NFL Expansion Project

[Davidson]

i have been wanting to do a project like this for a while now, but have sadly just not found the time. Well, what with the rugby season still a few weeks away, i thought id try and make a start. essentially this is just an excuse to revisit a number of logos i have half finished or rushed in the past. being a football (hand egg) fan, ive chosen to make this a football project and create identities for 8 nfl expansion teams.

not being of your shores and not being entirely familiar with the country as a whole, i have chosen 8 of the largest us cities that currently do not have nfl franchises and added a team to each of the nfl conferences. i have endeavored to take into account location when placing each of the teams in order that local rivalries develop through proximity.

i have tentatively pencilled in a few team names, but i am by no means attached to a few of them. so i would be grateful for any input regarding names/ colours/ mascots etc etc. although i would like to maintain a sense of the locality for each franchise.

below are each of the divisions complete with new team and explanation for each team name and some ideas ive had. please tell me if im wide of the mark or missing a trick with any of them.

AFC

AFC EAST

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Buffalo Bills

Charlotte Hawks

the weakest of my concepts so far. id love to make a franchise that relates to a native tribe but perhaps be a touch clever with the name. maybe by somehow incorporating an animal into the logo also. to be honest, this isnt really the way to go about this sort of thing (by reverse engineering the concept to match the logo) but i do have a nice bird logo id like to develop!

AFC NORTH

Pittsburgh Steelers

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Columbus Enforcers

another weak one. really need help with this.

AFC SOUTH

Tennessee Titans

Indianapolis Colts

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Austin Oilers

i loved the oilers franchise, and would like to bring it back in some sense. austin therefore seemed the natural place of the cities chosen

AFC WEST

San Diego Chargers

Denver Broncos

Oakland Raiders

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Great Whites

wanted to have a team that embraced the ocean like the dolphins do on the east coast. plus, us teams are devoid of sharks which, lets face it are :censored:ing mega.

NFC

NFC EAST

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Dallas Cowboys

Washington Redskins

Memphis Blues

Quite keen on this for obvious reasons. will look to incorporate a hound dog into this logo.

NFC NORTH

Minnesota Vikings

Chicago Bears

Green Bay PAckers

Detroit Lions

Milwaukee Bruins

Perhaps there are too many bears in the one division? still set on this for some reason however.

NFC SOUTH

Carolina Panthers

Atlanta Falcons

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

New Orleans Saints

San Antonio Wranglers

Because the cowboys are so cool.

NFC WEST

Arizona Cardinals

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

St Louis Rams

San Jose Cougars

paying homage to all the college teams with the cougar as a mascot. looking forward to this one.

anyways thats the set up. please let me know your thoughts and ideas.

fd

[Throwback]

Although 32 is the perfect no. of teams, I think (logo/uni wise) you'll be able to pull this off, but in reality you'd have to expand to 64 which isn't practical. But this isn't real and it looks like you'll be able to pull this off, so I'd like to see some graphics come out of this:)

[BlueSky]

I know this is just for fun but even so there are some issues, mainly with the locations.

You may not be aware that the Carolina Panthers currently play in Charlotte? Also, the NBA Atlanta Hawks are just down the highway from Charlotte, making that nickname less marketable in the region.

In the sad but true department, someone somewhere in America with an overblown sense of political correctness will see something racial in the L.A. name. Yes, the notion is ridiculous, but it's guaranteed to be an issue. May I suggest "Los Angeles Hammerheads" as an alternative? Kind of has a cool ring to it and that type of shark is so funky looking that it'd make an awesome and unique logo.

Columbus would make 3 teams in Ohio, seems like a lot, but of course adding Austin and S.A. makes 4 teams in Texas and San Jose makes 3 just in the San Francisco Bay area. How about moving the Austin team to say, Albuquerque and the San Jose Team to Portland? Also, Milwaukee is a shade over 100 miles from Green Bay.

Best name/city is Memphis Blues, though again I'm not sure Tennessee can support 2 NFL franchises. Speaking of, though I agree wholeheartedly with your feelings on the Oilers, the Titans own that brand from their time in Houston, guaranteeing it will never see the light of day again in the NFL.

My intent certainly wasn't to rain on your parade but I assumed you'd want candid feedback.

P.S. I have had the honor of visiting New Zealand and it was unforgettable. We rented a car and just cruised the North Island. I'm sure every native knew I was a 'stupid American' because those reversed vehicle controls take some getting used to. Every time I tried the turn signals the windshield wipers came on instead. The scenery was incredible and the people fantastic. We hope to return and see the South Island one day.

Ironically, the whole "Great Whites" issue came to mind because while in NZ I bought an All Blacks ballcap and whenever I wear it here in Atlanta, I get some long stares. Obviously few people here know that team so they think it's some kind of societal statement.

One of the beaches we visited:

[Firefly]

Yep, Austin and San Antonio are far too close together. While they are both big, fast growing cities, there just wouldn't be enough support for two teams.

If you're looking to do a cowboy concept, perhaps a El Paso, Tx or Oklahoma City team.

And rather than San Jose, how about Portland, OR or Las Vegas?

Oh, and rather than Great Whites, how about Makos?

[Davidson]

I know this is just for fun but even so there are some issues, mainly with the locations.

You may not be aware that the Carolina Panthers currently play in Charlotte? Also, the NBA Atlanta Hawks are just down the highway from Charlotte, making that nickname less marketable in the region.

In the sad but true department, someone somewhere in America with an overblown sense of political correctness will see something racial in the L.A. name. Yes, the notion is ridiculous, but it's guaranteed to be an issue. May I suggest "Los Angeles Hammerheads" as an alternative? Kind of has a cool ring to it and that type of shark is so funky looking that it'd make an awesome and unique logo.

Columbus would make 3 teams in Ohio, seems like a lot, but of course adding Austin and S.A. makes 4 teams in Texas and San Jose makes 3 just in the San Francisco Bay area. How about moving the Austin team to say, Albuquerque and the San Jose Team to Portland? Also, Milwaukee is a shade over 100 miles from Green Bay.

Best name/city is Memphis Blues, though again I'm not sure Tennessee can support 2 NFL franchises. Speaking of, though I agree wholeheartedly with your feelings on the Oilers, the Titans own that brand from their time kn Houston, guaranteeing it will never see the light of day again in the NFL.

My intent certainly wasn't to rain on your parade but I assumed you'd want candid feedback.

sweet, thanks for the info. ill have a think.

i didnt realise the panthers played in charlotte. thats quite good actually, i wassnt set on that particularly.

yeah, the great whites did cross my mind. makos perhaps? again, ill have another think.

with regards to columbus and milwaukee, i picked teams based around population bases.

the fact that have near neighbours i saw as beneficial.

thanks for the heads up on that stuff bro. ill have a rethink on the names etc. any more ideas appreciated.

[Jezus_Ghoti]

I highly doubt the league would put franchises in small markets like Memphis and Milwaukee before they put a team in Toronto (and, aruguably, Mexico City).

[spamspamspamspam]

1. Charlotte already has a team.

2. Milwaukee is in the Packers Territory. Even if you gave a team to Milwaukee, most people would still root for the Packers.

3. Bruins is way too much like Brewers.

[Davidson]

okay so the top eight cities most likely to obtain an nfl franchise would be...

[eRay]

okay so the top eight cities most likely to obtain an nfl franchise would be...

I would say LA, Portland(OR), Mexico City, Toronto, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Salt Lake City, and maybe Hawaii. I'd throw in Little Rock, Arkansas or Oklahoma City for a more eastern team if you needed one, since those are mostly in the west.

[WideRight]

I would say:

Los Angeles

Anaheim/Orange County (outside of LA, but the area could/should be able to support 2 teams)

Las Vegas

Portland

Those are easy, a little less likely are:

Orlando

Columbus, OH

Birmingham, AL

Salt Lake City

And even less likely:

Oklahoma City

Raleigh-Durham, NC

Albuquerque

Little Rock

And if you went international: Toronto, Vancouver and Monterrey

So, if you must have 8, I would say: LA, Anaheim, Las Vegas, Portland, Salt Lake City, Orlando, Toronto & Vancouver.

It would mean mixing up the division quite a bit because of all the new western teams.

Perhaps:

Jets--Dolphins--Patriots--Bills--TORONTO

Steelers--Browns--Bengals--Colts--Titans

Jaguars--Texans--Ravens--Chiefs--ORLANDO

Broncos--Raiders--Chargers--LOS ANGELES--LAS VEGAS

Giants--Eagles--Redskins--Cowboys--Panthers

Falcons--Saints--Buccs--Cardinals--SALT LAKE

Bears--Vikings--Packers--Lions--Rams

Niners--Seahawks--PORTLAND--ANAHEIM--VANCOUVER

Not ideal, but workable.

[spamspamspamspam]

I think that the Norfolk area could be a contender.

[sigma716]

I could really see Oklahoma City or San Antonio hosting a team... Possibly even Portland Oregon

[dgthree]

San Antonio (TX), Los Angeles (CA), Omaha (NE), Birmingham (AL), Portland (OR), Richmond (VA), Louisville(KY) not sure because of how close Cincy is, and Orange County somewhere - maybe Santa Ana - for the 8th.

San Antonio I guess they can get Oilers

Los Angeles if you want to use fish, maybe just use Sharks?

Omaha - Steers? Cattle, Herd, etc...

Birmingham Revelers Bring in the Iron / Steel industry in the logo

Portland Beavers - state animal

Richmond - Dominions or i like it less but could work: Colonels - state nickname I am sure there could be a cool colonial style logo

Louisville Thoroughbreds - obvious state sport, animal etc.

Santa Ana Fire? Becuase of the wild fires, maybe Santa Ana Storm?

[crashcarson15]

1. Los Angeles

2. San Antonio

3. Birmingham

4. Toronto

5. Las Vegas

6. Oklahoma City

7. Portland

8. Louisville (might not work-too close to Indy and Cincy)

[Beast Mode]

Boise and Louisville/Lexington/Frankfurt,Kentucky are other good canidates.

[Crash]

- Charlotte already has a team (the Panthers).

- Ohio already has two teams, a team in Columbus seems superfluous, especially if you put them in the same division.

- Austin AND San Antonio? San Antonio seems like a decent choice, but four Texas teams would be overkill.

- L.A. definitely needs a team. Putting them in the AFC West not only makes sense, it would provide built in rivalry with the Chargers and Raiders. Good choice, though maybe just the "Sharks" or some other type of shark would help you dodge the racism bullet there.

- Memphis may be pushing it again, with the Titans already using the "Tennessee" moniker.

- Placing a second team in the SF Bay area also seems a bit strange.

There just seems like there'd be better options for cities for most of these teams.

[lbr218]

While I like this idea, I think you should also think about which areas have a strong attachment to a particular college team, such as Columbus or Austin, and not put a team there.

[bigmike]

- Charlotte already has a team (the Panthers).

- Ohio already has two teams, a team in Columbus seems superfluous, especially if you put them in the same division.

- Austin AND San Antonio? San Antonio seems like a decent choice, but four Texas teams would be overkill.

- L.A. definitely needs a team. Putting them in the AFC West not only makes sense, it would provide built in rivalry with the Chargers and Raiders. Good choice, though maybe just the "Sharks" or some other type of shark would help you dodge the racism bullet there.

- Memphis may be pushing it again, with the Titans already using the "Tennessee" moniker.

- Placing a second team in the SF Bay area also seems a bit strange.

There just seems like there'd be better options for cities for most of these teams.

Some real good points made in here, I think you chould replace one of the Texas teams with Birmigham ha but I am probably one of the only people that thinks that is a good idea.

[The Imperfect]

NFC East: NY Giants, Dallas, Washington, Dallas, VIRGINIA

NFC North: Detroit, Green Bay, Chicago, Minnesota, TORONTO

NFC South: Carolina, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, New Orleans BIRMINGHAM

NFC West: San Francisco, Seattle, Arizona, St. Louis, LAS VEGAS

AFC East: Buffalo, New England, NY Jets, Jacksonville

AFC North: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis

AFC South: Houston, Tennessee, Kansas City, SAN ANTONIO, OKLAHOMA CITY

AFC West: Oakland, Denver, San Diego, LOS ANGELES, VANCOUVER

[AHcreative]

NFC East: NY Giants, Dallas, Washington, Dallas, VIRGINIA

NFC North: Detroit, Green Bay, Chicago, Minnesota, TORONTO

NFC South: Carolina, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, New Orleans BIRMINGHAM

NFC West: San Francisco, Seattle, Arizona, St. Louis, LAS VEGAS

AFC East: Buffalo, New England, NY Jets, Jacksonville

AFC North: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis

AFC South: Houston, Tennessee, Kansas City, SAN ANTONIO, OKLAHOMA CITY

AFC West: Oakland, Denver, San Diego, LOS ANGELES, VANCOUVER

Why does Dallas need two teams? You're setting Texas up with two teams (two of which are in Dallas) and removing Philadelphia from the League. I sincerely hope that one of those Dallas' was a typo and you meant to put 'Philadelphia'.