Like Walt did the NCAA Playoff I decided I will do a 20 team NFL Tournament of the best teams ever. Heres the rules. You cannot have multiple teams from the same dynasty in this tournament. I chose the best teams from all of the dynasties and threw in a few wildcards that werent members of a dynasty but were outstanding in the 1 year that they won it.
I decided the seedings by how many wins you had. If you were tied for wins then I looked at the losses and whoever had fewer losses were ranked ahead. If they were tied after that too, then I just used my own personal oppinion on who would be ranked ahead of who.
Also like Walts tournament, we will each choose one. I will pick a winner, Walt will pick a winner, and if Walt can get him in then Fricko will pick one.
It will be NCAA Tournament style where you do not change the seedings until the semi finals. We will go from 20 to 10 to 5. At 5, the top 3 teams have byes and the two lesser ones have a game to decide who makes it to the semis. Then we will rerank the teams. Like suppose the remaining teams were 3, 8, 9, and 10 (which it probably wont be, Im just giving an example) then 3 will turn into 1, 8 will turn into 2, 9 will turn into 3 and 10 will turn into 4. So we will have 10 v.s 3, and 9 v.s 8. Then of course we will have the winner of those games go into the finals. Here are the games in the first round......
1. 1985 Chicago Bears (18-1) v.s 20. 1940 Chicago Bears (9-3) 1940 Bears won the first ever NFL Championship game 73-0 over the Skins. But the 85 Bears are pretty much unstoppable. 47-7 '85 Bears.
10. 1977 Dallas Cowboys (15-2) v.s 11. 1987 Washington Redskins (15-4) A little quick for such a good matchup. I think these two teams are equally good on Defense. But the old Cowboys were good on offense too, so I say we win. 20-17 '77 Cowboys.
5. 1998 Denver Broncos (17-2) v.s 16. 1952 Detroit Lions (11-3) I had to put these Lions in because they were a dynasty, but I think they are not nearly as good as their record from what I read about them. 45-13 '98 Broncos.
6. 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers (17-2) v.s 15. 1950 Cleveland Browns (12-2) The Browns won the NFL Championship in their first year as a team, pretty amazing. Can you imagine the Texans winning it two years ago, I cant. But the old Steelers are way too much for them. 17-7 '78 Steelers.
3. 1989 San Fransisco 49ers (17-2) v.s 18. 1960 Houston Oilers (11-4) I dont think I even need to say anything. 62-0 Niners.
4. 1986 New York Giants (17-2) v.s 17. 1964 Cleveland Browns (11-3-1) I hate to eliminate both Brown dynasties in the first round but I have no choice. 20-0 G-Men.
7. 2003 New England Patriots (17-2) v.s 14. 1949 Philadelphia Eagles (12-1) Tough one. Those Eagles only lost one frickin game. But I dont think those guys back then could have beaten the new teams. Lets say 21-20 Pats.
9. 1976 Oakland Raiders (16-1) v.s 12. 1966 Green Bay Packers (14-2) From what Madden sais on Monday Night Football, it sounds like he was a conservative coach. I think the agressive Vince Lombardi would have taken advantage of it. 34-28 Pack.
2. 1972 Miami Dolphins (17-0) v.s 19. 1959 Baltimore Colts (10-3) This is an easy one. The Dolphins never lost a game. This one wouldnt be any different. 48-0 Undefeated Dolphins.
The '40 Bears may have beaten Washington 73-0, but they only scored 40 or more points twice in the regular season. They lost to the Cardinals and the Lions, LOL. I'll take the '85 Bears 27-3.
I agree that the '77 Cowboys beat the '87 Skins. Roger Staubach vs. Doug Williams. Hmmm.... '77Boys win 20-10.
The '52 Lions had no running game and their QB, Bobby Layne, threw more INTs than touchdowns. Nothing is stopping John Elway and Terrell Davis. '98Broncos 24-0.
You have to love Automatic Otto, but Terry Bradshaw was a great Super Bowl QB. I'll take the '78 Steelers 20-17.
George Blanda threw at a sub-50 percent completion rate. That won't get it done vs. Montana and Rice. I agree with your blowout. '89 Niners 56-0.
As good as they say Jack Kemp was, he threw 26 INTs and only 13 TDs in '64. I like the '92 Boys 63-0.
It's tough to go against Jim Brown, but how much havoc do you think Lawrence Taylor would cause for Frank Ryan? '86 Giants 17-3.
Knowing the way the Patriots work, they'd probably be underdogs and everyone would be picking against them. But, they'd find some way to win. They always do. '03 Patriots 20-3.
The Raiders were a great team, but they have nothing more than an average defense; they were ranked 12th that year. The Packers were ranked 1st in '66. I can't see Bart Starr losing. '66 Pack 27-17.
The Colts have a tremendous advantage at QB with Johnny U, but they had no running game that year. Miami's stellar defense would come close to shutting them out. '72 Fins 35-7
Wow, Walt. I am impressed by your old school knowledge. I thought I was the only person who knew about all of these great teams from the 40's and 50's.
Well, we agreed on every single game, so we dont even need a third oppinion, so straight to the 2nd round..............
1. 1985 Chicago Bears (19-1) v.s 10. 1977 Dallas Cowboys (16-2) I love my old school Cowboys, but I dont think many teams can hang with the 85 Bears. 35-14 Bears.
5. 1998 Denver Broncos (18-2) v.s 6. 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers (18-2) What a game. John Elway, possibly the greatest quarterback of all time, and TD the innovator of Denver's infamous system take on the Steel Curtain Defense, but I think the Steelers will beat the Broncos defense pretty bad. Steelers in a tough one, 24-21.
3. 1989 San Fransisco 49ers (18-2) v.s 8. 1992 Dallas Cowboys (17-3) Jimmy always found a way to beat the 49ers. The only real variable in this game from the 1992 NFC Championship is Joe Montana. However, Joe Montana in his prime struggled to beat the Danny White Cowboys of the 80's. So I think an older Joe would not be able to score many points on Doomsday II. Plus, I know the 90s Cowboys were much better than the 80s Cowboys. And the this 49er Defense was almost exactly the same as the 49er defense we scored 30 points on in 92. The 90s beat the 80s, as we pull off the shocking upset. 92 Boys 27-13.
4. 1986 New York Giants (18-2) v.s 7. 2003 New England Patriots (18-2) What an interesting matchup. Bill Parcells v.s Bill Belicheck, while both are in their prime. Can you say Defensive Struggle? As Walt said the Patriots always find a way to win. Phil Simms was a respectable quarterback, but he doesnt hold a candle to Tom Brady. I can just see in my mind it tied 7-7 late in the fourth quarter and Tom Brady finds a way to bring the Patriots downfield for a game winnning field goal. I think the student beats the teacher as the Patriots beat the G-Men 10-7.
2. 1972 Miami Dolphins (18-0) v.s 12. 1966 Green Bay Packers (15-2) Damn, another tough one. But, the Dolphins won alot of close games. They also only beat the mediocre Redskins 14-7. While the Packers annihlated the Chiefs. But as Walt said in the last round, Bob Griese v.s Bart Starr..... Ill take Bart Starr. 17-13 Packers
Would Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett be enough to score against arguably the best defense of all time? I don't think so. I also like '85 Chicago 17-3.
Denver was really good against the run, but their pass defense was really suspect. I'd expect to see lots of Bradshaw to Stallworth and Swann, while the Steel Curtain shuts down Terrell Davis. We all know what happens to Elway when he has no running game. '78 Steelers 17-13.
Dallas' domination over San Francisco in the early-90s was paramount; Steve Young finally beat them after Jimmy Johnson left. I agree with your stance on this game. The Cowboys have a huge edge in the running game. Emmitt Smith vs. Roger Craig? It's hard to see Montana losing, so I think this is a close game that goes into overtime. '92 Cowboys 30-24.
I don't have the exact stats, but Bill Parcells is a sub-.500 coach without Bill Belichick. The Patriots would be double digit underdogs in this game, but like you said, Adam Vinatieri with a field goal to win it at the end. '03 Patriots 13-10.
I think most people would go with the Fins because they had a great defense, but if you look at the stats, the '66 Packers defense is very similar. Like you said, Bart Starr vs. Bob Griese/Earl Morrall. Miami had a huge glitch in their passing game that no one could take advantage of. The old Packers will. '66 Packers 16-6.
I think me and Walt have almost the exact same perception of history, we have agreed on everything so far, but we are down to five, so the top three seeds-
1. 1985 Chicago Bears (20-1)
2. 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers (19-2)
3. 2003 New England Patriots (19-2)
have byes in this round, this is like the wildcard round of this tournament, at stakes is a berth in the semi finals of the tournament, and the game is.....
8. 1992 Dallas Cowboys (18-3) v.s 12. 1966 Green Bay Packers (16-2) The Old Packers have been extremely lucky to play teams that they matched up well against in the tournament. The Raiders, a team that had a bad enough defense, and a conservative enough coach that would allow the Packers to score, and Vince Lombardi to trick John Madden. While the Packers would keep the Raiders out of the end zone with their stellar defense. Then they played the Dolphins, who as Walt and I pointed out had a mediocre offense. Cowboys got their number. A defense that would shut down Bart Starr, Jim Taylor, Paul Hornung, and Elijah Pitts. And the triple threat that would be just enough to put up about 3 touchdowns on the Pack. Plus, Vince Lombardi has no coaching advantage, Because Jimmy maybe the only coach that might be better than him. 92 Cowboys 27-3.
There are lots of things going against the '66 Packers against the Cowboys. First of all, Green Bay can't possibly match up with all of the athletes that Dallas had. Do they have anyone who could cover Michael Irvin? Don't think so. Secondly, the Packers didn't have much of a running game so the Cowboys could focus on pressuring Bart Starr. I agree with the blowout. '92 Cowboys 31-10.
1. 1985 Chicago Bears (20-1) v.s 4. 1992 Dallas Cowboys (19-3) This is the Powerhouse Finals. These are by far the two best teams in history. Chicago can put pressure on Troy, but I think Emmitt can break the great Bears Defense on a few plays. I think our defense will shut down Refridgerator Perry on the Goal Line, but Walter Payton is too fast, so I think the Bears still get more than a field goal on about half of their red zone visits. Michael would have another big game, against the Bears Defense that is better against the run. So I think we pull off the upset. 24-20 Cowboys.
2. 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers (19-2) v.s 3. 2003 New England Patriots (19-2) Ouch, another good one. I think that Ted Washington, and Tedy Brushchi would shut down Pittsburghs running game, and Ty Law and Rodney Harrison would be able to intercept a few Bradshaw passes. But, the Steel Curtain defense may put a few points on the board themselves. I think it will be tied near the end. But who would you rather have engineer a drive for you to win the game, Terry Bradshaw or Tom Brady? I think Brady would be able to find the right spot to throw the ball to get the Patriots down to about the 30 yard line and Vinatieri kicks yet another field goal to win it at the end. 26-23 Patriots.
Yet again, we agree. Both the Bears and Cowboys have incredible defenses and stout running games, but the biggest difference between the two teams is Jim McMahon and Troy Aikman. I like McMahon, but at this point in his career, Aikman is undefeated in the playoffs much like Tom Brady. Dallas lost thrice in '92 but obliterated everyone in the playoffs, including the 49ers at San Francisco. I think this is a defensive struggle but Dallas is able to out-score Chicago because of the QB advantage. '92 Cowboys 10-6.
Pittsburgh vs. New England. Where have we seen this before? The Steelers seem like the better team, and would probably be huge favorites, but think about it: Terry Bradshaw vs. Bill Belichick. Bradshaw even admitted that his team ran a grand total of eight plays; they just ran them so well no one could stop them. Belichick and Crennel would eat that gameplan up. Teddy Bruschi, Ty Law, Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrabel, Willie McGinest, Richard Seymour and Ted Washington make too many big plays and win on a Vinatieri field goal. '03 Patriots 20-17.
On a side note, wouldn't you agree that the '04 Patriots are better than the '03 Patriots? They have identical records, but this year's version is blowing out teams in the playoffs, while last year's version won by field goals.
I agree but they havent won it yet(even though they will) so I couldnt make them in the Tournament.
1. 2003 New England Patriots (20-2) v.s 2. 1992 Dallas Cowboys (20-3) The Patriots defense will be crushed by us. Troy and the PlayMaker will light up the Pats defense. Tedy Bruschi will be a non-factor because of the Cowboys great offensive line. The Pats defense shut down Ricky Williams, Clinton Portis, Curtis Martin, and Edgerrin James, who are all good backs but they never played the greatest runningback ever, plus he is in his prime. Cowboys blow out the Pats 56-6.
Well, we finally disagree. I think everyone picks the Cowboys to win this contest. I think Vegas oddsmakers make the 'Boys are -17 point favorite. But, the Patriots will find some way to win. They always do. I think this game turns into a shoot-out but Tom Brady leads New England down the field with 55 seconds to go and Adam Vinatieri hits the game-winner from 43-yards out. '03 Pats 41-38.
