The New NFL: Salary Cap Years

[TDFFFreak]

2 part question:

 

What is the year in which we can say the salary cap had been instituted and had a handful of years to take hold? In other words, what was the first year that all teams were truly on equal footing? (I'm thinking early to mid 90s, but I am asking the experts out there to give me an exact year as I may be way off.)

 

With the agreed upon year, who have been the top 5 teams considering consistency, championships, and/or record? Who have been the worst?

[Caveman_Nick]

I would say in the 96-97 range is when the salary cap and free agency working together had really started to mellow out across the league.

 

Best teams? Some combination of: Ravens, Colts, Broncos, Patriots, Steelers, Eagles. Maybe the Rams and/or the NYG, but we are starting to get into teams that had a lot of inconsistency.

[TDFFFreak]

I would say in the 96-97 range is when the salary cap and free agency working together had really started to mellow out across the league.

 

Best teams? Some combination of: Ravens, Colts, Broncos, Patriots, Steelers, Eagles. Maybe the Rams and/or the NYG, but we are starting to get into teams that had a lot of inconsistency.

 

The Pats are the first team that comes to mind.

 

The team that you would think has done something in the salary cap era, for all the chest thumping done by their fans, is the Dallas Cowboys. I think that Aikman, Irvin, and Smith team was the last team to win superbowl in the pre-salary cap era. They seem to be MIA if the fairness of the cap took hold in the mid or late 90s...

[godtomsatan]

2 part question:

 

What is the year in which we can say the salary cap had been instituted and had a handful of years to take hold? In other words, what was the first year that all teams were truly on equal footing? (I'm thinking early to mid 90s, but I am asking the experts out there to give me an exact year as I may be way off.)

 

With the agreed upon year, who have been the top 5 teams considering consistency, championships, and/or record? Who have been the worst?

 

 

The cap was implemented in 1994, so at some point thereafter.

 

The Indianapolis Colts seem to be right up there.

[xMRogers]

Figure you are looking at about a decade - Pats a no-doubter number 1. Eagles and Colts up there for consistency, with the Bronco's superbowls at the beginning plus recent playoff consistency putting them in. Steelers probably next. Then a handful of teams that are usually in the playoff hunt but not ever year in the last decade.

 

What's interesting is the AFC has a 4-5 team "first tier" that you have been able to count on relatively consistently the last 6+ years. NFC, outside of Philly and they had one putrid year in the mix, has been very up and down every year - this years Saints are next years Bucs.

[Caveman_Nick]

Figure you are looking at about a decade - Pats a no-doubter number 1. Eagles and Colts up there for consistency, with the Bronco's superbowls at the beginning plus recent playoff consistency putting them in. Steelers probably next. Then a handful of teams that are usually in the playoff hunt but not ever year in the last decade.

 

What's interesting is the AFC has a 4-5 team "first tier" that you have been able to count on relatively consistently the last 6+ years. NFC, outside of Philly and they had one putrid year in the mix, has been very up and down every year - this years Saints are next years Bucs.

 

 

 

Funny...even as a Pats Homer that would love for this to be the case, if you look at 97-2000, the Pats were not so good. I would probably list them behind the Broncos (as the top team). And, yes...that does hurt to admit.

 

Maybe I would put the Steelers in front of them as well, for overall consistency versus number of Championships. Maybe.

 

The Colts had some shaky years early in that time period as well...so I'd probably put them behind

 

The Iggles have been fairly consistently good, but no SB Championship, so they are kind of bringing up the rear of the group.

 

And somehow the Ravens need to get in there...but they have been kind of up and down so it's tough to place them. The Bucs could be in, but they have been terrible sine the SB in 02.

[Big Red]

You HAVE to put the Pats first. 3 Superbowls cannot be argued.

 

After that, I'd think you'd have to go with teams that not only won a title, but have been very good in years they didn't. I'd include the Broncos, Ravens and the Steelers and Colts . The Packers are a tweener here.

 

I'd leave off the Bucs and Rams as they have had some very bad seasons mixed in with their one win and the Rams loss.

 

I won't even consider the Eagles. They aren't even as good as the Bills during their run.

[xMRogers]

The Raven's I have to question - have they made the playoffs 50% of the time the last 10 seasons?

 

How could anyone not consider the Eagles - understand they have no rings (believe me I understand that), but 5 division titles, 6 double digit win seasons, 4 conf title games, 1 sb appearance. I'd say they gotta be in the discussion - not at the top definitely, but in the second mix of teams.

[whomper]

The Pats are the first team that comes to mind.

 

The team that you would think has done something in the salary cap era, for all the chest thumping done by their fans, is the Dallas Cowboys. I think that Aikman, Irvin, and Smith team was the last team to win superbowl in the pre-salary cap era. They seem to be MIA if the fairness of the cap took hold in the mid or late 90s...

 

 

Hence the sole reason for starting this thread. How many of the great Dallas players and contributors of the Dallas glory years were FA acquisitions ? Look at the big 3 you mentioned. All came up in the system drafted by Dallas. If im not mistaken I believe you are an Eagles fan . If thats the case this sauce is very very weak.

[TDFFFreak]

Once you take the Superbowl championships out of the equaltion (a factor that I admit is important), the Eagles are certainly one a few teams that would be the class of the NFC if not the NFL.

 

I don't think any team can win the SB every year, much less be competitive since the salary cap era, so the Pats, for my money, have been the #1 model of consistency hands down.

[TDFFFreak]

Hence the sole reason for starting this thread. How many of the great Dallas players and contributors of the Dallas glory years were FA acquisitions ? Look at the big 3 you mentioned. All came up in the system drafted by Dallas. If im not mistaken I believe you are an Eagles fan . If thats the case this sauce is very very weak.

 

I'm not hiding it and am happy to say that I am an Eagles fan. That certainly is one of my main points.

 

The salary cap era is a different animal. History holds significance, but the Cowboys can hardly crow about much since the cap took hold of the NFL.

Edited May 1, 2007 by TDFFFreak

[whomper]

Once you take the Superbowl championships out of the equaltion (a factor that I admit is important), the Eagles are certainly one a few teams that would be the class of the NFC if not the NFL.

 

I don't think any team can win the SB every year, much less be competitive since the salary cap era, so the Pats, for my money, have been the #1 model of consistency hands down.

 

 

 

Pats hands down IMO the best post cap era team. Taking the championships out of the equation is a strange way to gauge a teams greatness but Philly has been very succesful in the regular season. I just think its heavily tarnished by no rings in that era.

[Steeltown Dre]

Here are the records from 1992 - Present

 

This was taken from the Steelers press release, so it starts when Cowher took over in 1992. Someone can spend more time and subtract out 1992 and 1993 if they want:

 

RECORDS OF NFL TEAMS (1992-present)

Division

Team W L T Pct. Titles

Pittsburgh 148 90 1 .622 8

Green Bay 148 91 0 .620 6

Denver 147 92 0 .617 3

Kansas City 140 99 0 .588 4

Miami 135 104 0 .567 3

Minnesota 135 104 0 .567 4

New England 135 104 0 .567 7

San Francisco 135 104 0 .567 6

Philadelphia 134 104 1 .565 4

Indianapolis 133 106 0 .559 4

Dallas 132 107 0 .555 6

Tennessee 128 111 0 .536 3

Jacksonville 102 89 0 .534 2

Buffalo 123 116 0 .519 2

Baltimore 90 84 1 .517 1

New York Giants 119 119 1 .500 2

San Diego 116 123 0 .486 3

Tampa Bay 116 123 0 .486 2

Seattle 115 124 0 .482 2

St. Louis 114 125 0 .477 3

Carolina 89 102 0 .466 2

Chicago 109 130 0 .456 2

Oakland 109 130 0 .456 3

New York Jets 108 131 0 .452 2

Atlanta 107 131 1 .449 2

New Orleans 107 132 0 .446 1

Washington 103 135 1 .431 1

Detroit 93 146 0 .386 1

Cleveland 70 121 0 .365 0

Cincinnati 87 152 0 .359 1

Arizona 84 155 0 .347 0

Houston 23 56 0 .291 0

 

Also, here are the Dec/Jan records for the top 4 teams since 1996:

 

Team Dec./Jan. Record (since 1996)

New England 33-14 (.702)

Pittsburgh 30-19 (.612)

Indianapolis 29-20 (.592)

Jacksonville 29-20 (.592)

 

Personally I'd say NE is king, and Pitt is 2nd. Hard to argue with the overall records, the Division titles (7 for NE and 8 for Pitt), and of course the SB rings.

 

In fact, since 1994 there are only 4 seasons that either Pitt or NE didn't make the AFC championship game.

 

Pitt was there 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004 and 2005.

NE was there 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006

 

http://www.superbowl.com/playoffs/history/championships

[TDFFFreak]

Pats hands down IMO the best post cap era team. Taking the championships out of the equation is a strange way to gauge a teams greatness but Philly has been very succesful in the regular season. I just think its heavily tarnished by no rings in that era.

 

As I said, the SB champion is a factor, but one team can win it each year. On the flip side, simply saying that a team winning a SB is all that matters in the debate of success is too far on the other end. If the Eagles had won just one SB, I think they would be the #2 team in the cap area. Sadly, they have not and think they fall somewhere in the 3-5 range.

[whomper]

As I said, the SB champion is a factor, but one team can win it each year. On the flip side, simply saying that a team winning a SB is all that matters in the debate of success is too far on the other end. If the Eagles had won just one SB, I think they would be the #2 team in the cap area. Sadly, they have not and think they fall somewhere in the 3-5 range.

 

 

 

I agree and admitted in my post that Philly has been very succesful in the regular season and has had moderate success in the playoffs. That team wouldve made a very big stamp if they won 1 or 2 rings when they were tops or close to the top of the NFC for that long stretch. Instead they will be looked upon as a team with great winning percentage and division title run and accomplishments to be proud of but not cashing in hurts the legacy IMO.

[Caveman_Nick]

 

 

Personally I'd say NE is king, and Pitt is 2nd. Hard to argue with the overall records, the Division titles (7 for NE and 8 for Pitt), and of course the SB rings.

 

In fact, since 1994 there are only 4 seasons that either Pitt or NE didn't make the AFC championship game.

 

Pitt was there 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004 and 2005.

NE was there 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006

 

http://www.superbowl.com/playoffs/history/championships

 

 

 

It's a good arguement...but for me I have to give Denver the top spot for their 2 SBs, overall consistency, and tremendous W/L. You could also argue that the AFC West has been consistantly one of the stronger divisions, with 9 WC teams since 1995, including Denver 4 times on top of their division championships.

[xMRogers]

Here are the records from 1992 - Present

 

This was taken from the Steelers press release, so it starts when Cowher took over in 1992. Someone can spend more time and subtract out 1992 and 1993 if they want:

 

RECORDS OF NFL TEAMS (1992-present)

Division

Team W L T Pct. Titles

Pittsburgh 148 90 1 .622 8

Green Bay 148 91 0 .620 6

Denver 147 92 0 .617 3

Kansas City 140 99 0 .588 4

Miami 135 104 0 .567 3

Minnesota 135 104 0 .567 4

New England 135 104 0 .567 7

San Francisco 135 104 0 .567 6

Philadelphia 134 104 1 .565 4

Indianapolis 133 106 0 .559 4

Dallas 132 107 0 .555 6

Tennessee 128 111 0 .536 3

Jacksonville 102 89 0 .534 2

Buffalo 123 116 0 .519 2

Baltimore 90 84 1 .517 1

New York Giants 119 119 1 .500 2

San Diego 116 123 0 .486 3

Tampa Bay 116 123 0 .486 2

Seattle 115 124 0 .482 2

St. Louis 114 125 0 .477 3

Carolina 89 102 0 .466 2

Chicago 109 130 0 .456 2

Oakland 109 130 0 .456 3

New York Jets 108 131 0 .452 2

Atlanta 107 131 1 .449 2

New Orleans 107 132 0 .446 1

Washington 103 135 1 .431 1

Detroit 93 146 0 .386 1

Cleveland 70 121 0 .365 0

Cincinnati 87 152 0 .359 1

Arizona 84 155 0 .347 0

Houston 23 56 0 .291 0

 

Also, here are the Dec/Jan records for the top 4 teams since 1996:

 

Team Dec./Jan. Record (since 1996)

New England 33-14 (.702)

Pittsburgh 30-19 (.612)

Indianapolis 29-20 (.592)

Jacksonville 29-20 (.592)

 

Personally I'd say NE is king, and Pitt is 2nd. Hard to argue with the overall records, the Division titles (7 for NE and 8 for Pitt), and of course the SB rings.

 

In fact, since 1994 there are only 4 seasons that either Pitt or NE didn't make the AFC championship game.

 

Pitt was there 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004 and 2005.

NE was there 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006

 

http://www.superbowl.com/playoffs/history/championships

 

 

Somethings wrong with that list - Eagles have won more than 4 div titles (might only be 5) - maybe they cut out last year?

 

More impt, I guess the true question is : when does the question start - cause if really 94, then I think Denver is right there with NE. For whatever reason though, I remember the first few years of the salary cap not being anything like the last 8 or so, so I'm mostly looking at the last decade.

[Caveman_Nick]

It's interesting that, after looking at STD's list (pun intended ), that nobody is mentioning GB. Looking at that record, and yet considering the perceived weakness of the team, it really is a testament to how good Favre has been.

[Steeltown Dre]

That list was released prior to the final game of last year. So you are right - it does not take into account the results of the final game, nor the division titles of last year. However prior to the last game, everything should be accurate.

 

I think the main problem w/ GB is that they fell off so hard. They were solid to start, 3 straight conference championship games, winning 2 from 1995-1997. But haven't been back since. In fact, since Holmgren left, even though they had two 12-4 seasons, they have averaged just barely better than 9-7 for the last 8 years...

They made the playoffs 4 of those 8 years, everytime as a WC team, losing 2 of those games, and winning only 2 playoff games in 8 seasons.

 

As for the Eagles, they didn't do anything until Reid's 2nd season which was in 2000. From 94-99 they averaged a record of just under 7-9 over those 6 seasons.

 

In 2000 they came alive, but by then we were halfway through this "free agency period".

 

So GB and Philly to me are not contesting with the top 3.

 

Denver from 1994 on has averaged an 11-5 record every year and has 2 SB championships. The only knock on them is they have only been to the AFC championship game 3 times.

 

Both the Pats and the Steelers have averaged (since 1994) 10-6 records.

 

They both have 8 division titles. The Steelers have gone to the AFC Champ game 6 times out of 13 years, and the Pats have gone 5 times. NE has been to the SB 4 times, winning 3. The Steelers have been 2 times, winning once. The only knock on the Pats is from 1994-1999, they only won their division one time. But during that span they only had 2 losing seasons. They clearly they dominated from 2000 onwards, and the 3 SBs cannot be argued with.

 

In any order, the Broncos, Patriots and Steelers have been far and above the rest of the league from 1994 onwards.