Want to win superbowl? play ****ty teams

[yavoon]

(Year /Team /Schedule Rank);
1998 /DEN /28;
1999 /STL /31;
2000 /BAL /26;
2001 /NE /27;
2002 /TB /25;
2003 /NE /18;
2004 /NE /9

thought this was interesting, reminded me of the 72 dolphins and how they played something like the 5th easiest schedule ever. Also notice that NE is the only team to win w/ a high strength of schedule.

or if u would like to just get to the superbowl:
(Year /Team /Schedule Rank);
1998 /ATL /15
1999 /TEN /26
2000 /NYG /24
2001 /STL /17
2002 /OAK /3
2003 /CAR /31
2004 /PHI /22

[DB-Freak]

THat would be a part of it.

But of course there is the playoff so......

[NaptownChief]

THat would be a part of it.

But of course there is the playoff so......



Yep but the playoffs are designed to heavily benefit those with the best record as a result of the soft schedule. Given a free win with a bye and then giving home field which is typically all the difference needed for nearly all teams in the league except the really big turds like Houston, SF, GB that aren't even good enough to protect home field.

[DB-Freak]

True that.

[yavoon]

THat would be a part of it.

But of course there is the playoff so......

yah but if u play enough crap teams in the regular season u get homefield in the playoffs. while homefield is not utterly dominant in the champ game and SB isnt a homefield situation the teams w/ bye's get past week 1 100% of the time;) and week 2 80something% so there's an 80% chance if u have a bye week u will be in the championship game. which often comes from good teams that have played weak schedules.

and of course the lone exception is new england who compiled 14-2 on the 9th hardest schedule.

[2KBack]

It's still the NFL, these are all professional teams, there are really only a couple real stinker teams every year. The differences in schedules I don't think are as extreme as a ranking would suggest. Any team in the league has a chance to beat you, especially in the last 5 years or so. As long as you take care of buisness against whoever is on your schedule I think you deserve whatever you earn, no matter what your Strength of schedule is.

[Chimporilla]

I think that the playoffs weed out the teams who have benefitted from a weak schedule. The best recent example I can think of were the Jag teams from the late 90's who played in a weak division several years running but who would eventually get their asses handed to them with or without homefield advantage. Hell, look at the NFC North teams of now.

The Patriots fielded the best team in the league for the last two years. As much as it pains me to say it, I think it's true.

[broncosteven]

Neither team drew up the schedule, Dolts lucked into facing a weak division, Chefs should be our Houston next year.

[yavoon]

It's still the NFL, these are all professional teams, there are really only a couple real stinker teams every year. The differences in schedules I don't think are as extreme as a ranking would suggest. Any team in the league has a chance to beat you, especially in the last 5 years or so. As long as you take care of buisness against whoever is on your schedule I think you deserve whatever you earn, no matter what your Strength of schedule is.


I also think strength of schedule lets us down in terms of home/away. getting the tough ones at home is a huge help. The correlation is still pretty good though, new england, and only once, did it w/ a strength of schedule even in the top HALF. and new england is also the only team to do it w/ a strength in the top 20.

[yavoon]

I think that the playoffs weed out the teams who have benefitted from a weak schedule. The best recent example I can think of were the Jag teams from the late 90's who played in a weak division several years running but who would eventually get their asses handed to them with or without homefield advantage. Hell, look at the NFC North teams of now.

The Patriots fielded the best team in the league for the last two years. As much as it pains me to say it, I think it's true.

well u'd be wrong. infact u'd be obscenely wrong. did u not look at the original post?!

[Garcia Bronco]

What about 97

[Meck77]

Check this out. The Raiders are still talking superbowl.... Seems like damage control to me but I don't think they are just going to roll over for us sunday. Im sure some of the raider players have given up though. Maybe not Jordan.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/13128372.htm

Posted on Thu, Nov. 10, 2005




Raiders still harbor Super Bowl dreams

By Steve Corkran

Knight Ridder


Most teams measure success in terms of wins and losses. For the Raiders and managing general partner Al Davis, wins are a necessary nuisance on the way to a Super Bowl title.

Hence the reason the Raiders traded for Randy Moss, signed free agents LaMont Jordan and Derrick Burgess and dumped several starters in response to a 5-11 campaign last season.

Davis isn't interested in improvement in the form of a better record or more competitive play. To that end, the first half of this season qualifies as nothing more than a huge disappointment for the Raiders.

``We're 3-5 and, obviously, we'd like to be at least 6-2,'' quarterback Kerry Collins said. ``That's the goal. You want to go 3-1 in each quarter. So, no, we haven't reached our expectations. It's tough to feel good about things when you're sitting here 3-5.''

The knee-jerk reaction is for Coach Norv Turner and the players to cite a rough schedule the first half of the season as a primary reason for the rough start.

However, the combined records of the Raiders' seven first-half opponents -- they played the Kansas City Chiefs twice -- is 28-30. The four teams that beat the Raiders are 13-15 in games against the rest of the NFL.

Penalties, injuries and inconsistent play are the common denominators that surfaced the first eight games.

The Raiders lost receiver Ronald Curry, left guard Langston Walker, center Jake Grove, cornerback Charles Woodson and strong safety Derrick Gibson to injury along the way.

They are second in the league in penalties committed and yards penalized and are on pace to break the league record in both categories.

Three of their losses were decided in the waning seconds of the game. Sunday, they lost to the Chiefs on a last-second touchdown.

``The games we've lost have been games like that, to the end,'' tackle Robert Gallery said. ``I didn't always get that feeling last year. Some of them were, but some were by a bigger margin. This year, I really feel we've had the chance to win every single game in the fourth quarter.''

Through it all, the Raiders remain within striking distance of a playoff spot, with room perhaps for one more loss.

``To get to the playoffs, you need 10 wins,'' said Jordan, the Raiders' rushing leader. ``It's a race to 10. It's always a race to 10, and we have five losses now. One more loss and that's our sixth loss, and we still have a chance to get to the playoffs. Realistically, we have an opportunity to win the division.''

That won't happen unless the Raiders find a way to win games within their division. The Raiders lost all three of their divisional games in the first half and own one victory in nine AFC West games under Turner the past two years.

The victory total isn't what the Raiders hoped for, yet there is plenty of reason for optimism.

Collins, 32, has developed into a quarterback who does a much better job of managing the game than he did in the past. Only three of his 283 passes were intercepted, he was sacked only 17 times, and his passer rating of 88.3 would be a career-best.

Jordan has established himself as a two-way threat and made people forget about the disaster that was Tyrone Wheatley and Amos Zereoue last season.

Defensively, the presence of end Burgess as the primary pass rusher and Warren Sapp back at his natural tackle position has bolstered Oakland's pass rush into a formidable weapon.

That, in turn, has taken pressure off a linebacking corps and secondary that features rookies Fabian Washington, Kirk Morrison and Stanford Routt, as well as second-year player Stuart Schweigert.

``The teams we're playing understand we're playing at a much higher level on the defensive line,'' Turner said. ``We're playing a lot more physical. We're hitting the quarterback, we're defending the run. So you build on those things, you build on the positive things you've done.''

Those positives haven't manifested themselves in victories. Yet, Jordan said.

``Inside every man's heart, the true competitor at this point has to come out,'' Jordan said. ``And I'm not just talking about these guys putting on these helmets. I'm talking about those coaches upstairs, too.

``For the remainder of the season, we all have to just be at our best. And our best can run the table, if we play our best. And that's what it's going to come down to. Can we play our best? I say it all the time. Consistency. Consistency. Can we be consistent? We do that, and no telling where this thing can end up. In this locker room, I've got a special feeling.''

For the remainder of the season, we all have to just be at our best. And our best can run the table, if we play our best. And that's what it's going to come down to. Can we play our best?LaMont Jordan

[Arkie]

What about 97

I don't know about the regular season, but the Broncos postseason had to be ranked as the toughest ever for a Super Bowl winner.

[missingnumber7]

Lets look at the leaders and who they've beat this year
8-0 colts----------7-2 bengals------------6-2 broncos----------4-3 pats
@balt-------------@browns---------------@mia-L--------------fade
jags---------------vikes-------------------SD------------------@ carolina L
browns------------@bears-----------------KC------------------@ pitt
titans-------------texans -----------------@jags---------------SD L
49ers-------------@jags (loss)-------------wash---------------@ atl
rams--------------titans-------------------NE-----------------@Den L
texans------------steelers (loss)-----------@NYG L-------------Buf
pats--------------pack--------------------Philly----------------Indy L
------------------@balt


6-2 gmen----------6-2 atl-----------------6-2 sea-------------5-3 bears
cards--------------philly-------------------@jags L--------------@ skins L
@aints(not really)--@sea L-----------------atl-------------------lions
@ SD L------------@buf -------------------ari-------------------cinci L
Rams--------------vikes-------------------@skins L-------------@ browns L
@cboys L----------pats L------------------@rams---------------vikes
broncos-----------@NO-------------------texans---------------balt
skins--------------NYJ---------------------cboys----------------lions
@49ers------------@Mia-------------------@ari-----------------@NO


I'm not sayin that Indy ain't earned its 8-0, but common. Balt, browns, titans, 49ers and texans and you could almost lump the rams in there too. The jags are tough this year and looking at the rest of their schedule they are easily upper wild card team unless indy falls.
The bungles, i know they can't help the browns, so they got 2 gimme's this season, but the vikes, bears, and pack??? plus balt, titans and texans??? And the steelers are 6-2 right behind them.
A win at the jags for us was huge i think. But the division is far from locked up. SD is the most bipolar team this year, and with the chiefs losing priest..they gotta pray that LJ don't need to change his diaper late in the season. SD has the tougher second half schedule traveling to the skins, indy, and KC tough to see them better than third here.
The pats division is no better than the NFC north. The pats are the only team above 500 and the rest of their division has tough second halves against teams that are leading divisions right now.

In the NFC the giants are looking like the class act...although they recieved a nice gift against the broncos. Losses to the chargers and the cowboys on the road are legit, wins over the 9ers and saints home road game aren't. The east is a tough division and could hold court for anyone of them, but the convincing whipping they gave the gibbs led skins says alot.
For Atlanta, the vikes, the jets, miami, new orleans...not much of a challenge for vick, nice opening week win over philly, and a loss to the pats kinda makes you wonder what this team will be like in the end.
With losses at the jags and the skins, this has to be the only legit team in the west. Their first real win in St Louis. This division should be wrapped up by Hanukka.
The bears...vince lambardi must be rolling over in his grave over the NFC north. 1 team above 500...brett farve playing like crap...all these teams have the same problem...QB issuse. The vikes will start to gel under johnson and will emerge as the 2nd best team, the bears will hold the top with their d and a nice chushy schedule. But with no wins over legit teams...not goin anywhere.

[errand]

Then shouldn't the Broncos win it every year...afterall we do play the Raiders, chiefs, and chargers twice.

[Tombstone RJ]

(Year /Team /Schedule Rank);
1998 /DEN /28;
1999 /STL /31;
2000 /BAL /26;
2001 /NE /27;
2002 /TB /25;
2003 /NE /18;
2004 /NE /9

thought this was interesting, reminded me of the 72 dolphins and how they played something like the 5th easiest schedule ever. Also notice that NE is the only team to win w/ a high strength of schedule.

or if u would like to just get to the superbowl:
(Year /Team /Schedule Rank);
1998 /ATL /15
1999 /TEN /26
2000 /NYG /24
2001 /STL /17
2002 /OAK /3
2003 /CAR /31
2004 /PHI /22

The year St. Louis won, they had such a horrible defense, that many "experts" predicted they'd never win a SB, simply because of this reason. However, their offense was sooooo sweet, and it was, it was a thing of beauty, that it overcame the defenses many, many weaknesses.