Realignment Thread (If some moves happen)

[MainePatsFan26]

Hi all, I'm setting up a realignment just for fun in case the Jaguars move. I also have a few other teams moving based on attendance numbers and as a chance to create some new, regional rivalries. What would be your realignment if London and some other moves happen?

AFC

East: New England, New York Jets, New York Giants, London Sherlocks (the current Jaguars)
Central: Toronto Bills, Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland
North: Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington
South: Kansas City, Indianapolis, Tennessee, New Orleans

NFC

West: San Francisco, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle, Arizona
Mountain: Denver, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston
South: Tampa Bay, Miami, Atlanta, Carolina
North: Chicago Bears, Chicago Fire (current Chargers), Green Bay, Minnesota

Personally, I wouldn't mind playing the London team if it meant every season could have us facing down Redcoats during touchdown celebrations against them.

One advantage to realigning is that a potential London team would mean only east coast and central teams would have to play London (rather than making many West coast teams travel on a regular basis to London).

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

No way the NFC lets both NY teams be in the other conference and most of households would be in the new AFC
how about
AFC
Patriots
NY Jets
London Jaguars
Balt Ravens


Pitt
Cle
Cinn
Indy

Miami
Hou
Tenn
Dallas

LA Chargers
KC
Vegas Raiders
Den
------------------
NFC
Philly
Washington
Giants
Toronto Bills

GB
Minn
Chi
Det

TB
New Orleans
Atl
Carolina

SF
LA Rams
Seattle
Arizona

 

[Gronk]

The 2002 realignment was something the NFL got really, really right in terms of schedule balance, rivalries, etc. i realize it’s just for fun, but I’m not sure there’s any way to do any sort of realignment of the current 32-team/8-division structure that’s an improvement. Certainly moving so many teams across conferences in the OP is probably never going to happen and I’d disagree with having MIA in the NFC or displacing the Lions for the Chargers being a 2nd CHI team, but i get the urge for a shakeup and I’m sure some jolt to the system will be pondered as the current setup approaches its 20th birthday.

If there were some sort of expansion I could buy into going back to fewer, larger divisions (which would mean fewer 8-9 win division “champs”). But there’s too many teams already, and to keep a similar schedule balance to the current deal you have to go back to 30 in 6, or get up to 36 in 6. I like the current schedule setup because there’s no decision any person gets to make about who plays who or how often; that wasn’t always true before. Of course the when and where can matter just as much but there are a lot of logistical issues that prevent complete randomness being applied to that part.

I’d def be for any revision that lets 7 playoff teams in but only grants the #1 overall seed a bye - makes the regular season that much more valuable - but they could just do that right now if they wanted.

 

[tasmlab]

I was told/understood* that the divisions were set up to arbitrarily establish long term rivalries, which dramatically mixing them up would destroy, and then, reinforce how they are arbitrary in their set-up.

So, swap London and Miami and be done. Miami is plenty South to be AFC South.

* Usually on this board when some 9-7 team gets into the playoffs over an 11-5 team because they won their division, and some dummy like me asks why we don't get rid of the divisions all together. If they were going to realign, I'd be fine getting rid of them too.

 

[chasa]

changing the nfc west is asking for trouble. those teams love to hate each other.

 

[jboston19]

Do you think they'd be able to continue with the current geographical setup?

I know some conference rivals have a 4 hour flight or so currently, but a London to Boston flight just about doubles that if I'm not mistaken and that would be the quickest flight. At that point, you almost have to go with whatever divisions sound the best regardless of geography. London logistics will be brutal regardless.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

I would hate to have to go to London every year...and can you imagine having to go there for one of those stupid Thursday night games?

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

London (was Jax)
Tottenham (was Indy) !!
NE
NYJ

Love to see Indy lose the Colts!!!

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Very creative thread

 

[jah]

As I said in the other thread, I see no reason to believe the divisions would realign. The Falcons, Panthers, and Saints once all played in the NFC West at the same time. The Cowboys still play in the NFC East.

That being said, I've always believed it would be most geographically accurate to move Baltimore to the AFCE, Miami to the AFCS, Indianapolis to the AFCN. Would also swap Dallas and Carolina. All that would ruin some very important rivalries though.

 

[chasa]

I would hate to have to go to London every year...and can you imagine having to go there for one of those stupid Thursday night games?

I'm pretty sure the league is more then capable of making this work, i've laid out the logistics before but i can do so again here.

The team in london would need to be a part of the AFCE. Shortest flights to london for the 3 teams that would play there every year.

The london team's schedule would be broken up into blocks of 4 home games, followed by 4 away games. Shad would maintain a facility, or go halvsies with a team in need of a new stadium here in the us, to provide them a "homebase" for when they are staying stateside.

Thursday night games wouldn't happen in London, their night is our afternoon. Night games for london would be the Sundays at 4:15 est time slot.

Teams that play in london for road games, would all travel after their bye week. this allows them to head over early, enjoy london, and also practice prepare in london if they so choose.

The biggest issue will be when the NFC-W/AFC-W need to travel to, or when london needs to travel to them. that's the only time there will be a really large time difference, outside of what we already see when coast teams play each other.

 

[slam]

I always wanted all of the US sports to adopt the Soccer system of relegations and promotions. Imagine the fun we'd have sending a rival to a lower division, or the tension of trying to avoid that fate ourselves. Here's how it might start if we implemented it next year. The top team in each of the three lower tiers gets promoted next season, the bottom team in each of the higher tiers gets demoted.

AFC Elite Division (2 playoff spots with byes and HFA over lower divisions)
New England
Pittsburgh
Kansas City
Houston

AFC Second Division (2 playoff spots)
Baltimore
Cincinnati
Tennessee
Jacksonville/London

AFC Third Division (1 playoff spot)
Indianapolis
Denver
LA Chargers
Miami

AFC Lower Division (1 playoff spot)
Cleveland
Buffalo
New York Jets
LV Raiders

NFC Elite Division
LA Rams
New Orleans
Washington
Minnesota

NFC Second Division
Chicago
Philadelphia
Seattle
Carolina

NFC Third Division
Green Bay
Atlanta
Detroit
Dallas

NFC Lower Division
NY Giants
San Francisco
Arizona
Tampa Bay

Of course this will never happen. But I can dream!

 

[SHOWTIME15]

I'm pretty sure the league is more then capable of making this work, i've laid out the logistics before but i can do so again here.

The team in london would need to be a part of the AFCE. Shortest flights to london for the 3 teams that would play there every year.

The london team's schedule would be broken up into blocks of 4 home games, followed by 4 away games. Shad would maintain a facility, or go halvsies with a team in need of a new stadium here in the us, to provide them a "homebase" for when they are staying stateside.

Thursday night games wouldn't happen in London, their night is our afternoon. Night games for london would be the Sundays at 4:15 est time slot.

Teams that play in london for road games, would all travel after their bye week. this allows them to head over early, enjoy london, and also practice prepare in london if they so choose.

The biggest issue will be when the NFC-W/AFC-W need to travel to, or when london needs to travel to them. that's the only time there will be a really large time difference, outside of what we already see when coast teams play each other.

Every team has to host a Monday night and Thursday night game every 2 years. The logistics of this are too screwed up to work.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Frankly, I can't imagine London ever being in a Thursday game unless the prior week is a bye for the travelling team. London to LA is a 12+ hour flight. London to East coast is an 8+ hour flight. Seems the London team would always be faced with longer travel time than any other team, even coast to coast teams. West coast teams don't do well playing on the east coast at a 1 PM start time. London team playing on West coast for a evening game. Its the equivalent of the London team playing at 4 AM. Right now, both teams playing in London are playing close to their normal start time, but that will change when a team calls London home.

 

[1960Pats]

For me personally, the 4 team division setup with major differences in schedules is the problem. Swapping teams around is not an improvement unless every team plays everyone else in their conference.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I would hate to have to go to London every year...and can you imagine having to go there for one of those stupid Thursday night games?

You might, but the Patriots have loved it. Kraft has said—not entirely jokingly—that if they could be the permanent away team, the Patriots would be willing to go every year.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Every team has to host a Monday night and Thursday night game every 2 years. The logistics of this are too screwed up to work.

There is a rule that every team has to play a Thursday night game each season, so they might have to host every two years. (I'm not sure about this, though, because the 49ers have hosted the last two seasons.) There's no such rule about MNF, though; the game the Bills hosted was their first since 2008, and they didn't have a single MNF game from 2010 to 2014.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

No way the NFC lets both NY teams be in the other conference and most of households would be in the new AFC

This is a non-starter because of the revenues. Simple point of fact: remember how the Patriots were setting ratings records in 2007? The MNF record was broken a season or two later by a random game between two mediocre NFC East teams.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

There is a rule that every team has to play a Thursday night game each season, so they might have to host every two years. (I'm not sure about this, though, because the 49ers have hosted the last two seasons.) There's no such rule about MNF, though; the game the Bills hosted was their first since 2008, and they didn't have a single MNF game from 2010 to 2014.

Ok regardless, you cannot have the Jaguars on the road every year when their turn to play on Monday, Thursday and Sunday night rolls around. They have to host some time.

 

[XLIX]

No way the NFC lets both NY teams be in the other conference and most of households would be in the new AFC
how about

There's actually an NFL contractual obligation which forbids 2 teams in one city being in the same conference. When 3 teams were potentially moving to LA (the Raiders, Chargers and Rams) it was noted that if the 2 teams who eventually moved were the Raiders and Chargers, then one of them would have to move to the NFC (with Seattle likely moving back to the AFC).

Obviously it didn't pan out that way.

The 2002 realignment was something the NFL got really, really right in terms of schedule balance, rivalries, etc.

This this this. It's perfect just the way it is. The only change I would do if Jax moved to London (which isn't going to happen, by the way, but I'll play along) is Jax to the AFC East and Miami to the AFC South.