Professor Bainbridge...on law, politics, religion, culture & food

Football in LA: Pick a Team

Peter King answers a reader question on the prospects that an NFL team will move to Los Angeles:

“How close, seriously, is the NFL to putting a team in L.A.? Which team will it be?’’

Not close at all, and there currently is no impetus for a franchise to move there. My guess is it won’t happen for at least five years, and when it does, the best candidates are San Diego (totally stalled on getting a new stadium built), Buffalo (which will be in play at some point, but probably will split games between Buffalo and Toronto), St. Louis (the Rams CAN go home again) and Jacksonville (not the market the NFL envisioned 15 years ago).

Not having a NFL team in Los Angeles has its advantages, as I never have to worry about blackout issues, but I’m finally at the stage of life where I could afford decent seats, so if a NFL team came back to town, I’d probably buy season tickets.

So which of the 4 should I hope comes to town? First, I’ll assume no divisional realignment. As you’ll see that’s key.

Bills: Not a team of which I’m fond. Have to play the Patriots twice a year. Jets and Dolphins are boring divisional rivals. 4th Choice.

Jaguars: I like them. A lot. They’ve got some good young players and the organization seems to have its head together. But even 5 years out the AFC South is still likely to be one of the toughest divisions in the league. Indianapolis and Tennessee have solid ownership and front offices, which do a good job of reloading year in and year out. The Jags are liekly to finish 3rd way too often. 3rd Choice

Rams: I’m a NFC guy, so that’s a big plus. They have history in LA. Good regional rivals. With new ownership and an improved front office, they easily could become competitive in their division. Arizona is mired in mediocrity, at best, from which they seem unlikely to ever escape. The 49ers organization is not what it once was and I’m confident it isn’t going to get better anytime soon. The Seahawks have never displayed evidence of dynastic potential. 2nd Choice.

Chargers: First, it would be fun to rob my friends in San Diego of their team. Second, I think the organization has finally got its act together. As long as Al Davis is alive, the Raiders will be no real threat. KC is another team that seems to perpetually spin its wheels. Denver’s a solid franchise, but put the Chargers organization in LA and I think we win enough free agent bidding wars to be a perennial winnder in that division. Dynasty City. 1st Choice