First of all I’d like to congratulate the New Orleans Saints on not only their Super Bowl win but also for making me look totally clueless. While I sat on Super Bowl Sunday eating my Little Caesars pizza, the Saints were taking every prediction I had and completely turning them on their ear. Thanks for that New Orleans.
Anywho I got to thinking though, within the last two years we’ve seen two of the NFL’s most loveable losers finally break through and make a Super Bowl appearance. Obviously the Saints this year and the Arizona Cardinals last year. So in an attempt to make this blog a little more geographically interesting I began to wonder if this run of long time losers making the Super Bowl could maybe bode well for our two local franchises who have yet to experience the Super Bowl atmosphere.
A quick bit of NFL trivia for everyone in SportsBuzz nation -- Did you know that there are only 2 teams in the NFL who have never been to a Super Bowl but have been around since before the Super Bowl was founded. That’s right The Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions! (The Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars also have never visited the Super Bowl as a participant).
I’ll start by saying I am neither a Browns or Lions fan but for the obvious geographical reasons and the fact that they are always on television (blackouts not withstanding) I do try to keep tabs on them.
So in looking back that the 2009 Saints and the 2008 Cardinals it seems that there are several common denominators that lead up to each team making the leap to the World’s Biggest Stage. So we’ll examine them here and add in a little homegrown flavor and see just how far off the Browns and Lions might be.
1. COACHING: In 2007 the Cardinals hired a young offensive mind away from the Pittsburgh Steelers to be their Head Coach. Ken Whisenhunt. Within 2 years the Cardinals were playing for a Championship.
Likewise in 2006 the Saints hired their own young offensive mind when they hired Sean Payton away from the Dallas Cowboys. He quickly turned around the 3-13 Saints and led them to the NFC Championship before falling to the Bears. Within four years after his hire, he was the coach of the NFL Champions.
CLEVELAND: Well let’s just say the Browns have a huge and rabid fan base and I’m pretty sure every fan has an opinion of Eric Mangini. He lacks the offensive know how of Whisenhunt and Payton but he did take over the New York Jets in 2006 and guided them to the playoffs. Known more for his defensive understanding Mangini did learn from some of the best and is still in the early stages of his head coaching career. With Mike Holmgren running the show now it doesn’t bode well for Mangini if he can’t build off of the 4 game winning streak that Cleveland ended the season with.
DETROIT: In January of 2009 the Lions hired their own defensive guru, in Jim Schwartz away from the Tennessee Titans. Schwartz is still in the infancy of his head coaching career as well so it’s tough to call so far. The hiring’s of Scot Linehan as offensive coordinator and Gunther Cunningham as defensive coordinator brought some much needed experience to the coaching ranks.
EDGE: Very slight to Mangini, he’s been to the playoffs and had a taste of the experience, along with 3 Super Bowl wins with New England.
2. QUARTERBACKING -- The next thing both the Cardinals and Saints have in common is that they both plucked supposed washed up scrap heap sitting quarterbacks to run their franchises. Whisenhunt resurrected former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner and rode his quick release and solid decision making to that 08 Super Bowl run. Down in New Orleans, Payton immediately went out and grabbed former San Diego quarterback Drew Brees. We all know how that turned out.
CLEVELAND: Oh boy, if every fan has an opinion of Mangini then they also have a very vocal and very adamant opinion of the Browns quarterback situation. On one hand there is Brady Quinn, the young Notre Dame product who hasn’t seemed to be able to get over the hump. Whether it be his physical skills or the talent that is around him remains to be seen. Quinn does seem to be the logical choice as the 2010 starter, if for no other reason than the only other real option is Derek Anderson who when he wasn’t throwing the ball into the 3rd row he was throwing it into the other team’s breadbasket. Most news and rumors has Anderson getting released before a big bonus checks in early next month. So with no Anderson breathing down his neck it looks like the Browns will ride Quinn as far he can take them. Unless…. They choose to go the Cardinals/Saints route and look for that grizzled veteran. Several rumors have surfaced about a certain Eagle flying into the Dawg Pound. Could he be Mangini’s Warner or Brees?
DETROIT: This situation is pretty cut and dry. Last year Schwartz used his number one overall pick on Matthew Stafford from Georgia. 2009 was a trial by fire and Stafford took more hits than he probably ever seen at Georgia but it provided a solid learning experience. With the right weapons slowly being added Stafford could be very productive for years to come. About the only way a veteran presence makes it into the roster is if a Jake Delhomme type decides that being a mentor for a decent paycheck is worth the effort.
EDGE: Detroit! They know who their quarterback is now and for the foreseeable future. The Browns on the other hand aren’t even sure their starting quarterback is on the roster right now.
3. DRAFT: And finally the one thing every team needs to figure out to be successful: The Draft! A quick look at the Cardinals recent drafts going back to 2007 shows a health dose of starting talent, both in the early and later rounds (Dominique Rodgers Cromarty - 1st Round 08, Early Doucet 3rd Round 08, Tim Hightower - 5th Round 08, Levi Brown - 1st Round 07, Steve Breaston - 5th Round 07).
Likewise the Saints did some shrewd drafting since Payton came on board. Securing huge pieces in high rounds (Malcolm Jenkins - 1st Round 09, Sedrick Ellis - 1st Round 08, Tracy Porter - 2nd Round 08, Robert Meachum - 1st Round 07, Roman Harper - 2nd Round 07) and one very very huge gem in the latest round possible (Marques Colston - 7th Round 06)
CLEVELAND: This is where getting Holmgren to run the whole show in Cleveland is suppose to pay off. Thing is the new regime might have had a little help from the past tenants. A quick look at Cleveland’s last few attempts at drafting show a very solid talent base. 2009 saw the arrival of Alex Mack to the offensive line. In 2007 the Browns grabbed Joe Thomas, an All Pro lineman who’ll anchor the line for years to come and the aforementioned Quinn. They also grabbed cornerback Eric Wright in the second round. Digging back to 2006 finds the Browns coming up with 3 very solid talents in Kamerion Wimbley (1st), D’Qwell Jackson (2nd) and Jerome Harrison (5th). Not a bad foundation for the new front office team.
DETROIT: As with the Browns, the Lions seem to have found the right track. After finally realizing that Matt Millen’s “draft a wideout every first round for 15 years” philosophy wasn’t going to fly, they slowly started filling holes. In 2006 they drafted starting linebacker Ernie Sims. 2007 added one of the best young wideouts in the NFL in Calvin Johnson (alright sometimes drafting a wide receiver actually pays off for the Lions). In 2008 the Lions added running back Kevin Smith. The bread and butter was 2009 when the Lions grabbed Franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford, starting tight end Brandon Pettigrew and Louis Delmas.
EDGE: Well, with the uncertainty surrounding Quinn I’m going to say the Lions at this point but each team has to keep up the pace they are on. Getting Stafford, Pettigrew and Smith in 2 years is a very good foundation, but adding Joe Thomas and Alex Mack in the last 3 years is a good foundation for a very very good offensive line, which we all know is what leads to quality NFL teams.
VERDICT: The NFL prides itself on diversity and the possibility that anything can happen. If the Saints and Cardinals can make a Super Bowl then why not the Lions and Browns. At this point I’d say both teams are on the rise but I’m not sure either is ready to make a Cardinals or Saints type jump for another few years. Other factors will also play into the chances of either team. Factors like conference and divisions, injuries, schedule, etc. In the end though I can honestly sit back and be proud to say….I’m glad I am a Steelers fan!