Last playoff appearance (excluding wild card): 1991 (lost) Championships: 4 I think he was the best receiver in this class, so they got value after three others were taken before him. Still, compared with the genuine sad sacks of pro sports, the fan bases with zero joy, no highs, all lows, nothing to show for their loyalty but a deep dent in their foreheads from slapping them for decades, the Mets track record for badness simply doesnt rate. First-rounder Tyree Wilson has the tools to be a Pro Bowl player on a consistent basis and second-round tight end Mike Mayer was the best at his position in this draft. Because when it comes to losing in spectacular fashion, no ones ever done it better. Best Pick: Second-rounder B.J. Consider this a convenient way to see the direction in which your favorite team is headed. You don't take backs that high. Best Pick: Second-round receiver Rashee Rice is a big-bodied receiver who doesn't have blazing speed, but he can help try to fill the void that JuJu Smith-Schuster left when he departed in free agency. He was on my Better-Than team. And Bob Pulford, doing a pretty fair impersonation of a Madame Tussaud waxwork taken out of the showroom to make room for a newer model, still out on display, overseeing another disasterous season. Worst Pick: I like Bijan Robinson as a player. The Skinny: Their draft will be decided by what quarterback Anthony Richardson becomes as a player. I know he was miscast some in Iowa State's defense, but I think he went too high. The Cowboys have not been the same since Jimmy Johnson left. There is no such thing as a funny winner. The Lakers won all three of their home games in the series, and the final victory was a scary demonstration of their capabilities when James and Davis are both healthy alongside their full supporting cast. The top 25 most miserable fan bases in professional sports - ESPN Losing blossoms over time; the layers emerge; the stories get richer and more complex; the funny stuff comes out. They ghosted. The 49ers entered Day 1 with 11 total Sixth-round corner Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson is a quality player, who could be a good nickel. The rest of the draft was just OK, and they didn't take an offensive lineman with their first three picks, waiting until the seventh round when they took tackle Ryan Hayes. As for the losers, there were no major disasters, so no 'D's or 'F's, but I did give out a few 'C-' grades. The Mets are not bad. The Mets were down three games to two. The Skinny: I really like their draft. The Patriots will do that for him. Would Roger Staubach do that? I remember the feeling of my brain expanding in my skull and getting super warm as Ray Knight stomped on home plate, and I know for certain that if it happened again today, I would stroke out. James scored 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who emphatically clinched a playoff series in their own arena for the first time since 2012. He does fit their receiver profile. I think there were better options when they picked the positions they did. These guys come armed with an aim more wayward than Dick Cheney's. The 21st century hasnt been good to the city, and every unlikely defeat, every clumsy failure, is cut with rust and resignation. Worst Pick: Third-round receiver Josh Downs went a little higher than I would have taken him, He's a solid player, but I don't think he will be as good as some others do. They added four pass catches and two defensive front players, including first-round edge rusher Lukas Van Ness. There were better options on the board at receiver and they needed help inside on defense. Their fan base had no discernible identity. It used to be sad. I know this makes no sense, the comedian and ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel told me, but I feel like Mets fans have more integrity than the Yankees fans. Kimmel grew up in Brooklyn and came of age as a Mets fan in the mid-1970s, just as the core of the 69 Miracle Mets was heading into decline. Best Pick: Second-round receiver Marvin Mims can fly. You could lock every fan of the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, and Colorado Rockies in a small storage locker, and they would kill one another for the Mets postseason history. The Los Angeles Lakers completed their first-round upset of the Memphis Grizzlies with a 125-85 victory in Game 6. They picked three players on my Better-Than team in Smith, Fehoko (captain) and Schoonmaker. In this draft, which was considered a weak draft at the top, there are four teams that stood out, four teams that earned 'A' grades from me. Would it shock anybody if he were a starter in a year or two? The tidbit, revealed in an NFLPA survey that declared the franchise one of the worst in the NFL, flies in the face of what most incoming college players experience at From a different time, a bygone sensibility. Sad Franchise Fact - Last World Series Title - 1979 1. He will be a starting corner at some point as a rookie. Who knows? If he can get more consistent, this will be a good pick. He was a college tackle, but he is more guard than tackle in my mind. They added a lot of big bodies the rest of the way. Well done. What really clinched it, though, wasnt my ardor for their Day-Glo colors, or my sense that Id found my tribe. Worst Pick: Can you like a player and not like the pick? In 57 seasons to date, the Mets have reached the postseason nine times, theyve played in five World Series, and theyve won twice. The Skinny: They took tight end Dalton Kincaid in the first, which will help the passing game. Something awful, surely but maybe not! Worst Pick: It was giving up the first-round pick for Wilson and paying him. Its got to motivate us. A dead spell broken by a string of spectacular arrests and failed teams. I didn't love his tape, but I get it since they need help at edge. Johnston has to be a Pro Bowl-type of talent for this draft to really hit. He is a power player inside. They have to love his speed as a converted safety, but the tape was inconsistent. Bronko Nagurski left the Bears in the '30s because pro wrestling paid better than the Papa Bear did. Jerry Jones thinks he is Tom Landry, Tex Schramm, Gil Brandt, and Clint Murchison Jr. ruled into one all knowing football being. Here is our ranking of all 122 franchises in the four major pro sports leagues, based on what you, the fans, told us about how each and every team is doing. The Skinny: It's obvious by their draft what Smith's top priority is for this team. LeBron James scored 22 points for the seventh Fehoko will prove to be a quality rotational player. Winners, Losers by Winning Percentage in He is a big, powerful man who will help their run defense in a big way. The White Sox are the true Mets of Chicago, which is why theres nothing lovable about the Cubs when theyre not losing. Long known as one of the worst owners in any professional sports the fanatically frugal Bidwells won't let the Cardinals success stand long. Bad hires. Fifth-round running back Eric Gray has talent. Distribution and use of this material are governed by If he learns the entire route tree early, he will give them a home-run threat. A shrewd owner. Owner Paul Browns mania prevented the Bill Walsh hiring and Walsh always wondered why. Used to be, at the old Stadium, by that moment of epiphany when Wayne Messmer reached "o'er the la-and of the free " in his justly famous rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, the 20,000-strong would set up such a mind-mulching din that the whole damn foundation would shake. The problem with the Browns case is Cleveland itself. Worst Pick: The Bills needed help at linebacker with Tremaine Edmunds gone in free agency, but I think there were better options than Dorian Williams, their third-round pick. A new survey of NFL players found the Washington Commanders had the worst workplace conditions. Kennard got a stinger in Game 5. I do like fifth-round defensive tackle Jacquelin Roy from LSU. He hit that ball so hard that its essence went clean through my chest, and I didnt feel it until I saw the baseball-size hole where several of my vital organs used to be. Grizzlies: Luke Kennard sat out with a sore shoulder, further hurting the depth on a roster already missing Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke. The sight of Ray Knight rounding third base with the winning run of Game 6 in the 1986 World Series against the Boston Red Soxcompleting a two-run, two-out, two-strike comeback in the bottom of the tenth inningwas the greatest moment of my life, and I have two kids. One out of two isn't bad, I guess. But fans of certain franchises always get less, less, less. I was 10 years old, and it was after midnight, and Id already bleated so many times during the first nine and a half innings that I was under penalty of death if I woke up anyone else. He isn't twitchy, but he has the ability to get 6-7 sacks a season. But did they really need a back with Tyler Alllgeier on the roster? After what they did in last year's draft, pinging them is tough. Sixth-round running back Deuce Vaughn isn't big, but he can play. They ask for all that and more. What is death but taking that one final L? The only funny Yankees fans alive, in fact, are Larry David, who was already 14 years old when the Mets came along (but still shouldve known better), and the Bodega Boys, Desus and Mero, who were raised in the Bronx, which is the only defensible reason to root for the Yankees, aside from family inheritance. He added a pass rusher in Myles Murphy, a fast corner in Turner and a smart safety in Jordan Battle. They need more help up front, so that's the only flaw of this draft. The top 25 most miserable fan bases in professional sports - ESPN They moved up to the third spot in a trade with Arizona, but they gave up way too much. Fifth-round pass rusher K.J. The Mets in all of us. The Skinny: Trading down and adding picks and still getting tackle Anton Harrison makes sense, considering they have to give Trevor Lawrence a mega-deal, which means cheap labor will be needed. The Skinny: Getting offensive lineman Peter Skoronski in the first round and Levis in the second were good picks. Best Pick: It was their first, corner Devon Witherspoon. Haven't teams learned yet from drafting kickers? I didn't love this draft. The Detroit Lions might be the worst worst team in sports, which is to say: Theyre not even good at being bad. Will he ever be anything more than a backup? What is the worst franchise in pro sports? - Cleveland 19 I think Mingo has the tools to be their No. The 2011-12 then Charlotte Bobcats finished the lockout season with a 7-59 record. Worst Pick: I like third-round running back Tyjae Spears, but he has some injury issues and I think they had more pressing needs. The season-ticket base is around 5,000. I knew about 1962, the worst team there ever was. In aggregate, the state of Minnesotas sports futility might surpass the Mets, but as stand-alone losers, theyre just too small-time. They were the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles. That could end up being a problem. Center Juice Struggs was over-drafted in the second round in my book. 10 worst sports franchises He's a good player, but they have Kenneth Walker. Best Pick: It would be easy to say it's Bryce Young, but I am going to go with second-round receiver Jonathan Mingo. He is a move tight end who will make things easier in the middle of the field. Ive never shaken it. He is a speedy corner who was on my Better-Than team because he really impressed on tape. He is a big-play specialist who can cover. WebAaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, who have recorded the most wins (790) in NFL history. The Raiders nailed this one. The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Seventh-round receiver Trey Palmer can fly. This draft showed one thing: They firmly believe in Sam Howell and they should even if nobody wants to believe it. WebCheck out the Page 2 essays on why the following teams may be the new Worst Franchise in Sports. They picked a lot of good players. Shopping mall Godfather Eddie Debartolo liked to try to bribe corruptible Southern Governors and to bet big on his team but at least he wanted very badly to win. New York Jets Detroit Lions Jacksonville Jaguars Pittsburgh But, well, you've got to give them something resembling hockey. Worst The great Dick Butkus' career was riddled with bad knees and worst contract disputes. Read: Hockey has a gigantic-goalie problem. Its about us, just as much as its about our opponent. That'd be 1988. Bresee has a ton of talent, but injuries and other issues prevented him from truly playing to it. saddest sports cities sorry Detroit Obviously, there are still a lot of cities that are clamoring for a sports crown of any kind, and many on this years list have been waiting a long time. It was definitely a Game 7 mentality for us, James said. You can never have enough big people to protect Joe Burrow. Arizona Cardinals | Atlanta Hawks Baltimore Orioles | Chicago Blackhawks | Detroit Lions | Golden State Warriors | Kansas City Royals New York Knicks | Pittsburgh Pirates Portland Trail Blazers. Yes, its been a while since 1986, and its probably true that half the people who had vivid memories of that season are now dead. Best Pick: Second-round pick Cody Mauch is a nasty player who will step in and likely be a starter at guard. LeBron had some great words of wisdom he shared after the game. I just don't think backs in the top 10 make sense anymore. Best Pick: I love fourth-round corner Clark Phillips. Until then, we can't give it an 'A'. He is a long corner who has a lot of cover ability. I know he fills a need, but there were better options. section: | slug: priscos-2023-nfl-draft-grades-for-all-32-teams-eagles-cowboys-bengals-lions-get-as-4-tie-for-worst-mark | sport: football | route: article_single.us | And then there are the injuries. Nice job. Worst Pick: I didn't love first-round pick Will McDonald. Anyone want to buy any naming rights for the ball park? If he's a star, this is a killer draft. The Eagles and Bengals were already Super Bowl contenders, the Cowboys were close and now some think this draft will get the Lions into the mix in a weakened NFC. Getting Carter and Nolan Smith in the first round with their two picks is an impressive draft for a team that needed to get young players up front. If the Lakers are Hollywood, the Clippers under Donald Sterling were Van Nuys. My Mets. Ojulari can rush the passer with speed, which they need in a bad way. I just don't think backs in the top 10 make sense anymore. Too bad it's all for Love. That's also why having 13 picks matters. This is a feeling weve got to remember. Getting Robinson and second-round pick Matthew Bergeron as a starting guard will help that run game. If Wilson is who they think he is, which is a dominant pass rusher, they got a solid haul. Love the pick. Best Pick: I like third-round running back Devon Achane. The Skinny: I loved first-round defensive tackle Mazi Smith, who will be a force on their front, especially in the run game. If healthy, he can be dominant. The Hawks of Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Glenn Hall, Pierre Pilote, Keith Magnusson, Iron Mike, Eddie the Eagle, Denis Savard, Doug Wilson, Chris Chelios. While his Daddy HL Hunt was digging oil and talking John Birch blues and his brother Bunker was cornering the silver market Lamar Hunt was given the Chiefs to play with. I didn't love the rest of their draft, but they had a lot of picks. Best and Worst Sports Logos in America Worst Pick: I didn't love the pick of receiver Quentin Johnston in the first round. We got two wins in this series, but we were far from where we needed to play. He is a power player who plays with violence. It's a big bet by a magic man who should little magic on Broadway. The recycled New York Jet Wonder Child wants to can the franchise quarterback from South Bend before he has a chance to prove he's another bad Brown. Which brings us to an important point of clarification regarding New York: The Knicks are not one of the worst franchises in sports. You can find kickers. Then again, the draft was a sideshow this year to getting Lamar Jackson signed just before the draft began. Watch. The Skinny: Howie Roseman killed it with his haul this year. Best Pick: Jarrick Bernard-Converse, their sixth-round pick, is a talented player with a lot of starts. News Corp is a global, diversified media and information services company focused on creating and distributing authoritative and engaging content and other products and services. After the Timberwolves lost to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, the team reached the top of a list no one wants to be on: They are the worst franchise in American pro I can see clearly now that baseball was a balm for loneliness, a way to be in the company of men and learn codes and rituals and feel a part of a group, however vicariously. The Skinny: After Addison, I didn't love their draft. Stagnation. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the lowest winloss percentage (.402) in the NFL regular season. "It's not sad. For everyone who cares about the Mets, the DNA of seasons such as 1969, with the original Miracle Mets; 1973, when the Ya Gotta Believe Mets went from last place to Game 7 of the World Series in two months; and 1986, a season-long bullet trainright up until they almost derailed twice in the playoffshas encoded in us this hapless instinct that a reversal of fortune is always possible. But I didn't love the second-round pick (TE Brenton Strange) or Bigsby that much. Would Ken Anderson be wearing a few Super Bowl rings right now? Houston Texans League: NFL Owner: Janice McNair GM: Nick Caserio The Theyre wrong, but I suppose they deserve a fair hearing. Best Pick: I liked fifth-round guard Atonio Mafi more than I liked their fourth-round guard Sidy Sow. They can be a little more patient. The Mets discover ways to lose like the Titanic discovered an iceberg. Detroit Lions One of just four NFL teams never to win the Super Bowl, its been a grim few years for the Lions. Not a burner down the field or high-caliber athlete overall. Worst franchise ever The Yankees were drab and gray. He is a talented player, but he weighs 185 pounds. He was a reach. The Timberwolves are now the worst franchise in major American It wouldn't shock me. Theyve never won a Super Bowl, never been to a Super Bowl. The 86-year-old Nicholson watched his beloved team for the first time since October 2021, returning to his usual seats alongside his son. teams The electronic media has forgotten they exist. So do the Bungle faithful. Bad trades. The rest of the draft was filled with talented players who need to fill a roster that lacked a lot of top-level players. This is a draft that will be defined by Levis. Third-round guard Tyler Steen is a good player, who will be a starter in a year to two. Detroit Lions. Even their uniforms, bluish-gray and grayish-blue, are colorless. Worst Both will be starters right away. WebThe Miami Marlins are easily, easily the worse franchise in sports. I think they had better choices on the board when they picked Rice. Carroll, 22, has been one of the reasons for Arizona's strong 16-12 start, the best mark in the NL West. Best thing for Browns fans to do now is to block arch betrayers Art Modell's Hall of Fame hopes. I liked that pick. That's the concern, especially the way he throws his body around. So their first pick was Smith, which I didn't like. Not a burner down the field The 49ers entered Day 1 with 11 total picks -- but zero in Rounds 1 or 2. Boston up 53. Its too grim. They also have a bunch of picks next year, including two in the first round. The last time they actually selected a player in the entry draft lottery who made an indelible impact on the franchise was Jeremy Roenick. If he can stay away from issues, and work harder at the game, he will be a Hall of Fame player. You cant do this shit without a sense of humor. Benton was the first of two former Wisconsin Badgers defenders the Steelers selected in the draft. There's no truth whatsoever to the slanderous rumor that the Hawks have, in fact, suspended operations. We know who the best loser is. Keep an eye on fourth-round defensive tackle Cameron Young and seventh-round running back Kenny McIntosh. The Skinny: They needed to get help in the secondary and on the offensive line, which they did. Anderson better be a Hall of Fame rusher, and I don't think he will be. So many baseball fans I know have heartwarming stories about how they fell for their favorite teamsa family saga, an iconic moment to which they bore accidental witness. But at least Eddie D wanted to win the York's don't seem to care. Best pick: Fourth-round edge rusher Viliami Fehoko was the captain of my Better-Than team. In 1973, a year that ended with the Mets second World Series appearance in five seasons, four Mets were stretchered off the field in the span of a single month. 59): IOL O'Cyrus Torrence Round 3 (No. Only in retrospect did it become clear what a bunch of drunks and criminals and ticking time bombs so many of them were, and how inevitable it was that theyd blow apart in spectacular fashion. Torrence will be a brute if his knees hold up. Archaic thinking. The Skinny: It was obvious that they wanted to get help for Jordan Love in the passing game and also for their defensive front, which the did. The Skinny: They didn't have a first- or second-round pick because of the trade up to draft Trey Lance two years ago and the trade to acquire Christian McCaffrey last year. Best Pick: It's first-round receiver Jordan Addison. The lack of Fast Eddie D has laid this once proud franchise low. Watch out for third-round defensive tackle Brodric Martin. 1 receiver in a year, which Young will love. It also means the Lions now have a frosty relationship with at least 50 percent of their franchise icons. And then, as the light in my eyes went out, Sox third baseman Wade Boggs clubbed a double in the gap, followed by light-hitting second baseman Marty Barrett singling him homeBarretts 12th hit in six games, lifting his World Series batting average to .418. Weve had some trash talk on the court in the series, but all the talking in the media, we just go out and let our game talk.. I just knew they were bad. In a shortened season because of an NBA lockout, Kemba Walker and the Bobcats finished 7-59, which included a 23 The Los Angles Lions? The Grizzlies had the second-worst road record among the NBAs 16 playoff teams in the regular season, and they lost all five of their road games against the Lakers this season. They did fill some important spots. These arent the Knicks. The Mets are losers, just like nearly everybody else in life, Jimmy Breslin wrote in Cant Anybody Here Play This Game?, the canonical sportswriters early comic snapshot of the Mets inaugural 1962 season. Watching the Hawks organization now is sort of like seeing Mae West, sagging badly and caked with more mascara than Tammy Faye Bakker, oogling all the beefcake late in her life. Worst Pick: I differed from a lot of evaluators, but I didn't like second-round center John Michael Schmitz as much as some. worst teams Worst Pick: I didn't love second-round receiver Jayden Reed with better options on the board. Like Lamar Hunt, old Dallas Cowboy owner was the scion of a Big Oil Dallas Daddy. Worst Franchises Face-of-the-franchise Kyler Murray could miss as much as half of the 2023 season after tearing his ACL and meniscus and undergoing surgery to repair both in January. Phonetically, the sound I made was nngyuuuh. I think they left meat on the bone. Jones seems like he has more fun running a free wheeling circus rather then a football team so Cowboy fans ought to enjoy Jessica Simpson new reality TV show which will feature their starting quarterback in a starring role. Its been nothing but decades of cold, slushy, uninterrupted losing. These Worst Pick: It's hard to find a bad pick, so I will nitpick and say I didn't love safety Sydney Brown in the third as much as others did. But I was far too young to grasp how rare and special the Mets 1986 season was. but they made the most of the picks they did have. Mets fans have the capacity to believe in both outcomes with equal commitment. Next he fired his head coach, Bill Belichick. He is a tough, physical player who can rush off the edge, which the Jaguars need. Houston Texans 1. Nobody cares enough to be sad anymore.". Playing for the Lions is such a demoralizing experience that the two most gifted players in team history, running back Barry Sanders and wide receiver Calvin Johnson, both retired in their prime rather than spend another season with Detroit. The Worst NFL Team to Play for Is - WSJ