stinky finger Posted July 19, 2016 Posted July 19, 2016 I think it would be better for us to have Pitt, Cleveland and Cinci in division. It would be easy to fill the stadiums as people could drive from both Pitt and Cleveland pretty easily. It would be a better rivalry. I think the days of us being in with Miami should end. We did have a great rivalry with them and Ralph want to continue but he's gone now and that rivalry is largely done. I'd hate to leave the division with New England at the point where Brady and Belichick retire and we start beating them again. It would make more sense for us to be in with the other teams though Agreed - I'd love this. i think that would be great from a Buffalo fan POV. But I fail to see how the fans of the other 3 teams would rather see the Bills than the Ravens with all the history/rivalry associated with them. Pitt would love this.
May Day 10 Posted July 19, 2016 Posted July 19, 2016 Rivalries nowadays are purely a product of competition. Ravens steelers on the way out... Cincinnati pittsburgh suddenly heated again. I have no feeling really about the dolphins. The jets i hate because i dislike nyc sports teams. New England i hate because they are 1st every year for 20 years. When they had red uniforms and steve grogan i actually liked them.
GottaRun Posted July 19, 2016 Posted July 19, 2016 I'd rather have us with Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami. That's a November/December road trip I'm up for. Who the hell wants to road trip to Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cinci in December?
Augie Posted July 19, 2016 Posted July 19, 2016 I'd rather have us with Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami. That's a November/December road trip I'm up for. Who the hell wants to road trip to Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cinci in December? Better Cleveland in December than Florida in September, I promise you that! I loved living there (all 18 years and I'd move back tomorrow if I could), but turned down free tix in Sept and even into October.
GottaRun Posted July 19, 2016 Posted July 19, 2016 Better Cleveland in December than Florida in September, I promise you that! I loved living there (all 18 years and I'd move back tomorrow if I could), but turned down free tix in Sept and even into October. This may be the first time the words 'Better Cleveland in December' have ever been uttered. In my world all of the Florida road games will be Nov/Dec - Make it so NFL!!!
Augie Posted July 19, 2016 Posted July 19, 2016 This may be the first time the words 'Better Cleveland in December' have ever been uttered. In my world all of the Florida road games will be Nov/Dec - Make it so NFL!!! Ha! I'm breaking new ground, but telling the truth. Obviously, we don't get to pick our dates, or I'd be all in. There should be no day games in FL before October. I actually love the heat, but even I have limits. Went to a Bills Jags game in Sept and we were the only 2 people outside in our 25 +/- person row while the rest watched inside the club zone in the AC..... And then there were none. We joined the crowd, and lamented having spent $500 for 2 primo tix.
Buffalo Barbarian Posted July 19, 2016 Posted July 19, 2016 I'm daydreaming but I wish the NFL realigned the divisions. For example, I'd like to see the AFC East as follows: Buffalo New England NY Jets NY Giants Honestly, I would divide them up by geography. Thoughts/Suggestions? I started a thread on this a few yrs ago and did every division but with the Raiders going to Vegas we may want to wait a bit. I had the bills in the Great Lakes or Rust Belt, forget which I called it, anyway: Bills Steelers Browns Lions
GunnerBill Posted July 19, 2016 Posted July 19, 2016 I wrote this before St. Louis moved to Los Angeles, and before the results of the 2015 season played out, but the same principles apply--for your consideration: With Relocation to Los Angeles, NFL has Chance to Right Divisional Imbalances I liked much of what you suggested, I did not like the suggestions around scheduling. I prefer the rotation to the approach where it is pretty much all based on their performance the previous year. I want to see the Bills play every other team at least every few years.
Just Jack Posted July 19, 2016 Posted July 19, 2016 Haven't we gone through this recently? Giants and Jets in same division? Leave it alone. It's fine. It comes up just about every year before the season starts. I started a thread on this a few yrs ago and did every division but with the Raiders going to Vegas we may want to wait a bit. I had the bills in the Great Lakes or Rust Belt, forget which I called it, anyway: Bills Steelers Browns Lions I think it was Rust Belt, because I remember liking that name instead of AFC North. The other divisions had names too, but I don't remember what they were.
/dev/null Posted July 19, 2016 Posted July 19, 2016 I started a thread on this a few yrs ago and did every division but with the Raiders going to Vegas we may want to wait a bit. I had the bills in the Great Lakes or Rust Belt, forget which I called it, anyway: Bills Steelers Browns Lions And how do you think Steeler fans would feel about losing their division rivalry against the Ravens and the Bengals? How do you think Bengal fans would feel about losing their division rivalry against the Browns? How do you think Lion fans would feel losing their rivalry games with Green Bay and Chicago? I think the better way of re-aligning is to do away with conferences and divisions entirely. -Every four years the NFL declares four rivals for each team. Rivals play twice a year for the next four years, home and away. (8 games) -Every two years the NFL declares four series for each team. Series are two year matchups where teams play once a year, one year home the other away (4 games) -Every season the NFL rounds out the remaining four games with 2 home and 2 road games from non-rival / non series opponents The "rivals" leaves the established rivalries of Redskins/Cowboys, Bears/Packers, Steelers/Ravens, etc untouched. This also opens up new rivalries that didn't exist before. Dallas/Houston? Tampa/Jax? Jax/Atlanta? Cleveland/Detroit? Houston/New Orleans? The "series" allows scheduling rematches of recent games that caught everybody's attention or intriguing superstar pairings. Two years of Luck vs Newton? How about another two Seahawks/Steelers games to try and recapture that shootout from last year? Russell Wilson vs JJ Watt? Could also open up new "rivals" for the next four year round The single season matchups allow rematches of last years thrillers, pairs teams that don't have history, and just rounds out the schedule Playoffs, seed the teams 1-32. Top 14 make the playoffs with #1 and #2 getting a first round bye
Fadingpain Posted July 20, 2016 Posted July 20, 2016 wow it is amazing and sad in some ways to think that the Miami rivalry is that dead. It's been dead for a very long time now.
Webster Guy Posted July 20, 2016 Posted July 20, 2016 Just make it AFC and NFC. Play every team in your conference once and one team from the other conference. Voilia16 game schedule, top 7 teams make the playoffs and 1st place gets a bye. I like this idea but just one NFC team every year would be a bummer for fans who like to see their favorite NFC team once every few years in Buff. Still I think it's silly for these small divisions the way it's chopped up now, with .500 teams making the playoffs and 10-win teams not qualifying. So stupid and unfair.
mikemac2001 Posted July 20, 2016 Posted July 20, 2016 Once Brady is gone things will be realigned. Exactly Bradyless pats Dolphins Jets If we had that division with same teams but no Brady
May Day 10 Posted July 20, 2016 Posted July 20, 2016 I would like to see some sort of re-format just for the reason of shaking it up. 15 years or whatever is an eternity in the sports world for having one format like this. The format has gotten a little boring/stale. Its nice how they have a 'perfect' scheduling balance.... but usually things isnt so balanced as they may seem. And I really feel no rivalry with Miami. like zero since the Kelly/Marino days. Maybe if both teams are at the top of the division again for a number of years? I dont know. I would think that Buffalo/Cleveland, Buffalo/Pitt, would be much, much more intense. At this point, the Miami thing is just forcing it. It has been clinically dead for too many years. I would really like some sort of re-format, and for the Bills to enter with teams from the North Divisions. Wouldnt even be opposed to some sort of variation of the NFC North, although I prefer the proximity of Cleveland/Pittsburgh. I always feel like we are more aligned sports-wise with Great Lakes/Midwest more than Eastern seaboard or Florida.
Gordio Posted July 20, 2016 Posted July 20, 2016 And how do you think Steeler fans would feel about losing their division rivalry against the Ravens and the Bengals? How do you think Bengal fans would feel about losing their division rivalry against the Browns? How do you think Lion fans would feel losing their rivalry games with Green Bay and Chicago? I think the better way of re-aligning is to do away with conferences and divisions entirely. -Every four years the NFL declares four rivals for each team. Rivals play twice a year for the next four years, home and away. (8 games) -Every two years the NFL declares four series for each team. Series are two year matchups where teams play once a year, one year home the other away (4 games) -Every season the NFL rounds out the remaining four games with 2 home and 2 road games from non-rival / non series opponents The "rivals" leaves the established rivalries of Redskins/Cowboys, Bears/Packers, Steelers/Ravens, etc untouched. This also opens up new rivalries that didn't exist before. Dallas/Houston? Tampa/Jax? Jax/Atlanta? Cleveland/Detroit? Houston/New Orleans? The "series" allows scheduling rematches of recent games that caught everybody's attention or intriguing superstar pairings. Two years of Luck vs Newton? How about another two Seahawks/Steelers games to try and recapture that shootout from last year? Russell Wilson vs JJ Watt? Could also open up new "rivals" for the next four year round The single season matchups allow rematches of last years thrillers, pairs teams that don't have history, and just rounds out the schedule Playoffs, seed the teams 1-32. Top 14 make the playoffs with #1 and #2 getting a first round bye There is no competive balance in schedule strength if you do it this way. Some teams are going to have very difficult schedules while other teams will have cake walks.
Beef Jerky Posted July 20, 2016 Posted July 20, 2016 I'm daydreaming but I wish the NFL realigned the divisions. For example, I'd like to see the AFC East as follows: Buffalo New England NY Jets NY Giants Honestly, I would divide them up by geography. Thoughts/Suggestions? No thanks.
Ronin Posted July 20, 2016 Posted July 20, 2016 Detroit would make more sense than Cinci, but I bet that fans there would hate to give up the Bears and Packers as rivals. That division is strong. Baltimore is an option to join the Bills, Browns and Pitt, but might make more sense in a division that had Jets and New England. Agreed. I forgot about the other rivalries that exist. Just looking at it from our PoV. Also, Pitt and Balt aren't that far from one another, what, five hours or so, so that one makes sense. Baltimore's a blue collar city too, I'd take them, Cleveland, and Pitt tho. Once Brady retires tho, as things now stand, the AFCE will be a good division to be in for the same reason that it's "blessed" NE. The other three teams haven't been so good, and neither will the Pats be once Brady retires. Until further notice it's still perennially the weakest division in the league after the Pats, and that includes arbitrarily taking the three worst teams in any other division for the most part, simply contrasted with us, the Fins, and Jets. We'll see if the Jets have truly turned things around under Bowles or whether last year was a fluke in addition-by-subtraction of Ryan only.
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