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Tom Mantzouranis: Where to begin discussing the worst team in the NFL? There are two winless squads and a number of others who appear lost. I have to watch two of the most offensive -- the Rams and 49ers -- on a weekly basis, and the decision between those two is a tough one. By appearances, they're the same team -- overwhelmed coach, terrible offensive line, injured backfield, lack of vertical game, decent defenses made to look worse by their ineffective offenses, imploding morale.
The 49ers have two more wins than the Rams, but they also haven't had to face quite the adversity the Rams have. Things have gone freakishly bad for St. Louis, particularly on the offensive line, where three guys out for the year, six of the nine on the opening day roster have missed time, and no one is playing in the original spot they began the season at. They've also missed both starting corners, a handful of receivers, and a starting linebacker at points this season, not to mention only getting one quarter out of Steven Jackson in the last five weeks. I think the Red Sox have outscored both in the last two months. That being said, the Rams rank above the 49ers in almost every relevant offensive and defensive category despite the injuries. Granted, there's not a lot of separation between the two, but the Rams prevail nonetheless. The 49ers might be the worst team in the league.
Sportz Assassin: How can a team ... or franchise ... not be worse than the Miami Dolphins?
They decided that Daunte Culpepper wasn't good enough, nor drafting Brady Quinn, so they bring in an aging Trent Green who missed most of 2006 with a violent concussion. Now, none of them are there and the guy that is supposed to be "the future" ... John Beck ... is watching a guy named Cleo Lemon eat up his minutes.
The same team that decided Wes Welker and Sammy Morris weren't worth it. The same team that walked the tightrope with having nothing backing up Ronnie Brown, and are paying for it now. The same team that has the 2006 Defensive Player of the Year, yet are allowing the most points in the NFL. The same team that unceremoniously dumped their top receiver, Chris Chambers, to the Chargers. The same team that has a satellite named Ricky Williams still orbiting the organization. The same team that had its coach swear he's staying and then bolt for Alabama just weeks later.
The same team that has had one home game moved to London and another game delayed by lightning.
As for on the field ... this is an 0-8 team that hasn't reached its nadir. Their best player, Brown, is done for the season. The secondary is in shambles ... signing Lance Schulters to a 2-year deal because he had a passport ready to travel with the team to London. With Chambers dealt, the receiving corps is Marty Booker and Ted Ginn. Of their remaining 8 games ... only three are against losing teams. Two of them are the Eagles and Bengals, who are major disappointments in their own right.
JJ Cooper: Having trounced the 49ers I hearby ask that we remove the Falcons from consideration for the league's worst team. They're bad, but at least their franchise QB is headed to prison and salary cap relief (among these teams that qualifies as good news). The 49ers are stuck with Alex Smith and his massive contract for years to come.
Stephanie Stradley: As one of the few people who watched the Raiders-Texans game in its entirety instead of the Patriots-Colts game, I nominated the Raiders. They are awful at offense, defense and special teams.
At least last year's Raiders could take pride in their defense. The Texans are missing Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson. Ahman Green on one leg scored a TD on them. Backup Ron Dayne put up 122 yards. This is the same Texans team that hasn't been able to run on anyone since Johnson went down.
The Texans pass defense tends to make opposing quarterbacks look good, but Josh McCown had a QB rating under 20 for most of the game, and it might have been lower but for a fluky shanked punt. He ended up with a 36.6 rating after a Texans secondary that hasn't intercepted hardly anyone, intercepted him 3 times.
The good news and the bad news for the Raiders is that they have JaMarcus Russell. It is good and bad because they have no idea what they got, other than a #1 pick contract holdout and not wanting to see McCown on the field any more.
Josh Alper: It's hard to argue with SA's take on the Dolphins, especially since the only game the Jets have won is against that esteemed crew. That said, I'll give my Jets their props as the worst in the biz.
The scary thing is that I don't think the Jets themselves could run on the Jets. Their offensive line couldn't create holes in a tissue, which makes the 37th overall pick they traded for Thomas Jones something that they hardly miss at all. The line could have been better, of course, but they chose a principled stand on contracts over Pete Kendall. I'd say that will come back and bite them in the ass when another key player asks for a raise and forces a trade but its hard to see such a player anywhere on the roster.
Sportz: I'll throw this hat in the ring -- the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincy has been, by far, the biggest disappointment in the NFL. How can a team that throws Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmandzadeh out there every week win just two games at the halfway mark? Housh leads the NFL in receptions and trails only Randy Moss in TD grabs. He and Ocho Cinco are in the top 10 in receiving yards. So why is this team 2-6?
Easy. Defense. No one has given up more points than the Bengals, and they are 31st in overall defense. Injuries have hurt this team. Willie Anderson, Levi Jones and Rudi Johnson have all missed time off that vaunted offense. On defense, the linebackers have been wiped out. Meanwhile, Odell Thurman and Chris Henry have spent the entire season on the NFL's suspended list (Henry can begin playing this week). The defensive line already wasn't that good ... and the secondary is very, very, very young. The injuries to the linebackers have given this defense no chance to make any plays. And because that defense sucks, the offense can't get on the field (only the Browns, Bears and Niners offenses have been on the field less). There is enough talent on offense to correct this .... and THAT is how bad this defense has been.
Stephanie: Based on preseason expectations, the most disappointing teams have to be the Bengals, Jets and Rams. At least Atlanta, Miami and Raider fans pretty much knew that the season was going to be a struggle.
I think some of the difference between the teams doing well this year and the ones who are not is the large number of teams who are inexperienced or are hurt at the quarterback position. When a team is trying to figure out who their QB is going to be, or are compensating for injured QBs, it's hard to win games. And if you look at the top of the standings, most of those teams have the quarterback position figured out. Yeah, I know that seems like a "no duh" statement, but 2007 seems to be a year where there are more quarterback troubles than usual from more teams.
Tom: I definitely agree that the out-of-left-field crappiness is the worst kind, and that should ostensibly eliminate the Falcons, Dolphins, and Raiders fans from laying claim (unless they came into the season with legitimate hopes, in which case, maybe the water in those cities should be tested).
I still think the 49ers have been worse than everyone. If you want to talk about preseason expectations, the 49ers are right up there. They were maybe the most-hyped team in the offseason, treated as a sure thing despite showing no evidence of such capability.
But should expectations be considered in a team's overall crapiness? Or should we judge each team's on-the-field performance without predetermined biases? That's a discussion for another day.
Josh Alper: It's hard to argue with SA's take on the Dolphins, especially since the only game the Jets have won is against that esteemed crew. That said, I'll give my Jets their props as the worst in the biz.
The Jets are a strong contender to end up with a clean sweep as the worst defense in the NFL, and that's gotta be worth something. They are 32nd overall and in pass defense according to Football Outsiders right now which is shocking since their run defense couldn't be any worse. Making Kenny Watson look like Jim Brown isn't easy without an XBox 360, yet the Jets did it with ease. With games against the Steelers, Cowboys, Titans and Chiefs on the docket I'm pretty sure they can drop that rush ranking below the Dolphins and Raiders.
And you can add the Patriots and Browns to the teams above on the second half slate. That makes the rematch with the Dolphins crucial viewing for Mel Kiper Jr. and no one else who enjoys the game of football.
Sportz: I'll throw this hat in the ring -- the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincy has been, by far, the biggest disappointment in the NFL. How can a team that throws Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmandzadeh out there every week win just two games at the halfway mark? Housh leads the NFL in receptions and trails only Randy Moss in TD grabs. He and Ocho Cinco are in the top 10 in receiving yards. So why is this team 2-6?
Easy. Defense. No one has given up more points than the Bengals, and they are 31st in overall defense. Injuries have hurt this team. Willie Anderson, Levi Jones and Rudi Johnson have all missed time off that vaunted offense. On defense, the linebackers have been wiped out. Meanwhile, Odell Thurman and Chris Henry have spent the entire season on the NFL's suspended list (Henry can begin playing this week). The defensive line already wasn't that good ... and the secondary is very, very, very young. The injuries to the linebackers have given this defense no chance to make any plays. And because that defense sucks, the offense can't get on the field (only the Browns, Bears and Niners offenses have been on the field less). There is enough talent on offense to correct this .... and THAT is how bad this defense has been.
Stephanie: Based on preseason expectations, the most disappointing teams have to be the Bengals, Jets and Rams. At least Atlanta, Miami and Raider fans pretty much knew that the season was going to be a struggle.
In some ways, it is worse expecting that your favorite team is going to have a great season and then blows chunks, than it is when your team is picked as the preseason breakout team, and the breakout doesn't happen.
I think some of the difference between the teams doing well this year and the ones who are not is the large number of teams who are inexperienced or are hurt at the quarterback position. When a team is trying to figure out who their QB is going to be, or are compensating for injured QBs, it's hard to win games. And if you look at the top of the standings, most of those teams have the quarterback position figured out. Yeah, I know that seems like a "no duh" statement, but 2007 seems to be a year where there are more quarterback troubles than usual from more teams.
Tom: I definitely agree that the out-of-left-field crappiness is the worst kind, and that should ostensibly eliminate the Falcons, Dolphins, and Raiders fans from laying claim (unless they came into the season with legitimate hopes, in which case, maybe the water in those cities should be tested).
I still think the 49ers have been worse than everyone. If you want to talk about preseason expectations, the 49ers are right up there. They were maybe the most-hyped team in the offseason, treated as a sure thing despite showing no evidence of such capability.
But should expectations be considered in a team's overall crapiness? Or should we judge each team's on-the-field performance without predetermined biases? That's a discussion for another day.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Why aren't the Panthers or Jets on this list?
J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets
Jets. Jets are Only thing standing between Miami & 0-16
What about the Eagles ???????
I found this comment by Sportz Assassin interesting:
"The same team that decided Wes Welker and Sammy Morris weren't worth it."
Uh, SA? Sammy Morris left in free agency. Welker, a #3 WR who was a restricted free agent, was proposed an offer sheet with a poison pill provision in its language, later negotiated out by talks between Randy Mueller and Scott Pioli in exchange for a 7th round pick added to the deal.
You can make an argument that Wes Welker should have been given the maximum RFA tender: you haven't made an argument that the loss of Sammy Morris and Wes Welker are direct causes for the team's crappiness, especially since the Dolphins offense sans Welker and Morris is putting up more points per game without them than with them.
And that offensive line that you describe as "coming together?" It wouldn't be where it is without C Samson Satele, drafted with the 2nd round pick obtained in the Welker trade.
Your ignoring of Miami's horrible defensive play makes me think that you don't actually know what's going on with the team, but rather you simply finger them as the worst team due to roster turnover.
St. Louis is the worst team in the NFL. Miami is a close second, but still second.
I still think that the Panthers are one of the worst teams in the league right now despite the Dolphins and Rams 0-8 record.
The Patriots have not had one concussion this year. The commissioner is
looking into it because of the statistics that indicate something
different is being done. 70% of Patriot players have been evaluated and
fitted for problems inherent in the jaw joint.
www.mahercor.com
Miami is atthe bottom but has been producing some yardage on offense.
Dolphin owners are hanging on for the television revenue. No need to win to rake in that cash. Much more powerful than season ticket revenue. Will empty seats be enough to spark an interest in winning again? Time will tell.
buffalo wins next week ! upsetting the pats
The birds have been known to pull themselves up.....
GO EAGLES!!
I am so gay for the jets I would surp them up especially that chad pennington