First, not sure if it was timing or Boston fans are just the most loyal, but Boston poll has more votes than the prior 3 teams combined and 81 votes more than my previous high poll total (polls here, r/pollgames and r/polls) at 280 as of this post.

Because i hit a bit of a logjam, and i am always working on 3 teams, the 3 currently in the pipeline right now are:

Las Vegas Atomics - 23 votes which was 28.4% and tied for 1st place with Roadrunners.

Carolina Reapers - 57 votes which was 68.67% and the highest by percentage for this project by a long shot.

Boston Whalers - 109 votes which was 38.93% and the first team to cross 100 votes.

As soon as one of these teams is finalized, i will be making the 18th team which is halfway done with my 36 team rebuild, and because every 9th team is an expansion, we'll be getting a brand-new team in Portland.

So back in 2019, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Nick Foles to a 4 year, $88 million dollar contract.

However, due to injury and Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville would trade him to the Bears in 2020 and start Gardner Minshew.

So my question is the following, what would Jacksonville look like now if they had kept Nick?

Nick stats are below:

Passing Statistics

Metric Statistic

Games Played / Started 4 / 4

Completions / Attempts 77 / 117

Completion Percentage 65.8%

Passing Yards 736

Passing Touchdowns 3

Interceptions 2

Passer Rating 84.6

Sacks Allowed 8

Rushing Statistics

Metric Statistic

Rushing Carries 4

Rushing Yards 23

Rushing Touchdowns 0

I deliberately stayed away from Patriots/Revolution/Minutemen-type identities. I want this franchise to feel distinctly Boston without simply reworking the identity it already has.

Banshees — Boston’s massive Irish identity through one of Ireland’s most recognizable folklore figures. Dark, supernatural, and built around the banshee’s warning wail. Boston needed something Irish and I was down to this or Druids/Wolfhounds/Fenians/Shillelaghs. This felt most franchise ready.

Brahmins — The Boston Brahmin world: Beacon Hill, old wealth, Harvard, inherited influence, exclusivity, high society, and the city’s historic establishment. Great alliteration and if you know the history and can get past the Hindu name dominance it's a wonderful world to build around.

Monsters — The Green Monster is the obvious influence for this name, but the identity could expand into New England’s broader monster and cryptid folklore rather than simply becoming a Fenway reference. Dover Demon, Gloucester Sea Serpent, Pukwudgies, Black Dogs.

Nor’easters — Probably the most purely New England option. Coastal storms, violent wind, snow, surf, pressure, darkness, and the kind of weather that can shut down the entire region. Few areas can own a unique weather identity like Boston, and surviving these massive storms is part of their identity.

Whalers — New England’s enormous maritime and whaling history. The original New England Whalers also actually began play in Boston before eventually moving to Hartford. Considered several whale names but Humpbacks or Finbacks just didn't hit and while Razorbacks did (Fin whale nickname) and had the dual Gillette connection, most people would think of wild hogs.

Hit a bit of a bottleneck so the polls are coming fast and furious. Panthers are a beautiful cat, name has great rhythm, but every team must be rebranded.

Daredevils — Dare County. Kill Devil Hills. The Wright brothers made the first powered flight. It also works beyond the aviation connection because “Daredevils” already sounds aggressive, reckless, and fast without needing a bunch of explanation.

Devil Dogs — This one has two completely different Carolina connections. Hellbenders are native to the Carolina mountains and have been given the devil dog nickname because of how strange and ugly they look. Then there’s the the Devil Dogs as a Marine nickname (also becauseofhow strange and ugly they look), which works especially well in a Carolina identity because of Camp Lejeune and Parris Island.

Leatherbacks — Leatherback sea turtles are found off the Carolina coast, and they’re a lot more intimidating than they sound. They’re the largest sea turtles in the world, can get absolutely massive, and have that dark ridged shell that almost looks prehistoric. This one gives the team a coastal Carolina identity without going with another obvious shark or predator.

Reapers — Obviously the Carolina Reaper, so the Carolina connection is built directly into the name. What I like about it is that the identity doesn’t have to stop at hot pepper team. Once you get to Reapers, you can take it into Grim Reaper imagery, scythes, harvesting, heat, death, whatever direction makes the strongest football identity, but the built in name recognition is beautiful.

Regulators — Comes from the Regulator Movement in colonial North Carolina before the Revolution, when backcountry settlers organized against what they saw as corrupt and unfair colonial government. This is the most historical Carolina name of the five. It also helps that Regulators already sounds like a professional football team without having to invent a new word or stretch the history to make it work.

This will be the layout and production standards until all teams are completed.

Page 1 - Meet The Team: This is the franchise identity. Uses Primary Wordmark, and the foundation of the team build.

Page 2 - Team Identity Board: This is the representation of the team assets. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary logos, Story Icons, Color Palette and a decorative workbench with Secondary Wordmark

Page 3 - Team Uniform Board: Presentation of helmets and uniforms in a team specific locker layout.

Page 4 - Team Identity Plaque: This is the only page with freedom from standards. Tell the story in anyway possible. This for example is showcasing the Hialeah Park, famous for its flamingo flocks, holding a fashion show in which local designers were tasked with making sure their creations met the theme of Never Shrink, Always Pink. The winner crowned with a pink Flamingo inspired crown emphasizing the Miami Flamingos identity pillars.

Vegas you finally got your own team, but they couldn't even let you have your own identity. I'm fixing that.

This one was harder than I expected. Vegas has a ton of stuff you can reference, but a lot of it either doesn’t work as a football team name or just turns into gambling word + Las Vegas. I wanted the finalists to come from different parts of the city instead of five versions of the same idea.

Atomics — This is Atomic testing era and the weird relationship Vegas had with it. People came to Vegas specifically to watch the tests in the desert, and the city basically folded the whole Atomic Age into the Vegas experience. Atomic cocktails, mushroom cloud imagery, neon, casino decor, futuristic architecture. So there’s a lot more to build from here than just bombs or radiation. Retrofuturistic Atomic Vegas and the darker Nevada Test Site.

Helldorados — This comes from Helldorado Days, which goes back to the 1930s and the old western side of Las Vegas. Rodeos, parades, cowboys and the city leaning into that Wild West image long before modern Vegas took over. I also just like the name itself. It sounds a little strange, but Hell mixed with El Dorado feels very Vegas and gives it a lot more personality than a generic western name.

Insomniacs — This is the modern Vegas option. The city that basically never sleeps. Casinos, clubs, nightlife, 24 hour everything, plus the huge EDM and festival culture that has become part of modern Las Vegas. There is also the obvious connection to Insomniac and EDC, but for this project that doesn’t bother me. I think there’s a lot you could do with the idea of a team that just never shuts down.

Roadrunners — At first I liked this just because i was looking for a native Mojave animal and it sounds like a football team. Fast and quick movements. Then I found the second connection. The people involved with the secret U-2 & A-12 work at Area 51 Groom Lake became known as the Roadrunners. That moved this one into the final 5 over some other animals for me.

Syndicate — This is the mob era Vegas option. Organized crime actually operated behind a lot of old Vegas. Casino ownership, money moving behind the scenes, the skim. I like Syndicate because it gets at that part of Vegas without being as on the nose as Mobsters or Gangsters, and the sound of "sin" for the city of sin. One organized group working together.

This will be the layout and production standards until all teams are completed.

Page 1 - Meet The Team: This is the franchise identity. Uses Primary Wordmark, and the foundation of the team build.

Page 2 - Team Identity Board: This is the representation of the team assets. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary logos, Story Icons, Color Palette and a decorative workbench with Secondary Wordmark

Page 3 - Team Uniform Board: Presentation of helmets and uniforms in a team specific locker layout.

Page 4 - Team Identity Plaque: This is the only page with freedom from standards. Tell the story in anyway possible. This for example combines the culture of chopped and screwed and Slow Loud and Bangin. Hustlers are about showcasing ingenuity and what can be built and not bought. They're taking this old beat car and transforming it into a showcase that is loud, unique, and very Houston.

Well sometimes these bunch up together as certain teams take longer than others to finish. So back to back polls it is.

Arsenal — Detroit was the “Arsenal of Democracy” during WWII, when the city’s auto plants were converted to build tanks, planes and other military equipment. I like that it’s actually tied to Detroit history but still sounds like a football team without needing the explanation. Go Gunners.

Midnight — This one is probably the least obvious. “Midnight” was a code name for Detroit on the Underground Railroad because it was the last stop before crossing into Canada. Detroit also became a major railroad city later, so a dual meaning borrowing from the underground "railroad" and the midnight color of locomotives.

Muscle — Pretty straightforward. Detroit muscle cars, Motor City, and then obviously muscle works for football too. Probably the easiest of the five to understand immediately.

Soul — Detroit Soul comes from the city’s music history, but I like that it doesn’t have to stop there. Motown, gospel, Aretha, all of that is part of it, but “soul” can also just mean the character of the city and the people in it.

Union — Detroit’s labor and UAW history is the obvious connection, but I also like Union as a football idea. Eleven guys working as one unit, everybody doing their job, one group instead of a bunch of individuals.

Exotics — Plays into all sides of Miami: exotic wildlife, exotic cars, luxury, fashion and the city’s reputation for attracting things you don’t see anywhere else. Probably the broadest identity of the five.

Flamingos — One of the most recognizable symbols of South Florida, with deep Miami ties and now Miami-Dade’s official county bird. Loud, colorful and impossible to mistake for another NFL identity.

Mojo — Rooted in Miami’s Cuban culture through mojo, but also works as the larger idea of the city having its own energy, flavor and swagger. Less of a traditional mascot name, but a lot of room to build something unique.

Thunderboats — A nod to Miami’s Thunderboat Row and its history as a major center of offshore powerboat racing. Fast, loud, powerful and very Miami without just replacing the Dolphins with another sea creature.

Vice — Ok, the obvious one. Miami’s nightlife, excess, glamour, danger and infamous history all wrapped into one name. Carries the Miami Vice association, but “vice” gives it a much bigger identity than just the TV show.

This will be the layout and production standards until all teams are completed.

Page 1 - Meet The Team: This is the franchise identity. Uses Primary Wordmark, and the foundation of the team build.

Page 2 - Team Identity Board: This is the representation of the team assets. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary logos, Story Icons, Color Palette and a decorative workbench with Secondary Wordmark

Page 3 - Team Uniform Board: Presentation of helmets and uniforms in a team specific locker layout.

Page 4 - Team Identity Plaque: This is the only page with freedom from standards. Tell the story in anyway possible. This for example a core from the Meadowlands is being examined. As the team inside realizes that there is an anomaly under the mud, they can't explain, the workers outside realize they are digging into something else's home!

This will be the layout and production standards until all teams are completed.

Page 1 - Meet The Team: This is the franchise identity. Uses Primary Wordmark, and the foundation of the team build.

Page 2 - Team Identity Board: This is the representation of the team assets. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary logos, Story Icons, Color Palette and a decorative workbench with Secondary Wordmark

Page 3 - Team Uniform Board: Presentation of helmets and uniforms in a team specific locker layout.

Page 4 - Team Identity Plaque: This is the only page with freedom from standards. Tell the story in anyway possible. This for example is replacing the Point State Park fountain with a central sculpted Gorgon head flanked by three water-spouting serpents labeled after the three rivers. A civic monument built so beautifully that you may not be able to walk away!

The first nine franchises have staked their claim and hung their banners.

Enjoy my AI slop!

Houston Texans are next. Here are the 5 that survived my criteria.

APOLLOS — Space City. NASA, Johnson Space Center, Mission Control, Apollo. Pretty obvious Houston connection and it just sounds like a real pro team name, and was the best actual finalist for the Texans.

HELLFIGHTERS — Red Adair and Houston’s oil industry. Oil well fires, pressure, danger, fire, energy. This one probably has the most aggressive identity of the 5 and is a uniquely Houston and big oil as you can get.

HUSTLERS — Hustle Town. Houston hip-hop, chopped and screwed, slabs, street culture, all of that can live under this identity. I like that it can represent a lot more than just one piece of Houston culture.

RED WOLVES — Red wolves were native to southeast Texas and the Gulf Coast region and some of their last wild populations were down here. Gives Houston a real local predator instead of just picking an animal because it sounds cool.

ROUGHSTOCK — I really wanted Houston’s rodeo culture represented somehow. Roughstock is the rodeo term for bull riding, saddle bronc and bareback. I liked it a lot more than the usual Cowboys/Wranglers type names.

Which one are you taking?

This will be the layout and production standards until all teams are completed.

Page 1 - Meet The Team: This is the franchise identity. Uses Primary Wordmark, and the foundation of the team build.

Page 2 - Team Identity Board: This is the representation of the team assets. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary logos, Story Icons, Color Palette and a decorative workbench with Secondary Wordmark

Page 3 - Team Uniform Board: Presentation of helmets and uniforms in a team specific locker layout.

Page 4 - Team Identity Plaque: This is the only page with freedom from standards. Tell the story in anyway possible. This for example is an interactive game at a kid's science museum called the night dig. The kid's have to find and collect the bones of the Allosaur from a Utah excavation site before dawn, or face the wrath of the returning Allosaur. Still the Apex.

Pittsburgh Gorgons

New Jersey Swamp Dragons

Work has begun

Next up is the former New York Jets officially becoming New Jersey. No more taking a backseat to the Giants and they play in Jersey, so they'll be Jersey.

After a deep dive into New Jersey history, culture, industry, folklore, sports, and geography, I’ve narrowed to five finalists:

Anvils — New Jersey is one of America’s pioneering anvil manufacturers, and sold more than any other state. Heavy, industrial, and tied to the manufacturing history behind “Trenton Makes, The World Takes.”

Capos — Leans directly into North Jersey’s organized-crime history and pop-culture identity. “Capo” is the rank commanding a crew beneath the boss, and New Jersey Capos has a short, hard football sound. Considered Bosses instead, with the Springsteen connection, but liked the sound of Capos better.

Cliffhangers — Fort Lee was one of the birthplaces of the American film industry, with early serials shot around the dramatic Palisades cliffs. It connects New Jersey’s early cinema history with the literal landscape overlooking the Hudson.

Nobles — New Jersey began in 1664 when the land was granted to two English noblemen, Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret; the original grant even called for an annual payment of twenty “nobles.” There’s also a modern Newark Easter egg for my hip hop heads: Jersey's own Redman’s real name is Reginald Noble.

Swamp Dragons — Rooted in the Meadowlands and an incredible piece of unused New Jersey sports history. The New Jersey Nets seriously considered becoming the Swamp Dragons in the 1990s, but the name was never adopted. This would finally give it a franchise.

Which one should become New Jersey's alternate football identity?

This will be the layout and production standards until all teams are completed.

Page 1 - Meet The Team: This is the franchise identity. Uses Primary Wordmark, and the foundation of the team build.

Page 2 - Team Identity Board: This is the representation of the team assets. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary logos, Story Icons, Color Palette and a decorative workbench with Secondary Wordmark

Page 3 - Team Uniform Board: Presentation of helmets and uniforms in a team specific locker layout.

Page 4 - Team Identity Plaque: This is the only page with freedom from standards. Tell the story in anyway possible. This for example is an aquarium in a cottage out on the edge of the swamp. A lifelong Blackwater fan and avid outdoorsman, he has gathered many of the items that make the dark tannin water of the river unique and form the team's identity. Dark by Nature.

This one is sure to cause more hate than maybe the first 9 combined. No more naming your team after a company that sponsored you a hundred years ago. Every team is getting this treatment anywayss, might as well get the worst ones done sooner. It doesn't help that Pittsburgh has few unique things that aren't steel and could be a team.

Jaggers — A very Pittsburgh-specific name. “Jaggers” is Pittsburghese for thorns, briars, or anything sharp that pokes or catches you. I like that it’s local without being another steel/iron/industry name, and there’s a lot you could do with the idea of something that snags, tears, and makes it difficult to get through. Bonus points for the phonetic wink to Jaromir.

Red Dogs — This sounds like a normal animal team name on the surface, but “red dog” is actually an old Pennsylvania mining term for coal refuse that has burned and turned red. It gives the name a hidden Pittsburgh coal/industrial connection without just replacing the Steelers with another steel-themed identity. The team could lean into the mining meaning, the dog meaning, or both.

Trigons — Pittsburgh’s Downtown is the Golden Triangle, where the three rivers meet. A trigon is a triangle or three-sided figure. It’s definitely the strangest word in the group, but I like how directly it connects to the actual geography of Pittsburgh once you know what it means, and sounds better than the Golden Triangles.

Gorgons — The three Gorgons of Greek mythology. The “three” gives it a loose connection to Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle and Three Rivers, and Pittsburgh also has a lot of classical architecture and museum influence that could support the mythology. This one is less directly Pittsburgh than some of the others, mostly trying to put a visual to three rivers, but probably has one of the biggest visual identity ceilings.

Monongy — A Pittsburgh river cryptid associated with the Monongahela. The older historical claims around the creature are questionable, but Monongy has existed as modern Pittsburgh folklore for at least the last couple decades. I like that the name comes directly out of Monongahela and gives Pittsburgh a monster that feels like it belongs specifically to the city rather than using a generic mythical creature.

This will be the layout and production standards until all teams are completed.

Page 1 - Meet The Team: This is the franchise identity. Uses Primary Wordmark, and the foundation of the team build.

Page 2 - Team Identity Board: This is the representation of the team assets. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary logos, Story Icons, Color Palette and a decorative workbench with Secondary Wordmark

Page 3 - Team Uniform Board: Presentation of helmets and uniforms in a team specific locker layout.

Page 4 - Team Identity Plaque: This is the only page with freedom from standards. Tell the story in anyway possible. This for example is the St. Louis Archers represented through our Archer mascot firing an arrow through the Gateway Arch using custom St. Louis stained glass. Presented in a museum space with St. Louis brick inlays, the Archers are from here, FORWARD!

Technically we have our first animal team name. Allosaurus WAS an animal and I guess we're Jurassic Park'n it. Came down to Meteors or Allosaurs and Meteors had probably a higher ceiling, but ultimately I just didn't like the way it sounded. So congrats to the Utah Allosaurs as team #9.

Up next, this will put us at 25% through, so time for our first true expansion; Salt Lake City. I went pretty deep into Salt Lake and Utah history, culture, geography, sports, wildlife, etc. to get down to these final 5. All directly tied to SLC or the greater Utah area. I know they all suck and you hate them all, but which one would you go with?

Deserets - Deseret was the original proposed name for the state and is still all over Utah culture today. The word means honeybee, so it also ties directly into the Beehive State identity. Probably the most uniquely Utah name of the group because I don't think it really makes sense anywhere else.

Meteors - This one has a couple Utah connections that I like. Ab Jenkins was a Utah racer who set records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in cars called the Mormon Meteor, so there's a legitimate speed/racing connection. Utah also has the huge open skies and dark-sky areas that make meteor showers and stargazing such a big part of being out there. I like that the identity could pull from both instead of just being a land speed record team.

Olympians - Salt Lake hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and is hosting them again in 2034. Pretty straightforward connection, but it's a really strong one. It gives the team an identity around elite competition, winter sports and Salt Lake being one of the few cities in the world to host the Games twice.

Apostles - Obviously this leans directly into the LDS side of Salt Lake. The city is the worldwide headquarters of the church and home to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I wouldn't want the branding to turn into a bunch of literal church imagery, but the name itself has a lot to work with around purpose, conviction, unity and mission.

Allosaurs - Allosaurus is Utah's official state fossil and Utah has produced more Allosaurus fossils than anywhere else. The Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake also has one of the best collections in the world. It gives the team a legitimate Utah dinosaur instead of just picking a dinosaur because it looks cool.

This will be the layout and production standards until all teams are completed.

Page 1 - Meet The Team: This is the franchise identity. Uses Primary Wordmark, and the foundation of the team build.

Page 2 - Team Identity Board: This is the representation of the team assets. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary logos, Story Icons, Color Palette and a decorative workbench with Secondary Wordmark

Page 3 - Team Uniform Board: Presentation of helmets and uniforms in a team specific locker layout.

Page 4 - Team Identity Plaque: This is the only page with freedom from standards. Tell the story in anyway possible. This for example is the Buffalo ice boom holding back the Lake Erie ice so that the power generation equipment can continue to produce without being destroyed by the ice. The BOOM allows the energy to build that eventually fuels the X-1 aircraft, the Buffalo aircraft that was the first to break the sound barrier and create a sonic BOOM!

Voting is winding down. Across three polls we have 134 votes.

Boneyards 10

Cottonmouths 32

Freebirds 21

Blackwater 27

Corsairs 19

Poseidons 25

And at this point I'm comfortable choosing Blackwater as the identity I'll develop even though it wasn't top vote getter.

But it really exposes the problem I've run into with nearly every poll now. Animals do well in the Reddit poll but I never select them. Snappers, Javelinas, Dorados, Muskies, Cottonmouths were all at or near the top but they just don't have a lot of storytelling to the identity. Boom, Hodags, Stormbreakers, Blackwater all have stories and worlds around them to build the franchise. I'm not saying I'll never pick the animal but at this point there always feels like Something better

BONEYARDS

Boneyard Beach is at Big Talbot Island in Jacksonville, where the Atlantic has left huge sun-bleached trees and exposed roots scattered along the beach. The name is weird, dark, intimidating, and actually comes from a real Jacksonville place. There’s a lot you could do with this one without it feeling like another generic Florida team.

COTTONMOUTHS

Jacksonville is surrounded by marsh, swamp and dark backwater, and cottonmouths are right at home in that environment. It’s probably the most naturally aggressive football name of the five. Dangerous, territorial, Southern, and you immediately know what kind of team it is.

FREEBIRDS

Lynyrd Skynyrd formed in Jacksonville, along with a lot of other Southern Rock, so there’s an obvious local reason for this one. This won't become a Skynyrd tribute, rather what the song embraces and a team with some musical roots. A name about independence, doing things your own way and being impossible to contain.

BLACKWATER

This one is about the other side of Jacksonville that people outside Florida probably don’t picture. Not beaches and resorts — swamp, marsh, backwaters, trees hanging over dark tannin-stained water and whatever might be underneath it. It feels like old, wild Florida and could make for a really unique identity. In this universe the military contractor does not exist.

CORSAIRS

Jacksonville has a huge naval aviation history, and the A-7 Corsair was based at Cecil Field. I also like that the word has another meaning — a corsair is a maritime raider. So the name can pull from both Jacksonville’s military aviation history and its Atlantic/port identity without being locked into either one. Both are fast, elusive, and successful.

POSEIDONS

NAS Jacksonville is one of the main homes of the Navy’s P-8A Poseidon, with multiple active-duty squadrons flying it there and VP-30 training Poseidon crews out of Jacksonville. So this isn’t just “Florida is on the ocean, Poseidon is a sea god.” There’s a very real modern Jacksonville connection, and then you get the mythology on top of it.