| ROSEMONT, Ill. — The prospect of being forced to hunker
down in the spacious lobby of the Hyatt Regency O’Hare most of this week was
thankfully removed Tuesday after the NFL wasted no time at all approving a realignment
plan scheduled to begin with the 2002 season. "I find it unbelievable that the vote
was unanimous," said Patriots owner Robert Kraft of a decision that most people in
the pro football community didn’t expect to be finalized until sometime Thursday.
"We have some wonderful regional setups, and I think the whole plan is actually a lot
more intelligent than it was in the past."
Option A-1, one of seven different scenarios seriously considered by the league’s
designated realignment committee, features the following eight four-team divisions:
AFC East — Buffalo, Miami, New England, New York Jets.
AFC North — Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh.
AFC South — Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Tennessee.
AFC West — Denver, Kansas City, Oakland, San Diego.
NFC East — Dallas, New York Giants, Philadelphia, Washington.
NFC North — Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Minnesota.
NFC South — Atlanta, Carolina, New Orleans, Tampa Bay.
NFC West — Arizona, St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle.
"It’s a win-win situation for everybody," NFL commissioner Paul
Tagliabue said of a plan that keeps five existing divisions basically intact — minus
one team each. "Fans will be able to see guaranteed matchups with every team on a
rotating basis. We’ve never had that before — the ability to feature strong
teams in every market on a guaranteed cycle.
"The ability of the league to schedule preseason games that enable those teams
moving out of existing divisions (most notably Seattle and Arizona in the new NFC West) to
maintain current rivalries was key. We also wanted to make sure the rotation of
non-division games would benefit those teams and give them the best matchups possible. The
intention to create a rotation of non-division games that takes into account traditional
rivalries was something we decided on a long time ago.
Tagliabue said the first-year rotation will be "announced later this summer,"
as will the exact format for the league playoffs — a topic that is expected to be
discussed further before the meetings end sometime Wednesday.
The initial consensus in the halls of the Hyatt Regency was that Option A-1 offers a
much better geographic balance than the existing structure while managing to maintain most
of the league’s longstanding rivalries.
Meanwhile, two new divisions appear to offer some enticing new intrigue — the
aforementioned NFC West and the AFC South, which pits the expansion Houston Texans against
three potential powerhouses in Indianapolis, Tennessee and Jacksonville, provided the
latter can overcome its well-documented salary-cap problems.
"The new NFC West should be very attractive," Tagliabue said. "It has
the team that won the Super Bowl two years ago (the Rams) and also might have won it again
last year if not for the injury to Kurt Warner. The 49ers, one of the league’s
premier teams for the last two decades, are coming on strong, and both Seattle and Arizona
are on the upswing."
Texans owner Robert McNair appeared to have no problem with the potentially daunting
challenge facing the league’s newest entry.
"For starters, we will have a great rivalry with Tennessee, for obvious
reasons," McNair said of the team formerly situated in Houston. "In addition,
the Colts’ Peyton Manning will be a great draw. And in the case of Jacksonville,
we’re particularly excited by the chance to build a real Florida-Texas rivalry
between the country’s two biggest football hotbeds.
"In the long run, we’ll be better off in this division because of the market
dynamics. Florida is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. The TV people are
very enamored with this rivalry. It gets two big markets actively engaged in a competitive
way."
Added Texans general manager Charley Casserly, "In the short term, over the next
3-5 years, we will be facing three of the best quarterbacks in the league (Manning, Mark
Brunell of the Jaguars and Steve McNair of the Titans) and three of the best tailbacks
(Edgerrin James of the Colts, Fred Taylor of the Jaguars and Eddie George of the Titans).
We’ll be in the best division in football. When I was with the Redskins, when they
were in what was widely considered the best division along with Dallas and the Giants
among others, you could always count on one thing — that you would be a co-favorite
to win the Super Bowl.
"The bar is set very high, but we’ll get there eventually. And there’s
one other advantage: Unlike previous expansion teams, we don’t have to worry about
fifth- or sixth-place predictions. We’re already guaranteed fourth place."
Adding to the amiable mood surrounding the new realignment setup was the fact Al Davis
and the Oakland Raiders had lost their $1.2 billion lawsuit against the league a day
earlier. When asked if the league’s latest victory in court made for a more conducive
mood, the ear-to-ear smile on Ravens owner Art Modell’s face spoke volumes.
"I’ve been involved with three different antitrust suits in the last 20 years
— all with the same team," Modell said. "Now that this latest one is over
with, I would hope that he (Davis) would see his way back into the tent.
"But I sure wouldn’t bet on it."
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
Agrest: Commend owners for job well done |
