Atlanta
Baltimore
Denver
Houston
Seattle
San Francisco (wild cad)
Other
I saw this on another forum, and I thought it was an interesting question.
Which team would be the biggest failure if they lost in or missed the Super Bowl? I picked the six teams I think have the most pressure, but feel free to add others.
Baltimore -- Normally, winning a ring buys a team a honeymoon period. But Ravens fans and the media are freaking out about the off-season exodus which has resulted in six or seven starters and a few other key contributors leaving the team. In addition (but not related) to that, Flacco's contract only serves to change the debate from, "Is Flacco elite?" to, "Is Flacco elite enough?" If the Ravens fail to have another deep post-season run, the questions about whether a team can win built around Flacco will continue.
Denver -- The Broncos may be one of the best teams to not make a Super Bowl in a while. After making the big splash last year to bring in Manning, they got no farther than they had with Tebow. Now, they have an old quarterback and a team that was once a young up-and-comer faces a window that's shrinking faster than the Spurs'. You'd have to think this is their last shot.
Houston -- For the first 10 or so weeks of last season, the Texans looked to be the best team in the league. It went down hill quickly from there. They have fallen so far that by the time they reached the AFC Divisional Game against the Patriots, they were a heavy underdog (and deserved to be, despite my opinion at the time). They extended Schaub, which looks worse and worse as time goes by. Wade Phillips' defense has fallen off big time, and they lost a couple key players. Even though no one should be expecting much from them now, their pursuit of Ed Reed suggests it's win or bust again this season. How much longer can Kubiak hold on if he team continues to under perform.
Atlanta -- Matt Ryan's legend grows ... but in a bad way. Everywhere except for in the minds of a few people (you know who you are), the Flacco/Ryan debate has been settled. The Falcons' front office has continued to put pieces around Ryan and pump money into the defense. With Ryan's contract set to expire, one of two things will happen: Ryan will be extended this season, and the Falcons will have to justify giving money (most likely more than the Ravens gave to Flacco) to a demonstrated playoff choker; or Ryan will play out his deal, and his stock will depend on what he does. Either way, the pressure is going to be high for him and Mike Smith.
Seattle -- It's not often that a team with a second-year quarterback finds themselves in a win-now mode, but that's exactly where the Seahawks are after they spent a first (and $67 Million) to bring in Harvin and bringing in Bennett and Avril to bolster their pass rush. They have the 2011 Eagles' stink on them. I doubt anyone's on the hot seat, but the window to keep all of these players together may be getting smaller.
San Francisco (wild card) -- With a young quarterback, the 49ers' window is still wide open. They can be good for a long time. But another failed playoff run may put some doubts in people's minds. Harbaugh's act may start to wear thin if the team keeps losing composure at key times. He looks like a genius right now, but he can go the Rex route in a hurry. They have tons of draft picks (too many, actually for a team that drafts well), which puts them in good shape for the future. But after next season, Kaepernick is may be able to command a salary higher than Flacco's. If the 9ers give it to him, it will be a lot harder to keep their team together.
tl;dr: Vote
Last edited by Chinook; 03-19-2013 at 04:13 PM.
The 49ers set the bar incredibly high in Harbaugh's first 2 seasons, so they're next in line for the "Need to win a le" group. The problem is as the expectations increase, the compe ion around them (Seattle, StL) is getting stronger, DC's have some game film on the Pistol offense, and they won't get lucky 3 years in a row and have a season w/o injuries.
I agree they should have been on the list. I put them in the poll, but I didn't feel like writing a blurb on them. I may edit one in, though.
You also have to think their best chance to win is now while Kaepernick is on his rookie deal. Once he starts commanding $20 Million a year, San Francisco's depth will start to go away.
Still a lot of people in Colts Nation that think cutting Manning is a mistake until Luck rings, but 2013 Colts aren't a SB team. Playoffs, yes. SB, no.
The Niners should already be Superbowl champs, to have the current gang not win one just seems wrong. All that talent.
New England, to be honest.
I'm sure you guys will get another chance at it soon. You guys are stacked.
The Packers
Broncos because they're a few years away from going back to the post-Elway abortion they've been w/o Manning, and Patriots because Belichick probably retires when Brady does and w/o those two there's gonna be a long rebuilding process ahead.
90210 told me he might just end it if Cowboys don't win one soon, so Im gonna go with them.
That sounds more like a reason for them to not win a Super Bowl tbh
Falcons
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