The New USFL

[jerrym]

The first player picked in the USFL draft was QB Shea Patterson, who played five games for the Als last year as a backup but had no pass attempts and only 18 yards on 11 carries has signed with the USFL as their first overall pick. His being the USFL's #1 overall pick tells you the league are a long way from even the old USFL, let alone the NFL.

[jerrym]

Another USFL QB who was Paxton Lynch, a former first round NFL failure, who was the Riders third string QB who was inactive on game days and banned from playing in November because he could no longer fly because as an unvaccinated person he was not allowed to. However, he and Shea Patterson now "tops the list of the USFL's ten most exciting players". This does not inspire great confidence in the USFL becoming a success.

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/us...citing-players

[jerrym]

Another name familiar name to CFL fans is Mike Reilly, who seems to have coached in every league including the CFL of course, who is the coach of the New Jersey Generals, Trump's old team at least name, but certainly not in talent level. Here is more details on the eight teams.

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/us...eek-1-matchups

[gilthethrill]

I am confindent Bart Andrus will become the Philadelphia Stars 2nd all time winningest HC this season behind only Jim Mora.

[ArgoRavi]

What's the business plan for this league? They had an okay crowd for their opener but the hometown Stallions were playing in that one. Every game will be in Birmingham and I can't see how they will draw well so gate receipts are not likely what they are counting on. Both NBC and FOX are televising games, so kudos for getting on two over-the-air networks, but I doubt that they are getting much, if any, TV revenue at this point. So is the gamble that gambling will be the salvation of this league?

[gilthethrill]

What's the business plan for this league? They had an okay crowd for their opener but the hometown Stallions were playing in that one. Every game will be in Birmingham and I can't see how they will draw well so gate receipts are not likely what they are counting on. Both NBC and FOX are televising games, so kudos for getting on two over-the-air networks, but I doubt that they are getting much, if any, TV revenue at this point. So is the gamble that gambling will be the salvation of this league?

I thought I read somewhere that by year 3 the plan is to have the 7 visiting teams relocate to their cities.

[ArgoRavi]

I thought I read somewhere that by year 3 the plan is to have the 7 visiting teams relocate to their cities.

Well, good luck with that plan!

[OV Argo]

Looked like a "crowd" of about say 2 or 3 dozen at that USFL game I caught a bit of on the weekend.

And the Argos get mocked repeatedly for weak attnendance lately ?

Hey - maybe some CFL brainiac should suggest a merger with the USFL - with Canadian players banned or not invited.

[ArgoRavi]

Looked like a "crowd" of about say 2 or 3 dozen at that USFL game I caught a bit of on the weekend.

And the Argos get mocked repeatedly for weak attnendance lately ?

Hey - maybe some CFL brainiac should suggest a merger with the USFL - with Canadian players banned or not invited.

Don't give anyone any ideas, OV. I am as frustrated as you are with a lot of the garbage we have heard this off-season.

Our game may need a little tweaking of the rules (e.g., changing the operation of the clock to speed up the tempo and get more plays in, moving the hashmarks) but it certainly doesn't need the overhaul that some have suggested.

[gilthethrill]

Studying the USFL rosters, I notice that the only team without a former Argo is the Houston Gamblers. The hometown Stallions feature almost Argo LB Nate Holley and former HC Corey Chamblin who is the DB coach.
The Panthers of Michigan have RB Cam Scarlett. New Jersey has on their roster RB Trey Williams who spent a couple weeks on the PR a couple seasons ago and T Terry Poole who the team traded Alden Darby for.
In New Orleans, LB Vonte Diggs is having a huge season thus far. In Pittsburg, the Maulers have P Max Duffy who the Argos drafted in the Global Draft but he never reported.
Philadelphia feature T Blake Camper who tried out last season, and the HC is Bart Andrus who had 3 wins in 2009 with the Argos as HC.
The Tampa Bay Bandits have LB Travis Feeney, who like Vonte Diggs is having a good season thus far too and could have a solid career in the USFL.
If I missed any players please feel to add them.

[AngeloV]

Studying the USFL rosters, I notice that the only team without a former Argo is the Houston Gamblers. The hometown Stallions feature almost Argo LB Nate Holley and former HC Corey Chamblin who is the DB coach.
The Panthers of Michigan have RB Cam Scarlett. New Jersey has on their roster RB Trey Williams who spent a couple weeks on the PR a couple seasons ago and T Terry Poole who the team traded Alden Darby for.
In New Orleans, LB Vonte Diggs is having a huge season thus far. In Pittsburg, the Maulers have P Max Duffy who the Argos drafted in the Global Draft but he never reported.
Philadelphia feature T Blake Camper who tried out last season, and the HC is Bart Andrus who had 3 wins in 2009 with the Argos as HC.
The Tampa Bay Bandits have LB Travis Feeney, who like Vonte Diggs is having a good season thus far too and could have a solid career in the USFL.
If I missed any players please feel to add them.

That's more players with Argo connections than I saw in the stands on Saturday for the Maulers/Stars game.

[paulwoods13]

Studying the USFL rosters, I notice that the only team without a former Argo is the Houston Gamblers. The hometown Stallions feature almost Argo LB Nate Holley and former HC Corey Chamblin who is the DB coach.
The Panthers of Michigan have RB Cam Scarlett. New Jersey has on their roster RB Trey Williams who spent a couple weeks on the PR a couple seasons ago and T Terry Poole who the team traded Alden Darby for.
In New Orleans, LB Vonte Diggs is having a huge season thus far. In Pittsburg, the Maulers have P Max Duffy who the Argos drafted in the Global Draft but he never reported.
Philadelphia feature T Blake Camper who tried out last season, and the HC is Bart Andrus who had 3 wins in 2009 with the Argos as HC.
The Tampa Bay Bandits have LB Travis Feeney, who like Vonte Diggs is having a good season thus far too and could have a solid career in the USFL.
If I missed any players please feel to add them.

Interesting assemblage of ex-Argos, thanks for compiling it. It is funny, tho, to read "in New Orleans" and "in Pittsburgh," since those teams have never set foot in those cities (and probably never will).

[ArgoRavi]

That's more players with Argo connections than I saw in the stands on Saturday for the Maulers/Stars game.

I keep seeing on Twitter that attendance doesn't matter - only TV ratings do - but I can't see how this will be the formula for success for this league.

[AngeloV]

I keep seeing on Twitter that attendance doesn't matter - only TV ratings do - but I can't see how this will be the formula for success for this league.

Maybe for this year. Obviously with FOX having a stake in the league, ratings and sponsorship are huge to them. But I can't see ratings being very high either.

[jerrym]

Studying the USFL rosters, I notice that the only team without a former Argo is the Houston Gamblers. The hometown Stallions feature almost Argo LB Nate Holley and former HC Corey Chamblin who is the DB coach.
The Panthers of Michigan have RB Cam Scarlett. New Jersey has on their roster RB Trey Williams who spent a couple weeks on the PR a couple seasons ago and T Terry Poole who the team traded Alden Darby for.
In New Orleans, LB Vonte Diggs is having a huge season thus far. In Pittsburg, the Maulers have P Max Duffy who the Argos drafted in the Global Draft but he never reported.
Philadelphia feature T Blake Camper who tried out last season, and the HC is Bart Andrus who had 3 wins in 2009 with the Argos as HC.
The Tampa Bay Bandits have LB Travis Feeney, who like Vonte Diggs is having a good season thus far too and could have a solid career in the USFL.
If I missed any players please feel to add them.

You are either a very kind soul or a masochist/sadist in mentioning Bart Andrus's three wins without mentioning his fifteen losses. It was one of my most frustrating seasons as an Argo fan.

[jerrym]

I keep seeing on Twitter that attendance doesn't matter - only TV ratings do - but I can't see how this will be the formula for success for this league.

What else are they going to say when the attendance is lousy? - Attendance is central to our business plan? When viewers repeatedly see empty stands I can't see it not having a major impact on viewership, especially when there are no long-term diehard fans in a brand new league willing to support the team through thick and thin.

[gilthethrill]

Todays USFLs game in Birmingham between Pittsburgh and Michigan featured a 24-0 shutout for the Michiganders. While not able to see the the game itself, the boxscore showed the 2 Ex CFL QBs for Michigan average 2.9 yards per attempt. Pittsburghs QBs were not much better at 4 yards.
A trend I am seeing is that RBs have a higher yards per carry than that.
So is it great defensive play or horrible offensive play?

[AngeloV]

Todays USFLs game in Birmingham between Pittsburgh and Michigan featured a 24-0 shutout for the Michiganders. While not able to see the the game itself, the boxscore showed the 2 Ex CFL QBs for Michigan average 2.9 yards per attempt. Pittsburghs QBs were not much better at 4 yards.
A trend I am seeing is that RBs have a higher yards per carry than that.
So is it great defensive play or horrible offensive play?

The league should look into going to 5 downs, or outlaw the forward pass.

Seriously though, I will give the league credit for this. Prior to the Stallions/Breakers game last night, Fox had a 30 minute show which really hi-lighted players (hey, there was no hockey last night). The CFL and TSN should be taking notes on that show. CFL needs to have their players hi-lighted like that.

[jerrym]

Todays USFLs game in Birmingham between Pittsburgh and Michigan featured a 24-0 shutout for the Michiganders. While not able to see the the game itself, the boxscore showed the 2 Ex CFL QBs for Michigan average 2.9 yards per attempt. Pittsburghs QBs were not much better at 4 yards.
A trend I am seeing is that RBs have a higher yards per carry than that.
So is it great defensive play or horrible offensive play?

What did you expect when the two ex-CFLers are Shea Patterson, who played five games for the Als last year as a backup but had no pass attempts and only 18 yards on 11 carries, and Paxton Lynch, who although a former first round NFL failure, was the Riders third string QB who was inactive on game days and banned from playing in November because he could no longer fly because as an unvaccinated person. However, both were ranked as the top QBs in the league in at least one ranking!

[jerrym]

And viewship is dropping like a rock, from a total of 6.26 million for four games in the first week to a total of 2.65 million for four games in the second week.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_USFL_season