Bogart
Duke Mantee
When speaking of rivalries, this always comes to mind.
In 2002 the NFL decided to re-arrange the divisions, which I still believe destroyed some valuable divisional rivalries.
Packers/Buccaneers
Remember when Tampa Bay used to compete very well with us in the late 90's? It wasn't just the worry in Minnesota in '98, the Buc's also were becoming a good team, and i think they had a good run in '99. Sadly this rivalry is no more.
49ers/Saints
Here's one you never hear about. All through the late 80's and early 90's the Saints competed very hard with the Niners, who went from Montana to Young over the period. The 49ers usually beat them, but the games were very close, and most of them from '91-'93 were decided by 6 or less points. This is the team Jim Mora *****ed about that they "could never beat" and most the time they couldn't. The 49ers would wipe the floor with them at home, and then barely edge a victory on the road. Funny thing is, ever since 2002, the Niners have never beat the Saints, despite totally dominating them all through the 80's and 90's.
Oilers (Titans) vs the AFC Central (Browns, Bengals, Steelers)
Remember Warren Moon? Rod Woodson? Back when Houston had a classic team, the Oilers and Steelers had a great rivalry. The Oilers were the team at one point, and the Steelers were trying to get back into the picture as a team. Most of the games were close, most of them were decided by turn overs. But then again, the Oilers were tough for everyone in the AFC Central. Even the Browns and Bengals runs in the late 80's were haunted by the Oilers getting the best of them.
Seahawks vs the AFC West
Before Seattle really had any success they were used as a doormat for the AFC West teams. I believe they had a handful of winning seasons, but not very many. Sometimes I wonder how the AFC West would have looked with them still in it, and their success during the early 2000's under Hasselbeck.
Colts vs AFC East
Ohhhh yeah. This one is ridiculous. New England and Indianapolis are remembered as of the last 10 years for Brady and Manning going head to head, but WHAT IF they were still in the same division? What if Manning and Brady had to go head to head twice a year? Before 2002, the Colts had to play Miami, NY Jets, New England, and Buffalo as a division. I believe the division re-arranging helped the Colts in a long run, as they have never really had any competetion in the South. Tennessee is good when they want to be. Jacksonville has never got over the hump, and Houston is still a young team. I don't think the Colts would have been so successful winning 10+ games every year if they still were in the East.
I'm sure I'm missing a lot of others here in this short list, but I think these forgotten rivalries were a bit fun. I miss playing Tampa Bay, and I still think the 49ers and Saints had a great rivalry going back and forth. Most people down here in the South miss the Oilers, and remember how heated their games between Pittsburgh and Cleveland were in the early 90's.
In 2002 the NFL decided to re-arrange the divisions, which I still believe destroyed some valuable divisional rivalries.
Packers/Buccaneers
Remember when Tampa Bay used to compete very well with us in the late 90's? It wasn't just the worry in Minnesota in '98, the Buc's also were becoming a good team, and i think they had a good run in '99. Sadly this rivalry is no more.
49ers/Saints
Here's one you never hear about. All through the late 80's and early 90's the Saints competed very hard with the Niners, who went from Montana to Young over the period. The 49ers usually beat them, but the games were very close, and most of them from '91-'93 were decided by 6 or less points. This is the team Jim Mora *****ed about that they "could never beat" and most the time they couldn't. The 49ers would wipe the floor with them at home, and then barely edge a victory on the road. Funny thing is, ever since 2002, the Niners have never beat the Saints, despite totally dominating them all through the 80's and 90's.
Oilers (Titans) vs the AFC Central (Browns, Bengals, Steelers)
Remember Warren Moon? Rod Woodson? Back when Houston had a classic team, the Oilers and Steelers had a great rivalry. The Oilers were the team at one point, and the Steelers were trying to get back into the picture as a team. Most of the games were close, most of them were decided by turn overs. But then again, the Oilers were tough for everyone in the AFC Central. Even the Browns and Bengals runs in the late 80's were haunted by the Oilers getting the best of them.
Seahawks vs the AFC West
Before Seattle really had any success they were used as a doormat for the AFC West teams. I believe they had a handful of winning seasons, but not very many. Sometimes I wonder how the AFC West would have looked with them still in it, and their success during the early 2000's under Hasselbeck.
Colts vs AFC East
Ohhhh yeah. This one is ridiculous. New England and Indianapolis are remembered as of the last 10 years for Brady and Manning going head to head, but WHAT IF they were still in the same division? What if Manning and Brady had to go head to head twice a year? Before 2002, the Colts had to play Miami, NY Jets, New England, and Buffalo as a division. I believe the division re-arranging helped the Colts in a long run, as they have never really had any competetion in the South. Tennessee is good when they want to be. Jacksonville has never got over the hump, and Houston is still a young team. I don't think the Colts would have been so successful winning 10+ games every year if they still were in the East.
I'm sure I'm missing a lot of others here in this short list, but I think these forgotten rivalries were a bit fun. I miss playing Tampa Bay, and I still think the 49ers and Saints had a great rivalry going back and forth. Most people down here in the South miss the Oilers, and remember how heated their games between Pittsburgh and Cleveland were in the early 90's.