The London Chargers? In the AFC East? It could happen

[YoloinOhio]

I can’t picture this from him 

 

 

[colin]

7 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

Simplest solution would to move us to AFC North, Texans to AFC West, and the Ravens to AFC South.

East:  Pats, Fins, Jets, Chargers

West: Chiefs, Texans, Raiders, Broncos

South: Colts, Titans, Ravens, Jaguars

North:  Bills, Steelers, Browns, Bengals

 

assuming chargers are in london,

 

colts go in west, texans and fins go in south, ravens go in east.  that would be the most logical geographic breakdown.

 

the afc north would all be reasonable drives from each other.  i know it's new, but i could see insane rivalries brewing there.

[YoloinOhio]

 

[reddogblitz]

10 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

That is a different argument. I was responding to the first fallacy - which is often repeated on these boards - that London "wouldn't sustain a team." That is simply not true.

 

You don't know it's a fallacy and neither do any of us.  We won't know for sure until/if they put a team there for about 5-10 years.

[YoloinOhio]

 

[reddogblitz]

2 minutes ago, Livinginthepast said:

So you have to go to one to appreciate how "special" they are? I'm sure they are awesome for the fans in attendance but as NFL games go these games are a joke. The quality is often mediocre. You have 2 teams far from home,  possibly still jet lagged in a stadium not really suited for football.   To have a team in London permanently  and travelling across the Atlantic (and then across the States) would be sheer idiocy.

 

I see this as a player safety concern.  Jet lag is a real thing. I've traveled over there a bunch and can personally attest to that.  For the first few days over there I was sleep walking.  Can't imagine trying to play football.

[GunnerBill]

2 minutes ago, reddogblitz said:

 

You're on the ground there.  I trust your knowledge and judgement.

 

Are there any professional football leagues in Europe?  With all this interest in NFL football have any been proposed?  Do kids play football there?

 

I'm asking because I'm curious.  Not trying to make a point.

 

Not professional leagues that I am aware of. But we have a pretty thriving amateur league that the likes of Efe Obada - now a Carolina Panther - started in:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAFA_National_Leagues

 

The BAFA does have some kids flag football leagues but it isn't a big participation sport for British kids. There is a decent university league as well but that is amateur too.

[BigDingus]

7 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

Simplest solution would to move us to AFC North, Texans to AFC West, and the Ravens to AFC South.

East:  Pats, Fins, Jets, Chargers

West: Chiefs, Texans, Raiders, Broncos

South: Colts, Titans, Ravens, Jaguars

North:  Bills, Steelers, Browns, Bengals

 

I get how we'd fit in the AFC North, but based on location, the Dolphins fit more in the AFC South. 

The Jets, Bills & Pats are much closer geographically, while the Fins are the odd man out. 

Not sure how to relocate all the other teams around, but I still believe the only reason the Colts were moved to the South instead of the Dolphins was how relevant the Dolphins were in the 90's as opposed to the Colts.

[reddogblitz]

1 minute ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Not professional leagues that I am aware of. But we have a pretty thriving amateur league that the likes of Efe Obada - now a Carolina Panther - started in:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAFA_National_Leagues

 

The BAFA does have some kids flag football leagues but it isn't a big participation sport for British kids. There is a decent university league as well but that is amateur too.

 

Have you read "Playing for Pizza" by John Grisham?  It's about a bad NFL QB that goes to Europe to play on a semi-pro football team.  It's really good.

[sherpa]

13 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

That is a different argument. I was responding to the first fallacy - which is often repeated on these boards - that London "wouldn't sustain a team." That is simply not true.

 

If you want to argue that the logistics of it remain a challenge, then yes, of course they do. But you know what - that isn't going to stop them. There are no logistical challenges that are insurmountable if the sums add up. That will be the critical question. Do the numbers make sense for the League. If they do then it will happen.

 

I understand what you are claiming, but London's support of a team is just one issue in the calculus, and the easiest. 

 

Filling out a London based roster would present a huge disadvantage.

Travel problems are very significant.

The current system neutralizes that to a large extent, but that wouldn't be the case with a London based team.

 

There is so  much that goes into building a competitive league, and this would be beyond a reasonable challenge.

[Boatdrinks]

1 minute ago, BigDingus said:

 

I get how we'd fit in the AFC North, but based on location, the Dolphins fit more in the AFC South. 

The Jets, Bills & Pats are much closer geographically, while the Fins are the odd man out. 

Not sure how to relocate all the other teams around, but I still believe the only reason the Colts were moved to the South instead of the Dolphins was how relevant the Dolphins were in the 90's as opposed to the Colts.

Iirc, Ralph Wilson was adamantly opposed to MIA being moved out of the AFCE. 

[BigDingus]

7 minutes ago, Boatdrinks said:

Iirc, Ralph Wilson was adamantly opposed to MIA being moved out of the AFCE. 

 

Makes sense. But that has a lot to do with the Bills & Dolphins having a great rivalry in the 90's.

Marino & Kelly mattered. The Colts were just starting to become relevant, but didn't have the history yet. Geographically the Dolphins don't fit as much as the other 4.

[Boatdrinks]

Just now, BigDingus said:

 

Makes sense. But that has a lot to do with the Bills & Dolphins having a great rivalry in the 90's.

Marino & Kelly mattered. The Colts were just starting to become relevant, but didn't have the history yet. Geographically the Dolphins don't fit as much as the other 4.

Oh sure it does, wasn’t arguing against your point, more just adding to it. RW wanted to preserve the traditional rivalries, and there definitely wasn’t a big one with the Colts. Manning had just gotten there a few years before, and outside of Bert Jones the Colts hadn’t had much at QB to heat up any rivalry. 

[Gugny]

22 minutes ago, reddogblitz said:

 

Have you read "Playing for Pizza" by John Grisham?  It's about a bad NFL QB that goes to Europe to play on a semi-pro football team.  It's really good.

 

Was his name Tyrod?

[Doc Brown]

22 minutes ago, BigDingus said:

 

I get how we'd fit in the AFC North, but based on location, the Dolphins fit more in the AFC South. 

The Jets, Bills & Pats are much closer geographically, while the Fins are the odd man out. 

Not sure how to relocate all the other teams around, but I still believe the only reason the Colts were moved to the South instead of the Dolphins was how relevant the Dolphins were in the 90's as opposed to the Colts.

Yeah.  The AFC South would pry be a better position for the fins.  I just thought moving only one team from each division would be the simplest solution so we've got

AFC North - Bills, Steelers, Browns, Bengals

AFC East - Pats, Ravens, Jets, Chargers

AFC South - Titans, Fins, Colts, Jaguars

AFC West - Broncos, Texans, Chiefs, Raiders

 

There's your divisions Goodell.

Edited November 5, 2019 by Doc Brown

[Punching Bag]

40 minutes ago, Livinginthepast said:

So you have to go to one to appreciate how "special" they are? I'm sure they are awesome for the fans in attendance but as NFL games go these games are a joke. The quality is often mediocre. You have 2 teams far from home,  possibly still jet lagged in a stadium not really suited for football.   To have a team in London permanently  and travelling across the Atlantic (and then across the States) would be sheer idiocy.

 

The team in London would have it better than teams in the US in terms of jet lag. during regular season  It ls likely the NFL would give London team a two home game stretch followed by a two away game stretch repeating.   Likely all games in London would be night games to try keep body clocks on same schedule. 

[sherpa]

1 minute ago, Limeaid said:

  Likely all games in London would be night games to try keep body clocks on same schedule. 

 

Not possible.

There is simply no way to keep a London residence with any reasonable family life on a US body clock for months at a time.

This has been tried by US airline people.

Living in London and commuting back for work, once per week.

Unhealthy and not realistic.

Did it.

 

[peterpan]

If I was a player, I'd outright refuse to play for the London team.  I could see many other players doing the same. 

 

Mexico City?? How will it play over in the media when a star players kid gets kidnapped? 

 

If this happens those two teams will be permanent expansion teams.  They'll only be able to get players with no other options. 

[reddogblitz]

38 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

Was his name Tyrod?

 

No. It was Rick Dockery.

 

I would recommend it to any football fan or anyone in general.  It is good.

[Punching Bag]

8 minutes ago, sherpa said:

 

Not possible.

There is simply no way to keep a London residence with any reasonable family life on a US body clock for months at a time.

This has been tried by US airline people.

Living in London and commuting back for work, once per week.

Unhealthy and not realistic.

Did it.

 

 

 

I know all about body clocks since I work a weird schedule working evenings/early nights and daytime on Saturday and the best way to handle it is to just stay on night schedule clock.   Lots of people have to make the adjustment to work alternate shift including families of workers.

 

The key will be schedule makers. Do they try to be neutral or try to help team in London be able to have some regularity like other teams?  Games at 6 PM there would be 1 PM on east coast.  The tougher issue is west coast vs London and I cannot see the NFL doing the schedule like we have next year with AFC East playing AFC West and NFC West if London was in AFC East.

 

Oh and I have worked in England at RAF Molesworth having to fly out work there and fly back in a week or two and then returning a couple weeks later to work again.  

[SoCal Deek]

1 hour ago, Livinginthepast said:

So you have to go to one to appreciate how "special" they are? I'm sure they are awesome for the fans in attendance but as NFL games go these games are a joke. The quality is often mediocre. You have 2 teams far from home,  possibly still jet lagged in a stadium not really suited for football.   To have a team in London permanently  and travelling across the Atlantic (and then across the States) would be sheer idiocy.

All reasonable points, but making you ‘sick’? Really? (And yes if you didn’t do it, go next time the Bills are there....I’ll pour you a pint!)

[RoyBatty is alive]

15 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

2 teams in LA is just not going to work. Their stadium was like 99 percent packers fans yesterday. They have no fan base! I don’t want London in the afc east though 

It never was going to work, the NFL from a business standpoint has a o lot of political infighting and dysfunction

[BillsfaninSB]

48 minutes ago, Doc Brown said:

Yeah.  The AFC South would pry be a better position for the fins.  I just thought moving only one team from each division would be the simplest solution so we've got

AFC North - Bills, Steelers, Browns, Bengals

AFC East - Pats, Ravens, Jets, Chargers

AFC South - Titans, Fins, Colts, Jaguars

AFC West - Broncos, Texans, Chiefs, Raiders

 

There's your divisions Goodell.

With our luck the Bengals become the new Patriots.  ?

[sherpa]

22 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

 

I know all about body clocks since I work a weird schedule working evenings/early nights and daytime on Saturday and the best way to handle it is to just stay on night schedule clock.   Lots of people have to make the adjustment to work alternate shift including families of workers.

 

Oh and I have worked in England at RAF Molesworth having to fly out work there and fly back in a week or two and then returning a couple weeks later to work again.  

 

I've done it my entire career, including doing the "reverse commute," getting an VRBO townhouse in London for a month and commuting back and forth once a week for work while staying there, and the work was doing trips to London.

London is the least of the problem, but still, I would never do it for any length of time, and I was "done" when I got there, not having to work during the time off.

I know all the tricks of staying on top of it.

Living somewhere is completely different for the individual and his family than shift work in the same time zone.

Just a very bad idea.

[Punching Bag]

3 minutes ago, sherpa said:

 

I've done it my entire career, including doing the "reverse commute," getting an VRBO townhouse in London for a month and commuting back and forth once a week for work while staying there, and the work was doing trips to London.

London is the least of the problem, but still, I would never do it for any length of time, and I was "done" when I got there, not having to work during the time off.

I know all the tricks of staying on top of it.

Living somewhere is completely different for the individual and his family than shift work in the same time zone.

Just a very bad idea.

 

Many families do not even move to new city a player goes to especially when the player has been on a lot of teams. 

We had someone at work doing this type of commute every week because his family did not want to move. 

He did it for 18 years but if company/client was not cooperative it would have been a  lot tougher.

[SoCal Deek]

22 minutes ago, sherpa said:

 

I've done it my entire career, including doing the "reverse commute," getting an VRBO townhouse in London for a month and commuting back and forth once a week for work while staying there, and the work was doing trips to London.

London is the least of the problem, but still, I would never do it for any length of time, and I was "done" when I got there, not having to work during the time off.

I know all the tricks of staying on top of it.

Living somewhere is completely different for the individual and his family than shift work in the same time zone.

Just a very bad idea.

We’ve talked about doing an extended stay as we transition into retirement. Can I ask what part of London do you stay at through VRBO? Is it always the same place?

[Ned Flanders]

It's not happening.

 

Also, Spanos Stinks.

[sherpa]

57 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

We’ve talked about doing an extended stay as we transition into retirement. Can I ask what part of London do you stay at through VRBO? Is it always the same place?

 

We stayed in South Kensington, my favorite district.

I would fly the trip to London, wife in the back, have my wife stay in our hotel on the companies dime, then drop her off at the VRBO townhouse, leave her there while I flew my trip back to the US, get on the next flight to London as a passenger, a mere two hours later, and spend the next three days there.....

Commute back to the US four days later, work back to London, and then fly my wife back to the US.

 

Plenty of great places on VRBO there.

 

 

 

Edited November 5, 2019 by sherpa

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, Ned Flanders said:

It's not happening.

 

Also, Spanos Stinks.

 

The mouth on that guy!

 

 

[Locomark]

Doesn't everybody realize this is the NFL's annual rumor to keep the London interest ? The last few years it was the Jags owner wanting to move them there. This is all about throwing them an annual bone to keep the interest up. In a few years we will be the rumor because we don't yet have a stadium deal!

[Mat68]

I see Khan blocking any move to the UK.  He has way power and money than Spanos imo.  The stadium in LA has become a dumpster fire.  The cost is double what was expected.  The Chargers are falling way short of meeting their original portion let alone the new  inflated price.  

[Bing Bong]

19 hours ago, Warcodered said:

It would suck to be the division stuck with the London team.

We've arguably had our best out of division rivalry with the Jaguars would be my weak argument for

[KollegeStudnet]

PR wise it could be the Chargers making noise. 

 

But, reality this could be the team that goes to London. Dean Spanos going for more money? Sounds like the Spanos family. 

[Whites Bay]

16 hours ago, sherpa said:

 

It's longer than six hours , closer to 7.5 or 8, depending on which leg, eastbound or westbound, and time of year.

Eastbound leg gets shorter the further into the fall you get, and the return leg gets longer.

 

Additionally, the system is set up as basically one way.

The flights departing the US mainland do so late in the afternoon into the evening, and the flights departing Europe leave in the morning.

 

99.9% true.  But there are a couple of flights that leave the East Coast at 8:00-ish in the morning and arrive in London about 8:00-ish at night.  It's actually an almost sane feeling to get off the rig, clear customs, head for the airport hotel (a.k.a. "bar") and go to bed at a normal time.  You're so wiped out by the jet lag that you get a decent night of sleep and wake up in the morning when the rest of the country does.

 

This doesn't work for the West Coast, however.  That's where the system would break down.  I know these guys are tough, young athletes, but it would just F**K with their metabolisms.  Vegas would rightly have them as dogs every time they went to the West Coast.

[Bob in STL]

If the  NFL wanted to move the Chargers or Jags to St Louis they should first repay the fans all the PSL money they stoled when the Rams moved there, a direct result of the NFL picking Jacksonville to begin with.  

[djp14150]

If chargers moved to London....

 

buffalo, jets, pats, London 

philadelphia, giants, Washington, Baltimore 

Browns, Colts , Bengals, Steelers

green Bay, Chicago, Minnesota, detroit

carolina, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, New orleans

houston, Tennessee, Jax , Miami 

Seattle,, vegas, Denver, KC

LA, SF, Arizona, Dallas

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Livinginthepast]

3 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

All reasonable points, but making you ‘sick’? Really? (And yes if you didn’t do it, go next time the Bills are there....I’ll pour you a pint!)

Apparently my old man expression of "Im sick" as in "I'm sick and tired" of something or someone is no longer in common usage. No the games in London don't make me physically ill. I just think they are an unnecessary lame gimmick by the NFL.

[Dkollidas]

Does the league really believe players would sign up to play for a team located in London? 

 

1) living on a different continent let alone another country.

 

2) the travel the London players would have to make (imagine flying from London for s game IN San Francisco/Los Angeles/Seattle)

 

3) Zero fan base at all. Lack of knowledge of the sport among the fans.

 

i think they’d be overpaying for less value just to get guys to play there, as well as being stuck with not having premier players interested in signing with them. I could see it going as far as draft eligible players telling the London team not to pick them bc the player would hold out if they were selected by London. 

 

[Big Turk]

22 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

2 teams in LA is just not going to work. Their stadium was like 99 percent packers fans yesterday. They have no fan base! I don’t want London in the afc east though 

 

Hell, even 1 team in LA doesn't work...the fans have lukewarm interest at best even when the teams are making deep playoff or super bowl runs and are really good. Its pretty ridiculous.

[Punching Bag]

35 minutes ago, Dkollidas said:

 

3) Zero fan base at all. Lack of knowledge of the sport among the fans.

 

 

All teams start with zero fan base.  There are many football fans in England and on the continent and while they would have to work to develop a fan base it is possible.