AAF suspends football operations

Brady commercial sighting.

This isn't terrible, it's better than anything else on TV right now... I'll watch this on Saturday night if the bruins aren't on...

I'm a New England Patriots fan farrrr more than I'm an NFL fan or football in general. But the one thing I like about the new league is just the simple possibility, long as it may be, that it could cause Roger Good and the rest of the star chamber a bit of business competition anxiety. Business competition is likely the only way the NFL's sometime capricious(foolish) decision making can be lessened to any real degree (though in all probability there is nothing that will ever put that genie back in the bottle).

I remember the first XFL game. It was just horrible football and all that pregame BS (Vince talking, the Rock cutting a promo on...something) and Jesse Ventura trying to rule people up. Just a bad experience and immediately soured me on the league.

This SD/SA game isn't bad. It's not great, but it's a straight forward football game and is presented as such by CBS. I don't know if I'll ever have a team in this league, but if the quality improves (and it has to, it's the first week of a brand new league) I could see watching this every week.

blackglass3 said:

This SD/SA game isn't bad. It's not great, but it's a straight forward football game and is presented as such by CBS. I don't know if I'll ever have a team in this league, but if the quality improves (and it has to, it's the first week of a brand new league) I could see watching this every week.

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This game (SD/SA) doesn't feel much different to me than an NFL game between two teams to whom I have no emotional commitment.

SD QB really needs a talking to about red zone interceptions.

It’s not bad, but not my cup of tea, no kickoffs, pass rush is meh.

I think the rules changes are actually pretty good. Getting rid of extra points and kickoffs is fine, and I love the onside alternative. That said, these games have been unwatchable ass because the best quarterbacks they could scrape off the underside of a chair were stiffs like Christian Hackenberg and Matt Simms.

The problem is that they have managed to find neither some big name reclamation projects like Manziel (who's busy reclaiming his career Flutie-like in an actually legitimate league), nor exciting young college guys, nor even the corpses of veterans we once loved. The UFL, unspeakable horror that it was, at least featured the likes of Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper and Troy Smith.

TheBostonStraggler said:

I'm a New England Patriots fan farrrr more than I'm an NFL fan or football in general. But the one thing I like about the new league is just the simple possibility, long as it may be, that it could cause Roger Good and the rest of the star chamber a bit of business competition anxiety. Business competition is likely the only way the NFL's sometime capricious(foolish) decision making can be lessened to any real degree (though in all probability there is nothing that will ever put that genie back in the bottle).

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Considering Bill Polian has said they're not trying to compete against the NYJFL* and apparently has the NYJFL* leagues support don't expect any competition. Who knows, maybe NYJFL* is supporting this to combat the XFL reboot and FFL.

Random Week 1 Highlights:











The Alliance on Twitter

The Alliance on Twitter

Like I said, I can't support anything with the name Bill Polian attached to it.

I'm waiting for the Pacific Pro League to get going. That's an alternative to college for 18-21 year old kids that's being started by Don Yee and Ed McCaffery.

Hockey and baseball have a legit minor league system that doesn't exist for football. It didn't exist for the NBA until D League, G League or whatever they call it was set up... This gives a chance for players on the fringe of rosters to show their stuff...... I'm sure Belichick and company already have a system in place to scout these players and potentially sign one that they think can
help...

It'll never happen, but imagine if the AAF became a second tier of the NFL, and the prize of the AAF championship was the right to replace the worst NFL franchise in the big leagues. Now THAT would be must-watch TV in the winter, and it would put an end to the phenomenon of tanking forever.

With as many games that are gonna be aired on NFL network, this stinks like another experimental league for the NFL to test out some ideas they've been tossing around. For example, no kickoffs in the AAF.....

Belichick8384 said:

With as many games that are gonna be aired on NFL network, this stinks like another experimental league for the NFL to test out some ideas they've been tossing around. For example, no kickoffs in the AAF.....

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This surprises you? It's pretty clear that the NFL is watching the league closely. I wouldn't be too surprised if the league survives those critical first few years, if the NFL gave the OK to allow teams to contract players out to the AAF to get experience, depth guys, benchies, PS guys and prospects who just need a bit more work to develop, similar to baseball's Arizona Fall League.

I imagine a lot of teams have at least one backup QB who would kill for some live game time, and the team wouldn't mind them getting some. Most teams have at least 1-2 developmental players who they want to get some extra work. If they can arrange a deal like that with the NFL the quality of players would go up enormously in the AAF

The Celtics are an absolute ****show at the moment. Back to back blown 20 point leads. Makes the Superbowl win all the more satisfying since that team can't seem to get it together. Long story short I'll be watching even if its crap.

I'll be honest, I didn't miss kickoffs at all. Or commercials.

Belichick8384 said:

With as many games that are gonna be aired on NFL network, this stinks like another experimental league for the NFL to test out some ideas they've been tossing around. For example, no kickoffs in the AAF.....

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This is the league's stated intention, it's not a conspiracy. Think the no kickoffs works fine, as does no extra points, though I don't really have an issue with extra points. I love the replacement for an onside kick, which the new NFL kickoff rules have effectively neutered out of existence. I'd much rather have no kickoffs with the 4th and 10 from your own 40 option for onsides than current NFL rules.

The best change is the shortened overall game time to about 2.5 hours as they cut down on ads, as well as shortening the play clock to 35 seconds so you get more plays on average during a (shorter in real time) game.

Alliance of Boring Football.

Triumph said:

Alliance of Boring Football.

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To each their own...

Simpelton said:

This surprises you? It's pretty clear that the NFL is watching the league closely. I wouldn't be too surprised if the league survives those critical first few years, if the NFL gave the OK to allow teams to contract players out to the AAF to get experience, depth guys, benchies, PS guys and prospects who just need a bit more work to develop, similar to baseball's Arizona Fall League.

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They literally said in the pregame show that they'd like to see that happen: even having, for example, up-and-coming coaches get extra experience in the AAF.