History UsefulNotes / NationalFootballLeague

* The Indianapolis Colts[[note]]originally the Baltimore Colts[[/note]] are in the AFC South, even though they're a Midwestern team that's geographically north of the Cincinnati Bengals, a member of the AFC North.[[note]]The legal settlement over the Cleveland Browns relocation required that the revived Browns be placed in the same division as Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Baltimore became the fourth AFC North team rather than Indy to preserve their old rivalries.[[/note]] No other team in either South Division is located outside the Southern United States.

'''Current Starting Quarterback:''' Bailey Zappe\\

'''Notable Historic Players:''' Don Maynard, Larry Grantham, Matt Snell, Joe Namath, Winston Hill, Pat Leahy, Richard Todd, Joe Klecko, Marvin Powell, Mark Gastineau, Freeman [=McNeil=], Ken O'Brien, Dennis Byrd, Vinny Testaverde, Curtis Martin, Mo Lewis, Kevin Mawae, Chad Pennington, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold, Darrelle Revis, Thomas Jones, Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, Sauce Gardner\\

'''Prior Names/Locations:''' Cleveland Browns (1946-95)[[labelnote:De Facto]]De jure, the Ravens were first established in 1996.[[/labelnote]]\\

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** ''Most Recent Winner'': Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns[[note]]Led the Browns to a playoff berth despite a very injured roster and massive instability at the QB position. His second time winning the award. He beat runner-up [=DeMeco=] Ryans of the Houston Texans [[DecidedByOneVote by a single vote]]; the Texans beat the Browns in the playoffs (it's worth noting that the award only takes into account the regular season; if the postseason were included; Ryans' victory over Stefanski in the playoffs would have likely given him the edge).[[/note]]

* '''Defensive Player of the Year''': Given to the best defensive player in the league in a given year. Linebackers, cornerbacks, and defensive linemen can be counted on to usually win the award. Safeties get the short end of the stick--only five have won the award since its inception (1971), but three of those have won since 2000, so maybe opinions are changing. Lawrence Taylor, J.J. Watt, and Aaron Donald are tied for the most, with three each[[note]]as of 2024, all three have retired, so if someone does break the tie, it will have to be someone new[[/note]].

* '''Defensive Player of the Year''': Given to the best defensive player in the league in a given year. Linebackers, cornerbacks, and defensive linemen can be counted on to usually win the award. Safeties get the short end of the stick--only five have won the award since its inception (1971), but three of those have won since 2000, so maybe opinions are changing. Lawrence Taylor, J.J. Watt, and Aaron Donald are tied for the most, with three each.

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'''Home Stadium:''' Gillette Stadium (65,878 capacity) [Since 20\\

'''Home Stadium:''' AT&T Stadium (80,000 capacity, can be expanded to 105,000)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' [=MetLife=] Stadium (82,500 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Lincoln Financial Field (69,796 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' [=FedEx=] Field (62,000 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Soldier Field (61,500 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Ford Field (65,000 capacity, expandable to 70,000)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Lambeau Field (81,441 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' U.S. Bank Stadium (66,860 capacity, expandable to 73,000)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Mercedes-Benz Stadium (71,000 capacity, can be expanded to 75,000)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Bank of America Stadium (74,867 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Caesars Superdome (73,208 capacity, expandable to 76,468)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Raymond James Stadium (69,218 capacity, expandable to 75,000)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' State Farm Stadium (63,400 capacity, expandable to 78,600 with standing room)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' [=SoFi=] Stadium (70,240 capacity, expandable to 100,240)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Levi's Stadium (68,500 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Lumen Field (68,740 capacity, expandable to 72,000)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Highmark Stadium (71,608 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Hard Rock Stadium (64,767 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Gillette Stadium (65,878 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' [=MetLife=] Stadium (82,500 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' M&T Bank Stadium (71,008 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Paycor Stadium (65,515)\\

->'''Year Established:''' 1946[[labelnote:De Jure]]De facto, the modern Browns were established in 1999.[[/labelnote]]\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Cleveland Browns Stadium (67,452 capacity, can be expanded to 73,718)[[note]]Known as [=FirstEnergy=] Stadium from 2013–2023; the Browns and the company ended the naming rights contract early after the company was involved in a major political corruption scandal[[/note]]\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Acrisure Stadium (68,400 capacity, can extend to 75,000)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' NRG Stadium (72,220 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Lucas Oil Stadium (67,000 capacity, expandable to 70,000)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' [=EverBank=] Stadium (67,814 capacity, can expand to 82,000)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Nissan Stadium (69,143 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Empower Field at Mile High (76,125 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Arrowhead Stadium (76,416 capacity)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' Allegiant Stadium (65,000 capacity, expandable to 72,000)\\

'''Home Stadium:''' [=SoFi=] Stadium (70,240 capacity, expandable to 100,240)\\

->'''Year Established:''' 1996\\

->'''Year Established:''' 1946\\

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'''Notable Historic Players:''' Cliff Battles, Turk Edwards, Wayne Millner, Sammy Baugh, Frank Filchock, Al Lolotai, Bones Taylor, Gene Brito, Eddie [=LeBaron=], Bobby Mitchell, Sonny Jurgensen, Charley Taylor, Chris Hanburger, Jerry Smith, Billy Kilmer, Larry Brown, Ken Houston, Dave Butz, John Riggins, Joe Theismann, Monte Coleman, Art Monk, Russ Grimm, Dexter Manley, Darrell Green, Mark Moseley, Doug Williams, Mark Rypien, Earnest Byner, Ray Brown, Brian Mitchell, Chris Samuels, Clinton Portis, Sean Taylor, London Fletcher, [=DeAngelo=] Hall, Trent Williams, Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith\\

** ''Most Recent Winner'': Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

** ''Most Recent Winner'': Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns[[note]]Led the Browns to a playoff berth despite a very injured roster and massive instability at the QB position. His second time winning the award. He beat runner-up [=DeMeco=] Ryans of the Houston Texans [[DecidedByOneVote by a single vote]]; the Texans beat the Browns in the playoffs.[[/note]]

The '''UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} Falcons''' were rushed into the NFL in 1966 when the league gave a franchise to local businessman Rankin Smith just when it looked like the AFL was going to put a team in the rapidly growing Southern city. They really haven't gotten over that birthright, seeming to always fall just short of credibility. [[TheChewToy It took over a decade for the team to even make the playoffs, and they didn't post consecutive winning seasons from their inception until 2009.]][[note]]One reason for these troubles may be that the Falcons' second ever draft class in 1967 is in the running for the worst ''ever'', and decidedly ''the'' worst in the common draft era, as none of the sixteen players they picked played a ''single game'' in Atlanta (despite four future Hall of Famers being available even without a theoretical trade up). The Falcons' overall attitude towards the draft remained nonchalant for several years including wasting a late rounder in 1971 on a 64-year-old Creator/JohnWayne.[[/note]] In that time, however, the team also had several bizarre breakout successes that they were unable to follow up on. In 1977, their "Grits Blitz" defense established itself [[StoneWall as the #1 defense of the modern era in several statistical categories, though their offense was so poor they only went 7-7.]] After a few scattered playoff runs, the team cratered in the '80s, only to rise back to prominence as the home of Deion Sanders and the chosen team of Music/MCHammer in the early '90s. In 1998, a Cinderella squad nicknamed the "Dirty Birds" for their physical playing style and being comprised mostly of washouts made it all the way to Super Bowl XXXIII under coach Dan Reeves only to be shut down by the Broncos.\\\

The '''UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} Falcons''' were rushed into the NFL in 1966 when the league gave a franchise to local businessman Rankin Smith just when it looked like the AFL was going to put a team in the rapidly growing Southern city. They really haven't gotten over that birthright, seeming to always fall just short of credibility. [[TheChewToy It took over a decade for the team to even make the playoffs, and they didn't post consecutive winning seasons from their inception until 2009.]] In that time, however, the team also had several bizarre breakout successes that they were unable to follow up on. In 1977, their "Grits Blitz" defense established itself [[StoneWall as the #1 defense of the modern era in several statistical categories, though their offense was so poor they only went 7-7.]] After a few scattered playoff runs, the team cratered in the '80s, only to rise back to prominence as the home of Deion Sanders and the chosen team of Music/MCHammer in the early '90s. In 1998, a Cinderella squad nicknamed the "Dirty Birds" for their physical playing style and being comprised mostly of washouts made it all the way to Super Bowl XXXIII under coach Dan Reeves only to be shut down by the Broncos.\\\

'''Notable Historic Players:''' Tommy Thompson, Steve Van Buren, Pete Pihos, Chuck Bednarik, Tom Brookshier, Pete Retzlaff, Tommy [=McDonald=], Norm Van Brocklin, Bob Brown, Harold Jackson, Bill Bradley, Harold Carmichael, Vince Papale, Ron Jaworski, Randall Cunningham, Andre Waters, Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Eric Allen, Ricky Watters, Mark [=McMillian=], Brian Dawkins, Troy Vincent, Donovan [=McNabb=], David Akers, Terrell Owens, [=DeSean=] Jackson, [=LeSean McCoy=], Jason Peters, Brandon Graham, Jason Kelce, Nick Foles, Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz, Carson Wentz, A.J. Brown\\

'''Notable Historic Players:''' Tommy Thompson, Steve Van Buren, Pete Pihos, Chuck Bednarik, Pete Retzlaff, Tommy [=McDonald=], Norm Van Brocklin, Bob Brown, Harold Jackson, Bill Bradley, Harold Carmichael, Vince Papale, Ron Jaworski, Randall Cunningham, Andre Waters, Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Eric Allen, Ricky Watters, Mark [=McMillian=], Brian Dawkins, Troy Vincent, Donovan [=McNabb=], David Akers, Terrell Owens, [=DeSean=] Jackson, [=LeSean McCoy=], Jason Peters, Brandon Graham, Jason Kelce, Nick Foles, Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz, Carson Wentz, A.J. Brown\\

'''Current Starting Quarterback:''' Justin Fields\\

'''Current Starting Quarterback:''' N/A\\

'''Current Starting Quarterback:''' Aidan O'Connell\\

'''Current Starting Quarterback:''' Kirk Cousins\\
'''Notable Historic Players:''' Fran Tarkenton, Jim Marshall, Mick Tingelhoff, Carl Eller, Fred Cox, Alan Page, Paul Krause, Joe Kapp, Gene Washington, Ron Yary, Chuck Foreman, Ahmad Rashād, Tommy Kramer, Steve Jordan, Chris Doleman, Keith Millard, Gary Zimmerman, Randall [=McDaniel=], John Randle, Cris Carter, Korey Stringer, Randy Moss, Gary Anderson, Matt Birk, Daunte Culpepper, Kevin Williams, Chris Kluwe, Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen, Harrison Smith, Adam Thilen, Stefon Diggs, Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson\\

'''Current Starting Quarterback:''' Desmond Ridder\\

'''Current Starting Quarterback:''' Joe Flacco (in relief of Deshaun Watson)\\

'''Current Starting Quarterback:''' Mason Rudolph\\

'''Notable Historic Players:''' Babe Parilli, Gino Cappelletti, Jim Nance, John Hannah, Sam Cunningham, Steve Grogan, Stanley Morgan, Mike Haynes, Andre Tippett, Kenneth Sims, Tony Eason, Ben Coates, Drew Bledsoe, Willie [=McGinest=], Troy Brown, Ty Law, Tedy Bruschi, Adam Vinatieri, Kevin Faulk, Terry Glenn, Creator/TomBrady, Mike Vrabel, Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison, Vince Wilfork, Stephen Gostkowski, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Matthew Slater, Julian Edelman, Devin and Jason [=McCourty=], James White, [=LeGarrette=] Blount\\

'''Nicknames:''' The Pats, The Death Star, The Ghosts (2019 defense, referencing an infamous quote by Jets QB Sam Darnold)\\

'''Nicknames:''' The Pats\\

'''Nicknames:''' The Dirty Birds\\

Unfortunately, Gruden was traded to the Buccaneers in 2002, where he used his knowledge of Raiders' playbook to deliver his old team [[CurbStompBattle a 48-21 Super Bowl loss]] in 2002. The once-dominant team [[SeasonalRot quickly entered a sharp decline]] it still hasn't recovered from. Since their Super Bowl defeat, they have made the playoffs only twice (in 2016 and 2021) and have yet to make it past the wild card. The Raiders are now known mostly for a revolving-door coaching staff, picking up players that no one else will touch due to either age or character issues, drafting/signing speedy players [[CripplingOverspecialization who couldn't do much else]] to outrageous contracts, and Davis [[ExecutiveMeddling massively interfering with the coaches' jobs]] prior to his death in 2011. Since Al's son Mark took over, the team has improved somewhat but has yet to return to its former glory. Due to their nationwide popularity and outdated stadium, they were long considered the team most likely to move, presumably back to Los Angeles before the NFL approved the Rams and Chargers' moves in 2016. By then, the Raiders were deep in discussions for a move to Vegas, a market long seen as off-limits before the major pro sports leagues took complete about-face on their former anti-gambling stance. The owners approved the move in 2017, which the team finished in 2020 after the completion of their new stadium. More recently, they gained further off-field publicity in 2023 when Creator/TomBrady was announced as a new minority investor (pending approval of the other league owners).\\\