Choosing your NFL/EFLI team - Optimists

In this series of articles, I am going to attempt to help new fans of American football select their team of choice in the NFL as they begin following the fast growing sport. The teams have been split into four categories for your benefit;

Bandwagon teams – These are teams that the bandwagon fans are quick to jump on; teams that will likely have a lot of success in the coming years. Bandwagon teams do not have to have a rich history, but they do need to be able to win now. These teams will mostly have very talented rosters, and without a doubt they will have a talented starting quarterback. You’ll be interested in picking one of these teams if you don’t like watching your team lose.

Almost bandwagon teams – The name speaks for itself. These are teams that always have a chance to be successful, but who have not managed it consistently enough in recent years to merit a bandwagon following. Some will have great quarterbacks and poor teams, while others might have the rest of the team but not the quarterback. Whatever the case is, they show a lot of promise…

Optimists – These teams don’t look like they are capable of winning a Super Bowl any time soon, but in the uncertain climate of the NFL you never know. At least a few of these teams will likely make the playoffs in the next couple of years.

Tragedists – This is the basement of the NFL. These teams show little quality and little hope, and only fans interested in adopting the most desperate and tragic of franchises should look to find their new team here.

We all have our own special reasons for choosing a sports team. For anyone living outside America, geography doesn’t really come into it. We look instead at popularity of the team, style of play, colours, logos, mascots, individual players or anything else that piques your attention. I myself landed on my NFL team (the New England Patriots) purely by accident. They were playing in the first game of American football that I ever watched on TV, and knowing nothing I selected them as my team simply because they had “England” in their name. It can often be that simple.

Not knowing what each of you will look at in deciding your team, I have tried to provide as much detail as possible. Today, we will be looking at the teams in the Optimists category…

New York Jets

Colours: Green and White

Mascot: A Jet airplane

Stadium: MetLife Stadium

Home City: East Rutherford, New Jersey

Super Bowl wins: 1 (1 appearance)

Records over last 5 years: 40 wins, 28 losses, 2 playoff appearances

Best Players: Mo Wilkerson, Nick Mangold, Damon “Snacks” Harrison

Bio: The first thing you should know about the Jets is that they are not a New York team. They share a stadium with the New York Giants, and both call themselves New York, but the stadium is actually situated in neighbouring New Jersey.

The Jets are a team struggling to find themselves. Under head coach Rex Ryan, a dominant defense and a below average quarterback in Mark Sanchez, the team made and lost back-to-back AFC Championship games in 2009 and 2010. That was a high point for a team that has dramatically come down since then.

Mark Sanchez is no longer the starting quarterback, replaced by rookie Geno Smith, who looked equally unreliable in his first season. The marquee players that took them to those championship games, Darrelle Revis, LaDanian Tomlinson, Bart Scott and Jason Taylor, are all gone.

Now, the team is a little short on signature players. Their receivers and running backs are unexceptional, and there are no real playmakers on defense to speak of outside of Mo Wilkerson and Antonio Cromartie.

They do, however, play unpredictable and exciting football. On their way to an 8-8 season this past year, the team alternated with a win-loss form until their first back-to-back defeats in week 12. They were erratic at times, terrible at others, but for some brief moments they were superb. Nothing shows this more than the stretch between weeks 7-9 this season; a victory over their arch rival Patriots and a victory over the New Orleans Saints, two playoff teams, bookending a massive 49-9 loss to the Bengals, who are arguably worse than both.

Aligning yourself with the New York Jets has and continues to be a daily struggle for fans. But with an entertaining head coach and an unpredictable future, it could become a rewarding relationship.

San Diego Chargers

Colours: Navy, gold and powder blue

Mascot: Boltman

Stadium: Qualcomm Stadium

Home City: San Diego, California

Super Bowl wins: 0 (1 appearance)

Records over last 5 years: 46 wins, 34 losses, 2 playoff appearances

Best Players: Philip Rivers, Eric Weddle, Keenan Allen

Bio: To know Chargers football is to know pain. The talent has always been there, but the results never followed. For much of the 70s and 80s the team had four future Hall of Fame players in the same team, including three (QB Dan Fouts, WR Charlie Joiner and TE Kelllen Winslow) who revolutionized the game in Don “Air” Coryell’s downfield passing game.

In the 2000s they were often praised as the “most talented” team in the league; centred around running back Ladanian Tomlinson and his record shattering career. And yet the Chargers have just one AFL championship, in 1963. Since then, they’ve been to just one Super Bowl, a convincing loss to the 49ers.

The current team is on the rise. The heart and soul of the team is the polarizing QB Philip Rivers; some see him as brash and annoying, but to others he is simply a lover of the game, who wears his heart on his sleeve.

After a brief wobble in his otherwise stellar career, Rivers was second-best only to the record breaking Peyton Manning amongst NFL quarterbacks this year. The team made the playoffs against all odds and displayed some encouraging resiliency. With young talent in running back Ryan Mathews and rookie player of the year candidate Keenen Allen at receiver, the future looks bright for the Chargers. Just don’t expect a happy ending.

Kansas City Chiefs

Colours: Red and White

Mascot: K.C Wolf

Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium

Home City: Kansas City, Missouri

Super Bowl wins: 1 (2 apearances)

Records over last 5 years: 34 wins, 46 losses, 2 playoff appearances

Best Players: Jamaal Charles, Justin Houston, Tamba Hali

Bio: The Kansas City Chiefs went to the Super Bowl twice in their first seven years of existence. The last time they were in the Super Bowl, in 1970, only four men had ever walked on the moon and the United States was at war in Vietnam. They haven’t been back to the big game since.

Success for the Chiefs has been few and far between in the 21st century. They have just five winning seasons in the last 14 years, and only three unsuccessful playoff appearances. They do, however, have reason for optimism.

This past season, after winning just two games the season before, new head coach Andy Reid led his team to an 11-5 record and their first playoff spot in four years. He has built a solid team based on solid defense and safe offense. They do not play the most exciting brand of football, but they are likely to win or have a chance of winning every game they play in. Jamaal Charles, their electric running back, is worth the price of admission alone.

Chiefs fans are very passionate despite their championship-deprived state, and Arrowhead Stadium has become one of the most intimidating stadiums for away teams to play in. It is an optimistic, if somewhat dull, time to be a Chiefs fan. Although if they go on to win the Super Bowl someday, I doubt the fans will complain about the style of play.

Tennessee Titans

Colours: Sky Blue, Navy Blue

Mascot: T-Rac (a raccoon)

Stadium: LP Field

Home City: Nashville, Tennessee

Super Bowl wins: 0 (1 appearance)

Records over last 5 years: 36 wins, 44 losses, 0 playoff appearances

Best Players: Jurrell Casey, Michael Roos, Alterraun Verner

Bio: Older readers with a little bit of NFL knowledge will remember this team by another name entirely; the Houston Oilers. The franchise began life as the Oilers in 1960 in Houston, Texas, as a charter member of the American Football League. The Oilers were successful immediately, winning the first two AFL championships.

The team relocated from Texas to Tennessee in 1997, and moved from Memphis to Nashville in 1998. The Oilers changed their name to the ‘Titans’ in 1999.

What this team has done in recent years won’t mean a whole lot to a new fan. The coach, Mike Munchak, is gone. He has been replaced this off-season by Ken Whisenhunt, an offensive mind who took the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl in 2008. The running back, Chris Johnson, is likely to be let go. He had one of the greatest seasons a running back has ever produced in 2009, but has failed to replicate that form since.

With a lot of young and emerging talent, this team is set for a transformation. They are likely to bring in a new running back, utilise new and young wide receivers and reinvent the Titans brand. It has after all, been a brand that hasn’t seen the playoffs since 2008.

If quarterback Jake Locker can get healthy, this team could be a bit dangerous moving forward. But they are a huge question mark at this point, and choosing them as your team is going to be a gamble if you are expecting success; nobody knows what this team is going to be able to do in the near future.

Miami Dolphins

Colours: Aqua blue, coral orange and white

Mascot: T.D.

Stadium: Sun Life Stadium

Home City: Miami Gardens, Florida

Super Bowl wins: 2 (5 appearances)

Records over last 5 years: 35 wins, 45 losses, 0 playoff appearances

Best Players: Cameron Wake, Mike Pouncey, Brent Grimes

Bio: The older readers who may remember the Titans as the Houston Oilers may also remember the Miami Dolphins as a powerhouse of the National Football League. That is, alas, no longer the case. The days of hall of fame quarterback Dan Marino, hall of fame coach Don Shula, and the perfect 14-0 team of 1972 are long gone.

From 1970-2001, the team had only two seasons with a losing record, made the playoffs 21 times, went to five Super Bowls and won two of them. They were the class of the NFL for decades. From 2002 until today they have been to the playoffs only once (in 2008), and have only four seasons with a winning record. 2001 was the last season in which they won a playoff game.

The Dolphins are not a terrible team, and so they do not belong in the ‘Tragedist” category. They have managed to flirt close to an 8-8 season for the last five years, threatening a playoff push. However, it doesn’t seem to ever happen for them anymore. They have a number of decent players on their roster and a much better defense than offense, but no individual players to get too excited about except for Cameron Wake. It’s difficult for me to make a case to support the Miami Dolphins at the moment, unless you are in every sense of the word an optimist.

The film ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’, starring Jim Carrey and Courtney Cox, was centred around the Miami Dolphins and their quarterback Dan Marino.

Dallas Cowboys

Colours: Navy blue, silver and white

Mascot: Rowdy

Stadium: AT&T Stadium

Home City: Arlington, Texas

Super Bowl wins: 5 (8 appearances)

Records over last 5 years: 41 wins, 39 losses, 1 playoff appearance

Best Players: Des Bryant, Sean Lee, Tony Romo

Bio: The Dallas Cowboys are like the Dolphins; they are renowned for their successful history and lauded for it. The names from their past line the walls of the Hall of Fame in Canton; Tom Landry, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Tony Dorsett, Emmitt Smith, Larry Allen, Bob Hayes and Roger Staubach. You cannot write the history of the NFL without spending a significant amount of time on a franchise that went to eight Super Bowls in 26 years, and became so successful they earned the nickname “America’s Team”. That was the Dallas Cowboys.

It is no longer what the Cowboys represent. The side has only won two playoff games since 1996. More alarmingly, they haven’t had a winning record since 2009. This Dallas team, unfortunately, has become the epitome of mediocrity.

In the last three years, all with head coach Jason Garrett and quarterback Tony Romo, the Cowboys have put together three consecutive 8-8 seasons, losing out on the playoffs by the slightest of margins despite having some great players on the roster in Romo, Des Bryant, Sean Lee, Demarcus Ware, DeMarco Murray and Jason Witten. They should be better than they are.

To be a Dallas Cowboy fan in this era is to be proud of the history and disappointed in the present. Dallas fans are faithful and optimistic, but they recognise the limitations of a team that hasn’t brought a championship to “America’s Team” since 1995. Whether that is the fault of eccentric owner Jerry Jones I will leave for you to decide…

Chicago Bears

Colours: Dark navy, orange and white

Mascot: Staley Da Bear

Stadium: Soldier Field

Home City: Chicago, Illinois

Super Bowl wins: 1 (2 appearances)

Records over last 5 years: 44 wins, 36 losses, 1 playoff appearance

Best Players: Alshon Jeffrey, Brandon Marshall, Matt Forte

Bio: The franchise has experienced three major periods of continued success in their history. The first period of success came from 1932 to 1946 when the Bears played in nine NFL Championship Games, winning six of them. The second period of success was between 1984 and 1991 when the Bears captured six NFC Central Division titles in eight years and won Super Bowl XX. The third, and rather brief, period of success stretched from 2005 to 2007 when the franchise captured two straight NFC North titles and a NFC Championship title, losing in Super Bowl XLI to the Indianapolis Colts.

Although the Bears haven’t had a lot of success recently, now is a good time to be a fan of the Chicago franchise. Their core players on offense, starting with running back Matt Forte and receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey, make the unit one of the most dangerous in the league when paired with a strong armed quarterback in Jay Cutler and a solid offensive line. They are exciting to watch, they have intelligent leadership in head coach Marc Trestman, and they play in a division that they could easily win in the next couple of years.

Detroit Lions

Colours: Royal blue and silver

Mascot: Roary

Stadium: Ford Field

Home City: Detroit, Michigan

Super Bowl wins: 0 (0 appearances)

Records over last 5 years: 29 wins, 51 losses, 1 playoff appearance

Best Players: Calvin Johnson, Ndamukong Suh, Matthew Stafford

Bio: Since 2001, the Lions have just one season with a winning record and a playoff berth. They are also one of two original NFL teams without a Super Bowl appearance. That isn’t very encouraging for a prospective fan.

However, whilst the Lions are not a symbol of success in the NFL, they are a symbol of controversy and excitement. The team has been known for its bad-boy image over the years, starting with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

The team is also known for its fantastic roster of individual talents. Calvin Johnson is the greatest receiver of his generation, and uses his 6 feet 5 inch frame to catch balls over and through defenders in awe-inspiring fashion. Reggie Bush is a running back with a rare ability to change direction sharply in a single stride. Matt Stafford is a young, strong armed quarterback who is as erratic as he is entertaining.

You cannot expect championships aplenty as a Detroit Lions fan. You can, however, expect to be entertained.

Minnesota Vikings

Colours: Purple, gold and white

Mascot: Viktor the Viking and Ragnar

Stadium: TCF Bank Stadium

Home City: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Super Bowl wins: 0 (4 appearances)

Records over last 5 years: 36 wins, 43 losses, 1 tie, 2 playoff appearances

Best Players: Adrian Peterson, Chad Greenway, Harrison Smith

Bio: It is an interesting time to become a Vikings fan, if not an optimistic one. The team has just moved out of its old home, the Metrodome, and will spend the next two years at the outdoor TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis until construction on their new stadium is complete. This will likely mean a lot of bad weather games, so if you like snow this might be the team for you in the near future.

As a franchise the Vikings have not been particularly successful. Despite having the best running back in football, Adrian Peterson, on their team, Minnesota has only made the playoffs three times in his seven year career.

One thing the Vikings are is fun to watch. Between Adrian Peterson’s runs and Cordarelle Patterson’s kick-off returns, this team has an explosive capability to blow a game wide open.

However, without a legitimate franchise quarterback on the roster and holes all over the defense, do not expect too much success from this team in the coming years.

Arizona Cardinals

Colours: Red and white

Mascot: Big Red

Stadium: University of Phoenix Stadium

Home City: Glendale, Arizona

Super Bowl wins: 0 (1 appearance)

Records over last 5 years: 38 wins, 42 losses, 1 playoff appearance

Best Players: Daryl Washington, Patrick Peterson, Larry Fitzgerald

Bio: The Cardinals were in the Super Bowl 6 years ago, and after a short hiatus from success they seem to be moving back in the right direction. Arizona won 10 games this past season despite playing in the most difficult division in football, the NFC West.

Their destructive defense, led by stars on every level (Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell on the defensive line, Daryl Washington and Karlos Dansby at linebacker, Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Matheiu in the defensive backfield) is one of the best in the entire league.

The offense is not on par with the defense, but they have good young talent in running back Andre Ellington and receiver Michael Floyd to go with veterans Larry Fitzgerald and Carson Palmer.

Coach Bruce Arians was the 2012 coach of the year for his work with the Indianapolis Colts, and is a candidate for the award again in 2013. His team is well organised and competitive, and while there is no guarantee of success in the NFC West, the Cardinals are at least a team to keep an eye on.

New York Giants

Colours: Blue, red, grey and white

Mascot: None

Stadium: MetLife Stadium

Home City: East Rutherford, New Jersey

Super Bowl wins: 4 (5 appearances)

Records over last 5 years: 43 wins, 37 losses, 1 playoff appearance, 1 Super Bowl

Best Players: Victor Cruz, Antrel Rolle, Eli Manning

Bio: Three seasons ago the New York Giants won the Super Bowl. However, in the two seasons following that success the team has failed to return to the playoffs despite a weak division. This is the reason they find themselves in the optimist category.

The Giants are a team you can never rule out. In the last five seasons they have won two Super Bowls, both against the New England Patriots and both as serious underdogs. In the 2007 season, they denied the Patriots a perfect season, beating them in the final game to leave their standing at 18-1.

Quarterback Eli Manning, brother of future hall-of-fame quarterback Peyton Manning, is somewhat of a frustrating figure in New York. He has led his team to two Super Bowl championships, but has also thrown more than 20 interceptions on three separate occasions in his 9 years as New York’s starting man. He is maddeningly inconsistent, much like his team. They have only made the playoffs once in the last five years, but in that season they won the Super Bowl.

Historically, the Giants are a successful NFL franchise. They have won four of the five Super Bowls they have appeared in, and have played in 13 NFL Championship games before the introduction of the Super Bowl in 1967.

Philadelphia Eagles

Colours: Dark green, black and silver

Mascot: Swoop

Stadium: Lincoln Financial Field

Home City: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Super Bowl wins: 0 (2 appearances)

Records over last 5 years: 43 wins, 37 losses, 3 playoff appearances

Best Players: LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, Evan Mathis

Bio: The Eagles are the almost-but-not-quite team of the NFL in the 21st century. They have appeared in and lost 4 NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl since 2001, blowing their best chance to win the first Super Bowl in team history.

That team was dominated by head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb. McNabb is out of the league now and Reid is head coach in Kansas City. Under new head coach and offensive guru Chip Kelly, the Eagles might have a chance to become interesting again.

Kelly’s fast paced, college style offense led his team to become one of the most dangerous in the NFL this season, winning the NFC East title on the back of pro bowl seasons from quarterback Nick Foles, running back LeSean McCoy and receiver DeSean Jackson. There is never a dull moment in an Eagles game, from trick plays to long passes to pictures of cartoon characters appearing as signals on the side-lines.

Considering their city is known as the city of brotherly love, no love is given whatsoever to opposing fans in Philadelphia. The Eagles have one of the most passionate fan bases in the entire NFL, and have been known in the past to throw things at opposing fans and players (like snow and eggs).

Washington Redskins

Colours: Burgundy, gold and white

Mascot: None

Stadium: FedEx Field

Home City: Landover, Maryland

Super Bowl wins: 3 (5 appearances)

Records over last 5 years: 28 wins, 52 losses, 1 playoff appearance

Best Players: Alfred Morris, Robert Griffin III, Pierre Garcon

Bio: The Washington Redskins haven’t really been a successful team since the early 1990s. They have recorded double digit losses in four of their last five seasons. However, the fortunes of the franchise were potentially changed when, in 2012, the team drafted Robert Griffin III to become its franchise quarterback.

Griffin was incredibly fast, charismatic and supremely talented, and after a first season that saw his team record its first double digit winning season since 2005 on the back of Griffin’s offensive rookie of the year performance, many believed he would come to be the face of the entire NFL.

However, a serious injury in the 2012 playoffs saw Griffin lose his form in the 2013 campaign, bringing disbelievers out of the woodwork. If the franchise is going to return to the exciting times of 2012, it all depends on Robert Griffin and new head coach Jay Gruden, who will be tasked with rebuilding the fallen star.

If the Redskins are the team for you, you can read all about their new head coach and the impact he will have on Griffin and the Redskins here.

It should be noted that the Redskins have been in a controversial debate over the racial implications of their name for years now, although eccentric owner Dan Snyder refuses to change the name. The controversy continues.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Colours: Red, pewter and black

Mascot: Captain Fear

Stadium: Raymond James Stadium

Home City: Tampa, Florida

Super Bowl wins: 1 (1 appearance)

Records over last 5 years: 28 wins, 52 losses, 0 playoff appearances

Best Players: Darrelle Revis, LaVonte David, Gerald McCoy

Bio: If records were the only indicator for which category I place a team in this series, the Buccaneers would be tragedists. In the 1980s and 1990s, Tampa Bay became known as the “Yucks”. They had 14 straight losing seasons, 13 of them with double digit losses, and became nothing short of a laughing stock in the league.

Then they drafted Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and John Lynch. Things changed with the three hall of fame calibre defensive players, and in 2002 the Bucs won a Super Bowl.

Now, however, the Bucs are threatening to return to the Yuck days of old. They haven’t been to the playoffs in 6 years, and they haven’t won a playoff game since their Super Bowl victory.

However, record is not the only indicator. Potential and talent on the roster factor in too, and the Bucs have plenty of that. They have a number of players who could be considered in the top five or ten in the league at their respective positions; Doug Martin, Vincent Jackson, Darrelle Revis, LaVonte David, Gerald McCoy, Donald Penn, Mark Barron and Dashon Goldson. If potential can be realised, this team should be a playoff contender next year, and in the years to come.

The Bucs have garnered a bad reputation in recent years because of the bullish nature of their head coach Greg Schiano. Schiano was fired this off-season and replaced with the more likeable figure of Lovie Smith, who spent a number of successful years with the Chicago Bears. Under his guidance, this team may well become relevant again.

Beyond everything else, the primary reason that you should support the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is because they have an actual pirate ship in the stadium, and the cannons fire when the Bucs score a touchdown. How could you not love that?