I agree that we will forever disagree; but if you can find another NFL team that suffers all three disadvantages (travel, turf and weather) when they play all of our inner division rivals, I'll kiss your *ss in front of three people. No where else in the NFL does this exist, no where! This is not fair, and it has never been fair. This should have been addressed years ago but it was neglected. Unfortunately, now we have become used to this foolishness. We'll continue to keep our rivalries and continue to miss the Superbowl because of it as our horrid winning percentage suggests. Weather, travel and turf is ineed a part of the game as lets put the Buffalo Bills is the NFC West and everyone will be happy. After all, according to this thread - its fair, I guess.
You might be able to add the Titans Game in 2009. I was there and it was below freezing, with a windshield in the teens.
To add some perspective I added the rest of the division (past and present). We currently hold the best Inter divisional record of any teams (past or present) in our division. If you look at the Colts Divisional records you can clearly see why they were so fast in wanting out of the AFC East. I see no reason for us to think that leaving the division would win us a championship faster nor would I want to. Note: the records or for all are head to head games including regular season and playoff games. Also if there is a typo (which there may be its late and I like beer) let me know and I will correct it. Data gathered from pro-football-reference. [TABLE="head; width=40%"]{colsp=5}Miami Team|Win|Loss|Tie|Pct Jets|41|46|1|0.472 NE|49|37|0|0.570 Bills|52|35|1|0.598 Colts|44|24|0|0.647 {colsp=4}AVG W/ Colts|0.572 {colsp=4}AVG W/O Colts|0.547 [/TABLE] [TABLE="head; width=40%"]{colsp=5}Bills Team|Win|Loss|Tie|Pct Jets|53|45|0|0.541 NE|40|58|1|0.409 Mia|35|52|1|0.403 Colts|35|30|1|0.538 {colsp=4}AVG W/ Colts|0.473 {colsp=4}AVG W/O Colts|0.451 [/TABLE] [TABLE="head; width=40%"]{colsp=5}Jets Team|Win|Loss|Tie|Pct Bills|45|53|0|0.459 NE|50|48|1|0.510 Mia|46|41|1|0.528 Colts|26|40|0|0.394 {colsp=4}AVG W/ Colts|0.473 {colsp=4}AVG W/O Colts|0.499 [/TABLE] [TABLE="head; width=40%"]{colsp=5}New England Team|Win|Loss|Tie|Pct Bills|58|40|1|0.591 Jets|48|50|1|0.490 Mia|37|49|0|0.430 Colts|42|28|0|0.600 {colsp=4}AVG W/ Colts|0.528 {colsp=4}AVG W/O Colts|0.504 [/TABLE] [TABLE="head; width=40%"]{colsp=5}Colts Team|Win|Loss|Tie|Pct Bills|30|35|1|0.462 Jets|40|26|0|0.606 Mia|24|44|0|0.353 NE|28|42|0|0.400 {colsp=4}AVG|0.455 [/TABLE]
See my post I just put up. We have the BEST inter division record in the AFC East. If anything its a disadvantage for them to have us on their schedule.
I don;t want to play all our games in perfect weather, then make the playoffs and have to 'adjust' to cold conditions when it counts. The heck with that. Build a team that can win under any conditions. A dominant one. This regime knows it... it's part of why they said they took Carpenter as our kicker from U. Montana. They said they knew he could kick in cold conditions.
Thanks for the above post, I appreciate it when work goes into a post and this took a little digging. Below is the success that Indy has had since being put in the AFC South division (Our rightful division) since they moved in 1983. Now just imagine what we could have done all those years if we were in the proper AFC South division. Playoff appearances 1987, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Division championships AFC South: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 Super Bowl Championships 2006 (XLI) I really don’t care about AFC East winning percentages or trying to keep the Dolphins out of cold weather, superbowl wins are my only concern and in decades, we have NONE because of the problems stated in my above post. I have been watching this team since 1970, and haven’t seen a superbowl win in 36 years/seasons (since 73) despite all of our talent. After a while you must ask why when teams of lesser talent have won. I have found the answer. It is because we are in the wrong division. Polar bears don't play with coconuts and no one vacations from Miami to the Meadowlands. We are quite clearly in the wrong division. I don’t think the Colt example is one you really want to use, do you?
If we're a good football team we will win no matter what the weather is. If we're a bad team we'll lose no matter where we play.
Contributing the colts winning to leaving the AFC East is extremely short sighted and the same kind of thinking that will win us zero championships. The Colts started winning because of two people, well three really, Bill Polian, Tony Dungy, and Peyton Manning. Bill Polian joined the Colts in 1998 drafted Manning and started their rebuilding process. Four years later they hired Dungy as their head coach and their climb to greatness began. They didn't win their SB because they left our division they won it because they built the best team in football at that time and for the most part over that entire time frame. The minute we build the best team in football we will also start to win championships and not before then no matter what division we move to. As for the last part brother its really hard to hit a moving target. At first it was travel that was why we can't win a SB. Then it was Weather. When I show you we win more head to head games against teams in our division its no longer any of the above. We are in the middle stages of building a team that can contend. What the FO and Coaching staff does over the next couple years will determine whether or not we are a championship team. Not what division we are in.
Agree that we are in the middle stages of building a team (powerhouse) and I think we'll all agree with that. My point has been and continues to be that no other team in the NFL plays all of their inner division away games with a tri-fecta against them (extensive travel, opposite playing surface and and extreme weather change) and our losing percentage after October 1st in these games (as posted above in this tread ) reflects that... Now with that being said, I will say this: a good team can win anywhere but what the NFL has us facing yearly is extreme and no one else in the NFL, in any division has to did it but us. It appears as though we have been singled out. This is and has always been my point. I like our rivalries, but like superbowl wins more. We could enhance our chances of getting into the playoffs with HFA a great deal by being put in the proper division. Good thread guys, lets keep it going.......
The weather in Oct and Nov isn't generally that bad. It's not freakishly cold...he'll, it's not even cold, and there isn't feet of snow.
