NFL REALIGNMENT (PROPOSAL)

WESTERN CONFERENCE>>

PACIFIC DIVISION:
Arizona Cardinals
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
St. Louis Rams

MIDWEST DIVISION:
Chicago Bears
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints
Tennessee Titans


EASTERN CONFERENCE>>

SOUTHEAST DIVISION
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Miami Dolphins
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Washington Redskins

ATLANTIC DIVISION
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
New England Patriots
New York Giants
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers


SCHEDULING:
- Each team will play the other 15 teams in its conference once (8 or 7 games at home, 8 or 7 games away, the number alternating each season).
- The remaining game will be against a comparable team from the other conference that had the same final standing from the previous season (i.e., 2009 season 5th place teams from Western and Eastern Conferences will play each other in 2010 season).

PLAYOFFS:
- Two best teams record-wise from each Division are Division Champs at the end of the season. Both teams have first-round BYEs
- Next two best teams in each Division record-wise (the 2nd and 3rd place teams) are the wild cards.
- Each Division sends 3 teams to the playoffs, each conference will have 6 total teams in the playoffs composed of the best 6 teams based on their win-loss record, and are seeded accordingly.
- Old tie-breaker rules apply (point differential, head-to-head result) if their is a battle for 3rd place in each Division.

All in all I hope this format will prevent the unfairness of the current system where a marginal 8-8 or 9-7 team can sneak into the playoffs based solely on being the "chapion" of a 4-team division, while an arguably better 2nd or 3rd place team in another division that's 10-6 or 11-5 gets left out. There was an example last year, (Chargers/Patriots) even though I hate the Patriots and didn't feel sorry they got left out. This new proposed system also keeps most of the old rivalries, has the potential for the development of new closer, regional rivalries...and in the bottom line will save the League $$$ in travel expenses.

FOX Sports will broadcast the regular Western Conference non-primetime games and Western Conference Playoffs. CBS Sports will do likewise for the Eastern Conference games. SNF and MNF will be split evenly between the two conferences each week (WC has SNF and EC has MNF one week, EC has SNF and WC has MNF the next week), or a marquee Inter-Conference game can be broadcast on either SNF or MNF (late-season flexible scheduling). NFL Network will have their small share of mid to late-season games in Prime time (usually on Thursday or Saturday night).

[ Edited by Buonaparte69 on Oct 8, 2009 at 04:27:16 ]

ok.

by that logic, some teams could go possibly hundreds of years before facing off. i don't like it. the schedule would be the same year in and year out, sure it's a new and fresh proposal, but in the long run it would stink.

leave it the way it is

is this YOUR proposal or could this actually happen?? I hope it doesn't.

"All in all I hope this format will prevent the unfairness of the current system where a marginal 8-8 or 9-7 team can sneak into the playoffs based solely on being the "chapion" of a 4-team division, while an arguably better 2nd or 3rd place team in another division that's 10-6 or 11-5 gets left out."

I think this part is a good idea. Yeah, I don't like the Patriots, either. But they got screwed by not making the Playoffs. But after reading the proposal over several times, there's probably some things I haven't foreseen that would be worse than the current system in place.

Questions

same number of playoff teams
winning the division means nothing top 6 teams based on record
tie breakers
they are adding two reg season games next year and playing 18

?

I think the current alignment is fine, so no.

[ Edited by fzrdave on Oct 8, 2009 at 13:17:05 ]

http://web.mit.edu/mking/www/NFLrealign.html

here is the link I found, it looks a bit different.....I think this guy just posted HIS, I don't think it's actually going to happen

[ Edited by BirdmanJr on Oct 8, 2009 at 09:50:05 ]

How about NO.

The current system gives small market teams a chance to make the playoffs. For instance, would arizona ever make it to the playoffs if they werent in the NFC West? NO, but because of the current system a smaller market team got a chance to gain some popularity in the playoffs.

We need this current system, especially once the salary cap is dead and teams like dallas turn into the yankees. We dont want to see the same teams in the playoffs every year now do we?

There will NEVER be less divisions than there are now, as it's bad business for teams to be out of the playoff race mid-way through the season.

Fewer teams per division = more teams fighting to the very end = higher fan interest = higher attendance = $$$$


/thread

That destroys almost every rivalry out there.

The FIRST thing I thought when I read the post is that I dont think the NFL is going to struggle paying the travel expenses. They're doing pretty well in their finances

why?!