The NFL Thread: 2018 Preseason

[Outer Sparta]

Portland Timbers and Blazers are there. Portland isn't a bad spot for teams.

Yeah. City the size of Baltimore and growing. About midway between SF and Seattle too. The USFL had the Breakers there in their third and final season. Great logo, lousy team.

Portland's pretty underrated, and an NFL team there wouldn't be farfetched if it ever were to happen.

[Baltimore-Ravens]

Sure it's a gigantic market, but LA only roots only if there's a winner. USC's attendance suffered for many years before Pete Carroll took over; back in those days LAMC only had half the seats filled!

Unless Chargers become contenders, this is not going to go well for Chargers.

They have to share a city with the Rams, instead of dominating the San Diego market 100%.

Correction, share the city with the Rams and everything else there because NFL football just is not paramount to these folks. Portland would have been a far better locale.

[Outer Sparta]

They have to share a city with the Rams, instead of dominating the San Diego market 100%.

Correction, share the city with the Rams and everything else there because NFL football just is not paramount to these folks. Portland would have been a far better locale.

Portland, San Antonio, hey, why hasn't San Antonio got many teams? They're also pretty underrated, but a growing city, too.

[Baltimore-Ravens]

Correction, share the city with the Rams and everything else there because NFL football just is not paramount to these folks. Portland would have been a far better locale.

Portland, San Antonio, hey, why hasn't San Antonio got many teams? They're also pretty underrated, but a growing city, too.

They had the Saints for a brief time. Maybe they didn't respond enough for the NFL's taste.

Maybe a Mexican team is more likely than San Antonio? What do you think?

[Outer Sparta]

Portland, San Antonio, hey, why hasn't San Antonio got many teams? They're also pretty underrated, but a growing city, too.

They had the Saints for a brief time. Maybe they didn't respond enough for the NFL's taste.

Maybe a Mexican team is more likely than San Antonio? What do you think?

I don't know if Mexico City will be an international expansion, though.

[Baltimore-Ravens]

They had the Saints for a brief time. Maybe they didn't respond enough for the NFL's taste.

Maybe a Mexican team is more likely than San Antonio? What do you think?

I don't know if Mexico City will be an international expansion, though.

Maybe Monterrey instead. Closer to Texas and rest of the US. Metro area 4.5 million pop.

The NFL wants an international presence.

[Outer Sparta]

I don't know if Mexico City will be an international expansion, though.

Maybe Monterrey instead. Closer to Texas and rest of the US. Metro area 4.5 million pop.

Monterrey's intriguing, but I wonder how interested fans would have an NFL team there, given Mexico City is big competition.

[Val Halla]

LA seems like a bullshit place with no passion. Why even move there anyway?

[Baltimore-Ravens]

Maybe Monterrey instead. Closer to Texas and rest of the US. Metro area 4.5 million pop.

Monterrey's intriguing, but I wonder how interested fans would have an NFL team there, given Mexico City is big competition.

I'm sure they'd love one upping Mexico City for a team. If a team in Monterrey worked, they'd be next.

[Baltimore-Ravens]

LA seems like a bullshit place with no passion. Why even move there anyway?

Seems???

[Kohr]

LA seems like a bullshit place with no passion. Why even move there anyway?

Money.

[Neo-Ixania]

More like the Baltimore Stallions.

Huh?

What happened to them when your Ravens came to town? Interest in them essentially evaporated because they couldn't compete.

Chargers are the same. Utterly irrelevant with no interest whatsoever as social media's quick to point out with on-TV polls, etc, unable to compete against the various sports teams already in LA, let alone the Rams.

[Outer Sparta]

Huh?

What happened to them when your Ravens came to town? Interest in them essentially evaporated because they couldn't compete.

Chargers are the same. Utterly irrelevant with no interest whatsoever as social media's quick to point out with on-TV polls, etc, unable to compete against the various sports teams already in LA, let alone the Rams.

Looks like it's a lose-lose situation, where San Diego fans are angry that they were ditched, while the Chargers have to compete with the Rams.

[Baltimore-Ravens]

Huh?

What happened to them when your Ravens came to town? Interest in them essentially evaporated because they couldn't compete.

Chargers are the same. Utterly irrelevant with no interest whatsoever as social media's quick to point out with on-TV polls, etc, unable to compete against the various sports teams already in LA, let alone the Rams.

You are comparing a situation with a CFL franchise competing against NFL teams to that of an NFL franchise competing against the NFL and whatever. Kinda apples and kumquats, ya think?
Besides all the American CFL teams when poof around that time, remember?

So it's really a bad analogy. Sorry, dude.

I will add that it was sad what happened to the Stallions, they were 1995 CFL Champs, and came home from the Grey Cup game to find they were soon to be no more. Baltimore is incidentally the only American City to have had a team win that cup in over 100 years of the CFL. I don't doubt the NFL brass didn't like the success the Baltimore CFL football team enjoyed.

[Baltimore-Ravens]

What happened to them when your Ravens came to town? Interest in them essentially evaporated because they couldn't compete.

Chargers are the same. Utterly irrelevant with no interest whatsoever as social media's quick to point out with on-TV polls, etc, unable to compete against the various sports teams already in LA, let alone the Rams.

Looks like it's a lose-lose situation, where San Diego fans are angry that they were ditched, while the Chargers have to compete with the Rams.

Yet the NFL will prop them up until they do. The Chargers will not be allowed to go under bc the NFL will lose face. So this should be really interesting.

[Neo-Ixania]

What happened to them when your Ravens came to town? Interest in them essentially evaporated because they couldn't compete.

Chargers are the same. Utterly irrelevant with no interest whatsoever as social media's quick to point out with on-TV polls, etc, unable to compete against the various sports teams already in LA, let alone the Rams.

You are comparing a situation with a CFL franchise competing against NFL teams to that of an NFL franchise competing against the NFL and whatever. Kinda apples and kumquats, ya think?
Besides all the American CFL teams when poof around that time, remember?

So it's really a bad analogy. Sorry, dude.

When the NFL came back to Baltimore, interest plummeted. No one cared about the Stallions anymore because the real deal was back.

Similarily, LA already has the real deal in the Rams (although some would contend it's the Raiders). The Chargers, like the Stallions were, are irrelevant by comparison.

The comparison's meant to illustrate that there's no desire in LA for the Chargers. If you're a Chargers fan in LA, great, fine. But overall?

[Neo-Ixania]

What happened to them when your Ravens came to town? Interest in them essentially evaporated because they couldn't compete.

Chargers are the same. Utterly irrelevant with no interest whatsoever as social media's quick to point out with on-TV polls, etc, unable to compete against the various sports teams already in LA, let alone the Rams.

Looks like it's a lose-lose situation, where San Diego fans are angry that they were ditched, while the Chargers have to compete with the Rams.

They have to compete with all of LA's teams, not just the Rams.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Sure it's a gigantic market, but LA only roots only if there's a winner. USC's attendance suffered for many years before Pete Carroll took over; back in those days LAMC only had half the seats filled!

Unless Chargers become contenders, this is not going to go well for Chargers.

They have to share a city with the Rams, instead of dominating the San Diego market 100%.

Agreed 100% on that. Man, they should be lucky that it's not Raiders they're sharing LA with. LA had much stronger fanbase for Raiders than Rams and we know why; winning SB in 1983 helped.

[Ameriganastan]

Well, LA just stole something from my team now. Wade Phillips.

[Lavochkin]

Looks like it's a lose-lose situation, where San Diego fans are angry that they were ditched, while the Chargers have to compete with the Rams.

They have to compete with all of LA's teams, not just the Rams.

The Rams aren't even that popular in L.A, I don't see how adding another mediocre team will help.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Well, LA just stole something from my team now. Wade Phillips.

Knew it from the beginning that Vance Joseph hiring...would lead to something even sadder.

[Cymrea]

What happened to them when your Ravens came to town? Interest in them essentially evaporated because they couldn't compete.

Chargers are the same. Utterly irrelevant with no interest whatsoever as social media's quick to point out with on-TV polls, etc, unable to compete against the various sports teams already in LA, let alone the Rams.

You are comparing a situation with a CFL franchise competing against NFL teams to that of an NFL franchise competing against the NFL and whatever. Kinda apples and kumquats, ya think?
Besides all the American CFL teams when poof around that time, remember?

So it's really a bad analogy. Sorry, dude.

I will add that it was sad what happened to the Stallions, they were 1995 CFL Champs, and came home from the Grey Cup game to find they were soon to be no more. Baltimore is incidentally the only American City to have had a team win that cup in over 100 years of the CFL. I don't doubt the NFL brass didn't like the success the Baltimore CFL football team enjoyed.

Ah, the Stallions were indeed pretty great.

San Antonio had a WLAF and CFL team, but they didn't last long. And I think Portland would be much the same; as amazing as it would be to have an NFL team in the Rose City, I just don't think it would be sustainable. We're barely hanging on to the Arena league team. Most folks here are either Seahawk fans, Niners immigrants, or bandwagoneers.

[Luminesa]

Well, LA just stole something from my team now. Wade Phillips.

This is...wow.

[Baltimore-Ravens]

You are comparing a situation with a CFL franchise competing against NFL teams to that of an NFL franchise competing against the NFL and whatever. Kinda apples and kumquats, ya think?
Besides all the American CFL teams when poof around that time, remember?

So it's really a bad analogy. Sorry, dude.

When the NFL came back to Baltimore, interest plummeted. No one cared about the Stallions anymore because the real deal was back.

<snip>

WRONG. Actually a lot of folks in town wanted the CFL team to stay. But it wasn't feasible. Now listen, dude. Keep in mind I'm from Baltimore and was there, as an adult so I'm not

pulling this out of my ass. Memorial Stadium could not accommodate both teams. Ten years earlier the USFL Stars were prevented from playing there by contractual agreement with the Colts

until 1987. They had to go down to the DC suburbs to find a close to suitable venue (hardly) at U of MD stadium at College Park until the league folded in 1986. The fact was Baltimore had only

one place available for a team to play, Memorial Stadium and it wasn't big enough for the two of them. Which I should add part of the CFL endzone ran up against the stands because of the

enormous size of the CFL field. I still have my Baltimore Horse with no name hat. They were only known as the Stallions in the last season. First they were The Baltimore CFL Colts, which the

NFL launched a suit the CFL could not fight and withdrew the name. So for the rest of the 1994 season they had no official name. They began to be called "the horse with no name" locally

which was emblematic of their plight with the NFL over the loss of the Colts. I loved it when they were called that. The hat has the lovely horse's head logo but no name for the team under it.

This whole chapter in rich history of Baltimore professional football is quite bitter sweet. Those were some interesting times and I'm glad I was part of them.

[Baltimore-Ravens]

Well, LA just stole something from my team now. Wade Phillips.

This is...wow.

The Rams have some excellent players on that defense. Good hire, but sorry for the Saints' loss there Lum.