We thought we’d take these next few WCG roundtables in a different direction and go for some likes and dislikes.
As Chicago Bears’ fans, we’re bred to be disgusted by the green and yellow of the Green Bay Packers. It’s in our DNA. While the rivalry has been one-sided the last 25 years, keep in mind that it took two straight Hall Of Fame type QBs to get them to finally pass the Bears in overall head to head record. The Bears are 94-96-6 all-time in the regular season against the Packers, but the last time the Bears played the Pack they clinched the NFC North and eliminated them from playoff contention.
The Minnesota Vikings are a step below the Packers on the can’t-stand scale, but no self respecting Bears’ fans likes them either. Our disgust for this franchise grew even larger when Minnesota started to blast that damn Viking horn after seemingly every play. The Bears swept them in 2018, and eliminated them from a playoff spot, but I did not realize the overall Bears vs. Vikings head to head record favors Minnesota, 53-60-2.
Chicago’s other rival in the NFC North, the Detroit Lions, were always just kind of there. Historically they were always an easy W, because they were never a legitimate threat to win. They do have four NFL titles in their history, but none since 1957. And did you realize that they are the only franchise that has been around for the duration of the Super Bowl era that has never played in a Super Bowl?
If it wasn’t for that five year stretch when the Bears were led by Marc Trestman and John Fox the Bears 99-74-5 record against Detroit would be even more in Chicago’s favor.
But what about those other teams in the NFL?
For this roundtable question, we asked our guys the following question...
Other than the Packers, the Vikings, and the Lions, what team do you dislike the most and why?
Here’s how we responded to the prompt.
Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.: Before the wild card game, I would have said the Denver Broncos, just because their fans never got over their jilted-lover syndrome when Jay Cutler asked for a trade. But now, it’s the Philadelphia Eagles and it’s all because of the idiotic fans that felt the need to litter up my mentions on Twitter. And to think I actually used to low-key like the Eagles because back in the day my favorite player was Randall Cunningham. But now I hope that franchise loses every game so their shit-eating, classless fans* can suffer.
* I do know a few cool Eagles fans, but the vocal minority has me soured on the franchise now. So if you root for the Eagles and aren’t a jackass then his doesn’t apply to you.
Sam Householder: This tough, but probably the Cowboys. Whether it’s their owner or their fans that cling to the ‘90s glory as an excuse to forget all of the history of any other franchise, they just annoy me. I hate that they, especially, but the NFC East in general, has all of their intra-divisional games on Sunday and Monday Night Football. I get sick of watching them by week three in any given season.
Robert Schmitz: This is hard to answer, because I HATE the Lions, but if I had to pick another team to hate it’s gonna be the Eagles. Believe it or not I actually started hating the Eagles before this 2018 season though — as a closet Dallas Cowboy fan, there’s been plenty of bad blood before 2018, and then 2018 happened. So screw the Eagles. Another personal “dark horse” answer for me is the Bengals, but that’s more of an “I’m incredibly disappointed that you keep embarrassing all your fans” kind of way. At SOME point you owe it to your fans to be better, but they never are.
Erik Christopher Duerrwaechter: This is a toss-up for me. I’m not particularly a fan of the Buccaneers, Eagles, or the Cowboys. Yes, I am throwing something at Robert S. for his “admiration” on behalf of all Cowboy haters. And the Broncos aren’t a team I’d root for either.
The one team that trumps them all, though, would have to be the Patriots.
Some would say the disdain stems from being Uber jealous of their success. For me, it’s more than jealousy. I simply can’t stand Tom Brady or Bill Belicheck. Their smug attitudes just rub me the wrong way. Combine that with Josh McDaniels and his prickish ways, and that’ll be the rotten cherry on top of this turd Sunday.
Jacob Infante: I have never been a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. When I was in first grade, one of the kids in my grade loved the Steelers. As a Bears fan, that angered me for some reason, and that hatred has stayed with me ever since.
Jeff Berckes: Honestly, there’s a large gap between the Packers and everyone else. Man, I hate that team. A few contenders for non-north teams for me include Washington, San Francisco, and Dallas for very different reasons. I’ll go with Washington because their name is shameful and their current owner is terrible.
WhiskeyRanger: Well, I know it’s an easy answer, but probably the Pats. There are teams (and fan bases) that I probably find more distasteful, but come on... New England is just the epitome of a classic movie villain. They’re just a team you love to hate.
Josh Sunderbruch: For me, this question has to come down to ownership, because there are good guys and other guys on most football teams, and most fanbases have jerks. The team in Washington, though, always makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I grew up roughly six miles off of Sioux land, and so I have trouble with all of the sophistry used to justify the name. I know exactly how that name is perceived, and the team’s ownership has the chance to change it. They don’t. I dislike that.
Ken Mitchell: You know how some people have “so much love to give?” I’m not one of these people... for me, I have so much hate to give. There are several teams in the NFL I really don’t like, for various different reasons. For some, it’s the players (past and present), for others it’s the coaches, owners and management. For a couple of teams, most notably Philadelphia, it’s their obnoxious fanbase. I think, however, across the board my most hated team has to be the Oakland Raiders. Why? Well, because the organization was founded by a jerk, who left it to another jerk to own and run. Those two jerks have screwed over their fanbase by moving the franchise not once, not twice, but now THREE times. For many, many years they were the dirtiest team in the league both on and off the field, and their fans have been the most violent and lawless of any team. Finally, they are the team that brought Jon Gruden back to the NFL. Jon is one of those people who is so very, very easy to hate... and I hate it even worse that I have to be grateful to Gruden for being idiot enough to trade Khalil Mack to us.
Now it’s your turn. Give us the team you despise most other than the three in the NFC North.
Also, the potential for this thread to spiral out of control is there twofold. One, we might get some trolls stopping by that take offense to us disliking their favorite teams. And two, the mere mention of the Washington Redskins has a way of bringing out argumentative people. No one will have their minds changed from an internet comment section so if that’s your thing, just walk away. Everyone is entitled to their opinion on the subject and can share it here, but don’t waste your time attacking someone that has a differing opinion.
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