Seahawks Cardinals

Seahawks Cardinals

Seahawks Cardinals

Top 5 Disappointing Nfl Seasons of 2008

(My Browns one will be the longest because I am a big Browns fan.)

5. Cleveland Browns.
Last year the Browns surprised us all. After losing 7-35 against the Steelers, the Browns decided to trade starting QB Charlie Frye and put Derek Anderson in at QB. 4 games later they stood at 2-3. It looked like another typical Browns season. But then Anderson and the Offense became hot, winning 7 of their next 9 games. Standing at 9-5 and two easy opponents left on the schedule, the Browns looked like a playoff lock. Anderson struggled and threw 4 INTs against division rival Cincinnati. Despite a win the next week against the 49ers, the Browns were the odd team out as the Titans were given the final playoff spot in the AFC.

It was the Browns year in '08. Or so some thought. After starting out 0-3 it was hard to see a playoff berth in the future. They went on to win 3 of their next 4. Despite playing terrible, the Browns were 3-4. The Browns were in perfect situation to improve to 4-4 as they led Baltimore 27-13 with the 3rd Quarter winding down. Only the Browns Defense couldn't hold up and they fell apart to lose 27-37. The fans had enough with QB Derek Anderson so 2nd year QB Brady Quinn was given the start for Thursday night vs. Denver. Quinn played well but yet again, the Browns Defense couldn't hold up in the 4th quarter as they went on to blow another 13+ point lead. The Browns would end up beating Buffalo on MNF but would lose Quinn for the season. Anderson was named starter again. After a tough loss to Houston, the Browns played Indianapolis great but would end up losing on a fumble recovery for a touchdown. At the end of the game, Anderson was hit hard and he too was placed on IR. Ken Dorsey came to the rescue. Not really. He played 3 struggling games. His record 0-3. Touchdowns, 0. He was also put on IR as he got injured against Cincy. 4th string QB Bruce Gradkowksi was put in to start against the Steelers. His stats, 28 passing yards and 2 INTs. The Browns would finish without scoring an offense touchdown in their final 6 games.

2007 record- 10-6
2008 record- 4-12

2009 Projection- 6-10

4. Detroit Lions
After starting the '07 season 6-2, some were saying the Lions had a legit shot at the playoffs. Those hopes quickly faded as they would lose 7 of their next 8 and finish the season at 7-9.

There was some hope for Detroit in '08 but alas they went 0-16 and are now known as the worst NFL ever. The end.

2007 record- 7-9
2008 record- 0-16

2009 Projection- 1-15

3. Seattle Seahawks
After a 10-6 regular season and a loss in the Divisional round to Green Bay, the Seahawks were expecting a typical season of going 9-7 to 11-5 and winning the weak NFC West.

Well, it didn't go according to plan.

At the halfway point, the Seahawks were 2-6. They would lose their next 5 to drop to an unheard of 2-11. They would go on to take down the Jets and the Rams but would lose the finale against the Cardinals. A 4-12 season was definitely no expected. Injury to Hasslebeck really hurt them.

2007 record- 10-6
2008 record- 4-12

2009 Projection- 5-11

2. Jacksonville Jaguars
Jaguars released franchise QB Byron Leftwich and decided to go with backup David Garrard. Garrard would not disappoint, at the halfway point the Jags stood at 5-3. A 6-2 end to the season put the Jaguars into the playoffs as they finished at 11-5. First round they played a tough Steelers team. Garrard would have a key 3rd Down run to pick up a much needed first down to keep the clock running and ultimately end the game. Next week they played the Patriots well, but they didn't have enough.

The Jags were a lot of people's '08 Super Bowl picks. Through the first 6 weeks they were 3-3. Coming off the bye they had Cleveland and Cincinnati, games they should win and improve to 5-3. However, they would end up dropping both game and would fall to 3-5. A win against Detroit would put them at 4-5 but they would drop their next 4 games. They'd finish 5-11, 3 games behind the Texans who finished 3rd in the AFC South.

2007 record- 11-5
2008 record- 5-11

2009 Projection- 9-7

1. Green Bay Packers
After Brett Favre "retired" Packers fans didn't know what to expect with new QB Aaron Rogers. Aaron Rogers played exceptional throughout the season, but the Defense and RB Ryan Grant did not perform to their level they performed at last year.

After a great 2-0 start, the Packers looked on their way. But then they hit a tough 3 game stretch against Dallas, Tampa, and Atlanta, dropping all 3 games and giving up 27+ points each game. They came back with wins over struggling Colts and Seahawks. They would then drop 2 more and win big over Chicago. Standing at a mediocre 5-5, they were still tied for 1st Place in the NFC North. Then the season went downhill as they lost 5 straight and would win their final game over Detroit. A 6-10 finish was not expected and if it was expected, the blame would've likely been on Aaron Rogers. Had it not been for Rogers, the season could've ended a lot worse.

2007 record- 13-3
2008 record- 6-10

2008 Projection- 8-8

Honorable Mentions (No particular order)
Cowboys-So much hype.
Buccaneers- 9-3 to 9-7
Bills- 4-0 start to 7-9
Broncos- Blowing the AFC West lead
Redskins- 6-2 start to 8-8

About the Author

This article was originally published at RootZoo.com by NCAAFexpert where he spends much of his free time getting his daily sports fix. If he's not writing, he's probably winning some sports trivia or betting on nfl futures.