Five Worst Owners in the NFL

[convertedpatsfan]

This was a terrible article for numerous reasons. I'm not quite sure what criteria went into this "list" but it is clear not a lot of research went into it. But just right off the start:

The same can’t be said about the individuals below, and that is why none of them will win a Super Bowl as long as they are involved.

Ummm. The top 3 names on this list have won Super Bowls.

Jones may be an egotistical megalomaniac. Davis may be senile. But both have done a lot in football over their careers.

The inclusion of Jones in particular is shocking. Jones is one of, if not the single most influential owner in the sport. He's done a lot for the business side of things. His recent draft history has been suspect, but one of the most important owners who has won multiple Super Bowls while developing one of the richest teams in the sport, which has a winning record in 5 of the last 6 seasons while making the play-offs in 3 of those seasons is hardly a candidate for the top 5 worst owners in football by any criteria you can think of.

Of that list, Jones and Davis are the only ones who have a hand in the drafting of players.. Look at the last 4 years of Cowboys drafts.. They haven't exactly been filled with a bonanza of talent. They've been pretty mediocre beyond Felix Jones, Tashard Choice and Dez Bryant.

I don't think that's fair. They haven't been outstanding drafts, but I've seen a lot worse. There have been some poor picks, but there is a lot more than just Jones, Choice and Bryant. Sean Lee looks promising. In 2009, they didn't have a pick until the 3rd round, but McGee shows some signs of potential, and they got a specialist in Buehler in the 5th. Mike Jenkins had a down year, but he was a Pro Bowl alternate his rookie season and still shows promise. Anthony Spencer and Doug Free in 2007 were pretty solid picks, and it's hard to believe but Nick Folk was a Pro Bowl kicker for a while.

And Davis had some awful drafts. 2007 and 2009 stand out for their #1s in Russell and Heyward-Bey, but I think it's made people cloud over some of the other players they picked up. Even in the bad years, they still got Zach Miller, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Michael Bush, and Louis Murphy. 2010 wasn't bad at all, with Rolando McLain LaMarr Houston, and Jacoby Ford, plus he didn't overdraft work-out warrior Bruce Campbell like everyone thought but got him in the 4th, and he played in 10 games. Darren McFadden hasn't lived up to all the hype, but he's still a pretty good pick that's been coming on, and they also got Tyvon Branch in the same draft.

Again, neither will get top marks for their draft classes. But looking back, they aren't as bad as I first thought either.

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

No one on that list comes close to insulting and mistreating one's own fanbase the way Snyder has..

How many lawsuits has Synder initiated? Didn't he sue the Redskin's GM (Charlie Casserly)?

 

[cmasspatsfan]

How many lawsuits has Synder initiated? Didn't he sue the Redskin's GM (Charlie Casserly)?

Suing Charlie Casserly cant be a bad thing.

 

[Potstickas]

terrible article, surprised that not many people thumbs down that article. Many of his reasons were very weak. e.g. "Bowlen let Brandon Marshall go because he couldn’t keep his attitude in check."

How about naming owners who don't provide the necessary tools and resources so that the people he hires can do their jobs like the Cincy owner Mike Brown?

Pat Bowlen, Jerry Jones, and Even Alex Spanos are good owners.

 

[shmessy]

How many lawsuits has Synder initiated? Didn't he sue the Redskin's GM (Charlie Casserly)?

He's currently suing a small, local community paper that is distributed free.

Great guy.

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

Suing Charlie Casserly cant be a bad thing.

I could see suing him for his gawd-awful toupee. His voice also; does he have the worst accent on TV? It is so bad it is amusing; sort of like Mel Blanc voice (YouTube - Mel Blanc on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson).

 

[Scouse Patriot]

Having experienced real bad owners of my favourite team I really do sympathise with any fan who's teams currently under such a regime. Seriously, I even have sympathy for Man U fans with the Glazers and I guess the Bucs are the same.

When you can see your club going down the pan as the owners bleed it dry it really is total heartbreak. I wouldn't even wish it on the Jets.

 

[folamzz]

The writer is wrong on jerry jones. He is one of the better owners in the nfl. The cowboys are the second biggest sports franchise in America behind the yankees. Jones has marketed the team very well. He spends on his team, not always wisely but at least he tries to win. The building of the stadium is an example his marketing genius. I live close to the stadium, and people pay money to take a tour of the stadium everyday. The stadium has hosted many sporting events like superbowl and nba allstar game. He has also won three superbowls, signing a guy like deion sanders during that run. I would want Jerry Jones running my team.

 

[Deus Irae]

Spanos doesn't belong on the list, and the only reason to put Bowlen there is that he's gone a bit senile. While that's clearly impacted his abilities as an owner, he's still better than some other options out there, and people here have mentioned such options. It was a badly written article which used lousy logic and reasoning.

 

[Pats Fanatic]

I don't really agree to that list my would be.

1. Mike Brown Bengals He hired back Marvin Lewis as HC enough said.
2. William Clay Ford Lions- The last NFL championship was in 1957 been a joke since them their fans deserve much better.
3. Randy Lerner Browns - Bad coaching decisions, been a joke since he brought them back.
4. Ralph Wilson Bills The game has passed him by.
5. Dan Snyder Redskins -He is a joke of an owner and human being.

 

[Mike Procopio]

before I get into a pissing contest over all of the posting above, let me clarify something.

#1) These are strictly opinion. I could come out and say Michael Bishop should be brought back to start over TB12, and it's an opinion, plain and simple.

#2) Mike Brown should have been on there, but those 5 were the glaring ones that came to me. Jerry Jones regardless of what you say, is a cancer to his "team" not his franchise. BIG difference.

#3) To the guy who said this was his first and last article, I love you too sir.


Hopefully we have some more to chat about come Thursday when the Pats use every one of their picks and stock up on some more young talent for the future.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Without even reading the article I would have to say that Dan Snyder and Al Davis should top the list. Neither minds spending money, so that's not the problem, but the way they run their franchises is ruinously bad. The other bad owners would probably be the tightwads. BTW Kraft would not be one of those. Pats have usually spent to the cap each year except for the recently uncapped 2010.

As far as the Broncos and Chargers owners go. The author may dislike them, but it's hard to argue with their success. Broncos got a couple championships and Chargers are in the playoffs nearly ever year. Jerry Jones, hate him or not, managed to bring 3 championships to Dallas. Now maybe he's living on past glory and he's been worse lately, but what can you do. He brought a huge mega stadium to Dallas that will keep that franchise viable for years to come. Hard to argue with the results although the Dallas product sucked last year. And he can't control who his players date whether that be Jessica Simpson or Kim Cardashian.

 

[Mike Procopio]

Davis and Snyder were both on there so we are on the same page amigo.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

#1) These are strictly opinion. I could come out and say Michael Bishop should be brought back to start over TB12, and it's an opinion, plain and simple.

Some of it is opinion. Some of it is just lazy, poor writing, and flat-out wrong. The part you wrote about why none of them will win a Super Bowl made me actually cringe. 3 of those 5 have, in fact, won Super Bowls. Each has won multiple, in fact. That is not opinion.

As for Davis, the old man has gone senile, sure. But let's not forget he's been to 5 Super Bowls, winning 3. He was the commissioner of the AFL when they went head-to-head with the NFL, eventually resulting in the merger (which he was against).

He's never been afraid to go against the grain, from suing the NFL to taking on a band of outcasts to opening things up with the vertical game. His legacy includes hiring the first Hispanic head coach, the first African-American head coach, and the first female CEO.

He's coached in the league (23-16-4 record is better than many). And for several decades under his ownership, they were one of the most successful franchises in the league. That's why he's in the Hall of Fame.

He's clearly on the downside of his career. But many fan bases would take the last 40 years under Davis compared to their sad-sack ownership groups. And don't kick dirt on his grave too quickly. Their 2010 draft was solid, and they are starting to turn things around there.

If you want to put Crazy Al #1, that's fine, that's your opinion. But if you're going to write here, you should at least do some preliminary basic research instead of making up stuff. That's all I ask.

 

[Mike Procopio]

they had a great draft in 2010. There is also some great cogs in the machine in place there as well. But tell me how you can defend the fact they fire a coach after becoming relevant again?

I am not going to rock the boat and I'll just agree to disagree and take your points into account going forward. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

they had a great draft in 2010. There is also some great cogs in the machine in place there as well. But tell me how you can defend the fact they fire a coach after becoming relevant again?

I am not going to rock the boat and I'll just agree to disagree and take your points into account going forward. Thanks for the feedback.

I'm not going to defend every Davis decision, because I agree he's senile and crazy.

And as for the coach firing, it's bizarre, I agree. I don't think it's enough to put him #1 on the list over the Fords in Detroit or the Browns in Cincinnati, but that part is certainly up for opinion.

I just felt that not enough research went into your article is all, especially on the Super Bowls. And sorry if I was a bit over the top, but there's plenty of opinion without research available everywhere, but I love coming here because of the solid analysis and intelligent thoughts from some of the great posters here. We could use more of it, and I hope you'll contribute to it.

 

[Mike Procopio]

absolutely. looking forward to it. No apologies needed, that is why we do this stuff.

 

[Deus Irae]

they had a great draft in 2010. There is also some great cogs in the machine in place there as well. But tell me how you can defend the fact they fire a coach after becoming relevant again?

I am not going to rock the boat and I'll just agree to disagree and take your points into account going forward. Thanks for the feedback.

Regarding Davis: you fire the coach if you don't think he's the man for the job. You were probably bashing Davis for the hire when it first happened, too. That team was destined for significant improvement, because JaMarcus Russell was gone. A pet fish could have gotten improvement out of that team.

Overall, it was an article that was very poorly written, very poorly researched, or both. Kudos for you for coming to take the slings and arrows, though.

 

[shmessy]

absolutely. looking forward to it. No apologies needed, that is why we do this stuff.

Hang in there, Mike. Anyone will tell ya I write 7-8 lazy, badly researched posts everyday.

BTW, you did make several good points in the article.

 

[Belichick's Midget Army]

The Brown's family, Dan Snyder, Al Davis.