Before the current NFL season started, it seemed to be a no-brainer as to who the best and most accomplished team of the decade was.
#3: Indianapolis Colts
The NFL is a “just win, baby” league. So while the Colts are the most consistent, high-scoring and best regular season team of recent times, they have just one Super Bowl title to show for it. The Peyton Manning-led team hasn’t won a single playoff game since beating the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI in the 2006-2007 season and has won only seven playoff games in the decade so far. Call the Colts football’s version of the Atlanta Braves, if you will.
What also makes them a somewhat strong contender is that this offensive-mined team has gotten better defensively over the last few years, with Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders –- even if he’s a bit overrated — and Robert Mathis leading the charge. The Colts offense’s ability to take late-game leads and have its defense shut down opposing offenses to seal wins is what made them champions and sent its rival, the New England Patriots, home in the 2006-2007 AFC Championship game. All that said, the Colts finish third on my list due to its low winning percentage in postseason play in the 2000s. Even if the Colts win its second Super Bowl of the decade in February (and thus make me edit this thing), they can finish no higher than second place.
#2: Pittsburgh Steelers
The pluses: Ben Roethlisberger and Steeltown won two Super Bowls in four seasons in the second half of the decade (2005, 2008) and 10 postseason games overall from 2000-2008. The minuses: With average players like Kordell Stewart, Tommy Maddox and others at quarterback in the first half, the Steelers had little playoff success, including an upset home loss to the Pats in the 2001-2002 AFC Championship game. And it has missed the playoffs outright every three years since 2000 and may do so again in this decade’s final year.
However, Big Ben, ex-Steeler Joey Porter, Troy Polamalu, Hines Ward and others have led the Steelers to three AFC championship games in the last five seasons, winning two of them en route to two Super Bowls. For that, they are number two on my list.
Article comments
1 - Baritone
I'm an Indy fan, but I won't argue with your choices. The post season success of the Patriots cannot be ignored. While I certainly would not count them out this year, this season has not been stellar by Patriot standards. Their defense is perhaps most suspect.
And who can figure out the Steelers?
All the talk around Indy is if the Colts should go for the perfect season. That's always a tricky question. Going 16-0 would be great, but if say Manning went down at Buffalo, the Colt braintrust would probably be run out of town on a rail. For the Colts, Manning is the absolute key. They don't have a Matt Cassel.
As to the playoffs; with the AFC wild card still very much up in the air, the picture is unclear. Even if the Colts do manage to win out the season, I don't know that they would qualify as the clear favorite in the playoffs. The Patriots will be there and so too will the Chargers - 2 of the Colts major nemesis over the past several years.
Of course the Patriots were the clear favorite during their playoff run after the perfect season, but, as they say, shit happens.
B
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
I don't think football players are used to two weeks rest. Play the game, but don't take dumb risks. If they're afraid Peyton will get hurt, then call more running plays and fewer 5-wide formations. There are 16 games on the schedule, and everyone else is doomed to play it out, so why not them?
I know it's just a road game at the Bills, but would you rather freeze your gonads off on the bench, or actually move around a little bit on the field?
Also, with this list, I'd put Philadelphia and Tennessee at 4 and 5, in that order. Yes, neither won Super Bowls, but they reached the playoffs a bunch of times, often with fewer talent than other teams.
3 - charlie doherty
Good choice for #4 Matt - that would've been my pick too. But I would have Baltimore in there as the fifth best team of the decade thanks to their mostly consistent play defensively and a Super Bowl title in 2000. Tennessee or NYG would be #6 for me.
4 - Baritone
I tend to agree with you Matthew. From the fan's point of view, who wants to pay the kind of money it costs to attend an NFL game to see the subs play? That's like preseason.
Actually, I think they'll play the Jets to win. Depending on the outcome, then the Buffalo game will be another matter. Should they lose to the Jets, then there would be absolutely no point in exposing the team against Buffalo. Manning will play a series or two to insure he maintains his starting record. After that, hello Matt Painter.
Should they beat the Jets, then it becomes less clear. I'd want them to go for it, but they have as yet to consult me. (What are they thinking?)
There is also the Colt history of losing in the 1st round of the playoffs after a bye or resting most of the starters in the last couple of games. They lose their edge. The timing goes to hell. I say play em all.