Hello I have been watching the games from Sundays for a while but I am still to understand the positioning teams in terms of stature. I have a few questions Am I right in thinking that the major teams in terms of size are (and I am kind of guessing) Dallas Cowboys New York Giants Green Bay Packers San Francisco 49ers Pittsburgh Steelers Is there a purist way to play, I've always thought the more skillful teams were the ones with a quarteback throwing the ball. Yet there doesn't seem to be more respect or appreciation given to these teams over others, is this the case? Also why do most of the best teams seem to be in the NFC and do they swap around over years?
Definitely stick Patriots among the biggest in terms of size. Cowboys are probably the most supported, Packers the most historical... but size in terms of ability changes all the time. There's not really a "purist" way to play. Some people say defence is the purest way to play as "defence wins championships" (an absurd, flawed line but I'll leave it) which suits teams like the 49ers. Others argue the traditional running game is best - suited for teams like Vikings and Jaguars - but these teams tend not to be the most successful (though I stress, not always). Then, with the Quarterback being traditionally the most important position (which is even more true now), you could argue the passing game is the way to go. Over history players like John Elway, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas, to the modern Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and future Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin, QB has always been shown to be the most important position and with rules changing to make the passing game more favourable, it's especially true now. So while QBs are held with the most respect, appreciation and prestige, it's not necessarily the same for teams. Best teams are in NFC because that's how it happens to be at the moment. No real reason. They only swap occasionally, normally when there's a team relocation. There are some real weird positionings - my team, Indianapolis, being in AFC South, for example, when it certainly isn't Southern! Sunday night is the Prime Time game, where they put all the (currently) biggest and best teams, which is why many appear several times.
Hi Carrabuh nice to see you, I read your post on the Norwich board and noticed you are a 49ers guy. I will add your name to the list. That makes 3 of you now and the market leaders. As to your question, it also goes back to the old NFL days before the AFL was formed. The Giants, Redskins, Bears, Packers, Eagles and a few others were around long before some of the other teams that came along with the AFL when that started up. So in America these teams carry more clout because of this as well to a certain extent.
carrabuh, buy a book called "Americas game" by michael maccambridge. it'll explain the evolution of the league up to the present day without boring you to tears.
The TV shows also called America's game are worth viewing too. The one about the 1976 Raiders with John Madden is a good one. As is the 2002 one with Chucky, but then I'm biased. If you go to NFL.com you can watch them for free!
You want history? Go to www.nfl.com and check out each team's listing. There is a link to each team's individual website there.
They keep on talking about Gruden getting a head coach job but he doesn't want to do it. I think he enjoys what he is doing as a commentator on Monday Night Football and other ESPN business.
A good mate of mine runs the Buc Power website in the UK.. He claims to have some decent contacts and says he thinks Gruden will land in either Dallas or Philly.
There's current rumors and talk that can only be summarized paraphrasing an AC/DC song: "Back in (Silver and) Black"
He did mention the Raiders but he wants a QB that he can work with and lets be honest, Palmer is a bit past his sell by date, they've also got hardly any 1st or 2nd round picks for the next draft or two so very little chance of drafting a decent QB.. there is always free agency though.
Sorry I'm going to ask for some more info while I remember. Is the offensive line the entire attack or just those protecting the quarterback? After the quarterback (if it is the most important) which are the most sought after positions for the better players, ie which positions are the most valuable if a transfer fee is involved. Is there anything in place to stop someone buying a club and just buying all the best players for silly money, I heard Mike Carlson talk about a wage cap but I don't know if it is self imposed for that particular club. I'm just trying to figure out why its so rare for a team to dominate over a long period, teams seem to jump from being rubbish to great in a single season and vice versa.
To answer the last part, that is in part, down to the draft. Basically. The worst ranked team gets to have first pick of the best new players from college. The second worst gets second pick and so on. It's much more complicated than that usually as teams trade picks or offer more picks to try and get players they want.
Correct, also alot to do with a decent front office/head coach combo.. if you get the right GM who knows how to draft and who that will always ensure you get decent players in the draft and free agency, the likes of Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Patriots, Giants, Packers, etc... more often than not end up having to pick later in the draft but they always end up making the playoffs more often than not..
Does that explain the sudden transformation, are the players drafted in put into the team straight away? So if everyteam has there allotted pick (hypothetically as they may trade) are there enough good players to choose from so everyone gets at least one decent player or perceived decent player, from what pick position is the barrel getting scraped.
That's more or less it carrabuh. You will hear rookies being categorised by their draft positions and the college they played for, eg He's a third round pick out of Notre Dame. The draft lasts many rounds and much speculation is made before it takes place, as not every team has the same objectives.
OK so all the teams are going to get at least 2/3 decent players a year for free? I'm just trying to figure out why some teams don't even get close to winning it on such a regular basis when they must be getting a good choice of picks. In someways there seems to be a means to balance the teams out to prevent domination and yet some teams seem constantly nowhere.
great college players don't always make great nfl players. some of the highest draft picks might only play a few seasons then disappear. I'm sure some of the more knowledgeable guys on here can give you a few examples.
