The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the oldest teams in the NFL beginning their history since 1933. Bert Bell and Lud Wray purchased the Frankfort Yellowjackets for only $2,500. The Eagles first season produced a 3-5-1 record and they didn’t have a winning season until they merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers to form the Steagles in 1943. Do to the shortage of players because of World War II the Steagles finished third in the NFL East with a 5-4-1 record. After the Eagles became the Philadelphia Eagles again in 1944 they continued to improve with a 7-1-2 record and finishing second in the east.In 1947 the Eagles took the next step by reaching the NFL Championship game but came up short losing to the Chicago Cardinals 28-21. The following year the Eagles would get their redemption beating the Chicago Cardinals in the rematch and won the NFL Championship 7-0. The next season produced the same result when the Eagles defeated the Los Angeles Rams 14-0 to claim their second NFL Championship. After that championship.

After a drought of ten seasons the Eagles return to their championship ways they had in the 1940′s by defeating the Green Bay Packers 17-13 in the NFL Championship game in 1960. After their championship win the Eagles went on their worst stretch in franchise history only having two winning seasons in the eighteen seasons. Coach Dick Vermeil once again brought winning back to the Eagles and his third season as coach the Eagles reached the playoffs but lost to the Atlanta Falcons 14-13 in the first round. The Eagles would make the playoffs from 1978-1981. In The Eagles made it to Super Bowl XV but eventually lost to the Oakland Raiders 27-10. There 1980 season ended with a 12-4 record, their best regular season ever up to that point.

From 1988 to 2006 the Eagles made the playoffs twelve times with six division titles and a Super Bowl XXXIV appearance and became one of the more consistent teams in the NFC. Also, from 2001 to 2004 the Eagles played in four NFC Championship games.

The Eagles have had their share of Hall of fame players and coaches who made their franchise successful which include defensive end Reggie White, wide receiver Tommy McDonald, Head Coach Earle “Greasy” Neale, and current quarterback Donovan McNabb. McNabb has been one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL for the last decade with over 25,000 passing yards, a five time Pro Bowl selection, and second in the Most Valuable Player award in 2000.

The Eagles play in most would consider the toughest division in football, the NFC East with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Washington Redskins. In winning that division would surely make the Philadelphia Eagles a favorite to win the NFC and maybe even the Super Bowl.

The Tampa Bay became the 27^th NFL franchise in 1974 and in 1976 went 0-14 in their first season. The Bucs are the last team in the NFL to go winless in an entire season. The Buc initially started in the AFC South but was moved to the NFC Central, which is now the NFC South. In their first two years in the league the Bucs lost twenty-six consecutive games which is the NFL record. The Bucs finally won their first game on December 11, 1977 against the New Orleans Saints. Only three seasons removed from the winless season the Bucs won the NFC Central division with a 10-6 record and found themselves in the NFC Championship game but lost to the Los Angeles Rams 9-0. The Bucs have complied six division championships over the course of their history.

The Bucs prided themselves on great defense play since their beginnings. With the likes of great defensive players such as defensive end Lee Roy Selmon who was the Bucs very first draft choice in 1976. Despite the Bucs early history woes Selmon had great individual success being named to the Pro Bowl team six times, Defensive Player of the Year in 1979, and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Bucs would win the NFC Central again in 1982 with a 9-7 record which enabled them to make the playoffs three times out of the last four seasons.

After a very long drought of unsuccessful seasons in the 1980′s and early 1990′s the Buc regain there old form from the late 1970′s acquiring future Hall of Fame player defensive tackle Warren Sapp. Sapp was drafted in 1995 and had his most productive seasons with the Bucs making seven Pro Bowls and being a very important player on their 2002 Super Bowl XXXVII winning team. Coach John Gruden helped the Bucs get over the hump with their Super Bowl victory which the previous coach Tony Dungy couldn’t do. The Bucs with their stellar defense finished with a 12-4 regular season record and a blow out of the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. Key players of their Super Bowl run were linebacker Derrick Brooks, who became a ten time Pro Bowl selection, defensive end Simeon Rice, who lead the entire NFL in sacks with a 121 among active players upon retirement in 2007, safety John Lynch, and running back Michael Pittman.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play in the NFC South with the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and the Atlanta Falcons. The division has been one by each team in the last five season. Since their Super Bowl victory in 2002 the Bucs have been poor to average to good but never making an significant impact within the NFC. With a NFC that had been improving with the overall quality of teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to develop and acquire talent before they revert back to an insignificant team once again.

The history of American Football dates back further then you might realize. As is the case of sports in general, football has evolved into the game we see today making it the number one sport in America in popularity and success. There are countless legends of this the game, Vince Lombardi (which the Super Bowl trophy is named after), Jim Thorpe, Walter Payton,  Joe Montana, Otto Graham, Red Grange, Jim Brown, Jerry Rice, Reggie White, George Halas,  and Johnny Unitas. They all help shape the history and paved the way for the football players of today to have the opportunities for fame and fortune. While careers might be cut short to do injuries, different players come and go, each player has the chance to leave their own mark on the game before their time is over and the next generation takes their place.

American Football is a very rough, physical, demanding sport and only the men who are truly committed to it will have the success they are looking for. For more then 85 years of tradition, these men have sacrificed for the game they love.

It is a very simple game, but also very complicated at the same time. The goal of football is trying to score on your opponents side of the field either with a touchdown, field goal, or safety as much as you can before time expires. While this sounds fairly easy, over time there have been many variations on how to execute such an easy objective.

Football wasn’t the success it was many years ago, in fact there have been numerous occasions where football was on the brink of failure, especially in the professional football leagues.

The game we see every Sunday developed from the game called rugby and soccer. How football began is popularity into the mainstream society  were through athletic clubs where teams started to form. Walter Camp is considered to be the father of the modern day American football and helped write the first rules of American football. There have been many rule changes of the course of footballs history. At a time a field goal was 4 points and a touchdown was 5 points.

At a time professional football was considered a joke by many and college football was the main attraction. During the 1910′s and 1920′s Jim Thorpe played for the Pine Village Pros in Indiana. Thorpe was a gold medalist track star from the 1912 Summer Olympics and brought more credibility to the professional game. A major turning point during this time occurred when the major football teams of the day met in a series of meetings and formed the American Professional Football Conference. In 1922, the American Professional Foot Conference changed its name to the NFL or National Football League as we know it today. In 1924 the league had 18 franchises despite many difficulties concerning players salaries and constantly using college players while still enrolled. The NFL grew to 22 teams in 1926 but was quickly downsized to 10 teams because of the lack of talent across the league.

Entering the depression ere of the 1930s professional football the were significant changes such as dividing the NFL into two separate leagues know as the Western and Eastern leagues, an annual draft for college players, and the Pro Bowl game between the NFL Champions and a team of all-stars. The NFL’s first playoff game between The Bears and Spartans was held in 1932 indoors at Chicago Stadium in front of 10,000 people. A third league was formed, the All-American Football Conference and was considered the NFL’s rival.

During World War II the NFL rosters were cut down and wearing helmets became mandatory. National attention continued to grow the Los Angeles Rams were formed and in 1950 they became the first team to have all their games televised. As players continued to get better ties were more and more common so more playoff games were needed to determine who would play in the championship games. In 1951, the NFL Championship game was televised nation wide for the first time.

The 1960′s was a pivotal time for the NFL and the AFC. With competition for tv, radio rights, and players, the two leagues merged in 1966. In 1967,  NFL’s Green Bay Packers and the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs played, won by the Green Bay Packers , this was the very first Superbowl. The NFL was widely known as the better professional football league and the AFL was “inferior”. That all changed when the AFL’s Jets beat the NFL’s Colts 16-7. Before that game Joe Namath made his famous “guarantee”.

In 1970, Monday Night Football came into prominence on ABC which continues today but now is broadcasted on ESPN. The same year the Superbowl trophy was renamed the Vince Lombardi trophy.

A series of rule changes were put in place in 1974 such as the goal posts moved to the back of the end zone instead of the front, a sudden death overtime, and various rules to enhance the pace of the game for more offense. Popularity of the NFL continued to rise with television contracts and larger salaries for the players. In 1982 a player strike occurred do to the Collective Bargaining Agreement but later resumed for a 9 game season.

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue had a major impact in the NFL by adding wild card playoff games, numerous television agreements, not only college seniors but college juniors are available for the NFL draft.

The NFL has come along way from the athletic clubs it originated from and players making $100s of dollars for a game. Football has overcome owner corruption, leagues forming and disbanding which seemed to be overnight, and contract disputes. The NFL has reached the pinnacle of sports in America and it seems as if it will continue to grow more profitable and successful for years to come.

The players will retire and leave a legacy, records will be broken, more players will be inducted in the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The rules and faces will change, but the game will remain the same.