Sports Then and Now

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers appear poised for a repeat run to the Super Bowl.

After seeing some of my “5 Bold Predictions” for college football come crashing to the ground after just one week (thanks Notre Dame and TCU), I approach my NFL predictions with a sense of caution knowing that they could be totally off-base before the first week is even complete.

Even with a shortened off-season, this promises to be an exciting NFL campaign. I think because of the lack of preparation time you will see some teams that rely on preparation struggle early while teams that have superior talent will be able to hit stride right away.

It is already apparent that one huge issue in 2011 will be injuries. Several teams have lost starting players to season ending injuries and because players have gone at full speed for such short times during the preseason expect that to continue to happen throughout the regular season.

Prediction 1: The New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts will miss the playoffs

This statement might seem a bit bolder if Peyton Manning’s season wasn’t in limbo and if seemingly half of the defense for the New York Giants wasn’t already out for the season with injuries.

Every year there seems to be at least one team that has their season derailed or significantly altered by injuries. It appears that both the Giants and Colts will have a difficult time overcoming the injuries that have already impacted their season.

Of the two teams, I think the Giants can probably still be a decent team even without Terrell Thomas, Johnathan Goff, Marvin Austin and the others. However, in a division that includes two other likely playoff contenders in the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, there is little margin for error and as they learned last season, even a 10-win season doesn’t guarantee a playoff spot. Read the rest of this entry →

Aaron Rodgers proved that the Super Bowl stage wasn't too much for him to handle.

It was billed as a classic matchup between two of the most storied franchises in the NFL and Super Bowl XLV did not disappoint. The Green Bay Packers started strong and then held on to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25. The victory is the fourth Super Bowl win for the Packers and their 13th overall NFL title.

Early on it looked like the Packers might have an easy day at the office as they scored twice in a 24 second period in the first quarter and led 21-3 with less than a minute remaining in the first half.

However, the Pittsburgh Steelers have too much pride and experience to go quietly into the night and they drove down the field late in the first half and suddenly changed the momentum when Ben Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward for an eight yard touchdown with 39 seconds remaining before intermission.

The Steelers kept it going early in the second half as they scored less than five minutes into the second half to cut the margin to four points at 21-17.

It looked like Pittsburgh might take the lead as they were driving down the field before a hit by Clay Matthews knocked the ball from running back Rashard Mendenhall and was recovered by the Packers.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers then quickly took advantage as the Packers went 55 yards in just eight plays culminating with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Greg Jennings. Read the rest of this entry →

Black and gold versus green and gold. Legacies like the “Steel Curtain” and the “Frozen Tundra.” Past history like The “Immaculate Reception” and the Ice Bowl.

Great moments like the grace of Lynn Swann’s acrobatic catch in Super Bowl X against Dallas and the one-yard plunge by Bart Starr off a key block by guard Jerry Kramer and center Ken Bowman to beat the Cowboys in the famous Ice Bowl. Pittsburgh versus Green Bay. Super Bowl XLV.

Sunday’s Super Bowl matches two of the National Football League’s storied franchises. A past filled with premier players, many who are today’s hall of famers. Steeler icons such as Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster on offense.

One of the best ever catches in Super Bowl history came from Lynn Swann against the Cowboys in Super Bowl X as shown by this diving catch.

“Mean Joe” Greene and L.C. Greenwood combined with the late Dwight White and the late Ernie Holmes in the trenches to form the vaunted “Steel Curtain” defense. Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Mel Blount, and Donnie Shell teamed with that foursome to create one of the best defenses ever. Super Bowl winning coaches like Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher, both who coached Rod Woodson, a hall of fame defensive back and kick returner who played most of his career for Pittsburgh.

The prestigious heritage for the Packers on offense lies in the names of Starr, Jim Taylor, Forrest Gregg, Fuzzy Thurston, Jerry Kramer, Jim Ringo, Don Hutson, James Lofton, and more recently Brett Favre. Green Bay’s defensive history lies behind the likes of Ray Nitschke, Willie Davis, Ted Hendricks, Willie Wood, and the late Reggie White, who was known as the “Minister of Defense.” White shares the Super Bowl record for most sacks in a game with three which he recorded in the Packers’ 35-21 win over New England in Super Bowl XXXI, Green Bay’s first Super Bowl win in 29 years. Coaches like Earl Louis “Curly” Lambeau, Vince Lombardi, and Mike Holmgren.

While the permanent status of today’s Steelers and Packers are still to be determined, each team boasts some of the game’s top players.

Ever since the Ice Bowl game in December of 1967, Lambeau Field has been called the Frozen Tundra.

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is already 2-0 in Super Bowls and a win Sunday would make him 3-0 before he turns age 30. The Steelers’ all-time leading receiver, Hines Ward is a crafty veteran and was the most valuable player of Super Bowl XL.

Second-year wide receiver Mike Wallace is perhaps the fastest player in the league and lead Pittsburgh in receiving with 60 catches for 1,257 yards and 10 touchdowns, giving him a 21 yards per catch average. Third-year running back Rashard Mendenhall scored a team-high 13 touchdowns and lead the team in rushing with 1,273 yards on 324 carrries.

Although he has a ways to go to equal Webster, rookie center Maurkice Pouncey had an excellent first season. However his status as to whether or not he will play Sunday is unclear as he suffered an ankle injury in the loss to the Jets in the AFC Championship game on Jan. 23. Second-year center Doug Legursky is Pouncey’s backup.

Although he was considered to be on the downside of his career after 12 inconsistent seasons in Dallas, offensive tackle Flozell Adams has helped solidify the Steelers’ line. Tight end Heath Miller has emerged as a quality receiver and blocker to help give Pittsburgh options on offense. Miller caught 42 passes for 512 yards this season and scored a pair of touchdowns. Read the rest of this entry →

Despite not having a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback, the Washington Redskins clearly ranked as the best of the 44 Super Bowl Champions.

Since the first Super Bowl was held in January 1967, 44 teams have hoisted the Vince Lombardi Championship Trophy. But which of these championship teams was really the greatest of the greats?

In part two of our countdown of the Super Bowl Champions, we count down to the number one champion in Super Bowl history. For more details about the categories used to rank the teams, check out part one.

20. 1977 Dallas Cowboys – Record: 15-2 (32 points); Average loss by 11 points (9 points); Average win by 14.6 points (23 points); Opponent winning percentage: .485 (29 points); Wins over +.500 teams: 4 (25 points); Total Points: 118
Arguably the best of Tom Landry’s 29 Dallas Cowboy squads, the 1977 Cowboys combined an explosive offense led by Roger Staubach, Drew Pearson and rookie Tony Dorsett with a dominating defense led by linemen Randy White and Harvey Martin. Dallas finished 12-2 during the regular season with their two losses coming back-to-back after winning their first eight games. In the Playoffs, Dallas out-scored the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings by a combined score of 60-13 to reach the Super Bowl. Facing the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII, the Cowboys were dominant in a 27-10 victory.

19. 1990 New York Giants – Record: 16-3 (26 points); Average loss by 8.7 points (20 points); Average win by 11.4 points (9 points); Opponent winning percentage: .500 (36 points); Wins over +.500 teams: 4 (28 points); Total Points: 119
Because the 1990 New York Giants narrowly won the NFC Championship Game over the San Francisco 49ers and then had to withstand a last second missed field goal to win Super Bowl XXV, the Giants are often overlooked when the best championship teams are discussed. However, the second of Bill Parcell’s Super Bowl teams was a solid team led by a defense that allowed the fewest points in the NFL. After starting quarterback Phil Simms was lost for the season in the 14th week, backup Jeff Hostetler stepped in and did not throw an interception in three playoff wins. Read the rest of this entry →

Where do the 1992 Dallas Cowboys rate when ranking the 44 Super Bowl champions?

Since the first Super Bowl was held in January 1967, 44 teams have hoisted the Vince Lombardi Championship Trophy. But which of these championship teams was really the greatest of the greats?

Was it one of the teams coached by Lombardi himself, or was it the only team to finish a season undefeated? Was it a one-year wonder like the 1985 Bears or perhaps a team coached by one of the coaching legends in Walsh, Landry, Gibbs or Noll.

Trying to cut through the numbers and years to identify the best Super Bowl Champions of all-time is a lot like trying to rank Five Star restaurants or elite sports cars. Each one has its own merits and greatness that ultimately led to its ability to claim a championship.

Only twice in 44 years has a Super Bowl Champion lost as many as six games during a season and 28 champions lost three or fewer games on their way to winning a title.

But when you get past the win-loss records and start to analyze the entire picture, a clearer view of which teams were indeed a notch above starts to emerge.

In trying to identify the best of the best, I looked at five factors and ranked each champion in all five categories.

In addition to overall winning percentage, I also ranked teams based on the average margin in their losses and then separately the average margin in their victories. This helped paint a picture of whether teams were competitive in the games they did lose and then also illustrated if they were dominating in their victories. The best of the best were competitive in every game and dominant against their weaker opposition.

However, given that the caliber of each schedule was not the same and some teams may have played a more challenging schedule and didn’t have as many dominant victories, I also ranked teams based on the winning percentage of their regular season opponents and also by the number of teams they defeated during the season that had a winning record.

The championship team with the best ranking in each category received 44 points, down to one point for the team with the lowest score in each category. The points were then added up to determine the overall rankings.

The result is a ranking of the Super Bowl championship teams that doesn’t just give the nod of greatness to the teams with the best records. Instead, the full body of their championship season is analyzed and considered.

Because winning percentage was only one of multiple factors, the teams ranked as the best didn’t necessarily have the best record. Some of the teams often named as being among the best of all-time when simply looking at overall record fell to the middle of the pack when other factors are considered.

The goal of these rankings is to paint the full picture of which team played at the highest level against the toughest competition throughout a season in which they finished as the Super Bowl Champion.

So, here is my attempt at ranking the 44 Super Bowl Champions from “worst” to “best” based not on personal assessment, but instead on overall success during their championship season according to the five factors outlined above. Remember that even the worst team on this list was the best team in football during their championship season, so just to be on this list is special.

In this first installment are numbers 44-21: Read the rest of this entry →

Aaron Rodgers didn't have his best game against the Bears, but he was able to lead Green Bay back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1998.

Three years after making the controversial decision to cut ties with future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre and put the future of the Green Bay Packers in the hands of unproven quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the choice has been justified. After defeating the Chicago Bears 21-14 in the NFC Championship Game, Green Bay will be making the fifth Super Bowl appearance in team history and first in 13 years.

Though their performance against the Bears wasn’t as dominating as a week ago against the Atlanta Falcons, Rodgers and the Packers did what they needed to do to overcome a pesky, but overmatched opponent.

Rodgers started out hot as he drove the Packers down the field on their first possession and capped the drive with a touchdown run.

However, for the remainder of the day Rodgers and the Packers kept tentative control of the game, but were never able to completely put the Bears away.

The Packers scored early in the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead that stood at halftime.

Early in the second half, Rodgers drove the Packers methodically down the field looking to put the game away, but an uncharacteristic interception kept the Bears in the game.

Things looked good for the Packers when starting Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler injured a knee and backup Todd Collins was ineffective during the third quarter. Read the rest of this entry →