and NL Cy Young Award Winner Orel Hershiser blanked the Mets in Game 7 and the Dodgers went on to win the World Series.

#24: 1998 #6 Team, Roush Racing (Mark Martin)

markmartin98

Notable Statistics
Finished 2nd in the Winston Cup Points Standings
1998 Statistics: 7 Wins (2nd), 22 Top 5s (2nd), 26 Top 10s (2nd)
Average Finish: 8.6 (2nd)
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig

Mark Martin’s most impressive single season came at the same time that Jeff Gordon was setting modern day NASCAR records. Year in and year out Martin has finished in the top 5 of the points standings but each year he would just fall short for one reason or another. Usually, Martin would score two or three wins a season and fill out the rest of the year with a steady dose of Top 10s. In 1998 Martin would win seven times, and if Gordon wasn’t out putting up the most ridiculous season in NASCAR history at that time (13 Wins, 5.7 average finish), who knows how many other victories Martin could have gotten.

Consider this. In 1998 Martin averaged 150.4 points a race. That would have beaten Jeff Gordon’s 1997 Championship average (147.2), Terry Labonte’s 1996 Championship average (150.2), Gordon’s 1995 Championship Average (148.8). Dale Earnhardt’s 1994 average (151.4) beats Martin’s ’98, but Earnhardt also won that title by about 400 points. Hell, Martin’s point total in 33 races is actually greater than 2nd place Earnhardt in 2000 (34 races) and Tony Stewart’s 2nd place total in 2001 (36 races). Martin would have flat out WON the Championship in the 36 race 2002 with his 33 race total in ’98.

#23: 1995 Cleveland Indians

indians95

Notable Statistics
Record: 100-44 (1st in AL)
Won AL Central
Led NL in HRs, RBI, Slugging, OPS, ERA
Notable Players: Orel Hershiser, Charles Nagy, Jim Thome, Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Kenny Lofton, Omar Vizquel
Manager: Mike Hargrove
Finish: Lost World Series to the Atlanta Braves in 6.

A monster offensive team with a monster record. Prorate that 100-44 record to 162 games and you get about 112 wins. You had five guys on this team hit at least 25 home runs that season (again, a shortened season). You had good pitching. The Indians had 10 more wins in the regular season than anyone else in baseball. This Indians team should have tore through the post-season and ended Cleveland’s long lasting drought.

Cleveland ripped through the Red Sox and Mariners in the post-season, but ran into the great pitching staff of the Atlanta Braves. Highlighted with a World Series winning 1 hitter by Tom Glavine and Mark Wohlers, the Braves upset the Indians and continued to do quite well in the National League throughout the rest of the decade.

#22: 2005 Indianapolis Colts

colts05

Notable Statistics
Record: 14-2 (1st in NFL)
Won AFC South
NFL Ranks: 2nd in Points, 2nd in Points Allowed
Won First 13 Games in the Regular Season
Notable Players: Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, Bob Sanders, Dwight Freeney
Head Coach: Tony Dungy
Finish: Lost in the Divisional Round to the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-18

An epic upset forgotten by the Colts winning the title the very next season. There was a lot of undefeated talk for the Colts during the 2005 season and it looked like, with New England not being as good as they had been in the last couple of seasons, that this was their year. Elite passing, elite running and a good defense seemed like it would be enough.

The Steelers had other plans, pressuring Peyton Manning all throughout the game, sacking him five times and rushing him everywhere. Peyton failed to complete a pass in the first quarter, and the Steelers ran up an early 14-0 lead. The Colts wouldn’t score a TD until the 4th quarter, but the Steelers would barely hang on 21-18 (this included one of the worst referee overturn challenges in the history of the league, when Troy Polamalu intercepted Manning cleanly and it was ruled incomplete). In fact, we may not be talking about the Colts losing here had Ben Roethlisberger not made the tackle of his life when Jerome Bettis fumbled as the Steelers were looking to ice the game and Mike Vanderjagt made the game tying FG. The Steelers would become the first #6 seed to get to the Super Bowl a week later.

#21: 2000-2001 New Jersey Devils

devils01

Notable Statistics
Record: 48-19-12-3, 111 Points (2nd in NHL)
Won Atlantic Division
NHL Ranks: Goals 1st, Goals Against 5th
Notable Players: Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermeyer, Scott Stevens, Patrik Elias, Alexander Mogilny, Petr Sykora
Head Coach: Larry Robinson
Finish: Lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Colorado Avalanche in 7.

It’s not even that it was an upset victory for Colorado. The Avalanche had a huge 118 point season and seemed destined for the Cup. That doesn’t change just how good the Devils were. The Devils were already the defending Stanley Cup Champions and brought back most of the team from the season before. Martin Brodeur had proven he could win tough, low scoring playoff hockey games with his stellar performance from the season before. Colorado proved to be too talented and too deep for New Jersey though.

#20: 2011 Green Bay Packers

packers11

Notable Statistics
Record: 15-1 (1st in NFL)
Won NFC North
NFL Ranks: 1st in Points, 19th in Points Allowed
Won First 13 Games in the Regular Season
Notable Players: Aaron Rodgers (MVP), Ryan Grant, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Charles Woodson, Clay Matthews Jr.
Head Coach: Mike McCarthy
Finish: Lost in the Divisional Round to the New York Giants 37-20

In the pass happy post 2007 NFL, Aaron Rodgers put together the greatest QB season in NFL history as the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers ripped through the league with ease. It wasn’t like they were just ranked 1st in points, they scored 35 a game and no one could hang with them. When you have a QB having the best QB season in NFL history at that point, a lot of things that could be considered weaknesses get swept under the rug. The Packers had one weakness, their defense was average at best.
The Giants tore that defense apart. The Giants D caused some turnovers and never let Green Bay get into rhythm. The Giants would find ways to come up with points on each drive of theirs. The big moment? When The Giants looked comfortable taking a 13-10 lead at halftime and Ahmad Bradshaw broke a big run. With six seconds left, Eli Manning took a hot at the end zone and suddenly it was 20-10 Giants. Green Bay never recovered.

#19: 2010-2011 Vancouver Canucks

canucks11

Notable Statistics
Record: 59-19-9, 117 Points (1st in NHL)
Won Northwest Division
NHL Ranks: Goals 1st, Goals Against 1st
Notable Players: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler, Roberto Luongo
Head Coach: Alain Vigneault
Finish: Lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Boston Bruins in 7.

It’s quite difficult to beat a team that scores the most goals and allows the least, but that’s what Boston managed to do in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. The Canucks almost lost in the Quarterfinals, luckily winning Game 7 in overtime against the Blackhawks.

Still, the Canucks were stacked, featuring the Sedin twins and 41 goal scorer Ryan Kesler. They just got outplayed in the Stanley Cups Finals.

#18: 2001-2002 Sacramento Kings

kings02

Notable Statistics
Record: 61-21 (1st in NBA)
Won Pacific Division
NFL Ranks: 3rd in Offensive Rating, 6th in Defensive Rating
Notable Players: Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby, Doug Christie, Bobby Jackson
Head Coach: Rick Adelman
Finish: Lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers in 7.

First of all, we have to consider all the referee shenanigans that cost Sacramento Game 6. It’s one of worst officiated games in league history.

Getting past that, the 2002 Kings had everything it seemed. A star player in Webber. A crunch time guy in Bibby. A dead eye shooter in Stojakovic. The 2002 Kings were so close. Robert Horry hit a dagger in Game 4 that saved the Lakers from a 3-1 deficit. Were the Lakers beating the Kings in three straight? Not likely. Game 7 went to overtime as well. The Kings were so close to knocking off the Shaq-Kobe Lakers and just couldn’t get it done. It’s a shame, because the Nets were waiting in the NBA Finals and stood no chance of beating that Kings team (the Lakers swept them with ease). The Kings spent the next couple of years losing Game 7s to Dallas and Minnesota. They never had a greater chance than they did in 2002, referees or not.

#17: 1994 Montreal Expos

expos94

Notable Statistics
Record: 74-40 (1st in NL)
Led NL in ERA
Notable Players: Pedro Martinez, Moises Alou, Larry Walker, Ken Hill
Manager: Felipe Alou
Finish: Baseball Went on Strike

A really tough break for Montreal as some cite the strike as a big reason Montreal moved to Washington years later. The Expos were on pace for a 105 win season led by some really good pitching led by Ken Hill and Pedro Martinez. Moises Alou was on pace for a great season as well. Montreal would lose most of their players in Free Agency.

#16: 2010 New England Patriots

patriots10

Notable Statistics
Record: 14-2 (1st in NFL)
Won AFC East
NFL Ranks: 1st in Points, 8th in Points Allowed
Notable Players: Tom Brady (MVP), Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Jarod Mayo, Devin McCourty, Vince Wilfork
Head Coach: Bill Belichick
Finish: Lost in the Divisional Round to the New York Jets 28-21

This was supposed to be the year the New England Patriots got back on track. Ever since their upset loss in Super Bowl XLII the Patriots were in a bit of a funk (for them). Tom Brady got hurt in Week 1 the very next season and while New England went 11-5 they managed to miss the playoffs. The following year they got beat up by Baltimore in the opening round. But Brady was fully healthy in 2010 and showed it, throwing for 36 Touchdowns against merely 4 Interceptions. With the double TE combo of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski causing trouble for the rest of the league, as well as Wes Welker being Brady’s security blanket, it would be difficult to see how the Patriots weren’t going to win this year.

Bring on the New York Jets. The Jets were led by Rex Ryan and were the cause of one of the Pats two losses during the regular season. Still, it looked like the Jets stood no chance as they were destroyed by New England during Week 13 on Monday Night Football 45-3. But all of that didn’t matter. Ryan’s defense swarmed Brady all game and the Jets had a big 2nd quarter and went into halftime up 14-3. And just like that, New England’s return to dominance was stopped in its tracks.

#15: 2015 #4 Team, Stewart-Haas Racing (Kevin Harvick)

Kevin Harvick drives on track during a NASCAR Sprint Cup auto race at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C., Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Notable Statistics
Finished 2nd in the Sprint Cup Chase
2015 Statistics: 3 Wins (5th), 23 Top 5s (1st), 28 Top 10s (1st)
Average Finish: 8.7 (1st)
15 Top 2 Finishes
Crew Chief: Rodney Childers

One of the best examples of the new eliminator Chase for the Cup format crowning the wrong driver. Kyle Busch, who had an impressive season after missing the first 11 races, was nowhere near as dominant as Harvick was in 2015. Harvick showed his 2014 wasn’t a fluke by reeling off Top 2 after Top 2. Even though he had a good Chase and even finished 2nd at Homestead, Kyle Busch won the season finale and the title. It doesn’t seem right.

#14: 1996 Denver Broncos

broncos96

Notable Statistics
Record: 13-3 (1st in NFL)
Won AFC West
NFL Ranks: 4th in Points, 7th in Points Allowed
Notable Players: John Elway, Terrell Davis, Shannon Sharpe, Steve Atwater, Bill Romanowski, Alfred Williams
Head Coach: Mike Shanahan
Finish: Lost in the Divisional Round to the Jacksonville Jaguars 30-27

How do we know this Denver Broncos team was great? They brought back basically the same players and won the next two Super Bowls.

So what the heck happened here? Jacksonville, who was only in their 2nd year of existence, put together a 9-7 record and had barely survived the Bills the week before. Denver was a two touchdown favorite here. The first half was played evenly, with Jacksonville surprising everyone by leading 13-12 at the half. Mark Brunell then played what was probably the greatest half of his life. Everytime Denver got close, Brunell would throw a big TD pass and make the lead a double digit one. It’s incredible to hear just how silent Mile High Stadium became. At the ned of the game Mike Shanahan was asked if Elway was coming back next year. Luckily for Denver, he did and they didn’t blow it up.

#13: 2013 Denver Broncos

broncos13

Notable Statistics
Record: 13-3 (1st in NFL)
Won AFC West
NFL Ranks: 1nd in Points, 22nd in Points Allowed
Notable Players: Peyton Manning (MVP), DeMaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, Julius Thomas
Head Coach: John Fox
Finish: Lost in the Super Bowl to the Seattle Seahawks 43-8

This is Peyton Manning’s record setting year where he trashed all the records with 5,477 yards and 55 TDs. Denver’s defense wasn’t as strong as it would be, but offensively it probably wouldn’t have mattered. They scored a crazy 606 points thoughout the regular season. Only three times did they score under 30 points in the regular season, and two of those were 27 and 28 point outings.

Unfortunately the Seattle Seahawks defense was waiting for them and Denver got smashed in the Super Bowl. Everything that could have went wrong for Denver did. I don’t think that takes away from just how dominant Denver was the rest of the season. Even in the post season they handled San Diego and New England with relative ease.

#12: 2007 #24 Team, Hendrick Motorsports (Jeff Gordon)

gordon07

Notable Statistics
Finished 2nd in the Nextel Cup Chase
2015 Statistics: 6 Wins (2nd), 21 Top 5s (1st), 30 Top 10s (1st)
Average Finish: 7.3 (1st)
Crew Chief: Steve Letarte

In 2007 we got the Jeff Gordon of old. Gordon dominated the NASCAR season that invoked memories of his late 90s dominance. Gordon has approximately a 300 point advantage before the Chase reset everything, and then Jimmie Johnson proceeded to win six of ten Chase races to steal the title from Gordon. Despite Johnson’s run, Gordon kept it competitive. Jeff Gordon would never be this dominant again. This was his best chance at a 5th Cup.

#11: 1990 Buffalo Bills

bill90

Notable Statistics
Record: 13-3 (2nd in NFL)
Won AFC East
NFL Ranks: 1st in Points, 6th in Points Allowed
Notable Players: Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith (Defensive Player of the Year), Andre Reed
Head Coach: Marv Levy
Finish: Lost in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants 20-19

The first of the four falls of Buffalo might have been the best. Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas made up a great one-two punch that would lead the Bills to four straight Super Bowl berths, and Bruce Smith was the premier Defensive Player of his era. Unfortunately for the Bills the New York Giants had a great gameplan that shut down the Bills offense. Despite this, Buffalo still had a chance to win it…but Scott Norwood famously missed “wide right”.

To get an idea how good this Bills team was, they took out Marino and the Dolphins in the Divisional Round but dropping 44, then kick the crap out of the Raiders 51-3 in the AFC Title game. The 1990 Bills were really good.

#10: 1997 Green Bay Packers

24 Aug 1998: Defensive tackle Santana Dotson #71 of the Green Bay Packers faces quarterback John Elway #7 of the Denver Broncos during the pre-season game at the Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Packers 34-31. Mandatory Cre

Notable Statistics
Record: 13-3 (1st in NFL)
Won NFC Central
NFL Ranks: 2nd in Points, 5th in Points Allowed
Notable Players: Brett Favre (MVP), Dorsey Levens, Antonio Freeman, Robert Brooks, Mark Chmura, Reggie White, LeRoy Butler
Head Coach: Mike Holmgren
Finish: Lost in the Super Bowl to the Denver Broncos 31-24

The Packers had avoided Denver in the Super Bowl prior as Denver had been upset by Jacksonville in the Divisional round. This time Denver had to come out of the Wildcard round to get to the big game and they did. Waiting for them were the defending Super Bowl Champions and three time MVP Brett Favre. The Packers just completed dispatching one of the powerhouse NFC teams of the last 15+ years in the 49ers. Denver was a big underdog here.

Green Bay couldn’t stop Terrell Davis. Hell, almost no one could. Davis destroyed the Packers for 157 rushing yards. While the Packers were in the game the whole way, Denver just did enough to keep their one score lead and win. If the 1997 Packers had one Achilles’ Heel it was that they at times struggled to contain the rush. And that’s how Denver won. The mid-90s championship level Packer teams came to a close as they didn’t get out of the Wildcard Round in 1998.

#9: 1995-1996 Detroit Red Wings

redwings96

Notable Statistics
Record: 62-13-7, 131 Points (1st in NHL, 2nd All-Time)
Won Central Division
NHL Ranks: Goals 3rd, Goals Against 1st
Notable Players: Sergei Federov, Steve Yzerman, Paul Coffey, Chris Osgood, Mke Vernon
Head Coach: Scotty Bowman
Finish: Lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Colorado Avalanche in 6.

On this list strictly because 131 points in a hockey season is a hell of a lot of points. Both the Red Wings and Avalanche were stacked at this point so despite the big point differential it wasn’t that crazy that Colorado could beat them.

Like the ’96 Broncos, the Red Wings would win the next two Championships, showing that this is a great team. They’d be a title contender in the NHL pretty much for the next 20 years too.

#8: 2006-2007 Dallas Mavericks

mavericks07

Notable Statistics
Record: 67-15 (1st in NBA)
Won Southwest Division
NFL Ranks: 2nd in Offensive Rating, 5th in Defensive Rating
Notable Players: Dirk Nowitzki (MVP), Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Devin Harris
Head Coach: Avery Johnson
Finish: Lost in the First Round to the Golden State Warriors in 6.

There was proof that this Dallas Mavericks team was good: they were close to winning the NBA Title the previous year but only lost the Finals because Wade and perhaps the referees. Still, from an advanced metrics standpoint Nowitzki was unstoppable in 2007. It seemed that at worst, Dallas would have a tough series against Phoenix or San Antonio in the Western Conference Finals to get back to the Finals. But Dallas had every reason to be confident as they had beaten both of those teams in 2006.

What happened was absolutely shocking. The #8th seeded Warriors did whatever they wanted to Dallas and Nowitzki was shut down. Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson hit ridiculous shot after ridiculous shot. Don Nelson, the previous coach of the Mavericks, seemed to have the secrets for stopping Nowitzki. I have little doubt Dallas would have at least lost a tough series to San Antonio or Phoenix had they gotten by Golden State, and really Dallas might have just won the title there. Crazy match-up led to a crazy upset.

#7: 2011 Philadelphia Phillies

phillies11

Notable Statistics
Record: 102-60 (1st in NL)
Won NL East
Led NL in ERA
Notable Players: Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt
Manager: Charlie Manuel
Finish: Lost Divisional Series to St. Louis Cardinals in 5.

While the 2010 Phillies could have been on here, the 2011 version gets the nod because of the Four Aces. Halladay, Hamels, Lee and Oswalt? That’s one of the best pitching staffs in baseball history. While Oswalt wasn’t great, fifth starter Vance Worley was and the Phillies led the NL by ERA by a substantial margin. Plus, it isn’t like they were weak hitting the ball as they had Ryan Howard and Chase Utley on the hitting side as well.

Unfortunately the Cardinals surprised them in the opening round, which included a masterful three hitter from Dan Carpenter in the deciding Game 5.

#6: 1998 Minnesota Vikings

vikings98

Notable Statistics
Record: 15-1 (1st in NFL)
Won NFC Central
NFL Ranks: 1nd in Points, 6th in Points Allowed
Notable Players: Randall Cunningham, Randy Moss, John Randle, Cris Carter, Robert Smith, Ed McDaniel, Gary Anderson, Robert Smith
Head Coach: Dennis Green
Finish: Lost in the NFC Championship Game to the Atlanta Falcons 30-27

Minnesota had a fearsome defensive line (Randle, McDaniel), a quarterback that dipped into the fountain of youth and returned to a near MVP form he once had in the early 90s (Cunningham), a 1,100 yard back (Smith), a perfect (or near-perfect, we will get to that) field goal kicker (Anderson), a rookie WR who only fell in the draft due to attitude concerns…only he’s turned out to arguably be the most dynamic WR ever (Moss). How could this team lose? They were 3 points away from a perfect regular season.

The Atlanta Falcons were no joke though, being 14-2 themselves and finishing off the Steve Young era in San Francisco. Chris Chandler played the game of his life. And still, Minnesota had Atlanta beat. Minnesota was up 7 and a Gary Anderson FG would put Atlanta away. Anderson missed. With John Randle injured on the sidelines Atlanta tied the game at 27 then won in overtime. Even as a 10 year old kid I remember being shocked at that outcome. I recommend the Missing Rings documentary about them.

#5: 2008-2009 Boston Celtics

celtics09

Notable Statistics
Record: 62-20 (3rd in NBA)
Won Atlantic Division
NFL Ranks: 2nd in Offensive Rating, 6th in Defensive Rating
Notable Players: Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce
Head Coach: Doc Rivers
Finish: Lost in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals to the Orlando Magic in 6.

At first it seems like the 08-09 Cavs should be on here, but truthfully I don’t find that to be a great team. I find that to be a great player carrying a pretty bad team to insane heights.

What’s forgotten about the Celtics is that Kevin Garnett was injured and missed the entire playoffs. Garnett was still one of the most important defensive players of his generation as his presence alone allowed Boston to play at an elite level. Boston started the season 27-2, which in itself was insane. They slowed down throughout the rest of the year and it seemed age was catching up a little bit. But then Garnett had to sit out the playoffs. Boston still beat a Chicago team that seemed determined to do every single thing they could to win. They took Orlando to seven games despite big trouble trying to guard Dwight Howard inside without Garnett to help. Rajon Rondo went from the Big 3 + Rondo to arguably the best player for the Celtics. If Garnett’s there, Boston probably goes to the Finals again (sorry Cleveland). Remember, the starting five of Perkins-Garnett-Pierce-Allen-Rondo never lost a playoff series where all five played each game, and they proved that by making the Finals in 2010 (Perkins got hurt and didn’t play Game 7 of the Finals), beating both Cleveland and Orlando.

#4: 1990 San Francisco 49ers

49ers90

Notable Statistics
Record: 14-2 (1st in NFL)
Won NFC West
NFL Ranks: 8th in Points, 2nd in Points Allowed
Notable Players: Joe Montana (MVP), Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley
Head Coach: George Seifert
Finish: Lost in the NFC Championship Game to the Giants 15-13

Everyone talks about the 1990 Bills losing in the Super Bowl (which is even on this list), but the 1990 49ers were a 14-2 juggernaut looking for their third straight Super Bowl. Led by MVP Joe Montana, it looked like nothing was going to stop the Niners from getting it done. The Giants hit five field goals and slowed Montana and the Niners enough to pull it off in Candlestick Park. Give Parcells and Belichick a lot of credit, holding Montana to 13 and Kelly to 19 was no small task.

We were that close to having a team win three straight Super Bowls.

#3: 2001 Seattle Mariners

mariners01

Notable Statistics
Record: 116-46 (1st in AL)
Won AL West
Led AL In BA, Hits, ERA
Notable Players: Brett Boone, Ichiro Suzuki (MVP, ROTY), John Olerud, Freddy Garcia, Edgar Martinez
Manager: Lou Pinella
Finish: Lost ALCS to the New York Yankees in 5.

The record itself was staggering. The Yankees though did a great job of shutting Ichiro down (4 for 18) and the Mariners couldn’t get by the more experience Yankee team. Perhaps it’s unlucky for Seattle that they ran into the Yankee dynasty, but 116 wins is a number that’s tough to overlook. They ended up with eight All-Stars that year. It’s kind of incredible that they lost.

#2: 2012-2013 San Antonio Spurs

during Game Five of the 2013 NBA Finals at the AT&T Center on June 16, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.

Notable Statistics
Record: 58-24 (3rd in NBA)
Won Southwest Division
NFL Ranks: 7th in Offensive Rating, 3rd in Defensive Rating
Notable Players: Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard
Head Coach: Gregg Popovich
Finish: Lost in the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat in 7.

Don’t let the record fool you, this is the best NBA team to not win the title. After steamrolling through the NBA playoffs (only a still young Steph Curry led Warriors team won any games) in a tough Western Conference with a record of 12-2, the Spurs went up against the PEAK of LeBron James.

You know how hard it is to beat one of the seven greatest basketball players of all time at his peak? LeBron had an incredible season that by advanced metrics even surpassed Michael Jordan’s best season. The Heat during the year had a shot at beating the Lakers’ 33 game win streak. There was no question LeBron James was the best basketball player in the world. He had two elite level players with him too: Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. The Heat were the defending NBA Champions.

The Spurs probably came the closest to winning the NBA Title than any team ever without actually winning it. Game 6 the Spurs had a five point lead with 28 seconds to go. LeBron knocked down a three to bring it to two. The Spurs made one free throw, which led to Ray Allen hitting one of greatest shots in NBA history, a three from the corner to tie it up. Miami prevailed in overtime. From there it took a masterful performance from LeBron, a 37-12-4, to win the title from the Spurs. THAT’s what it took to beat these guys. The next year LeBron regressed slightly, Wade wasn’t the same and Kawhi Leonard improved and the Spurs easily won the title.

#1: 2007 New England Patriots

patriots07

Notable Statistics
Record: 16-0 (1st in NFL)
Only 16-0 Regular Season in NFL History
Won AFC East
NFL Ranks: 1st in Points, 4th in Points Allowed
Notable Players: Tom Brady (MVP), Randy Moss, Mike Vrabel, Vince Wilfork, Asante Samuel
Head Coach: Bill Belichick
Finish: Lost in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants 17-14

The final tally on the New England Patriots 2007 season will forever read 18-1. Somehow Eli Manning escaped a for sure sack. Somehow David Tyree caught the ball on his helmet. Somehow The Patriots, with Brady throwing for 50 TDs that season, 23 of them to arguably to the greatest receiver of all time in his prime, had only managed 14 points. Somehow, somehow, somehow, the Giants upset the Patriots.

With all the spygate stuff out there the Patriots had been looking for blood all season. They routinely ran up the score and no one could really stop them. Only twice did they have scares: Baltimore nearly upset them and the Giants played them tough Week 17. In fact, it was that Giants game that allegedly gave them the confidence and momentum that got them through the playoffs as well. New England was so close to perfection, and instead ended up as the greatest team to not win the title.

Football

Super Bowl 50 Prediction

We’re 6-4 heading into Super Bowl 50. At first glance Super Bowl 50 looked like a really easy pick. But its definitely not.

Super Bowl 50: Denver Broncos (15-3) vs. Carolina Panthers (17-1)

Denver’s defense is terrifying. What they did to Tom Brady and the Patriots last week was both horrific and beautiful to watch. Without blitzing they got to Brady again and again and were the reason Denver won.

But Cam Newton’s terrifying as well. A deserving MVP who this year became the player we all wanted Michael Vick to be 12 years ago. The player Donovan McNabb never became. The player Dante Culpepper was for one season and then never again. Cam Newton has no good receivers and a great receiving Tight End in Greg Olsen.

All Carolina needs to do is get a 7-0 lead and I think it’ll be over. Denver needs to play a smashmouth ugly game to win and I think Cam Newton will be able to make enough plays to beat that style. If Carolina gets a 7-0 lead Peyton Manning has to score. While Denver did that twice early against New England, the last three quarter it was back to nothing for Denver. Carolina led the league in opponent possessions ending in an interception at 12.4%. I think Peyton will throw one or two. Carolina’s got Cam and they should have enough on D even without Thomas Davis.

Panthers 24, Broncos 17

 

 

Football

Bad Pro Bowl Quarterbacks

Historically, the NFL’s version of the All-Star game has annually been a disappointment. While each of the Big 4 sports have had All-Star Game problems. The NBA has the best situation in regards to All-Stars as basketball can focus upon individuals better than hockey and football (but not baseball). While the NBA’s All-Star Game is usually a no-defense all-offense affair, you sometimes see a really competitive 4th quarter and you sometimes see some crazy plays you don’t normally see otherwise.  The NHL gets some credit for trying to pump interest in their All-Star Game, but unfortunately is still doesn’t lead to great hockey (unless combined scores of 30 are your thing) and for one reason or another the game gets cancelled for one reason or another (lockouts, the Olympics). Baseball infamously had a tie in their All-Star Game in 2002. Major League Baseball decided to make one of their most foolish decisions ever as a result. Starting in 2003 home field advantage for the World Series was on the line in each midsummer classic. That’s another discussion for another time though. At least baseball looks like baseball in their All-Star Game. But the Pro Bowl? The risks are too great to have a real game of football. There are tons of rule changes to prevent injuries (no blitzing for example) and to try to pump offense into the game. Not only does the Pro Bowl not look like real NFL football, players often still skip the game anyway.

As a result the most visible and popular position on the field, the quarterback, has often been filled by some less than stellar quarterbacks. For fun let’s look at the last 20 seasons of Pro Bowl quarterbacks and identify some of the worst ones (either by that individual season or by that players career outcome).

1996

AFC

Mark Brunell (JAX): 19 TD (8th), 20 INT, 4,367 Yards (1st), 84.0 QB RAT (7th) – It’s crazy how those numbers would be considered a good season 20 years ago, but today a QB with them could be losing his job. It’s always hard to justify a QB throwing more INTS than TDs. Brunell had led the Jaguars to the Conference Title game though and had a solid career afterwards though.

NFC

Troy Aikman (DAL): 12 TD, 13 INT, 3,126 Yards (9th), 80.1 QB RAT– Pure reputation pick at this point.

Gus Frerotte (WAS): 12 TD, 11 INT, 3,453 Yards (6th), 79.3 QB RAT– He had the yardage I guess. Unsurprisingly Frerotte never made another Pro Bowl.

Kerry Collins (CAR): 14 TD, 9 INT, 2,454 Yards, 79.4 QB RAT- A record based selection as Carolina was 12-4 (and 9-3 with Collins). Collins would wait 12 years before making another Pro Bowl.

1999

AFC

Mark Brunell (JAX): 14 TD, 9 INT, 3,060 Yards, 82.0 QB RAT – Here just because the Jaguars went 14-2 (and Brunell was 13-2 as a starter). None of those stats were Top 10 worthy.

2001

AFC

Kordell Stewart (PIT): 14 TD, 11 INT, 3,109 Yards, 81.7 QB RAT – Another example of a player getting to the Pro Bowl based on record. He’s helped by the fact that he also had 500+ rushing yards and 5 rushing TDs. This would be Stewart’s only Pro Bowl. In his career he had 77 TDs against 84 INTs. Interesting that Brunell had one of his better seasons here but because his team was 7-9 he missed.

2005

NFC

Michael Vick (ATL): 15 TD, 13 INT, 2,412 Yards, 73.1 QB RAT – I ignored Vick’s 2004 season because he had over 900 passing yards and the Falcons were good. The Falcons fell off in 2005, Vick rushed for about 600 yards (still impressive) and as a passer Vick was embarrassing. 73.1 QB Rating? Top 10 in interceptions?

2006

AFC

Vince Young (TEN): 12 TD, 13 INT, 2,199 Yards, 66.7 QB RAT – The poor man’s version of Vick’s 2005 season. Young got a lot of hype as a rookie because he led the Titans to a winning streak when it looked like their season was over. He did run 550 yards with 7 rushing TDs to help his case, but jeez.

2007

AFC

Derek Anderson (CLE): 29 TD (5th), 19 INT, 3,787 Yards (9th), 82.5 QB RAT – A sneaky pick here. Anderson apparently led the NFL in dropped picks as well. The rest of Derek Anderson’s career was pitiful…he threw half of his career TDs in this season alone. Probably one of the luckiest seasons by a QB in NFL history.

2008

AFC

Kerry Collins (TEN): 12 TD, 7 INT, 2,676 Yards, 80.2 QB RAT – The funniest thing about this was that Collins was looking for a big extension (around what Kurt Warner was making) because of his performance this season. While the Titans did have a great record here, Collins couldn’t get a playoff win here.

Brett Favre (NYJ): 22 TD (9th), 22 INT, 3,474 Yards, 81.0 QB RAT – Led the league in interceptions this season. There was some unluckiness for Favre here as he injured his arm near the end of the season which led to an uptick in INTs (and a four game losing streak that cost the Jets the playoffs). Then again he was also sending dick pics to women so who knows how the season would have finished anyway.

2009

AFC

David Garrard (JAX): 15 TD, 10 INT, 3,597 Yards, 83.5 QB RAT – A random selection here. The Jaguars weren’t a good team or anything either. Garrard had a superior season two years prior that he received no recognition for.

Vince Young (TEN): 10 TD, 7 INT, 1,879 Yards, 82.8 QB RAT – At least he had a QB Rating over 70 this time! I think this was the season all the AFC QBs bowed out or something.

2014

Andy Dalton (CIN): 19 TD, 17 INT, 3,398 Yards, 83.5 QB RAT – Funny how Dalton’s weakest season got him a Pro Bowl berth. Tied for 3rd in INTs.

2015

Teddy Bridgewater (MIN): 14 TD, 9 INT, 3,231 Yards, 88.7 QN RAT – Too bad we’re not past this whole game manager makes the Pro Bowl deal by 2016. Carson Palmer and Cam Newton are both not playing though so what can you do?

This list omitted some potentially bad ones career wise (we’ll have to see with Tyrod Taylor and Jameis Winston) and I also omitted Nick Foles because his run was really really good.

Enjoy the Pro Bowl!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Football

2016 NFL Conference Finals Predictions!

We went 3-1 last week as all the home team pulled it out (after all the road teams won the Wildcard Round). We’re 5-3 for the playoffs. I think both of these are relatively east selections so let’s get to it.

New England Patriots (13-4) @ Denver Broncos (13-4)

Look, Denver was losing to a beaten up Pittsburgh Steelers team before Fitzgerald Tousaaint fumbled and Denver finally put a TD drive together. This Patriots team (which is healthy, no less) is way better than that beaten up Steelers team. Blame whoever you want or whatever, Peyton Manning’s arm, Bronco WRs dropping passes, New England is the better team and should be able to avenge their loss to Denver in the regular season.

Patriots 24, Broncos 13

Arizona Cardinals (14-3) @ Carolina Panthers (16-1)

I think the weather plays a big factor here. It’s going to be freezing a day after a lot of snow. Carolina proved they were no fluke as they horsewhipped Seattle in the first half last week (before going into the deep freeze in the 2nd half). Arizona was disappointing last week as they barely survived Green Bay at home. The Panthers are the best team in football and after watching last week I don’t see the Cardinals, great as they seem, beating the Panthers in Carolina in a cold weather game.

Panthers 31, Cardinals 21