| After all the grandstanding, speculation, wonderment and
what not, the NFL has realigned — and very peacefully, might I add. That alone is
reason to celebrate. But not everyone should be so happy. Take the Houston Texans, for
example. The NFL’s newest expansion team is stuck in the AFC South, a division that
includes the Colts, Jaguars and Titans.
At least when the Cleveland Browns re-entered the league, they had a chance against the
Bengals in the AFC Central. The Texans have no such cream puffs in the South. They better
hope their new divisional foes fall apart within a year.
The Cardinals shouldn’t be too happy either. Not only do they lose their biggest
home draw, the Cowboys, they’re stuck with the high-flying Rams and the up-and-coming
49ers and Seahawks. But the Cards believe they’re up-and-coming too — we’ll
see.
For the most part, though, rivalries were kept intact, and the potential for new ones
exists. Take Bucs-Saints, for instance, two of the premier defensive teams in the league.
Or how about Texans-Titans? Consider it the Southern version of Browns-Ravens.
But I wish the NFL would have taken a couple of chances. An all-Florida division
including Tampa Bay, Miami and Jacksonville would have been outstanding. I still think
Indianapolis and Cincinnati belong in the same division given their proximity. And St.
Louis … when did it become a Western city?
Existing rivalries kept the owners’ hands tied. They couldn’t very well
remove the Vikings from the NFC North and replace them with the Rams. History
wouldn’t allow it. Then, what would they do with the Vikings? They would have looked
just as silly in the NFC West as the Rams do. It was a wise move to simply leave both
teams alone.
Apparently, that same logic was used in keeping the Dolphins in the AFC East. They sure
don’t belong there, but the Ravens do. Baltimore isn’t a Northern city, and
though Miami is in fact in the East, it’s more South than anything. But again, the
Dolphins-Bills and Dolphins-Jets rivalries are too good to break up.
The beauty of the plan is that a vast majority of teams stayed right where they are.
Sure, the Seahawks changed conference colors, but baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers
changed entire leagues, and they’ve come away smelling like a rose. With Seattle in
the NFC, the potential of a Packers-Seahawks playoff game exists. How sweet would it be to
see Mike Holmgren and Matt Hasselbeck face their old employers for a shot at the Super
Bowl?
The league’s owners must be commended for a job well done. Not only did they reach
agreement quickly, they did so peacefully. Questions and oddities will remain, but
that’s OK. Besides, we’re going to need problems to fix when the league realigns
to, say, 40 teams.
Perish the thought.
Related stories:
Arkush: A sense of history helped nail down
realignment
Owners mull sanctions against Raiders' renegade
boss
Arizona, Seattle OK with move to revamped NFC
West
League quickly approves realignment |
