All-time franchise rankings: down to the Final Four!

[Kadiddlehopper]

10. MIAMI DOLPHINS
"So here's what we did: we tackled the challenge of ranking the franchises from the point of view of the fans, using our Misery-to-Joy Theory of Fan Relativity. Essentially, we measured the amount of misery a franchise has forced upon its fans against the amount of celebratory games, moments and titles a franchise has gifted upon its fans."

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.co...nchise_rankings:_down_to_the_Final_Four!.html

Well at least we're number one in the AFC East!

 

[Crayons]

Green Bay #1, Cowboys #2/3, Bears #2/3

 

[jtsacksyou]

doesn't seem very high for a franchise that until recently was the most winning franchise in all of sports and the only team to ever have a complete perfect season, but then again, numbers don't count for anything when comparing the best, just ask Marino.

 

[SpaceMountain16]

10th really is pretty terrific for being only forty-two years old. I mean the teams ahead are for the most part much older. I think the Patriots are WAY over-rated at 12. You could almost consider them a laughing stock franchise before this decade.

 

[chilefin]

I think that the stats should start from 1966 when the super bowl era began. The the Dolphins should beetween 7 and 9 and the 49ers should be in the top 5.

 

[dolpns13]

10. MIAMI DOLPHINS
"So here's what we did: we tackled the challenge of ranking the franchises from the point of view of the fans, using our Misery-to-Joy Theory of Fan Relativity. Essentially, we measured the amount of misery a franchise has forced upon its fans against the amount of celebratory games, moments and titles a franchise has gifted upon its fans."

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.co...nchise_rankings:_down_to_the_Final_Four!.html

Well at least we're number one in the AFC East!

NYJUNC should love this article...

 

[rafael]

NYJUNC should love this article...

I just posted the response below to NYJUNC in another thread but I thought it would be relevant here. (You can ignore the comments about the Jets as they were in response to the other thread). I do think it's an interesting coincidence that the Dolphins were 10th in wins in the '00s and were voted 10th in that poll.

IMO the Dolphins are among the elite franchises. Though they've degraded that position over the last six years. That happens periodically to all elite franchises. GB was the best of the best for years and then was a joke for years. Dallas, Pitt, SF, etc. all went through the same thing. And I don't base being elite just on SB wins. Conference championships, Division Championships, HOF players, etc. Basically, you have to be in the conversation for being among the best for some time and you have to actually win some of those times. How long and how much is the subjective part. But no matter how you slice it the Dolphins have won a lot. Below are some stats cut and pasted from the Dolphin's site that illustrate that point.

Best Record Since NFL-AFL Merger
(regular season,1970-2006)
1. MIAMI..................................... 353 213 2 .623
2. Pittsburgh................................ 341 225 2 .602
3. Dallas...................................... 334 234 0 .588
4. Dallas...................................... 332 230 6 .590 (I think one of these Dallas listings is supposed to be Oakland)
5. San Francisco......................... 325 240 3 .575

Best Record in the ’00s
(regular season)
1. Indianapolis............................. 76 36 0 .679
2. Philadelphia............................ 75 37 0 .670
New England........................... 75 37 0 .670
4. Pittsburgh................................ 72 39 1 .647
5. Denver..................................... 70 42 0 .625
6. Baltimore................................. 67 45 0 .598
7. St.Louis.................................. 65 47 0 .580
Green Bay............................... 65 47 0 .580
9. Seattle..................................... 63 49 0 .563
10.MIAMI..................................... 60 52 0 .536

Best Record in the ’90s
(regular season)
1. San Francisco......................... 113 47 0 .706
2. Buffalo..................................... 103 57 0 .644
3. Kansas City............................. 102 58 0 .638
4. Dallas...................................... 101 59 0 .631
5. MIAMI..................................... 95 65 0 .594
6. Minnesota............................... 95 65 0 .594

Best Record in the ’80s
(regular season)
1. San Francisco......................... 104 47 1 .688
2. Washington............................. 97 55 0 .638
3. MIAMI..................................... 94 57 1 .622
4. Denver..................................... 93 58 1 .615
5. Chicago................................... 92 60 0 .605

Best Record in the ’70s
(regular season)
1. Dallas...................................... 105 39 0 .729
2. MIAMI..................................... 104 39 1 .726
3. Oakland................................... 100 38 6 .715
4. St.Louis.................................. 99 42 3 .698
5. Minnesota............................... 99 43 2 .694

Most Seasons With 10 Or More Wins Since NFL-AFL Merger
(1970-2006)
1. Dallas..................... 21
2. MIAMI................. 20
3. San Francisco............ 20
4. Denver..................... 17
5. Pittsburgh................. 17

Most Seasons With a Winning Record Since NFL-AFL Merger
(1970-2006)
1. MIAMI....................... 28
2. Pittsburgh...................... 26
3. Dallas........................... 26
4. Minnesota...................... 24
5. San Francisco................. 23

Most Division Championships Since NFL-AFL Merger
(1970-2006)
1. San Francisco................. 17
2. Pittsburgh...................... 17
3. Dallas........................... 15
4. Minnesota...................... 14
5. MIAMI........................... 12
6. Oakland......................... 12

Most Playoff Appearances Since NFL-AFL Merger
(1970-2006)
1. Dallas............................ 24
2. Minnesota....................... 22
3. Pittsburgh....................... 22
4. MIAMI............................ 21
5. San Francisco.................. 21

Most Wins On Monday Night Football Since NFL-AFL Merger
(1970-2006)
1. MIAMI............................. 39
2. Dallas............................. 39
3. San Francisco................... 37
4. Oakland........................... 36
5. Pittsburgh........................ 33

Best Home Record Since NFL-AFL Merger
(regular season,1970-2006)
1. MIAMI..................................... 203 79 1 .719
2. Pittsburgh................................ 203 80 1 .717
3. Denver..................................... 202 79 4 .716
4. Dallas...................................... 192 92 0 .676
5. Minnesota............................... 191 93 1 .672

Best Road Record Since NFL-AFL Merger
(regular season,1970-2006)
1. San Francisco......................... 150 133 1 .530
2. MIAMI..................................... 150 134 1 .528
3. Oakland................................... 141 139 4 .504
4. Dallas...................................... 142 142 0 .500
5. Pittsburgh................................ 138 145 1 .488

Best Record Within the AFC East Since NFL-AFL Merger
(regular season,1970-2006)
1. MIAMI..................................... 170 114 1 .598
2. New England........................... 147 135 0 .521
3. Buffalo..................................... 133 148 1 .473
4. N.Y.Jets.................................. 129 152 1 .459

Best Interconference Record Since NFL-AFL Merger
(regular season,1970-2006)
1. MIAMI..................................... 90 43 0 .677
2. Oakland................................... 86 51 1 .627
3. Pittsburgh................................ 79 52 1 .602
4. Dallas...................................... 75 57 0 .568
5. Denver..................................... 77 59 2 .565

Best Record in December Since NFL-AFL Merger
(regular season,1970-2006)
1. Washington ............................ 81 53 0 .605
2. MIAMI..................................... 83 55 0 .604
3. San Francisco......................... 83 56 0 .601
4. Pittsburgh................................ 80 56 0 .588
5. Green Bay............................... 79 58 1 .576

Conference Championships (1967-2008)
1. Dallas.......................................................... 7
2. Pittsburg, New England, Denver ....................... 6
3. San Francisco, Miami ..................................... 5

Super Bowl Championships (1967-2008)
1. San Francisco, Dallas, Pittsburg ....................... 5
2. Green Bay, New England, Oakland ................... 3
3. Miami, Washington, Denver, NY Giants ............. 2

What you notice from all of those win categories is that certain names are consistently among the best. Those are San Francisco, Dallas, Pittsburg, Miami, Oakland and Green Bay. New England has been elite since 1997. On the next tier you can include Minnesota, Washington and Denver. I'm sure you can make an argument for a few others, but one team you can't make an argument for is the Jets. They've simply never won enough. If you were to make a similar compilation for losses the Jets would be consistently there. The franchises simply don't compare. The Dolphins are arguably among the elite NFL franchises. The Jets are not.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

A More Realistic Ranking

These are my ranking, but my stipulation is since the first super bowl. Honestly, if I had time I'd do a point system something like this.

10 pts super bowl win
7 pts super bowl runner-up
5 pts. conference title
4 pts. conference title runner-up
3 pts. playoff appearance
2 pts. seasons with 12 or more wins
1 pt for winning season
-1 pt for losing season
-2 pts for 4 or less wins in a season

1. Dallas -- Eight super bowl appearances, five wins, many more winning seasons than losing ones.
2. Pittsburgh --- 5-1 in the super bowl, competitive in most decades
3. San Francisco -- 5-0 in super bowl. Quite a few losing season, though.
4. Miami -- Five super bowl appearances, competitive in every decade except recently. I think they still have the best winning percentage since the merger, although the Cowboys may have overtaken them.
5. New England -- Three championships and a recent dynasty. Lots of losing seasons, though.
6. Oakland -- Three championships, competitive in most eras.
7. Green Bay -- Three titles, early dynasty and competive a lot since Brett Favre.
8. Washington -- Three titles. A bit up and down though.
9. Denver -- Two super bowl titles. Very competitive since Shanahan.
10. Minnesota -- Four super bowl appearances and pretty competitive over time. No super bowl wins, however.
11. Buffalo -- Record four straight super bowl appearances. Lots of losing seasons, though.

I know I'm forgetting some team, but this is kind of off the top of my head.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

I just posted the response below to NYJUNC in another thread but I thought it would be relevant here. (You can ignore the comments about the Jets as they were in response to the other thread). I do think it's an interesting coincidence that the Dolphins were 10th in wins in the '00s and were voted 10th in that poll.

IMO the Dolphins are among the elite franchises. Though they've degraded that position over the last six years. That happens periodically to all elite franchises. GB was the best of the best for years and then was a joke for years. Dallas, Pitt, SF, etc. all went through the same thing. And I don't base being elite just on SB wins. Conference championships, Division Championships, HOF players, etc. Basically, you have to be in the conversation for being among the best for some time and you have to actually win some of those times. How long and how much is the subjective part. But no matter how you slice it the Dolphins have won a lot. Below are some stats cut and pasted from the Dolphin's site that illustrate that point.

Best Record Since NFL-AFL Merger
(regular season,1970-2006)
1. MIAMI..................................... 353 213 2 .623
2. Pittsburgh................................ 341 225 2 .602
3. Dallas...................................... 334 234 0 .588
4. Dallas...................................... 332 230 6 .590 (I think one of these Dallas listings is supposed to be Oakland)
5. San Francisco......................... 325 240 3 .575

Best Record in the ’00s
(regular season)
1. Indianapolis............................. 76 36 0 .679
2. Philadelphia............................ 75 37 0 .670
New England........................... 75 37 0 .670
4. Pittsburgh................................ 72 39 1 .647
5. Denver..................................... 70 42 0 .625
6. Baltimore................................. 67 45 0 .598
7. St.Louis.................................. 65 47 0 .580
Green Bay............................... 65 47 0 .580
9. Seattle..................................... 63 49 0 .563
10.MIAMI..................................... 60 52 0 .536

Best Record in the ’90s
(regular season)
1. San Francisco......................... 113 47 0 .706
2. Buffalo..................................... 103 57 0 .644
3. Kansas City............................. 102 58 0 .638
4. Dallas...................................... 101 59 0 .631
5. MIAMI..................................... 95 65 0 .594
6. Minnesota............................... 95 65 0 .594

Best Record in the ’80s
(regular season)
1. San Francisco......................... 104 47 1 .688
2. Washington............................. 97 55 0 .638
3. MIAMI..................................... 94 57 1 .622
4. Denver..................................... 93 58 1 .615
5. Chicago................................... 92 60 0 .605

Best Record in the ’70s
(regular season)
1. Dallas...................................... 105 39 0 .729
2. MIAMI..................................... 104 39 1 .726
3. Oakland................................... 100 38 6 .715
4. St.Louis.................................. 99 42 3 .698
5. Minnesota............................... 99 43 2 .694

Most Seasons With 10 Or More Wins Since NFL-AFL Merger
(1970-2006)
1. Dallas..................... 21
2. MIAMI................. 20
3. San Francisco............ 20
4. Denver..................... 17
5. Pittsburgh................. 17

Most Seasons With a Winning Record Since NFL-AFL Merger
(1970-2006)
1. MIAMI....................... 28
2. Pittsburgh...................... 26
3. Dallas........................... 26
4. Minnesota...................... 24
5. San Francisco................. 23

Most Division Championships Since NFL-AFL Merger
(1970-2006)
1. San Francisco................. 17
2. Pittsburgh...................... 17
3. Dallas........................... 15
4. Minnesota...................... 14
5. MIAMI........................... 12
6. Oakland......................... 12

Most Playoff Appearances Since NFL-AFL Merger
(1970-2006)
1. Dallas............................ 24
2. Minnesota....................... 22
3. Pittsburgh....................... 22
4. MIAMI............................ 21
5. San Francisco.................. 21

Most Wins On Monday Night Football Since NFL-AFL Merger
(1970-2006)
1. MIAMI............................. 39
2. Dallas............................. 39
3. San Francisco................... 37
4. Oakland........................... 36
5. Pittsburgh........................ 33

Best Home Record Since NFL-AFL Merger
(regular season,1970-2006)
1. MIAMI..................................... 203 79 1 .719
2. Pittsburgh................................ 203 80 1 .717
3. Denver..................................... 202 79 4 .716
4. Dallas...................................... 192 92 0 .676
5. Minnesota............................... 191 93 1 .672

Best Road Record Since NFL-AFL Merger
(regular season,1970-2006)
1. San Francisco......................... 150 133 1 .530
2. MIAMI..................................... 150 134 1 .528
3. Oakland................................... 141 139 4 .504
4. Dallas...................................... 142 142 0 .500
5. Pittsburgh................................ 138 145 1 .488

Best Record Within the AFC East Since NFL-AFL Merger
(regular season,1970-2006)
1. MIAMI..................................... 170 114 1 .598
2. New England........................... 147 135 0 .521
3. Buffalo..................................... 133 148 1 .473
4. N.Y.Jets.................................. 129 152 1 .459

Best Interconference Record Since NFL-AFL Merger
(regular season,1970-2006)
1. MIAMI..................................... 90 43 0 .677
2. Oakland................................... 86 51 1 .627
3. Pittsburgh................................ 79 52 1 .602
4. Dallas...................................... 75 57 0 .568
5. Denver..................................... 77 59 2 .565

Best Record in December Since NFL-AFL Merger
(regular season,1970-2006)
1. Washington ............................ 81 53 0 .605
2. MIAMI..................................... 83 55 0 .604
3. San Francisco......................... 83 56 0 .601
4. Pittsburgh................................ 80 56 0 .588
5. Green Bay............................... 79 58 1 .576

Conference Championships (1967-2008)
1. Dallas.......................................................... 7
2. Pittsburg, New England, Denver ....................... 6
3. San Francisco, Miami ..................................... 5

Super Bowl Championships (1967-2008)
1. San Francisco, Dallas, Pittsburg ....................... 5
2. Green Bay, New England, Oakland ................... 3
3. Miami, Washington, Denver, NY Giants ............. 2

What you notice from all of those win categories is that certain names are consistently among the best. Those are San Francisco, Dallas, Pittsburg, Miami, Oakland and Green Bay. New England has been elite since 1997. On the next tier you can include Minnesota, Washington and Denver. I'm sure you can make an argument for a few others, but one team you can't make an argument for is the Jets. They've simply never won enough. If you were to make a similar compilation for losses the Jets would be consistently there. The franchises simply don't compare. The Dolphins are arguably among the elite NFL franchises. The Jets are not.

Great post. Yes, Miami definitely belongs among the elite. No question about that as the numbers truly support it.

 

[dolpns13]

3. Miami, Washington, Denver, NY Giants ............. 2

What you notice from all of those win categories is that certain names are consistently among the best. Those are San Francisco, Dallas, Pittsburg, Miami, Oakland and Green Bay. New England has been elite since 1997. On the next tier you can include Minnesota, Washington and Denver. I'm sure you can make an argument for a few others, but one team you can't make an argument for is the Jets. They've simply never won enough. If you were to make a similar compilation for losses the Jets would be consistently there. The franchises simply don't compare. The Dolphins are arguably among the elite NFL franchises. The Jets are not.

the giants have 3 superbowls now

 

[#13 Rulz]

Not to slam us too bad, but with those numbers running conveniently through 2006, I'm sure we drop quite a bit in a number of those categories when you factor in the 2007 campaign at 1-15 for our beloved Dolphins. I guess that was left out to keep us at or near the top of some of those categories. :D Also worth noting is that our playoff record is a very human 20-19 to date. :shakeno:

Oh, and nothing speaks to how meaningless the regular season is than this....

Best Record in the ’70s
(regular season)
1. Dallas...................................... 105 39 0 .729
2. Miami...................................... 104 39 1 .726
3. Oakland................................... 100 38 6 .715
4. St. Louis .................................... 98 42 3 .698 (This is the LA Rams, not St. Louis Rams)
5. Minnesota.................................. 99 43 2 .694

Uh....the Steelers weren't far off the pace here (99-44-1), yet they get the four Lombardi's and are clearly the team of the decade....but are not in the top five of regular season wins. (They started out 5-9 and 6-8 in '70 and '71) I'll take winning a couple of fewer games in the decade, but hanging up the four titles over winning some regular season "championship" any day. Just ask N.E. this year.

 

[BlueFin]

NYJUNC should love this article...

Perhaps it will enlighten him.

Loved this part.............

The Jets are below .500 in the regular season, below .500 in the playoffs, below .500 on the talent and coaching front, below .500 on the list of highlight moments, and below .500 on our franchise rankings list.

 

[BlueFin]

Not to slam us too bad, but with those numbers running conveniently through 2006, I'm sure we drop quite a bit in a number of those categories when you factor in the 2007 campaign at 1-15 for our beloved Dolphins. I guess that was left out to keep us at or near the top of some of those categories. :D Also worth noting is that our playoff record is a very human 20-19 to date. :shakeno:

Oh, and nothing speaks to how meaningless the regular season is than this....

Best Record in the ’70s
(regular season)
1. Dallas...................................... 105 39 0 .729
2. Miami...................................... 104 39 1 .726
3. Oakland................................... 100 38 6 .715
4. St. Louis .................................... 98 42 3 .698 (This is the LA Rams, not St. Louis Rams)
5. Minnesota.................................. 99 43 2 .694

Uh....the Steelers weren't far off the pace here (99-44-1), yet they get the four Lombardi's and are clearly the team of the decade....but are not in the top five of regular season wins. (They started out 5-9 and 6-8 in '70 and '71) I'll take winning a couple of fewer games in the decade, but hanging up the four titles over winning some regular season "championship" any day. Just ask N.E. this year.

Well, considering that Dallas, Miami, Pittsburgh and to a lesser degree Oakland dominated the 70's I'd say the regular season was very relevent.

 

[#13 Rulz]

But more relevant.....

Pittsburgh 4
Dallas 2
Miami 2
Oakland 1
Baltimore 1

:)

 

[BlueFin]

But more relevant.....

Pittsburgh 4
Dallas 2
Miami 2
Oakland 1
Baltimore 1

:)

You just repeated what I said, I named four franchises that were at or near the top of winning percentage in the 70's, and they also won 9 out of 10 superbowls in that decade, so as I said, winning is always relevent.

:D