Which NFL teams will always be considered iconic?

Sarge said:

So the last 20 years doesn’t count?

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No. They are not as impressive.

According to our "iconic" experts:

5 Super Bowl wins in 54 years
is better than
6 Super Bowl wins in 20 years


COWBOYS!!!! Yeeeeee hawwwwwww!!!!!

Shane612 said:

Prior to 2000, Patriots were very average. They haven't earned to be ICONIC, yet.

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6 superbowls in under 20 years may disagree with that.

Historically:
Packers
Bears
Browns
Lions
Giants

Super Bowl era:
Cowboys
Steelers
49ers
Patriots

Shane612 said:

My list:
Cowboys.
Steelers.
Fourth Niners.
Bears.

All four of these teams have storied history.
In fact, when a reporter asked Bill Parcells why he wanted to coach the cowboys, that was the answer he gave, a "storied" history.

When I think of the NFL, these franchises come first into mind.

Until recent history, the Patriots were nothing. If they can maintain their winning streak for another 10 years, maybe they'll make my list....lol

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How happy are we . The Cowboys are hands down the Flagship of the NFL and its not even close my brothers and sisters! There can be a lot of disagreements and infighting on this site and some people you may dislike here but we all should bask in the knowledge that Dallas is THE Team and the haters know it. Thats what eats at them the most. The green eyed monster rears its ugly head! Go Cowboys forever!!

There are 3 iconic teams:

Cowboys
Steelers
Packers


Thats it. Patriots are modern era.

Sarge said:

So the last 20 years doesn’t count?

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Well, lets see if they can win with another head coach, and with another QB.

John813 said:

6 superbowls in under 20 years may disagree with that.

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It is impressive, but can they do it with someone else other than Belichick and Brady?

Only one team belongs on that list. And "most" of us know what team that is.

Shane612 said:

Well, lets see if they can win with another head coach, and with another QB.

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Aside from the Steelers, they’ve won more Super Bowls than anyone. Hate them all you want, those are iconic numbers.

the past ~20 years of the Patriots will be considered iconic, if it's not already. what they accomplished was historic and will be remembered.

so i'd say:
Cowboys
Steeler
Niners
Packers
Pats

Shane612 said:

It is impressive, but can they do it with someone else other than Belichick and Brady?

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why does that matter, exactly?
what they did was historic and it was well over a decade of unrivaled success.

Shane612 said:

It is impressive, but can they do it with someone else other than Belichick and Brady?

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According to you and your arbitrary criteria, Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls would not be iconic either....

So if it were up to you, you would leave the NFL team with arguably the GOAT coach and GOAT player in the NFL from the "iconic" list.

In addition, you would leave the NBA team with the arguably GOAT player in the NBA from the "iconic" list.


Take off the homer glasses. Please consider that maybe.....just maybe......there are franchises that are on par with our Cowboys....

Shane612 said:

Prior to 2000, Patriots were very average. They haven't earned to be ICONIC, yet.

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The Patriots 11 Super Bowl appearances and six Super Bowl wins say shutup.

You cannot tell the story of the NFL without discussing the Patriots; you would have to erase the past 20 years.

Prior to 1945, the three most important teams were:
Packers
Bears. The 1940s Bears are a dynasty comparable to the 50s Browns, 60s Packers, and 70s Steelers. Feel free to ask Dan Daly on Twitter about these Bears.
Commanders (those Sammy Baugh teams were good)
imo all iconic. But probably recognizable only to history buffs.

1945-1950
no teams I'd regard as iconic, but historically important were the Cleveland/LA Rams and the Eagles. the Rams have the best O in the history of the NFL.
the Eagles Steve Van Buren was the best RB prior to Jim Brown, and the defense Greasy Neale created was what everyone was playing before the 4-3.

1950-1955
Two teams counted. the Browns and the Detroit Lions. iconic.

1956-1961
NY Giants and the Baltimore Colts. iconic.

1962-1967
Green Bay Packers. This version is iconic.

1971-1980
Steelers, Cowboys, Dolphins, Raiders. IMO, all 4 are iconic.

1981-1991
49ers, Commanders, NY Giants. All 3 iconic.

1992-1995

Dallas Cowboys.

1996 to present

Denver Broncos - Elway teams. iconic to me
St Louis Rams - Warner teams. iconic.
New England Patriots - yes, iconic.
Pittsburgh. tend to think the second best team of this period.
Seattle. Also a very good and historic team. Not sure if they are iconic.
NY Giants. important in this period and I'm sure their fans love them.

And yes, it's broken down by time periods as most folks notion of iconic is at best 1962 onwards.

D-

Think y'all weigh the 49'ers more heavily than they would be weighed nationally.

"Iconic" means relation to something that is an 'icon", now look up icon and you tell me if Any sports team deserves that recognition.

it sound weird but i do not think the patriots are iconic. i think belichick and brady are both iconic, but not the patriots franchise and brand. maybe that does not make sense but i do think it is true!

ScipioCowboy said:

Browns.

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It's hard to add them since they fell off the map for almost 30 years. The other teams named at least have been to Super Bowls in this Super Bowl era. Storied franchises for me were successful in both eras.

Kwyn said:

If we’re just talking iconic franchises, I have it like this

1. Packers
2. Bears
3. Steelers
4. Cowboys
5. 49’ers

If we’re talking greatest franchise ever, it gets more complicated

Super Bowl Era

1. Steelers
2. Cowboys (only ahead of Pats because we had two great runs instead of one)
3. Patriots
4. Packers
5. 49’ers

Pre-Super Bowl Era

1. Packers
   
2. Bears
3. Browns
   
4. Giants
5. Colts (Big drop-off after the Giants)

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I think NE now has to be ahead of Dallas. They have 6 rings. Went to a Super Bowl in the 80s and 90s. In fact, they have been to a Super Bowl in 4 straight decades. They kind of did have 2 runs. They won 3 in 4 in the early 2000s (matches our 3 in 4 a decade earlier). Then they won another 3 rings in 5 years and another appearance mixed in with a loss the next decade. Not sure how we have topped that. They have us beat in appearances and rings.

The Patriots had/ have arguably,, the greatest QB and Coach in league history. They hauled in 6 Super Bowls in the era of the salary cap. They lead the league in iconicnessness.

Maybe the Raiders were in the sixties and seventies. But Al Davis destroyed what had been a commitment to excellence through ego and senility, and the Captain Kangaroo Love Child who owns the team now has turned them into the "Las Vegas Raiders." They are about as iconic these days as the Canton Bulldogs.