Teams

=Teams =

The NFL currently consists of 32 teams who are allowed a maximum of 53 players and a minimum of 45. The league then separates the 32 teams into two conferences called the AFC and NFC. These conferences are then broken down further by their geographic locations. Currently all of the teams are located in the US but one team does occasionally host a game in Toronto's Rogers Centre. The majority of American metropolitan cities have a professional football team with the exception of Los Angeles. Today the Dallas Cowboys are not only the highest valued football franchise but the second highest valued franchise behind English soccer team Manchester United. Some teams are still very new such as the Houston Texans who are only seven years old while other teams have been around since the introduction of American professional football.

There are only two teams that have been around since the introduction of the National Football League in 1920, the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals. These teams survived the rough economic times and poor organization that plagued the NFL's first few years. The 1920's saw the introduction and exit of close to 50 teams who lasted on average three to four years. The teams in most cases did not have enough followers to support a future and most teams were relocated to bigger cities. It wasn't until the merge with the American Football league when teams became more stable and economically safe. Below is a list of all the current 2009/2010 teams in the NFL.
 * American Football Conference |||||| National Football Conference ||
 * Division || Team || Joined ||  || Team || Joined ||
 * East || Buffalo Bills || 1970 ||  || Dallas Cowboys || 1960 ||
 * || Miami Dolphins || 1970 ||  || New York Giants || 1925 ||
 * || New England Patriots || 1970 ||  || Philadelphia Eagles || 1933 ||
 * || New York Jets || 1970 ||  || Washington Redskins || 1932 ||
 * North || Baltimore Ravens || 1966 ||  || Chicago Bears || 1920 ||
 * || Cincinnati Bengals || 1970 ||  || Detroit Lions || 1930 ||
 * || Cleveland Brown || 1950 ||  || Green Bay Packers || 1921 ||
 * || Pittsburgh Steelers || 1933 ||  || Minnesota Vikings || 1961 ||
 * South || Houston Texans || 2002 ||  || Atlanta Falcons || 1966 ||
 * || Indianapolis Colts || 1953 ||  || Carolina Panthers || 1995 ||
 * || Jacksonville Jaguars || 2002 ||  || New Orleans Saints || 1967 ||
 * || Tennessee Titans || 1995 ||  || Tampa Bay Buccaneers || 1976 ||
 * West || Denver Broncos || 1970 ||  || Arizona Cardinals || 1920 ||
 * || Kansas City Chiefs || 1970 ||  || St. Louis Rams || 1937 ||
 * || Oakland Raiders || 1970 ||  || San Fransisco 49ers || 1950 ||
 * || San Diego Chargers || 1970 ||  || Seattle Seawhawks || 1976 ||
 * || Kansas City Chiefs || 1970 ||  || St. Louis Rams || 1937 ||
 * || Oakland Raiders || 1970 ||  || San Fransisco 49ers || 1950 ||
 * || San Diego Chargers || 1970 ||  || Seattle Seawhawks || 1976 ||

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