In what has always been completely obvious to the fans, the Jacksonville Jaguars were named the 9th "Best Franchise" according to ESPN the Magazine. We were surpassed only by the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts.
Franchises were graded based on value to the fan and quality of the team.
Their Comments:
The Jags' one-two punch of price and performance was second to none in the NFL in 2007, kind of like that lethal running back tandem of Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor. While the Colts edged the Jags in Bang for the Buck (No. 3 vs. No. 4), scoring tickets for Jacksonville Municipal costs just $49.38 (the league's third cheapest), a cool $21 less than average stubs went for in Indy. Now tack on the NFL's second cheapest lids ($9.95) and the fifth cheapest bee/soda/dog combo ($11, tied with the Saints and Rams). So yeah, Jags fans dig not having to dig too deep into their wallets. The club is deeply invested in the men on the field, too. David Garrard, who put to rest a potentially toxic QB controversy (remember Byron Leftwich?) with his 102.2 passer rating and two gutsy wins in Pittsburgh, was recently signed to a seven-year, $60 million deal, the richest in franchise history. What else could a fan want? Oh yeah, a Ring.
The only bad thing about the ranking was that our good friends, The Indianapolis Colts were ranked number one overall. This has made their heads big enough to fill Peyton Manning's helmet .
ESPN the mag confirms... the Indianapolis Colts have the greatest franchise in the history of sports
Yeah, that'll get annoying.
Here's the top 10 NFL Franchises, if you're curious.
- Indianapolis Colts (boo)
- Green Bay Packers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- New England Patriots
- Seattle Seahawks
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- San Diego Chargers
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Giants
- Tennessee Titans
The bottom three:
Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions.
I love seeing the Jaguars ahead of the Patriots, though the Indy thing is a little chafing.
-Chris