New York Jets, Detroit Lions And The 10 Most Heartbreaking NFL Franchises
Ever thought you could do a better job being the GM of your team? Subjected to let down when your erratic choke artist QB throws a pick and costs your team the Super Bowl? Ever lose the big one four times in a row?
There are fans in every sport who live and die with their team. Of those fans, there are some who usually die with their teams.
In the NFL, there are certain franchises who either blow it when it's all on the line or have been stuck in a rut since the dawn of their franchise.
Call it snake-bitten, call it unlucky, but the real losers aren't the franchises, it's the fans.
Here's to the season tickets we've wasted money on, the tears we've cried, and the TVs we've thrown the remote at.
Let's begin with No. 10.
10: Washington Redskins
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The Washington Redskins have won three Super Bowls, making them the winningest team on this list.
Congratulations. At one time, being a Redskins fan was a wonderful thing. Beating up on the Cowboys, Joe Gibbs, Mark Rypien and Joe Theismann.
Oh those were the days.
Then Richie Petitbon took over the team, drove it into the ground, passed it off to Norv Turner, who took six years to get back to the playoffs.
Company all of that with Daniel Snyder's obsession with throwing insane amounts of money at high-profile free agents who never work out and you have yourself a heap of frustration.
But alas, the one man who can fix everything—Joe Gibbs returns.
Redskins fans quickly realized the game had passed him by and of all people, the Redskins go with Jim Zorn to take the helm.
Two years later, in comes the legendary Mike Shanahan and franchise QB Donovan McNabb, and even they managed to crash and burn in DC.
It's times like these that have to make Redskins fans think about becoming Ravens fans.
9: New York Jets
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The New York Jets are undefeated when they make it to the Super Bowl. The problem is that they have only been once.
We have all heard the story of Joe Namath guaranteeing a victory over Schula's heavily favored Colts. We've seen the highlight of Namath waiving his finger in the air going into the tunnel.
That is when the glory for the Jets ended.
The Jets have put forth solid teams, but they fluctuate year to year so badly it torments Jets fans to no end.
The Jets have been on the receiving end of blown draft picks and haven't had an elite quarterback since Broadway Joe.
Rex Ryan seems like he is a capable coach and New York is embracing him with open arms, but if they can't break through the AFC Championship wall, Ryan is going to be subject to the jeers and ruthless criticisms of Jets fans.
8: San Diego Chargers
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It's almost odd that the Chargers haven't seen a Super Bowl.
Through all of the Air Coryell teams and LaDanian Tomlinson's incredible reign in San Diego, the Chargers never quite put it together.
They've had the Hall of Fame quarterback, one of the best running backs of all-time, the best tight end ever, and the best record in the league on occasion.
For whatever reason, the Chargers not only can't win a Super Bowl, they have only been in one. In that Super Bowl, only the 49ers decided to show up.
The Chargers earn a spot on this list because they are so dominant so often, but something is always missing in the postseason.
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7: Arizona Cardinals
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The Arizona Cardinals are the oldest franchise in history—dating all the way back to 1898—and joined the NFL in 1920.
In 1947, the Cardinals won a championship. It stands as the only title in Cardinals history. In the Super Bowl era, the Cardinals have only four double-digit win seasons and six playoff appearances.
The Cardinals don't share the same frustration as Chargers fans, they are rarely relevant in the NFL discussion. Kurt Warner graced the franchise with his presence for a short while, even leading them to a Super Bowl.
In Cardinal fashion, they lost to a miraculous back of the end zone catch to cap off a last minute drive to send them packing.
Now, in the post-Warner era, the Cardinals can't even find a quarterback capable of getting the ball to one of the best receivers in the game.
Looks like Cardinals fans will have to wait another 60 or so years for another championship appearance.
6: Cincinnati Bengals
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11,8,7,4,10,4. Those aren't lottery numbers, those are the number of wins for the Bengals in each of the past six years.
The Bengals, or Bungals, as fans call them when they are playing poorly, are so inconsistent it is hard to ever get a grasp of where they are and where they are headed.
The Bengals have never won a Super Bowl. Sam Wyche had them playing at an extremely high level during the majority of his stay in Cincinnati.
Wyche even had a Super Bowl victory right in his hands, but fell victim to one of the most frustrating and unfortunate things that can happen to a team. The Bengals got Joe Montanad.
Now, under the shaky leadership of Marvin Lewis, Carson Palmer is demanding a trade, a huge portion of the team has character problems or legal troubles, and there is a good chance that their best playmaker is on his way out.
5: Philadelphia Eagles
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The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the most historic franchises in the NFL. Philly has produced greats such as the late Reggie White, the late Jerome Brown, and Donovan McNabb.
The Eagles have been in the Super Bowl discussion throughout the history of their existence, but have never been more relevant than they have been since 1988.
In that period, the Eagles have posted 15 double-digit seasons.
The McNabb era sent the Eagles to the NFC Championship three times in a row before getting the Eagles to a Super Bowl. There are rumors to this day about the quarterback throwing up in the huddle.
No matter what the Eagles do in the regular season, they always seem to let their fans down in the offseason.
Even the 2010 Eagles pumped their fan base full of hope before letting all the air out in the offseason. It's an endless cycle.
4: Cleveland Browns
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The Cleveland Browns have potentially the best football player ever in their ring of honor. What they don't have, is a Super Bowl appearance.
Every decade or so the Browns decide they are going to be a force in the NFL and Cleveland fans are some of the best and most die-hard fans in sports.
They have seen Marty Schottenheimer take them close to a Super Bowl. Even the great Bill Belichick wasn't enough in Cleveland to get them a ring.
Suddenly, the team packed up and bailed on Cleveland after the 1995 season.
Browns fans—hurt, confused, and speechless—fortunately got their team back in 1999.
The Browns, once again, have to rebuild from scratch.
3: Minnesota Vikings
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The Vikings have put forth impressive teams in every single decade of the Super Bowl era.
The team consistently puts themselves in a position to win and there have been no decade long rebuilding projects.
Unfortunately for the Vikings, they just can't seem to get over the hump as a franchise.
Four times the Vikings have gone to the Super Bowl and come up short. Minnesota is notoriously disappointing in the playoffs.
A number of times, they have even been considered a leading candidate to win it all, only to fall short in the first or second round of the playoffs.
The 1998 Minnesota Vikings went 15-1 and ended up whiffing in the playoffs.
Vikings fans are always confident in their team, as they should be. The fact that the Vikings can't put it together, even when they are the best team in the league, allows Minnesota to earn their keep as the No. 3 most frustrating franchise to be a fan of.
2: Detroit Lions
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The Detroit Lions have only produced double digit wins four times in the Super Bowl era.
Three of those 10-plus win seasons came during the Barry Sanders era. Sanders carried the Lions through the '90s, making them competitive and exciting to watch.
In one of the most painful moments in Lions history, with zero warning, Sanders retired in what can only be described as premature.
The Lions quickly returned to ruins in the 2000s.
The Lions have a history of poor coaching and mismanagement, but no one has gained more notoriety for mismanagement and draft day blunders than previous GM and team president Matt Millen.
Millen drafted four wide receivers during his reign. Only one remains on the team. Virtually none of his picks ended up being legitimate NFL starters, which ultimately led to the Lions pitting forth the worst team in NFL history in 2008.
Millen may have been gone, but the damage had been done.
After the "perfect" 0-16 season in 2008, the Lions brought in quarterback Matthew Stafford to turn things around. Since he joined the team however, Stafford has spent more time off the field than on it, due to a nagging shoulder injury.
Luckily for the Lions, they don't have to worry about Millen trading up to get A.J. Green in this year's draft.
A young team headed by Ndamukong Suh, the Lions actually have potential for success if they can intelligently build around the 2010 rookie sensation
1: Buffalo Bills
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Buffalo has some of the best fans in all of sports. Despite their woes, Buffalo has great tradition.
Philadelphia might think they have been the "always a bridesmaid never a bride" syndrome, but their four NFC Championships pale in comparison to the devastation Buffalo Bill fans have experienced
It seem unthinkable, but the Bills made it to four consecutive Super Bowls, only to come up short in all four.
As a fan, there are few things more disappointing than getting to the dance and falling short—imagine going through it four times in a row.
Buffalo has produced its fair share of talented players. Their Super Bowl runs could have turned the Bills into a dynasty, but instead made for four years of heartbreak.
No team is even close to being more historically frustrating to root for.
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