Elitist league Research Thread (Information and Cincinnati Bengals)

[RendeR]

Ok I'm at work, I'm bored out of my mind and feel like playing around a bit.

So what I want to do is create a 32 team league with the single best team from the history of EACH team to play out the 2007 NFL schedule and see how things fall out. To do this I have to, of course, figure out which team is the single most ELITE team in each franchises history.

To Do this I will play out an 8 game schedule amongst each teams 5 best teams based on their performance throughout the years and with some input from all of you as well.

Tennessee will include the Houston Oilers team history
Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts are one single team
Baltimore Ravens ONLY get to use the Ravens records, NOT the Colts OR the Browns.

I wil be using WhatifSports.com as my game engine to simulate the games.

I will start things off the easiest way I can think of, by Playing out the bengals best 5 teams and finding the Cincinnati Bengals Elite Squad. (can the jokes asshats *grin*)

I know the best 2 teams The bengals had went to Super Bowls:

1981 Kenny Anderson, Pete Johnson and company
1988 Boomer Esiason, Ickey Woods/James Brooks, David Fulcher

I am also considering adding the:

1970 First playoff qualifying team (Shutout in Baltimore)
1973 Division winning team (Lost to Miami)
1976 Division winning team (lost very close playoff to the Raiders)


There are some more modern teams that I think may have been better overall than the 70's teams but I'd like some input from Other NFL fans on that:

1983 squad that had the #1 team defense in the NFL but went 7-9 overall and missed the playoffs by a game.

2005 Squad that lit up the NFL on Offense and lost their playoff game to Pittsburgh due to Palmer's injury.


I'm going to kick this off in about 15 minutes, any input on which of those teams to use will be considered.

Ren

[RendeR]

To get things rolling I will be working on the Pittsburgh Steelers after I play out the Bengals. Please feel free to post commentery on which 5 Steeler teams are their best. It might seem like a simple answer, use the 5 Super bowl winning teams, but the best teams often don't make it to the Super Bowl in any given Year.

Just look at 2006, the chargers were by far the best overall team in the NFL on paper and on the field, but lost a tight playoff game.


Let the comparisons begin!

[RendeR]

Ok after some testing between the teams in question, I find the 1976 bengals to be one really awesome team. replayed the Raiders playoff game 20 times, bengals won 15 of 20 games, 9 of wich they won by 30+ points.

How different would the History of the Bengals be had they just pulled out that one playoff game and gone on to the Super bowl against the Vikings?


Anyway, I've decided to use these 5 teams in my Bengals Elite Season:

2005
1988
1981
1976
1973

Games to come!

[RendeR]

Teams will play their opponents 2 times, home and away for a total of 8 games.

Ok here we go, week 1 Cincinnati Bengals:

1973 @ 1976: 1976 wins 35-24
Kenny Anderson('76) throws 5 TD's while Archie Griffin racks up 176 yards on the ground. The game was 24-21 for the '73 squad until the 4th quarter where Anderson and Griffin simply ate the defense alive.

1981 @ 1988: 1988 wins 38-24
Boomer Esiason, Ickey Woods, and James Brooks combined for nearly 500 yards as the '88 Super Bowl team defeats the '81 super bowl team.

2005 @ 1973: 2005 wins 17-10
In what surprisingly turned out to be a defensive struggle, the 2005 squad jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and held off kenny Anderson's comeback bid to win. Both teams combined for less than 500 total yards and only 108 rushing.

1976 @ 1981: 1981 wins 15-10
Another low scoring game saw the 1981 squad do what it seemed to do the whole season in '81. Find a way to win. Nothing flashy, nothing outrageous, just bare knuckles and a chance to win in the end.

1988 @ 2005: 1988 wins 38-31
In an offensive slugfest the 1988 Super Bowl team took it to Palmer and the Bengals of 2005. Palmer and Rudi Johnson out hustled the older team and outgained them, but the sheer scoring ability of Boomer/Woods/Brooks was just too much for them.

So after 2 games each:
Team w/L
-------------
1988 2-0
2005 1-1
1981 1-1
1976 1-1
1973 0-2

[RendeR]

Week 2 Cincinnati Bengals:

1976 @ 1973: 1976 wins 21-14
The '73 squad jumped to an early 14-7 lead before Essex Johnson took the game over in the second half and scored two unanswered TD's to lead the '76 Squad to victory.

1988 @ 1981: 1988 wins 21-17
Anderson had the home team up 17-7 at the half but esiason and Company rolled up two solid drives and took the game away late. Anderson Scored both of the 1981 team's TD's on 38 and 5 yard scrambles.

1973 @ 2005: 1973 wins 26-20
In a game that couldn't have been closer had they designed it that way, both teams had 6 of 14 on 3rd down, both teams threw for just over 200 yards, both teams threw 2 picks, both teams punted 4 times, both had 3 sacks and 3 penalties. It took overtime for Ken Anderson to Isaac Curtis to win this one for the old timers.

1981 @ 1976: 1976 wins 31-28
Another TD fest finds Ken Anderson out dueling himself for an overtime win by the 1976 Squad. he combined for 7 TD passes, 4 of them over 40 yards in this contest. For people who admired kenny as a player, THIS would have been an awesome game to watch.

2005 @ 1988: 1988 wins 28-22
As the games get played the creme rises to the top. the 2005 team seems to be showing its youth with interceptions and a missed 2pt conversion leaving them vulnerable after leading 13-7 going in to the 4th quarter. Boomer and company show what an elite team can do by coming back from a deficite to win in OT on a 17yrd TD run by Ickey Woods.

So after 4 games each:
Team w/L
-------------
1988 4-0
1976 3-1
2005 1-3
1981 1-3
1973 1-3

Looks like a runaway at the halfway mark for the top 2 teams.

[Joe]

Originally Posted by RendeR

Baltimore Ravens ONLY get to use the Ravens records, NOT the Colts OR the Browns.

What is the logic behind the Ravens not using the old Browns seasons?

[RendeR]

Week 3 Cincinnati Bengals:

1976 @ 1988: 1976 wins 6-3
In a titanic battle of wills the defenses allowed only 9 total points as the '88 squad loses its first game of the season. the two teams are now tied for the best overall record.

1973 @ 1981: 1973 wins 17-14
It was all Essex Johnson today as he racked up 217 yards rushing out of almost 350 rushing on the day by the '73 team, but it was almost for naught as ken Anderson threw the 81 club to a tie at the end of regulation. A FG wins it for the old timers.

1981 @ 2005: 2005 wins 31-7
It was the Carson Palmer show today at PBS, 21 of 30, 300+ yards and 3 TDs on teh way to a ROMP over heavily favored 1981.

2005 @ 1976: 1976 wins 27-16
One day you're the best and the next its a quagmire. Palmer could do nothing right against the '76 squad going 10-25 and 115 yards with a pick while Anderson and the 1976 boys ran rampant over the '05 defense.

1973 @ 1988: 1988 wins 20-14
Woods and brooks combined for 201 yards rushing as they cruised past the 1973 team.

So after 6 games each:
Team w/L
-------------
1988 5-1
1976 5-1
2005 2-4
1973 2-4
1981 1-5

Looks like a runaway at the 3/4 mark for the top 2 teams.

[path12]

I figured you'd do the Bills first. OJ's great years of 73 and 75 but I don't remember how the team as a whole fared, and then you've got the Super Bowl years when Thomas and Kelly won about three fantasy titles for me.

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by Joe

What is the logic behind the Ravens not using the old Browns seasons?

because there are new browns and based on the NFL ruling they get to retain their old records. baltimore ravens have a very short history.

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by path12

I figured you'd do the Bills first. OJ's great years of 73 and 75 but I don't remember how the team as a whole fared, and then you've got the Super Bowl years when Thomas and Kelly won about three fantasy titles for me.

Everyone thinks I'm a bills fan because I live (and Love) the city of Buffalo. But no, I've been a Cincinnati fan since 1980. I bleed orange and black. I figured since I started in Cincy, I'd work my way around the league by Division, so i chose Pitt for the next one.

[Joe]

Originally Posted by RendeR

because there are new browns and based on the NFL ruling they get to retain their old records. baltimore ravens have a very short history.

ahh I did not know that. that's stupid NFL

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by Joe

ahh I did not know that. that's stupid NFL

It was part of the deal that old whats-his-name had to make to be allowed to take the browns to baltimore at all. The NFL didn't want the team to move and he had to give up all rights to the records to get what he wanted. he's got a ring now, so he's happy.

I agree with the NFL on this, the Colts, while Irsay was an ass for the way he moved them, at least kept the team name and color scheme and everything in tact. So they deserve to keep the records as well.

I like the way its turned out. Tennessee still keeps the records of the Oilers for the same reasoning. its pretty much the same color scheme, just in differing amounts of color. The Texans are like baltimore, they're a brand new Franchise.

[RendeR]

Week 4 Cincinnati Bengals:

1988 @ 1976: 1988 wins 27-14
Its the same old story, the best running game in the league just keeps pounding it down your throat. Woods ran for 146 while Brooks grabbed another 105 as the 1988 Super Bowl Squad made its bid for the title of best Bengals team ever.

1981 @ 1973: 1981 wins 30-7
Looking to redeem themselves the 1981 team routed the old timers todat hodling the '73 squad to 241 total yards from scrimmage.

2005 @ 1981: 1981 wins 41-37
It was the Charger game all over again, Offense dominated, the defenses just sat and watched with awe as the lead changed hands 9 times and the '81 team scored the winning TD with 2 minutes to play.

1976 @ 2005: 2005 wins 42-17
It wasn't as close as the scoreboard folks. Up 28-3 in the early 3rd quarter the Johnson and Johnson show of the 2005 Bengals just ate the 1976 squad alive. This loss gives the 1988 team the title of "The ELITE Cincinnati Bengals"

1988 @ 1973: 1973 wins 34-30
Essex johnson rolled over the 1988 defense and while Boomer and the boys racked up another huge day yardage wise they jsut couldn't convert some red zone opportunities against a solid 1976 defense. Our Final Result IS!

Team w/L
-------------
1988 6-2
1976 5-3
2005 3-5
1973 3-5
1981 3-5

[RendeR]

So there you have it. our first Elite league team, the 1988 Cincinnati Bengals.

For more information on this great team go to:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cin1988.htm


I'll post a new thread for the fully filled in Elite League where i will add in the teams as I complete the research.