Super Bowl Dynasties
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
By Joe Phelps
Founder/Staff Writer
One doesn't have to dig deep to find a good story about any of the past Super Bowls. Whether it be the biggest upsets, closest games, biggest comebacks, or biggest plays, the imagery conjured up by the memories of the NFL's biggest stage can be overwhelming.
In honor of Super Bowl week, I decided to take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of Super Bowl Dynasties. Also, I do not want to hear about NFL Championships or hear complaints about why I did not mention your team because they were great during prohibition...when helmets were a "new device to increase the safety of players"...and the forward pass became legal.
The Good
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) The Steel Curtain. The Terrible Towels. Swann, Stalworth, & Bradshaw. The good ole days for sure. Present day, Bradshaw has been replaced by an alleged sexual predator, and the Steel Curtain has accumulated more fines than the FCC has handed out to Howard Stern. However, there is no denying that the Steelers are top dog when it comes to Super Bowls.
Dallas Cowboys (5-3) The Doomsday Defense, Roger Staubach, Drew Pearson, Tony Dorsett, and a host of incredible role players made the Cowboys "America's Team". From 1971-1979, the Cowboys went to 5 Super Bowls. Their long hiatus from the Crown Jewel of the NFL during the 80's gave way to the early 90's where the Cowboys etched their name into NFL lore by winning 3 of 4 Super Bowls from 1993-1996.
San Francisco 49ers (5-0) It's been 17 years since they last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, but the 49ers rise to power in the 80's not only made them the team of the decade, it also put them at #3 on this list. Joe Montana and Bill Walsh became household names winning four Super Bowls. Steve Young and George Seifert added the last piece of hardware to San Francisco's trophy case in 1995.
Green Bay Packers (4-1) Being the first to win one does not make you the best, so some Packers fans may be upset about being #4 on this list. To that I say "Get a grip". After winning the first two Super Bowls, it took the Packers 29 years to get back to the big game. While they are firmly entrenched in the annals of NFL history, the Packers do have the dubious honor of giving the Broncos their first Super Bowl win in 5 tries.
New England Patriots (3-3) The outcome of this Sunday's game could move them past the Packers, but regardless, the Patriots under Bill Belichick have become the measuring stick for successful NFL franchises. When all is said and done, Tom Brady may very well finish his career as the greatest QB of all time. Bill Belichick may never be on the cover of GQ, but this modern day Lombardi may be the best head coach the NFL has ever seen. (Please beat the Giants!)
The Rest of the Best
New York Giants (3-1)
Washington Redskins (3-2)
Oakland Raiders (3-2)
The Bad
Denver Broncos (2-4) Only Pittsburgh, Dallas, and now New England have been to the big game more than the Broncos, yet it took 4 embarrassing losses before John Elway captured the elusive title. In those first 4 contests, the Broncos were outscored 163-50.
Miami Dolphins (2-3) Everyone still swoons and the Miami fans still pound their chest about the 1972 Dolphins. They could have had the only shut out in Super Bowl history, but kicker Garo Yepremian tried to be a QB on an errant field goal attempt which the Redskins returned for a TD. That was 40 years ago, and the Fish haven't made an appearance in the Super Bowl since 1985 when they were hammered by 22 points against Montana and the 49ers. Cheer up Dolphin fans, you still have a spot in history as the only team to not score a touchdown in the Super Bowl (24-3 loss in 1971 to the Dallas Cowboys).
L.A./St. Louis Rams (1-2) For as good as they were, the St. Louis Rams only managed two trips to the Super Bowl and they were one sure tackle on Kevin Dyson from being 0-3. When the team was in LA, they provided the fodder for the Steelers 4th Super Bowl title.
Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts (2-2) Does a .500 record make you a "bad" Super Bowl "dynasty"? Absolutely not. But when you are a 16 point favorite and lose to a hick QB from Alabama that wore a fur coat and pantyhose, you should be fortunate to be on the "bad" list and not the "ugly" list.
The Ugly
Buffalo Bills (0-4) I hated to put the Bills here...but they lost 4 straight Super Bowls. Conversely, the won 4 straight AFC titles, something no other team from either conference has done. They ran into 4 perfect storms...all from the mighty NFC East. While the Giants were fortunate enough to have Norwood miss the game winner, the Bills were beaten soundly by the Redskins and the Cowboys twice. Still, those Bills teams led by Jim Kelly were quite impressive.
Minnesota Vikings (0-4) It's been 35 years since the Vikings last participated in the Super Bowl. In their 4 appearances in the 70's, Minnesota was outscored 95-34 and if not for a blocked punt in Super Bowl IX, it would be the Vikings holding the Dolphins historic place as the only team not to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl.
Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) Having your hearts ripped out twice, by the same team, with the same QB, same coach may not be enough to get you on the ugly list. But, I needed one more team, and the Bengals were the only team left with multiple Super Bowl appearances. Cheer up Bengals fans...there's a silver lining. You have bragging rights in the State of Ohio and you aren't the Cleveland Browns.