NFL

20 Hyped-Up ‘Super Teams’ That Fell Flat On Their Faces

Darren - December 1, 2021

NFL

20 Hyped-Up ‘Super Teams’ That Fell Flat On Their Faces

Darren - December 1, 2021

7. Manchester United (2021)

United fell into disarray after the departure of long-serving coach Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. After running through managers, the front office finally settled on former player Ole Gunnar Solksjaer. He helped them to a second-place finish in 2020 and there was hope of continued progression. They brought in young stars like Jadon Sancho as well as team icon Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, it soon became clear they weren’t up to the task. A humiliating defeat to Liverpool set the wheels in motion. Then they fell flat in a crushing loss to lowly Watford. This signaled the end of Solksjaer’s tenure. United fans felt devastated because the team didn’t meet their expectations. They faced another season in the wilderness without any kind of identity (via The Times).

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6. Brooklyn Nets (2020)

The Nets tried to build a super team in 2019 but things didn’t go as smoothly as planned. Sure, they brought most of the components to New York but they couldn’t get them all on the court. They signed the likes of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden over two years. However, injuries prevented their stars from making the kind of impact they dreamed of.

Brooklyn improved in 2020 and enjoyed better luck. They made it to the postseason with most of their roster intact. First, they took on the Celtics and won the series. Then they came up against the Bucks in the Conference semifinals. Milwaukee was the eventual overall winner but Brooklyn still felt disappointment. They had one of the most stacked rosters in the league and still couldn’t win (via Sportskeeda).

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5. New York Yankees (2020)

Everybody associates the Yankees with winning at all costs. They’re also capable of extraordinary meltdown. The New York franchise was disappointing in 2020 after they limped into the Wild Card round. Too many of their star players failed to produce and this infuriated the fanbase. They want their athletes to show passion, but the Yankees failed to do this.

They swept the Indians before taking on the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays were eventual World Series finalists but the Yankees didn’t test them. The Yankees lost the series across five games of insipid performances. These defeats left critics questioning the future of the franchise as well as Aaron Boone’s tenure as manager (via ESPN).

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4. L.A. Clippers

The Clippers are an organization familiar with pain. After all, Los Angeles is a purple-and-gold town. For generations, supporting the Clippers was a curse. The Lakers were dominant and won 17 titles while the Clippers never even made it past the third round. However, 2020 was supposed to be different. After acquiring Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the franchise had true star power.

That’s why it was so disappointing when they lost in the conference semifinals to the Denver Nuggets. Their long-suffering fans had high hopes but the Clippers couldn’t match them (via L.A. Mag). They fell flat at the worst possible time. After winning three of the first four games, they lost in seven. It was an appalling collapse but one the world saw coming.

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3. Dallas Cowboys (2020)

2020 was supposed to be an exciting year for America’s Team. Mike McCarthy arrived as their new head coach. Meanwhile, Dak Prescott was emerging as a top quarterback. He had exciting weapons like proven Ezekiel Elliot, Amari Cooper and rookie CeeDee Lamb. Their fans hoped they would be contenders even if they didn’t win the Super Bowl.

Unfortunately, the Cowboys didn’t even come close. They lost Prescott during Game Five after he fractured his ankle. This was a devastating blow because they lost one of their leaders as well as an elite athlete. Andy Dalton stepped up as a replacement but had injury problems too. Meanwhile, their other performers failed to deliver and the season fell flat. It was another wasted year (via USA Today).

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2. Liverpool (2020)

Liverpool won the league for the first time in 3o years in 2019. The global health crisis prevented them from celebrating in front of their fans. But their passionate supporters hoped to see them repeat the feat the following season. The team gambled early after the departure of Dejan Lovren. The center-back wasn’t a guaranteed starter but he provided valuable depth. This was a turning point in their year.

Star defender Virgil Van Dijk suffered a horror leg break against Everton. Meanwhile, their other defenders also had injury woes. This forced Jurgen Klopp to put his players out of position and to play unproven youngsters. Ironically, they started the year well but fell flat after the loss of Van Dijk. They scraped their way into the top four and secured Champion’s League qualification (via The Guardian).

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1. Los Angeles Rams (2021)

NFL teams constantly look toward the future. Nothing obsesses them more than drafting the next franchise quarterback. However, the Rams took a different approach in 2021. They tried to assemble the strongest roster possible by trading away valuable draft picks. First, they secured the services of Matthew Stafford from the Lions. In the middle of the year, they acquired Von Miller from the Broncos.

This was supposed to be a super team with the ability to win immediately (via The Guardian). They started the season strong with seven wins in their first eight games. But then Stafford suffered a decline with pick-sixes all over the place. He threw three in three weeks. To put that into perspective, Aaron Rodgers has only thrown three his entire career. The Rams have time to turn their season around but a three-game losing streak is still ominous.

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