Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Earlier the 8 team league starting after this years Super Bowl had announced Steve Spurrier as Head Coach of its Orlando team. This week the league has announced former Viking Head Coach Brad Childress as the head coach of a Atlanta team. Kind of surprised they would choose Atlanta as a location for one of its teams.

single wing wrote:This week the league has announced former Viking Head Coach Brad Childress as the head coach of a Atlanta team. Kind of surprised they would choose Atlanta as a location for one of its teams.

With Michael Vick as OC.

single wing wrote:Now the NCAA has gotten in the kickoff subject. They just passed a new rule for next season where on kickoffs the receiving team can call for a fair catch and take possession at the 25 yard line. The NCAA says its to reduce kickoff returns which causes injury.

I don't have a problem with this rule, that a team can choose to take a fair catch on a kickoff, but they should take possession at the 20, not the 25.

single wing wrote:Now the NCAA has gotten in the kickoff subject. They just passed a new rule for next season where on kickoffs the receiving team can call for a fair catch and take possession at the 25 yard line. The NCAA says its to reduce kickoff returns which causes injury.

This business about minimizing kickoffs just because of the injury rate is one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard. On the pro level, I think the NFL is underestimating the effect altering the game will have on its popularity. A new league in the Spring can capitalize on this situation, and if the NFL keeps going, a Fall competitor could emerge.

L.C. Greenwood wrote:

single wing wrote:Now the NCAA has gotten in the kickoff subject. They just passed a new rule for next season where on kickoffs the receiving team can call for a fair catch and take possession at the 25 yard line. The NCAA says its to reduce kickoff returns which causes injury.

This business about minimizing kickoffs just because of the injury rate is one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard. On the pro level, I think the NFL is underestimating the effect altering the game will have on its popularity. A new league in the Spring can capitalize on this situation, and if the NFL keeps going, a Fall competitor could emerge.

I really don't think a league with second-rate talent and worse can compete with the NFL just because it has a different rule about kickoffs.

rhickok1109 wrote:

L.C. Greenwood wrote:

single wing wrote:Now the NCAA has gotten in the kickoff subject. They just passed a new rule for next season where on kickoffs the receiving team can call for a fair catch and take possession at the 25 yard line. The NCAA says its to reduce kickoff returns which causes injury.

This business about minimizing kickoffs just because of the injury rate is one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard. On the pro level, I think the NFL is underestimating the effect altering the game will have on its popularity. A new league in the Spring can capitalize on this situation, and if the NFL keeps going, a Fall competitor could emerge.

I really don't think a league with second-rate talent and worse can compete with the NFL just because it has a different rule about kickoffs.

I predict he senseless rules changes will be a problem for the NFL, and does open the door for a competitor down the road.

L.C. Greenwood wrote:I predict he senseless rules changes will be a problem for the NFL, and does open the door for a competitor down the road.

I do, too. Though football is so ingrained that it will likely be a generational thing. Also, I don't think the competition will come from a competing football league. None of them will be willing to go back in time with rules and such. They'll just be leagues with less talent and either more gimmicks and/or different gimmicks (i.e. different ideas for eliminating kickoffs).

The competition will be from the numerous other sports. If the NHL can ever market itself properly or rugby continues to gain popularity or basketball or soccer and so on. But it's not like 5-years from now MLR will be more popular than the NFL. Closer to reality is that the NFL/football has opened the door, wide-open, to lose it's #1 spot over the long-term and once you fall to #2 the popularity continues to wane and the league/sports becomes more a cog in the sports landscape than the king of the mountain.

Talks are being held between Arizona State and the new Alliance of American Football that could return professional football to Sun Devil Stadium for the first time since 2005. Rumored coach would be former Cowboy QB Danny White.


I understand this league is to be a Triple AAA (using baseball term) type leagues for the best 400 fringe NFL players to have somewhere to continue to play that did not make the jump from College to the NFL... While i see Orlando as a decent city to put a triple AAA franchise I really question Atlanta and possibly Phoenix. Would have thought a Birmingham or Memphis would be better for a top minor league prospect then Atlanta.

The AAF just announced Memphis as its 3rd team..... Stadium and Head Coach to be announced next week.

So far, Orlando, Atlanta, Memphis with 5 more to be named...

Well, if, as seems likely, the majority of the players will come from the south in general and the SEC in particular it makes sense that they would put teams in areas where those players have name recognition.

I wonder if all the teams will be in the South or South East.