inmate running the asylum
February-5th-2005, 11:07 PM
Finally some media respect. The Redskins are finally recognized by USA Today as being one of the NFL's dynasties.
They must have read my thread last week. :laugh:
http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=90202
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/super/2005-02-03-bonus-12_x.htm
2/4/2005
Patriots could soon join NFL's pantheon of greats
By Larry Weisman, USA TODAY
JACKSONVILLE — The Ming dynasty lasted 276 years. It followed the Yuan dynasty, which covered 89. Maybe things are built better in China. In the NFL, the lifespan of imperial rule is much shorter.
Deion Sanders and the Cowboys became the only team to win three Super Bowls in four years, winning Super Bowl XXX in 1996.
By Anne Ryan, USA TODAY
Dynasty. That's a word being thrown around lightly where the New England Patriots are concerned. If they defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, they'll win their third title in four years and immediately draw comparisons with the greatest, most enduring NFL teams.
The Dallas Cowboys last accomplished that feat of three in four years, after the 1992-93 and '95 seasons with Super Bowl rings. The standard of dominance belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who won four in six seasons (1974-75, 1978-79). For long-term excellence, consider the San Francisco 49ers, with five won from 1981-94.
How do the Patriots stack up against these benchmarks?
"I really feel it's difficult to compare teams from different eras," says Jimmy Johnson, who coached the Cowboys to the first two of those titles and now is a Fox Sports analyst. He says the advent of free agency and the salary cap generally have weakened teams and made even the dominant ones less intimidating than their forebears.
But if the Patriots beat the Eagles, "I don't think anyone would question that you put them right there" with the best ever, says Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh's quarterback in those four Super Bowl victories, MVP in the last two and Johnson's compatriot at Fox.
A place in history is not the first thing on the Patriots' minds as they prepare to play the Eagles. If they win, linebacker Tedy Bruschi says, history takes care of itself. He's happy to discuss his recollections of watching the 49ers as a kid growing up in San Francisco, what he saw of the Cowboys and the little he knows of those old Steelers teams, but he'll go no further regarding the D-word.
"I won't talk about that when it comes to my team," he says. "I'll let some team in the next decade talk about us, but I won't."
The dynasties of the Super Bowl era:
Pittsburgh Steelers
• Four Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, XIV) won in six years. One loss (XXX) well after the glory years. The Steelers won twice before the NFL liberalized its rules to open up the passing game in 1978 and twice after, losing one conference championship game in between. In Super Bowl IX, a 16-6 victory against Minnesota, the Steelers allowed 119 total yards, 17 rushing. The defense saved Super Bowl X, a 21-17 win against Dallas, with Glenn Edwards intercepting a pass in the end zone on the final play. Steel Curtain indeed. After collecting the fourth Super Bowl ring, the chant became, "One for the thumb." But they've been back to the Super Bowl only once since. Hall of Famers include defensive tackle Joe Greene, linebackers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert, cornerback Mel Blount, Bradshaw, running back Franco Harris, wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, center Mike Webster, coach Chuck Noll, founder-owner Art Rooney and owner Dan Rooney.
Dallas Cowboys
• Five Super Bowl victories (VI, XII, XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) total, the last three over four years. Three losses (V, X, XIII). Narrowest margin while winning three of four: 10 points. Three different MVPs in those: First, quarterback Troy Aikman, then running back Emmitt Smith, last cornerback Larry Brown. No team has participated in more Super Bowls than the Cowboys (eight), and their five victories are tied with the 49ers for the NFL's best. Smith is the NFL's all-time leading rusher; receiver Michael Irvin is eligible for the Hall of Fame this year. Aikman also is a certainty.
San Francisco 49ers
• Five Super Bowl victories (XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV, XXIX). Peak of greatness might have been in Super Bowl XXIV, a 55-10 beating of the Denver Broncos that is the most lopsided in the game's history. Considered the Team of the '80s, with the first four Super Bowl wins occurring in seasons of that decade. Quarterback Joe Montana was named Super Bowl MVP three times, receiver Jerry Rice once, quarterback Steve Young once. First three won while coached by Bill Walsh, the others under George Seifert. Hall of Famers include Montana, safety Ronnie Lott and Walsh. Young is eligible this year; Rice, the NFL's all-time leading receiver, remains active with Seattle.
Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
• Three Super Bowl victories (XI, XV, XVIII) and two losses (II, XXXVII). The victories came in a span of eight seasons. The Raiders set a game record in beating Minnesota 32-14 in Super Bowl XI, gaining 429 yards. They led 16-0 at halftime. Victories in the next two were piloted by quarterback Jim Plunkett, the MVP once. The Raiders reached the AFC title game and lost three consecutive times before the breakthrough against Minnesota. Hall of Famers from the Super Bowl winners include receiver Fred Biletnikoff, cornerback Willie Brown, tight end Dave Casper, offensive linemen Art Shell and Gene Upshaw, linebacker Ted Hendricks, running back Marcus Allen and owner Al Davis.
Washington Redskins
• Three victories (XVII, XXII, XXVI), two defeats (VII, XVIII). Went to the title game four times under coach Joe Gibbs and won three, with a different quarterback (Joe Theismann, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien). The Redskins reached the NFC title game one other time but lost to the eventual Super Bowl winners, the New York Giants. The club had one losing record under Gibbs competing in the NFC East, which at one point produced the Super Bowl winner in six of eight seasons. Since his retirement after the 1992 season (he returned in 2004), the Redskins have made the playoffs once. Hall of Famers include running back John Riggins and Gibbs.
Miami Dolphins
• Two Super Bowl victories (VII, VIII) and three defeats (VI, XVII, XIX). Appeared in three consecutive Super Bowls and won the last two, including the 17-0 season of 1972. Two losses came in a three-year span. Allowed two touchdowns in the wins, with the No Name Defense shutting down Washington and Minnesota. Hall of Famers include coach Don Shula, running back Larry Csonka, quarterback Bob Griese, receiver Paul Warfield, offensive linemen Jim Langer and Larry Little and linebacker Nick Buoniconti.
They must have read my thread last week. :laugh:
http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=90202
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/super/2005-02-03-bonus-12_x.htm
2/4/2005
Patriots could soon join NFL's pantheon of greats
By Larry Weisman, USA TODAY
JACKSONVILLE — The Ming dynasty lasted 276 years. It followed the Yuan dynasty, which covered 89. Maybe things are built better in China. In the NFL, the lifespan of imperial rule is much shorter.
Deion Sanders and the Cowboys became the only team to win three Super Bowls in four years, winning Super Bowl XXX in 1996.
By Anne Ryan, USA TODAY
Dynasty. That's a word being thrown around lightly where the New England Patriots are concerned. If they defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, they'll win their third title in four years and immediately draw comparisons with the greatest, most enduring NFL teams.
The Dallas Cowboys last accomplished that feat of three in four years, after the 1992-93 and '95 seasons with Super Bowl rings. The standard of dominance belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who won four in six seasons (1974-75, 1978-79). For long-term excellence, consider the San Francisco 49ers, with five won from 1981-94.
How do the Patriots stack up against these benchmarks?
"I really feel it's difficult to compare teams from different eras," says Jimmy Johnson, who coached the Cowboys to the first two of those titles and now is a Fox Sports analyst. He says the advent of free agency and the salary cap generally have weakened teams and made even the dominant ones less intimidating than their forebears.
But if the Patriots beat the Eagles, "I don't think anyone would question that you put them right there" with the best ever, says Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh's quarterback in those four Super Bowl victories, MVP in the last two and Johnson's compatriot at Fox.
A place in history is not the first thing on the Patriots' minds as they prepare to play the Eagles. If they win, linebacker Tedy Bruschi says, history takes care of itself. He's happy to discuss his recollections of watching the 49ers as a kid growing up in San Francisco, what he saw of the Cowboys and the little he knows of those old Steelers teams, but he'll go no further regarding the D-word.
"I won't talk about that when it comes to my team," he says. "I'll let some team in the next decade talk about us, but I won't."
The dynasties of the Super Bowl era:
Pittsburgh Steelers
• Four Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, XIV) won in six years. One loss (XXX) well after the glory years. The Steelers won twice before the NFL liberalized its rules to open up the passing game in 1978 and twice after, losing one conference championship game in between. In Super Bowl IX, a 16-6 victory against Minnesota, the Steelers allowed 119 total yards, 17 rushing. The defense saved Super Bowl X, a 21-17 win against Dallas, with Glenn Edwards intercepting a pass in the end zone on the final play. Steel Curtain indeed. After collecting the fourth Super Bowl ring, the chant became, "One for the thumb." But they've been back to the Super Bowl only once since. Hall of Famers include defensive tackle Joe Greene, linebackers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert, cornerback Mel Blount, Bradshaw, running back Franco Harris, wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, center Mike Webster, coach Chuck Noll, founder-owner Art Rooney and owner Dan Rooney.
Dallas Cowboys
• Five Super Bowl victories (VI, XII, XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) total, the last three over four years. Three losses (V, X, XIII). Narrowest margin while winning three of four: 10 points. Three different MVPs in those: First, quarterback Troy Aikman, then running back Emmitt Smith, last cornerback Larry Brown. No team has participated in more Super Bowls than the Cowboys (eight), and their five victories are tied with the 49ers for the NFL's best. Smith is the NFL's all-time leading rusher; receiver Michael Irvin is eligible for the Hall of Fame this year. Aikman also is a certainty.
San Francisco 49ers
• Five Super Bowl victories (XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV, XXIX). Peak of greatness might have been in Super Bowl XXIV, a 55-10 beating of the Denver Broncos that is the most lopsided in the game's history. Considered the Team of the '80s, with the first four Super Bowl wins occurring in seasons of that decade. Quarterback Joe Montana was named Super Bowl MVP three times, receiver Jerry Rice once, quarterback Steve Young once. First three won while coached by Bill Walsh, the others under George Seifert. Hall of Famers include Montana, safety Ronnie Lott and Walsh. Young is eligible this year; Rice, the NFL's all-time leading receiver, remains active with Seattle.
Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
• Three Super Bowl victories (XI, XV, XVIII) and two losses (II, XXXVII). The victories came in a span of eight seasons. The Raiders set a game record in beating Minnesota 32-14 in Super Bowl XI, gaining 429 yards. They led 16-0 at halftime. Victories in the next two were piloted by quarterback Jim Plunkett, the MVP once. The Raiders reached the AFC title game and lost three consecutive times before the breakthrough against Minnesota. Hall of Famers from the Super Bowl winners include receiver Fred Biletnikoff, cornerback Willie Brown, tight end Dave Casper, offensive linemen Art Shell and Gene Upshaw, linebacker Ted Hendricks, running back Marcus Allen and owner Al Davis.
Washington Redskins
• Three victories (XVII, XXII, XXVI), two defeats (VII, XVIII). Went to the title game four times under coach Joe Gibbs and won three, with a different quarterback (Joe Theismann, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien). The Redskins reached the NFC title game one other time but lost to the eventual Super Bowl winners, the New York Giants. The club had one losing record under Gibbs competing in the NFC East, which at one point produced the Super Bowl winner in six of eight seasons. Since his retirement after the 1992 season (he returned in 2004), the Redskins have made the playoffs once. Hall of Famers include running back John Riggins and Gibbs.
Miami Dolphins
• Two Super Bowl victories (VII, VIII) and three defeats (VI, XVII, XIX). Appeared in three consecutive Super Bowls and won the last two, including the 17-0 season of 1972. Two losses came in a three-year span. Allowed two touchdowns in the wins, with the No Name Defense shutting down Washington and Minnesota. Hall of Famers include coach Don Shula, running back Larry Csonka, quarterback Bob Griese, receiver Paul Warfield, offensive linemen Jim Langer and Larry Little and linebacker Nick Buoniconti.