Hey all, a few weeks back I started wondering what Reddit discussions would have been like if the site was around during the 2002 realignment so planning to eventually post on all the different subs to see what their feelings were with how the alignment ended up for their team. For you guys, it involved moving Indy out and keeping the other 4 together which was probably one of the harder divisions to deal with given that all five teams had been together since at least 1960. Geographically it seemed to make the most sense to move Miami into the AFCS instead of Indy but understand they were trying to keep some rivalries together.
Would love any thoughts from everyone if they had feelings different than (or same as) mine on how the 2002 realignment affected this team.
I know it had zero impact on the decision making process but it was a silver (maybe?) lining that Indy was the odd man out. Sure you would see Manning/Brady twice a year in the regular season, but the chances of seeing the fireworks in the playoffs that we all got used to would probably never happen.
But, those Colts teams were regular season juggernauts most times, so maybe that hampers the Patriot dynasty from ever even starting. Who knows?
I was kinda too young at the time to grasp what all the alignment meant (19) so I really just kinda look back at the what-ifs
Sigh. BITD - Super Bowl years - the Colts, Patriots, and Jets all sucked. You could conceivably get six wins off those teams each season. Miami was the only threat in the division. Bills had a chance to only need to go 4-6 outside of the Colts, Pats, and Jets to make the playoffs. 3-6 if you split with Miami.