15 Teams That Proved 'When It Rains, It Pours'
A lot of teams have had (or are in the midst of) bad seasons recently. These 15 teams take it a step further, however. They are the physical embodiment of Murphy's Law—anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
So, what's going wrong, other than losing games, of course? Well, it's injuries, abnormally poor performances or even coaching drama (that never helps with team morale). Sometimes, it's the fact that the team is on the losing end of an inordinate amount of bad calls or unfortunate plays (see: Lions, Detroit).
For these 2015 sports teams, when it rains, it pours, folks. Let's find out who has it the worst. (I dare anyone to beat the Cleveland Browns.)
A couple of notes: The Boston Red Sox and Miami Marlins were shoo-ins until David Price, Don Mattingly and Barry Bonds came along. The Los Angeles Lakers are terrible, but the Kobe Bryant retirement parade is putting a little lipstick on the pig, for now.
Finally, about a dozen NFL teams could be on here, but for the sake of variety, only the most dismal will be included.
Let the downpour begin.
Philadelphia 76ers
1 of 15
The Philadelphia 76ers would be higher on this list, except some of their misfortune appears to be the result of an intentional "process." Still, it has not been a good year for the team or management overall, and it is hard not to feel a little sorry for the players.
The 76ers, as they rebuild under general manager Sam Hinkie, won 19 games in 2013-14, 18 in 2014-15 and just one through Dec. 9 of the 2015-16 season.
In early December, the team made a move that appeared to call Hinkie's management into question. Philly hired Jerry Colangelo, an experienced NBA executive, as chairman of basketball operations. Hinkie will still run things day to day, but according to Chris Mannix of SI.com, another league executive said, "Jerry isn't signing up with that mess unless he is getting serious input into what is going on out there."
"That mess." Nice.
As if things weren't bad enough, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reported other owners pressured NBA Commissioner Adam Silver into making the Colangelo hire happen.
Edmonton Oilers
2 of 15
The Edmonton Oilers have had a rough couple of years. They haven't won more than 30 games since the 2011-12 season. Through Dec. 9, they are off to a 12-15 start in 2015-16, but already they've had their fair share of disappointments.
In addition to the 15 losses, the Oilers suffered a devastating blow by way of injury. They started the season with a highly touted, No. 1 draft pick drumming up a lot of hopeful hype. Connor McDavid, who many are calling "Next Great One," went down with a long-term injury in November.
A management overhaul provides some hope, however, which means the Oilers aren't as woeful as some other teams on this list. Winger Matt Hendricks told Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun, "There's a lot of bad habits that are continuing to get better but it's going to take some time."
Swansea City
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As of Dec. 9, Swansea City is 15th in the Premier League standings at 3-5-7.
Portuguese striker and offseason addition Eder had just broken into the starting lineup when he suffered an elbow injury. Then, manager Garry Monk, who previously played for the team, was fired after a 3-0 loss to Leicester City.
BBC Wales football correspondent Rob Phillips summed it up: "At the end of last season Garry Monk was being touted as a potential England manager and on 30 August Swansea were in the top four after beating Manchester United 2-1. Just 11 games and only one more win later, Monk is out of a job."
To make matters worse, assistant manager Pep Clotet and coaches James Beattie and Kristian O'Leary are gone as well, necessitating an entire coaching overhaul.
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San Diego Chargers
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Sorry in advance for all the pro football teams, but seriously, what is up with the NFL?
Take the San Diego Chargers, for instance. Not only are they 3-9 through Week 13, but the team is actively trying to leave San Diego.
Injuries are a big part of the woeful season. In early November, Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com wrote, "It's hard to expect the Chargers to function with any type of consistency when they continue to lose impact players each week."
Some of those players include wide receivers Keenan Allen and Malcom Floyd and cornerbacks Jason Verrett and Patrick Robinson.
The offensive line has been an issue as well—quarterback Philip Rivers was pressured on 49 percent of his dropbacks against the Denver Broncos on December 6, according to ESPN Stats and Information (h/t Williams).
The Chargers are also 29th in the league in turnover ratio, posting a better mark than just the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys through Week 13.
Baylor Football
5 of 15
Baylor didn't have a terrible season, but in relation to their No. 4 preseason ranking, they had a rough go.
The Bears lost three games (Oklahoma, TCU and Texas), ended the season at No. 17 in the College Football Playoff rankings and will face North Carolina in the non-New Year's Day Russell Athletic Bowl. The gut-wrenching loss in double overtime to archrival TCU didn't help matters either.
Quarterback injuries were definitely the biggest issue. After leading his team to a 7-0 start, first-stringer Seth Russell suffered a season-ending neck injury in October. Just a few weeks later, true freshman backup Jarrett Stidham broke his ankle.
The team started its final regular-season game with third-stringer Chris Johnson, which is tough enough, but he experienced concussion symptoms in the first quarter and had to leave the game. Enter wide receiver Lynx Hawthorne. That's right, Baylor had to play a wide receiver at QB for most of its 23-17 loss to Texas.
After the game, coach Art Briles said, "We just have to try to salvage the year by going to a bowl game and winning the bowl game." Sad face.
An honorable mention goes to Notre Dame, which suffered an outrageous number of injuries to starters but still managed to make a New Year's Six bowl.
San Francisco 49ers
6 of 15
A lot of NFL teams have lost a lot of games this season, but few have faced as steep a decline or have gone through as much turmoil as the San Francisco 49ers (honorable mention: Baltimore Ravens). Their season has gone from bad to worse.
It all started when issues with management caused the breakup with head coach Jim Harbaugh after the 2014 season. Other offseason departures included running back Frank Gore, offensive lineman Mike Iupati and wide receiver Michael Crabtree.
The Niners are 4-8 through Week 13 and tied for last in their division. The team benched once-heralded quarterback Colin Kaepernick in November and traded tight end Vernon Davis to the Denver Broncos.
Columbus Blue Jackets
7 of 15
After an 0-7-0 start to the season, the Columbus Blue Jackets fired head coach Todd Richards and replaced him with John Tortorella.
As of Dec. 9, the team was still last in the Metropolitan Division. Still, the tide was beginning to turn under Tortorella when the Blue Jackets suffered another blow. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will miss several weeks with a lower-body injury, according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.
Jimmy Hascup of USA Today wrote the season "may be on the brink of becoming a lost cause."
Philadelphia Eagles
8 of 15
Chip Kelly was supposed to be the savior of the Philadelphia Eagles. To say things haven't exactly gone as planned would be an understatement.
During the offseason, the Eagles made a series of surprising moves, including trading quarterback Nick Foles for the injury-prone Sam Bradford.
At the time, folks in Philly wanted to believe the overhaul would work in their favor, but now Kelly's savvy looks more like lunacy.
Through Week 13, the Eagles are 5-7 (yet absurdly still in the playoff hunt). Though they're not the worst team in the league, the Eagles are certainly not meeting expectations. They gave up over 40 points two weeks in a row (to the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and Kelly's seat is as hot as any coach's right now.
Oh, and that's not even mentioning their ongoing state of being banged up (technical term). Sam Donnellon of Philly.com wrote: "The Eagles are playing their wounded. They may even lead the league in that dubious category. And it continues to show."
Detroit Tigers
9 of 15
The Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers had poor 2015 MLB seasons, but unfortunately, that's not exactly unusual.
The Detroit Tigers, on the other hand, went from being a perennial playoff team to a last-place, 74-game winner in just one season.
It wasn't necessarily about offense. The Tigers led the majors in team batting average with .270. Pitching, on the other hand, well—what was once a stellar rotation became a liability in 2015.
Chris Lott of MLive.com provided a summary of the demise. Justin Verlander struggled with injury to start the year. Per Lott, manager Brad Ausmus said: "We were expecting him and David Price to be at the top of the rotation and then Ver's out for half the season, basically. That changes a lot."
Speaking of Price, the Tigers traded him in July. Pitchers Anibal Sanchez, Alfredo Simon and Shane Greene turned in ERAs of 4.99, 5.05 and 6.88, respectively. The bullpen wasn't much better, and designated hitter Victor Martinez missed time with an injury to boot.
Manchester United
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As of Dec. 9, Manchester United was fourth in the Premier League standings, which is not bad and light-years ahead of the woeful, 14th-place Chelsea.
Unfortunately, Chelsea has something Man United doesn't—a place in the Champions League knockout round. The Reds played CSKA Moscow and PSV Eindhoven to draws, and a 3-2 loss to Wolfsburg finally ensured their exit. Needless to say, no one is happy.
Manager Louis van Gaal is taking a lot of heat, but the team has also been pretty beaten up. According to Scott Patterson of ESPN FC, Manchester United has been "ravaged by injuries," and only Newcastle has more injured players in the whole of the Premier League.
Per Jack Bezants of Mail Online, retired Man United legend Roy Keane said: "I think they lack real quality. When you think about Man United, you always associated they will have one or two special players who can produce. They seem to be lacking a few characters, a few leaders." Ouch.
This comes just weeks after Wayne Rooney missed a crucial penalty kick against Middlesbrough, ensuring his team's exit from the Capital One Cup. Headlines like this about an injured Rooney don't help, either.
Dallas Cowboys
11 of 15
The Dallas Cowboys have not been officially eliminated from playoff contention through Week 13, which is ridiculous since they're 4-8.
The season started off OK, but quarterback Tony Romo broke his collarbone in September, sending the team into a losing tailspin. Dallas lost every game sans Romo, and although he returned in November, the comeback was short-lived. Romo injured his collarbone again in Week 12, ending his regular season.
Big-time wide receiver Dez Bryant almost missed significant time due to an early-season injury.
On top of that, owner Jerry Jones continues to be a less-than-positive fixture in team news. Despite a victory against Washington on Monday Night Football, Jones was critical of head coach Jason Garrett.
Oh, and the officials haven't exactly been the Cowboys' friends, either.
Brooklyn Nets
12 of 15
The Brooklyn Nets are 6-15 through Dec. 9, dangling near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. The present is dark, and the future looks bleak.
In September, SB Nation published an analysis of the Nets' future outlook, originally provided by ESPN Insider's Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton. Behold: "Brooklyn remains in last place in the Future Power Rankings, finishing 30th in the roster and draft categories and tied for 28th in management."
Also: "The Nets are a classic example of how inexperienced ownership combined with poor management dooms a franchise."
To make matters worse, the Boston Celtics own the Nets' 2016 first-round draft pick, and rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is out eight to 10 weeks with an ankle injury, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com.
Detroit Lions
13 of 15
The Detroit Lions seem to embody the phrase, "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong."
They started the NFL season at 0-5, and even though they have improved to 4-8 through Week 13, the good times never seem to last in D-Town.
The Lions lost their Week 13 matchup against the Green Bay Packers in about the most heartbreaking way possible, as victims of a 61-yard Hail Mary completion by Aaron Rodgers. They also gave up a 20-0 lead and failed to score a touchdown in the last three quarters.
Besides that, if you didn't know any better, you might think the officials have it out for the Lions. The playoff pass interference flag that wasn't still resonates, and the hits have kept coming this season. In October, the Lions were knocking on the door of a potential game-winning touchdown when an official missed a crucial call in the end zone.
The team fired its general manager and president in November, and head coach Jim Caldwell is sitting squarely on the hot seat.
Washington Nationals
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The Washington Nationals were early favorites to win the World Series in 2015. They had a new ace in Max Scherzer and one of the best young players in the game, Bryce Harper.
Harper started off with a bang (and went on to win the National League MVP), but injury issues got to the Nats. Several key players missed significant stretches, including infielder Anthony Rendon and outfielder Jayson Werth.
Besides injuries, the performance on the field wasn't exactly stellar. In August, Dave Cameron of FanGraphs provided an analysis of the value of eight "core" players, including Rendon, Werth, Doug Fister, Ian Desmond, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Wilson Ramos and Ryan Zimmerman. In 2014, their combined WAR was 28.3, and in August 2015, it was just 0.4.
The Nats finished the season 83-79 and missed the playoffs. Manager Matt Williams lost his job as a result.
Cleveland Browns
15 of 15
Injuries, performance issues, drama with the coach—the Cleveland Browns have it all.
The team started the NFL season at 2-3, which is not great but not egregious. What is egregious is losing the next seven games and devolving to 2-10.
After a particularly embarrassing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, outside linebacker Paul Kruger said, per Matthew Florjancic of WKYC.com: "Absolutely, yeah it was, it was embarrassing. I don't know what to say about it. We got outplayed in all phases of the game."
Also, starting quarterback Josh McCown is done for the year. The team just benched offensive lineman Cameron Erving, a first-round draft pick, for poor performance. Head coach Mike Pettine's job isn't exactly secure after all of the above and unflattering comments about the culture in "the building."
That's not even mentioning the Johnny Manziel drama or the ever-growing QB tape jersey.
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