Last Team to Tank a Season and Win a Super Bowl a year or two after? (1 Viewer)

[LonghornSaintsFan]

I am just curious, I know we got a lot of stat nerds on here does anyone have any idea when that happened? I know it has to have happened before. Probably not very often though., I am just trying to find something positive for the future of this team. A lot of us are down right now.

 

[Saint Jack]

Tampa turned it around in one season.
Denver in 2015.
Philadelphia won in Pederson’s second year.
Seahawks won it in Pete’s fourth year.
Also the Saints win it in Payton’s fourth year
And the Patriots won their first championship in BB’s second year.
And the ‘99 Rams turned it around in one season.

 

[LonghornSaintsFan]

Tampa turned it around in one season.
Denver in 2015.
Philadelphia won in Pederson’s second year.
Seahawks won it in Pete’s fourth year.
Also the Saints win it in Payton’s fourth year
And the Patriots won their first championship in BB’s second year.

Haha you were one of the Stat nerds I was thinking about. Thanks man. If there is one thing certain in life is anything can happen.

 

[Judge_Smails]

Just looking at the last 25 years, these are the teams that went from bottom 5 to a Super Bowl appearance in 3 years or less:

2021-2022: Bengals
2020-2021: Eagles
2016-2017: Falcons
1999-2000: Rams (won)

 

[St. Geezy]

Ok, next let’s look at how many teams have attempted the maneuver.

I’ll give you a hint, the list is next to countless.

 

[Saint Jack]

Ok, next let’s look at how many teams have attempted the maneuver.

I’ll give you a hint, the list is next to countless.

But in the NFL, everyone generally turns it around into at least a playoff appearance within 5 seasons.
After the Jets, Broncos, Panthers, and Falcons; the longest drought is three seasons.

 

[St. Widge]

Ok, next let’s look at how many teams have attempted the maneuver.

I’ll give you a hint, the list is next to countless.

I'm not sure we have a choice at this point. I don't think they will try to tank, but the losses seem inevitable this year.

Anyway, I think the common denominator for most, if not all, of those teams is that they found a franchise QB that they built around. And all the teams that attempted and failed couldn't find one. The Saints need to find one.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

Saints went from 3-13 in 2005 to NFC title game in 2006

 

[Blazing Saint]

Saints went from 3-13 in 2005 to NFC title game in 2006

Don't forget being 3-13 in 1999 to the first playoff win in 2000.

 

[Saint KayBee]

Saints went from 3-13 in 2005 to NFC title game in 2006

Not to downplay the accomplishment because they could have easily gone 11-5 if the week 17 game gave them anything to play for that season, but the 2006 NFC was one of the worst seasons-by-conference in NFL history, and certainly so since the 2002 realignment. From 2002-2019 (the four division, six qualifier era), a 10-win team has never been a 2-seed, except for that year’s Saints. This can be reviewed and confirmed year over year here: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2006/index.htm

It was so bad Rex Grossman’s Chicago Bears represented the NFC in the Super Bowl. They lost by two scores.

 

[Tulsa Saint]

The eagles sucked during Jalen Hurts first season(2020) and went 4-11-1. They won 23 games the next two seasons and nearly won a SB against the chiefs.

The bengals didn’t win but got damn close against the rams in 2022. They sucked during burrows rookie year(granted he got hurt) and were awful before.

2018 49ers were 4-12 and went 13-3 in 2019 and were dominant until Shanahan forgot to run the ball up 10 in the SB against the chiefs.

The Texans won a playoff game last year after being dismal for a while. They look like SB contenders this year.

Not quite what you asked but there’s many examples of a Super Bowl contender being born right after dismal seasons just in the past 5-6 years.

 

[kennydfresh]

I am just curious, I know we got a lot of stat nerds on here does anyone have any idea when that happened? I know it has to have happened before. Probably not very often though., I am just trying to find something positive for the future of this team. A lot of us are down right now.

Not a year later or even two, 3 is a low chance, 4 or 5 years is a good chance. If going to the super bowl was that easy everybody would be there.

 

[silverbullet]

It's not so much about tanking as it is finding a way to find the QB. Tanking is the most obvious way to get there. I mean, you could luck out and Rattler is the next Warner or maybe Purdy (who I'm not sure how good he is), but however you do it, you need to find the next Burrow, Mahomes, Daniels, etc.

 

[sammymvpknight]

I don’t know if blowing it up will lead to success. But I do know that continuing to tread water will not

 

[2024InjuryApocalypse]

I am just curious, I know we got a lot of stat nerds on here does anyone have any idea when that happened? I know it has to have happened before. Probably not very often though., I am just trying to find something positive for the future of this team. A lot of us are down right now.

I guess it depends on what you mean by tanking. If it's a bad season followed by a rebound, yeah there's a few that have been mentioned that have done it, but if you mean tanking as a clear, concerted effort to accumulate draft picks...that's different.

The Rams certainly didn't tank, the Chiefs were a playoff team when they drafted Mahomes, the Eagles had a bad year in Hurts' 1st season but he was a 2nd rounder so they didn't tank to get him, the Bucs were not a good team before 2020 but went all-in on the Brady free agent signing.

Yeah, some teams have parlayed great draft position into a Burrow or Stroud, but...other teams end up mired in misery - CLE was accumulating a ton of high-value draft picks in the early 2010s and did next to nothing with it, NYJ blew it, CAR is a mess after unloading assets for picks then using them to trade up for Bryce. Talent evaluation and coaching matters more than draft position, IMO.