In my recent what would you want to ask Stephen Ross post, one of you, namely Melfins, said you would ask him about realiment.
Would you petition the league to be moved into the AFC South. This move would ensure teams are in their proper geographical division. The Indianapolis Colts would move to the AFC North, and the Baltimore Ravens move to the East.
The last time the NFL realigned the divisions was in 2002, when the Houston Texans were set to enter the league as an expansion franchise. And I am not sure if Mefins was aware of this fact when he suggested it, but the owners of the Texans, the Tennessee Titans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars all lobbied for the Miami Dolphins to be the fourth franchise in the AFC South’s realignment. This would have naturally left the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC East and given Miami more regional divisional rivalries. Then owner Wayne Huizenga insisted that Miami remain in the AFC East to preserve its traditional rivalries, minus, of course, the Colts.
But what about now, 24 years later? Is there an argument for another realignment of the NFL, or should the NFL perhaps reconsider properly placing the Dolphins and Colts in a division based on their actual region? I can see the argument for both. Regional games make sense for rivalries and for fans to access games more easily. As it applies to the Dolphins specifically, it might be an annual boost in wins, since realignment to the south would take some late-season cold-weather games off the table for a team that never really experiences true cold weather at home.
The argument against realignment is that those same late-season cold-weather games prepare you for the same thing that you might face in the playoffs, assuming this team can become a regular playoff contender again. There are also rivals that we love to hate: the New England Patriots, the Buffalo Bills, and, in my case, most especially the New York Jets. But this post is, of course, not about what I think or my opinions or even the team that I despise the most, but what you think about such things, so this evening’s Phinsider question of the day is:
As a Miami Dolphins fan, would you support realignment to a division that makes better sense regionally, or would you be more in favor of leaving things as they are, and why? If you are in favor of a realignment involving our Dolphins, would you want it to be to the AFC South, or do you have a different/better idea for realignment?
Please share your thoughts and answers in the comments section below-
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