Possible division realignment | Page 6 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Possible division realignment

But how do you REALLY feel about it, Spanos?


Lock this thread, forget it.

Sorry, but I am in disagreement with most posters here. An NFL team in London is not just likely but inevitable.

There are at least three failed or failing NFL teams - the Chargers, the Raiders (whose move to LV will be an all time epic fail) and the Jags. The Raiders are stuck with LV due to the new stadium, they will not be able to walk away from this. But the Chargers are simply not financially viable in LA, whatever Spanos wants to believe. The correct move is back to SD but with him in charge there is no chance of this. The Jags have always been ultra marginal. Something is going to give on one of these two teams.

I don't buy the view that UK NFL fans won't support a London franchise because of existing commitments. Easy to say until it happens - there is plenty of support for an NFL team and people will easily become supporters of two teams. Truth is the NFL has no growth prospects in the US - Canada and Mexico, whilst closer, are not as financially viable as London. Eventually, London fans will get sick of neutral games (especially with poor teams like the Jags constantly being sent) and the interest will wane. The only long term solution is a franchise, the league wants the growth and money talks.

The tax issue will be easily solved - it is a bit of a myth that taxes are way higher in the UK anyway, but teams will just structure pay so that players are not ordinary resident in the UK. The UK Govt will adjust as necessary. Players will do training camp in the US and just live in the UK during the season. The issue is the schedule. I imagine that a London team will have to do a series of homestands and road trips (Say three home games followed by three away games) to cut down the travel. With careful use of bye weeks, it is doable. The World League managed the logistics thirty years ago of having mixed European and US teams. If they use the Tottenham stadium scheduling is not an issue as it has Fieldturf, so they can play soccer Saturday and NFL Sunday with no issues.

The biggest problem I see is the playoffs. If a London team is denied home playoff games because of the scheduling problem, London fans will not accept it. No byes in the playoffs so teams will just have to suck up the travel if a London team gets a home game. It is an 8 hour flight and professional athletes being paid millions of dollars will just be told to suck it up.

As far as FAs go, I think the idea players won't want to play in London is overstated. NFL players don't get to pick and choose. If you get to live in the US all year round except the season, and half of this is spent in the US anyway, is it really that big a deal?
 
I would like the NFL to stop having division teams play each other so much. I don’t want to watch the dolphins play the jets or bills or pats twice a year. I’d rather have some variety. That goes for other teams too. I don’t care about the bears-packers for the 10th matchup in 5 years.
Spunds like you just don't get it. That's too bad for you.
 
How could you guys be cool with this? I'd be pissed if we didn't play our rivals twice a year. I live for those games.

You are going to tell me that the miracle against the Pats last year wasn't twice as sweet because we hate them so very much because they are rivals?

Come on. If it ain't broken, don't try to fix it.
Bingo. And if teams are only going to play 3 out of their 16 games against the division, there is no need for divisions.
 
Preach brother.

I was playing dominoes the other day and there is this old Cuban that owns me. I get him here and there but he just embarrasses me over and over again. Well, the other day, I owned him. He couldn't win a single game. We are rivals and we both salavate, froth at the mouth when we sit across from eachother.

Theres is nothing sweeter than beating a rival and nothing more demoralizing than losing to a rival.

Don't some of us live to beat the Jets? Tell me last Sunday wasn't all the more satisfying because it was the Jets. Even the tankers had to be like, "****, we won. Well, atleast it was the Jets."

I think the lot of you are just tired of playing in a division with the Pats. We will be atop soon.

Rivalries are historic. Leave them as such.
Great post. This made me want to learn how to play dominoes.
 
There arent real rivalries in the NFL anymore. If it meant I dont have to see the Patriots twice a year, I am all for it. The NFL needs good football. That's their problem. The product has gone down the ****ter since they have made the QB so important. If a team doesnt have a QB, its a terrible product nowadays.

The last real rivalry that the general NFL fan cared about was the Colts and Patriots but that was basically because it was a Peyton and Brady rivalry. a QB rivalry.
How can there be " rivalries" when the players hang out , play golf, and train together in the off season. Rivalries were when the players " hated" the opposing team, never helped each other up, and would go to the opposite side of the street so they wouldn't have to share a sidewalk!
 
All team in afc should be rivalries. That why they should have afc and nfc team no division
 
Id rather have a competitive NFL than rivalries anyday. Its really a big part of the dynasty problem (NE) in that VG teams get built in very weak divisions and there is no catalyst to end their reign of terror other than self implosion which NE has learned from past dynasties how to prolong (obviously).
I know you guys love it but look at the NFL objectively over its lifetime and you will see its a league of 1-4 teams who have basically held it hostage for decades at a time. It would be so fun to see realignment and shuffling of the divisions to correct that imbalance making each franchise relevant instead of just being the generals to the Globe Trotters every year. Rivals are created through back & forth...yen & yang not total dominance for 25 seasons.
 
It's happened before (Colts)
Colts didn’t really have a rivalry with anyone of those teams. In just about 15 years, Indianapolis has better rivalries with Houston and Tennessee than they ever had with Miami and Buffalo/Jets in the 30 years they were in the East.
 
Colts didn’t really have a rivalry with anyone of those teams. In just about 15 years, Indianapolis has better rivalries with Houston and Tennessee than they ever had with Miami and Buffalo/Jets in the 30 years they were in the East.
You are way too young to remember the Griese-Unitas wars of the early 70's or Bert Jones vs. all the other AFC East teams. Or Marino vs. peytie. The Colts should have stayed right where they were.
 
There arent real rivalries in the NFL anymore. If it meant I dont have to see the Patriots twice a year, I am all for it. The NFL needs good football. That's their problem. The product has gone down the ****ter since they have made the QB so important. If a team doesnt have a QB, its a terrible product nowadays.

The last real rivalry that the general NFL fan cared about was the Colts and Patriots but that was basically because it was a Peyton and Brady rivalry. a QB rivalry.
I can't wait to play NE twice per year every year after #12 hangs them up.

Payback is a-coming!!!
 
Hey remember all those scorcher 1pm September home games the phins used to have against their northern rivals in which the opponent would be just about dead in the 4th qtr? They rarely schedule those anymore but our boys still end up facing a few frigid games to end each year. Moving to the afc south would put an end to that type of scheduling bias and remove us from the cheaters playground. I love our rivalries but I’d honestly rather make the playoffs
 
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