Sports fans I have some terrible news. The Patriots dynasty may be over. The reign of the boys in red, white, and blue may finally be over. The O-Line? I’ve forgotten what protection looked like. Receiver corps? Gronk hasn’t looked the same all season, Edelman is my bro but he’s not a deep threat, and there really isn’t anything else worth throwing to on that bench. The running game is a joke. Perhaps it is time to question the all know Bill Belichick. You have a 37 year old quarterback who is still one of the best in the business but you can’t bring in any support? No matter how much you hate the guy, and I know many of you do, you can’t deny that he’s one of the greatest to play the game and a clear favorite to join the HOF, and even he can’t win a game if he doesn’t have time to throw a pass to receivers who aren’t getting open.
But I digress.
Wednesday’s are all about fun and facts and perhaps a little bit of laziness on my end. But it’s Tuesday you say? Yeah, well I needed something other than alcohol (which is a lot harder to obtain in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts than you’d think) to dull the pain of what was an embarrassing start to the week. So how do I numb the pain you say? Well with useless knowledge and nonsense about this sport which we love to watch and ascribe fake currency to real world accomplishments. So with Monday in mind, let’s talk about some of the most embarrassing moments each of our favorite teams have faced in our lifetimes.
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With three fans in our league, the 49ers are the obvious first target. One of the most successful franchises in the history of the sport, it might be hard to imagine that the Niners have ever struggled. Except for the string of single-digit win seasons from 2003-2010. As many of you may know/remember, in 1994 Steve Young led the 49ers to a Super Bowl victory with the leagues most prolific offense. However, week 5 they lost 40-8 at home against the Philadelphia Eagles, dropping to 3-2. The Eagles went on to have a 7-9 season, losing every one of their last 7 games, finishing 4th in the NFC East.
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Ah the San Diego Super Chargers. Home of the Collegiate Blue and Gold. It’s almost like they’re a UC school or something. The team that is famous for chocking when it matters most, the Chargers have never won a Super Bowl nor AFL championship. It was difficult to find any real major blowout game where the Chargers had a double digit winning season and would have been expected to win that game or at least compete. However, it should be noted that in 17% of all seasons that the Chargers franchise has existed, they have had less than 5 total wins in a season not including this season. Including their 2000 season with a record of 1-15.
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The New Orleans Saints. Known for their black and gold, this bayou bunch have enjoyed several years of relative success under the leadership of ex-Charger Drew Brees. His smile and his family-first nature are hard not to love. However they have not always had such success. The organization too 20 years to make their first playoff appearance. And remember that Super Bowl they waited so long to win in 2010? Well it might be easy to forget that in the same season they lost to a 2-12 Tampa Bay team after getting blanked in the second half. And before you say that they were resting because they had already secured a playoff spot, even second or third string 2009 Saints should have taken the starting lineup of Tampa Bay to town at home.
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Indianpolis Colts. You fired Payton Manning.
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Jon, no one knows who your favorite team is.
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Ah the Patriots. You though I was going to skip over them because I already talked about the Chiefs game and, well, I’m a Patriots fan didn’t you? Wrong. No team gets the nice treatment on this post. Papa’s got a grudge and aint nobody gonna stop 'im. The Patriots have lost more Super Bowls than the Chargers/Saints have appeared in. They boast a 25-18 playoff record. So what do they have to complain about? Many of you may know about 2003 Patriots and how it was the first of back-to-back seasons going all the way. Did you also know that the Patriots opened 2003 losing 0-31 to the Bills? (Side note: the Patriots won the second meeting between the two teams 31-0. Payback is a bitch eh?) And how about in 2008 when the Patriots blew a perfect seasons by losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl who only barely snuck into the playoffs? This list of course would not be complete with the utter spanking that was this past Monday night, where the Patriots of the last 10 years all rolled over in their comfy, Super Bowl paycheck recliners.
This is all to say that no team is invincible from embarrassing loses (or in the Colts case decisions). Thats the beauty of the NFL. Each week two teams enter a stadium, and only one can leave victorious. It is quite often the team that is expected to win, but every once in a while the stars align and the right mixture of moxie and foolishness allow for a David to conquer their Goliath. Remember to keep checking in each week as we continue to explore the fun, the obscure, and the wicked awesome.