Ranking the Top 10 Most Overhyped Teams of All Time
A lot of the time, it's too easy to get lost in the hype. As fans, we want to believe in our teams and everything they have to offer.
The worst part about letting all of that hype manifest is the let down we feel when our teams falter. No matter what the sport is, we've all suffered at one point as fans.
From the unbeaten New England Patriots to multiple Los Angeles Lakers teams, here, without filter, are the 10 most overhyped teams of all time.
10. 2012 Los Angeles Angels
1 of 10
In 2012, the Los Angeles Angels were in desperate need of a trip back to the playoffs. The lack of postseason baseball during the previous two years forced management to go out and spend money in order to resolve their roster woes.
The two biggest moves they made were signing one of the game's best hitters, Albert Pujols, to a 10-year contract worth $254 million and pitcher C.J. Wilson to a five-year, $77.5 million deal of his own.
The idea behind signing those two marquee names was clear: Adding one of baseball's best hitters and throwing a dominant pitcher into equation would make a team among the favorites to win the World Series.
Pundits agreed with that notion. In fact, 18 ESPN experts projected the Angels to win the World Series.
Even with an obscene amount of coin dished out, the team won just three more games than it did the previous year, missing out on the playoffs once again. Overhyped and overpaid is how we will remember the 2012 Angels.
9. 2011 Philadelphia Eagles
2 of 10
One of the things fans love the most about the NFL is the level of parity the league displays. The game is structured so that new teams have a chance to breakthrough and make a run at the playoffs.
The 2011 Philadelphia Eagles were one of those teams.
Andy Reid had crafted a roster that, on paper, looked out of this world. Michael Vick was the starting quarterback, LeSean McCoy was slugged in at halfback and with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin at wide receiver, there was no limit to what this offense could do.
Returning players weren't the only reason backup quarterback Vince Young nicknamed them the "Dream Team." The Eagles spent the prior offseason shoring up weak spots on their roster by signing cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to a five-year deal and trading for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
The "Dream Team" never could quite get it going. After starting off the season with a commanding victory over the St. Louis Rams, they dropped four games in a row.
Aside from a few flashes of brilliancecourtesy of Vick and McCoy—the Eagles finished the 2011 season at 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
8. 2012-13 Los Angeles Lakers
3 of 10
When Dwight Howard made his way over to the Los Angeles Lakers, you could feel some of that old Laker nostalgia christen the air. They had Kobe Bryant, they had Steve Nash, and they now had a dominant big man who could bring them back to the Shaquille O'Neal days.
However, things went awry almost immediately. Head coach Mike Brown was relived of his coaching duties after a slow start, which led the team to hire Mike D'Antoni as his replacement. With Nash slated to be the team's point guard, D'Antoni and his free-flowing offense arrived in the City of Angels.
The Lakers were flat and D'Antoni's system created problems for Howard. Even with Kobe averaging 27.3 points per game, the group limped to a 45-37 record.
Bryant tore his Achilles on April 12 against the Golden State Warriors, which officially put an end to the Lakers' season. After being swept by San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, Howard bolted for Houston in free agency.
The new-look Lakers were dismantled one season after "Rome" was built.
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7. 2006 San Diego Chargers
4 of 10
Sometimes it's easy to forget that the 2006 San Diego Chargers went 14-2 during the regular season and finished that year as the NFL's best team.
They were a roster juiced with talent and excellent coaching.
LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 1,815 yards and slammed home a record-setting 31 total touchdowns. In his first season as the everyday starter, Philip Rivers also stepped up to the plate. He passed for 3,388 yards, 22 touchdowns and threw just nine interceptions.
The defense didn't disappoint either. They ended allowing just 18.9 points per game that season—a number that was good enough to rank them seventh among all defenses in the league.
Through 16 games, it looked like head coach Marty Schottenheimer was finally ready to win a Super Bowl title. Then, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots came to town.
The Chargers lost that AFC Divisional game 24-21, abruptly putting a cruel end to their brilliant season. Schottenheimer was fired shortly after and replaced by Norv Turner.
6. 1986 Chicago Bears
5 of 10
The Chicago Bears team that took the field during the mid-'80s was a dominant group. Widely regarded as having one of the top defensive units of all time, the Bears rode that defense to a Super Bowl win during the 1985 season and a 14-2 record in 1986.
Their prescription for winning was simple: It was all about good defense and letting Walter Payton run wild.
Chicago's '86 season is symbolic of how challenging it is to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Even with that 14-2 record and a defense that was ranked No. 1, the Bears lost to Washington at home, 27-13, in the playoffs.
The dream of a repeat ended, despite a Herculean effort from their defense.
5. The Fab 5
6 of 10
Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, Chris Webber, Ray Jackson and Juwan Howard. Five men who will always be remembered for the time they spent together at the University of Michigan. College basketball was changed forever the moment the Fab Five stepped onto the floor.
University of Kentucky head coach John Calipari may be doing his best Fab Five impression with his yearly freshman-recruiting regimen, but none of those classes have carried as much charisma as that Michigan team.
For three seasons, those five guys formed the most entertaining team in the country. They were trendsetters with their style of play and on-court fashion. Their baggy shorts and jet-black socks were revolutionary at the time.
It's hard to deem the Fab Five as "overhyped" because of the impression they left on popular culture. But from a performance perspective, not winning an NCAA championship was clearly a let down for a team with that much talent.
4. 2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers
7 of 10
Phil Jackson's 2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers were loaded with talent. That season, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were complimented by the likes of Gary Payton and Karl Malone.
Together, this group of Hall of Famers banded together and attempted to win an NBA title. The group gelled on the floor and wound up finishing as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with a 56-26 record. Everything was going peachy until they ran into a buzz saw known as the Detroit Pistons.
The defensively charged Pistons flattened the Lakers in the NBA finals, winning the series 4-1. In each game, they held the Lakers offense to under 100 points.
The dream of Payton and Malone winning a championship in Los Angeles came to an end. Although Malone was never able to win the big one, Payton got his ring with the Miami Heat in 2006.
3. 2011 Miami Heat
8 of 10
When LeBron James left Cleveland for the cool waters of South Beach, the Miami Heat instantly became public enemy No. 1.
With Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade by his side, the "Big Three" and their team were immediately anointed as NBA champions. How could they not be? They were about to be dropped into a fairly weak Eastern Conference, and with three of the best players in the world in their prime, it was tough to find a team that could slow them down.
As we now know, the trio's first year together ended without a championship ring. They lost in the NBA finals to a veteran Dallas Mavericks squad.
The Heat would go on to win two rings and play in four consecutive finals, but that first year was a classic case of one team being overhyped. The chemistry just wasn't there that first season, and it showed against the Mavericks.
2. 2004 New York Yankees
9 of 10
The 2004 New York Yankees will forever be remembered as the team the Boston Red Sox beat in dramatic fashion to get to the World Series and eventually break the curse.
This was the team that acquired Alex Rodriguez during the offseason, won 101 games and went up 3-0 on the Sox before collapsing and losing four straight games.
When A-Rod came to the Bronx, fans figured the Yankees were a shoo-in to win the pennant and throw another World Series championship on their already plentiful shelf. As we now know, that never happened.
The comeback to shatter all comebacks took place, leaving this overhyped team in the dust. Just as a point of reference, the team's opening day payroll of $182 million was about $57 million greater than the Sox.
1. 2007 New England Patriots
10 of 10
It all comes to an end with the 2007 New England Patriots. Chasing the unbeaten Miami Dolphins of 1972, the Patriots tore up the NFL that season courtesy of their high-powered offense.
With Randy Moss stretching the field and Wes Welker catching 112 passes, Tom Brady was able to throw for 50 touchdown passes and 4,806 yards. The Patriots ended the regular season at 16-0—a mark that may never been reached again.
At 16-0, it felt like a matter of time before they won the Super Bowl. Once they got there and faced the New York Giants, that changed. Down 14-10, Eli Manning evaded pressure, broke free and ripped a pass downfield to David Tyree.
"The Helmet Catch," as we now know it, basically ended the Patriots' dream of going undefeated. A few players later, Manning hit his wide receiver Plaxico Burress in the corner of the end zone for a game-winning touchdown pass.
The perfect season went up in smoke, leaving Bill Belichick and the rest of gang stunned at the final result.
All MLB, NCAA, NBA and NFL information and stats provided by Sports-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise.
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