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The Bottom Ten/NFL Final!
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
We go through this every now and then at the Bottom Ten, playoff teams resting starters wrecking havoc with the B-10 race, as Atlanta and Baltimore both snatched victories from teams that didn't really care enough about their final game to try and win.
Fortunately, the race for the Dan Henning Trophy was not adversely impacted, as Miami took care of matters by losing to Cincinnati to finish an admirable 1-15 and claim the Dan Henning Trophy, symbolic of NFL Bottom Ten supremacy.
The final week's mess, as the nags stagger across the finish line:
1. Miami (1-15)
Mitigating Factors: B-10 pollsters not pleased with victory over Ravens, but Dolphins still close season strong, getting outscored 66-32 in last two games, and are issued Dan Henning trophy based on 1-15 record, propensity for losing the close ones, having lost six games by three points.
2. Oakland (4-12)
Mitigating Factors: Raiders only team in AFC with two losing streaks of at least four games, losing both four and five straight in 2007…Four wins came against teams who averaged 4.4 wins in 2007.
3. St. Louis (3-13)
Mitigating Factors: Early season contender, starting season with strong 0-8 mark, Rams blow chance at B-10 glory by winning three of next four, recover to end season with four straight losses.
4. Baltimore (5-11)
Mitigating Factors: Raven fans crying foul as team denied Dan Henning trophy despite being only team to lose to Miami, and, finishing season by losing nine of last ten.
5. Kansas City (4-12)
Mitigating Factors: Chiefs issued Roy Jones Award, for being worst team, pound for pound, at seasons end, having lost nine straight…Only confusing, fluke streak of four wins in five games early in season keep Chiefs off B-10 medal stand.
6. 2007 NFL Bottom Ten
Mitigating Factors: Pollsters get credit for actually finishing first poll in memory of man, demerits for taking four bye weeks…Don't even start; you guys have no idea the pressure we work under here.
7. AFC East Rearguard
Mitigating Factors: Thank goodness for Buffalo's midseason four game win streak or this could have been a lot worse, as Bills, Jets and Dolphins manage a total of 12 wins, exactly three-fourths the total of division champion, 16-0 New England.
8. Atlanta (4-12)
Mitigating Factors: Falcons only team in NFL with three losing streaks of at least three games, losing three in a row twice before completely throwing in the towel and losing six straight before winning losable final game to Seattle team that didn't care
9. New York Jets (4-14)
Mitigating Factors: Throw out win over Pittsburgh that still has everyone scratching their heads, and remaining Jets wins came against Dolphins (1-15), Dolphins (1-15) and Chiefs (4-12).
10. NFL
Mitigating Factors: Gets credit for allowing entire nation to see final New England Patriots game because less than half the country gets their NFL Network. Would have been better had they not done so grudgingly. It would have been a splendid PR coup had they grabbed the bull by the horns and demanded every network in the country - from NBC to whatever network the NHL is on - carry the game.
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