NFL New to NFL - Looking for a Team to Follow

[trueblue_91]

Redskins>>>>>>>> Browns

 

[Chris25]

Haha.

But no, you do have to humour these Redskins fans.

On topic, how about getting on the Browns bandwagon? It's yet to pick up speed, so there is no risk in jumping on now. Best young CB in the league, and some beastly rookie D linemen. Draft a WR with one of our first round picks to play opposite Little, get a new offensive coordinator and we have an offense.

McCoy might not be a Beck or Grossman, but at least he has a chance of succeeding.

 

[trueblue_91]

I don't mind McCoy to be honest. Not a star but with a good team around him will be fine.

Would it be to late for someone to jump on the Bengals bandwagon? not looking forward to facing Dalton + Green for the next 10 odd years

 

[Flinch]

Tossing up between the Ravens or Saints. Persuade me

 

[drd23]

Tossing up between the Ravens or Saints. Persuade me

Could always do with more Ravens fans .

There is a huge difference between the two in terms of playing styles though.

If you want to see lots of passing then Brees and the Saints are your go.

If quality defense is more interesting then the Ravens are the team to pick. I'd also argue that the Ravens have more star players who are in the top 5 of their position (Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, Ray Rice, Marshall Yanda) to get behind than the Saints do.

The Ravens are run by Ozzie Newsome, a HoF TE who is one of the Top 3-5 GMs in the league which means that the Ravens are more likely to draft well and sign the right FAs to maintain a quality team. The Saints GM, Mickey Loomis is not a bad GM, but is probably in a group with many others anywhere between 7th and about 20th best GM

 

[Dirty Bird]

Tossing up between the Ravens or Saints. Persuade me

Everyone is jumping on the Ravens, so be cool and unique and just go Saints.

 

[haggis823]

Ray Lewis and Ed Reed only got 2 years at most in them if they win the super bowl they are both finished. Dont no if flacco is good enough to take them all the way. Since the NFL is a quaterback driven league. Just look at the colts.

 

[Flinch]

Sainters it is. The big easy.

 

[Dirty Bird]

You know, I think I'm going to change my attitude on these threads.

If someone is tossing up a few teams, I may not just say, go with them, they'd be great for you.

Perhaps people should just sit back and enjoy the spectacle for a few years and make an informed decision rather than just going with what others recommend.

Take the recommendations maybe, but wait at least 4+ weeks watching games of both teams to see if they connect with you.

I'll tell you this, in 2006 I was a Ben Graham bandwagoner, kinda liked them, but they just didn't give me that feeling inside me of 'wow, this is my team'.

In the 2006 Wild Card game the Patriots were great and due to that I followed them intently in 2007 and if it wasn't for their amazing 2007 season I would of jumped on them, but as they just kept on winning and winning it just didn't give that situation where a loss seemed a real threat (yeah, yeah, Giants, Giants, Colts, Ravens but it just felt too good), too much success for me.

2008 I was back on the search, and I connected with the Cardinals and Falcons wowed me.

Cardinals felt like the 07 Pats offensively but were more interesting as losing was a real threat.

Falcons were just a 50/50 team, you never knew who would win, and the games were great and close, and I love the strategic battle for yardage that the Falcons provide.

Sure, I'm talking shit right now, but what I'm trying to say is, don't just jump into 1 team from the advice of someone else, just keep looking and 1 way or another you'll find that 1 team that is just right for you and you'll fall in love with them.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Been saying it page after page but no one ever listens.

Best way is to just watch NFL for a couple years, team after team (gamepass now makes it possible), read up on their histories on wikipedia, maybe even register to some US-based team forums to get a feel for the supporter base etc, and by all means have a team or few in mind that you like, but be open minded to all 32 and just over time let a team 'pick' you eventually.

You'll know when that happens when your life is ruined for a week whenever that team loses a game.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Been saying it page after page but no one ever listens.

Best way is to just watch NFL for a couple years, team after team (gamepass now makes it possible), read up on their histories on wikipedia, maybe even register to some US-based team forums to get a feel for the supporter base etc, and by all means have a team or few in mind that you like, but be open minded to all 32 and just over time let a team 'pick' you eventually.

You'll know when that happens when your life is ruined for a week whenever that team loses a game.

I would not recommend that.

I'm only speaking from college football experience and reading replies from others, but TCU's team boards are arrogant and they treat other schools like crap, heck, they act like they're bloody great and the be all and end all of non-aq schools due to their history despite not doing anything from WWII to the Rose Bowl (bar maybe make LT)

Yet their real fans who show up to games, I only hear glowing reports about how great they are.

TCU has 2 faces that's for sure, the interwebz face which reeks of arrogance to the level that they think they're Alabama, and then there's those who just watch the game, and are those opposition fans see and praise.

What I'm saying with that, don't read team based forums because they could give a fake example of the normal fan.

Say you're tossing up the Patriots and Jets at the end.

You arrive on the Jet forum - You pitty them for not doing anything since Namath, and they might feel humble because they don't expect much.

Then you go to the patriot forum - You start to hate them due to a large amount of 01-04, 07 bandwagoners, and the arrogance they might show.

But I can tell you from who I know who supprots them that they're wrong. The Pats fans I know are some of the humblest people I know, while the few Jet fans I've come accross are whiney and always complaining about everything.

I don't know if the above example of the forums are true or not, I just made them up as examples to say that seeing such a small isolated sample size like on team based forums could give you a false picture of a teams fan base.

 

[trueblue_91]

100% i started watching in early 2009 and i didn't pick my team till late last year. I think after watching a number of teams you can find which one you have a connection with.

 

[AFC979810]

If you are looking for a new team - I think the easiest way to do it is to pick a team with a young stud quarterback... Think - Bengals with the big ginger, Rams with Bradford, Lions with Stafford, Panthers with Newton, Broncos with Tebow, Tennessee with Jake Lockyer - hell even wait 7 months and see who drafts Andrew Luck who will be a ripper of a QB...

In the NFL - i tend to find that QB's define a team more than any other position and they have the longest life span in the NFL of notable players (WR's get traded all the time and Running backs average 3 years in the NFL)...

 

[Last Line Hero]

Depends what you like to watch.

Personally, when I got into the NFL 7-8 years ago I couldn't have cared less if a team had a stud QB or not, because I loved watching great defences. Since the late 70's the game has done everything it can to make life as easy as possible for offensive players, so I garner significantly greater satisfaction from watching a defensive side play and develop and succeed than an offensive one.

I used to love watching the old NFL Films documentaries they'd sometimes air on Foxtel about the teams from the 70's & 80's, when the game was smashmouth, defensive football and I fell in love with the whole culture and history behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and the years of the Steel Curtain, add to that the Orange Crush, the Doomsday D, the Big Red Forrest, the Purple People Eaters etc. Exposure to that era, and the way the game was played is what shaped my attitude toward the game today.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Fair point, Dirty Bird. About forums. Strike that from the team-selection process. Everything else tho is okay.

And very good post, Last Line Hero.

 

[Iason]

However I then was told that they are the only team in the NFL that is owned by the members and not a franchise owner - if this were the case they will be one team I continue to follow

That, and they have the most iconic stadium in the NFL. Always wanted to go to Lambeau.

 

[LIPS629]

What team would the Western Bulldogs be in the NFL?

The Chargers for damn sure!!!

I am a die hard Bully and Charger fan.... every year they both give you glimpses of how good they can be, but they never live up to their potential

also a Tottenham supporter, really used to the feeling of being up there, but not quite good enough... and next year is our year!!!

 

[HARPSichord]

I chose the Giants.

 

[Wickzki]

C'mon Broncos. Time to send Big Ben out to do what he does best.

 

[Wickzki]

Bye Bye Black and Gold.

The NFL can only get you so far.

Well done Broncos, see you next week.

 

[Woodson]

C'mon Broncos. Time to send Big Ben out to do what he does best.

Which is? just be mature about your posting and appreciate the achievement of the Broncos defeating the NFL #1 pass D. Big Ben on one leg did alot better than I thought he would and still rates as one of the better NFL QB's who can get the job done. Playcalling is another aspect that needs to be addressed but that's another story.

 

[HARPSichord]

C'mon Broncos. Time to send Big Ben out to do what he does best.

Tebow.

 

[phantom13]

Which is? just be mature about your posting and appreciate the achievement of the Broncos defeating the NFL #1 pass D. Big Ben on one leg did alot better than I thought he would and still rates as one of the better NFL QB's who can get the job done. Playcalling is another aspect that needs to be addressed but that's another story.

I'm not sure Big Ben is above being trolled on an NFL forum, excellent QB but if he was an AFL players there would be 8,500 threads about him and his alleged "indiscretions". Why he felt the need to do it when he has pulled some absolute hotties like Missy Peregrym ill never know.

 

[Exe Gesis]

I'd say the Broncos got a lot of new fans today in Australia.

 

[Woodson]

I'd say the Broncos got a lot of new fans today in Australia.

Same re-cycled crowd as the "Benny Graham" bandwagon group?