National Football League (NFL)
The National Football League, or NFL, was founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association. The name was changed to the National Football League in 1922. Throughout the 1920s the number of teams in the league varied and the NFL was not considered a major sport. It was actually not until after World War II that the NFL started to rival college football in popularity.
In 1966, the NFL merged with the American Football League (AFL) and in 1970 the leagues were fully merged under the NFL and two conferences were created - the AFC (American Football Conference) and the NFC (National Football Conference).
The NFL is synonymous with American football. It is one of the five most watched sports leagues in the world. The NFL has the highest per-game attendance of any US professional sports league in the world (source: Wikipedia).
The NFL fields 32 teams in two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) which consists of 16 teams organized into four divisions (the East, North, South, and West), and the National Football Conference (NFC), which consists of 16 teams also organized into four divisions (the East, North, South, and West).
NFL At-A-Glance
- Season: 16 games (17 weeks regular season starting in early September. The playoffs extend into January/February with the Super Bowl)
- Teams: 32 (16 AFC, 16 NFC)
- Events:
- Annual draft of college players which was first held in 1936
- Pre-season (August - early September)
- Pro Football Hall of Fame Game - a preseason exhibition game held on the Football Hall of Fame induction weekend
- American Bowl - a preseason exhibition game held outside of the United States
- Pro Bowl (played after the Super Bowl) - AFC/NFC All star game played annually in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Championship: The Super Bowl
- In the period 1920-1966 the NFL crowned an NFL Champion either by winning percentage (1920-1932) or in the NFL Championship Game (1933-1965)
- In the period 1960-1965 the AFL also crowned an AFL Champion in an AFL Championship Game
- Most recent champion: 2010 - The New Orleans Saints (NFC)
- League web site: http://www.nfl.com
NFL Championships
The NFL has a four tier 1-game elimination championship format, organized as follows:
- Wild Card Round - 6 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs - the 4 division champions and 2 wild card teams. In the wild card round, the 3rd seeded team plays the 6th seeded team for the same conference, and the 4 and 5 seeds play each other. The 1 and 2 seeds for each conference get a bye into the next round, the Divisional Round.
- Divisional Round - In the Divisional Round, the two winners of the Wild Card Round face the 1 and 2 seeds from their conference. The team with the highest seed plays the team with the lowest seed, and the remaining two teams play each other.
- Conference Championships - The 2 remaining AFC teams meet to determine the AFC Champion, and the 2 remaining NFC teams meet to determine the NFC Champion in the Conference Championships.
- The Super Bowl - The Conference Champions meet in the Super Bowl to determine the NFL champion.
In the playoffs, the highest seeded team in any game gets the home field advantage. The Super Bowl is played in a predetermined "neutral" location with the highest seed acting as the home team.
NFL Teams
Following are all of the National Football League teams in both the AFC and the NFC with links to the team web sites.
AFC
- AFC-East
- Buffalo Bills - Buffalo, New York
- Miami Dolphins - Miami, Florida
- New York Jets - East Rutherford, New Jersey
- New England Patriots - Foxboro, Massachusetts
- AFC-North
- Baltimore Ravens - Baltimore, Maryland
- Cincinnati Bengals - Cincinnati, Ohio
- Cleveland Browns - Cleveland, Ohio
- Pittsburgh Steelers - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- AFC-South
- Houston Texans - Houston, Texas
- Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis, Indiana
- Jacksonville Jaguars - Jacksonville, Florida
- Tennessee Titans - Nashville, Tennessee
- West
- Denver Broncos - Denver, Colorado
- Kansas City Chiefs - Kansas City, Missouri
- Oakland Raiders - Oakland, California
- San Diego Chargers - San Diego, California
NFC
- NFC-East
- Dallas Cowboys - Dallas, Texas
- New York Giants - New York, New York
- Philadelphia Eagles - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Washington Redskins - Washington DC
- NFC-North
- Chicago Bears - Chicago, Illinois
- Detroit Lions - Detroit, Michigan
- Green Bay Packers - Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Minnesota Vikings - Minneapolis, Minnesota
- NFC-South
- Atlanta Falcons - Atlanta, Georgia
- Carolina Panthers - Charlotte, North Carolina
- New Orleans Saints - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Tampa Bay, Florida
- NFC-West
- Arizona Cardinals - Glendale (near Phoenix), Arizona
- San Francisco 49ers - San Francisco, California
- Seattle Seahawks - Seattle, Washington
- St. Louis Rams - St. Louis, Missouri
NFL News
| Yahoo! Sports - NFL News |
| Titans QB Young won't be suspended (AP) NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday he has decided not to suspend Titans quarterback Vince Young over a tussle at a Dallas strip club in June. Speaking to reporters after the Packers' shareholders meeting in Green Bay, Wis., Goodell said he met with Young earlier this week. "And at this stage, based on the facts that we have, I see no reason for any kind of disciplinary action. |
| Steelers sign 5-time Pro Bowl OT Adams (AP) The Pittsburgh Steelers have reached terms with five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Flozell Adams on a two-year contract. The Steelers have sought offensive line help since right tackle Willie Colon was lost for the season last month with a torn Achilles' tendon. The Steelers could play the 35-year-old Adams at right tackle, or shift him to his natural position of left tackle and move Max... |
| Haynesworth fails conditioning test (AP) A slimmed-down Albert Haynesworth was deemed unfit to practice, even though the players were wearing shorts, contact was sparse, and the whole thing last only 70 minutes. In the latest test of wills between Haynesworth and coach Mike Shanahan, the two-time All-Pro defensive lineman was kept off the field for the opening session of Washington Redskins training camp Thursday after failing a... |
| Tebow signs for 5 years, $11.25 million (AP) Tim Tebow missed some practices but none that counted before agreeing to a contract with the Denver Broncos on Thursday. The two-time national champion from Florida and 25th pick in the NFL draft missed the first three workouts for rookies and selected veterans while his agent, Jimmy Sexton, and general manager Brian Xanders hammered out a deal. |
| Owens misses flight to Bengals camp (AP) Terrell Owens arrived fashionably late, received a white jersey with his favorite number, and got a smattering of applause for doing even the simplest thing. Every catch was an event. A few thousand fans showed up for Owens' first practice with the Cincinnati Bengals, who signed him to a one-year deal on Thursday evening, then got a preliminary glimpse of what the 36-year-old receiver has left. |
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