Redskins always failed, Patriots came close, but only the 1994 49ers pulled it off
Getty ImagesCan Asante Samuel and the Eagles deliver a Super Bowl title with the help of all their new offseason additions?
ANALYSIS
updated 3:14 p.m. ET Aug. 31, 2011
|
The ?so called? is key. No one is really calling the Eagles a dream team: even Vince Young, who used the phrase when he first signed with the Eagles, ran full speed from the remark the first chance he got. Everyone is accusing everyone else of calling the Eagles a dream team: it?s an idea that?s ?out there,? something unsophisticated and silly that we are all reacting to ? and milking for all it?s worth.
That being said, the Eagles did something very unusual when they acquired cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, defensive linemen Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin, running back Ronnie Brown, receiver Steve Smith, quarterback Young and some lesser luminaries in the brief offseason.
Extreme personnel splurges are unusual in the NFL, where the salary cap rules and ?continuity? and ?chemistry? are buzzwords. Shopping sprees are usually the last recourse of a desperate and disjointed front office, the work of Dan Snyder or both. There have been very few attempts to create a ?dream team? by adding multiple Pro Bowlers to an established contender, and those efforts have met with mixed results.
Here?s a rundown of some other "dream team" efforts for the last two decades: who they were, how they were similar or different to the 2011 Eagles and what they can teach us.
1994 49ERS
The game plan
Desperate to get past the Cowboys, who beat them in the previous two NFC Championship games, the 49ers added Deion Sanders (though it wasn't until after the season began) and Ken Norton to their defense, throwing in linebackers Gary Plummer and Rickey Jackson for good measure. The offense, which featured? Steve Young and Jerry Rice, didn?t need much help, but Pro Bowl center Bart Oates was added to stabilize the line.
What was said then
From Bill Plaschke: In each of the last two seasons, the Cowboys have defeated the 49ers in the NFC championship game thanks, in part, to big plays by Irvin and Harper. The Cowboys always have bragged that they have a player, cornerback Kevin Smith, who is not afraid of 49er star receiver Jerry Rice. Now, with Sanders probably joining Merton Hanks in the defensive backfield while forcing shaky Eric Davis to the bench, the 49ers can return the favor.
 |
Photo: Joseph Patronite | Getty Images Deion Sanders signed with the 49ers in 1994 and helped them win Super Bowl XXIX. |
Like the 2011 Eagles
The 49ers were a perennial contender trying to get (back) over the hump. The 49ers completely overhauled their their linebacking corps in the same way the Eagles just remodeled their secondary and defensive line.
Not like like the 2011 Eagles
The 49ers' moves were, for the most part, a surgical strike designed to defeat the Cowboys: Norton?s job was to stop Emmitt Smith, Sanders was acquired to cover Michael Irvin, and so on. The Eagles are trying to improve in a more general way. The 1994 49ers were also a much better team than the current Eagles before the makeovers.
What happened?
The 49ers steamrolled the league with a 13-3 record, beat the Cowboys in the playoffs and plastered the Chargers in the Super Bowl. Norton led the team in tackles. Sanders intercepted six passes. Oates made the Pro Bowl.
The moral: Sometimes, this works.
2000 REDSKINS
The game plan
Dan Snyder used his first full offseason to introduce us to his ?Fantasy Leaguer with a Platinum Card? approach to roster management, signing Deion Sanders and Bruce Smith, plus quarterback Jeff George, running back Adrian Murrell, safety Mark Carrier and a cast of thousands.
What was said then
From Dan Pompei: What can the Redskins expect from Sanders and Smith? Less than their former teams got from them, certainly. But in the short term, at least, they should make the Redskins a better team. Especially Smith.
 |
MOLLY RILEY / Reuters Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder often made news with high-priced free-agent signings, but the moves rarely paid off. |
Like the 2011 Eagles
The acquisitions were loud and splashy, and they made the Redskins the team to talk about. There were also a lot of them, and you can draw some obvious parallels: a shut-down cornerback (Sanders, Asomugha), a troubled-but-talented backup quarterback (George, Young), and so on. The Redskins were coming off a 10-6 season and had a stocked roster thanks to outgoing general manager Charley Casserly, so they weren?t like the hapless latter-day Redskins, who are trapped on a broken-down free agent treadmill.
Not like the 2011 Eagles
Sanders and Smith were already locks for the Hall of Fame, but on the downside of their careers; most of the Eagles? newcomers are in or just entering their primes. But really, these Redskins were similar enough to the current Eagles to make the gang on Broad and Pattison a little jittery.
What happened
The Redskins went 6-2 to start the season but 2-6 down the stretch, costing Norv Turner his job. The new arrivals played reasonably well (Smith had 10 sacks, Sanders four interceptions), but the offense was ordinary, the special teams dreadful and the Redskins played the second half of the season like a pack of mercenaries waiting for their paychecks.
The moral: As soon as the Redskins learn it, they will let us know.
2004 EAGLES
The game plan
The Eagles? attempt to get over the hump after three consecutive NFC Championship losses involved more than just Terrell Owens. Defensive end Jevon Kearse also arrived that season, giving a team that went 46-18 over the previous four seasons superstar additions on offense and defense.
What was said then
From Ken Murray: After a brutal 14-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers in January's NFC title game, the Eagles finally got the big-play receiver McNabb has lacked. It took a defiant stand by Owens, a rescinded trade to the Ravens and league intervention while an arbitrator's clock ran down to get it done. On March 16, a three-team trade sent Owens from the San Francisco 49ers to the Eagles, followed by over-the-top expectations. Now all Owens has to do is produce a Super Bowl for Philadelphia.
 |
Al Messerschmidt / Getty Images Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens were brilliant on the field?during the 2004 season, but when the Eagles fell short in Super Bowl?XXXIX, their relationship soured. |
Like the 2011 Eagles
They were the Eagles (duh). The moves, particularly the complicated Owens trade, made a lot of noise and made them prohibitive favorites in the conference.
Not like the 2011 Eagles
The team Owens and Kearse joined was stronger than the current team. The Eagles now lose wild-card games, not conference championship games. The Owens-Kearse moves were much more surgical that this year?s carpet bombing, and the few secondary signings the 2004 Eagles made (such as linebacker Dhani Jones) didn?t cause much of a stir.
What happened
The Eagles reached the Super Bowl, then Owens got dippy and the team fell apart for a while.
The moral: Signing Owens is like acquiring a cursed monkey paw that grants wishes. Just ask Carson Palmer.
advertisement
More newsFive teams ruing the offseason
Tanier: A lot can go wrong for an NFL team during the offseason, and when six months of drama occur in just a five-week span, a few unwelcome surprises can leave an organization reeling.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44319206/ns/sports-nfl/
george orwell bleach wiki abbott heidi montag cox ratatouille ulcer
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.