The_Admiral Posted October 9, 2006 Share Posted October 9, 2006 If you notice, the Cardinals formerly of the NFC East, still play the Eagles, Giants, Redskins, and Cowboys every season that they've been apart of the NFC West and so do the Colts playing those current AFC East teams which they were members of before 2002. That isn't correct. Under the system in place since Houston joined the league, the teams in each division play the teams in the other divisions in their own conference every 3 years and the teams in each division in the other conference every 4 years, with the matchups rotating each year. Those games account for 8 games each year. In addition to the 6 intradivision games, that leaves 2 games each year, which are played against the teams finishing in the same place in the other divisions in their own conference.Example -- This year the Ravens (and every other AFC North team) play each of the teams in the AFC West and NFC South as part of the rotation. They also play Tennessee and Buffalo, as they were the 3rd place finishers in the AFC South and AFC East (i.e., the non-rotation divisions) last year.The Cardinals and Colts will play at least one NFC East or AFC East team, respectively, each year. However, they only play those divisions as a whole every 3 years (thus at most twice since 2002).Thanks for clearing up a few parts of the schedule formula that I'd been unsure of. This explains why the Colts seem to play the Patriots every year. It also demonstrates why a 33rd team in Los Angeles would ruin everything. This system is almost perfect!Seriously, the league considered a type of "rivalry" scheduling to be included in the new schedule wherein each team would be assigned a rival in the other conference that they would play every year (ex., Baltimore/Washington, Jets/Giants, Raiders/49ers). Ultimately, however, the owners voted against it. I would love to see that happen, but I understand why the symmetry of the current schedule was preferred by the owners.The problem with this--and you get this in interleague baseball too--is that there are the obvious rivals, then you get to some that are reaches, then the bottom of the heap where you just put two teams together because nobody is left. (16/14 just makes it worse in baseball.) Like the ones you put there, those are good, they make sense. Who is Chicago's rival, though? The Packers are in the NFC. If you wanted to go old Chicago/new Chicago, you can't, because the Cardinals are in the NFC too. The Rams are in the NFC. This leaves you with the Colts, ostensibly to battle for the hearts of northwest Indiana fans, but doesn't really seem like it's a very big deal unless both teams are really good. ♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopard88 Posted October 9, 2006 Share Posted October 9, 2006 The problem with this--and you get this in interleague baseball too--is that there are the obvious rivals, then you get to some that are reaches, then the bottom of the heap where you just put two teams together because nobody is left. (16/14 just makes it worse in baseball.) Like the ones you put there, those are good, they make sense. Who is Chicago's rival, though? The Packers are in the NFC. If you wanted to go old Chicago/new Chicago, you can't, because the Cardinals are in the NFC too. The Rams are in the NFC. This leaves you with the Colts, ostensibly to battle for the hearts of northwest Indiana fans, but doesn't really seem like it's a very big deal unless both teams are really good.You are right about the main problem. I gave the natural examples that come to mind, but there are some real stretches. For s and giggles while killing time one day, I tried to figure out who the rivals would be. I knocked about half of them in about 3 minutes, then got a little bogged down. I think the Bears did wind up with the Colts (that isn't so bad), but the worst one I remember was something like Patriots/Vikings (or maybe Bills/Vikings). Most Liked Content of the Day -- February 15, 2017, August 21, 2017, August 22, 2017 ///// Proud Winner of the CCSLC Post of the Day Award -- April 8, 2008 Originator of the Upside Down Sarcasm Smilie -- November 1, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Admiral Posted October 9, 2006 Share Posted October 9, 2006 For example, baseball. You start with crosstown:NY Mets/NY YankeesLA Dodgers/LA AngelsChicago Cubs/Chi White SoxSan Francisco/OaklandWashington/BaltimoreThen stateHouston/TexasFlorida/Tampa BayCincinnati/ClevelandCardinals/RoyalsAnd then you get some reaches.Braves/Red Sox because they used to share Boston?Padres/Mariners because they're the other two Pacific teams? ♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBear Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 OK-NFL "interconference rivalry week" pairings:Dallas-HoustonJets-GiantsEagles-SteelersRedskins-RavensChiefs-RamsDolphins-BucsBears-Patriots (old Supe matchup)Niners-RaidersBills-Lions (Ralph Wilson was a big Lions fans and the Bills' original colors were Lions silver and blue)Panthers-Jaguars (same-year expansion teams)Browns-Vikings (old NFL matchupBengals-Saints or Cardinals (either one, this is the tail end of the matchups)Falcons-Broncos (past super matchup)Titans-Saints or Cardinals (see Bengals)Chargers-Seahawks (Seahawks used to be in AFC West)Possible alternates - Packers-Chiefs (Supe I)Raiders-Rams (LA absconders)Tampa Bay-JaxNew Orleans-Houston (gulf teams) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopard88 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 OK-NFL "interconference rivalry week" pairings:Dallas-HoustonJets-GiantsEagles-SteelersRedskins-RavensChiefs-RamsDolphins-BucsBears-Patriots (old Supe matchup)Niners-RaidersBills-Lions (Ralph Wilson was a big Lions fans and the Bills' original colors were Lions silver and blue)Panthers-Jaguars (same-year expansion teams)Browns-Vikings (old NFL matchupBengals-Saints or Cardinals (either one, this is the tail end of the matchups)Falcons-Broncos (past super matchup)Titans-Saints or Cardinals (see Bengals)Chargers-Seahawks (Seahawks used to be in AFC West)Possible alternates - Packers-Chiefs (Supe I)Raiders-Rams (LA absconders)Tampa Bay-JaxNew Orleans-Houston (gulf teams)You left out the Colts and Packers (if I figured it out correctly). I guess that could be justified on relative proximity and the rivalry from the BALTIMORE days. I don't remember any Green Bay-Indianapolis rivalry.Some of these are stretches, as expected. One Super Bowl does not create an eternal rivalry.In any case, with regard to the Titans, I would go with the Saints since Nashville and New Orleans are old line Southern cities. However, that leaves you with the epic Cincinnati-Arizona rivalry. Most Liked Content of the Day -- February 15, 2017, August 21, 2017, August 22, 2017 ///// Proud Winner of the CCSLC Post of the Day Award -- April 8, 2008 Originator of the Upside Down Sarcasm Smilie -- November 1, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdm1219inpenna Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 Miami-Tampa BayNew England -Green Bay (P men vs P men)NY Jets-NY GiantsBuffalo-Atlanta (red helmet vs former red helmet team)Pittsburgh-PhiladelphiaCincinnati-Detroit (battle of the cats, the "Cat Fight"Cleveland-Chicago (C.B. initials game, 2 most bland helmet bowl)Baltimore-WashingtonHouston-DallasIndianapolis-Minnesota (battle of the "apolis" cities, Indy & Minne)Jacksonville-Carolina (95 expansion, "Cat Fight II"Tennessee-New OrleansOakland-San FranciscoKansas City-St LouisSan Diego-Seattle (former division rivals/west coast)Denver-Arizona (close proximity, same time zone, or is Arizona PST?)OK-NFL "interconference rivalry week" pairings:Dallas-HoustonJets-GiantsEagles-SteelersRedskins-RavensChiefs-RamsDolphins-BucsBears-Patriots (old Supe matchup)Niners-RaidersBills-Lions (Ralph Wilson was a big Lions fans and the Bills' original colors were Lions silver and blue)Panthers-Jaguars (same-year expansion teams)Browns-Vikings (old NFL matchupBengals-Saints or Cardinals (either one, this is the tail end of the matchups)Falcons-Broncos (past super matchup)Titans-Saints or Cardinals (see Bengals)Chargers-Seahawks (Seahawks used to be in AFC West)Possible alternates - Packers-Chiefs (Supe I)Raiders-Rams (LA absconders)Tampa Bay-JaxNew Orleans-Houston (gulf teams)You left out the Colts and Packers (if I figured it out correctly). I guess that could be justified on relative proximity and the rivalry from the BALTIMORE days. I don't remember any Green Bay-Indianapolis rivalry.Some of these are stretches, as expected. One Super Bowl does not create an eternal rivalry.In any case, with regard to the Titans, I would go with the Saints since Nashville and New Orleans are old line Southern cities. However, that leaves you with the epic Cincinnati-Arizona rivalry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBear Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 Yeah, I had Packers-Colts on there - they had some classic games in the 60s - but it got erased when I was moving other teams around.As for Bengals-Cardinals...it would be Team Prison vs. Team Never Wins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Admiral Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 Yeah and those sixteen matchups are pretty uncompelling. BATTLE OF TEH PEEZ Hey, here's a thought: what if the 2002 realignment returned the Steelers/Colts/Browns to the NFC?Central: Chicago/Green Bay/Minnesota/DetroitCentury: Dallas/Philadelphia/NY Giants/WashingtonCapitol: Cleveland/Indianapolis/Baltimore/PittsburghCoastal: Atlanta/San Francisco/St. Louis/New OrleansNorth: Cincinnati/Arizona/Tennessee/SeattleSouth: Jacksonville/Carolina/Tampa Bay/HoustonWest: San Diego/Denver/Oakland/Kansas CityEast: New England/Buffalo/Miami/NY JetsThe flaws here are that1) this would be cooler with the Baltimore Colts2) the Northern Division has no teams in what we consider the north3) this move affects more cities than just SeattleI'm going to try to see what a 32-team NFL would look like if that "no moving teams" rule in the anti-trust agreement the NFL made with the government had held up (I think Al Davis broke that one). ♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSky Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 What I never got was why Seattle and Tampa Bay first went into the opposite conference they're in now and then switched a season or two later. Don't recall the details...Added, from Wikipedia:"When the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers began play in 1976, the Buccaneers were put into the AFC West and the Seahawks were put into the NFC West. After one year, Seattle was moved into the AFC West and Tampa Bay was moved into the NFC Central. The Seahawks played in the AFC West until the 2002 re-alignment, when they were put back into the NFC West." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Admiral Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 It had to do with scheduling, somehow. ♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac the Knife Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 The Bucs were initially put in the AFC West and the Seahawks the NFC West as a compromise. Exactly the same scenario that happened 20 years later with Carolina and Jacksonville - each was put into their division on a temporary basis.Unlike the Panthers and Jaguars however, after one year the NFC Central squawked that they didn't have a warm-weather city in their division (as the other five divisions did), so they realigned the Bucs into the NFC Central, and put the Seahawks in the AFC West. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi74 Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 What I never got was why Seattle and Tampa Bay first went into the opposite conference they're in now and then switched a season or two later. Don't recall the details...Added, from Wikipedia:"When the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers began play in 1976, the Buccaneers were put into the AFC West and the Seahawks were put into the NFC West. After one year, Seattle was moved into the AFC West and Tampa Bay was moved into the NFC Central. The Seahawks played in the AFC West until the 2002 re-alignment, when they were put back into the NFC West."The reason they did it was so fans in the new cities would get a chance to see more teams the first couple seasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac the Knife Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 The reason they did it was so fans in the new cities would get a chance to see more teams the first couple seasons.That's not what I've read from Don Weiss' book and Pete Rozelle's 1976 letter to the owners advising them to approve the switch... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo_prankster Posted October 13, 2006 Author Share Posted October 13, 2006 I'm going to try to see what a 32-team NFL would look like if that "no moving teams" rule in the anti-trust agreement the NFL made with the government had held up (I think Al Davis broke that one).If nobody moved, it would look like this:AFC EASTBoston PatriotsBuffalo BillsMiami DolphinsNew York JetsAFC NORTHCincinnati BengalsCleveland BrownsPittsburgh SteelersSeattle SeahawksAFC SOUTHBaltimore ColtsHouston OilersEXPANSIONEXPANSIONAFC WESTDenver BroncosKansas City ChiefsOakland RaidersSan Diego ChargersNFC EASTDallas CowboysNew York GiantsPhiladelphia EaglesWashington RedskinsNFC NORTHChicago BearsDetroit LionsGreen Bay PackersMinnesota VikingsNFC SOUTHAtlanta FalconsEXPANSIONNew Orleans SaintsTampa Bay BuccaneersNFC WESTLos Angeles RamsEXPANSIONSaint Louis CardinalsSan Francisco 49ers The Fictional Story of Austus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Admiral Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Here's what I came up with, reinstating the AFC three to the NFC.National Football ConferenceCoastal DivisionLos Angeles Rams/San Francisco 49ers/Atlanta Falcons/St. Louis CardinalsCapitol DivisionPittsburgh Steelers/Baltimore Colts/Cleveland Browns/New Orleans SaintsCentral DivisionChicago Bears/Green Bay Packers/Minnesota Vikings/Detroit LionsCentury DivisionDallas Cowboys/Philadelphia Eagles/New York Giants/Washington RedskinsAmerican Football ConferenceWestern DivisionDenver Broncos/Oakland Raiders/San Diego Chargers/Kansas City ChiefsEastern DivisionCincinnati Bengals/Tennessee Titans/Carolina Panthers/Tampa Bay BuccaneersAtlantic DivisionBoston Patriots/Buffalo Bills/New York Jets/Miami DolphinsPacific DivisionSeattle Seahawks/Houston Oilers/Phoenix Coyotes/Los Angeles JaguarsTitans, Coyotes, and Jaguars are all expansion teams, of course. ♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockchalk Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Alright, I'm (re) reading America's Game by Michael MacCambridge (excellent book) and just got to the merger point. Originally, Rozelle (and quite a few NFL owners) wanted to keep the league structures where they were and just keep going like baseball was at the time, but throw in a couple interleague games a year for each team. (As a quick aside, I've heard many players wanted this too, but nobody asked them) The AFL owners pretty much went bat and said a merger was off, including Paul Brown, who said he had bought the Bengals franchise and started it with an agreement that it would be an NFL team. So then they decided that to do a full league, three teams needed moved and asked for volunteers. Nobody wanted to. Then it was announced that the three teams that moved would get $3 million. Modell, who in fairness was considering it since he was one of the newer NFL teams and owners (relatively speaking that is), said he'd go and tried to get the Steelers to go. Carrol Rosenbloom of the Colts took the money and ran, saying he'd be fine with it as long as he was in the same division as the Jets and could play them twice a year. Dan Rooney wouldn't budge. Art Rooney was open to the idea, but really didn't want to go, but Dan refused all offers. He walked into a meeting with Rozelle one afternoon after talking to the Arts (his father and Modell) about the issue and was going to tell Rozelle he would finally at least consider it. Rozelle beat him to the punch however, when he met Rooney at the door with a slip of paper that had four abbreviations on it. CLEV, PITT, HOU, CINN was all the paper said. Dan Rooney knew at that second that he had to switch, because that was going to be his division and it worked out perfectly. The Steelers kept the Browns as a rival, the Paul Brown teams played each other twice a year and everyone got the big attractive road date at the new Astrodome per season. Then, the AFC was done and the NFC is what took the most time to figure out. I've decided to give up hope for all sports teams I follow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leedsunited Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Weren't the Brewers in the AL once? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo_prankster Posted October 14, 2006 Author Share Posted October 14, 2006 Weren't the Brewers in the AL once?Of course they were. The Fictional Story of Austus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo_prankster Posted October 15, 2006 Author Share Posted October 15, 2006 Bump The Fictional Story of Austus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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