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In honor of Super Bowl XL--or,as Nuriko likes to call it,Super Bowl Extra Large--starting today I'm going to use the SimMatch feature at WhatIfSports.com to run a virtual tournament of some of the NFL teams that have won or contended for the Lombardi Trophy over the past four decades.Here's the setup:
1)There are four brackets representing the four eras of Super Bowl history,and each bracket will be comprised of four teams.Bracket A will be comprised of SB champions from the first years of the game's existence;Bracket B will feature Super Bowl winners from the '70s and '80s;Bracket C will include champions from the late '80s and early-to-mid '90s;and Bracket D will cover the current era.
2)The winners of the preliminary round games will square off in a series of quarterfinal matchups to determine a champion in each bracket.
3)The Bracket A winner will face off against the Bracket B winner in the tournament semifinals;Bracket C's champion will meet the Bracket D winner.The victors in the semis will then go head-to-head for the first-ever RKMBs.com Virtual Tournament championship.
4)The teams are seeded according to chronological order,which means that the most recent clubs will get the #1 seed,the second most recent will get the #2 seed,etc.
5)The teams in each bracket are:
    Bracket A--
  • #1 seed:1972 Dolphins
  • #2 seed:1969 Chiefs
  • #3 seed:1968 Jets
  • #4 seed:1966 Packers

    Bracket B--
  • #1 seed:1985 Bears
  • #2 seed:1984 49ers
  • #3 seed:1976 Raiders
  • #4 seed:1974 Steelers

    Bracket C--
  • #1 seed:1996 Packers
  • #2 seed:1995 Cowboys
  • #3 seed:1990 Giants
  • #4 seed:1987 Redskins

    Bracket D--
  • #1 seed:2004 Patriots
  • #2 seed:2002 Buccaneers
  • #3 seed:1999 Rams
  • #4 seed:1997 Broncos

Last edited by Chris Oakley; 2006-01-24 8:56 PM.
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Well, for starters, the 2005 Seahawks haven't won the Super Bowl.


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You apparently missed the words "or contended for" at the top of my first post on this thread;for the sake of variety(and chronological comprehensiveness),I made the decision early on to include at least two teams that made it to the big dance but didn't home a Lombardi Trophy.One of them was the Seahawks;the other was the 1994 San Diego Chargers,who lost to San Francisco in Super Bowl 29.Next year's tournament will,of course,be adjusted to reflect the results of Super Bowl 40.

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The 1994 Chargers got totally blown out in their Super Bowl.

Why not put in the 1981 or 1988 Bengals? The 81 Bengals lost by 5 points; the 88 Bengals by 4.

I guess I don't get your rationale.


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A few notes about the contestants...

2004 Patriots
Third New England team in four seasons to win the Super Bowl
2002 Buccaneers
First team in what is now the NFC South to win the Super Bowl
1999 Rams
First Rams team since 1951 to win an NFL championship
1997 Broncos
Broke Denver's Super Bowl drought
1996 Packers
First post-Lombardi Super Bowl title for Green Bay
1995 Cowboys
For my money,the best Dallas team of the post-Staubach era
1990 Giants
Big Blue's best playoff crew since the '58 title game with Baltimore
1987 Redskins
Last DC team to even reach,much less win,the Super Bowl
1985 Bears
Let's just say their nickname "Monsters of the Midway" was well-deserved
1984 Forty-Niners
Possibly the best postseason run of Joe Montana's career
1976 Raiders
The ultimate practitioners of smashmouth football
1974 Steelers
Ushered in the "Steel Curtain" dynasty in Pittsburgh
1972 Dolphins
Only perfect team in NFL history
1969 Chiefs
KC's first and so far only NFL championship team
1968 Jets
Put the AFL on the map for good
1966 Packers
Ushered in the modern pro football era with their Super Bowl I victory

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Quote:

Chris Oakley said:
1998 Falcons--The first NFC South team to reach the Super Bowl.
1994 Chargers--To give them a second chance at the brass ring,so to speak.





You got 39 freakin' Superbowl winning teams to pick from!!!

Get rid of the losers!

And BTW...The NFC South didn't exist in '98. They were in the NFC West up until '02...


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FYI:the tournament will now start either tomorrow or Thursday.Watch this space for further details.

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No! Three Monster energy drinks is not enough!


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Quote:

Chris Oakley said:
In order to include the '88 Bengals,I might have had to omit the '85 Bears or '86 Giants.Likewise,putting in the '81 Bengals would have meant leaving out the '81 49ers.
Anyhow,let me give you some insight as to why each of the Virtual Tournament's contestants was picked:
2001 Patriots--C'mon,you didn't seriously think I'd leave the Pats out,did ya?




I wouldn't suggest the Pats get left out.

Quote:

1998 Falcons--The first NFC South team to reach the Super Bowl.




Why not include the 2002 Bucs instead? They were the first and only NFC South team to WIN the Super Bowl. And the Falcons were still in the NFC West in 1998.

Quote:

1994 Chargers--To give them a second chance at the brass ring,so to speak.




Not good enough. They didn't belong on the same field with those 49ers.

Quote:

1981 49ers--This game put the Niners in general and Joe Montana in particular on NFL fans' radar for the first time.




Wasn't even their best 49er team. No running game to speak of. If the Bengals get their act together in the first half, Bengals take home the title. Yeah, I know, they didn't, but in this virtual thingie you're creating, if you can pull reasons for inclusion out of your ass, then so can I.

Quote:

1985 Bears--The closest any team has come to a perfect NFL record since the '72 Dolphins(who I'll get to shortly).




Hate to break it to you, but the 1984 49ers went 15-1 and won the Super Bowl.


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Update:I'm temporarily postponing the start of the Virtual Tournament so I can re-do the brackets.

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That's not a bad idea, Chris.

Fuck.


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Did Nurinko really call it SuperBowl Extra Latge? That's funny as hell! What other funny things does she say?

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Do we vote on the results or are you gonna play these games and report the results? Will gambling be involved? Can we get a pool going? How does this parlay into MisterJLA becoming mod of the Women's Forum?


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Excellent questions, Joseph.

Anyone know when we can expect the next thrilling installment in this series that Chris has created for us?


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I hope it's sprinkled with more behind the scenes comedy as well!

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Quote:

Joe Mama said:
Do we vote on the results or are you gonna play these games and report the results?



I'm going to run the games through WhatIfSports.com's SimMatch feature and then post the results after the games are done.

Quote:

Joe Mama said:Will gambling be involved? Can we get a pool going?



I've set up a scoring system in which every RKMBs poster starts the tournament with 25 points;with every correct prediction you get 10 points added to your score,and with every wrong prediction you get 10 points taken off.The RKMBs poster who has the most points/correct predictions when the tournament is over will be named our MVP(most valuable poster) and win the right to nominate contestants for the 2007 Virtual Tournament.

Quote:

Joe Mama said: How does this parlay into MisterJLA becoming mod of the Women's Forum?



It's got nothing to do with the women's forum at all.

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Are you going to include Jim Jackson's Bengals, or not???


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Sorry,but no.

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That's fine. My only argument would have been if he opted to include other teams who didn't win the Super Bowl. I mean, if you're gonna include the '98 Falcons or the '94 Chargers, why not the '81 or '88 Bengals?


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Mostly because I didn't want to take a chance on one decade being over-represented and crowding out great teams from other decades(which incidentally also explains why I left out the 1999 Titans,1985 Patriots,and 2003 Panthers).And on that note,let's get to the recaps of yesterday's action:
BRACKET A--1972 Dolphins vs. 1966 Packers at Pro Player Stadium

At first it looked like this game would be a walk for Vince Lombardi's crew as they ran up a 10-0 lead on Miami;however,Garo Yepremian changed that by nailing a 33-yard field goal with just twelve seconds to go in the first half.After that,the Dolphins fought back relentlessly throughout the second half until Earl Morall was able to tie the game on a 5-yard touchdown pass to Marlin Briscoe with just 1:52 to go in regulation.A 3-yard TD by Jim Kiick in overtime finally clinched the win for Miami.

Final:Dolphins 19,Packers 13(OT)

BRACKET B--1985 Bears vs. 1974 Steelers at Soldier Field

Think you know who won this one?Think again.Despite driving rain,a VERY hostile crowd,and an early encroachment penalty on the Steelers defense,Pittsburgh held tough against the Monsters of the Midway;after falling behind 13-10 late in the second half,they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat courtesy of an 18-yard fourth quarter touchdown run by Franco Harris.In the game's final seconds,the Steelers' D-line shut down Jim McMahon's pass attack to clinch the upset victory.

Final:Steelers 17,Bears 13

BRACKET C--1996 Packers vs. 1987 Redskins at Lambeau Field

While Bart Starr's Packers might not have fared too well in the opening phase of the RKMBs.com Super Bowl Anniversary Virtual Tournament,their Brett Favre-led cousins appear to be off to a mighty good start;a 6-yard TD scramble by Favre and an 11-yard TD catch by Antonio Freeman,both in the first quarter,were all the '96 Pack needed to move on to the next round as Green Bay's defense stopped Jay Schroeder cold on just about every possession,intercepting him on Washington's final possession of the game.A second-quarter field goal was just about all the 'Skins offense could manage the entire day.

Final:Packers 14,Redskins 3

BRACKET D--2004 Patriots vs. 1997 Broncos at Gillette Stadium

It started out looking like Denver would take this one by a huge margin,but thanks to a pair of second-quarter rushing scores by Corey Dillon and a 9-yard TD catch by David Givens in the third quarter,New England took the wind out of John Elway's sails.A third Dillon touchdown just before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter put the icing on the cake for the Pats,who now advance to the second round to take on the winner of the 2002 Buccaneers-1999 Rams matchup.

Final:Patriots 28,Broncos 10

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Recaps!Get your recaps here!Get 'em while they're hot!

BRACKET A--1969 Chiefs vs. 1968 Jets at Arrowhead Stadium

It all came down to the field goal units in this game,and in the end Jan Stenerud proved to have the more powerful leg as he booted a 37-yarder through the uprights in overtime to give Kansas City a hard-earned three-point victory.The Chiefs are now headed to Miami to face the Dolphins for the Bracket A championship.

Final:Chiefs 23,Jets 20(OT)

BRACKET B--1984 49ers vs. 1976 Raiders at Monster Park

For Al Davis and company it was "Just wince,baby" as they saw a 14-10 third quarter lead turn into a 17-14 deficit thanks to an 18-yard Joe Montana TD pass to Roger Craig;from there on San Francisco's D stopped the Raiders offense cold the rest of the game,paving the way for Ray Wersching to win the game on a 29-yard field goal and secure a berth in the Bracket B title game hosting the 1974 Steelers.

Final:Niners 20,Raiders 14

BRACKET C--1995 Cowboys vs. 1990 Giants at Texas Stadium

It was duelling quarterbacks as Phil Simms and Troy Aikman went head-to-head under a crystal-clear Texas sky,and when the smoke cleared Aikman would emerge as the winner;despite solid work by kick Raul Allegre and a picture-perfect first quarter TD catch by Rodney Hampton,Big Blue couldn't get the job done against the 'Boys,who are now headed to Lambeau Field to face the 1996 Packers for the Bracket C championship.

Final:Cowboys 27,Giants 20

BRACKET D--2002 Buccaneers vs. 1999 Rams at Raymond James Stadium

The so-called Greatest Show On Turf looked like anything but in the second half of this contest;after a 2-yard touchdown run by Michael Pittman,the Rams just seemed to fall apart,giving up a safety and a 46-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to clinch a slot for the Buccaneers in the Bracket D championship game at Gillette Stadium against the 2004 Patriots.

Final:Buccaneers 15,Rams 10

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Recaps ahoy!

BRACKET A CHAMPIONSHIP:1972 Dolphins vs. 1969 Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium

With the weather pretty much shutting down the running and passing games of both teams,it was left to kickers Jim Turner and Jan Stenerud to settle this contest--and Stenerud ultimately prevailed,booting the Chiefs into the tournament semifinals with a 24-yard FG late in the third quarter.Later this week,the Chiefs will host the winner of the Bracket B championship game between the 1984 Niners and the 1974 Steelers.

Final:Chiefs 12,Jets 9

BRACKET C CHAMPIONSHIP:1996 Packers vs. 1995 Cowboys at Lambeau Field

The Pack only managed one TD in this showdown...but thanks to a pair of Chris Jacke field goals,one was all they needed to hold off Dallas and assure themselves of a spot in the tournament semifinals against the winner of the Bracket D title game between the 2004 Patriots and the 2002 Buccaneers.

Final:Packers 13,Cowboys 6

(NOTE:I was looking at the wrong box score when I typed up the original recap for the Bracket A championship game;I forgot that the Jets had been eliminated in the preliminary round.Sorry about the glitch.)

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The last two slots for our tournament semifinals have been filled,and we'll tell who's filling them in our latest tournament recaps...

BRACKET B CHAMPIONSHIP--1984 49ers vs. 1974 Steelers at Monster Park

It started out as another case of dueling field goal units,and for a while it looked like it might end that way too.But with just 1:10 left in the fourth quarter,Franco Harris took off like a runaway train for a 54-yard TD run that put the game away for the Steel Curtain.Terry Bradshaw and company now host the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs to see who will represent the Classic Era NFL in the tournament finals.

Final:Steelers 13,Niners 6

BRACKET D CHAMPIONSHIP--2004 Patriots vs. 2002 Buccaneers at Gillette Stadium

As it has so many times before,cold weather worked to the Pats' advantage;the wind chill,combined with two touchdown runs from Corey Dillon and a trio of field goals by Adam Vinatieri,did most of the work in neutralizing Tampa Bay's game plan--and a pair of late fourth quarter sacks by Mike Vrabel and Ty Warren helped take care of the rest.Next on the docket for the three-time Super Bowl champs:a head-to-head battle with the 1996 Green Bay Packers for the right to represent the Modern Era NFL in our tournament finals.

Final:Patriots 20,Buccaneers 10

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Quote:

Chris Oakley said:
The last two slots for our tournament semifinals have been filled,and we'll tell who's filling them in our latest tournament recaps...

BRACKET B CHAMPIONSHIP--1984 49ers vs. 1974 Steelers at Monster Park

It started out as another case of dueling field goal units,and for a while it looked like it might end that way too.But with just 1:10 left in the fourth quarter,Franco Harris took off like a runaway train for a 54-yard TD run that put the game away for the Steel Curtain.Terry Bradshaw and company now host the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs to see who will represent the Classic Era NFL in the tournament finals.

Final:Steelers 13,Niners 6

BRACKET D CHAMPIONSHIP--2004 Patriots vs. 2002 Buccaneers at Gillette Stadium

As it has so many times before,cold weather worked to the Pats' advantage;the wind chill,combined with two touchdown runs from Corey Dillon and a trio of field goals by Adam Vinatieri,did most of the work in neutralizing Tampa Bay's game plan--and a pair of late fourth quarter sacks by Mike Vrabel and Ty Warren helped take care of the rest.Next on the docket for the three-time Super Bowl champs:a head-to-head battle with the 1996 Green Bay Packers for the right to represent the Modern Era NFL in our tournament finals.

Final:Patriots 20,Buccaneers 10




Whoops. I made my predictions after this posted, but before I actually saw it. My bad.


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Don't sweat it. As it turns out, both your predictions were right, as our latest batch of recaps will attest:

CLASSIC ERA CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP--1974 Steelers vs. 1969 Chiefs at Heinz Field

A Roy Gerela field goal 9:49 into the first quarter and a 9-yard touchdown run by Franco Harris after the 2-minute warning during the second quarter sealed Kansas City's doom as the Steelers' defense held Len Dawson in check for the most of the game;despite a 22-yard TD reception by Gloster Richardson in the fourth quarter,the Chiefs' comeback bid fell short and Pittsburgh moves on to the tournament finals.

Final:Steelers 10,Chiefs 7

MODERN ERA CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP--2004 Patriots vs. 1996 Packers at Gillette Stadium

Rarely if ever has Adam Vinatieri's clutch field goal kicking been of greater importants to the Pats than it was in this do-or-die showdown with a Brett Favre-led Pack.Both New England's and Green Bay's offenses were in high gear despite the cold,but it was the Patriots defense that ultimately made the difference as Tedy Bruschi intercepted a Favre pass with less than three minutes to go in the fourth quarter to assure New England of a berth in the tourney finals.

Final:Patriots 23,Packers 14

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Sorry this took so long,guys,but things have been absolutely crazy on my end lately.Anyhow,here's a quick recap of how the 2006 RKMBs.com Super Bowl Anniversary Virtual Tournament ended:

TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME--2004 Patriots vs. 1974 Steelers at Qualcomm Stadium

Rain foiled fans' hopes for a quarterback shootout; the only points scored the entire game were courtesy of a 49-yard Adam Vinatieri field goal late in the first quarter. Even without the weather factoring into the outcome, New England's defense gave Pittsburgh fits all day long, and the Steelers' last hope for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat was squashed when Roy Gerela missed a field goal in the final seconds of regulation that would have sent the game into overtime.

Final:Patriots 3,Steelers 0(Patriots clinch 2006 RKMBs.com Super Bowl Anniversary Virtual Tournament championship)

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3-0????

Even Fran Tarkenton's Vikings managed to put 6 puts up on the '74 Stillers.


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Well,like I said,it was raining for a lot of the day.
Red Grange couldn't score in mud like that.


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