NFL Team Recommendation for an Australian to follow and support.

Started by Destraex, September 15, 2017, 10:58:46 AM

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Destraex

Recently became interested in this sport. We now get it here on free to air and I have been watching.
Enjoying it. Have little idea of what is going on. But still finding it entertaining.

I have very little idea of the states in the US and how good or bad they are. What their values are etc
I know Greenbay is the only publicly owned club right?

1) Minnasota Vikings - What can I say.. I like vikings. But these ones have horns?
2) Greenbay Packers - I like that it's public and have a friend that goes for them
3) Cincinnati Colts - don't know why
4) New Orleans Saints (But I hate the when the saints come marching in song) - I just like fleur de lis

I assume the Detroit Lions following is fairly small now? I kind of like their symbology. I like the Broncos symbol as well. Love horses.
I chose my rugby teams by animal rather than territory here when I was a kid and never looked back.
My son goes for the New England Patriots and has since found out his new high school teachers also do!

Any recommendations? Does anybody here follow NFL?
"They only asked the Light Brigade to do it once"

OJsDad

'Here at NASA we all pee the same color.'  Al Harrison from the movie Hidden Figures.

mirth

"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

OJsDad

'Here at NASA we all pee the same color.'  Al Harrison from the movie Hidden Figures.

mirth

Quote from: Destraex on September 15, 2017, 10:58:46 AM
Recently became interested in this sport. We now get it here on free to air and I have been watching.
Enjoying it. Have little idea of what is going on. But still finding it entertaining.

I have very little idea of the states in the US and how good or bad they are. What their values are etc
I know Greenbay is the only publicly owned club right?

1) Minnasota Vikings - What can I say.. I like vikings. But these ones have horns?
2) Greenbay Packers - I like that it's public and have a friend that goes for them
3) Cincinnati Colts - don't know why
4) New Orleans Saints (But I hate the when the saints come marching in song) - I just like fleur de lis

I assume the Detroit Lions following is fairly small now? I kind of like their symbology. I like the Broncos symbol as well. Love horses.
I chose my rugby teams by animal rather than territory here when I was a kid and never looked back.
My son goes for the New England Patriots and has since found out his new high school teachers also do!

Any recommendations? Does anybody here follow NFL?

I'd watch as many games as you can and see if a particular team stands out to you. The Packers are one of the NFL's most storied franchises and are generally fun to watch. The Vikings will break your heart every time and in every way imaginable.

You can't really go wrong with the Patriots at the moment, but they are also universally hated by the rest of the League.
"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

Marty Ward

Some people follow players rather than teams so if the player changes teams it's time for a new jersey :)

My personal recommendation is follow the Ravens.
If it looks like chicken, tastes like chicken, and feels like chicken but Chuck Norris says its beef, then it's beef.

If women had apostrophes instead of periods they would be even more possessive!

trailrunner

This isn't only a question for someone outside the country - I am an American without a team.

I was born in Oakland and grew up in San Diego, so I like the Raiders and Chargers growing up. I used to go to Charger games in the early 80s when they had an exciting team.

Since then I haven't followed football except if one of these teams is doing well and playoff bound. But last summer my daughter told me that the Chargers are moving ho Los Angeles and the Raiders are moving to Las Vegas. I dislike those cities, and the move takes away any connection I had with the teams.

I live near Washington DC, but I'm not going to adopt the Redskins.

My daughter's husband is a huge Packers fan, so I guess that's my team now. I think they play outdoors year round, which is the manly way of playing football.

bayonetbrant

I have a greater connection to NC St football than any pro team, but as a Cajun, I'm duty-bound to cheer for the Saints and simultaneously programmed to hate Atlanta.


As for who an Aussie could cheer for?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australians_in_American_football

see if there are any connections on this list that strike your fancy
The key to surviving this site is to not say something which ends up as someone's tag line - Steelgrave

"their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of 'rights'...and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure." Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers

BanzaiCat

A BanzaiCat Primer on NFL Teams

(my opinion, so likely I'm totally wrong about everything)

Because I need to take a bit of a break. I also used to do Fantasy Football articles for a variety of sites a few years back. I also suck at Fantasy Football, so the joke was on them, I guess?

AFC East
Buffalo Bills: A perennial disappointment to their fans. These guys dominated in the late 80s/early 90s, having gone to the Super Bowl (aka The Big Show) four times in a row. Each time, they lost. They tended to beat up on the Miami Dolphins when it counted, and as I was a big fan of the Dolphins back then, I learned to hate the Bills with a passion (especially when they'd beat the Dolphins in a playoff game, then go on to get their asses kicked in the next round).

Miami Dolphins: This franchise as I said used to be a favorite of mine, back when Dan Marino was their quarterback, and he had stars like Mark Duper and Mark Clayton to pass the ball to. They've done decently as of late. Their uniforms are a little on the ghey side of cool.

New England Patriots: Perennial dominators. Can't stand them personally, because they always bloody win. The last Super Bowl was an utter WTF moment when they pulled a win out of their hind end. Admittedly I appreciated them back in 2001, and the fact that they won the Super Bowl then (post-9/11). It was also one of the better halftime Super Bowl shows (U2). Most Super Bowl halftime shows are completely lame and boring.

New York Jets: I admit, I like the Jets. Mostly because they're always underdogs. I enjoy that their fans love to bitch about them. That's a God-given right when you like a team that sucks, to bitch about them. It's highly entertaining.

AFC North
Baltimore Ravens: Always had a reputation for having a very tough defense (and the team tends to harbor hardcore professional criminals, too). The Ravens are a relatively newer franchise, having taken the mantle in Baltimore years after the Colts (now of Indianapolis) left. In the middle of the night, no less. The NFL is nothing but predictable when it comes to their scum-sucking owners.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Usually a safe bet, insofar as they have a reputation for being a tough team (their name itself comes from the local steel industries, that have long since dried up I think). My father lives in PA and the whole family are hardcore Steelers fans...up there, anyway. There's worse teams to root for.

Cleveland Browns: Used to be a powerhouse. The Browns have been around a long time, but the funny thing is, the old Browns franchise moved to Baltimore to become the Ravens. A few years passed before Cleveland got another Browns franchise. The current Browns franchise is pretty much about as useful and a contender as a pile of something that is the same color as what's in their name. I think current Browns fans are fans because they hark back to the days when Bernie Kosar and "the Dawg Pound" were active (the former was a good quarterback in his time; the latter were the rather rabid fans at home).

Cinncinnati Bengals: They exist to f*ck up the Houston Texans' run for the playoffs (when the Texans bother to go, that is). I used to like the Bengals back in the late 80s. They've had ups or downs but they're not much of a factor these days, I don't think.

AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars: Came onto the scene sometime in the 90s I think during the NFL's expansion at the time. They've gone to the playoffs a couple of times but aren't much of a team. Case in point: they love to beat the Texans (but so does everyone else).

Houston Texans: Don't follow these guys unless you're used to morose depression around your sports and love disappointment. They've had more starting quarterbacks than years they've been around, I think (since 2002). They draft like idiots but have J.J. Watt, one of the best defensive players of all time, and a local legend when it comes to helping the community out. It's hard not to like Watt for his efforts around town (case in point, raising nearly 40 million US for Hurricane Harvey victims). Their drafting of J.J. Watt goes to prove that a broken watch is right twice a day at least.

Indianapolis Colts: No. I hate the Colts. Peyton Manning was their QB for years, and he was a constant pain in the Texans' rear. They used to be a dominating force, but not so much any more, though they do well enough for themselves.

Tennessee Titans: How could I forget these wise guys? Used to be the Houston Oilers. Moved because the owner is a jackass. I thought it was funny; I moved to Houston the same year that they had the worst playoff loss in NFL history (arguably)...to the Buffalo Bills. It was hilarious how many here got their panties in a wad over that. Good riddance.

AFC West
Denver Broncos: Meh. The only good thing to come out of Colorado, arguably, is their lax weed laws. Which I think you'd need a lot of to be a Broncos fan.

Oakland Raiders: They're well-known to have the worst fans in the entire league; obnoxious, bordering on criminal. The team itself used to be owned by Al Davis, whom was a huge figure in the league for the longest time, but also a total asshole. The Raiders haven't done anything in a long time, which prompted them to do the West Coast Shuffle a few times (moved to Los Angeles, then moved back to Oakland). Nobody outside of Oakland cares about the Raiders, and even then only the people that like Mad Max cosplay really care that much.

Kansas City Chiefs: Off and on, a decent team with more than their fair share of damn good running backs.

Los Angeles Chargers: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Ha. Ahem. Sorry. They used to be the San Diego Chargers. Los Angeles could care less so I have no idea how they thought moving there was a good idea. Expect them to return to San Diego in less than ten seasons.

NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles: One of those East Coast teams that have obnoxious fans that like to talk shite and pose about...wait, well, arguably that's a LOT of NFL fans, but East Coast folks tend to be more hardcore about it. I don't know the Eagles well but have friends that are Eagles fans that tend to be about as disappointed as Texans fans, if that says much about them.

Dallas Cowboys: Nope. Don't. Please, God, just...don't. I hate the Cowboys. They arrogantly call themselves "America's Team," when they're nothing of the sort. Their owner, Jerry Jones, is a horse's ass. But admittedly, he's a shrewd businessman, having grown up piss poor and turning himself into a multi-billionaire. He's not an idiot, but his team is, and their fans are legendary for being more obnoxious somehow than Raiders fans in their rabid worshiping of a team that plays in a billion-dollar giant silver cockroach of a stadium.

New York Giants: I've always liked the Giants. Especially when they beat the Patriots in Super Bowls.

Washington Redskins: Many SJW people like to moan about the "offensive" name, but that's silly. If you look hard enough, you can find things to be offended by in EVERY NFL team's name. My grandparents were from the D.C. area and were HUGE Redskins fans. My memories of the Redskins are better with age, but not so much lately. They're an okay team I suppose, but nowhere near great.

NFC North
Minnesota Vikings: There are much better Grogs around here that can speak to the Vikings. If you think Texans disappointment is perennial... :)

Detroit Lions: A team that is always mediocre but has spurts of occasional greatness. They tend to always play on Thanksgiving here and always tend to roll over and die like a turkey, too.

Green Bay Packers: Used to be a good team when Brett Favre was QB, until he started texting peter pics. Aaron Rodgers, the QB now, was a star at first but he, I think, has been on the decline (could be wrong about that like I am about every other damn thing in this post).

Chicago Bears: Disliked them very much back in the 80s. The Superbowl Shuffle music video was a crime against humanity, but there's no denying how they dominated the field back then. Nowadays, not so much, though I kind of like the Bears. Ish.

NFC South
Carolina Panthers: Joined the league when the Jacksonville Jaguars did. They did fairly well and have had occasional moments of greatness as well as murderers on their team, too. It's difficult to get excited about the Panthers, because they feel like an expansion team that's just joined the league. "Who's that?" you may ask. So too does the rest of the league.

Atlanta Falcons: Another meh. Atlanta's about as nice as Houston to live in, I suppose, which is to say, not at all. They were a decent team back in the day, and I think they have decent showings, though I don't pay much attention to them.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: To really understand Tampa Bay is to understand their history. They didn't get their first win until their second season (13th game, if memory serves). That pretty much says it all. They've had moments of greatness as have most (read: not all) NFL franchises. One thing is for sure: their pewter/red uniforms are 1000% improvement over their uniforms when they first started out.

New Orleans Saints: The "Aints" have had a storied history. Fans used to love to wear brown paper bags over their heads because they didn't want to be recognized. That all changed in recent years when they actually got good under QB Drew Brees. But Brees is long gone, and so too is the Saints' pertinence. Or not, what do I know. Being an NFL team in a city that's on average six feet below sea level isn't the brightest of ideas.

NFC West
Los Angeles Rams: "The Laughening, Part II." How the hell a city like Los Angeles can get TWO NFL franchises in one off season when the entire town is more concerned about plastic surgery and pandering to Asian film markets is extraordinary. Now, Los Angeles has twice the teams to not care about. The Rams used to be in St. Louis, Missouri, and I think they started out in Cleveland, before moving to Los Angeles, and then to St. Louis, and now apparently because the Chargers are a team to be jealous of, they moved there yet again.

Seattle Seahawks: Another team that was long a laughing stock that recently started getting good. Personally they 'feel' a lot like the Panthers do to me, insofar as being an expansion team (which they technically are, but an older one). I get the feeling the only Seahawks fans are ones in Seattle.

Arizona Cardinals: Another gypsy/vagabond team, starting out in Chicago, then going to St. Louis, and now in Arizona (because that's what you do). They've performed well enough but aren't Super Bowl worthy.

San Francisco 49ers: Maybe more pertinent back when Joe Montana was quarterback. Certainly not when asshat Colin Kaepernick was.

...but again, what the hell do I know? I'm an idiot.

mirth

"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

Steelgrave

I love the Cowboys, Patriots and Texans. Cowboys are in my blood, Texans represent my hometown since the Oilers crawled to Tennessee on their knees, the Patriots represent greatness and should be the model for the rest of the No Fun League. The Titans remain unforgiven for leaving Houston or having an asshat like Bud Adams as their owner. Indy is the whiny little sister of the league, hosting "participation" banners and having a big-mouth druggie owner who calls "cheat" on other teams while throwing a season in the infamous "Suck for Luck" campaign where they threw games to draft their current QB (how'd that work out for you, Indy?). I both hate and respect the Steelers because they used to give my Oilers and Cowboys hell in the 70's, but they are mostly a model franchise. Respect. On the other side of PA, the Eagles...LOL....I spent a year outside of Philly and those talk show fans cracked me up with their hatred for the Cowboys. How many rings ya got, Eagles??? Spent five years in Phoenix and never could catch the Cardinals bandwagon. Just....no. Cleveland is a situation comedy and Cincinnati deserves better but the Cinncy owner makes a profit despite his win-loss column and couldn't care less.

The rest of the league? I'll never root for the Bills, Gnats or Jets (sorry but....New Yawk, ya know?) but besides those guys, I often take interest in a team depending on certain players, underdog status or otherwise a good storyline.

bayonetbrant

Quote from: BanzaiCat on September 15, 2017, 12:13:36 PMBut Brees is long gone, and so too is the Saints' pertinence

you know Brees is still there, right?
The key to surviving this site is to not say something which ends up as someone's tag line - Steelgrave

"their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of 'rights'...and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure." Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers

Marty Ward

Quote from: mirth on September 15, 2017, 12:16:23 PM
Quote from: Marty Ward on September 15, 2017, 11:59:38 AM
My personal recommendation is follow the Ravens.

Do not listen to Marty.

Watch out, I'm a Raven maniac and can't always be responsible for my actions! ;)
If it looks like chicken, tastes like chicken, and feels like chicken but Chuck Norris says its beef, then it's beef.

If women had apostrophes instead of periods they would be even more possessive!

SirAndrewD

Well, I was born and raised in Dallas, so the Cowboys are part of my DNA.  I practically grew up in Texas stadium and actually got to meet and interact with a lot of the players back in the 80's. 

The team has one of the most storied franchises in the league, and has always been very front and center in American football even when they didn't field good squads.  If you even have a remote interest in them, you can look up some objective histories on why that's the case, but you should be careful because when you talk about the Cowboys extreme hyperbole both pro and con come into play with the team. 

The Cowboys are both blessed and cursed with having the largest fan base in the country, bolstered by a huge following in Mexico.  This popularity led the media (not the team itself) to declare the Cowboys "America's Team" in the 70's.  This, over time, has led to the Cowboys being one of the most loved and also the most hated franchises in the nation.  There's not much in between.  You become a fan of the team, or you hate it for the exact same reasons that people love it.

And yes, they have obnoxious fans, but this is more an effect of how large the base is than anything else.  Even Cowboys fans hate the segment of the fandom that sees everything through Cowboys tinted glasses, and go nuts if the Cowboys don't win by enough points and start throwing their own players under the bus if they don't perform perfectly.  I can assure you from direct experience that this is NOT the majority of the fandom.  Not even close.

I've seen games in a LOT of NFL stadiums.  As a fan of an opposing team I've actually felt seriously threatened in a couple of places for wearing my team's colors, and have had a lot of vitriol and hate thrown my way in a lot of the others.   In my experience, when I've gone to games in Dallas we've always tried to make the visitors feel at home, even if they were Redskins, Eagles or Giants.  If you play nice, we'll let you come up to our tailgate, get BBQ and talk football, no matter what jersey you wear.  I'm sure there are exceptions, but as a rule that's something we as a fandom pride ourselves on.  I always prefer to see the Cowboys fans that way, not through the filter of the unfortunately vocal minority.

And yes, even Cowboys fans think Jerry Jones is a dingus.  Fortunately his influence on the operations of the team have waned massively in the last five years in favor of his son and Chief Scout Will McClay.   This is one of the reasons the team has imrpoved and been competitive of late.
"These men do not want a happy ship. They are deeply sick and try to compensate by making me feel miserable. Last week was my birthday. Nobody even said "happy birthday" to me. Someday this tape will be played and then they'll feel sorry."  - Sgt. Pinback

JasonPratt

Leaving aside their owner (albeit the source of much drama), the Titans are a team you can expect an exciting game of will-they-or-won't-they-win. Technically proficient but tend to get lost in their own hype.

If you want to cheer for winners who win, there are maybe two or three Tier I teams (led by the Patriots). If you want to cheer for contenders, who win more often than not, there are selections available. If you want to cheer for a team that you have no idea from week to week whether they have any chance, and so generate excitement and drama that way, the Titans are a good choice.

Also, they have a solid state-wide fanbase, as a side effect of having a contender-level college football team with a massive fanbase -- which is arguably the reason why the Titans are "Tennessee" and not "Nashville" (or "Memphis" for that matter. Almost all NFL teams are metro-urban based, not regional or state.)
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