The Almost Dynasties

  In the course of NFL history, there have been 6 'dynasties'.  Now, dynasty is a word filled with a lot of meaning.  A dynasty is more than just a great football team, a dynasty is a team that has a year-in year-out impact on the league, and wins consistantly.  Perhaps the greatest sports dynasty of all time, the Boston Celtics of the the 50's and 60's, won 11 championships.  Likewise the Yankee's of the 40's and 50's, or the UCLA Bruins of the 60's and 70's, were teams that defined and shaped the league in which they existed.  Each team had its famous icon, its Babe Ruth, or Bill Russell; and each was defined and shaped by some dynamic and exciting coach, like John Wooden of the Bruins, or Al Arbour of the Islanders. In their own way, these teams shaped the modern world of sports.

  But too often, the great dynasties of sports overshadow their competitors, with good reason.  But for ever Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls team, there was also a Patrick Ewing lead New York Knicks, the teams that were great, but not great enough.  And so, I'd like to dedicate this post, my first in a long time (sorry!) to those almost teams.  In the NFL, the great dynasties are remembered like this:

        1950's- Cleveland Browns (7 championship appearances, 3 wins) (Had to plug my Brownies!)
        1960's- Green Bay Packers (6 championship appearances, 5 wins)
        1970's- Pittsburgh Steelers (4 Championship appearances, 4 wins)
        1980's- San Francisco 49ers (4 Championship appearances, 4 wins)
        1990's- Dallas Cowboys (3 Championships appearances, 3 wins)
        2000's- New England Patriots (4 Championship appearances, 3 wins)

  These teams will always be remembered as the great ones, the definers of what it means to be football.  But right next to them should be listed the following teams.

        2000's- Philadelphia Eagles (4 NFC Title appearances, 1 Super Bowl loss)
        1990's- Buffalo Bills (4 straight Super Bowl losses)
        1980's- Denver Broncos (3 Super Bowl losses)
        1970's- Minnesota Vikings (3 Super Bowl losses, 1 NFL Championship loss)
        1960's- New York Giants (3 straight NFL Championship losses, plus 2 in the late 50's)

  For every world champion team, these guys had one almost-world champion.  Heartbreak and failure seemed to follow each franchise year in and year out.  For each team, the chance to make the biggest win on the biggest stage eluded them.  And, briefly, I'd like to look back on them and see how, and why, they failed.  This is by no means a critique of those teams, but merely a mention to the forgotten heroes of the dynasties we well remember.  From the Purple People Eaters to the K-gun Bills, these teams are the almost-theres.

The Philadelphia Eagles:
Divisional Titles: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006
NFC Title appearances: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
Super Bowl appearances: 2004
 

   Perhaps no one better emphasized the new brand of the NFL than Donovan McNabb.  He was, in one package, everything that you've come to expect in the 2000's NFL.  He is a quarterback, the position everyone loves to hate.  With new pro-QB friendly rules dominating the leauge, McNabb helped pilot the Eagles to 4 straight NFC title game appearances, and got them to the Super Bowl in 2004.  He was famous, in commercials, a great athlete, and a public figure.  In our world of 24 hour news shows, McNabb became a hot topic, be it race, athleticism or the failure to get it done, McNabb was the subject.

  I fondly rememer watching McNabb put together a 14.1 second scramble against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night, and get a huge win over a division foe.  But, along with McNabb, this team will always be remembered as the one Terrell Owens sank.  Forgotten are guys like Brian Westbrook, Jeremiah Trotter, and Brian Dawkins, who made up the heart and soul of this near-dynasty.  The Eagles were on the verge of greatness, but could never get their foot across that line.

The Buffalo Bills
Divisional Titles: 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995
Conference Titles: 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993
Super Bowl Appearances: 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993

  When one thinks of th

e greatest almost-there team, one has to think of the Bills.  Buffalo is the only team in history to go to 4 consecutive Super Bowls, and unfortunately the only team to loose 4 consecutive Super Bowls.  This team was loaded, and came screaming into 1990 on fire, getting to the Super Bowl without a challenge, only to come up wide right of the goal posts and loose to the Giants.  But with a team full of playmakers and hall of famers like Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas, there wasn't much doubt that the Bills would challenge again.  But this time it was the Redskins who drove the Bills home in defeat.

  In 1992, the chance came again, and after the largest comeback in NFL history against the Houston Oilers, only to be destroyed by the Cowboys.  The chance at revenge came again when the Bills took to the Cowboys in 1993, but again came up short.  Imagine how different things would have been if that kick had gone through the uprights instead of wide right?  By their fourth trip, the curse of the Bills was real in the minds of the players and fans, 4 straight losses was too much, and the greatest dynasty that never was faded into the background.

The Denver Broncos:
Divisional Titles: 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989
AFC Championship Appearances: 1986, 1987, 1989
Super Bowl Appearances: 1986, 1987, 1989

 The 1990's would be the turning point for this franchise, but the 1980's was a stretch of futility for the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos came into the playoffs as the #1 seed and reached the Super Bowl twice in three years, and added a third apperance as a #2 seed.  Led by the famous John Elway, the Broncos handed the Browns two of their most infamous losses in the Drive and the Fumble, and reached the Super Bowl.   After Elway drove across Cleveland's defense and put his team into the Super Bowl, everyone thought they had it locked.  A brutal defense led by Rulon Jones among others helped seal the deal... almost.  The Giants won 39-20.  The next year, the Browns fumbled away a win to the Broncos, who got to attempt another shot at fame, and came up way too short.

  1989 was all about the defense.  With a great D-line and tough corners, the Broncos hoped to turn the tables and get a win.  Unfortunately for the Broncos, the 49ers were ready.  Jerry Rice and Joe Montana cruised over the Broncos and won by a resounding margin, 55-10.  Elway couldn't get anything going and turned the ball over constantly.  With a young running back, and very little help in the receiving corp, Elway's attempt to win the game himself failed.  But for Broncos fans, this didn't hurt too much, beacuse by the end of the next decade, the Broncos showed up to play, and defeated the Packers and Falcons to win two rings before retiring.

Minnesota Vikings:
Divisional Titles: 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978
Conference Titles: 1973, 1974, 1976
Super Bowl Losses: 1973, 1974, 1976 (Also lost 1969)

   Led by Fran Tarkenton, John Gilliam, Churck Foreman and the great Alan Page, the Vikings were the almost team of the 1970's.  In an era dominated by the Steel Curtain, the Vikings with their Purple People Eaters, were one step behind.  The Vikings dominated their division, but struggled to get out of the conference, winning only 3 (appearing in 4).  Unfortunately for the Vikings, when they did get to the big game they struggled.  Despite having an awesome defense, Larry Csonka had 145 yards and 2 touchdowns, carrying the Dolphins to a Super Bowl win in 1973.  The very next year, the great defense of the Steelers came up against the Purple People Eaters, and came up victorious.  This time it was Franco Harris who had the yards, and the Steelers dominated both sides of the line.  Despite having the hall of fame O-lineman Ron Yary, the Vikings couldn't get started, and the Steelers struck first with a safety.  With one last shot at victory, the Vikings came up against the Raiders in Super Bowl 11, and once more, the Vikings came up flat loosing 32-14 to the Black Hole.

New York Giants:
Conference Titles: 1961, 1962, 1963
Championship Losses: 1961, 1962, 1963

  After "The Greatest Game Ever Played" in 1958, the Giants looked ready to roar into the 60's as one of the most dominant teams in the young NFL.  With an offense led by the hall of famer Y.A. Tittle, and Del Shofner, the Giants came ready to play. In 1961 the Giants collapsed in front of the Green Bay Packers, loosing 31-0.  The very next year Green Bay repeated and squeaked by the Giants with a second win.  To round out their three years of loosing, the Giants fell to the Bears 14-10.  After this loss in 1963, the Giants would go 23 years without a championship appearance, and then win two, drubbing both the Broncos and Bills enroute to their third appearance this year.
~~

 So, we must ask ourselves briefly, what makes a dynasty a dynasty?  Its not just success, because lots of teams get to the top only to come up short.  And its not just championships, because Denver won two in the 90's, and are rarely considered the team of the decade.  Why these dynasties come together seems complicated, but there are some trends.  The Patriots won two Super Bowls on the leg of their kicker, the same player who cost the Bills their first shot.  The Cowboys drilled the Bills in their first two meeting, leaving the Boys to win 3 Super Bowls and the Bills to loose four, the Giants were destroyed by the Packers twice as well.  When Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw suffered, the rest of the team stepped up, John Elway did not have that luxury with his Broncos.  And sometimes, despite having all the pieces in place and the team reved up and ready, like the 49'ers of the 80's, you just come up short and never get to reach that final goal.