Picking an NFL team to cheer for...

[Chump]

The seahawks could be a good bet they have been crap the last couple years but they have some good young talent and if you live in Calgary you can see every game on t.v. Plus Seattle is pretty close to catch a live game and Quest field is dope place to see one.

[burn_baby_burn]

If you really want to cheer for a rival team of the Cowboys, but don't like the Skins or Eagles, how about the New York Giants? They seem to win the Super Bowl every decade. Are moving into a brand new stadium. Have a decent history with a classic logo. Not to mention trips to watch them play in New York will be awesome.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Wait until a player amazes you and captures your interest.

John Elway made me a life long Broncos fan. It was wonderful knowing that they were never out of a game in that era.

Don't pick a team based on some arbitrary and unemotional reasoning.

[Pagal4321]

Years and years ago, in the days of Smallworld fantasy sports, I got a rookie name Daunte Culpepper on my team. He propelled me to a top 5 finish, and quickly became my favorite player.
From there, it moved to the Vikings as a team, and the more involved I got in fantasy football, the more of a die hard NFL fan I became.

Since then, #11 has blown out his knee, gone to the Raiders and Lions and is now in the UFL. But I've stuck with the team, and surprisingly have continued to be a die hard fan about the Vikings.

[valo403]

If you're going for smoking hot fans go with the Dolphins, I mean it's South Florida.

I have no idea why I'm a Dolphins fan, I assume it has to do with my childhood affinity for Mark 'Super' Duper in Tecmo Bowl.

Picking a new team is weird, especially in an established league that you don't have any direct ties to. Go for a team that has a similar personality as yourself. Say for instance you're a lifelong loser, you're now a Browns fan. Poor kid who works hard but can never quite get to the top? Bills it is. Hide your insecurities behind massive displays of wealth? Cowboys for you. Unapologetically violent? Raiders, obviously.

[browna]

Seahawks, to see every game every week (and the post game shows and interviews on the Seattle news), assuming you're in Calgary.

Plus, they're the underdogs this year, but being in a weak division, new energizing coach, the team should do ok and better then many are predicting.

That weekly consistent coverage is the only reason I am Seahawks fan over other teams, having watched them since the mid-late 80's, even though they were average at best and my interest was very casual at best back then.

[alltherage]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Wait until a player amazes you and captures your interest.

John Elway made me a life long Broncos fan. It was wonderful knowing that they were never out of a game in that era.

Don't pick a team based on some arbitrary and unemotional reasoning.

I know! Thats how I feel in a way... but I have been watching and waiting for that moment for 3-4 years now! I'm getting very impatient, and want to have a team by this season.

[Cheerio]

If you want an almost there NFC team cheer for the Atlanta Falcons. I've cheered for the Colts since I first watched an NFL game. It was the year after Manning got drafted, and they got slaughtered and I thought to myself "how could someone cheer for a team that sucks this bad and might not win a game all year?" Well I started watching more and more Colts game and eventually got hooked on the NFL.

[carom]

When I started watching the NFL in high school (late 90's) I picked the Bucs because they had 2 players that I really liked: Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn. It also helped that they were a team on the rise and played the type of football that I enjoyed (grind offense - strong defence).

Things have changed since then, and I don’t follow the team as closely as I used to, but I follow the league much more intensely now.

I think I like the personalities in the game just as much as I like the team aspect and strategy of the game. Each year I end up following some teams more then others based on the players that I am most excited to see.

I would pick a team based on the player(s) that most intrigue you. You will end up following more then just the one team because you will need to know about the teams in your division, the teams your team will be playing this year, the players your team has drafted, the players you want your team to draft, ect.

I should state that I follow college football more then I follow the NFL now. I was never like this before, but as I started to follow the draft more closely, I in turn started following college earlier and earlier in the season.

[zarrell]

It's not like it used to be, where if you wanted to see your team play you needed the US stations to broadcast in your area of Canada. Which is why I am a Vikings fan. Grew up in Winnipeg and got the Minneapolis TV stations. If I were you I'd pick the seahawks or cardinals, because of their proximity. ABP (anyone but packers). They're like the Riders of the NFL.

[Frequitude]

Green Bay = Edmonton Eskimos. That knocks them out.

[d_phaneuf]

Ya i would go with the young player you like and follow that team, not a ton of player movement in the NFL compared to other leagues so there is a pretty good chance he will be on that team for awhile and you will develop an attachment to the team as well

[howard_the_duck]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Wait until a player amazes you and captures your interest.

John Elway made me a life long Broncos fan. It was wonderful knowing that they were never out of a game in that era.

Don't pick a team based on some arbitrary and unemotional reasoning.

This. I became a Philadelphia Eagles fan solely because of Donovan McNabb. Class guy, great athlete, good ambassador.

He's the reason I cheer for the Eagles, even though I will be keeping a watchful eye on him in Washington.

If it's Rodgers you like, then go for Green Bay. A young guy I would have an easy time getting behind is Matt Stafford in Detroit. That team is bound to bounce back one of these years, and he's a gutsy player that can be their leader.

[troutman]

Join us in the Dawgpound. When the Browns finally reach the Superbowl it will be so sweet.

Cleveland needs some love after LeBron.

[Hanna Sniper]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Wait until a player amazes you and captures your interest.

John Elway made me a life long Broncos fan. It was wonderful knowing that they were never out of a game in that era.

Don't pick a team based on some arbitrary and unemotional reasoning.

I agree 100%

Dan Marino is who did it for me

Just watch and let whatever team draws you in, unless it's the Jets

[burn_baby_burn]

Dis is right, if your going to become a life long fan of a team, there needs to be some sort of emotional attachment. Something that will carry you through the rest of your life.

I became a Flames fan because they are local. I became a Chiefs fan because of my experience at Arrowhead Stadium 18 years ago. I became a Yankees fan because I became very interested about Babe Ruth when I was a kid. There are all sorts of reasons people become fans of certain teams.

With the NFL there is also a generational thing with NFL teams that had dynasties during a certain era. I know a lot of people my age (mid to late 30's) who are 49er fans because they were so dominate when we were kids and teenagers growing up in the 80's. I know a lot of people 5-10 years older than me that are Pittsburgh Steelers fans because they won 4 Super Bowls in the 70's when they were kids. Cowboys have baby boomer fans from their glory days in the late 60's early 70's. As well as a new generation of fans from their dynasty in the early 90's. You will run into older people who are Packers fans from their dominance in the 1960's. More recently, and there are a few of these people here at CP, you see a strong following of Patriots fans for their dominance over the last decade.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by howard_the_duck

This. I became a Philadelphia Eagles fan solely because of Donovan McNabb. Class guy, great athlete, good ambassador.

He's the reason I cheer for the Eagles, even though I will be keeping a watchful eye on him in Washington.

Weirdly enough, I became an Eagles fan because of Ricky Watters. I thought Ricky was awesome when I was a little kid, and was sort of a Niners fan when he played there. I was more of CFL fan back then so I really only kept track on the players I liked. When Ricky went to the Eagles I sort of started cheering for them.

However, I became a diehard Eagles fan after I got to go to a game at the Vet. I was able to go down to field level and meet McNabb and Corey Simon. Also met Harold Carmichael and had some pictures taken. I was 14 at the time so that pretty much cemented it.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by troutman

Join us in the Dawgpound. When the Browns finally reach the Superbowl it will be so sweet.

Cleveland needs some love after LeBron.

I'm rooting for you troutman, unless they meet the Chiefs in the playoffs.

[Antithesis]

I would say that you want to cheer for a team in either the NFC West or AFC West. You would get to see many games that way. I enjoy watching the Seahawks, and as others say, you get many of their games on TV here.

[transplant99]