Worst franchises in sports last 2 decades - where do Cowboys rank?

[Sydla]

Worst? Nah. But they have been one of the bottom half NFL franchises of the last 20 years.

Denying that is absurd. 3 total playoff wins in 21 years. Let that sink in. The Giants have been in as many SBs as we have playoff wins in the last 21 years. The Eagles have been in 6 NFC Title games in the last 21 years, compared to our 3 total playoff wins.

It's embarrassing and is a direct reflection on the Jones' family mismanagement of this franchise whether it be hiring bad coaches, bad player moves, etc.

 

[Sydla]

They are in the top third of winning percentage over the made up, narrative-fitting 20 year period. If you want to ding them a bit for not winning a lot of playoff games that's fine, but pretending that teams with far worse winning percentages who make a championship game once a decade are more successful is brain dead stupid.
The Deadskins are 28th in winning percentage over the same period and have won the same amount of playoff games as the Cowboys, so yes they are considerably worse than Dallas over the same period.

Ding them "a bit" for not winning a lot of playoff games?

LOL. Holy hell dude.

THEY HAVE THREE PLAYOFF WINS IN 21 YEARS. THREE.

But yeah, let's ding them "a bit" for lack of playoff success.

 

[IheartRomo]

So it's your own personal ranking then
ok
it's an open forum so fair enough

May I ask why you chose 20 years instead of 10, 25, 30, or 40?
Was it specifically to shine the worst light on the franchise?
Honest question

If it's a shot a Jerry, then it seems you would take his entire tenure...29 years
Same thing if it pertains to Garrett...or 7-8 years

Good question. I should have stated more explicitly in the OP but I'm 28 years old. The first seasons I recall watching are 1996/1997. First SB I remember seeing is the pats/packers in January 1997.

So for me, any success prior to those dates, is ancient history. I'm not saying it's any more or less relevant to others, but for me personally, 1996 is the starting point of any Cowboys memory.

 

[GenoT]

Over the last two decades, the Cowboys are nowhere near being a “worst” franchise.

• Most valuable sports franchise on earth (conservatively, $4.5bil and rising)
• Perennially among the leaders in home attendance
• Perennially among the leaders in road attendance differential
• Perennially among the leaders in NFL-branded merchandise sales
• Even in bad years, among the leaders in NFL TV ratings

As far as the product on the field, over the last two decades we’re slightly above .500 — which is nowhere near the worst, but merely middle-of-the-pack mediocre.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Following the Eagles trip to the SB, I was getting ripped by a couple of buddies (Giants and Eagles fans, respectively) related to Nick Foles having the same amount of success in 8 days (2 playoff wins) that Dallas has over the last 20+. This got me to thinking: In my conscious sports life (from roughly 1996/1997 through today), the Cowboys have been a joke on a nearly Cleveland Browns level.

If you had to rank the most meager Big 4 sports franchises in terms of on-the-field/court/ice success (specifically actually contending for a championship) over the last two decades, where would the Cowboys rank?

NFL short list
1. Cleveland Browns - 1 playoff appearance (2002), winless season, 1-15 season. Almost no regular season success whatsoever.
2. Buffalo Bills - just broke a 17 year playoff appearance drought
3. Detroit Lions - 0 playoff wins
4. Cincinnati Bengals - playoff wins
5. Dallas Cowboys

Teams like the Vikings, Eagles, Chargers who have not won the whole thing have been true contenders many years and made conference championship appearances.

Even often-futile franchises in other sports have broken through over the past 2 decades (Warriors, Cavs, Astros, Marlins, Phillies, Mets (multiple WS appearances at least), etc. It's very possible that the Cowboys could be somewhere in the 10-15 most futile franchises in all of North American sports for the past 2+ decades.

Let's hope the next decade is where the bleeding stops.

I thought we would be more toward the middle. Wow.

Somebody should send that to Jerry on the anniversary of Jimmy Johnson's resignation.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Over the last two decades, the Cowboys are nowhere near being a “worst” franchise.

• Most valuable sports franchise on earth (conservatively, $4.5bil and rising)
• Perennially among the leaders in home attendance
• Perennially among the leaders in road attendance differential
• Perennially among the leaders in NFL-branded merchandise sales
• Even in bad years, among the leaders in NFL TV ratings

As far as the product on the field, over the last two decades we’re slightly above .500 — which is nowhere near the worst, but merely middle-of-the-pack mediocre.

Dallas is a popular franchise win or lose. So what? Does this make you feel better as a fan that we haven't contended for a super bowl in 22 years?

 

[CPanther95]

Commanders not on the list?

Where are the bears?

Raiders?

How far back are you going?

Better question is why the Browns are only listed once.

 

[CowboyGil]

I'd put us at #2
worst owner in the game
worst head coach in the game
cant handle the cap
havent done anything in playoffs in 20+ years

Jerry's thinking that our only problem is our asst coaches shows just how bad he is. His attempt to control the other 31 owners this year was an embarrassing low.

worst owner? Hardly. Worst GM? Quite possibly.

 

[CowboyGil]

I'm sorry, but Eagles fans have ZEERO room to talk about Dallas as a franchise.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

Over the last two decades, the Cowboys are nowhere near being a “worst” franchise.

• Most valuable sports franchise on earth (conservatively, $4.5bil and rising)
• Perennially among the leaders in home attendance
• Perennially among the leaders in road attendance differential
• Perennially among the leaders in NFL-branded merchandise sales
• Even in bad years, among the leaders in NFL TV ratings

As far as the product on the field, over the last two decades we’re slightly above .500 — which is nowhere near the worst, but merely middle-of-the-pack mediocre.

Who cares?

 

[gjkoeppen]

Ding them "a bit" for not winning a lot of playoff games?

LOL. Holy hell dude.

THEY HAVE THREE PLAYOFF WINS IN 21 YEARS. THREE.

But yeah, let's ding them "a bit" for lack of playoff success.

Here's a couple of things for you to think about. The peckers went 29 years between NFL championships with only 4 playoff appearances in that time yet their request for pecker tickets kept climbing. Maybe they have more REAL fans and less fair weather fans. There are 13 or just 3 short of half the teams in the NFL that have not won a SINGLE Super Bowl yet the Cowboys have 5 trophies. There are a max of 5 primetime games for a team each season yet the Cowboys year after year after year get those games while other teams get the once every 3 season allotment. Why are the Cowboys are one of the teams to keep getting all of the allotted primetime games and other teams don't - because the Cowboys win games and other teams have a winning season every 5 - 6 years. If it's so hard for you to support the Cowboys why not just admit it to yourself that just maybe you're really not a Cowboys fan and be happy the Cowboys aren't like the browns or lions that go win less for an entire seasons.
.

 

[gjkoeppen]

Dallas is a popular franchise win or lose. So what? Does this make you feel better as a fan that we haven't contended for a super bowl in 22 years?

Do I wish the Cowboys would win some Super Bowls. You betya. If they don't I'm not going to act like a spoiled little 3 year old or fair weather fan though. I supported them their 1st year when the best they did was a tie and I supported them in 89 when they went 1 - 15. You see real fans support their team, even in bad years. Real fans don't throw temper tantrums when they don't win Super Bowls because there are some of us that are aware that almost half of the teams haven't even won a single Super Bowl and the Cowboys have won FIVE. If it was that easy to win them they wouldn't mean so much when a team does win one.
.

 

[fredp22]

worst owner? Hardly. Worst GM? Quite possibly.

worst owner.

 

[Blackspider214]

Commanders not on the list?

Where are the bears?

Raiders?

How far back are you going?

He clearly stated. 2 decades.

Bears went to a Super Bowl in 2006.
Raiders in 2002.

Also, each of them have been to another conference championship game that they lost in that time frame. Infinitely more than we have did in the last 2 decades.

 

[Soth]

When did playoff wins become the main statistic to measure success?

If we had won a wild car game every year over the past 20 years, but no NFC championships, no SBs, would you all be happy? We would have 20 playoff wins!! Wow!

Only one thing matters... winning the SB, and to a lesser extent, SB appearances/conference championships.

The OP says that going 8-8 and missing the playoffs is meaningless. Well, why is winning one wild car game meaningful? Were you satisfied the year that we won a wild card game?

I get it, the cowboys are mediocre, but they are nowhere near the bottom of the NFL. We just need one SB win and nobody will care about the playoff record the last 20 years.

 

[Blackspider214]

worst owner.

Exactly. No idea why people keep propping him up as some great owner. He's not anymore. Not even close. A great owner would have replaced this crappy GM. He even admitted it. He's a senile, delusional old man still living on success he had little to do with in the mid 90s.

 

[Sydla]

Here's a couple of things for you to think about. The peckers went 29 years between NFL championships with only 4 playoff appearances in that time yet their request for pecker tickets kept climbing. Maybe they have more REAL fans and less fair weather fans. There are 13 or just 3 short of half the teams in the NFL that have not won a SINGLE Super Bowl yet the Cowboys have 5 trophies. There are a max of 5 primetime games for a team each season yet the Cowboys year after year after year get those games while other teams get the once every 3 season allotment. Why are the Cowboys are one of the teams to keep getting all of the allotted primetime games and other teams don't - because the Cowboys win games and other teams have a winning season every 5 - 6 years. If it's so hard for you to support the Cowboys why not just admit it to yourself that just maybe you're really not a Cowboys fan and be happy the Cowboys aren't like the browns or lions that go win less for an entire seasons.
.

I see a lot of words that is just rationalizing away two decades of ineptitude from this franchise. It’s embarrassing that you inject the “at least we arent the Browns” defense. Embarrassing.

Also idiotic is this notion that you have to “support” the Cowboys and if you don’t you aren’t a real fan.

 

[GenoT]

Dallas is a popular franchise win or lose. So what? Does this make you feel better as a fan that we haven't contended for a super bowl in 22 years?

Absolutely not.

I was simply responding to the OP’s query by explaining we are nowhere near being among the “worst franchises in sports.”

Maybe you don’t go back to the beginning/expansion team years (or even the end of the Landry era)? Otherwise, you might have a better reference to what a truly bad team we can be.

 

[gjkoeppen]

I see a lot of words that is just lame excuse making for two decades of ineptitude from this franchise.

Also idiotic is this notion that you have to “support” the Cowboys and if you don’t you aren’t a real fan.

I can't help it if you don't know what the definition of fans is. To be a fan is to support an individual, team or thing. It's doesn't say you rip, belittle, complain, whine, throw temper tantrums, spew negativity. Somehow all of that is missing from the actual definition of being a fan. Now if you look up fair weather fan you'll probably find those things but fair weather fans aren't any better than fans of the opposing team.
.

 

[Sydla]

I can't help it if you don't know what the definition of fans is. To be a fan is to support an individual, team or thing. It's doesn't say you rip, belittle, complain, whine, throw temper tantrums, spew negativity. Somehow all of that is missing from the actual definition of being a fan. Now if you look up fair weather fan you'll probably find those things but fair weather fans aren't any better than fans of the opposing team.
.

You have a limited view of what being a “fan” is.

But that’s OK. You’ve shown limited knowledge in other discussions as well.