http://www.askmen.com/sports/fitness...ness_list.html
Click on the link for the rankings. I'll spoil it for you: their #1 choice was the 1999 Rams.
Click on the link for the rankings. I'll spoil it for you: their #1 choice was the 1999 Rams.
Top 10: Super Bowl Champions
WhatIfSports.com used its free NFL SimMatchup technology (you could do this too!) to simulate the 42 Super Bowl champions against one another -- 100 times each. This means that each team played 4,100 games and 86,100 games were played in total. At the end, we looked at all of the games and ranked teams by winning percentage to find the top 10. This is the most accurate and thorough approach to answering “the question.”
The conclusion may not be “the 2007 New England Patriots,” but the question is still relevant -- and WhatIfSports.com has a definitive answer.
The debate in question is precisely why the site exists and it’s one of the major reasons why sports talk radio exists. It is why we all talk sports with our fathers and grandfathers, just like we do or will with our children and grandchildren. That’s because the conversation concerns historical context. On the heels of one of the most exciting and dramatic Super Bowls ever, and with so much recent discussion about NFL history, the specific question is; “Which team was the greatest Super Bowl champion of all time?” Or, more appropriately, “what if” the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins and other elite teams played all of the other Super Bowl champions? The answer: The Dolphins would win just more than 60% of the time, while the 1985 Chicago Bears and 1999 St. Louis Rams would each win well over 70% of their games.
When running these games, the simulation engine factors in actual regular season statistics that are adjusted equally on a historical and relative (to other teams that season and to strength of schedule) basis. This means that if a team or player had a record-breaking rushing season against a schedule that includes very weak rush defenses, the team or player will still perform well, but may not perform as well it did that year. This also means that the computer does not have to try to figure out how a 230-pound offensive lineman can block a 330-pound defensive tackle. Everything is in the numbers and relative to the context of that season.
Record has nothing to do with this analysis, but do not confuse that with a neglect for “heart” or “clutch.” Strengths, weaknesses, consistency, comfort under pressure, and the like are all “intangible” factors that show through in the numbers. And teams with better numbers typically win -- especially when the games are played often.
The 2007 New York Giants rank No. 23. Although the Giants looked like the better team in Super Bowl XLII, it was still an upset. Had the Patriots just won, they would appear among the top few on this list. Now they are not on it. That is how big that game was.
The top 10 Super Bowl champions list starts with a bit of a surprise:
WhatIfSports.com used its free NFL SimMatchup technology (you could do this too!) to simulate the 42 Super Bowl champions against one another -- 100 times each. This means that each team played 4,100 games and 86,100 games were played in total. At the end, we looked at all of the games and ranked teams by winning percentage to find the top 10. This is the most accurate and thorough approach to answering “the question.”
The conclusion may not be “the 2007 New England Patriots,” but the question is still relevant -- and WhatIfSports.com has a definitive answer.
The debate in question is precisely why the site exists and it’s one of the major reasons why sports talk radio exists. It is why we all talk sports with our fathers and grandfathers, just like we do or will with our children and grandchildren. That’s because the conversation concerns historical context. On the heels of one of the most exciting and dramatic Super Bowls ever, and with so much recent discussion about NFL history, the specific question is; “Which team was the greatest Super Bowl champion of all time?” Or, more appropriately, “what if” the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins and other elite teams played all of the other Super Bowl champions? The answer: The Dolphins would win just more than 60% of the time, while the 1985 Chicago Bears and 1999 St. Louis Rams would each win well over 70% of their games.
When running these games, the simulation engine factors in actual regular season statistics that are adjusted equally on a historical and relative (to other teams that season and to strength of schedule) basis. This means that if a team or player had a record-breaking rushing season against a schedule that includes very weak rush defenses, the team or player will still perform well, but may not perform as well it did that year. This also means that the computer does not have to try to figure out how a 230-pound offensive lineman can block a 330-pound defensive tackle. Everything is in the numbers and relative to the context of that season.
Record has nothing to do with this analysis, but do not confuse that with a neglect for “heart” or “clutch.” Strengths, weaknesses, consistency, comfort under pressure, and the like are all “intangible” factors that show through in the numbers. And teams with better numbers typically win -- especially when the games are played often.
The 2007 New York Giants rank No. 23. Although the Giants looked like the better team in Super Bowl XLII, it was still an upset. Had the Patriots just won, they would appear among the top few on this list. Now they are not on it. That is how big that game was.
The top 10 Super Bowl champions list starts with a bit of a surprise:
Comment