Which is the best division???

[B_Tiger]

Well, there will be a lot of bias in these responses but what do people think?

I'm going to start the biased views by nominating the AFC North. The browns, bengals and Steelers are three of the more historic NFL franchises. Baltimore are a superbowl winning side to add to that mix. And most fans tend to hate Baltimore which adds a bit of spice to the matches. Anyway, All the sides play a classic NFL style and have rivalries that are some of the longest running in the NFL. Despite recent poor form in the division, the division will always comprise teams that are willing to fight hard for a victory. Thus, The AFC North is one of the most enjoyable divisions to be a part of. two match ups each against pittsburgh and Cleveland every year has got me through many NFL seasons as a bengals supporter. No matter what the record of each club, a victory against a division rival in the AFC North is a far sweeter victory then what is seen in other divisional rivalries. The fans of the browns and steelers are also some of the most respected fan bases in the competition. And once the jungle comes back, the bengals supporters will be recognised as well.

Runing a very close second is the NFC North (I might admit to it being a superior division if I weren't a bengals fan). The division has two of the most succesful clubs in NFL history in Chicago and Green Bay. However, teams like minnesota and Detroit lack a distinct character and as such I don't rate the division as high as the AFC North. The AFC North has a distinct charcter while the NFC North seems to change and adapt to NFL trends.

Equal third are the NFC and AFC east. both divisions have teams that are succesful and have passionate rivalries.

below those divisions are some pretty average divisions made up of new teams and non-existant rivalries.

 

[weasel]

NFC East, AFC West, AFC East.

 

[legend]

The AFC west has always been highly competitive with some of the best rivalries in the game in Denver v Oakland, Denver v Kansas City and Oakland v Kansas City. The AFC west also play some of the most open and exciting offense in the NFL.

The NFC East is getting back to where it used to be in the early to mid nineties with the great rivalries of the Cowboys and Skins, Cowboys and Eagles and the Giants thrown in for good measure.

 

[SHAGMOP]

i reakon AFC west is the toughest. the best rivalry (Denver V Oakland) and the 2 other teams are also goreat teams. (even tho i hate them both :lol: )

 

[BuffaloRules]

This is an interesting topic.

Its unfortunate that teams moving over the years and the realignment a couple of years ago have affected some great rivalries.

eg - Rams and 49ers rivalry become watered down a bit when the Rams moved to St Louis.... Pittsburgh and the Houston Oilers were bitter rivals in the 70's....and we all know what happened to the Oilers...

I would have to say that IMO the best division is the NFC East. Without a doubt every team hates every other team - no exceptions...I went to a game in Philadelphia about 8 years ago and after talking to some fans there I was amazed at their level of hatred for their division foes... especially Dallas... Also Dallas and Washington have always been bitter rivals since I first stared watching the games 20 years ago...

Second place - AFC West ... but does anyone really hate San Diego??Even so the other three teams make up for it. It also helps that all teams seem to usually be competitive....

AFC East are next .... I know as a Buffalo fan that Miami suck over all other teams....Also good rivalries between the other teams as well...

NFC North & AFC North are probably equal 4th best at the moment, but it would be good to see all four teams in each diviison really competitive at the one time as there is heaps of potential there....

The other divisions all have the odd team that is relatively new so it will take some time for the rivalries to form...

 

[B_Tiger]

you all don't see the true beauty of the NFL. For some in america, it is everything. It doesn't matter how good or bad a side is. For that reason the AFC North is the best division. Where else do you get cities more devoted to NFL then Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati??? Only a team like Green Bay can match that passion. And the AFC North houses three cities with that sort of devotion. You simply can't beat that. So, you all can believe in your own clubs worth but go to a cleveland or pittsburgh game and you'll instantly realise how wrong you all were. These are small cities devoted to the NFL. Other bigger cities have other concerns, for small cities national sport is the only thing that goes on.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Cleveland ,Pittsburgh and Cincinatti small towns??

I'm not so sure about that -counting their metropolitan areas you would be looking at least a couple of mil each.... Cleveland would probably be bigger than Melbourne...

You are right about Green Bay - this is a city of around 100,000 people and for them to have a big league franchise would be unique to U.S. sports. I guess that it doesn't hurt that the team is owned by the community and not by an individual - if they had private ownership they would have been long gone....Also the large city of Milwaulkee is reasonably close by...

In terms of cities having passion for their team - look no further than Buffalo ....I've actually been there and it would be an understatement to say that the only thing they have going for them is their Footy team... No baseball team, no basketball team, three feet of snow every day, high unemployment rate, much smaller population than Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cincinatti , yet they would average higher crowds than those three, even when they are having one of their not infrequent bad years... like this year...

 

[bucko]

I was talking this over with a mate the other day, and the AFC West seemed to come out very highly. I know it could be biased, but the NFC North does have some extremely bitter rivals, and I am a Green Bay fan...the AFC East and NFC West are also pretty decent.

 

[SHAGMOP]

I was talking this over with a mate the other day, and the AFC West seemed to come out very highly. I know it could be biased, but the NFC North does have some extremely bitter rivals, and I am a Green Bay fan...the AFC East and NFC West are also pretty decent.

AFC West ay? well they do have some harsh rivalries but i think the constant bad form or the bears and the lions kinda pull the division's credibility level down. the rivalry between minnesota and green bay is a god one, but its usually because they are fighting for prime position in there division cause the bears and the lions cant challenge them for it. they have ended up 1, 2 for a couple of years now.

 

[B_Tiger]

Cleveland ,Pittsburgh and Cincinatti small towns??

I'm not so sure about that -counting their metropolitan areas you would be looking at least a couple of mil each.... Cleveland would probably be bigger than Melbourne...

You are right about Green Bay - this is a city of around 100,000 people and for them to have a big league franchise would be unique to U.S. sports. I guess that it doesn't hurt that the team is owned by the community and not by an individual - if they had private ownership they would have been long gone....Also the large city of Milwaulkee is reasonably close by...

In terms of cities having passion for their team - look no further than Buffalo ....I've actually been there and it would be an understatement to say that the only thing they have going for them is their Footy team... No baseball team, no basketball team, three feet of snow every day, high unemployment rate, much smaller population than Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cincinatti , yet they would average higher crowds than those three, even when they are having one of their not infrequent bad years... like this year...

I mean small towns relative to places like New York, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, LA, San Fran and such. Cleveland, Pittspurgh and Cincinnati are all towns that don't have anything but sport. Population wise they may be as big (or bigger) then Melbourne but they certainly aren't anywhere near as important in America as Melbourne is here. Cleveland and Cincinnati are a joke to everyone in America, and Pittsburgh are the same. Therefore, the rivalries between the cities are hugely important.

 

[ForestDragon]

NFC EAST is the one that stands out for me. ;-)

 

[Godz Illa]

NFC North is a tight division this year

 

[bucko]

I was talking this over with a mate the other day, and the AFC West seemed to come out very highly. I know it could be biased, but the NFC North does have some extremely bitter rivals, and I am a Green Bay fan...the AFC East and NFC West are also pretty decent.

AFC West ay? well they do have some harsh rivalries but i think the constant bad form or the bears and the lions kinda pull the division's credibility level down. the rivalry between minnesota and green bay is a god one, but its usually because they are fighting for prime position in there division cause the bears and the lions cant challenge them for it. they have ended up 1, 2 for a couple of years now.

Yeah, just quietly mate, I didn't realise the NFC North teams had been moved there. The AFC West consists of the chiefs, Chargers and your Raiders and Broncos.

Chicago, despite their poor form in recent years, are one of the most successful franchises of the NFL. They also have a massive rivalry with Green Bay.

 

[SHAGMOP]

I was talking this over with a mate the other day, and the AFC West seemed to come out very highly. I know it could be biased, but the NFC North does have some extremely bitter rivals, and I am a Green Bay fan...the AFC East and NFC West are also pretty decent.

AFC West ay? well they do have some harsh rivalries but i think the constant bad form or the bears and the lions kinda pull the division's credibility level down. the rivalry between minnesota and green bay is a god one, but its usually because they are fighting for prime position in there division cause the bears and the lions cant challenge them for it. they have ended up 1, 2 for a couple of years now.

Yeah, just quietly mate, I didn't realise the NFC North teams had been moved there. The AFC West consists of the chiefs, Chargers and your Raiders and Broncos.

Chicago, despite their poor form in recent years, are one of the most successful franchises of the NFL. They also have a massive rivalry with Green Bay.

yeah sorry mate. all can be salvaged. i just disregard the "AFC West ay?" part. it meant to read "NFC North ay?". besides that its pretty much right. im pretty sure you knew what i meant anyway.

 

[bucko]

No sweat mate

 

[stormboy]

AFC East because the Pats are the best

 

[CanadianSteve]

you all don't see the true beauty of the NFL. For some in america, it is everything. It doesn't matter how good or bad a side is. For that reason the AFC North is the best division. Where else do you get cities more devoted to NFL then Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati??? Only a team like Green Bay can match that passion. And the AFC North houses three cities with that sort of devotion. You simply can't beat that. So, you all can believe in your own clubs worth but go to a cleveland or pittsburgh game and you'll instantly realise how wrong you all were. These are small cities devoted to the NFL. Other bigger cities have other concerns, for small cities national sport is the only thing that goes on.

I went to a Steelers at Browns game in 76, and it's true, the atmosphere was special. Because of the proximity, there were lots of Steeler fans there, in their gold and black ski hats. I saw several fights break out between Steeler and Browns fans. The old Cleveland Municipal Stadium was full, 80,000+ strong. It was a real blue collar rivalry. I was disappointed because my Steelers lost. It was also remembered as the game when Browns DE Joe "Turkey" Jones sacked Terry Bradshaw, picked him up and drove him head first into the turf. I was outraged, but the Cleveland fans cheered as Bradshaw was carried off on a stretcher. The people I was with, Clevelanders, felt it was ok since Mean Joe Greene had stomped on a Browns player the year before.

 

[B_Tiger]

you all don't see the true beauty of the NFL. For some in america, it is everything. It doesn't matter how good or bad a side is. For that reason the AFC North is the best division. Where else do you get cities more devoted to NFL then Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati??? Only a team like Green Bay can match that passion. And the AFC North houses three cities with that sort of devotion. You simply can't beat that. So, you all can believe in your own clubs worth but go to a cleveland or pittsburgh game and you'll instantly realise how wrong you all were. These are small cities devoted to the NFL. Other bigger cities have other concerns, for small cities national sport is the only thing that goes on.

I went to a Steelers at Browns game in 76, and it's true, the atmosphere was special. Because of the proximity, there were lots of Steeler fans there, in their gold and black ski hats. I saw several fights break out between Steeler and Browns fans. The old Cleveland Municipal Stadium was full, 80,000+ strong. It was a real blue collar rivalry. I was disappointed because my Steelers lost. It was also remembered as the game when Browns DE Joe "Turkey" Jones sacked Terry Bradshaw, picked him up and drove him head first into the turf. I was outraged, but the Cleveland fans cheered as Bradshaw was carried off on a stretcher. The people I was with, Clevelanders, felt it was ok since Mean Joe Greene had stomped on a Browns player the year before.

you see!!!!!! The AFC North! Can you ask for more? No! That is what I want in an NFL game!