Almost Champions

[Pooker]

Would the Clevelanr Cavaliers count? Losing in the Finals for times, the Conference Finals once, in about a 15 year period. They at least have one championship to show for it.

[Adam]

Now we were never going to be a dynasty or anything, but the Arizona Cardinals came within an agonising whisker of winning the Super Bowl and actually, the team was better the following year but didn't make it as far through the Play Offs. If the team had made a better decision than Kevin Kolb after Kurt Warner retired, then who knows what could have happened - Fitzgerald rounding into his prime, guys like DRC, Campbell, Dockett, Wilson, Boldin and Hightower all together at the same time then you have Patrick Peterson and Washington to come in the Drafts a couple of years after this. It could certainly have been a lot more than it ended up being.

[gunnar hendershow]

3 minutes ago, Adam said:

Now we were never going to be a dynasty or anything, but the Arizona Cardinals came within an agonising whisker of winning the Super Bowl and actually, the team was better the following year but didn't make it as far through the Play Offs. If the team had made a better decision than Kevin Kolb after Kurt Warner retired, then who knows what could have happened - Fitzgerald rounding into his prime, guys like DRC, Campbell, Dockett, Wilson, Boldin and Hightower all together at the same time then you have Patrick Peterson and Washington to come in the Drafts a couple of years after this. It could certainly have been a lot more than it ended up being.

They had a huge window, Arians got a ton out of the aging core with Palmer at QB. They definitely could have won a title with a smoother transition at QB. Would have opened up more years in their window.

[livid]

The first three years of the Jim Harbaugh 49ers. Three straight NFC championship games, winning one (losing the other two in heartbreaking fashion) and coming within a hair of coming back in the Blackout Bowl.

Which reminds me, screw you! 

Edited May 26, 2020 by livid

[gunnar hendershow]

2 minutes ago, livid said:

The first three years of the Jim Harbaugh 49ers. Three straight NFC championship games, winning one (losing the other two in heartbreaking fashion) and coming within a hair of coming back in the Blackout Bowl.

Which reminds me, screw you! 

Jimmy Smith had the PI equivalent of the Michael Jordan push off on Byron Russell and I am forever grateful.

Niners might get theirs with this core led by Shanahan though.

[The Buscher]

Seeing @Adam bring up the 2008 Cardinals nearly winning it all despite the 2009 team being better...the Giants had the opposite.  The 2007 team of course had the most improbable underdog win over the 18-0 Pats.  But then they were far better in 2008 despite being a team built around the pass rush that saw themselves lose Strahan to retirement and Osi to a torn ACL.  Their offense was awesome too.  Two 1,000 yard rushers.  10-1 start.  Plax shoots himself, they win the game two days later to go 11-1 but then the offense completely no shows the next two weeks.  Somehow they put it all back together in Week 16 to lock down the 1 seed and get everyone's hopes back up.  They sit everyone Week 17.  12-4 season is then squandered with another offensive no-show in the playoffs.

If Plax didn't put that goddamn gun in his waistband I really think that team could've repeated.  The Giants and Steelers met in Week 8 that year and I really felt like it was a Super Bowl preview.

[Mick]

 

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