The NFC East. It's the roughest division in all of football. Every year, every decade you can bet your bottom dollar an NFC East team will win the Super Bowl. In the 1970's it was the Dallas Cowboys. In the 1980's it was the Washington Redskins and the Cowboys, in the 1990's the New York Giants, Washington Redskins, and Dallas Cowboys won four consecutive Super Bowls from 1991 to 1994. In the 2000's the Philadelphia Eagles appeared in Super Bowl XXXIX, and the New York Giants won Super Bowl XLII in dramatic fashion. Where am I going with all this? The NFC East flat out dominates the NFL. They have won 11 Super Bowls and made an appearance in the big game 19 times. Two of the biggest rivalries in all of sports are sewn right through the heart of this division. Philadelphia/New York and Washington/Dallas are some of the fiercest rivalries in the game today. The players hate each other, the cities hate each other, and the fans hate each other. When these teams meet on the gridiron, it's more than just a game. In part one of this series, the history of these franchises will be analyzed.
1. The Dallas Cowboys
The team has appeared in more Super Bowls than any other team in history. With 8 Super Bowl Appearances and 5 Super Bowl wins, there's a reason why the claim to be "America's team." The team became members of the NFL in 1960, and won their first championship 12 years later in 1972. It became almost routine for the Cowboys and Steelers to meet in the Championship during the '70's under ledgendary coach Tom Landry. The team won 3 Super Bowls in the 1990's, but the light has dimmed for "America's team in recent years. Although always favored to win it all, the team always seems to come up short. The Cowboys have just 1 playoff win in the last 13 years.
2. The New York Giants
Although their trophy case might not be as colorful as the Cowboys, the Giants are the most recent champion from the NFC East. However, if Pre-Super Bowl Championships were included, the Giants would rank 2nd overall with 7 total NFL Championships. The Giants have been up and down throughout their franchise history. Their Super Bowl victories were in 1986 over Denver, 1990 over Buffalo, and in 2007 over the heavily-favored New England Patriots. In the 2007 season, the New England Patriots won 18 straight games and entered Super Bowl XLII undefeated. The New York Giants entered that same game as a Cinderella Wild Card team trying to pull off a miracle, and that they did, beating the Patriots 17-14 in the final seconds and dropping New England's perfect record to 18-1.
3. The Washington Redskins
One of the League's most historic teams got their first Super Bowl victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII, and two more against Denver in 1988, and Buffalo in 1992. The team was led to all three victories under Hall of Fame Coach Joe Gibbs. Although the team has had much success in the past, it has struggled more than any of it's division rivals in recent years. The 2000's were not kind to the Redskins. They had only 3 playoff appearances in the past decade, and the closest they came to a Super Bowl was in 2005, losing to Seattle as one of the final 8 teams.
4. The Philadelphia Eagles
Not much can be said for the Eagles. Although they have had so much success over the years especially in the recent decade, they have never been able to muster a Super Bowl win. They are one of the most snake-bitten franchises in the history of the game. They have only appeared on the biggest stage twice, falling to Oakland in 1981, and a heartbreaking loss to New England in the 2004 season. They have the some of the most passionate fans in sports and have been long overdue in rewarding their fans a championship.
No comments:
Post a Comment