The Worst NFL Franchises of the 2000s

Search

Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2004
Messages
34,790
Tokens
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/300847-absolute-s-the-worst-nfl-franchises-of-the-2000s

The Worst NFL Franchises of the 2000s

by Joe Gerrity http://bleacherreport.com/users/119902-Joe-GerrityJoe Gerrity


View Profile





<SMALL>Correspondent</SMALL> Written on December 01, 2009

Previous Next


Slide 1 of 9


RackMultipart.394.0_display_image.jpg

<SMALL class=photo-credit></SMALL>
With the 00's all but wrapped up, it's appropriate that we look back and evaluate the worst NFL teams of the past decade.
As part of an ongoing series of best/worst of the decade, I'll be judging which NFL franchises had the worst ten years.
For some teams the 00's were a fruitful time. Both the Steelers (two) and the Patriots (three) won multiple titles.
We came one amazing David Tyree catch away from witnessing what would have only been the second undefeated season ever.
In total there were fourteen total teams that played in a Super Bowl.
The problem some fans have is that their team watched not only the Super Bowl every single year, but the play-offs too.
While your team might not have won a Superbowl or even a conference title, at least you don't root for the guys on this list.
If you do, get out your flask (you obviously have one) and don't waste a drop. It was a tough decade.
Buffalo Bills

Slide 2 of 9

RackMultipart.394.0_display_image.jpg

<SMALL class=photo-credit></SMALL>
With the 00's all but wrapped up, it's appropriate that we look back and evaluate the worst NFL teams of the past decade.
As part of an ongoing series of best/worst of the decade, I'll be judging which NFL franchises had the worst ten years.
For some teams the 00's were a fruitful time. Both the Steelers (two) and the Patriots (three) won multiple titles.
We came one amazing David Tyree catch away from witnessing what would have only been the second undefeated season ever.
In total there were fourteen total teams that played in a Super Bowl.
The problem some fans have is that their team watched not only the Super Bowl every single year, but the play-offs too.
While your team might not have won a Superbowl or even a conference title, at least you don't root for the guys on this list.
If you do, get out your flask (you obviously have one) and don't waste a drop. It was a tough decade.




Buffalo Bills

RackMultipart.23230.0_display_image.jpg

<SMALL class=photo-credit></SMALL>
The Bills have been so bad that an unemployed 18 year old fan actually raised 1,400 dollars to rent a billbaord asking for the three major players in the organization be fired.
Instead of wasting the money on alcohol, strippers, or blackjack, this kid actually spent his cash hoping to get his team to improve.
Can you blame him?
Does it bother anyone else that this little kid here looks FURIOUS?
The Bills haven't made the playoffs this millennium. There was a single winning season in 2004, but they weren't able to even sniff the postseason.
Poor Ralph Wilson. It's unfortunate, but you feel like he is just too old to really run the team like he used to. His decision making has clearly been affected.
He's brought in proven losers to run the team and as expected they have lost. Time and time again, they have lost.
What made things even worse is the team slowly beginning to play games in Toronto. Buffalo has only about 1.2 million people in the metro area whereas it's Canadian neighbor has nearly 5.5 million.
With a losing team, an aging owner, and the NFL itching to expand, one can't help but wonder how much longer the the Bills will be in Buffalo. It's that, as much as the losses, that makes this a horrible decade for the Bills.
 

Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2004
Messages
34,790
Tokens
Previous Next Cleveland Browns


Slide 3 of 9

RackMultipart.394.0_display_image.jpg

<SMALL class=photo-credit></SMALL>
With the 00's all but wrapped up, it's appropriate that we look back and evaluate the worst NFL teams of the past decade.
As part of an ongoing series of best/worst of the decade, I'll be judging which NFL franchises had the worst ten years.
For some teams the 00's were a fruitful time. Both the Steelers (two) and the Patriots (three) won multiple titles.
We came one amazing David Tyree catch away from witnessing what would have only been the second undefeated season ever.
In total there were fourteen total teams that played in a Super Bowl.
The problem some fans have is that their team watched not only the Super Bowl every single year, but the play-offs too.
While your team might not have won a Superbowl or even a conference title, at least you don't root for the guys on this list.
If you do, get out your flask (you obviously have one) and don't waste a drop. It was a tough decade.





RackMultipart.3353.0_display_image.jpg

<SMALL class=photo-credit></SMALL>


Burned!!!
In reality, Bengals fans aren't dumb. They are just really unhappy.
Who can blame them?
They had one playoff appearance, losing to the Steelers of all teams. Things are looking better this year, but they are far from assured of making the play-offs.
That play-off appearance was also their only winning season.
Regardless of what happens this year, they have been the epitome of failure since the millennium began.
The only real shining star has been receiver Chad Ochocinco who kept the Bengals laughing and in the headlines with his amusing off-field antics and clever touchdown celebrations.
His play has been nice too, but the performances have been mostly in vain.
You can't blame the fans for loving him. There hasn't been much else to root for.



Dallas Cowboys

RackMultipart.25369.0_display_image.jpg

<SMALL class=photo-credit></SMALL>
America's Team sure was worthless this decade.
Three playoff appearances
Zero Playoff victories.
It's enough to make you wonder whether or not they even deserve the title.
You can't blame Jerry Jones for lack of effort. Or for being too conservative either. His acquisition of Terrell Owens proved that he was willing to do what he needed to in order to win. Obviously it didn't work.
For some teams three appearances in the playoffs and a new billion dollar stadium would be enough to call it a decent decade.
Not for the Cowboys.
As a franchise they entered the decade ranked number one in Superbowl wins. They leave it tied for second, trailing Pittsburgh.
The new 2.3 billion inch high def jumbotron that hangs over the stadium wound up being a just a little too low for comfort, seriously killing the positive buzz around what was being hailed as the "eight wonder of the world."



Detroit Lions

RackMultipart.4928.0_display_image.jpg

<SMALL class=photo-credit></SMALL>
The car companies weren't the only business to have a bad decade in Detroit.
If I had to choose a single word for the Lions it would be "pathetic."
A 9-7 record in 2000 was the highlight of the decade for a team that wouldn't finish with another winning season.
The Matt Millen era was a bit of a surprise to NFL insiders, given his complete inexperience in the front office of a football team.
More mind boggling was the Lion's decision to let him continue in the role through almost nine years devastating losses.
Charlie Rodgers, Joey Harrington, and Mike Williams are among the vile draft choices made under Millen.
One NFL executive claimed the Lions made "made more bad draft decisions than anyone else in two centuries."
Must I even mention the 0-16 season? Fine. It's a mark of futility likely to stand forever as the worst season in NFL history.
If there's one positive, at least they aren't owned by the federal government. Had Ford been among the US automakers to declare bankruptcy, the US government might very well be deciding whether to run or pass.



Choosing a Loser

RackMultipart.18470.0_display_image.jpg

<SMALL class=photo-credit></SMALL>
It's really a two horse race here between the Bills and Lions.
In support of the Bills we have to note that the Lions did have the worst season in NFL history, setting a standard for losers that may well stand for a hundred years.
In Detroit's favor, for all the losing there hasn't been any talk of moving the team. As I touched on earlier, the NFL started moving 1/8 of Bills games out of the country.
All in all if we look at this from a purely football standpoint it's pretty clear that the Lions were the worst team of the decade.



Hope For The Future

RackMultipart.7318.0_display_image.jpg

<SMALL class=photo-credit></SMALL>
So is there hope for these teams in the future?
Of course!
We need look no further than the Saints of 2006 to know that change is possible.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina the Saints were literally homeless. With the city in disarray the team played out the season in borrowed stadiums finishing with a 3-13 record.
The very next year they found themselves in the NFC championship game.
In a league like the NFL, with teams rebuilding and players moving around at the rates that they do, there is always hope for next decade.




Begin Slideshow
That's the end of this slideshow, here are a few more you might like...


  • The Almost All-Time Seattle Seahawks Defense

    When the Seattle Seahawks were born into the NFL in 1976, they won just two games and their first draft pick ever was out of the league in a few years...

  • NFL All-Decade Team for the 2000's

    As 2010 approaches, lots of lists have been going up with titles like "The Top 10 Games of the Decade". With that in mind, I decided to make a list of the top player at each position during the 2000's, as well as the top head coach and coordinators...

  • The Coaching Prospects for the 2010 NFL Off-Season

    With the Bills job being the first to open up for the 2010 NFL Off-Season, it's already time to speculate on where this 2010 coaching class will end up...
 

Forum statistics

Threads
1,108,591
Messages
13,452,739
Members
99,423
Latest member
lbplayer
The RX is the sports betting industry's leading information portal for bonuses, picks, and sportsbook reviews. Find the best deals offered by a sportsbook in your state and browse our free picks section.FacebookTwitterInstagramContact Usforum@therx.com