Could the Arizona Cardinals end up in the AFC West?

[ajcardfan]

The real question is - does LA deserve TWO teams? Not in my opinion. Just move the Rams back there and leave the other teams alone.

I'd be on board with this 100%. The Rams need to be the LA team for this to have much validity at all.

 

[chickenhead]

Assuming the Rams stay in St. Louis, another reason that the Rams should move is because both KC and St. Louis are in Missouri. A natural rivalry if you ask me.

Makes total sense. Though obviously every divisional game is something of a rivalry, right now the Rams only real rival is the Cards because the Cards moved--and that become less important with each passing year. Even though the Chiefs already have a couple of blood feuds going with the Broncos and Raiders, they would certainly make room for St. Louis...

If the Chargers change conferences they lose a lot of AFC West and pre-merger history themselves, but they've always been the odd team out in that division. I suspect they could build some nice rivalries with the Niners and Seahawks in short order as west coast cities.

As for the Cardinals moving to the AFC: I'd be fine with it. My fandom began with the move to Arizona, and it's not like their NFC and pre-merger NFL history is anything to celebrate. I could definitely imagine some strong rivalries with the Raiders and Broncos, since they already exist because of preseason and "visiting" fans. It might still be one-sided for a while, though.

 

[sunsfan88]

AFC West is so much easier than playing vs Seattle.

 

[juza76]

AFC West is so much easier than playing vs Seattle.

things can change pretty fast

lynch is close to 30
wilson is smart,but he likes to scramble, he hasnt been hit too much till now but the way he plays put him in a risky spot

 

[sunsfan88]

things can change pretty fast

lynch is close to 30
wilson is smart,but he likes to scramble, he hasnt been hit too much till now but the way he plays put him in a risky spot

Raiders are the Raiders.
Peyton's old and will retire soon and Denver will suck again.
Chiefs are basically Jamal Charles and scrubs.

 

[mmvikes]

Tampa was in the Lions division too, NFC central I think

Yes they were. Tampa had to play in Chicago, Green Bay, and Minnesota in the winter every year. I do not remember how many years the streak careied on but they never won a game below 30 degrees and had to play them all the time up north. It wasn't until they moved out of that division that they became relevan again. I am not sure how it was decided to put them with the northern teams in the first place..

 

[kerouac9]

Yes they were. Tampa had to play in Chicago, Green Bay, and Minnesota in the winter every year. I do not remember how many years the streak careied on but they never won a game below 30 degrees and had to play them all the time up north. It wasn't until they moved out of that division that they became relevan again. I am not sure how it was decided to put them with the northern teams in the first place..

This just isn't true. Yes, the Bucs won the Super Bowl the year the NFL re-aligned in 2002, but before that Tony Dungy had lead them to the playoffs in four out of 5 years, including the NFC Championship Game in the 1999-2000 season where they held the Greatest Show on Turf Rams to 11 points(!!) at home (!!!).

Its easy to forget how damned good those late 90s Bucs defenses were.

 

[chickenhead]

I remember the Bucs in that division well, if only because the "Battle of the Bays" was an interesting matchup. These were the Greeg and Infante years, so Green Bay was mediocre itself. Tampa along with Atlanta and New Orleans in the NFC West were the big geographic anomalies at the time.

I'd love it if the Cards could develop a genuine reciprocal rivalry with someone. It's hard to come by with AZ pro sports. The California teams have better rivalries with each other, and for whatever reason Denver and Salt Lake teams haven't turned into rivals yet. I guess you need long-term competition on the field, or a genuine civic rivalry, and Phoenix really only has that with LA (one-sided) and Tucson. I guess growing up I got sick of hearing about how great Chicago was--from people who chose to live in Arizona--but even that was more of a minor annoyance.

Vegas could be interesting, but that'll probably end up being the NHL, which won't be the same. And I wouldn't be surprised if Vegas fans' attention was directed towards LA a lot, just like ours.