Lughead Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Geographical realignment would improve NFL By Anthony Bialy on April 23, 2007 04:05 AM Permalink | Comments (12) | Email This Article | RSS I'm over Vince Lombardi giving the AFC grief after Super Bowl I. We've had 40 Super Bowls since then, and that's plenty of time to drop the bitterness, just as those in NFC markets shouldn't be upset about that hippie punk Joe Namath and his victory over the old school. It's time to officially declare the anciently pointless conference rivalry over, most of all so we can rid ourselves of one relic of the rift that's approaching 50 years old: geographically illogical conferences. The current conference divide is basically based on whether teams were in the established or rebel group, a holdover from the Eisenhower administration. It would be much more sensible to abolish a split based on who was in what now-superseded league and instead arrange teams based on the logical approach of looking at a map and seeing what cities should be grouped together. Of course, how's this for honesty, any realignment will have the drawback of ending some traditional rivalries. But the benefit would be that we could establish newer and hopefully fiercer rivalries in its place. Once the adjustment is overcome, teams facing new, closer twice-a-year opponents will make the game more enjoyable for the fans and ferocious for the players involved. Staying in the current divisional setup is like remaining in a relationship with someone you don't adore: It may be functional on a certain hollow level, and it may be what you're used to, but you'd be better served by looking for someone better, even if it means a temporary awkward transition. For example, it means Buffalo and Miami won't be division enemies anymore, a pairing which evokes the natural contempt between dissimilar cities. However, the Bills will be playing teams from localities closer to home while the Dolphins can look forward to rivalries with the other two Florida teams. The New York City and Bay Area teams, respectively, will each battle twice a year instead of maybe once every four years, and other franchises that are within a full tank of gas from each other will play home and away games annually. We can't continue to have the league's placement of teams jury-rigged around the Cowboys and Redskins getting to play each other two times a season. Besides, fans of those teams will soon have the Texans and Ravens, respectively, to hate. So, here are two new alignments to consider. There are a lot of ways to go with resetting the teams, and any plan to regionalize divisions and thereby create enmity between neighbors will make the NFL better. Alignment One: Eastern Conference Northeast Division New England Patriots New York Jets New York Giants Philadelphia Eagles Southeast Division Baltimore Ravens Washington Redskins Carolina Panthers Atlanta Falcons Gulf Division Jacksonville Jaguars Tampa Bay Buccaneers Miami Dolphins New Orleans Saints Erie Division Buffalo Bills Pittsburgh Steelers Cleveland Browns Detroit Lions Western Conference Midwest Division Cincinnati Bengals Indianapolis Colts Tennessee Titans St. Louis Rams Central Division Minnesota Vikings Green Bay Packers Chicago Bears Kansas City Chiefs Southern Division Houston Texans Dallas Cowboys Arizona Cardinals San Diego Chargers Northwest Division Denver Broncos San Francisco 49ers Oakland Raiders Seattle Seahawks Alignment Two: Eastern Conference Northeast Division New England Patriots Buffalo Bills New York Jets New York Giants Atlantic Division Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimore Ravens Washington Redskins Southeast Division Atlanta Falcons Jacksonville Jaguars Tampa Bay Buccaneers Miami Dolphins Central Division Indianapolis Colts Cincinnati Bengals Tennessee Titans Carolina Panthers Western Conference Northern Division Green Bay Packers Chicago Bears Detroit Lions Cleveland Browns Southern Division New Orleans Saints Houston Texans Dallas Cowboys Arizona Cardinals Midwest Division Minnesota Vikings St. Louis Rams Kansas City Chiefs Denver Broncos Pacific Division San Diego Chargers San Francisco 49ers Oakland Raiders Seattle Seahawks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feefifoefum Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 Geographical realignment would improve NFL By Anthony Bialy on April 23, 2007 04:05 AM Permalink | Comments (12) | Email This Article | RSS I'm over Vince Lombardi giving the AFC grief after Super Bowl I. We've had 40 Super Bowls since then, and that's plenty of time to drop the bitterness, just as those in NFC markets shouldn't be upset about that hippie punk Joe Namath and his victory over the old school. It's time to officially declare the anciently pointless conference rivalry over, most of all so we can rid ourselves of one relic of the rift that's approaching 50 years old: geographically illogical conferences. The current conference divide is basically based on whether teams were in the established or rebel group, a holdover from the Eisenhower administration. It would be much more sensible to abolish a split based on who was in what now-superseded league and instead arrange teams based on the logical approach of looking at a map and seeing what cities should be grouped together. Of course, how's this for honesty, any realignment will have the drawback of ending some traditional rivalries. But the benefit would be that we could establish newer and hopefully fiercer rivalries in its place. Once the adjustment is overcome, teams facing new, closer twice-a-year opponents will make the game more enjoyable for the fans and ferocious for the players involved. Staying in the current divisional setup is like remaining in a relationship with someone you don't adore: It may be functional on a certain hollow level, and it may be what you're used to, but you'd be better served by looking for someone better, even if it means a temporary awkward transition. For example, it means Buffalo and Miami won't be division enemies anymore, a pairing which evokes the natural contempt between dissimilar cities. However, the Bills will be playing teams from localities closer to home while the Dolphins can look forward to rivalries with the other two Florida teams. The New York City and Bay Area teams, respectively, will each battle twice a year instead of maybe once every four years, and other franchises that are within a full tank of gas from each other will play home and away games annually. We can't continue to have the league's placement of teams jury-rigged around the Cowboys and Redskins getting to play each other two times a season. Besides, fans of those teams will soon have the Texans and Ravens, respectively, to hate. So, here are two new alignments to consider. There are a lot of ways to go with resetting the teams, and any plan to regionalize divisions and thereby create enmity between neighbors will make the NFL better. Alignment One: Eastern Conference Northeast Division New England Patriots New York Jets New York Giants Philadelphia Eagles Southeast Division Baltimore Ravens Washington Redskins Carolina Panthers Atlanta Falcons Gulf Division Jacksonville Jaguars Tampa Bay Buccaneers Miami Dolphins New Orleans Saints Erie Division Buffalo Bills Pittsburgh Steelers Cleveland Browns Detroit Lions Western Conference Midwest Division Cincinnati Bengals Indianapolis Colts Tennessee Titans St. Louis Rams Central Division Minnesota Vikings Green Bay Packers Chicago Bears Kansas City Chiefs Southern Division Houston Texans Dallas Cowboys Arizona Cardinals San Diego Chargers Northwest Division Denver Broncos San Francisco 49ers Oakland Raiders Seattle Seahawks Alignment Two: Eastern Conference Northeast Division New England Patriots Buffalo Bills New York Jets New York Giants Atlantic Division Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimore Ravens Washington Redskins Southeast Division Atlanta Falcons Jacksonville Jaguars Tampa Bay Buccaneers Miami Dolphins Central Division Indianapolis Colts Cincinnati Bengals Tennessee Titans Carolina Panthers Western Conference Northern Division Green Bay Packers Chicago Bears Detroit Lions Cleveland Browns Southern Division New Orleans Saints Houston Texans Dallas Cowboys Arizona Cardinals Midwest Division Minnesota Vikings St. Louis Rams Kansas City Chiefs Denver Broncos Pacific Division San Diego Chargers San Francisco 49ers Oakland Raiders Seattle Seahawks It never did make sense that the Dallas Cowboys played in the East. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Jeans Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 I like it. Alignment #1 would be cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 I like it. Alignment #1 would be cool. Yes...prefer number 1.....but the NFL is run like the UN Security Council. Basically one veto (Skins and/or the Broke Backs) and its game over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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