Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. You can follow him on Twitter @bradoremland.
Yesterday, I began looking at the greatest dynasties in pro football history were represented on the NFL 100 team. Today, we pick back up with the top 13 dynasties.
t9. Decatur Staleys/Chicago Bears, 1920-27
73-17-16 (.811), 1 championship, 0 title appearances
20 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: George Halas
Other HOFers: Ed Healey, George Trafton
Not a dynasty. They rate well by my system, but the system wasn’t designed for the 1920s. These were the first eight years of the NFL’s existence — actually in 1920 the league was called the APFA: American Professional Football Association. Teams not only played variable numbers of games, they regularly played against teams who weren’t even in the league. In 1921, the Louisville Brecks, Muncie Flyers, New York Brickley Giants, and Tonawanda Kardex combined to go 0-7, getting outscored by a total of 172-0.
Only four of the 12 NFL teams in 1927 were still in the league five years later. The Bears, Giants, and Packers combined to outscore their opponents 459-161 that season. In this environment, it was easy for real teams to pad their records, but the Bears only won one championship. Furthermore, ties weren’t counted towards winning percentage, so when the Bears went 6-1-4 in 1924, that counted as an .857 record, worth three dynasty points. I’m sorry, but there’s no way going 6-1-4, with two draws each against the Racine Legion and the Rock Island Independents, should earn as many dynasty points as the 2010 Patriots or the 2011 Packers.
I include this team for the sake of completeness, but subjectively, it wouldn’t make my top 30, to say nothing of tied for 9th.
t9. Green Bay Packers, 1936-43
65-19-3 (.774), 2 championships, 3 title appearances
20 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: Curly Lambeau, Don Hutson
Other HOFers: Arnie Herber, Clarke Hinkle
Like the Joe Gibbs Dynasty in Washington, this team would actually benefit from a longer period than eight years: they were NFL champions in 1944. At a time when everyone played both offense and defense, the Packers had two great QBs (Cecil Isbell and Herber), a fullback who retired as the league’s all-time leading rusher (Hinkle), two very good linemen (Buckets Goldenberg and Bill Lee), a Hall of Fame coach (Lambeau), and Don Hutson.
Hutson was more than revolutionary; he was an anomaly. It is an understatement to say that he shattered records. Around the same time, Sammy Baugh redefined ideas about what passers could do, but Hutson was so outstanding that no one even thought to replicate what he was doing. In an 11-year career, he led the NFL in receptions eight times, in receiving yards seven times, and in receiving touchdowns nine times. He was also an excellent defensive player, with 30 interceptions in the six seasons the stat was kept. He led the league in 1940 and led in INT return yards in 1943. He was also a pretty good kicker, with nearly 200 extra points made. Like his contemporary Baugh, there’s a compelling argument that he is the greatest football player who ever lived.
Hinkle was an NFL 100 finalist as a linebacker. He was a terrific all-around player (#106) and a worthy NFL 100 finalist, but I don’t think there’s any single position at which he felt like he should be a finalist. I suppose linebacker was the best fit.
t9. New York Giants, 1956-63
73-25-4 (.745), 1 championship, 6 title appearances
20 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: Roosevelt Brown
Other HOFers: Frank Gifford, Sam Huff, Andy Robustelli
Six championship appearances in eight years mark this as one of the great Eastern Conference dynasties of all time. Following a 47-7 victory in the 1956 NFL Championship Game, the Giants lost to the Colts twice (1958-59), the Packers twice (1961-62), and the Bears (1963). They collapsed pretty quickly after that, with their best players retiring, switching teams, or suffering career-altering illness and injury.
Gifford and Huff are the most famous players from this dynasty, but Brown and Robustelli were the greatest players. Rosey Brown in particular powered the dynasty: he was All-Pro all eight years, including a consensus first-team choice in 1956, ’57, ’58, ’59, and ’61. He was an obvious choice for the 100th Anniversary team.
Huff and Robustelli were also NFL 100 finalists. Huff played for the Giants from 1956-63, his tenure aligning precisely with the team’s greatest success. Robustelli, a defensive end, played for the Rams in the early ’50s, and his teams had a winning record in each of his first 13 seasons. Robustelli appeared in eight NFL title games, winning two. Very few players have such a consistent record of success.
t9. Minnesota Vikings, 1969-76
87-24-1 (.781), 0 championships, 4 title appearances
20 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: Alan Page
Other HOFers: Bud Grant, Carl Eller, Paul Krause, Fran Tarkenton, Mick Tingelhoff, Ron Yary
The Vikings have never won a Super Bowl, but they reached the title game four times in eight years. They went 11-3 or better in six of those eight seasons, and 10-4 in a seventh. Their .781 winning percentage is the 5th-best on this list.
They did it with Hall of Fame talent: Tarkenton, Tingelhoff, and Yary on offense, plus Eller, Krause, and Page on defense. All seven HOFers from this team were NFL 100 finalists. Tarkenton was the major snub, a slam-dunk top-10 QB who got passed over due to his lack of finger hardware. The others were excellent players (or coach, in Grant’s case), but not serious top 100 contenders. Eller and Tingelhoff were probably the next in line.
t9. Dallas Cowboys, 1971-78
84-30 (.737), 2 championships, 4 title appearances
20 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: Tom Landry, Roger Staubach, Randy White
Other HOFers: Mel Renfro, Rayfield Wright
The greatest dynasty in Cowboys history. The 1990s Cowboys won three championships in four years, but then disappeared. The 1970s Cowboys ruled the NFC for a decade. They won two Super Bowls, not three, but they had a winning percentage 65 points higher, and they made five Super Bowls in 10 years, the only team in history to do so until the 2011-18 Patriots.
Landry and White were slam dunks, and neither Renfro nor Wright were finalists, so Roger Staubach is the controversial pick from this team. Staubach led the league in passer rating four times, and retired with the highest rating in NFL history. He led the Cowboys to six NFC Championship Games, four Super Bowl appearances, and two titles, winning MVP of Super Bowl VI. Due to military service and injuries, though, he only played eight professional seasons. He was also never an Associated Press All-Pro, not even second-team. Those factors make him a questionable pick over Steve Young, whose knock is also that he only had eight quality seasons, and Fran Tarkenton, who played at a high level for the better part of eighteen seasons. The NFL voting was conducted way too early, but Drew Brees has a pretty persuasive case as an NFL 100 snub, too. Staubach was an exceptional player, but he’d fall just outside my all-time top 10 QBs. I would have named more than 10 quarterbacks, though, so Staubach would probably slip onto my personal #NFL100 roster anyway. He wasn’t a bad choice; rather, Brees, Tarkenton, and Young were unfortunate omissions.
8. Indianapolis Colts, 2003-10
99-29 (.773), 1 championship, 2 title appearances
21 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: Marvin Harrison, Peyton Manning, Adam Vinatieri
Other HOFers: Tony Dungy
The Colts had two 14-0 starts in eight seasons, won double-digit games every year, and finished three games above an average of 12-4 every season. They lost on the road to the eventual Super Bowl champion in the 2003, 2004, and 2005 playoffs before winning it all in 2006. They were less successful than the Patriots of the same period, but they were a dominant, dynastic team that produced a lot of wins, and perhaps as many as seven Hall of Famers: Dwight Freeney, Jeff Saturday, and Reggie Wayne are all plausible contenders for Canton.
Manning was a lock for the NFL 100 team, and I hope Marvin Harrison was an easy choice as well. If you’re skeptical of Harrison, I hope you’ll read his profile in the Greatest Players of All Time series (#47). Champ Bailey and Charles Woodson, the starting cornerbacks on the official 2000s All-Decade team, both named Harrison as the toughest receiver they played against. Dungy was an NFL 100 finalist, but not a strong contender to make the top 10 on the team.
That leaves Vinatieri. I’m glad he made the team: he’s a 3-time All-Pro who holds career records for field goals and points scored, and he’s the most accomplished postseason kicker of all time. The differences among the top kickers are relatively small. You can make reasonable cases for Lou Groza, George Blanda, Jan Stenerud, Nick Lowery, Morten Andersen, Vinatieri, and Justin Tucker. There are viable arguments for all of them, and going into conniptions over the official selections (Stenerud and Vinatieri) would be ridiculous.
7. New England Patriots, 2001-08
97-31 (.758), 3 championships, 4 title appearances
24 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Adam Vinatieri
Other HOFers: none so far
Note the large gap between the 8th-best dynasty (2003-10 Colts) and 7th-best, three dynasty points. At this point, we’re examining the best of the best dynasties. Each of the top seven won at least three championships, six of the seven made four or more title appearances, and all had winning percentages north of .750.
There’s not much to say about this team, since Belichick and Brady were obvious selections, and both are active and well-known. Vinatieri, we discussed in the Colts summary above. I hope a couple more players from this dynasty will eventually make the Hall of Fame (Logan Mankins, Richard Seymour, and Vince Wilfork, as well as Rodney Harrison, who came up one game short of qualifying for this dynasty), but none are NFL 100 snubs.
6. San Francisco 49ers, 1983-90
96-30-1 (.760), 3 championships, 3 title appearances
25 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: Bill Walsh, Ronnie Lott, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice
Other HOFers: Charles Haley
The Joe Montana 49ers won their Super Bowls over nine seasons, so there’s no eight-year period that includes them all. They were a much better team from 1989-90 (28-4) than 1981-82 (16-9), but they’d rank highly in this project either way (19 dynasty points). The earlier time period excludes Haley and Rice, meaning the 1981-88 Niners only have three Hall of Fame representatives.
With Rice included, though, the 49ers become the first dynasty to match the 1967-74 and 1976-83 Raiders with four NFL 100 members. Those Raiders teams scored 17 and 19 dynasty points, respectively, about 75% of San Francisco’s total. If we want to play devil’s advocate, is there an explanation for their equal representation? Maybe.
The Niners have a coach and a quarterback on the list, which the Raiders did not, and those are probably the most important positions, certainly moreso than guard and punter. While safety and wide receiver aren’t necessarily premium positions, both Lott and Rice rate among the greatest players in history; the Raiders’ selections are closer to the bottom of the top 100. I don’t necessarily buy that argument, but if you wanted to defend the Raiders’ generous representation, it certainly helps on the road toward justification.
5. New England Patriots, 2011-18
99-29 (.773), 3 championships, 5 title appearances
26 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski
Other HOFers: none so far
The 2011-18 Patriots rate slightly ahead of the 2001-08 Patriots based on their consistent regular-season dominance. The 2001-08 Patriots missed the playoffs twice in eight years; from 2010 onward, they’ve not only made the playoffs every year, they’ve never failed to earn a first-round bye. That level of consistent excellence is unheard of since Otto Graham retired — more than sixty years ago.
Given this team’s incredible success — it has the most dynasty points of any team in the era of modern free agency — it is remarkable that it only has three serious Hall of Fame candidates. I suppose someone else from this time frame might eventually emerge as a candidate, but it seems unlikely. Note that I’m not even talking here about the 100th Anniversary all-time team, but just the Hall of Fame.
I’m gratified that Gronkowski made the NFL 100 roster. He deserved to be a no-brainer selection, but given the selection committee’s reluctance to honor recent and active players, I was concerned he might be left off. That would have been an injustice, and I’m glad none of us has to lose sleep over it.
t3. Chicago Bears, 1936-43
69-17-2 (.802), 3 championships, 5 title appearances
27 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: George Halas, Danny Fortmann
Other HOFers: Sid Luckman, George Musso, Joe Stydahar
Hall of Fame center Bulldog Turner came up one game short of qualifying for this time period. He and Luckman were NFL 100 finalists, but ultimately left off the team. Luckman had the stronger argument, but I don’t have a problem with his omission. The Bears didn’t garner a lot of NFL 100 honors relative to their outstanding success, but this was the two-way era: everyone played offense and defense. Fortmann officially made the team as a guard, but he was also an excellent linebacker. Musso and Stydahar, both tackles, played offense but were most admired on defense. The Bears weren’t snubbed by the selection committee; Luckman could have made it and that wouldn’t have been a travesty, but I think the voters got it right. I’m glad that Fortmann made the team. If you don’t know about him, I hope you’ll read his profile in the best players ever countdown (#97).
t3. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1972-79
88-27-1 (.763), 4 championships, 4 title appearances
27 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: Chuck Noll, Mel Blount, Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Mike Webster
Other HOFers: Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann
Six NFL 100 selections. That’s 50% more than any other dynasty, and ties the ’63, ’64, and ’66 Colts. Greene, Ham, and Webster were no-doubters. The other three? Here’s a thought experiment comparing the Steelers’ defense to the Mike Singletary-era Bears. The 1972-79 Steelers led the NFL in fewest yards allowed and fewest points allowed twice each, with a combined 12 seasons in the top five, and an average rank of 4.3. The 1982-91 Chicago Bears led in yards and points three times each, with a combined 11 seasons in the top five, and an average rank of 5.6, dragged down by one bad season (1989). The Steel Curtain and the 46 defense Bears were roughly equal as dominant defenses.
The Steelers have four defensive players on the NFL 100 roster; Singletary was the only ’80s Bears defender even nominated as a finalist, and he didn’t make the team (which is a travesty). Maybe you disagree with the exact order, but the best players on each defense go something like this:
Steelers Bears 1 Joe Greene Mike Singletary 2 Jack Ham Dan Hampton 3 Jack Lambert Richard Dent 4 Mel Blount Steve McMichael 5 Donnie Shell Wilber Marshall 6 Andy Russell Dave Duerson 7 L.C. Greenwood Otis Wilson 8 Dwight White William Perry 9 Mike Wagner Gary Fencik 10 Ernie Holmes Shaun Gayle 11 Glen Edwards Mike Richardson
I think most fans would argue that the Steelers are better at every point: Greene over Singletary, Ham over Hampton, Lambert over Dent, and so on down the line, without exception. If the Steelers were universally better, why wasn’t their defense more dominant than Chicago’s? Buddy Ryan, I hear some of you crying, but Bud Carson was a deeply respected defensive coordinator, Paul Zimmerman’s DC on his All-Century Team, and Chuck Noll made the NFL 100 as a coach. Besides, Chicago’s defensive excellence transcended Ryan’s tenure. When Ryan left to coach the Eagles in 1986, the Bears allowed fewer yards and fewer points than they had in any season with Ryan. In 1988, three years after Ryan left Chicago, the Bears led the NFL in fewest points allowed, ranked 2nd in fewest yards allowed, and Singletary was the consensus Defensive Player of the Year.
It seems obvious to me that the Pittsburgh players are overrated, Chicago’s are underrated, or both. The Bears are a discussion for another day, but let’s think about Blount, Lambert, and Noll. Chuck Noll is negatively distinguished from the rest of the 100th Anniversary coaches by his .580 winning percentage, the only selection below .600. From 1972-79, the Steelers were 88-27-1. Noll won when he had great players. But in his other 15 seasons, Pittsburgh was just 105-121. His teams were great for eight years, and below average for most of the other 15. This is the only team to win four Super Bowls in an eight-year span, and I don’t have a problem with Noll’s selection to the team, but he’s a borderline pick. If we really believe the Steelers had five top-100-caliber players and four other deserving Hall of Famers, Noll probably should have been left off. Any coach could win with that kind of talent.
Lambert and Blount would probably make my list, albeit toward the bottom, but I don’t believe either was quite as good as his reputation. Bradshaw, Harris, Stallworth, and Shell were NFL 100 finalists, as well. Pittsburgh’s 10 finalists tied for the most of any team. This was the greatest dynasty of the Super Bowl era, but I’m not sure it was quite that good. There are no snubs here.
2. Green Bay Packers, 1960-67
82-24-4 (.774), 5 championships, 6 title appearances
30 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: Vince Lombardi, Forrest Gregg
Other HOFers: Herb Adderley, Willie Davis, Paul Hornung, Henry Jordan, Jerry Kramer, Ray Nitschke, Dave Robinson, Bart Starr, Jim Taylor, Willie Wood
Still the only team to win three consecutive NFL championships, the Lombardi Packers are the most celebrated dynasty in pro football history, and the one with the greatest Hall of Fame representation. This list of HOFers doesn’t even include center Jim Ringo, who was traded to Philadelphia after the 1963 season. Ringo came up one game short of qualifying (54 G), but he played on two championship-winning teams and is clearly part of the Lombardi Dynasty. A 13th Hall of Fame player, Emlen Tunnell, spent his final days on the Lombardi Packers, too.
The team’s success did not translate to the NFL 100 roster, and on some level that makes sense. With so many Hall of Fame-level players, it stands to reason that there were fewer truly transcendent players. At the same time, it’s jarring that this team — with 30 dynasty points to Pittsburgh’s 27 — has only two NFL 100 selections.
If you’re looking for snubs, start in the defensive backfield. In the Top 125 series last summer, I rated Adderley among the top five CBs in history. He was a 7-time All-NFL selection who combined world-class speed and outstanding cover skills with merciless tackling, a player with no weaknesses. Over his 12-year career with the Packers and Cowboys, Adderley’s teams won six championships.
At safety, I slightly prefer Willie Wood to Jack Christiansen, but Christiansen would be my 7th safety and Wood is 6th, so that’s a pretty trivial complaint. The selection committee did a good job at that position, but I was surprised they left Wood off the roster. Maybe I shouldn’t have been; he didn’t make the 50th or 75th Anniversary teams, either.
Adderley, Davis, Kramer, Nitschke, Robinson, Starr, Taylor, Wood, and Ringo were all finalists. Robinson is the weakest of that group, but any of the others plausibly could have made the roster. If I were picking, I’d have Adderley and Wood in addition to Lombardi and Gregg.
1. Cleveland Browns, 1946-53
87-12-3 (.879), 5 championships, 8 title appearances
39 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: Paul Brown, Otto Graham, Marion Motley
Other HOFers: Frank Gatski, Lou Groza, Dante Lavelli, Bill Willis
Even if you apply an absurdly harsh penalty for AAFC seasons, like -2 dynasty points per year, the Browns would still rate as the greatest dynasty in pro football history. Their winning percentage was at least .900 in five of these eight seasons. They played in 10 straight championship games, winning seven of them. Paul Brown was the greatest football coach in history, maybe second depending on how you rate Bill Belichick. Graham is in the discussion for greatest QB of all time, and Motley was a dominant, game-changing force. Paul Zimmerman, Sports Illustrated’s Dr. Z, named Motley the greatest player he’d ever seen.
Groza, Lavelli, and Willis were NFL 100 finalists as well. Groza was nominated as a kicker, and certainly would have been a reasonable selection, especially combined with his contributions as an offensive tackle. Lavelli was not a strong candidate; he’s a borderline Hall of Famer, even. Willis had a short but brilliant career, similar to Motley. I wouldn’t have chosen him to the team, but he would have been a reasonable pick. I’m a little surprised that Gatski wasn’t a finalist, but he wouldn’t have made the final roster anyway.
This was the greatest dynasty in pro football history. Brown, Graham, and Motley were transcendent figures, but are they really enough to do justice to this dynasty’s dominance? Three selections and six finalists, one of them a kicker? Let’s examine all of the dynasties from this series:
Rk. Team Years Record Win% CS CSA Score NFL100 Finalist 1. Browns 1946-53 87-12-3 .879 5 8 39 3 6 2. Packers 1960-67 82-24-4 .774 5 6 30 2 10 t3. Steelers 1972-79 88-27-1 .763 4 4 27 6 10 t3. Bears 1936-43 69-17-2 .802 3 5 27 2 3 5. Patriots 2011-18 99-29 .773 3 5 26 3 3 6. 49ers 1983-90 96-30-1 .760 3 3 25 4 4 7. Patriots 2001-08 97-31 .758 3 4 24 3 3 8. Colts 2003-10 99-29 .773 1 2 21 3 4 t9. Cowboys 1971-78 84-30 .737 2 4 20 3 3 t9. Vikings 1969-76 87-24-1 .781 0 4 20 1 7 t9. Giants 1956-63 73-25-4 .745 1 6 20 1 3 t9. Packers 1936-43 65-19-3 .774 2 3 20 2 3 t9. Bears 1920-27 73-17-16 .811 1 1 20 1 1 t14. Raiders 1976-83 80-37 .684 3 3 19 4 5 t14. Dolphins 1970-77 83-28-1 .746 2 3 19 2 4 t14. Colts 1964-71 84-23-5 .785 1 3 19 3 3 t14. Redskins 1936-43 60-24-4 .714 2 5 19 1 1 t14. Packers 1925-32 72-22-10 .766 3 3 19 1 2 t19. Cowboys 1991-98 86-42 .672 3 3 18 2 4 t19. Giants 1933-40 62-27-6 .697 2 5 18 1 2 t21. Steelers 2004-11 89-39 .695 2 3 17 0 1 t21. Raiders 1967-74 84-21-7 .794 0 1 17 4 6 t21. Rams 1945-52 61-28-4 .685 2 4 17 0 1 t24. 49ers 1991-98 95-33 .742 1 1 16 1 2 t24. Washington 1982-89 83-37 .692 2 3 16 2 2 t26. Rams 1973-80 86-31-1 .733 0 1 15 0 2 t26. Browns 1954-61 66-28-4 .702 2 3 15 2 3 t26. Lions 1950-57 61-33-2 .649 3 4 15 2 6 t29. Packers 2009-16 87-40-1 .684 1 1 14 0 1 t29. Bills 1988-95 87-41 .680 0 4 14 1 3 t29. Eagles 1944-51 58-30-3 .659 2 3 14 1 2
Best winning percentage:
1. 1946-53 Cleveland Browns, .879
2. 1936-43 Chicago Bears, .802
3. 1967-74 Oakland Raiders, .794
4. 1964-71 Baltimore Colts, .785
5. 1969-76 Minnesota Vikings, .781
Lowest:
29. 1991-98 Dallas Cowboys, .672
30. 1944-51 Philadelphia Eagles, .659
31. 1950-57 Detroit Lions, .649
The Browns went 47-4-3 (.922) in the AAFC, but they also went 40-8 (.833) in the NFL from 1950-53. Furthermore, the drop-off can be explained by the decline and departure of players like Motley and Mac Speedie, as well as evolutions in strategy that contained the Browns’ dominance. They don’t rank where they do because they played in a weak league. The present-day Patriots and Colts are equally remarkable, with the highest winning percentages of any team in the last 40 years.
Conversely, the relatively low winning percentages of the 1990s Cowboys and 1950s Lions demonstrate why they rank in the bottom half of this list despite their three championship victories. They were great teams for 4-6 years, but not the same type of dynasty as the teams in the top 10 and certainly not for 8-year periods.
Most championships:
t1. 1946-53 Cleveland Browns, 5
t1. 1960-67 Green Bay Packers, 5
3. 1972-79 Pittsburgh Steelers, 4
4. eight teams tied, 3
Fewest:
t28. 1967-74 Oakland Raiders, 0
t28. 1969-76 Minnesota Vikings, 0
t28. 1973-80 L.A. Rams, 0
t28. 1988-95 Buffalo Bills, 0
If you asked me to name 10 pro football dynasties, I wouldn’t mention the Raiders of this era, or the Vikings. I wouldn’t mention the ’70s Rams or the ’90s Bills, or the Dan Reeves Broncos and the Donovan McNabb Eagles. But those were great teams and consistent winners, and on an expansive list of dynasties, I believe they’re more deserving than teams that won a fluke championship or two but never established themselves as year-in, year-out contenders, the team to be reckoned with in their division or conference.
Most championship appearances:
1. 1946-53 Cleveland Browns, 8
t2. 1956-63 New York Giants, 6
t2. 1960-67 Green Bay Packers, 6
4. four teams tied, 5
All of these teams precede the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. It’s a lot easier to dominate a small league than a large one. The post-merger leaders are the Cowboys, who reached five Super Bowls from 1970-78, and the Patriots, who did the same from 2011-18.
Fewest championship appearances:
t28. 1967-74 Oakland Raiders, 1
t28. 1973-80 L.A. Rams, 1
t28. 1991-98 San Francisco 49ers, 1
t28. 2009-16 Green Bay Packers, 1
Other than the Pre-Modern Era teams (especially those from the 1920s), these are the “dynasties” I’m most skeptical of. If you can’t win your own conference more than once, I think you’re just a consistently good team, not a dynasty. The Packers and 49ers at least won a Super Bowl, and the Raiders have the third-highest winning percentage in history. The 1973-80 Rams are probably the least dynastic team in this project, with the possible exception of the 1920-27 Bears.
Rk. Team Years Record Win% CS CSA Score NFL100 Finalist 1. Browns 1946-53 87-12-3 .879 5 8 39 3 6 2. Packers 1960-67 82-24-4 .774 5 6 30 2 10 t3. Steelers 1972-79 88-27-1 .763 4 4 27 6 10 t3. Bears 1936-43 69-17-2 .802 3 5 27 2 3 5. Patriots 2011-18 99-29 .773 3 5 26 3 3 6. 49ers 1983-90 96-30-1 .760 3 3 25 4 4 7. Patriots 2001-08 97-31 .758 3 4 24 3 3 8. Colts 2003-10 99-29 .773 1 2 21 3 4 t9. Cowboys 1971-78 84-30 .737 2 4 20 3 3 t9. Vikings 1969-76 87-24-1 .781 0 4 20 1 7 t9. Giants 1956-63 73-25-4 .745 1 6 20 1 3 t9. Packers 1936-43 65-19-3 .774 2 3 20 2 3 t9. Bears 1920-27 73-17-16 .811 1 1 20 1 1 t14. Raiders 1976-83 80-37 .684 3 3 19 4 5 t14. Dolphins 1970-77 83-28-1 .746 2 3 19 2 4 t14. Colts 1964-71 84-23-5 .785 1 3 19 3 3 t14. Redskins 1936-43 60-24-4 .714 2 5 19 1 1 t14. Packers 1925-32 72-22-10 .766 3 3 19 1 2 t19. Cowboys 1991-98 86-42 .672 3 3 18 2 4 t19. Giants 1933-40 62-27-6 .697 2 5 18 1 2 t21. Steelers 2004-11 89-39 .695 2 3 17 0 1 t21. Raiders 1967-74 84-21-7 .794 0 1 17 4 6 t21. Rams 1945-52 61-28-4 .685 2 4 17 0 1 t24. 49ers 1991-98 95-33 .742 1 1 16 1 2 t24. Washington 1982-89 83-37 .692 2 3 16 2 2 t26. Rams 1973-80 86-31-1 .733 0 1 15 0 2 t26. Browns 1954-61 66-28-4 .702 2 3 15 2 3 t26. Lions 1950-57 61-33-2 .649 3 4 15 2 6 t29. Packers 2009-16 87-40-1 .684 1 1 14 0 1 t29. Bills 1988-95 87-41 .680 0 4 14 1 3 t29. Eagles 1944-51 58-30-3 .659 2 3 14 1 2
When we look at each dynasty’s Hall of Fame count, what stands out?
To me, it’s the two teams with double-digit finalists. The Packers and Steelers were legendary teams, but they have many more players honored than similarly successful teams like the Otto Graham Browns, Danny Fortmann Bears, Tom Brady Patriots, or Joe Montana 49ers.
Other teams that seem overrepresented are: the 1969-76 Vikings, with seven finalists and no championships; the 1967-74 and 1976-83 Raiders, each with four NFL 100 players; and the 1950-57 Lions, with the lowest winning percentage in this whole project but six 100th Anniversary finalists. While team results are dependent on a lot more than a handful of superstars, it seems like those teams should have been represented more modestly.
On the reverse side, teams whose excellent results seem to merit more honors than their individual members received, let’s start with the Brady-Belichick Patriots, who appear twice among the top seven dynasties, with a combined four NFL 100 finalists to show for it, one of them a kicker. I don’t know who else from those teams would be a snub, but their limited haul speaks to the greatness of the representatives who did make the squad.
I might aso argue for the Sam Huff-era Giants, though not for Huff specifically. Those Giants are the only Modern-Era team with at least 18 dynasty points (they have 20) and only one 100th Anniversary selection. I could be persuaded to nudge DE Andy Robustelli onto the roster. You can read my profile of him among the top 100 players in NFL history (#100). Robustelli also played 23 games for the 1945-52 Rams, who were snubbed by the NFL 100 committee.
Finally, the four dynasties with no NFL 100 representatives obviously stand out: the 2004-11 Steelers, for whom Troy Polamalu was the strongest contender; the 1945-52 Rams, who did have Crazy Legs Hirsch, an NFL 100 player who came up one game short of qualifying as part of the dynasty; the 1973-80 Rams, who have a similar situation with Merlin Olsen; and the 2009-16 Packers, with Aaron Rodgers as the only obvious standout. Should Polamalu and Rodgers have made the final roster? My initial reaction is to say no, but this exercise has me considering their candidacies further.
Finally, there was a chronological bias in the NFL 100 voting:
Rk. Team Years Record Win% CS CSA Score NFL100 Finalist t9. Bears 1920-27 73-17-16 .811 1 1 20 1 1 t14. Packers 1925-32 72-22-10 .766 3 3 19 1 2 t19. Giants 1933-40 62-27-6 .697 2 5 18 1 2 t3. Bears 1936-43 69-17-2 .802 3 5 27 2 3 t9. Packers 1936-43 65-19-3 .774 2 3 20 2 3 t14. Redskins 1936-43 60-24-4 .714 2 5 19 1 1 t29. Eagles 1944-51 58-30-3 .659 2 3 14 1 2 t21. Rams 1945-52 61-28-4 .685 2 4 17 0 1 1. Browns 1946-53 87-12-3 .879 5 8 39 3 6 t26. Lions 1950-57 61-33-2 .649 3 4 15 2 6 t26. Browns 1954-61 66-28-4 .702 2 3 15 2 3 t9. Giants 1956-63 73-25-4 .745 1 6 20 1 3 2. Packers 1960-67 82-24-4 .774 5 6 30 2 10 t14. Colts 1964-71 84-23-5 .785 1 3 19 3 3 t21. Raiders 1967-74 84-21-7 .794 0 1 17 4 6 t9. Vikings 1969-76 87-24-1 .781 0 4 20 1 7 t14. Dolphins 1970-77 83-28-1 .746 2 3 19 2 4 t9. Cowboys 1971-78 84-30 .737 2 4 20 3 3 t3. Steelers 1972-79 88-27-1 .763 4 4 27 6 10 t26. Rams 1973-80 86-31-1 .733 0 1 15 0 2 t14. Raiders 1976-83 80-37 .684 3 3 19 4 5 t24. Washington 1982-89 83-37 .692 2 3 16 2 2 6. 49ers 1983-90 96-30-1 .760 3 3 25 4 4 t29. Bills 1988-95 87-41 .680 0 4 14 1 3 t19. Cowboys 1991-98 86-42 .672 3 3 18 2 4 t24. 49ers 1991-98 95-33 .742 1 1 16 1 2 7. Patriots 2001-08 97-31 .758 3 4 24 3 3 8. Colts 2003-10 99-29 .773 1 2 21 3 4 t21. Steelers 2004-11 89-39 .695 2 3 17 0 1 t29. Packers 2009-16 87-40-1 .684 1 1 14 0 1 5. Patriots 2011-18 99-29 .773 3 5 26 3 3
Teams from the ’20s and ’30s average 1.3 selections and 2.0 finalists, though the low totals makes sense: with two-way players, those teams had fewer contributors. The early Modern Era fares a little better, averaging 1.5 selections and 3.5 finalists. Then we get to the ’60s and ’70s: 2.8 selections and 5.6 finalists. When we hit the ’80s and ’90s, the averages drop back to 2.0 selections and 3.0 finalists. The 21st-century teams average 1.8 selections and 2.4 finalists. Chart:
Decades #OfDyn AvgScore NFL100 Finalist 1920s/30s 6 20.5 1.3 2.0 1940s/50s 6 20.0 1.5 3.5 1960s/70s 9 20.7 2.8 5.6 1980s/90s 5 17.8 2.0 3.0 2000s/10s 5 20.4 1.8 2.4
There are multiple explanations that could account for this chronological disparity. One is that the ’60s and ’70s were the golden age of pro football, and that players just aren’t as good today. I don’t buy that, and you probably don’t either.
Rather, I think four factors combine to account for the chronological bias: league size, free agency, forgotten short-comings, and nostalgia. There were 21 major league professional football teams in 1960. There were 26 in 1970, 28 in 1980 and 1990, 31 in 2000 and 32 in 2010. The best players are no longer concentrated on a handful of dynasties; they’re spread out across a league that has grown by 50%.
Modern free agency probably plays a role in this as well. In the ’70s, the best players were concentrated on a few dominant teams. The Dolphins and Cowboys and Steelers don’t have much higher winning percentages than dynasties from other eras, because they had to play each other, but they simply dominated the league’s have-nots. From 1972-79, the Steelers went 50-1 against teams that finished the season under .500. From 1973-77, the Vikings and Raiders combined to go 74-2 against teams that finished the season under .500. The 1970s Cowboys lost less than one game per season against opponents with losing records. The dynasties of that era competed fiercely with each other, but they were extraordinarily dominant compared to everyone else, and Hall of Fame-caliber players disproportionately played for dynasties.
Another factor in selecting teams like this is that, over time, player weaknesses fade into memory. All that’s left are the numbers: personal stats, Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, championship rings… personal impressions start to matter less as we re-check stats and histories to remind ourselves. Personal habits, accessibility for interviews, and isolated bad games all have less impact over time. Some of the recent players who got passed over by voters may benefit from that a decade or two down the line.
Perhaps most importantly, the selection committee, like the rest of us, is vulnerable to nostalgia. Most of the voters were Baby Boomers, and they grew up with the football heroes of the ’60s and ’70s. Everyone tends to regard their formative years as an ideal, and each generation prioritizes its own experiences and memories.
Other than the ’50s Lions, every dynasty that struck me as generously represented on the 100th Anniversary team was from the ’60s and ’70s, with no real obvious snubs from that era. I wish the voters had paid a little more attention to the chronology of their selections, or at least a different type of attention, since there were a few surprising choices that seemed like politically correct nods to certain eras. Bill Hewitt and Crazy Legs Hirsch, for instance, struck me that way.
To wrap up, beyond the 31 dynasties profiled here, there are 12 other teams with at least 10 dynasty points.
13: Bears (1928-35), Chargers (1960-67), Chiefs (1962-69), Browns (1962-69), Dolphins (1978-85), Bears (1984-91), Packers (1995-2002)
12: Giants (1984-91), Broncos (1996-2003)
11: no one
10: Lions (1931-38), Giants (2005-12), Seahawks (2010-17)
Those 12 (very) minor dynasties combine for ten NFL 100 selections: Lance Alworth (Chargers), Bobby Bell and Buck Buchanan (Chiefs), Jim Brown and Paul Warfield (Browns), Don Shula and Dwight Stephenson (Dolphins), Brett Favre (Packers), Lawrence Taylor (’80s Giants), and Dutch Clark (Lions).
As always, please leave your thoughts in the comments.