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Path: utzoo!dciem!jeff
From: jeff@dciem.UUCP (Jeff Richardson)
Newsgroups: net.sport.football
Subject: Re: Reorganization of NFL
Message-ID: <1322@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 4-Jan-85 12:49:56 EST
Article-I.D.: dciem.1322
Posted: Fri Jan  4 12:49:56 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 4-Jan-85 13:20:05 EST
References: <800@hound.UUCP>
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 37

I'm in favor of divisional realignment in the NFL, but Barry Gray's scheme
has one major flaw:  Washington does not belong with the teams from the
Southeast.  It should be in with the New York teams and Philadelphia.  Also,
there wouldn't be much of a state rivalry with Buffalo, because it's so far
away from NYC.  Buffalo belongs more with Pittsburgh and Cleveland, so here's
my suggestion:

NORTHERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division             Central Division             Midwest Division
New England                   Buffalo                      Minnesota
New York Jets                 Cleveland                    Green Bay
New York Giants               Cincinnati                   Chicago
Philadelphia                  Pittsburgh                   Detroit
Washington                                                 Indianapolis

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
South Division                Central Division             Pacific Division
Atlanta                       Dallas                       LA Raiders
Miami                         Denver                       LA Rams
New Orleans                   Houston                      San Diego
Tampa Bay                     Kansas City                  San Francisco
                              St. Louis                    Seattle

Denver doesn't seem as out of place with the Texas teams if Kansas City and
St. Louis are also included.  I think this scheme is the best you can get as
far as geographical proximity of teams in the same division is concerned, and
no team seems out of place in its division.  The Northern Conference covers
the "industrial northeast" part of the country, while the Southern Conference
covers the rest of the country, so there is a good meaningful division
between the conferences.  The problem of breaking up old rivalries can be
solved by having teams play some of their out-of-division games against their
traditional rivals, i.e. Dallas and Washington will always play once per
season even though they're not in the same division.
-- 
Jeff Richardson, DCIEM, Toronto  (416) 635-2073
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