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Alliance of American Football (AAF)


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#1 Mike in STL

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Posted 10 January 2019 - 03:06 AM

Might not be news, but two months after Vince McMahon announced a reboot of the XFL in 2020, a group led by Charlie Ebersol, son of Vince's partner the first time around the XFL, Dick Ebersol, announced they would be starting a league in Feb. 2019. Undercutting McMahon. About a month away from kickoff.

 

They said they needed 4 things

 

1. Available players

2. Legitimacy as "real" football

3. TV contracts

4. Football starved cities

 

1,3, and 4 are in place. 2 is TBD.

 

The 8 team league consists of:

Atlanta Legends (city who doesn't even care about the Falcons)

Birmingham Iron (awesome name)

Orlando Apollos

Memphis Express

Arizona Hot Shots (Phoenix)

Salt Lake Stallions (logo looks like a 21st century take on the Baltimore Stallions)

San Diego Fleet (another awesome name)

San Antonio Commanders

 

They will air games on CBS and CBSSN on Saturdays and Sundays with the respective networks announcers crew. For example the CBS game in week 1 will have the NFL duo of Spero Dedes and Trent Green. Crews for the CBSSN games will be less prominent names. 

 

Some big names in the mix, Mike Martz, Dennis Erickson, Steve Spurrier, Mike Singletary are head coaches. Michael Vick is an offensive coordinator for Atlanta. Lamont Jordan is a RBs coach. Christian Hackenberg might be the leagues biggest name as far as players go, but Josh Woodrum is QB for Salt Lake City if you're looking for a Raven to root for. 

 

Bill Polian is Ebersol's right hand man for the venture and they said they don't wish to compete with the NFL, but to supplement and cooperate with them. Sounds like this will be a developmental league for the 1200 or so players that get cut from NFL teams at the conclusion of training camps. 

 

The rush job to put this together one year before Vince does his league might not matter if they are admittedly going to be a developmental product. Vince on the other hand, no doubt will look to compete with the shield.

 

The AAF rules will be different: God I hope as a developmental league, the NFL doesn't adopt them. Except maybe the play clock and tv timeouts.

Kickoffs and PATs don't exist. Go for two every time. Drives all start on the 25 like a touchback. Onside kick is one down from your own 35 and you have to gain ten yards to keep the ball.

League hopes to shave real time down to 150 minutes by having zero tv timeouts.

30 second play clock rather than the NFLs 40.

Only replays are two coaches challenges, and anything inside two minutes is automatic. So no auto challenge on scores and turnovers.

 

Lastly, players will receive a non-guaranteed three year contract worth $250K with escalators for performance and community interaction. Also an escape clause if they were to be approached by an NFL team, allowing them to go pro. However, no escape to an XFL team. Here is where beating Vince to the punch, signing the best of the rest, effects the XFL. If they are locked into a three year contract, they cant go to the XFL until 2022....if it even exists by then. 

 

On the other hand, it's an 8 team league...400 players. The NFL cuts 1200. Plenty more for the XFL to scoop up. Plus the players that become available between now and September 2019, while the AAF has mostly full rosters, the XFL will get the same pick of the litter.

 

AAF has a mobile app, and fantasy league to keep fans engaged. Said the most expensive tickets would be $35 for sidelines and cheaper than usual food at concessions to entice fan attendance.

 


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#2 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 07 February 2019 - 10:13 AM

CBS Sports: AAF 2019 Viewer's Guide: Schedule, coaches, players, things to know for new pro football league
https://www.cbssport...ootball-league/



#3 Chris B

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Posted 09 February 2019 - 09:00 PM

I’m....actually enjoying this.

#4 Mike in STL

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Posted 09 February 2019 - 09:42 PM

I’m....actually enjoying this.


Raucous crowd in smaller venues in places without football. Working in game one. Sounds louder than a lot of NFL games I’ve seen this year.
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#5 The Epic

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Posted 09 February 2019 - 11:33 PM

I think the best compliment that you can give this is...

 

...it feels like football.

 

I like it.



#6 DJ MC

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Posted 10 February 2019 - 11:38 AM

They pulled just under 3 million viewers last night. That's not bad.

 

https://profootballt...for-cbs-opener/


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#7 JeremyStrain

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Posted 10 February 2019 - 04:33 PM

I wish I would have known it was on. All of these start up leagues at the same time are hurting each other, but I'm hoping that one will survive and offer a genuine alternative to giving up the game for some of these guys or a true development league.


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#8 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 11 February 2019 - 07:08 PM

The Ringer: The Five Most Fascinating Takeaways From the American Alliance of Football’s Debut



#9 DJ MC

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Posted 14 February 2019 - 11:37 PM

This was a chance for him to show teams in the NFL that he still has the athleticism and arm to be an NFL QB.

 

The NFL wouldn't give a shit. They would put out press leaks and legal briefs amounting to, "SEE! He can still earn a living by playing football! We're not hurting him at all!"

 

This is about principle for both sides.


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#10 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 17 February 2019 - 10:45 AM

CBS Sports: AAF Week 2 scores, highlights: Hotshots battle back to top Express, Iron beat Stallions in defensive battle
https://www.cbssport...fensive-battle/

 

CBS Sports: AAF Power Rankings Week 2: Arizona Hotshots No. 1, but where do the other teams rank before second game?

https://www.cbssport...re-second-game/



#11 DJ MC

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Posted 17 February 2019 - 11:09 AM

https://www.nfldraft...f-attendance-3/

 

Yikes, Memphis.


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#12 JeremyStrain

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Posted 17 February 2019 - 11:14 AM

https://www.nfldraft...f-attendance-3/

 

Yikes, Memphis.

 

Kind of expected SEC country to show up more, but also, without much direction or guarantees on the future I can see where people aren't exactly jumping at going yet.

 

I watched the early game yesterday. I'm still not sure if it was poor QB play or good defense I watched, but it looked every bit like football, and not a knockoff. It was interesting.

 

I'd really like to see what happens if some of the higher profile guys get some time to show if they deserve another shot. Mark Sanchez AT BEST should be in this league...as a backup, not in the NFL. I'd rather see some of these young QB that bust get a shot to develop and do something late like a Tommy Maddox.


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#13 Mike in STL

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Posted 19 February 2019 - 01:34 PM

AAF damn near missed payroll last week. NHL owner invests $250M to save them.

Already? Lol.

https://www.google.c...550687546330029
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#14 Pedro Cerrano

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Posted 19 February 2019 - 01:59 PM

What a disaster

There is baseball, and occasionally there are other things of note

"Now OPS sucks.  Got it."

"Making his own olive brine is peak Mackus."

"I'm too hungover to watch a loss." - McNulty

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#15 DJ MC

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Posted 19 February 2019 - 03:27 PM

Wonder why the NFL didn't jump right in there...


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#16 Mike in STL

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Posted 19 February 2019 - 04:51 PM

Wonder why the NFL didn't jump right in there...


They just gave $500Trillion to CK and Reid?
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#17 JeremyStrain

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Posted 19 February 2019 - 05:15 PM

AAF damn near missed payroll last week. NHL owner invests $250M to save them.

Already? Lol.

https://www.google.c...550687546330029

 

Sigh, this is the trouble with trying to come out of the gates as polished as they are. ZERO margin for error, and if they don't get advertising and sponsors on board ASAP, they'll be out. It's what has plagued all of the start ups over the years. That's why I've always said an NFL official developmental program is the only way it will work, cause they will have share from the TV deals and marketing stuff from the jump.


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#18 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 09:51 AM

CBS Sports: AAF Week 3 scores, highlights, updates: Memphis rallies with Mettenberger at QB, but Apollos prevail
https://www.cbssport...e-with-apollos/



#19 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 25 March 2019 - 06:59 PM

CBS Sports: AAF 2019 Midseason Awards: Here are our MVPs, Coach of the Year and All-AAF team at the halfway point

https://www.cbssport...-halfway-point/

 

CBS Sports: AAF playoff picture, Week 7: Here's where every team stands with four regular-season games to go
https://www.cbssport...on-games-to-go/



#20 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 28 March 2019 - 06:50 AM

Per Front Office Sports... 

 

The AAF could be on the verge of folding.

In a conversation with USA Today's Kevin Allen and Mike Jones, Tom Dundon, the league's majority owner, made it clear that discontinuing the league is an option that is being considered at this point.

What do you need to know?

1. The original business plan for the league was to become a feeder/developmental league to the NFL by year three. Dundon is trying to accelerate that process. 

2. The AAF is looking to the NFL and the NFLPA to work with them to provide them with players.

3. According to the report, the NFLPA hasn't cooperated because of potential injury concerns as well as the fact that doing such a thing would violate the terms of the current CBA. 


4. The current CBA runs until 2021, meaning that the AAF would need to hold on for at least another two years before a serious conversation would be had between all of the parties.

How much money has been spent?

According to Darren Rovell of the Action Network, Dundon has already spent a whopping $70 million in only six weeks since taking over as the majority owner of the league. 

Outside of Dundon, the other money that the league was using came from their main investor Reggie Fowler, according to Rovell. 

Fowler, who was recommended to the AAF by the NFL, committed to investing $170 million into the league but had only put up $28 million before Dundon took over. 


Between both Dundon and Fowler, the two have "committed" $420 million to the league. So far, the two have combined to put up a little less than a quarter of what they originally committed to. 

Time is ticking...

Even though the league is closing in on the final weeks of its season, Dundon is set to make a decision on the future of it over the course of the next two days, according to the USA Today report.


Here's what Dundon has had to say...

When he invested: "My investment will keep this thing [viable for] years and years to come. It's not a viability issue, it's just how good can it be.

One thing on the $250 million -- that's enough to run this league for a long time. What it takes to invest and build, that will get us through for many years. Someone was mentioning to me earlier, they thought I had to go and pay $250 million because they'd spent it. They have not spent that kind of money. And we're good for many years to come with what I just did." - Dundon in an interview with Adam Gold and Joe Ovies on 99.9 the Fan in Raleigh


Yesterday: "If the players union is not going to give us young players, we can't be a development league. We are looking at our options, one of which is discontinuing the league." - Dundon to 
USA Today's Kevin Allen and Mike Jones






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