Greatest Teams Not To Make it....

[Gamingboy]

1997 Orioles, they had won the AL East by the All-Star Break. Beat the Mariners easily. Then unexplicably collapsed against the Indians.

The 1999 Buffalo Bills too, stupid Titans.

The 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates were very good too, but there was no World Series in 1902, because the idea hadn't been done yet until 1903.

1994 Expos would have probably been overcome by the Braves, but I'm including them anyway.

The 2004 US Olympic Baseball team, we had outscored all other teams 20-0 in qualifiers, but 5 teams didn't show up to the Olympic qualifyers, so it came down to a best of 1 series against Mexico to get to the Olympics. Mexico scored 1 measly run. But that was enough. It didn't matter that the USA had overpowered every other team trying to qualify, but because some countries didn't send teams to qualifiers, the fate of who went to the olympics depended on what happened on any given day. It was not our given day. Now excuse me, I'm gonna go nuts against the whole Olympic qualifying system, please stand back, getting near me may be dangerous.

[DEAD!]

[See Red]

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).

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.

Yeah, I think the '96 Broncos and the '98 (?) Vikings as my top two. I remember how crushed all of Colorado was when the Broncos lost to Jacksonville. hell, the newspaper headline was something along the lines of "Orange Crushed". We also got off to a to score lead, at the start of the game, correct?

And then the '98 Vikings. That would've been an absolutely amazing Super Bowl as it would've featured the two teams that were chasing an undefeated season, both suffered late losses, however. Dare I say Broncos/Vikings had the potential to be the best Super Bowl ever?

That was the year Randy Moss was amazing -- and that was the year Davis rushed for 2,000 yards.

Even if Denver had only won 3 straight, surely they'd had to have been considered a dynasty, if people are willing to jump on the Pats as being a dynasty.

[See Red]

And while I'm thinking about this --

would it be proper to add last seasons Indianapolis Colts to the mix?

They went two games without punting in the playoffs and if not for having to play in crappy conditions against New England (and have Ty Law hold Marvin Harrison all game), they probably would've won the Super Bowl as they were able to go completely outside of their element (dome team, turf) to playing out side, in freezing temperatures on a wet and muddy field and still have it come down to the very end of the game for them.

And in terms of talent -- anyone think last seasons Avalanche should be on this list? They didn't play great as a team, which I'd imagine is a requirement for the list, but they were absolutely loaded, even the weakspot (Aebischer), ended up being one of the top goalies in the league. They just underachieved.

[chriscj83]

'98 Minnesota Vikings (15-1, FG away)

anderson had a curse put on him, or a jinx, when pat summerall just HAD to say 'anderson has not missed a single field goal all year '

as soon as i heard that..i knew what was coming.

[jrodsep]

2001 Mariners - 116 wins no World Series.

[JamesCraven]

How about the 1994 Penn State Nittany Lions? Unbeaten, but forced to play in the Rose Bowl against Oregon.

[pflava]

1993 Giants is the first team that came to mind when I saw this thread.

Others:

1990 SF 49ers

1987-88 Atlanta Hawks

1993 Houston Oilers

1986 Houston Astros

[Gamingboy]

1993 Giants is the first team that came to mind when I saw this thread.

Others:

1990 SF 49ers

1987-88 Atlanta Hawks

1993 Houston Oilers

1986 Houston Astros

Yeah, It still blows my mind how the Braves were in the NL WEST back then. Georgia is about as WEST as California is East.

103 or so wins and no playoffs, that makes me wanna go almost as nuts as the fact that USA isn't in Olympics because Panama and Nicauragua forgot to send teams.

[DEAD!]

Yeah, It still blows my mind how the Braves were in the NL WEST back then. Georgia is about as WEST as California is East.

Well for a while the Arizona Cardinals were in the NFC east and the Atlanta Falcons were in the NFC west. Let's not forget the Cowboys are in the NFC east.

[gosioux76]

I think that Vikings defeat in the 1998 NFC Championship game gave me high blood pressure. Their drubbing by the Giants in the 2000 NFC Championship game left me perpetually nautious.

[jkrdevil]

I can't put the 2003 Red Sox on the list. They were a wild-Card team and they finished 6 games back of the Yankees. They were some great team. They were a very good team but they weren't a great team.

the 98 Vikings

The 2001 Mariners who won a 116 games. However when you stop to think about that the Yankees beating them wasn't a big upset when you consider the Mariners beat the 98 Yankees record by only 2 games. And the '98 Yankees and the 2001 Yankees were made up of basically the same players just a it older.

As far as the '94 Expos, I don't think the Braves would have caught them. On August 12 they had close to a 6 game lead on the Braves and the Expos were hot. They had won close to I think 20 out of their last 23 games. Although had the Expos been in the World Series I think the Yankees would have beaten them.

Here's one for you, the 1954 New York Yankees. They won 103 games but didn't win they pennant beacuse the Indians won 111 games.

[See Red]

Yeah, It still blows my mind how the Braves were in the NL WEST back then. Georgia is about as WEST as California is East.

Well for a while the Arizona Cardinals were in the NFC east and the Atlanta Falcons were in the NFC west. Let's not forget the Cowboys are in the NFC east.

Yeah, but the Cowboys are in the East for Rivalries sake

[NJTank]

How about the 1996 Red Wings

[Fusebazell]

People how quickly we forget about the 1999 Jacksonville Jaguars, 14-2 in the regular season with the only two losses coming to the Titans. You keep bringing up the Bills but I am 1,000 percent sure that they didn't have a better record than the Jaguars because if you recall the Bills were a WILDCARD that season. They weren't even Division Champions because remember they were playing in Nashville not Buffalo. I believe their record that season was 10-6 give or take one.

[stimpy]

Last years red sox

Last three years, Eagles

2001 Mariners where they one 100+ games.

2001 Bruins

Last years Avalanche

[jkrdevil]

Last years red sox

Last three years, Eagles

2001 Mariners where they one 100+ games.

2001 Bruins

Last years Avalanche

Last years Red Sox shouldn't be on the list. The only won 95 games and finished 6 games back of the Yankees. Like I said they weren't a great team, but they were a very good team that had a decent post season run.

[stimpy]

I think that they were one of the greatest baseball teams ever (atleast in the top 200) All the hitting records they broke.

[jkrdevil]

Yes, but with all that hitting (all those guys had career years) they still didn't win a enough games to establish them asa great team (they only won 95, I think you need to at least win over 100). Sure they had good hitting but games are won with starting pitching and you bullpen. And outside of Pedro the Red Sox didn't have that last year. The 2 teams that were in the World Series last year I have a hard time labeling as a great team. The Red Sox aren't a great team who didn't get to the World Series because it wasn't a shock that they didn't get there. The were almost sweeped by Oakland and then the Yankees were predicted by most to beat them. Of course this is just my opinion.

[Nick 1733]

People how quickly we forget about the 1999 Jacksonville Jaguars, 14-2 in the regular season with the only two losses coming to the Titans.

Yea that team was really good but they weren't better than the '99 Titans. That Jacksonville team lost 3 total games that year and all three were to the Almighty Titans, which I loved to see being a Titans fan second to the Broncos and hating the Jags for what they did to Denver in '96. I also predicted Tennessee would win the Super Bowl that year and I was 1 yard short, stupid Mike Jones Oh well, that's life.

I do have to add the:

1998 Minnesota Vikings - Gary Andersen misses one FG that season and it happened to be the most important one of the year. Would have been a more competitive Super Bowl with that Minnesota team against the Mighty Broncos.