American Football: Difference between revisions
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* ''Quarterback'': This player will touch the ball on nearly every offensive play. The role of the quarterback is to hand off the ball to an eligible receiver or pass the ball. Occasionally, the quarterback will run with the ball himself; some offensive systems use quarterback runs more than others. The mobile quarterback has become more prevalent in the NFL in recent years, but has been a staple of the high school and college game for decades. At the beginning of the play, the quarterback stands either directly under (behind) the center (a ''quarter'' of the way back from the offensive line, relative to the rest of the formation, hence the name quarterback), or seven yards behind the center. The latter formation is called "shotgun." A variation of the shotgun formation where the quaterback lines up 4 yards from the center is called the "pistol." As a result of nearly always being the preeminent decision-making player on a team's offense (the recent "Wildcat" formation notwithstanding), a quarterback is usually considered [[The Ace]] in the popular consciousness, and "QBs" generally receive an out-sized portion of attention from the media and fans. This is good news for the quarterback when the team is winning. It is bad news when the team is not. The all-time leading passer in NFL history is Brett Favre. He has played for the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, and Minnesota Vikings.
**Note that until recently quarterbacks were often trusted with direct responsibility for choosing which play to call at a given moment and thus were something of an [[Genius Bruiser|intellectual]] as well as an athletic challenge. This tropper has not kept up on football for a long time but he gets the impression that direct control by coaches became more fashionable.
* The ''running backs'', often subdivided further into ''halfback, or tailback'' and ''fullback'' roles (while they remain distict roles, the names [[Artifact Title|no longer accurately describe the differences]]). The halfback is usually the team's primary rusher - in other words, most of the team's running plays will involve him in some way. As such, he's usually the more agile of the two backs. Halfbacks are also expected to block on passing plays and occasionally act as a receiver. The fullback is typically larger and is primarily used for blocking and short-range pass catching, but will run occasionally, especially when only a few yards are needed. Both can also be used as targets in the passing game. The fullback will usually (ironically) line up behind the quarterback, with the halfback behind him. Running backs of any type tend to have shorter careers than quarterbacks and wide receivers, as the position is phsyically demanding and more prone to injuries. At the professional level, it is becoming less common for teams to have a dedicated fullback on the roster, such teams often substituting another halfback or a tight end to assume the roll of fullback on the handful of plays that might require one. The all-time leading rusher in the NFL is Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. Notable fullbacks in football history include Mike Alstott, Lorenzo Neal, and Daryl Johnston.
* The ''wide receivers'' are the primary targets in the passing game. Before the play starts, they usually stand at the line of scrimmage a good distance away from ("wide" of) the nearest offensive tackle. Most offensive formations include at least two of them on the field; some will feature as many as five. Their job is to catch the ball or block for a running back. The all-time leading receiver in the NFL is Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, and Denver Broncos.
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* '''Terrell Davis''' was a running back for the Denver Broncos, and one of Mike Shanahan's aforementioned stud runners. The quality portion of Davis' career only lasted for four years before a devastating knee injury. However, during those years, he was widely regarded as unstoppable. He was one of the focal points of their '90s Super Bowl years.
* '''John Elway''' is a quarterback who spent all of his seasons with the Denver Broncos, who had a reputation as being a great "comeback artist". At the time of his retirement, his 148 wins were an NFL record. After losing 3 Super Bowls (by often embarrassing margins) in the late 1980s, Elway staged a late-career renaissance and led Denver to Super Bowl wins in 1997 and 1998 before retiring.
* '''Brett Favre''' is the current all-time leading passer and was the [[Badass Grandpa]] of the NFL. A prototypical [[All-American Face]] as recently as three years ago, [[Ten-Minute Retirement|a string of un-retirements]] (from 2005 to 2010, he threatened retirement yearly and technically retired twice, but came back both times for different teams) and allegations of sexual harassment have arguably turned him into a bit of a [[Jerkass]], which has made him into somewhat of a running joke. He was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers for almost all of his career before his first "retirement" and then played for the Jets for one season before being traded to [[Face Heel Turn|the Packers' division rivals, the Minnesota Vikings]]. Favre's change of loyalty was (in)famous enough that [https://web.archive.org/web/20130516061722/http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/70451747.html Iraqi prisoners used Favre's name to taunt troops from Wisconsin]. In 2010, his 297-game-straight starting streak (that began in ''1992'' for you keeping score at home) was snapped when his injuries didn't heal in time for a Monday Night Football game. He retired for good (at least so far, as rumors still pop up from time to time of him attempting another comeback) after the 2010-11 season. Many of his backup QBs have spent many years of their careers on the sidelines and in his last few seasons, several of his wide receivers were young enough to still be in diapers when Brett first started playing pro. This longevity and his high-risk, high reward "gunslinger" passing style is why he holds so many records, both good (career wins, attempts,completions, touchdowns, and yards) and bad (career interceptions).
* '''Doug Flutie''' was known to be a quarterback of modest success, but unique playing style. Very small for NFL standards (5'9", 180 pounds), Flutie often scrambled plays or threw hail mary passes, something that made him noticable when compared to the common drop back and play quarterbacks. Flutie took the long road back to the NFL after the lockout, spending several years in Canada dominating the Canadian Football League and, according to his fans in the north, became one of the few quarterbacks in the NFL to play a Canadian style game.
* '''Tony Gonzalez''' is the current holder of all the tight end receiving records, as well as the first tight end to amass over 1,000 receptions. He spent most of his career with the Chiefs, and is now playing for Atlanta.
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** ''Archie Manning'' was a good quarterback on a horrible team (the New Orleans Saints, who at the time were nicknamed "The Ain'ts") for a number of years. Perhaps better known for his College Hall of Fame career at Ole Miss; he's considered the best player they've ever had.
** ''Peyton Manning'' is en route to breaking every single statistical record held by either Marino, Favre, or Elway and is known for his intelligence, ubiquity in commercials, and until the Colts won Super Bowl XLI, [[Every Year They Fizzle Out|choking in the playoffs]]. He has had an incredible career, and has 4 MVP awards (three solo, one shared). It's almost a given that whatever two schlubs the Colts start at wideout can have big days thanks to his arm. Probably the only thing that could stop him from breaking those records is the injury that put him out for the 2011 season. Recently, Peyton was released by the Indianapolis Colts and their draft pick will be talking Peyton's reins now. After a recruitment tour that was breathlessly covered by the sports media, Peyton chose the Denver Broncos - home of fan favorite Tim Tebow, who is currently{{when}} a new member for the New York Jets.
** ''Eli Manning'', the younger brother, doesn't quite have the flashy numbers that his older brother has, but that's to be expected as the quarterback for the more defense and run oriented New York Giants. Was considered a bit of a [[Fake Ultimate Hero]] for a while, trading on the Manning name rather than his skills. That all changed after Super Bowl XLII, when he led the wild card Giants to victory against the 18-0 Patriots in what is considered one of the greatest upsets in sports history, and after the team defeated the Patriots again in Super Bowl XLVI, he's generally considered to be at the same level as his brother. He's also now considered something of a [[The Determinator|Determinator]] due to his unflappable nature and his inability to get rattled by anything, on or off the field. Under constant New York criticism, Eli does not get discouraged by a bad play (or a series of them), and will get back up again after being sacked any number of times and continue playing as if nothing had happened. [https://web.archive.org/web/20131209010333/http://www.sportsgrid.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Eli-Timeout-Mess-e1327288093396.jpg Here] is a picture of Eli after a particularly bad sack, and he still had enough wits about him to call timeout (which was necessary at the time in the game), and continued to drive his team forward afterwards.
** There is a third Manning, Cooper, but he stopped playing football after high school due to injury and became an [[Black Sheep|investment banker]]. However, reports suggest that had he not been injured [[What Could Have Been|he would have been better than Peyton]].
** Both Peyton and Eli were subjects of the "[http://www.manningface.com/ Manning Face]" meme, coined by ESPN columnist Bill Simmons.
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'''AFC'''
* The '''Baltimore Ravens''' began play as an expansion team in 1996 when the entire roster and coaching staff of the Cleveland Browns vanished and rematerialized in Baltimore. That's obviously not true, but it's more or less the NFL's official story. What happened is that owner Art Modell wanted to leave Cleveland with the Browns, but had to reach a settlement in which the history, colors, nickname, records, etc. of the Browns stayed in Cleveland. Confused? You should be. (Ironically, the same thing happened to Baltimore in the 80's, when the then-Baltimore Colts team famously left unnanounced in the middle of the night in a fleet of moving vans. At the time, the biggest critic of the Colts' move outside the state of Maryland was...Art Modell.) Known mostly for their stifling defense. The face of the team is linebacker Ray Lewis, who led the team to a Super Bowl win in 2000, but unfortunately was ignored by the media because he was indicted for murder earlier in the year. Ah, the NFL. The Ravens are division rivals of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the rivalry between the two teams has been said to be the most bitter in the NFL.
* The '''Buffalo Bills''' are the third team to lose four Super Bowls. Not only that, they did it four years in a row. Other than that, possibly the only NFL city with weather worse than Green Bay. As the city of Buffalo's economy has been in a tailspin for nearly four decades, before the
* The '''Cincinnati Bengals''' are a historically bad team that has been in two Super Bowls (XVI and XXIII) and lost both to the San Francisco 49ers. Pretty much came into existence solely as a [[Take That]] effort to allow former Cleveland Browns coach Paul Brown to come back to the league after being fired years before; the team even uses the same helmet color as the Browns. Currently{{when}} suffering from an image problem due to having more players arrested in the past two years than every other team combined. Like every other team that has at some point been associated with the state of Ohio, they are bitter rivals of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Until recently, they were famous as the home of the NFL's resident [[Cloudcuckoolander]], wide receiver Chad Ochocinco (Formerly Chad Johnson), currently{{when}} of New England. They've managed to shock pretty much everyone this season, especially their own fans, by doing very well, largely thanks to the work of rookie quarterback Andy "the Red Rifle" Dalton, rookie wide receiver A. J. Green, and a very nice defense.
* The '''Cleveland Browns''' are a former powerhouse that has won and appeared in more professional championships than any other team, but has not been to a championship game since 1964. Known for choking in the clutch, especially against the Denver Broncos in the mid to late 1980s. (Don't ask Browns fans about [[Berserk Button|"The Fumble"]]). After the original team left in 1996, the city filed a federal lawsuit and was awarded the team name, colors, and franchise history, then an expansion team in 1999. Since then, the team has been a laughingstock. Rivals of the Pittsburgh Steelers and (to a lesser extent) the Baltimore Ravens, though this more or less just makes them a punchline in Pittsburgh and Baltimore. In 2017, the Browns reached a new low when they had a winless 0-16 season.
* The '''Denver Broncos''' are the second team to lose four Super Bowls. Historically a strong franchise, they eventually won two behind quarterback John Elway at the tail end of his career. Also always seem to have a stud anonymous 1000-yard rusher every year. Their stadium, called Sports Authority Field at Mile High (the "Mile High" having been added in an attempt to calm complaints about the corporate name, and as a [[Shout-Out]] to previous home Mile High Stadium), is literally a mile up, just like the rest of Denver, which makes their home games tough on the visiting teams. Made a lot of noise in the 2009 offseason when new coach Josh McDaniels succeeded in alienating the team's star quarterback so badly that they were forced to trade him to Chicago. ([[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|Chicago made the playoffs in 2010]], McDaniels got fired before the season was over).
* The '''Houston Texans''' are the NFL's newest franchise, having begun play in 2002. Haven't really done anything of note yet. After the Houston Oilers became the Tennessee Oilers, who then became the Tennessee Titans, Houston was promised an expansion team. However, since the Titans owned (and refused to sell) the rights to the Oilers name and colors (Titans owner Bud Adams specifically had the team spend one season as the "Tennessee Oilers" so that a repeat of the Cleveland Browns situation would be impossible), they based their name after the original Houston Texans, a WFL team that played in 1974. After several seasons at or below mediocrity, the Texans broke through in 2011 with their first division win and the franchise's first playoff birth.
* The '''Indianapolis Colts''' are a mediocre franchise that suddenly became dominant after drafting popular media-darling quarterback Peyton Manning in 1998. With Manning on the team, they became a regular playoff contender (including a Super Bowl win in 2007), but when he was out for the 2011 season due to a neck injury they instantly fell to worst in the league. The Colts are a long-running franchise that dates, in some form, all the way back to 1913<ref>as the Dayton Triangles</ref>. They were in Baltimore until they literally escaped in moving vans in the middle of the night in 1983; the city of Baltimore now wishes they had had the presence of mind to do to this team what Cleveland did to the Browns... A team of many firsts. As the Baltimore Colts, they had the first cheerleading squad and marching band.<ref> The band still exists and is the official marching band of the Ravens. Its attempts to stay in Baltimore despite the lack of a team were featured in an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary.</ref> They also won the first-ever sudden-death overtime game, which has sometimes been referred to as "The Greatest Game Ever Played". Divisional rivals of Tennessee, Jacksonville and Houston.
* The '''Jacksonville Jaguars''' are an average franchise based in the South that began play in 1995 and chose a predatory feline as their mascot. Along with the Carolina Panthers (another expansion team with a predatory feline mascot created that year), they made it to their respective conference championship in 1996 but lost. As the Jacksonville Metro area has only 1.5 million people (and thus a tiny media market), this is another team that's been considered for a move to Los Angeles. The current{{when}} face of the franchise is Maurice Jones-Drew, a running back of small stature but enormous talent who is often among the league leaders in rushing and has a popular nationally syndicated fantasy football radio show. Also known for currently{{when}} having the league's most popular(and one of the more outrageous when it comes to antics) mascot, Jaxson De Ville. Midway into the 2011 season, the Jaguars made a little news via firing long time head coach Jack Del Rio and previous owner Wayne Weaver selling the franchise to Shahid Khan, a multimillionaire from Illinois whose [[Porn Stache|mustache]] is as well known as his business skills -- fans can be seen wearing "Khanstaches" at home games in support of their new owner. They share divisional rivalries with Tennessee, Houston and Indianapolis and are geographical rivals of Miami and Tampa Bay, although none of the teams in Florida take their rivalries seriously.
* The '''Kansas City Chiefs''' started life as an original AFL team as the Dallas Texans, owned by AFL founder Lamar Hunt until his death. They moved to Kansas City once it became obvious that Dallas wouldn't support two teams (the Cowboys started at the same time; the Texans won the AFL championship in 1962 but the not-very-good-at-the-time Cowboys were the more popular team), changed their name because the Kansas City Texans is clearly ridiculous (although there is word Hunt did consider keeping the Texans name), but still includes their pre-Chiefs years in the team history. Under Hank Stram, the Chiefs won three AFL championships (1962, '66 and '69) and appeared in the first and fourth Super Bowls, beating the Vikings in the latter. Unfortunately, it didn't last and the Chiefs went into a decline in the mid-1970s, not long after they lost to the Miami Dolphins in a playoff game that went into two overtime periods and is still the longest game in NFL history (A United Stats Football League game in the 1980s went into a third overtime, but that doesn't count). There was a brief renaissance during the early years of Marty Schottenheimer and a scorched-earth 2003 campaign that ended with a first round playoff loss but since the mid-'00s they have been increasingly pathetic. If you ever heard the phrase "you play to win the game" with odd stressing on the syllables, blame the Chiefs' former head coach, Herm Edwards, who nearly destroyed the team. They did however win their division in 2010 thanks to a new coach and a much-improved offense and front office. In 2017, the Chiefs drafted quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who had a breakout season in 2018 and won two Super Bowls.
* The '''Miami Dolphins''' are best known as the only team to achieve a "perfect season" (no losses or ties in regular season or playoffs), doing so in 1972. <s> Players and fans</s> Mercury Morris and the media alike will never shut up about that feat. Other than that, they were the team of Dan Marino, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, who never won a Super Bowl. Ever since his retirement, they've pretty much had a revolving door at quarterback. Also had Don Shula, the winningest coach in the NFL, and since 1970, have been the winningest team in the league.
* The '''New England Patriots''' were historically terrible, but they became the Team of the '00s behind quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick, winning three Super Bowls in four years from 2001-2004. They almost won a fourth in 2007, but after a perfect regular season and playoffs got blindsided by the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, and haven't been the same since. Were accused of illegally recording their opponents' defensive signals from the sidelines that season, an allegation known as "[[Scandalgate|Spygate]]" which [[Never Live It Down|has stuck with them]]. Rivals of the New York Jets, but more for the complicated politics swirling between them. In the 90's, Pats coach Bill Parcells left on bad terms to coach the Jets, and Belichick left the Jets on odd terms after just one day on the job to coach the Pats 4 years later. Also, then-Jets coach Eric Mangini's allegations led to the scandal in 2007. (Mangini was a former Belichick assistant in New England, and signal-stealing scandal resulted in a fine for Belichick<ref>the largest allowed by current NFL rules, as well as the largest fine levied against a coach</ref> and lost a 2008 first-round draft pick for the Patriots.) Because of their winning ways and their coach being compared to a mad genius, they're often joked to be the [[Big Bad]] of the NFL. Were called the Boston Patriots from 1960-1970 until the building of Foxboro Stadium, which was actually closer to Providence, Rhode Island than it was to Boston. Around this time it was decided that the team represented the [[Hollywood New England|whole New England area]].
* The '''New York Jets''' are New Jersey's other, more forgettable team. Originally the New York Titans. Traditionally Long Island's football team, they have been based in the Giants' home stadium since 1984. Sometimes derisively referred to as "Jersey-B" in the sports media. They are known for their "J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets" chant, which some of the rowdier fans translate this to.......other four-letter words. Did we mention that the Jets have a rather tough fanbase (although not as rough as the Eagles'). They've even stopped selling alcohol at a few games because of it. The high point of the franchise came in 1968, when quarterback Joe Namath "guaranteed" victory over the heavily favored Colts, and actually won Super Bowl III, giving the AFL teams credibility. (The guarantee thing seems to be endemic to [[Big Applesauce|New York]] sports: see Babe Ruth in 1932, Mark Messier in 1994, Jim Fassel in 2000.) Besides creating the annoying tradition of underdog teams "guaranteeing" victory in important games, this had the more lasting effect of proving the viability of the AFL and validating the merger with the NFL that had been agreed to. After the Super Bowl win, they spent decades as a bottom-of-the-barrel team, though they're generally decent to good these days, and in the '80s they were known as a defensive powerhouse led by their "[[Just for Pun|New York Sack Exchange]]" D-line. Led by ''extremely'' outspoken head coach Rex Ryan and quarterback Mark Sanchez, they've made it to two AFC Championship games in two years, beating the favored Colts and Patriots to get there.
* The '''
* The '''[[Pittsburgh Steelers]]''' are perhaps the most successful team of the modern NFL era, a contrast to their status as perhaps the most pathetic team in the pre-merger NFL. They have won the Super Bowl six times and have played in eight, more than any other team for the former and tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the latter. Generally known for playing a conservative offense and aggressive defense. They won two Super Bowls in the 2000s, but are historically known for their great teams in the 1970s and their "Steel Curtain" defense. In a disturbing turn of fate, many members of the great 1970s teams later suffered various misfortunes and mental/physical problems traced to their playing days. The team of current broadcaster and occasional TV personality Terry Bradshaw, winner of 4 Super Bowls. They've recently had a couple of big-name players (Santonio Holmes and Ben Roethlisberger) in the news for various reasons (not good reasons, either). Heinz Field is known for having a field that's been called the worst in the NFL, though the players refuse to switch to turf like the Patriots did because of tradition (during a horrible rainstorm in 2006 the Steelers and Dolphins nearly played into overtime scoreless because of a very muddy field already pummeled by a pack of college and high school football games the week before; the Steelers only won near the end on a chip-shot field goal). Prior to Chuck Noll's tenure, which began in 1969, the Steelers had never won an NFL title in any era and had only one playoff appearance, which was a divisional tie-breaker, not a championship game. Since 1969, the Steelers have had just three head coaches: Noll, Bill Cowher and current head coach Mike Tomlin.
* The '''
* The '''Tennessee Titans''' were formerly known as the Houston Oilers. Generally pretty good year in and out, they were well-known for using the "Run and Shoot" offense in which two extra wide receivers replace the tight end and fullback. Led by QB Warren Moon, they put together good records in the '90s but never made it through the playoffs, once blowing a 32-point lead in the 4th quarter to Buffalo (The largest surrendered margin in playoff history). They moved to Tennessee in the late 90's, dropped the "Run and Shoot", (and the "Oilers" name, since Tennessee is not particularly famous for oil production.) and got their revenge on Buffalo in 1999 by pulling off an absolutely ridiculous last-play kickoff return to win the game, dubbed the "Music City Miracle". They made it to the Super Bowl and lost when the game's final play ended [[Down to the Last Play|just inches short of the goal line]]. The Titans were coached for 16 seasons by Jeff Fisher and Jeff Fisher's mustache, one of the great underrated coaching duos in the league; at the start of his tenure, they were still the Oilers.
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** However this team may see a permanent image wounding, as Roger Goddell found out in 2012 that defensive players on that team (incuding the Super Bowl season) were encouraged by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to take out QB's and wide receivers on the other teams as part of a "[[Money, Dear Boy|bounty pool]]", and the league literally [[Dropped a Bridge on Him|Dropped A Bridge On Them]] for the next season, suspending coach Sean Payton for the full season without pay, his underlings for a few games less, loss of draft picks and a half million dollars, and Williams (who had moved onto the Rams) may not see himself in the league for a long time as part of an indefinite suspension ([[But Wait! There's More!|and they haven't even gotten around to player discipline yet]]). NFL Network has already made the 2010 Saints playoff run an [[Old Shame]], refusing to run those games for the time being.
* The '''New York Giants''' are the current Super Bowl champions, and historically the better of the two teams that play in New Jersey. Like the Jets, they used to actually play in New York, but they moved to New Jersey in 1976 so that they could have a dedicated football stadium instead of having to share with the [[Baseball|New York Yankees]]. One of the oldest teams in the NFL, dating back to 1925. Have won 4 Super Bowls and 4 additional NFL championships from before the Super Bowl. Officially named the "New York Football Giants", even though there hasn't been a baseball New York Giants since 1957. Won a miracle Super Bowl in '07 against the then-undefeated New England Patriots, the most notable part of which being a play where quarterback Eli Manning evaded an almost certain sack and threw the ball to third-string receiver David Tyree, who caught it against his helmet in mid-air with safety Rodney Harrison hanging on him. They're known for being "road warriors" who perform better in hostile stadiums than in their own...which was certainly the case in '07, in which their six losses included only one on the road, and their playoff run to win the Super Bowl was entirely on the road.
* The '''Philadelphia Eagles''' are known mostly for their rowdy, unpleasable fan base, which the ''[[British Newspapers|Guardian]]'' has [http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2005/dec/07/ussport.football compared] to British football hooligans<ref>Unfavorably, but [[Insult Backfire|a typical Eagles fan looks at an English soccer hooligan and goes, "Oh, how cute; does he know any other tricks]]?"</ref>. Veterans Stadium, before its demolition to make way for "The Link" (Lincoln Financial Field), had a courthouse in the basement, because of a number of fans that were arrested during games, although things have calmed down considerably in the past few years. Eagles fans are arguably best known for an incident in which [[Santa Claus]] was heckled and pelted with snowballs at halftime.<ref>
* The '''
* The '''San Francisco 49ers''' are another historically terrible team who became the Team of the '80s for winning five Super Bowls between 1981-1994. Outside of that period, there is nothing to know about them. Inside of that period, they were led by Hall of Fame quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young, wide receiver Jerry Rice, and coach Bill Walsh, founder of the "West Coast Offense". With all of the above long gone from the team, they went back to being terrible through most of the past decade, though they've done much better the past couple of years, becoming the first team in 2011 to clinch their division on, of all things, a power running game lead by running back Frank Gore and a rejuvenated quarterback Alex Smith.
* The '''Seattle Seahawks''' have not had many good seasons. In fact, they are known for their stretch of over ''twenty years'' without a single playoff win, ending in 2005 with a Super Bowl appearance. They are best known for being a place for future Hall-of-Famers to play the year before they retire. Were transferred from the AFC to the NFC in 2002 as part of realignment. Lost Super Bowl XL in one of the most controversial games in recent memory. In the 2010 season, they became the first team in 28 years to make the playoffs with a losing record (7-9), causing a lot of [[Broken Base|complaining amongst fans]]. They then largely silenced everyone with a surprise first-round upset of the defending champion New Orleans Saints.
* The '''Tampa Bay Buccaneers''' were the previous NFL [[Butt Monkey]] before the Lions. Their first season in 1976 was perfect. ''Perfectly awful'', as they lost all 14 games they played. The next year, they improved. They only lost their first 12 games, then won their last two (also notable that after their first win the opposing team's head coach ''and'' starting quarterback [[You Have Failed Me...|got fired]]). For many years, it didn't get much better, until [[The Chosen One|Tony Dungy]] was delivered unto the Tampa Bay Area they changed their uniforms from garish "creamsicle" orange-and-white to the current pewter-red-black scheme, and changed their logo from a winking pirate to a skull flag. That's around when they won the Super Bowl, led by coach Jon "Chuckie" Gruden. Team owner Malcolm Glazer is mildly disliked in Tampa. Don't ask English soccer fans about him, especially around Manchester.
** How bad was that 1976 winless season? One reporter asked then head coach John McKay, "What do you think of the offense's execution?" [[Deadpan Snarker|He replied]], "[[Crowning Moment of Funny|I'm in favor of it]]."
* The '''Washington
== Scheduling and Games ==
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* '''World Football League''' (1973-1975): A complete and total flop (and [[Never Trust a Trailer|not even a]] [[Non-Indicative Name|"world" football league]], the only team not on the American mainland was a team in Hawaii). Managed to last for two seasons despite laughable amounts of ineptness (one team had its equipment confiscated following the league's championship game) from almost everyone involved. Only two WFL alumni - Larry Csonka and Paul Warfield, both former NFL stars at the end of their careers - made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
** This is not the same as the World League of American Football, a league that began in the early 1990's and later evolved into NFL Europa; they are discussed later, under "American Football in Other Countries".
* '''United States Football League''' (1982-1987): The first serious competition with the NFL since the AFL's halcyon days. The league ran in the spring and signed several star college players (the first being Herschel Walker) before the NFL could snatch them up. The league had problems with solvency early on, and the more cash-strapped teams moved frequently making it hard to cultivate fanbases or secure long-term TV deals. Stories abounded of teams playing in near-empty stadiums and players having their paychecks bounce. Even so, it was rather popular in some markets and looked to be on the way towards success until Donald Trump (yeah, ''[[The Apprentice (trope)
** That $3 check [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/2006-08-07-usfl-retrospective_x.htm was never cashed (as of 2006)], and is considered one of the biggest collectors' items out there. Incidentally, the original amount of the award in that case was only $1, but under anti-trust law at that time, any damages awarded by a civil jury were to be automatically tripled, hence the odd value.
* '''Arena Football League''' (1987-2008, 2010-present): Just based on longevity and popularity, the Arena Football League is probably the best known alternative league since the 60's American Football League, even though the Arena League isn't technically a competitor to the NFL. The league plays "Arena football" which is different in several ways to regular football, stuff we'll let [[The Other Wiki]] [[wikipedia:Arena football|explain better]]. Did decently in the ratings and in popularity until the league surprisingly crashed and burned in 2008, and was re-activated in 2010. Like the AFL, a list of notable NFL players who also played/currently{{when}} play in the Arena league would be way too long for this page.
* '''[[Let X Be the Unknown|X]] Football League''' (2000-2001): Founded by [[
* '''United Football League''' (2007-present): The most recent entry into the NFL competitor sweepstakes, it's remained largely low key and currently{{when}} features only four teams in small markets. Has recently gained media attention for extending invitation to NFL players to play for them if the 2011 NFL lockout lasted until the regular season. This didn't happen. Current teams are in Virginia Beach, Virginia; Omaha, Nebraska; Las Vegas, Nevada and Sacramento, California. Not exactly football hotbeds, but each team has a small yet devoted fanbase.
* '''Lingerie Football League''' (2010-present): At this point, the only "major" [[Distaff Counterpart|female football league]] with any media attention, though most of it is [[No Such Thing as Bad Publicity|negative attention]] because the players basically play in athletically-minded [[Chainmail Bikini]]s with padding and helmets, with games carried in edited form on [[MTV]]2. Some of the female players are just glad to play at all (using the example of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League seen in ''[[A League of Their Own]]'') and try to ignore that the league basically exists as [[Fetish Fuel]] for guys too cheap to even get [[Cinemax]]. Uses a 7-on-7 indoor format with no punts and field goals. Started to exploit the publicity that came with the Lingerie Bowl, a pay-per-view event that counterprograms the Super Bowl yearly.
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=== Canadian Football ===
The professional Canadian Football League (CFL) and collegiate
The current roster of CFL teams consists of:
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'''Western Division'''
* ''BC Lions'': AKA the Leos. Created in 1954 and has never folded. It has long had to compete with hockey for fans' attention and lost miserably on this front, but recent events have given it a large insurgence of viewers. No inherent major rival, although Saskatchewan ends up being the default one, since the other two Western teams have each other to hate.
* ''Edmonton Eskimos'': AKA the Esks. Though Toronto has the most Grey Cup wins of the overall history of the league, Edmonton has the most Grey Cup wins of the league in its current incarnation, and is thus a very popular team. Continuing the "Battle of Alberta" tradition made famous by the NHL, its main rival is Calgary.▼
* ''Calgary Stampeders'': AKA the Stamps. Founded in 1935, this team was originally called the Calgary Broncs. Its main rival is Edmonton due to the aforementioned provincial rivalry. Saskatchewan has also been listed as a rival in recent years, but its animosity is not for Calgary itself but [[It's Personal|for its star player, Henry Burris]].
▲* ''Edmonton Eskimos'': AKA the Esks. Founded in 1949. Though Toronto has the most Grey Cup wins of the overall history of the league, Edmonton has the most Grey Cup wins of the league in its current incarnation, and is thus a very popular team. Continuing the "Battle of Alberta" tradition made famous by the NHL, its main rival is Calgary.
* ''Saskatchewan Roughriders'': AKA the Riders. Founded in 1910. Not usually a successful team, though there have been seasonal exceptions, the Riders are nevertheless known for their ''absolutely insane fans'', to the point of being called the Canadian counterpart of the Packers. Their major rival is Winnipeg, crossing division lines, especially after an incident in which a Winnipeg official recalled a provincial stereotype in an interview and referred to the Saskatchewan population as "banjo-picking hillbillies". However, much like Toronto, they also hate nearly every other team in the league for some grudge or another. For many years, the Riders were one of two similarly-named teams in the CFL. From the 1950s (when Canada's Eastern and Western leagues merged into the modern CFL) through 1996, the 'Riders co-existed with the Ottawa Rough Riders.
* ''Winnipeg Blue Bombers'': AKA the Bombers. Founded in 1930. Though Winnipeg played Hamilton for the Grey Cup on numerous occasions before the division lines were enforced for the playoffs, its main rival is actually Saskatchewan, despite being in another division. The Bombers are the team the CFL traditionally uses to balance divisions -- if there are four other Eastern teams, Winnipeg goes back to its traditional roots in the Western Division. When the East is down to three teams (during one of Montreal or Ottawa's hiatuses), Winnipeg moves to the East.▼
'''Eastern Division'''
▲* ''Winnipeg Blue Bombers'': AKA the Bombers. Founded in 1930. Though Winnipeg played Hamilton for the Grey Cup on numerous occasions before the division lines were enforced for the playoffs, its main rival is actually Saskatchewan, despite being in another division. The Bombers are the team the CFL traditionally uses to balance divisions -- if there are four other Eastern teams, Winnipeg goes back to its traditional roots in the Western Division. When the East is down to three teams (during one of Montreal or Ottawa's hiatuses), Winnipeg moves to the East.
* ''Hamilton Tiger-Cats'': AKA the Ti-Cats. Created in 1950 from a merger of two teams. Throughout the twentieth century, either Hamilton or one of the two teams it had been before the merger won the Grey Cup at least once per decade. Its rival is Toronto, being from the same province.
* ''Toronto Argonauts'': AKA the Argos. One of the oldest North American sports teams still existing and the oldest North American football team, this team was founded in 1873. Has the largest amount of Grey Cup wins in the league in part because it is the oldest and has also never folded. Has near-equal animosity towards the entire Eastern Division, but its main rival is Hamilton.
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* ''The Replacements'': a generally panned 2000 movie based on the 1987 NFL players' strike. Used a [[Brand X]] of the Washington Redskins, though it did use NFL insignia.
* ''Rudy'': 1993 movie about a player who earns a place on the Notre Dame football team through hard work.
* ''[[Knute Rockne, All American]]'': the movie that made [[Ronald Reagan]] famous and gave him his nickname, the Gipper.
* ''The Program'': 1993 movie that dramatized college football similarly to ''Any Given Sunday'', though ''The Program'' was much more well received. Also famous for having a scene in which several characters walk into traffic and lay down in the middle of a busy street to prove their bravery. This scene was cut from all post-theatrical versions of the film because [[Viewers are Morons|some kids tried to imitate it]] with [[Don't Try This At Home|predictable results]].
* Among its various incarnations, [[Friday Night Lights]]
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