Notch Novelty Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 After watching the 'Behind the Lines' the Championship that never was on the Expos of the early 90's got me thinking about the teams that never made it to the finals how great they were. Injuries or strike that cost the team the chance to make it to the finals.Here is what I think are the greatest teams not to make it'94 Montreal Expos (strike season, than trades and free agency)'99 Buffalo Bills (Music City Miracle)'95 Indianapolis Colts (INT away from the Super Bowl)'03 Kansas City Chiefs'98 Minnesota Vikings (15-1, FG away)'99/00 Portland Trailblazers (4th Quarter Collaspe)'02/03 Ottawa Senators'93 San Fancisco Giants'91 Pittsburgh Pirates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CC97 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 I agree on some, Expos 94, Vikings '98... naturally I also disagree on some of your choices.I'd add the '93 SF Giants, '01 Mariners, and because I'm a homer the '85 Blue Jays to that list. --- Chris Creamer Founder/Editor, SportsLogos.Net "The Mothership" • News • Facebook • X/Twitter • Instagram Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yh Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Could there be a better example than the 1925 Pottsville Maroons?And technically I guess you could also add the 2003 USC football team to the list as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapshot Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 2003 Red Sox....Aaron fluffing Boone Back-to-Back Fatal Forty Champion 2015 & 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notch Novelty Posted July 28, 2004 Author Share Posted July 28, 2004 '03 Red Sox, yesand I forgot'93 San Fancisco Giants'91 Pittsburgh Pirates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notch Novelty Posted July 28, 2004 Author Share Posted July 28, 2004 My rankings'94 Montreal Expos (strike season, than trades and free agency)'98 Minnesota Vikings (15-1, FG away)'99/00 Portland Trailblazers (4th Quarter Collaspe)'91 Pittsburgh Pirates'99 Buffalo Bills (Music City Miracle)'02/03 Ottawa Senators'95 Indianapolis Colts (INT away from the Super Bowl)'03 Kansas City Chiefs'93 San Fancisco Giants Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saintsfan Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 How about the Philly Eagles of the last few years? 2011/12 WFL Champions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puckguy14 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Oh the 1998 Vikings! I remember that NFC Championship Game. The ONE time Gary Anderson misses a field goal, its was late in the game. Ouch. I'll add some more to this.1987 49ers who were 13-2 and expected to go to Super Bowl XXII, only to get upset by the upstart Vikings on a soggy wet field in the NFC Divisional Playofs.1993-94 Red Wings who were expected to just push away that team that just happened to be in the playoffs...the San Jose Sharks. Instead Team Teal shocked the hockey world.The 1993 SF Giants 103-59 record was not enough to win the West as the Braves went 104-58. One major reason why the Wild Card was implemented in baseball. (Yes I know CC said it before. )It might be a stretch but maybe also the 2003-04 San Jose Sharks. A team that was dead last at the end of October got their $#!znit together and won the Pacific Division, finishing off powerhouses St. Louis and Colorado in 5 and 6 games respectively, only to get shocked by the upstart Calgary Flames in 6 games. 2004 San Jose Sharks 7th Man Fan of the Year San Jose Gold Miners - 4x Lombardi Cup Champions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paynomind Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 The 94 Expos were overrated.The Braves would have overtaken them, and won the series that year. The roster of the 94 Braves and the 95 Wold Champion Braves was markedly similar. The Braves had a bad month in early 94, and had been gaining spots on the Expos. The season ended so early, that the folks who say the Expos got screwed out of a sure division title are fooling themselves. There is no way to tell what would have happened.Yes, if the season ended the day of the strike, the Expos go to the playoffs. But if they played all the games... ya never know. That Braves team was not shabby. NCFA Sunset Beach Tech - Octopi ΓΔΒ! Going to college gets you closer to the real world, kind of like climbing a tree gets you closer to the moon. "...a nice illustration of what you get when skill, talent, and precedent are deducted from 'creativity.' " - James Howard Kunstler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopernv Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 I think the current Rangers are a good team, I think they can even win the Cup if they act and play as a team and not worry about playing for money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiasco! Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 1987 detroit tigers....all trading john smoltz for doyle alexander got them was an AL East title. LinkedIn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick 1733 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 I would have to add a couple on this list.1996 Denver Broncos (13-3) They were the team picked to win the Super Bowl going into the playoffs only to have a breakdown and be majorly upset by the "upstart" Jaguars in their first playoff game (Divisional).2001 Seattle Mariners (100+ Wins) They were the team I thought was going to win the World Series, yet they just had to be upset by the STUPID Yankees.2003 Tennessee Titans (Wild Card) With "the Man" McNair at the helm, they still lost to New England by only four points.On a side note, if you think about it properly, Denver could have won 4 straight Super Bowls. 1996 - Upset by Jacksonville, 1997 - Won, 1998 - Won, 1999 - Elway retired, if not for that, they would have been the best team EVER, Davis wouldn't have gotten injured on the Brister INT where Lepsis made the tackle and rolled over Davis' knee and essentially ended his carrer. MLB, NBA, NFL & NHL Font Packs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pittunited Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 The 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers. I hope Tank doesn't mind me quoting him like this:Playing a tough early schedule the Steelers get off to a rough start losing 4 of their first 5 games. However, down the stretch the Steel curtain defense firmly established itself as the greatest defensive unit of all time during an incredible season ending 9-game winning streak in which they allowed opponents 7 or less points 8 times, including 4 shutouts. Highlighting this run, which helped earn LB Jack Lambert Defensive Player of the Year, were 3 shutouts in a row. Making the 3 straight shutouts more impressive were the week prior and the week following they only allowed just 9 total points. In total during the 9 games winning streak the Steel curtain smothered the other teams allowing just 28 points. In total they allowed 138 points on the season compiling a 10-4 record to capture the AFC Central for the 4th time in 5 years. In the playoff the Steelers continued their domination beating the Colts 40-14 in Baltimore. However, both Franco Harris, and Rocky Bleier who surpassed the 1,000-yard mark during the season were injured and unable to play in the AFC Championship Game. Without Harris and Bleier the Steelers offense drifted as their Championship reign ended with a 24-7 loss to the Raiders in Oakland. OWNER -- Pittsburgh Spiders (UL) * Dynamo Missouri (PLA) * Montreal Maroons (SHL) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clannhoran Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 1986 Chicago Bears - They follow-up the 1985 Championship season with a 14-2 record, and with a statistically better defense than the previous year. Then they go and lose to the Redskins in the playoffs. Aarrrggghhh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avenger Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 The '03 Cheifs weren't that good. They were decent, but they were more lucky than good in the first half of the season. When their luck ran out, they got owned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notch Novelty Posted July 28, 2004 Author Share Posted July 28, 2004 Expos were def not over-rated....Look at that pitching staff. If they would of kept Walker and Hill and Wettleland, they would of won '94 and '95 series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discrim Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 92 Oilers. enough said.move along, nothing to see. A strong mind gets high off success, a weak mind gets high off bull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moser316 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 The 1987 Milwaukee Brewers have to be up there. They won their first thirteen games (an American League record, tied for the MLB record with the 1982 Atlanta Braves), and were 20-3 to start the season. Plus, Paul Molitor hit in 39 consecutive games that year (third-longest hitting streak in MLB history) and Juan Nieves pitched the only no-hitter in franchise history. If not for a 12-game skid in May which dropped them to a 20-15 record, they might have ran away with the whole thing that year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling84 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 I love hearing about all these teams I'd forgotten or never heard about.And I love reliving the 98 Vikings choke. But I think in the truest sense, this topic applies to teams who never got the chance at the postseason....i.e. Expos 94...not those who were just favored and crapped out. (although that's interesting too, keep them coming I will add to this list the 1989 Green Bay Packers. Not a great team (10-6) but a terribly exciting and dangerous one. Came back on N.O. after being down 21 to win. Nearly came back on the LA Rams after being down 31. Got their groove going late in the season and beat the eventual world champion Niners IN Frisco as well as the notorious line of scrimmage game against the Bears. By years end the Pack was believing in themselves, having finished a rare win in Dallas and a dominant (again rare at that time) performance in Soldier field where the team never punted once.In a season that was NOT strike shortened, they only have themselves to blame for missing the playoffs.....but they were absolutely a team NOBODY wanted to get stuck against if they'd have gotten in. This was (I believe) the last year of only 1 wildcard team per conference. Their season came down to a Monday night game between Minnesota and Cinncinnati (eventual AFC Superbowl rep) and a horrible non-fumble call cost Cincy the game and GB a Division title. The progress made that year would be short-lived.........Majik got hurt, and as per usual Infante's system was built for quick, not sustained improvement. It would be another 5-6 years before Green Bay would hire Wolff and Holmgren, trade for Favre and legitimately turn the franchise around.But for that year.......what a ride. I wish I could've seen some Cardiac Pack playoff action.....they were NEVER out of a game. The Official Cheese-Filled Snack of NASCAR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEAD! Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 LA Clippers ........ ETERNITY I saw, I came, I left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.