Sports
Related: About this forumFlorida Ruined The NFL
http://deadspin.com/florida-ruined-the-nfl-1462844200Last night was doomed to farce. The Dolphins, with the Jonathan Martin scandal still an oozing sore, appeared every bit as toxic as the Buccaneers' staph-riddled locker room. The Bucs, who seem to hate their coach with the fury of a thousand suns, came in winless, though about as underachieving and unlucky as any winless team can be. If ever a game was destined to end in a tie or in the events of Revelation 9, this was it....
Miami playedwell, like a team missing two of its starting offensive linemen. Two consecutive sacks torpedoed the Dolphins' hopes of a game-winning drive. The ground game was a crime against humanity. Their actual running backs combined for 11 carries for zero yards. That's just as good, if not as efficient, as tight end Charles Clay, who managed zero yards on two carries. Ryan Tannehill was the rushing star, with a single two-yard scramble. In all, that's 5.14 inches per carry.
The least-worst team won, and won for the first time this season, leading the 2008 Lions to crack open bottles of St. Ides Special Brews. The Dolphins lost their fifth in six games. Winter is coming, daylight is fading, and we all march inexorably toward death. But there is one silver lining: Neither team has any more national games this season. Sports fans can take a lesson from society, and pretend Florida isn't happening.
(h/t Will Pitt)
Auggie
(31,061 posts)The NFL ruined the NFL. Too many franchises diluted the talent pool.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)The Jags are a no-brainer, but who else? And bear in mind that L.A. is still bereft of pro football.
Auggie
(31,061 posts)what's done is done, and it wouldn't be fair to those tax payers and fans who have invested billions in tickets, stadiums and surrounding infrastructure.
BTW, here's the expansion list dating back to 1976. Cleveland's franchise was suspended in 1996 and reinstated in 1999, so they're technically not an expansion team.
Seattle Seahawks - 1976
Tampa Bay - 1976
Jacksonville Jaguars - 1995
Carolina Panthers - 1995
Baltimore Ravens - 1996
Houston Texans - 2002
Yes, Ravens are an expansion team.
El Supremo
(20,365 posts)In 1966 with the AFL. So were the Bengals.
That's when everything started to go downhill.
Auggie
(31,061 posts)The Dolphins have had incredible years many memorable seasons and players. It wouldn't be the NFL without them.
madinmaryland
(64,920 posts)El Supremo
(20,365 posts)It was one of the original 8 AFL teams.
madinmaryland
(64,920 posts)The AFL was an expansion league, and as such any AFL team is an expansion team.
Auggie
(31,061 posts)until it merged in 1969.
From wiki:
The AFL was created by a number of owners who had been refused NFL expansion franchises or had minor shares of NFL franchises.
The AFL's original lineup saw an Eastern division of the New York Titans, Boston Patriots, Buffalo Bills and the Houston Oilers along with a Western division of the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, and Dallas Texans.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Football_League
On edit: This was not an "expansion" league because it wasn't sanctioned by then existing NFL.
madinmaryland
(64,920 posts)El Supremo
(20,365 posts)madinmaryland
(64,920 posts)The Ravens were essentially the old Browns, whereas the new Browns had to start from scratch. So even though the NFL's view of the expansion teams are different that what is reality.
Auggie
(31,061 posts)joeybee12
(56,177 posts)Yeah, they ruined the nfl also!
madinmaryland
(64,920 posts)But they did give us the greatest running back in the NFL..
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)And it was doing so well.