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07-23-2004, 12:50 PM
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#201 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Grafton, WI
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Looks like Minnesota has a good chance to send three more teams forward. Go Vikes!
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07-23-2004, 01:05 PM
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#202 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Game one scores:
Code:
Headliner: 1994 Pittsburgh at 1992 San Diego It would seem the 1994 Steelers are destined to never beat the 1992 Chargers. The teams put up the points in the first quarter as the teams traded touchdowns and San Diego added a field goal to take a 10-7 lead. After that, though, the defenses started bringing the lumber. Pittsburgh scored the only points of the second quarter on a field goal to forge a 10-10 halftime tie. Neither team scored or even got close to trying during the third quarter. In the fourth, the Chargers finally broke through with another touchdown and it was all they would need as the Steelers could not get the tying score. The Chargers take game one 17-10. Other playoff team matchups: *1995 Buffalo 38, 1978 Atlanta 7 (Buffalo leads series 1-0) *1973 Los Angeles Rams 34, 1982 Minnesota 31 (OT) (Rams lead series 1-0) *1994 Detroit 27, 2000 Indianapolis 14 (Detroit leads series 1-0) Upsets in game one: *1998 Detroit 20, 2002 New York Jets 17 (OT) (Jets -1) *1994 Detroit 27, 2000 Indianapolis 14 (Indianapolis -3) *1966 Detroit 21, 1977 Minnesota 14 (Minnesota -10) (No, it's not a misprint. Only three upsets in this set of games and all of them were Detroit teams.) Matchup nobody wants tickets to see: *1985 Cincinnati 37, 1997 Philadelphia 24 |
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07-23-2004, 01:20 PM
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#203 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Game two scores:
Code:
Headliner: 1992 San Diego at 1994 Pittsburgh *At home, backs against the wall, the 1994 Steelers need to win or face the ignominy of having lost to a Charger team four times (albeit two different ones twice). Things don't go well to start as the Chargers take the early lead on a first quarter touchdown. The Steelers finally get going in the second, putting up a touchdown and then getting a pair of field goals. Still, the Chargers take the lead back by halftime with a touchdown of their own to lead 14-13. The Chargers get a touchdown in the third to extend their lead. Pittsburgh strikes back for a touchdown and goes for two to tie, but fails. Later in the quarter, the Steelers finally get the lead on a field goal and lead 22-21 going to the fourth. Both defenses continue to play great in the fourth. The only scoring is a field goal by the Steelers that expands their lead to four. It is enough, however, to ensure the Steelers of the win as the Chargers cannot muster a drive to threaten the end zone. Steelers win game two 25-21 and tie up the series at 1-1. Other playoff team matchups: *1995 Buffalo 31, 1978 Atlanta 3 (Buffalo wins series 2-0) *1973 Los Angeles Rams 34, 1982 Minnesota 14 (Rams win series 2-0) *2000 Indianapolis 32, 1994 Detroit 31 (Series tied 1-1) Upsets in game two: *1997 St. Louis Rams 37, 2002 New Orleans 6 (New Orleans -3) (Just this one upset) Matchup nobody wants tickets to see: *1997 Philadelphia 47, 1985 Cincinnati 27 (Series tied 1-1) |
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07-23-2004, 01:43 PM
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#204 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Game three scores:
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Headliner: A tough, hard-fought series was settled in a tough, hard-fought game three. The Steelers lead early with a field goal, but the Chargers answered right back with a touchdown to once again put Pittsburgh in a hole. The 7-3 score would stay that way through halftime as both defenses continued their stellar play. In the third, the Steelers finally broke ahead on a touchdown and kept that lead into the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh seemed to have put the game away with a fourth quarter touchdown the way their defense was playing. However, the Chargers finally broke through with a touchdown of their own to cut it to 17-14. San Diego couldn't complete the comeback, though, as their last chance, a long 53-yard field goal attempt missed and Pittsburgh ran out the clock to win the game and the series. Other playoff team matchups: *2000 Indianapolis 23, 1994 Detroit 13 (Indianapolis wins series 2-1) Upsets in game three: *1998 Detroit 24, 2002 New York Jets 10 (Jets -5) Matchup nobody wants tickets to see: *1997 Philadelphia 47, 1985 Cincinnati 34 (Philadelphia wins series 2-1) Last edited by Wolfpack : 07-23-2004 at 01:43 PM. |
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07-23-2004, 03:50 PM
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#205 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Jul 2001
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Crappy panthers teams keep advancing left and right, Go Carolina!
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07-23-2004, 09:52 PM
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#206 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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It is interesting that is the case, especially in light of the fact that the 1996 team went in the drink early. Probably a lot of it has to do with who they are drawing thus far (typically equally lousy teams or teams of such distant vintage that the normalization levels things out between the two teams).
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07-26-2004, 01:02 PM
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#207 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Group 7 pairings:
Code:
As we now get into the pairings involving league champions, I won't be doing the normal categorizing and reporting. What I'll do here is post the scores of the non-champion pairings as I've done before, but then switch to the detailed writing for the champion pairings as I did for them in the prior round. |
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07-26-2004, 01:48 PM
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#208 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Game one results:
Code:
1971 St. Louis Cardinals at 1938 New York Giants (Cardinals -3) *Opening game of the series featuring the oldest team still left standing. It was a defensive contest the whole way. Neither team scratched in the opening quarter. The Cardinals got the lead on a touchdown in the second, while the Giants could only muster a field goal in reply, leaving St. Louis up 7-3 at the half. A similar exchange occurred in the third, leaving the Giants down 14-6 heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, the Giants added their third field goal of the game to cut it to 14-9, but could not break through the Cardinal defense the rest of the way. Their last chance died at the St. Louis 29 on a turnover on downs. St. Louis wins game one 14-9, leads series 1-0. 1986 Cleveland at 1941 Chicago (Cleveland -1) *This shaped up to be a great pairing and the first game definitely seemed to bear it out. The Browns had the lead after the first 7-6, scoring a touchdown in between two Bears drives that netted field goals. Both teams scored a touchdown in the second which left Cleveland ahead 14-13 at the half. In the third, the offenses dominated as the teams went back and forth on the scoreboard. An exchange of touchdowns kept Cleveland in front. The Browns extended their lead with a second touchdown, but this time the Bears only got a field goal in response. The Browns now had a 28-23 lead going to the last quarter. Cleveland got another touchdown in the fourth to go up 35-23, but the Bears continued to fight back. They put up another touchdown to get to 35-30, but they couldn't get the last score needed to get over the hump and Cleveland escapes Soldier Field with the win. Cleveland wins game one 35-30, leads series 1-0. 1999 Carolina at 1946 Chicago (Carolina -14) *The Panthers were solidly favored against the 1946 champs, but the Bears weren't going to roll over for them. Both teams put up touchdowns in each of the first two quarters which left the teams tied at 14 at halftime. The second half was all Carolina, though, as the Bears seemed to reel under the Panther assault. Carolina put up two touchdowns in the third, while the Bears could only manage field goals in response, giving the Panthers an 8-point lead at 28-20. The roof caved in on the Bears in the fourth as the Panthers clicked on all cylinders to the tune of a 17-0 blanking, turning a 14-14 halftime game into a blowout at the final whistle. Carolina wins game one 45-20, leads series 1-0. 2001 Kansas City at 1953 Detroit (Kansas City -10) *An absolute thriller in Detroit to start the series. The Lions were underdogs, but played steadily throughout the contest and hung tough against the Chiefs. They jumped ahead early on a touchdown to lead 7-0 after the first. The Chiefs blitzed them in the second, though, as KC rung up 20 points, while the Lions managed only a single touchdown in response and KC seized a 20-14 halftime lead. The Chiefs continued to play lights-out in the third with two more touchdowns while the Lions (again) scored a touchdown. The Chiefs had blown the game open, or so it seemed, at 34-21 going to the last. The Lions chipped away at the lead with a pair of field goals while the Chief offense suddenly sputtered and couldn't score. Given enough time for one last march, the Lions made the most of it, pushing to the Chief 28, where they finally connected on a deep touchdown pass to tie the game at 34, much to the delight of the partisan crowd. The game headed to overtime after the CHiefs killed the remainder of the clock. KC won the toss and got the ball first. They pushed into Lion territory and reached the 30 before settling for a field goal attempt. A 47-yarder...snap, hold, it's up...no good! Lions get the ball! Detroit put together a solid drive that saw them reach the Chief 17 before stalling. It's 34 yards on the field goal try. Snap, hold's good, up...he hooked it! No good, we stay tied! The Chiefs, however, are unable to do anything with the ball on their possession and punt it away. The Lions work it back down the field again and reach the 29 yard line, where the Chief defense finally breaks down completely. The QB hands it off and the runner shoots the gap in the line, bowls over a safety and thunders his way to the end zone for the stunning game winning touchdown! Detroit wins game one 40-34 (OT), leads series 1-0. 2000 Green Bay at 1954 Cleveland (Green Bay -8) *The 2000 Packers came in as favorites against the 1954 champs and played like it. The Browns were unable to keep up with Green Bay in this game as the Pack jumped out to leads of 14-7 after one and 24-14 at halftime. Their defense took over after the break, as the only points given up were a safety by the offense to cut it to 24-16. The Packers put it away with a pair of touchdowns in the fourth. Green Bay wins game one 38-16, leads series 1-0. 1948 Chicago Cardinals at 1958 Baltimore Colts (Colts -9) *The 1958 Colts again get a somewhat favorable draw, though they do draw the 1948 runners-up in the Cardinals. The Colt defense was strong in the first half as they surrendered just a pair of first quarter field goals. Meanwhile, the Colt offense put up 10 in the first and then another 13 in the second to make the lead 23-6 at the half. The Cardinals came roaring back in the third as they exchanged Colt field goals for touchdowns to cut the lead to 29-20, but the Colts picked up their defense again in the fourth and blanked the Cardinals the rest of the way. The Colt offense added a touchdown as insurance. Colts win game one 36-20, lead series 1-0. 1971 Philadelphia at 1959 Baltimore Colts (Colts -14) *This one got ugly early. The Colts ripped off the game's first 17 points and then answered an Eagle TD in the second with a pair of touchdowns to build a huge 31-7 lead by halftime. The Colts cruised home to victory from there. Colts win game one 48-10, lead series 1-0. 1970 Miami vs. 1961 Green Bay (Green Bay -12) *The 1961 Packers are one of the few surviving great 60s Packer teams, and they seemed to draw an opponent that will favor them staying around to the next round. The Dolphins were solid in 1970, but their offense wasn't that great at all. Still, the Dolphins gave the Packers a test at Lambeau Field. Miami took the initial lead on a first quarter touchdown. Green Bay tied things in the second with a touchdown of their own, but Miami got a field goal at the gun to take a 10-7 halftime lead. In the third, the Packers finally took the lead with another touchdown to go up 14-10. In the last quarter, Miami re-took the lead on a touchdown, but then lost it again when Green Bay put up their own touchdown to make it 21-17. Miami couldn't come back this time and their last hopes died before reaching midfield. Green Bay then ran out the clock. Green Bay wins game one 21-17, leads series 1-0. |
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07-26-2004, 03:00 PM
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#209 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Game two scores:
Code:
1938 New York Giants at 1971 St. Louis Cardinals (Cardinals -11) *The oldest team in the field put themselves in a hole by losing at home in game one. The Cardinals seemed determined to shovel in the dirt on them in the early going in game two, jumping out to a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. The Giants fought back with a touchdown in the second to cut the lead to 10-7 at halftime. In the third, the Cardinals extended the lead back to ten with another touchdown, leaving them up 17-7 at the start of the fourth. The Giants cut it to 17-14, but the Cardinals got the insurance touchdown midway into the fourth to seal the game and the series. Cardinals win game two 24-14, win series 2-0. 1941 Chicago at 1986 Cleveland (Cleveland -9) *The first game was a close, tight affair. This one wasn't. After a 7-3 first quarter in favor of the Browns, Cleveland buried the Bears in an avalanche of points in the second and third quarters, netting them a 41-16 lead and they rolled to the series win. Cleveland wins game two 44-16, wins series 2-0. 1946 Chicago at 1999 Carolina (Carolina -22) The Panthers were decided favorites in this contest, but the Bears put up a solid effort to stay in the series. The teams traded field goals to start before the Panthers notched a TD to take a 10-3 lead going to the second quarter. Both defenses played stellar for the remainder of the half as neither teams scored. In the third, the Panthers finally found their footing as they rang up 17 points while the defense held the Bears to just 3, making the difference in this contest. The Bears put up a TD in the fourth, but the damage was done and the Panthers move on. Carolina wins game two 34-13, win series 2-0. 1953 Detroit at 2001 Kansas City (Kansas City -18) *The Lions won an OT thriller to start the series. It was going to be a tall order to go into Arrowhead and complete the sweep, though. After all the scoring in game one, game two was a defensive slugfest. The Chiefs got the early lead on a touchdown in the first, the only scoring of the entire half. In the third, the Lions managed to crack the scoreboard with a field goal, but still remained down 7-3 going into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, the Lions got another field goal to narrow the gap to 7-6, but the Chiefs got breathing room with their second touchdown of the game. The Lions made one more effort to tie it up, but their last chance ended on downs at the KC 22. Kansas City wins game two 14-6, series tied 1-1. 1954 Cleveland at 2000 Green Bay (Green Bay -16) *The Packers rolled to a game one win in Cleveland, forcing the Browns to fight for their survival at a hostile Lambeau Field in Green Bay. They were up to the task. The Browns struck first for a touchdown in the first quarter. The Packers put up two field goals in response. In the second, the Browns pushed the lead to 14-6 with another TD, but then the Packer offense came to life as they ripped off 17 straight points and threatened to blow the Browns off the field by halftime. However, Cleveland managed to right the ship and get into the lockerroom without further damage, trailing 23-14. They cut the lead to two with a touchdown in the third. The Packers responded by stretching the lead back to five with a field goal to make it 26-21 going to the last quarter. In the fourth, the Browns silenced the crowd with a huge touchdown and then went for two and converted it, putting them ahead 29-26, but the Packers didn't fold. Green Bay put together a solid drive that netted them a touchdown and the 33-29 lead. The Browns found the will to make one more drive. They reached the Green Bay 27 and then stunned the crowd with a brilliant touchdown pass play to retake the lead. But, there was enough time left on the clock for one more Packer possession. It was classic as the Packers carved up the Browns. An interference call in the end zone put the ball on the one, but there was no time to run two plays, so the Packers chipped in an 18-yard field goal to send the game to overtime at 36-all. In the OT, Cleveland took the ball first, moved it to the Green Bay 29, and then attempted a 46-yard field goal. Snap, hold, it's on the way...no good! No good and the Packers get the ball! Green Bay would take advantage and move the ball into Brown territory and then settled the game and series on a 32-yard touchdown pass. Green Bay wins game two 42-36 (OT), wins series 2-0. 1958 Baltimore Colts at 1948 Chicago Cardinals (Colts -1) *The Colts were one game from advancing to round two, but it would be tough to take the second game in Chicago. Both defenses played oustanding during the first half, especially the Colts. Neither team got a point in the first and the Colts only managed a pair of field goals in the second to lead 6-0 at the half. The Colts managed to put up 13 points in the third, while the Cardinals got just a TD, expanding the Colt lead to 20-7 going into the fourth. In the fourth, the Colt offense continued to hit its stride, striking for 17 points, while the defense continued to control the Cardinals, holding them to a field goal, enabling the Colts to advance to round four. Colts win game two 36-10, win series 2-0. 1959 Baltimore Colts at 1971 Philadelphia (Colts -6) *Could the 1959 Colts join their elders in the next round? Initially, it wasn't certain if they would as the Eagles jumped ahead on a touchdown in the first, while the Colts could only manage two field goals. In the second, the Colts continued to struggle in the red zone, managing a touchdown and yet another field goal, while the defense gave up a field goal to the Eagles. Just before halftime, the Colts added their fourth field goal of the game to extend their lead to 19-10 at the break. In the third, the Colt offense continued to sputter, managing yet another field goal, but that was it. The Eagles managed to bust into the end zone for a touchdown that trimmed the Colt lead down to 22-17 going to the fourth. However, in the fourth, the Colts caught fire and lit up the worn-down Eagles for 17 big points while the Eagles managed to score a touchdown in response. They went for two to try to stay within striking distance, but missed. Colts win game two 39-23, win series 2-0. 1961 Green Bay at 1970 Miami (Green Bay -4) *Game two in Miami saw both teams get off to very impressive starts. Each team picked up a touchdown and a field goal in the first quarter, making it 10-10 after one. Defenses finally asserted control in the second as the only points in the quarter came on a Dolphin field goal just before halftime to make it 13-10 Miami. The Packers jumped into the lead with a touchdown in the third, but the Dolphins answered back with a touchdown of their own to retake the lead 20-17 at the start of the fourth quarter. In the fourth, the defenses continued their control of the game as neither team scored. The Packers had one last chance to tie, but could only get to the Miami 34 and the resulting 51-yard attempt was missed. Miami ran out the clock to win the game. Miami wins game two 20-17, series tied 1-1. Last edited by Wolfpack : 07-26-2004 at 04:47 PM. |
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07-26-2004, 04:56 PM
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#210 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Game three results:
Code:
2001 Kansas City vs. 1953 Detroit (Kansas City -10) *The Chiefs are a strong favorite in the neutral site contest to decide this series. The Lions, however, make them work for it in the first half. They jump on the Chiefs with a TD in the first to take a 7-0 lead. The Chiefs battle back but can't break into the end zone. Still, they net a pair of second quarter field goals to make it 7-6 at the break. In the third, the Chiefs finally get a touchdown to take the lead. The Lions re-take it with a TD of their own, but the Chiefs finally go ahead for good with their second touchdown of the quarter to make it 20-14. The second score seems to dispirit the Lions as the Chiefs spend the fourth quarter building the lead to a comfortable margin while the defense shuts out the Lions the rest of the way. Kansas City wins game three 30-14, wins series 2-1. 1970 Miami vs. 1961 Green Bay (Green Bay -12) *The Packers shouldn't be playing this game. They should already have advanced. Knowing this, the Dolphins try to get into the Packers' heads by scoring a touchdown on the opening possession. The Packers aren't rattled at all. As a matter of fact, the score seems to make them angry. The defense decides that will be the only score the Dolphins will get today and the offense rips into the Miami defense for 34 unanswered points over the remainder of the game and Green Bay eases into round four. Green Bay wins game three 34-7, wins series 2-1. Last edited by Wolfpack : 07-26-2004 at 04:56 PM. |
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07-27-2004, 11:09 AM
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#211 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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The pairings for the last group of round three, the Champions Group:
Code:
Flat-out, this is going to be an awesome set of games. Only seven of the teams have a record below .500. Greats and almost-greats are in abundance. And, for the Niners and Cowboys fans among us, the piece de resistance, 1992 Dallas vs. 1992 San Francisco. Straight up, no bull. The champions may have generally skated into round three, but it definitely looks like they'll be earning the right to play in round four. From my vantage point: *1962 Green Bay is the only serious underdog of any champion in the group, taking on Dan Marino and the 1984 Dolphins. Yikes. *All champs from 1994 onward should be solid or decided favorites to advance. *Just about every other pairing will be a toss-up either due to records or normalization or both. This should be fun.  Last edited by Wolfpack : 07-27-2004 at 12:02 PM. |
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07-27-2004, 04:43 PM
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#212 | |
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General Manager
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: The Town of Flower Mound
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Quote:
Hell yeah. We beat them in Candlestick then, we'll beat them now...
__________________
UTEP Miners!!! I solemnly swear to never cheer for TO |
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08-02-2004, 01:30 PM
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#213 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Game one results...
1984 Miami at 1962 Green Bay (Green Bay -5 (!)) *Well, I have to correct myself right away. Green Bay isn't an underdog in this series. If anything, they are a slight favorite. From the start, they play like it, putting up two first quarter touchdowns. Miami does respond with a touchdown of their own, but the tone is set. The Packer defense is stellar against the high-powered Dolphins, shutting them out for two full quarters while the offense does more damage in the second with 10 unanswered points to make it 24-7. Neither team scores, but the Dolphins can only manage a fairly meaningless touchdown in the fourth to close the scoring. Green Bay wins game one 24-14, leads series 1-0. 1986 Philadelphia at 1963 Chicago (Chicago -9) *Chicago draws a fairly weak opponent and takes it to them. The Bear defense shuts out the Eagles for a half while Chicago puts up 10 in the first. The Eagles limit the damage by keeping the Bears off the board in the second, so Chicago leads 10-0 at the break. The Eagles break into the scoring column with a TD in the third, but the Bears have an answer and keep the lead at ten points. The Bears add an insurance score in the fourth for good measure. Chicago wins game one 24-7, leads series 1-0. 1983 Cleveland at 1969 Kansas City (Kansas City -8) *The Chiefs dominated the first half of this contest as KC put up a touchdown in the first and another in the second while the Browns couldn't muster anything offensively, giving the Chiefs a 14-0 halftime lead. The Browns would rally in the second half, scoring on a TD in the third and then tying the game in the fourth with another TD, but the Chiefs nudged ahead again with a touchdown midway into the fourth. The KC defense would make it stand up as the Browns last drive was stopped at the KC 28 on downs. Kansas City wins game one 21-14, leads series 1-0 1989 New York Giants at 1972 Miami (Miami -2) *The Dolphins find themselves in a tough series. They might lose a game for the first time. But, it wasn't going to happen at the Orange Bowl in game one. The two teams traded blows in the first, leaving the game tied at 10 going to the second quarter. In the second, the Dolphins managed to plow into the end zone for the only score of the quarter, giving them a 17-10 halftime lead. In the third, the Dolphins extended their lead by outscoring New York 10-7 to lead 27-17. In the fourth, the Dolphin defense shut out the Giants while the offense busied itself with cementing the game on a field goal and a touchdown. Miami wins game one 36-17, leads series 1-0. 2002 Kansas City at 1974 Pittsburgh (Kansas City -7) *The Steelers were installed as the underdog at home. That seemed to fire them and the crowd at Three Rivers up something fierce. The offense wasn't stellar, but the early edition of the Steel Curtain was spectacular, holding the Chiefs to just one field goal in the first half. The Steelers in the same time frame netted three field goals and a touchdown to lead 16-3 at the break. Another field goal in the third pushed the lead to 19-3. In the fourth, KC tried to battle back by gambling on a crucial fourth down and making it to net a touchdown, but they blew a two-point conversion that would have cut the lead to 19-11. The Steelers then salted the game away with a clock-killing drive that earned a touchdown. Pittsburgh wins game one 26-9, leads series 1-0. 1986 Los Angeles Rams at 1975 Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh -11) *The Steelers were decided favorites in this series, but for a while seemed uninspired. Perhaps the 1974 team took it all. At any rate, the Rams and Steelers staged an uninteresting first quarter that resulted just in an exchange of field goals. If it can be said, the Steel Curtain defense actually improved on that effort. The Rams never threatened to score again. The offense was methodical, producing 10 points in the second quarter and then just spent the second half mostly killing clock while putting up another 10 points for a solid, though not dazzling, win. Pittsburgh wins game one 23-3, leads series 1-0. 1980 Dallas at 1976 Oakland (Pick 'em) *A somewhat dull first half turned into an absolute barnburner. To start, the Cowboys got ahead early, silencing the Oakland crowd with a well-executed first drive for a touchdown. The Raiders only managed to answer with a field goal to make it 7-3. The Raiders couldn't get much going offensively, netting only a pair of field goals in the second quarter, but the Cowboys were completely stalled, failing to score at all after that first drive. Oakland had the lead at the half 9-7. The second half was a completely different story as the teams traded scores and the lead constantly. Both teams netted 10 points in the third making the game 19-17. In the fourth, the offenses continued to play well, though the defenses were doing just enough to prevent lots of damage. The Cowboys and Raiders each scored a touchdown and a pair of field goals as all the possessions for the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter netted points in some fashion. The result of all this furious scoring was a 32-30 Oakland lead. Dallas now had one more chance with the football, but their drive stopped at the Raider 37. On comes the field goal unit for a long 54-yard attempt. Snap, hold, on the way...no good! No good and the Raiders will win game one! Oakland wins game one 32-30, leads series 1-0. 2001 Cincinnati at 1977 Dallas (Dallas -8) *This should be a relatively easy series for Dallas, taking on one of the struggling franchises of the early part of the 21st century. "Should be" being the operative phrase here. It was anything but in game one. The Bengals opened the scoring with a first quarter touchdown. The Cowboys answered with...nothing. The Bengals couldn't score on the Doomsday Defense in the second. The Cowboys, however, got...nothing again. The crowd at Texas Stadium is squirming a little. It's only 7-0 at the half, but still.... In the third, the defense for Dallas again does the job. The offense rewards them and the crowd with...nothing again. At this point, you can hear a pin drop in Texas Stadium. In the fourth, Dallas does manage to finally get on the board with a field goal to make it 7-3. What little life, however, seems to be snuffed out by the ensuing Bengal drive, which seems to put a dagger into every Cowboy fan's heart with a touchdown, making it 14-3. Finally, playing with desperation, the offense snaps off a lightning drive that succeeds in a long touchdown pass and suddenly the Cowboys are back into it at 14-10. The defense gets the ball back and the offense works down the field but is stalled and settles for a field goal and it's now 14-13. Again the defense plays great and the offense gets the ball for one last drive. It's well-executed and the offense that has struggled for three quarters is suddenly finding the holes in the defense to get the ball into field goal range. They march to the Bengal 16 where with a few second left, they bring on the field goal unit. Snap, hold, it's up...and it's good! It's good and Dallas has rallied for the win! Dallas wins game one 16-14, leads series 1-0. 1998 Dallas at 1978 Pittsburgh (Pick 'em) *A battle of two of the most storied franchises in the last 40 years. To spice things up a little, the Cowboys have a chance to avenge the 1978 team's loss to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl. The 1998 Cowboys take the early lead with a touchdown in the first, but that is it for scoring as both defenses dominate the first half, leaving Dallas up 7-0 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Steelers tie things up with a touchdown, but the Cowboys answer with one of their own to re-take the lead. Towards the end of the third, the Steelers do cut into the lead with a field goal to make it 14-10. In the fourth, the defenses re-assert themselves as neither offense can muster much of anything and only a pair of field goals, one for each team, results. This leaves Dallas in front 17-13. Pittsburgh has one more chance, though. They work it down the field into Dallas territory, but the drive is snuffed out eventually at the 32 as Pittsburgh turns it over. Dallas then runs out the clock to take the series opener. Dallas wins game one 17-13, leads series 1-0. 2000 Philadelphia at 1980 Oakland (Philadelphia -6) *The first game of this series featured nothing but field goals in the first quarter. The Eagles bagged a pair to Oakland's lone score, leaving Philadelphia up 6-3 after the first. In the second, the Eagles finally cracked the Raider defense for a touchdown to extend the lead to 13-3. Oakland's offense, however, still hadn't solved the Eagle defense, getting shut out and leaving the score 13-3 at the half. In the second, the Raiders finally figured it out and broke through with a touchdown to cut the lead back to three, but it was only temporary. The Eagle defense shut them out the rest of the way, while the offense busied itself with putting up insurance points, ten in all, in the fourth. Philadelphia wins game one 23-10, leads series 1-0. 1993 New York Giants at 1981 San Francisco (Giants -2) *The first of the Niner Super Bowl winners draws a pretty strong opponent in an 11-5 Giants squad, which are actually favorites at Candlestick. They play like favorites out of the gate as New York puts up in succession a touchdown and a field goal in the first quarter to put the Niners on their heels while the defense keeps San Francisco off the scoreboard. San Francisco finally gets it going in the second with a touchdown, while the Niner defense finally makes stops and keeps the Giants from getting further ahead, leaving New York up 10-7 at the half. The defenses for both squads dominate the second half. San Francisco surrenders just a trio of field goals, one in the third and two in the fourth, but the Giant defense is better, not allowing another San Francisco score the rest of the game and New York comes out winners. Giants win game one 19-7, lead series 1-0. 1978 Philadelphia at 1982 Washington (Washington -11) *The Redskins are expected to sweep the series with the Eagles, but Philadelphia is a playoff team, so it shouldn't be a walkover. The Eagles net a field goal in the first, but the Redskins put up a touchdown in response to lead 7-3 after one. In the second, the Eagles boot a field goal to cut the lead to one, but the Redskins respond with a TD to expand the lead to 8 at 14-6. Philadelphia cuts it to 14-9 with another field goal, but Washington boots one through the uprights right before halftime to keep the lead at 8 at 17-9. Neither team is able to score in the third. In the fourth, the Eagles still are unable to threaten to score, while the Redskins get an insurance score that ices the game. Washington wins game one 24-9, leads series 1-0. 2003 Denver at 1984 San Francisco (San Francisco -6) *One of the all-time great teams draws a solid playoff squad. San Francisco struggled before advancing last round and it looks like they'll be doing it again early on as the Broncos put a 10-spot on the scoreboard in the first, although the Niners do get a touchdown of their own. The only scoring in the second quarter comes on a Denver field goal which gives the Broncos a 13-7 halftime lead. In the third, the Niners give the crowd at Candlestick something to cheer about as they take the lead on the only score of the quarter, a touchdown. However, they lose the lead when the Broncos make a long drive that results in a touchdown. The Broncos go for two and convert it and now the Niners are down 21-14. Do the Niners have comeback magic in this one? No. San Francisco manages to drive to the Denver 34, but turns it over there and Denver is able to pull off the road upset, putting the 49ers up against it going back to Invesco Field for game two. Denver wins game one 21-14, leads series 1-0. 1976 Baltimore Colts at 1985 Chicago (Chicago -11) *This was ugly early. The Bears jumped all over the Colts with 17 in the first and 10 in the second. Meanwhile, the 46 defense made life miserable for the Colts as they only managed a first quarter field goal. A 27-3 halftime lead was made more respectable in the second half by the Colts, but the damage had been done. Chicago wins game one 37-20, leads series 1-0. 2000 Jacksonville at 1986 New York Giants (Giants -3) *The Giants were slight favorites at home, kind of a surprise against a 7-9 Jaguars squad. New York did get the early lead on a touchdown in the first, but the Jaguars rallied with 10 unanswered in the second to take a 10-7 halftime lead. Neither defense allowed any scoring in the third, so the scoreboard still read 10-7 going to the fourth quarter. In the fourth, the Jags thought they put the game away with a touchdown that gave them a 17-7 lead. The Giants managed a field goal to cut it to seven. Then the defense made the stops needed to give their offense a chance for one more drive. The drive was brilliantly executed and resulted in a 14-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was good and the game was tied at 17. The Jags opted to kill the clock and send the game to OT. The Giants got the ball first in OT and never gave it up. They drove to the Jaguar 17, where they set up a 34-yard field goal attempt. Snap, hold, it's up...it's good! The Giants win! Giants win game one 20-17 (OT), lead series 1-0. 1978 Los Angeles Rams at 1987 Washington (Washington -8) *Though Washington was the favorite, they didn't play like it in the first as the Rams put up 10 quick points. The Redskins managed to staunch the bleeding with a field goal to get on the board. The second quarter was a different story as the Redskin offense ran roughshod over the Rams, racking up 17 points. LA did manage to keep in the game with a touchdown, making the halftime score 20-17, Washington. Washington punched in a touchdown on the opening possession of the second half and that seemed to deflate the Rams as LA never really threatened to score the rest of the way. Washington put up a field goal in the fourth to complete the scoring. Washington wins game one 30-17, leads series 1-0. 1997 Pittsburgh at 1988 San Francisco (Pittsburgh -1) *To the surprise of many, the Niners were one-point underdogs at Candlestick to open the series. To the Niners, it was bulletin-board material. The offense played with precision, the defense with relentlessness. It added up to an unyielding effort the Steelers couldn't match. Each half was practically a carbon copy as the Niners put up the only points of the first and third quarters with touchdowns and then outscored the Steelers in the second and fourth 10-7 both times. It all added up to a series-opening win. San Francisco wins 34-14, leads series 1-0. 1990 Chicago at 1989 San Francisco (San Francisco -13) *The Bears aren't a bad team, winners of the NFC Central, but the 1989 Niner squad is something else altogether. Or was supposed to be. The Bears struck first with a touchdown in the first quarter. The Niners managed to tie things up with a touchdown of their own, then took the lead in the second with another touchdown to lead 14-7 at the half. The second half was all defense as neither team scored in the third and both only got a single field goal during the fourth, leaving San Francisco up 17-10. The Bears had one last chance to drive for a tying touchdown, but the drive stalled out and died at the San Francisco 36. San Francisco wins game one 17-10, leads series 1-0. 2002 Atlanta at 1990 New York Giants (Giants -2) *The 1990 Giants were a strong squad, but was their defense up to the task of containing Atlanta's dangerous offense? Early on, it didn't seem like it as the Falcons put up a touchdown in the first and then had two more drives in the second get field goals. The Giants, meanwhile, got blanked in the first before breaking through with a touchdown in the second, leaving Atlanta ahead 13-7 at halftime. The third saw both teams exchange touchdowns, keeping the Falcons in front, but the Giants finally seized the lead and sent the home crowd into a frenzy with a fourth-quarter touchdown. But, Atlanta made the most of their last chance with the ball, reaching the Giant 31 and setting up for a 48-yard field goal attempt. Snap, hold, on the way...it's good! Atlanta's in the lead! The Giants have enough time for a quick drive of their own, though. It's well-executed as they carve up the Falcon defense and reach the Atlanta 18 before having to bring on the field goal unit. Snap, hold, it's up...he missed it! Wide right! The Falcons steal the first game in New York! Atlanta wins game one 23-21, lead series 1-0. 1983 Dallas at 1991 Washington (Washington -16) *This battle between bitter rivals wasn't expected to be much of one at all as the high-powered Redskins seemed a cut above their opponents. Well, never underestimate the power of hate. Early on, the Redskins seemed to be toying with Dallas as they put up a touchdown in the first against two field goals and then just blitzed the Cowboys with three second-quarter touchdowns. The Cowboys hung in there with a touchdown and a field goal, but they were down 28-16 at the half and had some work to do. The teams traded touchdowns in the third, leaving the 'Skins up 35-23 and seemingly in control going to the last. But, the Cowboys didn't give up. They put up a field goal to make it 35-26, the Skins got a field goal to make it 38-26. Then they got some momentum with a touchdown and cut it to 38-33. The RFK crowd is getting antsy. The Redskins can only manage a field goal in response, but they are up 41-33 now. Dallas gets one more chance and they stun the RFK crowd by carving up the Redskin defense and cap the stellar drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass and suddenly it's 41-39. The Cowboys line up for the two-point conversion. Handoff over the leftside...he's smashed down. Did he make it? No! He didn't make it! The Redskins hold! Washington will win! Washington wins game one 41-39, leads series 1-0. 1992 San Francisco at 1992 Dallas (Dallas -3) *The Niners get a chance to exact revenge for losing to the Cowboys and potentially losing a chance at a fifth Super Bowl for the franchise. Game one in Dallas was a close, hard-fought contest. Neither team scored in the first, but Dallas sandwiched a Niner touchdown with two of their own in the second to make the halftime score 14-7. The defenses resumed dominating the game in the third quarter as neither team scored in the quarter. The fourth continued much as the third did, but with one critical difference. The Cowboys broke down the Niners long enough to bust in a touchdown which proved to be the insurance score needed to win the game. Dallas wins game one 21-7, leads series 1-0. 2003 Miami vs. 1993 Dallas (Dallas -7) *This game can be summed up in one word: defense. Defenses for both sides were outstanding. For thirty minutes, nobody could score and the halftime score read the same thing as at kickoff, 0-0. Miami finally cracked the scoreboard in the third with a touchdown, while the Cowboys could only muster a field goal in response. Miami took a 7-3 lead into the fourth quarter, where they put up a field goal to make it 10-3. Dallas answered with yet another field goal to cut it to 10-6. The Cowboys got one last opportunity and they took advantage of it, marching into Miami territory and reaching the 27. A perfect pass later, it was in the end zone for a Dallas touchdown and a 13-10 lead. Miami had one last chance, but turned the ball over in its own end of the field to give Dallas the win. Dallas wins game one 13-10, leads series 1-0. 1998 Baltimore at 1994 San Francisco (San Francisco -19) *This is one of the most lopsided pairings in the group. An under .500 Ravens team taking on a well-oiled machine like the 1994 Niners. No contest, right? Wrong. The Ravens came out and threw a bit of cold water on the Candlestick crowd with an early touchdown to take the lead. San Francisco could only get a field goal for all their efforts in the first, leaving the Ravens up 7-3 after one. In the second, another touchdown left Candlestick Park in silence as the Ravens were now up 14-3. But, the Niners finally figured out the Ravens defense and put up a touchdown. San Francisco gambled, went for two, and converted to cut the lead to 14-11 and bringing the crowd back into it. The score would remain 14-11 until halftime. In the third, the teams exchanged touchdowns which left the Ravens still in front by three at 21-18. But, the fourth was all San Francisco as the 49ers caught fire. The defense shut out the Ravens and the offense binged out for 17 fourth-quarter points to turn a 21-18 deficit into a deceivingly large victory margin. San Francisco wins game one 35-21, leads series 1-0. 1950 Los Angeles Rams at 1995 Dallas (Dallas -22) *The Rams are out of their era and consequently out of their league, it seems. The Cowboys did everything to see to that in the first half, scoring the game's first 27 points during the first two quarters. The Rams finally got on the board near the end of the board with a touchdown. The Rams actually outplayed Dallas in the third quarter, but not by much, with two touchdowns. However, they gave up a touchdown and a field goal in return to leave the Cowboys up 37-21 after three. Cowboy bench players got in on the fun in the fourth with a touchdown to cap the scoring. Dallas wins game one 44-21, leads series 1-0. 1982 New Orleans at 1996 Green Bay (Green Bay -26) *This figured to be a walkover for the Packers against one of the few teams in 1982 to not make the playoffs, no mean feat when 16 of 28 teams did make it that year. The Packers jumped on the Saints early, putting up 10 in the first and 7 in the second while keeping the Saints off the board the entire half to lead 17-0. The Packers seemed to close it down after that, though, and the Saints gamely fought on. Neither team scored in the third and then the Saints finally were rewarded for their perserverence with a touchdown in the fourth. Too bad it came too late to make a real difference. Green Bay wins game one 17-7, leads series 1-0. 1990 New Orleans at 1997 Denver (Denver -19) *The Saints played with the Broncos for a half. Unfortunately, you have to play two halves. The Broncos started out slowly, scoring just two field goals in the first. The Saints actually took the lead briefly with a touchdown in the second quarter, but lost it back on the next Bronco possession. The Broncos gambled and went for two, but failed, leaving Denver up 12-7 at halftime. In the third, the Saints took the lead on a touchdown. They went for two to make it a field goal difference and succeeded to make it 15-12. After that, it was all Denver. The Broncos closed the quarter with two touchdowns and then tacked another one on for good measure in the fourth, while shutting out the Saints the rest of the way to win with some comfort. Denver wins game one 33-15, leads series 1-0. 1992 Cincinnati at 1998 Denver (Denver -24) *The Broncos were methodical, if somewhat plodding in the opener. The Bengals played hard and made the Broncos work for everything. Denver took the lead early with a touchdown in the first to make it 7-0. They spent the rest of the game keeping the Bengals at arm's reach. The Bengals would score two field goals in the second, but the Broncos would get a touchdown to make it 14-6 at the half. The Bengals got a touchdown and a two-point conversion, but the Broncos would get another touchdown to stay ahead 21-14. The Bengals chipped away with a pair of field goals in the fourth, but once again broke down on defense at the wrong time and Denver pushed the lead back to 8 with another touchdown. Cincinnati made one last effort, but turned it over near midfield to kill any chance of tying the game. Denver wins game one 28-20, leads series 1-0. 1962 Baltimore at 1999 St. Louis Rams (Rams -30) *Hide the women and children, this is likely to get ugly. The Colts were game for a half, though. They actually held the Rams to three field goals and a touchdown for the first half, bending but not breaking too much. Meanwhile, the Rams defense gave up a touchdown in the second quarter and the Rams were "only" up 16-7 at the half. Still, it seemed like the Rams were toying with the Colts as they shut out Baltimore in the second half and along the way put up a pair of touchdowns, one in each quarter to provide the final margin. It still feels like the Rams haven't totally clicked yet, and that's a little scary. Rams win game one 30-7, leads series 1-0. 1963 Detroit at 2000 Baltimore Ravens (Ravens -23) *The Ravens may have a bland offense, but that defense of theirs is something else. The offense will get them in trouble at some point, but it probably won't be this pairing. Neither team scored in the first quarter and both only managed field goals in the second making the halftime score a scintillating 3-3. But, the Ravens turned it on and pulled away in the second half, netting 20 unanswered points as the defense continued to hit anything that moved while the offense got untracked and the Ravens win with ease. Ravens win game one 23-3, lead series 1-0. 1981 Atlanta at 2001 New England (New England -13) *The Falcons were solid underdogs, but gave the Patriots all they wanted at Foxboro. The Falcons jumped ahead early with a touchdown in the first quarter. The Patriots managed only a field goal in response, leaving Atlanta up 7-3 going to the second. In the second, the Patriots jumped ahead with a touchdown, but Atlanta came up with one of their own to re-take the lead. New England did boot a field goal as time ran out in the half, which left the Falcons ahead 14-13. The Falcons then extended it to 21-13 with a touchdown early in the third. The rest of the quarter belonged to the Patriots. Everything went right for New England and wrong for Atlanta that saw the partisan crowd go from morose to berzerk as the Patriots racked up 17 straight points to go in front 30-21 and threaten to blow the contest open. However, the Falcons came up with a huge drive early in the fourth quarter when they needed it, getting a touchdown out of it to cut it to 30-28 and take some of the steam out of the Patriots. However, they couldn't get over the hump. They made a desperate attempt on their last drive, going for a 59-yard field goal. It got blocked and the Patriots were able to hang on for the win. New England wins game one 30-28, leads series 1-0. 1966 Los Angeles Rams at 2002 Tampa Bay (Tampa Bay -23) *Forget whether this would be a good series. The pundits wondered whether the Rams would even score. For game one, the answer is a very stark, very resounding, "NO!" The Rams never scored, barely threatened, and were badly beaten. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, busied itself with building up a 27-0 halftime lead and cruising to the win from there. Tampa Bay wins game one 27-0, leads series 1-0. 1969 Detroit at 2003 New England (New England -20) *Another series where the inferior team may have trouble scoring. At least this game they did. Problem was, by that time (sometime in the fourth quarter), the Patriots were already ahead 27-0 and had basically shut it down. New England wins game one 34-6, leads series 1-0. Last edited by Wolfpack : 08-02-2004 at 01:31 PM. |
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08-02-2004, 11:03 PM
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#214 |
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General Manager
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: The Town of Flower Mound
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Cowboys kicking butt so far...
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UTEP Miners!!! I solemnly swear to never cheer for TO |
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08-06-2004, 10:33 AM
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#215 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Okay, time to end the suspense with results from game two. I'm going to switch up reporting styles again. Instead of a text description of results, which takes creativity and imagination on my part, I'm going to post the output of my program and let you guys fill in the blanks for yourselves. What can I say, I'm feeling lazy today.
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08-06-2004, 10:40 AM
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#216 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Houston!
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I just can't believe those lines on the 78 Steelers-98 Cowboys. Pick 'em and Cowboys by 8 by a 10-6 team against a 14-2 Super Bowl winner who had more than a 50 advantage on point differential. That one just seems odd to me.
The one that'll make me completely disavow all knowledge of this, tho, is if the 85 Bears lose this early. Then again, that Colts team was 11-3 so it would be a huge upset like the 76 Bucs or something beating them. SI
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Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" |
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08-06-2004, 12:26 PM
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#217 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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The thing to bear in mind with Pittsburgh-Dallas is the fact that the Cowboys are getting 10 points on normalization between the two eras. Like I said way back in some earlier post, I don't know the basis for the normalization grades, but I do think it's necessary to have them. Otherwise the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL would be able to compete with these teams.
Also, it's not as if that 1998 team was flat-out horrible. They did win the division at 10-6 that year. As for the 1985 Bears in a tough fight, well sometimes there are upsets, and that game was one of them. While the Bears defense was outstanding that year, the offense wasn't anything wildly special. It was effective and did the job when combined with the lethality of the defense. The Bears should win the series as they'll be -7 against the Colts at the neutral site, but then they should have already won the series because they were favored in both games. |
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08-06-2004, 12:36 PM
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#218 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Game three results:
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08-06-2004, 12:55 PM
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#219 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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So with all games for round three in the books, here are the survivors moving on to round four (256 teams):
Arizona Cardinals 1994 Arizona Cardinals 1995 Arizona Cardinals 1997 Arizona Cardinals 1998 Arizona Cardinals 1999 Atlanta Falcons 1980 Atlanta Falcons 1998 Atlanta Falcons 2001 Atlanta Falcons 2002 Baltimore Colts 1958 Baltimore Colts 1959 Baltimore Colts 1964 Baltimore Colts 1968 Baltimore Ravens 1997 Baltimore Ravens 2000 Baltimore Ravens 2001 Baltimore Ravens 2002 Buffalo Bills 1983 Buffalo Bills 1988 Buffalo Bills 1995 Buffalo Bills 1998 Buffalo Bills 2002 Carolina Panthers 1995 Carolina Panthers 1997 Carolina Panthers 1999 Carolina Panthers 2000 Carolina Panthers 2003 Chicago Bears 1956 Chicago Bears 1962 Chicago Bears 1963 Chicago Bears 1985 Chicago Bears 1986 Chicago Bears 1988 Chicago Bears 1994 Chicago Bears 1995 Chicago Bears 2001 Cincinnati Bengals 1973 Cincinnati Bengals 1994 Cincinnati Bengals 1995 Cincinnati Bengals 2000 Cleveland Browns 1968 Cleveland Browns 1982 Cleveland Browns 1985 Cleveland Browns 1986 Cleveland Browns 1987 Cleveland Browns 2002 Cleveland Browns 2003 Dallas Cowboys 1972 Dallas Cowboys 1973 Dallas Cowboys 1977 Dallas Cowboys 1980 Dallas Cowboys 1981 Dallas Cowboys 1992 Dallas Cowboys 1993 Dallas Cowboys 1994 Dallas Cowboys 1995 Dallas Cowboys 1996 Dallas Cowboys 1997 Dallas Cowboys 1998 Dallas Cowboys 1999 Dallas Cowboys 2003 Denver Broncos 1977 Denver Broncos 1978 Denver Broncos 1984 Denver Broncos 1991 Denver Broncos 1996 Denver Broncos 1997 Denver Broncos 1998 Denver Broncos 1999 Denver Broncos 2000 Denver Broncos 2001 Denver Broncos 2003 Detroit Lions 1980 Detroit Lions 1981 Detroit Lions 1986 Detroit Lions 1998 Detroit Lions 2000 Detroit Lions 2003 Green Bay Packers 1960 Green Bay Packers 1961 Green Bay Packers 1962 Green Bay Packers 1963 Green Bay Packers 1980 Green Bay Packers 1993 Green Bay Packers 1995 Green Bay Packers 1996 Green Bay Packers 1997 Green Bay Packers 1999 Green Bay Packers 2000 Green Bay Packers 2001 Green Bay Packers 2002 Green Bay Packers 2003 Houston Oilers 1976 Houston Oilers 1988 Houston Oilers 1990 Houston Oilers 1993 Houston Oilers 1996 Indianapolis Colts 1994 Indianapolis Colts 1996 Indianapolis Colts 1999 Indianapolis Colts 2000 Indianapolis Colts 2001 Indianapolis Colts 2002 Indianapolis Colts 2003 Jacksonville Jaguars 1996 Jacksonville Jaguars 1997 Jacksonville Jaguars 1998 Jacksonville Jaguars 1999 Jacksonville Jaguars 2001 Kansas City Chiefs 1969 Kansas City Chiefs 1980 Kansas City Chiefs 1982 Kansas City Chiefs 1984 Kansas City Chiefs 1990 Kansas City Chiefs 1992 Kansas City Chiefs 1993 Kansas City Chiefs 1994 Kansas City Chiefs 1995 Kansas City Chiefs 1997 Kansas City Chiefs 2001 Kansas City Chiefs 2002 Kansas City Chiefs 2003 Los Angeles Raiders 1982 Los Angeles Raiders 1985 Los Angeles Raiders 1991 Los Angeles Rams 1973 Los Angeles Rams 1975 Los Angeles Rams 1977 Los Angeles Rams 1983 Los Angeles Rams 1992 Los Angeles Rams 1994 Miami Dolphins 1975 Miami Dolphins 1978 Miami Dolphins 1979 Miami Dolphins 1981 Miami Dolphins 1986 Miami Dolphins 1990 Miami Dolphins 1992 Miami Dolphins 1994 Miami Dolphins 1995 Miami Dolphins 2000 Miami Dolphins 2001 Minnesota Vikings 1964 Minnesota Vikings 1969 Minnesota Vikings 1970 Minnesota Vikings 1973 Minnesota Vikings 1975 Minnesota Vikings 1977 Minnesota Vikings 1985 Minnesota Vikings 1989 Minnesota Vikings 1990 Minnesota Vikings 1992 Minnesota Vikings 1993 Minnesota Vikings 1994 Minnesota Vikings 1996 Minnesota Vikings 1997 Minnesota Vikings 1998 Minnesota Vikings 2001 New England Patriots 1978 New England Patriots 1988 New England Patriots 1990 New England Patriots 1994 New England Patriots 1996 New England Patriots 1998 New England Patriots 1999 New England Patriots 2001 New England Patriots 2002 New England Patriots 2003 New Orleans Saints 1984 New Orleans Saints 1987 New Orleans Saints 1988 New Orleans Saints 1989 New Orleans Saints 1992 New Orleans Saints 1993 New Orleans Saints 1998 New Orleans Saints 2000 New Orleans Saints 2002 New York Giants 1960 New York Giants 1972 New York Giants 1985 New York Giants 1986 New York Giants 1989 New York Giants 1993 New York Giants 1997 New York Jets 1984 New York Jets 1985 New York Jets 1990 New York Jets 2000 Oakland Raiders 1968 Oakland Raiders 1973 Oakland Raiders 1977 Oakland Raiders 1995 Oakland Raiders 1999 Oakland Raiders 2000 Oakland Raiders 2002 Philadelphia Eagles 1975 Philadelphia Eagles 1988 Philadelphia Eagles 1989 Philadelphia Eagles 1990 Philadelphia Eagles 1992 Philadelphia Eagles 1997 Philadelphia Eagles 2000 Philadelphia Eagles 2001 Philadelphia Eagles 2002 Phoenix Cardinals 1990 Pittsburgh Steelers 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers 1983 Pittsburgh Steelers 1994 Pittsburgh Steelers 1995 Pittsburgh Steelers 2000 Pittsburgh Steelers 2002 San Diego Chargers 1986 San Diego Chargers 1991 San Diego Chargers 1994 San Diego Chargers 1995 San Diego Chargers 2002 San Francisco 49ers 1977 San Francisco 49ers 1988 San Francisco 49ers 1989 San Francisco 49ers 1993 San Francisco 49ers 1994 San Francisco 49ers 1995 San Francisco 49ers 1996 San Francisco 49ers 1998 San Francisco 49ers 1999 Seattle Seahawks 1985 Seattle Seahawks 1986 Seattle Seahawks 1997 Seattle Seahawks 1998 Seattle Seahawks 1999 Seattle Seahawks 2000 St. Louis Cardinals 1970 St. Louis Cardinals 1971 St. Louis Cardinals 1972 St. Louis Rams 1999 St. Louis Rams 2000 St. Louis Rams 2001 St. Louis Rams 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1980 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2003 Tennessee Oilers 1998 Tennessee Titans 2003 Washington Redskins 1976 Washington Redskins 1981 Washington Redskins 1982 Washington Redskins 1983 Washington Redskins 1985 Washington Redskins 1987 Washington Redskins 1991 Washington Redskins 1992 Washington Redskins 1996 Washington Redskins 2000 Washington Redskins 2001 Washington Redskins 2003 |
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08-06-2004, 04:11 PM
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#220 |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Willow Glen, CA
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 1984 Niners losing handily to the 2003 Broncos? That's horrible. The 1984 49ers were one of the top 5 teams in NFL history, in my opinion.But that's why they play the games
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Every time a Dodger scores a run, an angel has its wings ripped off by a demon, and is forced to tearfully beg the demon to cauterize the wounds.The demon will refuse, and the sobbing angel will lie in a puddle of angel blood and feathers for eternity, wondering why the Dodgers are allowed to score runs.That’s not me talking: that’s science. McCoveyChronicles.com. |
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08-06-2004, 04:34 PM
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#221 |
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The boy who cried Trout
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: TX
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Geaux Saints!
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08-06-2004, 09:04 PM
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#222 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Again, it's the normalization factor with the 1984 49ers. They give up 8 points just by being from the 80s. Without it, they're 6-point favorites in Denver and two touchdown favorites at home. I've wondered if normalization should be more by team than by era. I do think the 1984 49ers should have been better-rated against the 2003 Broncos than they were, and should rate very well against just about everyone from 2003 except maybe the Patriots, but again, I'm not certain how to justify it. Perhaps a scale whereby the teams that are .500 or so get the normalization that has been assigned, while teams that finish better or worse get scaled up or down accordingly in some manner? It'd be some work to have to re-do those numbers, but if I run another tournament, I may consider doing it.
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08-06-2004, 09:07 PM
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#223 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Grafton, WI
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Go Vikings. Still 15 teams in. Yoohoo!
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08-06-2004, 09:07 PM
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#224 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Oh, and another thing, the Niners should have won the series anyway, but they gave away the game at Candlestick and then had their clocks cleaned in Denver. They went slightly lower than average (expected 21, got 16), while Denver was well above expectations (expected 23, got 34). Just how the dice roll sometimes. Had they got the split, they would have been two-point favorites in the neutral site game, still not a sure bet.
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08-08-2004, 02:05 PM
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#225 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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The census tally is in after round three:
256 teams left Most teams left: 1. Minnesota Vikings--16 2 (tie). Dallas Cowboys--14 2 (tie). Green Bay Packers--14 4. Kansas City Chiefs--13 Fewest teams left (pre-1995 franchises only): 24 (tie). Atlanta Falcons--4 24 (tie). Baltimore Ravens--4 24 (tie). Cincinnati Bengals--4 24 (tie). New York Jets--4 24 (tie). Tampa Bay Buccaneers--4 Fewest teams lost (pre-1995 franchises only): 1. Seattle Seahawks--22 2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers--24 3 (tie). Miami Dolphins--27 3 (tie). Minnesota Vikings--27 Most teams lost (pre-1995 franchises only): 23 (tie). Chicago Bears--55 23 (tie). Chicago/St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals--55 23 (tie). Philadelphia Eagles--55 26. New York Giants--57 27 (tie). Detroit Lions--58 27 (tie). Pittsburgh Steelers--58 Best percentage of teams left (pre-1995 franchises): 1. Minnesota Vikings--37.2% (16 of 43) 2. Dallas Cowboys--31.8% (14 of 44) 3. Kansas City Chiefs--29.5% (13 of 44) 4. Miami Dolphins--28.9% (11 of 38) Worst percentage of teams left (pre-1995 franchises): 25. Atlanta Falcons--10.5% (4 of 38) 26 (tie). Detroit Lions--9.4% (6 of 64) 27 (tie). Pittsburgh Steelers--9.4% (6 of 64) 28. New York Jets--9.1% (4 of 44) Stats of post-1995 expansion teams: Carolina Panthers: 5 teams left (23rd), 4 teams out (2nd), 55.6% (1st) Jacksonville Jaguars: 5 teams left (23rd), 4 teams out (2nd), 55.6% (1st) Baltimore Ravens: 4 teams left (27th), 4 teams out (2nd), 50% (3rd) Houston Texans: 0 teams in (32nd), 2 teams out (1st), 0% (32nd) Season with the most teams left: 2000 (16 left) Seasons with the fewest teams still left: 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1971, 1979 Seasons that have been wiped out: 1937-1955, 1957, 1965-1967, 1974 Teams left, by decade: 1937-1939--0 1940-1949--0 1950-1959--3 1960-1969--12 (15 pre-merger teams total) 1970-1979--28 1980-1989--52 1990-1999--101 2000-2003--58 (241 post-merger teams total) NFL Champions 1937-1965 still playing: 5--1958 Baltimore Colts, 1959 Baltimore Colts, 1961 Green Bay Packers, 1962 Green Bay Packers, 1963 Green Bay Packers (21 eliminated) Super Bowl Champions still playing: 22: 1969 Kansas City Chiefs (IV), 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers (X), 1977 Dallas Cowboys (XII), 1982 Washington Redskins (XVII), 1985 Chicago Bears (XX), 1986 New York Giants (XXI), 1987 Washington Redskins (XXII), 1988 San Francisco 49ers (XXIII), 1989 San Francisco 49ers (XXIV), 1991 Washington Redskins (XXVI), 1992 Dallas Cowboys (XXVII), 1993 Dallas Cowboys (XXVIII), 1994 San Francisco 49ers (XXIX), 1995 Dallas Cowboys (XXX), 1996 Green Bay Packers (XXXI), 1997 Denver Broncos (XXXII), 1998 Denver Broncos (XXXIII), 1999 St. Louis Rams (XXXIV), 2000 Baltimore Ravens (XXXV), 2001 New England Patriots (XXXVI), 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (XXXVII), 2003 New England Patriots (XXXVIII) (16 eliminated) Non-NFL leagues: AAFC: all teams eliminated USFL: all teams eliminated AFL: 2 teams left (1969 Kansas City Chiefs, 1968 Oakland Raiders) |
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08-08-2004, 05:09 PM
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#226 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Houston!
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Looking at those stats, it's pretty clear the normalization of the last 4 years needs to be tweaked if you run it again. We're supposedly in the non-dynasty age where great teams rarely exist yet the percentage of teams is the highest out there. Granted, I suppose that would also lead one to believe that there is more mediocrity and thus a larger percentage of "ok" teams than in years past rather than quite a few elite teams and quite a few just plain awful teams.
Also, I'd like to have seen some of those older teams given more of a fighting shot- they were toasted and I'd like to see, say, the 1942 Bears still in there, slugging it out against, say, the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. I'm not sure how to address this but to possibly normalize it so there is an even sprinkling from all decades or at least not so unbalanced. Don't get me wrong, I really love the idea and the implementation of this tourney, but these are just some thoughts if you were going to do this again. SI
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Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" |
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08-08-2004, 09:31 PM
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#227 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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I can buy that. I've had to reconsider renormalizing by team because I realized that would disrupt the single-season ratings since these teams are rated more or less against one another for a given season and normalization was something concocted to balance differing eras. For example, the 1992 Cowboys would have received some sort of normalization bonus against the 1992 49ers in the last round if I factored in them winning a Super Bowl or something like that, so it's a non-starter.
Now, as to whether there is eight points' worth of difference between 1984 and 2003 or 16 points worth between 1937 and 2003, I really don't know. I suppose a shorter slope (say, 1 to 10, rather than 1 to 17) would aid the older teams more, but finding where the changes should occur between levels and making sure it seems to work properly would be the questions to arise. |
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08-09-2004, 10:18 AM
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#228 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Further thought: I realized this morning I wouldn't necessarily have to re-jigger the numbers completely. I could just scale the numbers that already exist. Perhaps reduce by 50% or 66% or 75%. In other words, if a team had normalization of 17, they'd be reduced to 9 if I went to 50%. In this way, the normalization would still exist, but the older teams would have a greater chance of success. Then again, it also increases the chance of success for USFL teams.
I've also wondered whether I should adjust this now and go forward with it as a sort of test run or keep the rules constant and have teams continue with their current ratings. In between rounds looks like a good point to ask for opinions. Thoughts? |
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08-09-2004, 10:50 AM
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#229 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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For informational purposes, here's how the normalization ratings break down by year, as well as scaled ratings based on 50, 66, and 75% reductions. For the non-NFL leagues, the numbers in parens indicate the NFL's grade for the same year.
Code:
Essentially, normalization affects outcome by taking the difference between two years and adding it to one team and subtracting it for the other, so this means the difference, for example, between a team from 1965 (N=10) and a team from 1975 (N=12) will give two points to the 1975 team (12-10=2), while taking two points from the 1965 team, essentially a four-point gain for the 1975 team. |
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08-10-2004, 10:49 AM
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#230 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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I've done some studying of the effects of changing the normalization, using extremes as guinea pigs by pitting the 1937 NFL champion Redskins (N=1) against the 2003 Patriots (N=17) in 10,000 neutral site games, no ties allowed.
Present normalization: New England wins 10,000-0 75% normalization (NE N=13): New England wins 9,981-19 66% normalization (NE N=11): New England wins 9,977-23 58% normalization (NE N=10): New England wins 9,934-66 50% normalization (NE N=9): New England wins 9,750-250 Based on this unscientific result, it would seem the 66% change didn't work correctly compared to the other changes, but actually it did. The reason is that the change between 75 and 66 percent was not enough to affect final scoring abilities between the two percentages (i.e. the teams would have scored points at the same rate at 75% as at 66% in this example). I also ran similar checks against 1984 San Francisco and 2003 Denver. In that arrangement, the Niners won usually about 60-63% of the time if normalization were left alone or at 75%. At 66%, the scoring grades changed and San Francisco won at about 72%. Since the normalization difference was the same at 66%, 58%, and 50% (difference of two), the scoring abilities would have remained unchanged below that number and consequently the 49ers would continue to have won ~72% of the time. So, I guess a question would be, is it possible or accurate that the 1937 Redskins would never have won against the 2003 Patriots, even if they played 10,000 games? I'm inclined to think not, simply because there just will be a game where it just falls apart for the Patriots. Over 10,000, there should be a few such games, so right now I'm thinking perhaps either 58% or 66% will be enough to make older teams better without throwing the system completely off-kilter. Thoughts? |
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08-10-2004, 11:06 AM
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#231 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Houston!
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Quote:
I acutally like the 50% normalization because I think even a 97.5:2.5 split between two teams is unfair to the '37 Redskins but it's better than 99.3:0.6. That's a ratio I'd expect between the Patriots and the *worst* team in 1937 because even they have a slim but nonzero chance of winning. Again, I'm not sure if you want to mess with this now or if you run this a second time since we've been playing by one set or rules so far. SI
__________________
Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" |
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08-10-2004, 12:20 PM
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#232 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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What would you judge to be a fair assessment of the 1937 Redskins against the 2003 Patriots (i.e. what would you think to be the preferred ratio)?
At what point do we allow that the modern techniques of football have produced superior teams to those of the past and that no matter how great those 1941 Bears or 1958 Colts are, they don't have the stamina or the skill or the speed to keep up with the 2003 Patriots or the 1999 Rams? I'm inclined to change it at this point because it's not something that will only affect a few, but everyone playing (yes, it is somewhat unfair to those older teams that lost under the current arrangement, but then again all those bugs I had earlier were also unfair). |
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08-11-2004, 11:01 AM
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#233 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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After some deliberation, I've decided to scale the normalization grades down to a 1-10 range from 1-17, so all teams have been proportionally adjusted (basically 59% of original grade, rounded off). Hopefully this will thin the herd of average teams from the current era some while allowing some of the better older teams a chance to advance.
I've also made the draw for round four. I will do this in eight batches of 16 pairings each. Here are the pairings for group one: Code:
Headliner: 1964 Baltimore vs. 1963 Green Bay *We're going old-school with this one. The Colts rang up a 12-2 mark in 1964 and won the NFL Western Conference, but were shut out by Cleveland 27-0 in the championship game. The Packers went 11-2-1 in 1963, but that wasn't good enough to qualify for a shot at the NFL title. Why? Both losses were to the rival Bears, who won the NFL championship in 1963. It figures to be cold, nasty, brutish, but probably not short. Other playoff team matchups: *1988 Buffalo (AFC East champs) vs. 1973 Oakland (AFC West champs) *1991 LA Raiders (AFC wild card) vs. 1998 New England (AFC wild card) *1990 Philadelphia (NFC wild card) vs. 1994 Dallas (NFC East champs) *2003 Indianapolis (AFC South champs) vs. 1993 Kansas City (AFC West champs) *1989 New York Giants (NFC East champs) vs. 2001 Philadelphia (NFC East champs) Whereas last round featured matchups of horrid teams, this round, I'm choosing lopsided ones (simply because the horrid teams are running out of other horrid teams to play): Hide the women and children, this could get ugly: 1998 Minnesota vs. 1986 San Diego *The most potent offense in the history of the NFL, a team brandishing a 15-1 record and a seriously PO'ed attitude at being robbed of greatest-ever status by Atlanta in the playoffs gets to take on...a 4-12 squad that one its first game of the year and then lost the next eight, usually badly. Their only other wins were an upset of Denver and two sad-sack games against 5-11 Houston and 3-13 Indianapolis. Did we mention the Vikings lighting up a much better 1984 Raiders team in the last round 99-34? Last edited by Wolfpack : 08-11-2004 at 11:04 AM. |
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08-11-2004, 11:34 AM
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#234 |
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General Manager
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: The Town of Flower Mound
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Can't wait to kick the crap out of the Geagles...
__________________
UTEP Miners!!! I solemnly swear to never cheer for TO |
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08-16-2004, 09:59 AM
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#235 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Work quiets down again and so we move forward. Game ones from the first group:
Code:
Headliner: 1964 Baltimore at 1963 Green Bay Code:
Other playoff team matchups *1988 Buffalo 14, 1973 Oakland 7 (Buffalo leads series 1-0) *1998 New England 37, 1991 LA Raiders 13 (New England leads series 1-0) *1994 Dallas 35, 1990 Philadelphia 30 (Dallas leads series 1-0) *2003 Indianapolis 33, 1993 Kansas City 17 (Indianapolis leads series 1-0) *2001 Philadelphia 19, 1989 New York Giants 15 (Philadelphia leads series 1-0) Upsets in game one *1988 Buffalo 14, 1973 Oakland 7 (Oakland -2) *2000 Green Bay 37, 2003 Kansas City 27 (Kansas City -10) *1968 Cleveland 37, 1993 New Orleans 14 (New Orleans -1) Hide the women and children, this could get ugly *1998 Minnesota 66(!), 1986 San Diego 14 (clearly a case of RUTS, as the Vikings actually put up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter) |
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08-16-2004, 10:13 AM
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#236 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Game twos:
Code:
Headliner: 1963 Green Bay at 1964 Baltimore Code:
Other playoff team matchups: *1988 Buffalo 27, 1973 Oakland 21 (OT) (Buffalo wins series 2-0) *1991 LA Raiders 35, 1998 New England 7 (series tied 1-1) *1990 Philadelphia 17, 1994 Dallas 16 (series tied 1-1) *1993 Kansas City 28, 2003 Indianapolis 26 (series tied 1-1) *1989 New York Giants 19, 2001 Philadelphia 16 (OT) (series tied 1-1) Upsets in game two: *1991 LA Raiders 35, 1998 New England 7 (New England -1) *1996 San Francisco 25, 1989 New Orleans 23 (New Orleans -3) *1993 Kansas City 28, 2003 Indianapolis 26 (Indianapolis -10) *2000 Seattle 17, 1996 Washington 6 (Washington -1) Hide the women and children, this could get ugly: *1998 Minnesota 57, 1986 San Diego 10 (for those tracking such things, the combined points for the series: 1998 Minnesota 123, 1986 San Diego 24) |
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08-16-2004, 10:27 AM
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#237 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Game threes:
Code:
Headliner: 1964 Baltimore vs. 1963 Green Bay Code:
Other playoff team matchups: *1998 New England 24, 1991 LA Raiders 7 (New England wins series 2-1) *1990 Philadelphia 20, 1994 Dallas 3 (Philadelphia wins series 2-1) *1993 Kansas City 34, 2003 Indianapolis 20 (Kansas City wins series 2-1) *2001 Philadelphia 15, 1989 New York Giants 14 (Philadelphia wins series 2-1) Upsets in game three: *1990 Philadelphia 20, 1994 Dallas 3 (Dallas -4) (SERIES UPSET) *1993 Kansas City 34, 2003 Indianapolis 20 (Indianapolis -6) (SERIES UPSET) *2000 Seattle 12, 1996 Washington 10 (Washington -5) (SERIES UPSET) BTW, here's something to rile the Cowboys fans reading: Dallas lost the series against Philly because they blew an extra point in game two. Philly lead 17-10 late, but Dallas scored on a 23-yard touchdown run to make it 17-16. Something bad happened on the XP and they didn't get it, allowing the Eagles to escape with the win. Yikes. |
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08-16-2004, 11:26 AM
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#238 |
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General Manager
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: The Town of Flower Mound
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Grrrr...
Fuckin' Eagles. And who was our kicker that year? Eddie Murray? Chris Boniol? Yeah, fuckin' Boniol...
__________________
UTEP Miners!!! I solemnly swear to never cheer for TO |
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08-16-2004, 12:35 PM
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#239 |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Willow Glen, CA
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__________________
Every time a Dodger scores a run, an angel has its wings ripped off by a demon, and is forced to tearfully beg the demon to cauterize the wounds.The demon will refuse, and the sobbing angel will lie in a puddle of angel blood and feathers for eternity, wondering why the Dodgers are allowed to score runs.That’s not me talking: that’s science. McCoveyChronicles.com. |
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08-17-2004, 10:18 AM
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#240 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Group two pairings:
Code:
Headliner: 1988 Philadelphia vs. 1999 Jacksonville *Tough choice to make. No matchups stood out in this group, IMO. I selected this one because of the combined win total (24), but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Jags sweep out the Eagles with ease. Other playoff team matchups: *1973 LA Rams (NFC West champs) vs. 1992 Kansas City (AFC wild card) *1993 Green Bay (NFC wild card) vs. 1987 New Orleans (NFC wild card) *2002 Indianapolis (AFC wild card) vs. 1985 New York Jets (AFC wild card) *1982 LA Raiders (AFC playoff team) vs. 1999 Dallas (NFC wild card) Hide the women and children, this could get ugly 1990 New England vs. 1975 Miami *At least I hope this gets ugly. The 1-15 Patriots have eluded defeat and have become a Cinderella story in the tournament. Up for opposition is the 1975 Dolphins, a team that went 10-4, but got swept by the Colts to not only lose the division, but lose a playoff spot (there was only one wild card team per conference in 1975). |
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08-17-2004, 10:44 AM
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#241 |
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College Starter
Join Date: Dec 2001
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Can you do a quick tournament without normalization someday? I am a firm believer on judging a team's greatness in relation to their peers and their era. Obviously the last place team in the NFL in 2004 would wipe the floor with the 1954 champions. But that's not what I'm interested in.
__________________
The one thing all your failed relationships have in common is you. The Barking Carnival (Longhorn-centered sports blog) College Football Adjusted Stats and Ratings |
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08-17-2004, 12:36 PM
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#242 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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I could. Not sure when, though. It's taken me a while to get through this tourney even with the bulk game playing util I wrote. (Of course, if I didn't bother with writing it up, it'd go a lot faster...
)While I'm taking the request under advisement, would you want USFL, AAFC, and AFL teams in the mix or no? |
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08-17-2004, 08:48 PM
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#243 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Houston!
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Quote:
Let 'em all play! Speaking of which, do you have a list of every team in all groups without normalization. Also, would there be normalization between leagues (i.e. the NFL being slightly superior, etc)? Who would be the best? SI
__________________
Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" |
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08-17-2004, 11:21 PM
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#244 |
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College Starter
Join Date: Dec 2001
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Well, one thing I do agree with is normalization across different leagues. Just not between different years.
Wouldn't want to see the Round Rock Express competing with the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates simply because they dominated the 2000 Texas League.
__________________
The one thing all your failed relationships have in common is you. The Barking Carnival (Longhorn-centered sports blog) College Football Adjusted Stats and Ratings |
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08-18-2004, 01:13 PM
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#245 | |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Quote:
Essentially, I can zero out all the normalization grades in my CSV file and it would do the same thing. I assume that is what you are getting at. And, what would you two think should be the balancing normalization rating between the four leagues? Of the four, the AFL (at least from 1966-1969) should probably be on the level of the NFL. The others I have no clue. The game's creator marked them down pretty stiffly, though, especially the USFL. |
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08-18-2004, 04:46 PM
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#246 |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Big Ten Country
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Where are the 1970 HFL New England Patriots?
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08-19-2004, 09:49 AM
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#247 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Game one scores:
Code:
Headliner: 1988 Philadelphia at 1999 Jacksonville Code:
Other playoff team matchups: *1992 Kansas City 35, 1973 LA Rams 33 (Kansas City leads series 1-0) *1993 Green Bay 31, 1987 New Orleans 17 (Green Bay leads series 1-0) *1985 New York Jets 24, 2002 Indianapolis 22 (Jets lead series 1-0) *1999 Dallas 38, 1982 LA Raiders 28 (Dallas leads series 1-0) Upsets in game one: *1988 New England 27, 1986 Cleveland 3 (Cleveland -2) *2002 Baltimore 21, 1976 Washington 11 (Washington -5) *1992 Kansas City 35, 1973 LA Rams 33 (Rams -2) *1981 Dallas 17, 1995 Oakland 14 (Oakland -3) *1993 Green Bay 31, 1987 New Orleans 19 (New Orleans -7) Hide the women and children, this could get ugly: *1975 Miami 19, 1990 New England 7 (Miami leads series 1-0) |
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08-19-2004, 09:59 AM
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#248 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Game two scores:
Code:
Headliner: 1988 Philadelphia at 1999 Jacksonville Code:
Other playoff team matchups: *1992 Kansas City 19, 1973 LA Rams 18 (Kansas City wins series 2-0) *1987 New Orleans 30, 1993 Green Bay 27 (Series tied 1-1) *1985 New York Jets 24, 2002 Indianapolis 14 (Jets win series 2-0) *1982 LA Raiders 30, 1999 Dallas 20 (Series tied 1-1) Upsets in game two: *1976 Washington 17, 2002 Baltimore 7 (Baltimore -3) *1971 St. Louis Cardinals 23, 1978 Denver 17 (Denver -6) *1992 Kansas City 19, 1973 LA Rams 18 (Rams -10) (SERIES UPSET) *1995 Oakland 27, 1981 Dallas 16 (Dallas -5) *1987 New Orleans 30, 1993 Green Bay 27 (Green Bay -1) *1985 New York Jets 24, 2002 Indianapolis 14 (Indianapolis -2) *2002 New Orleans 38, 2000 Oakland 32 (OT) (Oakland -3) *1980 Tampa Bay 24, 1980 Green Bay 14 (Green Bay -1) Hide the women and children, this could get ugly: *1975 Miami 17, 1990 New England 0 (Miami wins series 2-0) *Series score: 1975 Miami 36, 1990 New England 7 Last edited by Wolfpack : 08-19-2004 at 10:00 AM. |
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08-19-2004, 10:10 AM
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#249 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Game three results:
Code:
Matchups involving playoff teams: *1987 New Orleans 43, 1993 Green Bay 22 (New Orleans wins series 2-1) *1982 LA Raiders 37, 1999 Dallas 27 (Raiders win series 2-1) Upsets in game three: *1988 New England 24, 1986 Cleveland 17 (Cleveland -6) (SERIES UPSET) |
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08-24-2004, 09:34 AM
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#250 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Group three pairings:
Code:
Headliner: 1969 Minnesota vs. 1980 Atlanta *Plenty of great matchups in this group. It was hard to choose one. The 1969 Vikings were a strong NFL club that rolled to a 12-2 mark and were expected to make mincemeat of the Chiefs in Super Bowl IV. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Instead the Vikings ended up losing the first of four Super Bowl appearances over the next decade. On the other side of the field is considered to be, until 1998, the greatest team in Atlanta's sorry franchise history, the 12-4 NFC West champs of 1980. They even earned a first-round bye in the playoffs that year, but squandered it with a 30-27 loss to Dallas at home in the division round. A duel of teams with unfulfilled expectations awaits. Other playoff team matchups: *1993 Houston (AFC Central champs) vs. 1987 Cleveland (AFC Central champs) *1985 New York Giants (NFC wild card) vs. 1994 New England (AFC wild card) *1996 Dallas (NFC East champs) vs. 1968 Oakland (AFL West champs) *2000 St. Louis Rams (NFC wild card) vs. 1997 Jacksonville (AFC wild card) *1992 Minnesota (NFC Central champs) vs. 2003 Carolina (NFC champs) *2001 Tampa Bay (NFC wild card) vs. 1983 LA Rams (NFC wild card) Hide the women and children, this could get ugly: 1968 Baltimore Colts vs. 2001 Jacksonville *One of the all-time great teams takes on a middling team from the modern era. The 1968 Colts lost once in the regular season and lost once in the playoffs. Unfortunately, that loss came in Super Bowl III against the Jets, whom they were expected to crush with ease. The Jaguars of 2001 were a far cry from the dominating Jags teams of the late 90s as the franchise slipped down the slope to where they are today. This should be a good test of whether the restructured normalization ratings have an impact. Before, the Colts were giving up 14 points to the Jags due to normalization. Now it's down to 8 points, which should at least give the Colts a much better chance of advancing against a more average team from the current era. |
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