Okay, Enough Discussion About Liking or Hating 2 Expansion Teams

[Hostile]

Consider it inevitable for this thread.

Where do you put the LA team, and where do you put the other team? Conference and division please.

LA goes to the AFC West for me, because I see a natural rivalry for the Raiders and Chargers which could generate higher interest and gives the AFC a blue chip against the more popular NFC big cities.

Las Vegas in the NFC West for the other. To draw against the Cardinals and the staying in St. Louis Rams.

 

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

Putting the L.A. team in the AFC West is a no brainer.

 

[Risen Star]

Putting the L.A. team in the AFC West is a no brainer.

Yeah, definitely. It'd be a nice turf war there with San Diego and Oakland.

 

[Nomad]

I read somewhere else that the LA team would go NFC, because an AFC would compete for fan support with the Raiders and Chargers who already have a lot of LA fans. I don't know if that makes any sense though.

I'm thinking LA in the NFCWest and Toronto/London in the AFC East.

The whole "we have to add 2 teams to stay even" could be a way to crowbar in a London team.

Another thought, LA in the NFC ensures that whatever other team they add won't be in the NFCEast.

 

[RS12]

I'll guess LA to NFC west and Toronto or London AFC east.

 

[CowboyMike]

I read somewhere else that the LA team would go NFC, because an AFC would compete for fan support with the Raiders and Chargers who already have a lot of LA fans. I don't know if that makes any sense though.

This could be true. An LA team in the AFC West could kill the Chargers fan base. They already have a hard time filling the stadium, and a good chunk of spectators make the drive down from LA.

I think I'd put them in the NFC West, maybe potentially beefing up an otherwise dull division lately. It would create a good rivalry with the Rams, too.

What about Toronto or Vancouver for the other expansion team? You could put the Vancouver team in the AFC West and not hurt the Charger market.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I'll guess LA to NFC west and Toronto or London AFC east.

Wow that would suck when they have to play. That's one hell of a road trip.

 

[Cowboy Brian]

I think it'll be Toronto or Mexico City, hopefully it's not in the NFCE

 

[CowboyMike]

I think it'll be Toronto or Mexico City, hopefully it's not in the NFCE

Mexico City wouldn't work, I don't think. Too much... instability. I live on the border.

Why not the NFCE? It would add some spice.

 

[casmith07]

I see NFC West for LA. Foster the NFC NorCal-SoCal rivalry that already exists between Oakland and San Diego.

Then you have the "cross-town" cross conference rivalries in Oakland/SF and SD/LA.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

No chance at all for Mexico. Take a look at where the murder capital of the world is, and then think about all of the suicide bombings that get 300x the publicity.

Dad does a great amount of business in Mexico, we have two subcontractors building oil field equipment for us right now. The company's insurance won't let him drive across the border. They drive into Brownsville and then fly by helicopter. They have American security forces guarding the two manufacturing plants down there. THAT'S how bad it is.

You could not, under any circumstances, pay me to walk down the streets of Juarez at night right now.

So forget any Mexico teams.

The NFL has pretty stringent rules about gambling and officials being anywhere near gaming establishments. I cannot see a team in Vegas. I think it would be an incredible idea because you have 10's of thousands of tourists to buy game seats every home game, but I don't see it happening.

Take a look at the top 25 most populated cities in America. Two of them are within sixty miles of each other. Both cities are growing. One of them has a great population of citizens of Mexico with secondary residents. The other is the capital.

If you can put a team in between Austin and San Antonio somehow, that would be a heck of a thing. Would the Cowboys or Texans allow it though? San Antonio has a ton of fans of Cowboys, and probably the only pocket of Texans fans outside of Houston.

A San Antonio team can draw fans from El Paso, Corpus, Harlingen, Brownsville, and Austin. You put those populations together, and you've got a massive TV market, without considering marketing into Mexico.

My second is a toss up between LA or Toronto.

All that said, I don't want to dilute the talent pool that much further. Two new teams, 122 needed. Move Jacksonville and Buffalo, be done with it.

 

[The30YardSlant]

Las Vegas can't support an NFL franchise. I'd say San Antonio but they are almost as big on the Cowboys as Dallas is and I'm not sure a new franchise would take as the Cowboys dominate the hispanic markets.

If they ever start up a franchise in Mexico, Canada or England I'll vomit. Such a stupid idea.

 

[Mr Cowboy]

Word here in SA is that Red McCombs is looking to get back in the game, and wants to bring a team here. SA supported the Saints when they came here because of the hurricane, but Jerry would be against it. Red is pretty strong, and probably has the support of Benson from NO, since he has a big business interest in SA.

If SA was to somehow get a team, I would still be a Cowboy fan........

 

[CowboyMike]

No chance at all for Mexico. Take a look at where the murder capital of the world is, and then think about all of the suicide bombings that get 300x the publicity.

Dad does a great amount of business in Mexico, we have two subcontractors building oil field equipment for us right now. The company's insurance won't let him drive across the border. They drive into Brownsville and then fly by helicopter. They have American security forces guarding the two manufacturing plants down there. THAT'S how bad it is.

You could not, under any circumstances, pay me to walk down the streets of Juarez at night right now.

So forget any Mexico teams.

The NFL has pretty stringent rules about gambling and officials being anywhere near gaming establishments. I cannot see a team in Vegas. I think it would be an incredible idea because you have 10's of thousands of tourists to buy game seats every home game, but I don't see it happening.

Take a look at the top 25 most populated cities in America. Two of them are within sixty miles of each other. Both cities are growing. One of them has a great population of citizens of Mexico with secondary residents. The other is the capital.

If you can put a team in between Austin and San Antonio somehow, that would be a heck of a thing. Would the Cowboys or Texans allow it though? San Antonio has a ton of fans of Cowboys, and probably the only pocket of Texans fans outside of Houston.

A San Antonio team can draw fans from El Paso, Corpus, Harlingen, Brownsville, and Austin. You put those populations together, and you've got a massive TV market, without considering marketing into Mexico.

My second is a toss up between LA or Toronto.

All that said, I don't want to dilute the talent pool that much further. Two new teams, 122 needed. Move Jacksonville and Buffalo, be done with it.

What's amazing is that we live in the safest city in the nation in terms of violent crime right across the border from Juarez. The FBI ranked El Paso number 1 the last two years. It's like two different worlds down here.

I don't think San Antonio would be viable market wise due to the huge Cowboys following, plus drawing fans from here wouldn't work. El Paso loves their Cowboys and their Raiders.

 

[cowboy_ron]

Las Vegas can't support an NFL franchise. I'd say San Antonio but they are almost as big on the Cowboys as Dallas is and I'm not sure a new franchise would take as the Cowboys dominate the hispanic markets.

If they ever start up a franchise in Mexico, Canada or England I'll vomit. Such a stupid idea.

You're right about Vegas

 

[SaltwaterServr]

What's amazing is that we live in the safest city in the nation in terms of violent crime right across the border from Juarez. The FBI ranked El Paso number 1 the last two years. It's like two different worlds down here.

I don't think San Antonio would be viable market wise due to the huge Cowboys following, plus drawing fans from here wouldn't work. El Paso loves their Cowboys and their Raiders.

I don't think you can supplant the Cowboys. No way, no how. But you can bring in a ton of casual fans from other cities that would support the locals. The drive from the Valley and Corpus isn't prohibitive to someone that wants to see a live local football game. You've got another 700,000+ people in Austin as well.

When the Saints were still here and I was in real estate, I drew a map circle for a 3 hour one-way travel time into San Antonio to see what kind of population we'd have to fill the stadium. It's over 4 million. Of course the Alamo Dome is a dump. It has to be gutted and made for football, or a new one built. That's a great thing about it's location though, you get out of the game and you're a 15 minute walk from the River Walk. Plenty to do and see outside of the game itself.

I think El Paso had what, 4 murders all of 2010 while Juarez averaged a little more than twice that per day?

EDIT: checked the murder rate for Juarez, 8.4 murders per day. 3075 "reported" murders for 2010. I didn't check 2011.

 

[respectdatstar]

There was a team in the XFL during the single season it was in existence. The LA Extreme. I believe they won the XFL championship with Tommy Maddox under center. When I was watching it I always thought they should make the LA Extreme and Las Vegas Outlaws NFL franchises.

 

[THUMPER]

An L.A. team should go in the NFC West, not the AFC. There was an existing rivalry between the Rams and 49ERs, with the whole SoCal - Northern Cal thing and that would pick up immediately.

As for where the other team would go? I think Goodell will push for a Canadian city and Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver make the most sense. I think Vancouver would be the best choice geographically to put more teams in the west.

 

[Gaede]

Toronto would be sweet. All of our other franchises suck.

Bills would lose about 30-40% of their fans though

 

[casmith07]

How about Portland?

Pretty big fan base there with the Oregon Ducks.

Other place I could see adding a team is Richmond or Norfolk VA. Military bases nearby and some pretty sizable markets.

They could add a true New Jersey team too, but I think it's mostly Eagles or Giants fans there.

Los Angeles makes the most sense to start. Outside of that it's slim pickings.