Lions and Vikings and Ravens, Oh My! The Best and Worst of NFL Mascots

I'm not really into breaking down the NFL division-by-division, team-by-team. It's too much work with too little reward.

Instead, I was thinking it would be appropriate to select the five best and five worst team mascots in the NFL. And by mascots, I don't mean the sweaty guy in the costume parading around the sidelines looking like an idiot.

A mascot is a animal, person, or thing that's supposed to symbolize the team. In the NFL, there are good, decent, bad, and terrible mascots. For the purposes of brevity, I'll stick with the good and the terrible.

Best Mascots

1. Lions - It's a pity that the king of the jungle finds itself near the bottom of the NFL food chain, but you can't fault the mascot.
   
   
2. Vikings - Say what you want about the long hair and the pony tails, but this is one dude I don't want to run into on an empty continent.
   


3. Bears - Chicago has been the Bears since 1922, when their name was changed from the Chicago Staleys in order to dovetail with the Cubs. Bet you didn't know that.
   
   
4. Raiders - Maybe it has something to do with the black eye patch, but the man on the Raiders' helmets is scary. Not that the mascot has helped in the last few years.
   
   
5. Chiefs - All of the fierceness and bravery of the Native American culture without the savage imagery associated with the Redskins, at least in my mind.
   
   Also receiving votes: Rams, Eagles, Patriots
   

Worst Mascots

1. Ravens - One of several bird mascots in the NFL, the Ravens are easily the worst. And depending on how you look at it, the bird even looks moderately friendly.
   


2. Titans - I'm not sure if Tennesee knew it at the time, but a Titan is actually a moon of Saturn. Perhaps the mascot refers instead to the figures of Greek mythology. Either way, this is a clear case of a mascot namer falling in love with alliteration.
   


3. Texans - Completely lacking in originality. Longhorns was already taken, so Houston adapted the logo and came up with Texans. Lame.
   
   
4. Chargers - You can thank Gerald Courtney, of Hollywood for this one. In 1960, he won a naming contest for Los Angeles's new football team in the AFL. His prize? An all expenses-paid trip to Mexico City and Acapulco.
   


5. Jets - New York has been around since 1960, back when we the aviation industry was still new and magical. It's still a great way to travel, but hardly an inspiring team mascot.
   
   Also receiving votes: Seahawks, Cardinals, Packers