Another Spring Football Next Year

[jerrym]

Here's a summary of where the AAF is at in terms of its teams and playoffs.

The AAF plans to begin its inaugural, 10-week season on February 9, 2019.^[1] The four-team playoff is to be capped with the league's championship game at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, planned for the weekend of April 26–28.^[13][14] If the AAF survives to reach its second season, it will find itself in direct competition with a revived XFL, which is announced to begin play in 2020.

Teams
Club___________________________________________ City_____________________________Stadium__________ ____________________________Capacity______Head Coach________________NFL Associations______________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________CFL Associations

Atlanta Legends	Atlanta, Georgia	Georgia State Stadium	24,333	Brad Childress	Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Redskins	Toronto Argonauts
Birmingham Iron	Birmingham, Alabama	Legion Field	71,594	Tim Lewis	Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers	Montreal Alouettes, Ottawa Redblacks
Memphis Express	Memphis, Tennessee	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	58,207	Mike Singletary	Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans	Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Orlando Apollos	Orlando, Florida	Spectrum Stadium	44,206	Steve Spurrier	Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Arizona Hotshots	Tempe, Arizona	Sun Devil Stadium	57,078	Rick Neuheisel	Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers	Edmonton Eskimos
Salt Lake Stallions	Salt Lake City, Utah	Rice–Eccles Stadium	45,807	Dennis Erickson	Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks	Calgary Stampeders
San Antonio Commanders	San Antonio, Texas	Alamodome	64,000	Mike Riley	Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles	Saskatchewan Roughriders
San Diego Fleet	San Diego, California	SDCCU Stadium	70,561	Mike Martz	Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Oakland Raiders	British Columbia Lions

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allian...rican_Football

[jerrym]

The AAF is keeping ticket prices very low in hopes of attracting fans.

For fans used to college prices, the league is committed to keeping ticket prices low, with single-game tickets below $50, with the cheapest seats priced at $15. Those same seats are available for a $75 season-ticket package. ...

There have been more than a dozen failed football leagues in the U.S. dating back to 1926, including the United Football League, Fall Experimental Football League, the XFL and the Arena League, which went under in 2008 but, like the XFL, is being resurrected.

https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/2...icket-preview/

[jerrym]

Here's a look at some of the better known former NFL players about to play in the AAF starting on February 9th.

https://lastwordonprofootball.com/20...rs-in-the-aaf/

[gilthethrill]

These notable AAF hopefuls have very similar experience to the Americans currently in the CFL. I will be keenly watching the AAF cutdown to see what players make their way up here.

[jerrym]

Here's a look at the AAF teams as the inaugural season is about to start.

1. Arizona Hotshots
I came away with two impressions about Rick Neuheisel's team. The first is that they might have the best one-two punch at quarterback with John Wolford and Trevor Knight. I wouldn't be surprised to see both of them play this season either in complementary roles or until one runs away with the job. The second is that Arizona believes that, in a league that promotes offense, its defensive front is as good as any. For what it's worth, Westgate has the Hotshots as the favorites to win the title this year. ...

2. Orlando Apollos
One thing to understand about these teams is just how close they are to being NFL-caliber. Most of these players were on a NFL roster in the past two years. So speed isn't lacking. That being said, Orlando had some impressive speed during practices, especially on defense. On offense, expect Garrett Gilbert to start. With coach Steve Spurrier back in his natural element, the Apollos won't lack in entertainment value.

3. San Antonio Commanders
I've heard frequently that the Commanders are expected to be one of the top three or so teams in the alliance. If nothing else, the offense has looked sharp and it could put up the most points of any team this season. One of the names to watch is wide receiver Greg Ward Jr. Houston Cougars fans will remember him as the electric quarterback who helped the program defeat Florida State in the Peach Bowl. He's expected to be one of the starting wideouts and the word on him from camp is that he's going to be a star because of his athleticism.

4. Salt Lake Stallions
Obviously, there's not a whole lot that separates most of these teams right now. Salt Lake has the second-best odds to win this year's title, per Westgate, but doesn't quite have the benefit of some of the bigger names that, say, Orlando has. Still, the Stallions have what appear to be an impressive group of wideouts with -- surprise, surprise -- a heavy Utah presence.

5. Atlanta Legends
Even though Michael Vick is the offensive coordinator, expect the Legends to have a defensive flair thanks to head coach Kevin Coyle, who was promoted when Brad Childress resigned last month. Coyle has plenty of coaching experience, with 17 years in the NFL under his belt, most of which came with the Cincinnati Bengals. On offense, quarterback Aaron Murray has shown he's ready to restart his career in a home market that knows him well.

6. Birmingham Iron
This might be your sleeper team. The Iron have some interesting stories on their offense, including running back Trent Richardson and quarterbacks Blake Sims and Luis Perez, the latter of whom was almost a professional bowler. It remains to be seen if Birmingham stands out at any one position, but early impressions indicate this is a well-rounded team.

7. San Diego Fleet
Mike Martz's team would probably be much higher in these rankings if they had held on to quarterback Josh Johnson, who was picked up by Washington. Now, the Fleet have some questions in that department. Mike Bercovici is the starter, but he's battled for that job for all of camp. However, the wideouts and tight ends have been a bright spot. Pass-catchers Kameron Kelly and Gavin Escobar are projected to be leaders there.

8. Memphis Express
Someone has to be last. The good news for Memphis is once the games get going, these power rankings won't matter. A couple of names to watch, though, is running back Zac Stacy, who could anchor a power running attack, and wide receiver Kayaune Ross, a massive 6-foot-6 target on the outside.

https://www.cbssports.com/aaf/news/a...ican-football/

[jerrym]

The following article speculates on who of the players are who are most likely to use the AAF to get or return to the NFL.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/02/08/al...second-chances

[jerrym]

The Alliance of American Football is off to a shaky start with its own commentators making negative comments, as well as the league betting on gambling to save it. However, Dundon's $250,000,000 should save it for a few years.

• Alliance of American Football (AAF) commentator Rod Woodson was caught on a hot microphone saying 'nobody's watching' on Saturday
• The awkward moment occurred on a digital broadcast of commentary during halftime of the Arizona Hotshots and the Salt Lake Stallions game ...

• Another similar show covering the AAF had almost the exact same mishap, with a broadcaster saying, 'Nobody’s watching, nobody’s listening, nobody cares'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...g-hot-mic.html

Do the math. After getting a new $250 million commitment this week, the new Alliance of American Football isn’t going away for a while. ...

But because so many other minor-league pro football ventures have collapsed financially, the dark cloud of history still follows the AAF, whose business model is different than other sports leagues. A recent hiccup with payroll added to the perception that the league was in trouble just a week after it started. ...

Dundon is a billionaire investor with a firm in Dallas that has funded companies in various industries, including Topgolf, the sports entertainment company. He is now chairman of the AAF and its biggest investor. Why would he commit so much to a league that so far has drawn some crowds of about 11,000 in stadiums that seat more than 60,000? For one, the venture’s business model is based on more than traditional sports revenue sources such as ticket sales or even television ratings. He’s still been impressed by the latter, led by an average of 3.25 million viewers for its debut games on CBS Feb. 9, when the AAF beat an NBA game at the same time, according to Nielsen data. Games on the NFL Network last weekend drew about 425,000 average viewers each. ...


Investors also are banking on the league as a technology business. The league hired a former software engineer from Tesla and Lockheed Martin to develop proprietary technology that intends to process and deliver vast amounts of data in real time – something that could be transformative for sports gambling applications and other fields.
That’s why MGM Resorts International, the giant casino company, is an investor. MGM sees a big future in “in-game” sports gambling – using a mobile phone application to bet on the next play or current possession in a football game, for example. The faster this technology works, with more and better data processed, the more this tech product appeals to MGM and others that might want to buy it or license it. Ebersol previously named other notable investors such as the Founders Fund and the Chernin Group. “It was the technology that we liked,” said Scott Butera, MGM’s president of interactive of gaming. “(Dundon) very much likes the football side of it. It’s a good marriage.” ...


Ebersol said investors bought into the parent company which owns the football league and the technology. The AAF also is using football to develop and experiment with this technology. Players are wearing sensors in games to provide useful gaming data about who’s on the field at the moment, what just happened and scores of other statistics. This conceivably is an advantage over competitors developing in-game sports gambling applications without sensors on live players. “You need the games to scale the technology,” Dundon said.
This technology could be used in other types of sports gambling, not just football. In basketball, Butera said, the data even might show how a basketball player’s shooting percentage correlates to his heart rate. ...


Costs will remain high for the league and might not be covered any time soon by conventional sports league revenues such as ticket sales and television rights. The investment from Dundon and others might need to keep it going until other revenues grow. One popular theory among armchair observers is that the NFL eventually might buy the tech and the league as legalized sports gambling expands into more states. It’s also possible that a competitor develops better tech, or that the tech doesn’t pay off as planned. The seed money won’t last forever if something doesn’t sprout.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ll/2938287002/

[gilthethrill]

The thing with Dundons cash infusion is he can pull the plug on it at any time....just one of the things the AAF fails to mention. I have been watching the games, and most of the players are journeyman NFL players, not prospects. There is no way....no way the league can continue to operate the way that they are.
Salaries are far too high for both players and coaches. With the attendance ( AAF continues to exaggerate the bums in the seats) being dismal at best, the league if....and I mean IF it has a second year will relocate teams to cities that don't really want AAF football and play in even smaller less expensive venues. Players will probably be asked to take 40% pay cuts. Why would CBS stay on board?
Not hoping for the league to fail, but I really don't see any startup league ever hurting the CFL.

[jerrym]

A look at how the NFL views the AAF.

https://www.democratandchronicle.com...ms/3028224002/

[gilthethrill]

I will be tuning into the Atlanta Arizona game tonight to see if Dylan Wynn suits up for his new team...his former teammates Jeff Luc and Kahlil Bass will be opposing him....last night Brian Tyms had 4 receptions for Salt Lake during the snow storm that really hurt attendance...ex Rider RB Trent Richardson is "dominating" the Alliance....despite a 2.5 YPC.....

[AngeloV]

last night Brian Tyms had 4 receptions for Salt Lake during the snow storm that really hurt attendance.

From the comparison pictures I saw between their home opener and yesterday's game, I think the attendance has a little less to do with the snowstorm than one might think. Apparently, students received free entrance to the game with their student cards yesterday too. But... it was a downright col 33F at game time. It's not like one of the teams was from Panama and never seen such low temperatures before.

[gilthethrill]

[QUOTE=AngeloV;138539]From the comparison pictures I saw between their home opener and yesterday's game, I think the attendance has a little less to do with the snowstorm than one might think. Apparently, students received free entrance to the game with their student cards yesterday too. But... it was a downright col 33F at game time. It's not like one of the teams was from Panama and never seen such low temperatures before.

[/QUOTE

Perhaps playing football in Salt Lake City on a Saturday night in March is not such a good idea....akin to playing soccer in Canada during the month of Feburary...🤔

[gilthethrill]

Dylan Wynn made his AAF debut last night in front of 9,000 and change in Arizona...made a nice come from behind tackle and showed his high motor desire that Argo fans came to love...Kahlil Bass looked good too making as couple of good tackles in short yardage situations...Trent Richardson scored his league high 7th TD on the ground (He has scored all of the Irons offensive TD's in fact) but his YPC dropped to 2.4...not surprising the defenses are way ahead of the offenses, but the games are getting harder to watch.

[jerrym]

Former Argo and Ticat KR/WR Terrell Sinkfield has been released by the Orlando Apollos. He also tried to make it in the NFL as a DB in 2017 and 2018. Several CFL teams were interested in possibly signing him before he went to the AAF, so he might end up back in the CFL once again.

[ArgoZ]

Former Argo and Ticat KR/WR Terrell Sinkfield has been released by the Orlando Apollos. He also tried to make it in the NFL as a DB in 2017 and 2018. Several CFL teams were interested in possibly signing him before he went to the AAF, so he might end up back in the CFL once again.

He has sure bounced around a lot and is still only 28 years old.

[ArgoRavi]

He has sure bounced around a lot and is still only 28 years old.

Has always had tantalizing potential but has never really fulfilled it. He is getting to the age where it is "now or never" for him.

[AngeloV]

Has always had tantalizing potential but has never really fulfilled it. He is getting to the age where it is "now or never" for him.

Seeing as how there are no kickoffs in that league, a huge part of Sinkfields strengths were taken away from him when he joined that league. Sinkfield is a good CFL receiver and kick returner, but playing DB because that is the position the NFL thought would be best for him. If he ever keeps his attention 100% on the CFL, he can make a fine career for himself in football.

[jerrym]

Brett Boyko, who fell to BC in the third round of the 2015 CFL draft although he was the top-ranked prospect, because he signed an undrafted free agent NFL contract, has signed with the San Diego Fleet of the AAF in the hopes of getting back to the NFL this year. He had spent four years in the NFL, mostly on PRs.

[gilthethrill]

Brett Boyko, who fell to BC in the third round of the 2015 CFL draft although he was the top-ranked prospect, because he signed an undrafted free agent NFL contract, has signed with the San Diego Fleet of the AAF in the hopes of getting back to the NFL this year. He had spent four years in the NFL, mostly on PRs.

Every Fleet game I have watched, I have yet to see Boyko on the field. He is listed on the roster but I don't think he may well be a healthy scratch each week. Not going to make the NFL if that is the case.

[argolio]

Every Fleet game I have watched, I have yet to see Boyko on the field. He is listed on the roster but I don't think he may well be a healthy scratch each week. Not going to make the NFL if that is the case.

I saw him on the sideline a week or two ago, so an easy $70K for him I guess.