There are whispers in league circles that, were the Jaguars to leave, they would be better suited to relocate to London than Los Angeles, in part because there wouldn't be the same need for divisional realignments if a team from the West or Midwest were to relocate overseas. Source: LA Times
From the rumblings on NFLUK, the NFL are planing on having at least one Jaguars home game of for the next few years to build a fanbase for them, and move on from there. Unless the NFL are willing to have the Jags in Jacksonville for the next five years, I don't see this as a possibility.
Why? No other city in the US has shown they deserve a team. I agree that London should be at least another 10 years away, but if the franchise is in the right hands, it could be big (Not that I have much faith in the NFL, seeing as the NFL destroyed the WLAF when the Monarchs averaged 50,000 each week back in the day, not bad considering ). It's easy to slam these things, but what alternative do they have? LA? Seeing as they couldn't hang onto the last two teams that were there. About about San Antonio? No doubt the Cowboy mad state of Texas would be able to support another team.
I've said it before and I've said it again, Jacksonville does not lack a fan base, the city lacks funds, well, the city's people lack funds. They can't pay to attend these games. You could easily relocate the Jaguars to Alabama, Birmingham has been begging for a team, (see the Birmingham Dome), the Bay area would definitely support one as well. South Carolina? Georgia, specifically Macon, could support a second one as well, Memphis? There's just too many options that don't handicap a team due to excessive jetlag. That's the main thing I have against a London team, there's a substantial time difference between London and say, San Diego. I've never been a fan of a return to LA either, obviously the fan base is relatively small, it would be Jacksonville on a different scale of failure, but there are so many options in the US that have yet to be explored. Midwest included.
There does not need to be another team in TX I would rule OK out as well. I just do not see this happening any time soon. With state the economy is in right now all sports are feeling the crunch so the owners, who would have to OK the move, would not want the added cost of having to travel that for a game.
It would be a horrible decision to move an NFL team or teams to london..... how do you expect players from all the different teams to travel with the time difference? It would be too much of an advantage for the london team to play at home becuase they wont be Knackered aka exhausted from the time difference. US teams will have the advantage with playing at home for the same reason. Unless you put the game time at 8pm every game in london so it would be 3pm EST and earlier in other places. Not only that it would cost much more to have every team that plays the london team a lot of extra money to travel. If England wants to get into NFL they can start recruiting brits for their own teams.... or if players and their famalies are willing volenteers to be part of a london team then ok..... It might be just me but I think its a bad idea unless NFL players themselfs are wanting to do it then it becomes a different story but to play constant games in london or for the players to play a game over in the US will cause problems with there being 5 hour+ time difference...... Granted its not a lot but it then would be the time they have to play that would determine how difficult it would be to play. If a london team plays a monday night game in Denver and the game starts at 6pm then for them its like playing at 1am their time... I believe its 1am.. maybe midnight but you get where I am going with this.......
Smart, move a team from a city that won't support them to another city that won't support them that's in a completely different country across the Atlantic. Brilliant. I think a Southern city would be a much better match, it wouldn't heck up the divisions, the city would more likely support the team and there wouldn't be that pain in the butt travel.
Let's bring some good mannered contribution into this debate. I say if London does get the team, they better bring back the Monarchs and their awesome original uniforms:
Bring back the NFL Europe, either four or eight teams, extend the season to 18 games. Add four inter-league games a year. Not a good idea either, but better than a team in London.
