Alliance of American Football 2019

TOss Sweep

Charlie Ebersol with the help of Bill Polian and others bringing us an attempt of more Football They plan to start post Superbowl 53 in 2019. CBS already signed up to air some of it. CBS will air the league's debut game on Feb. 9, 2019, one week after Super Bowl LIII on CBS

Their aim is to target unemployed football players and guys who don't make the NFL. Not a bad idea if it works. Gives guys a chance to prove themselves post college.

Grabbed this from PFT. The bit in bold is interesting

The XFL is planning a return in 2020, but football fans looking for gridiron action when the NFL hits the offseason won’t have to wait that long.


Charlie Ebersol directed an ESPN 30 for 30 about the first iteration of the XFL, which was a partnership between his father Dick as head of NBC Sports and Vince McMahon, and he announced on Tuesday that the Alliance of American Football will kick off following the Super Bowl in February 2019. Hall of Famer Bill Polian will help oversee the league, which aims to have eight 50-man teams playing a 10-week schedule.


“There are 28,000 Division I football players,” Ebersol said, via ESPN.com. “Only 1,700 have NFL jobs. We’re looking for those Kurt Warners working in grocery stores and we think we will find them.”


One twist planned is the elimination of kickoffs as teams will start on their 25-yard line. Teams that want to try an onside kick will instead get one play from their 35 to gain 10 yards and keep possession of the ball.

Dick Ebersol, Troy Polamalu Hines Ward and Justin Tuck will also be involved with the league, which is set to air its first game and title game on CBS. Other games will appear on CBS Sports Network and streaming on the league’s app.


The league, which has financial backing from Peter Thiel and The Chernin Group, is expected to announce the locations of the eight teams in the coming months.

More detailed on CBS website

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/spring-league-alliance-of-american-football-to-launch-in-2019-on-cbs/

Justin10

First thing that springs to mind is the XFL, which is starting back up.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

LuckyLloyd

I think the non NFL NFL league that will ultimately work is one that doesn't aim to compete in anyway with the NFL, and is not looking to achieve anything like the revenues of the NFL. This in essence sounds like an attempt to set up a pro 'minor league' A 10 week league running through Feb to mid April would offer an excellent opportunity for players to showcase themselves and potentially spring board into an NFL roster.

I think that - ultimately - any such league should ape the standards and rules of the actual NFL so I think they're making a mistake tampering with kickoffs and such. But the basics of this idea sound okay to me.

There's a potential ton of interest in more pro football that feeds into the NFL, and if you could gamble on it, etc it could have a future.

TOss Sweep

I would prefer to see this one work over the XFL and I think they are smart to get in a year ahead of time. Give guys a chance to showcase without the showbiz crap of the WWE and Vince McMahon.

I agree taking on the NFL will never work so why not work outside their realm and get players in the NFL off season who love to have a shot of proving themselves. I do agree with the rules though. They really should stick as close to possible to the NFL as possible rule wise.

Hopefully this works for them Im all for leagues in the off season to fill the gap that are not run by the WWE and Vince McMahon

jack presley

Another article on it

http://thecomeback.com/nfl/10-things-need-know-dick-ebersol-new-football-league.html

eagle eye

If they do it from February through April this will get a lot of interest. They finish just in time for the draft which means that young players who might be rated UDFA's for the draft can sign up to this and create interest for themselves.

Likewise players who haven't work out for one reason or another in the NFL have a chance to try and get a roster spot for the next NFL season.

I think this could take off, as much as I dislike the man Bill Polian is perfect for something like this. I think there is a real good chance that it works.

As Lloyd says above, if they know their place and don't try to compete with the NFL they will do business. I know I'll watch it if it's not ridiculous. I would never watch the XFL because that is going to be ridiculous.

BizzyC

I never understood why the NFL itself didn't have a minor league....
NFL Europe was essentially that league for a while, but they need one in the US.

Loughc

BizzyC wrote: »

I never understood why the NFL itself didn't have a minor league....
NFL Europe was essentially that league for a while, but they need one in the US.

Ironically there would be more appetite for a NFL Europe now than ever before.

Loughc

Starts this weekend anyone going to check it out?

Pleasantly surprised the NFL Network will be showing 2 games a week, hopefully there's a recap show of sorts as well.

Be interesting to see the standard of football.

cena

Loughc wrote: »

Starts this weekend anyone going to check it out?

Pleasantly surprised the NFL Network will be showing 2 games a week, hopefully there's a recap show of sorts as well.

Be interesting to see the standard of football.

Xfl games this weekend?

Loughc

cena wrote: »

Xfl games this weekend?

XFL isn't back until 2020. AA starts this weekend.

Salt Lake Stallion

I'm excited for this, been following it for months, all the blogs and podcasts. You can guess by my username who I'll be rooting for! I'm really intrigued by the lack of a kickoff and onside kick being a 4th and 10 play.

They have put an emphasis on player quality and speeding up the game, rather than any real gimmicks. Getting operational a year before the XFL and getting a broadcasting deal with the NFL should set the league up on a good footing.

Really want to see this app and how their daily fantasy will work.
At the very least it has to be more entertaining than that game last night.

Loughc

Salt Lake Stallion wrote: »

I'm excited for this, been following it for months, all the blogs and podcasts. You can guess by my username who I'll be rooting for! I'm really intrigued by the lack of a kickoff and onside kick being a 4th and 10 play.

They have put an emphasis on player quality and speeding up the game, rather than any real gimmicks. Getting operational a year before the XFL and getting a broadcasting deal with the NFL should set the league up on a good footing.

Really want to see this app and how their daily fantasy will work.
At the very least it has to be more entertaining than that game last night.

Any podcasts you could recommend? I wouldn't mind giving it a listen to before the launch.

It'll be interesting to see if the game flows as quick as they are making out it will. The are expecting games runtimes to be shorter by at least 30 mins compared to NFL games.

Last night's game wasn't too bad... it was more of a defensive showdown in the end than an old fashioned shootout.

Salt Lake Stallion

Loughc wrote: »

Any podcasts you could recommend? I wouldn't mind giving it a listen to before the launch.

It'll be interesting to see if the game flows as quick as they are making out it will. The are expecting games runtimes to be shorter by at least 30 mins compared to NFL games.

Last night's game wasn't too bad... it was more of a defensive showdown in the end than an old fashioned shootout.

That's a fair point, defense wins championships I suppose.

Podcast wise:

Alliance Football Podcast is a league wide one, can be drawn out at times but the guy speaks really well and has people on from individual team podcasts.

The Shipyard is a San Diego Fleet one, these guys are the most entertaining out of all the AAF team podcasts, if you were only going to listen to one I'd go with this one.


The Wild Stallyns is a Stallions podcast, as the name would suggest. Particularly good listening if you're a Bill and Ted fan as the name references the Wyld Stallyns band from the movie and they talk quite a bit about the movies. For the younger posters Bill and Ted is iconic for most people who grew up in the 80's.

All these podcasts have twitter accounts and interact with each other reagularly, been a lot of smack talk all ready between the fans. It's a good indicator of how much interest there could be in this league.

Loughc

Salt Lake Stallion wrote: »

That's a fair point, defense wins championships I suppose.

Podcast wise:

Alliance Football Podcast is a league wide one, can be drawn out at times but the guy speaks really well and has people on from individual team podcasts.

The Shipyard is a San Diego Fleet one, these guys are the most entertaining out of all the AAF team podcasts, if you were only going to listen to one I'd go with this one.


The Wild Stallyns is a Stallions podcast, as the name would suggest. Particularly good listening if you're a Bill and Ted fan as the name references the Wyld Stallyns band from the movie and they talk quite a bit about the movies. For the younger posters Bill and Ted is iconic for most people who grew up in the 80's.

All these podcasts have twitter accounts and interact with each other reagularly, been a lot of smack talk all ready between the fans. It's a good indicator of how much interest there could be in this league.

Legend!

I hope it is successful, there's plenty of undrafted quality players out there and there is a gap in the market during the off-season it makes sense.

Next year will be interesting when the XFL goes live.

Frankie Cortese

Are these Sunday night games also? I must look into the teams & give it a shot

eagle eye

I might give it a look but no Boston team makes it less interesting to me. I hope it succeeds though because that xfl thing is a joke and I'd hate to see it gain traction. If this takes off the xfl won't I think.

Loughc

eagle eye wrote: »

I might give it a look but no Boston team makes it less interesting to me. I hope it succeeds though because that xfl thing is a joke and I'd hate to see it gain traction. If this takes off the xfl won't I think.

Why is the xfl a joke? Their new attempt seems a lot more professional. They did a good job with their COO and commissioner selection. They seem to be all about the football this time round and they’ve learned their lesson from their last failure.

eagle eye

Loughc wrote: »

Why is the xfl a joke? Their new attempt seems a lot more professional. They did a good job with their COO and commissioner selection. They seem to be all about the football this time round and they’ve learned their lesson from their last failure.

I don't believe for one minute that Vince McMahon will play it straight.

Loughc

eagle eye wrote: »

I don't believe for one minute that Vince McMahon will play it straight.

Vince is old now. He wants to leave a legacy and the xfl is one way to leave a mark. I think he’ll TRY to play it straight. Then if ratings fall apart there’ll be a gimmick coming

Frankie Cortese

I see each team is aligned with a college & NFL team. Birmingham Iron linked up with my college team (Alabama) & NFL team (Browns)

Makes picking a team a lot easier!

Fr Tod Umptious

Is there a TV contract this side of the world ?

Loughc

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Is there a TV contract this side of the world ?

Other than NFL Network on gamepass, no.

i imagine they'll want to see how popular it is in the states and if it survives for a second season first before investing in it.

boccy23

Frankie Cortese wrote: »

Are these Sunday night games also? I must look into the teams & give it a shot

There's a game at 9PM GMT next Sunday night. Memphis at Birmingham.

The Head Coaches are interesting. Will be interested to see if this really can be a feeder league or a redemption league. I think there is definitely a place for this in the US media market now. Regular season NBA Basketball is non-existent as it's all down to the playoffs and whether anyone can beat Golden State. The NHL is a poor fourth when it comes to the the major sports and MLB only begins in April.

boccy23

Frankie Cortese wrote: »

I see each team is aligned with a college & NFL team. Birmingham Iron linked up with my college team (Alabama) & NFL team (Browns)

Makes picking a team a lot easier!

Did you see who is listed at RB???....

Only one Trent Richardson. :eek:

BaronVon

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Is there a TV contract this side of the world ?

CBS will be showing it Stateside, but there is supposed to be an app being released, which will have most of the games, highlights etc. Not out yet though....

ScrubsfanChris

Any news on an NFL network highlights show?

Loughc

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

Any news on an NFL network highlights show?

Nothing yet... but I imagine they'll be showing clips on their Breakfast/weekday shows on the network.

rebelyell99

Loughc wrote: »

Nothing yet... but I imagine they'll be showing clips on their Breakfast/weekday shows on the network.

Nfl network are showing two games live every week im sure

Loughc

rebelyell99 wrote: »

Nfl network are showing two games live every week im sure

I know but the poster was asking about a highlight show, to show highlights of the other games.

ScrubsfanChris

rebelyell99 wrote: »

Nfl network are showing two games live every week im sure

Know that, its in their schedule. But its only one game at a reasonable hour.

Fr Tod Umptious

Loughc wrote: »

Other than NFL Network on gamepass, no.

i imagine they'll want to see how popular it is in the states and if it survives for a second season first before investing in it.

Thanks

NFL Network is free on GamePass until 31st July so that's handy

OldMrBrennan83

Might as well give this a watch, lots watch college and this will have a better standard of player overall. Birmingham for me, mainly because I was looking at rosters and recognized Tolzein and Richardson.

OldMrBrennan83

Loughc wrote: »

I know but the poster was asking about a highlight show, to show highlights of the other games.

Hopefully they'll have a YouTube channel for that like the NFL do.

BaronVon

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

Might as well give this a watch, lots watch college and this will have a better standard of player overall. Birmingham for me, mainly because I was looking at rosters and recognized Tolzein and Richardson.

As in Trent Richardson?

OldMrBrennan83

infacteh wrote: »

As in Trent Richardson?

Yep, I remember hearing he was going to the league. Tolzein was a training camp patsy for the Packers before.

MileHighGuy

In the dog days of the offseason, any football is welcome. I like the look of the Orlando Apollos - Steve Spurier is the head coach, so should be exciting to watch and like the unis!

Atlanta Legends offensive coordinator is Michael Vick, although I'd prefer to see him pull on the cleats it'll be interesting all the same.

Seriously though, it will give some young players a chance to showcase what they can do, not to mention older players a chance to reboot their career. It might pioneer rule changes for the NFL,where they can watch them trialed and see the outcomes in real games. Finally it may provide an avenue for young and minority coaches to step into roles that might otherwise have been closed off to them. If the quality of football is any ways half-decent they will find an audience I would guess.

Paladonia

Did I read that the games would stream for free on the official app (when it eventually drops)? Surely this would conflict with other TV deals?

I wonder will any of the mainstream bookies offer odds.

Frankie Cortese

Paladonia wrote: »

Did I read that the games would stream for free on the official app (when it eventually drops)? Surely this would conflict with other TV deals?

I wonder will any of the mainstream bookies offer odds.

Sky bet have a market up. I tweeted Paddy Power & told them & asked would they have a market, they replied that they sent it to their traders and are awaiting a response.id imagine once Skybet are doing one, they’ll follow suit

ArmaniJeanss

Paladonia wrote: »

Did I read that the games would stream for free on the official app (when it eventually drops)? Surely this would conflict with other TV deals?

I wonder will any of the mainstream bookies offer odds.

Yes, a few have dipped their toes in already on the conferences & outrights, skybet and bet365 being 2 of the bigger bookies doing it.
https://www.oddschecker.com/american-football/aaf-championship/alliance-of-american-football-championship/winner
They might price up the matches/hcaps next week when they get an idea of each team and how the scoring is working out under the different AAF rules.

Salt Lake Stallion

The App has been released, looks like the iOS version is only available in the States. Android one is available here.

Just bare bones app at the minute, only really a schedule on the app, the rest just links to webpages. It's going to be heavily developed as the season continues. Hopefully streming within the app will be up and running for this weekend, hearing that it won't have a casting feature.

Frankie Cortese

Thought NFL Network would be showing more than a game a week.

If they produce a highlights show I’ll be more than happy though.

I wonder if the NFL getting behind this is an effort to squeeze Vince McMahon before he even starts?

eagle eye

Frankie Cortese wrote:

I wonder if the NFL getting behind this is an effort to squeeze Vince McMahon before he even starts?

I'd imagine it's because of Polian.

Loughc

Salt Lake Stallion wrote: »

The App has been released, looks like the iOS version is only available in the States. Android one is available here.

Just bare bones app at the minute, only really a schedule on the app, the rest just links to webpages. It's going to be heavily developed as the season continues. Hopefully streming within the app will be up and running for this weekend, hearing that it won't have a casting feature.

iOS version now available in Europe.

OldMrBrennan83

Where are the games being shown? Didn't catch it earlier.

Loughc

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

Where are the games being shown? Didn't catch it earlier.

2 a week on the NFL network and some on CBS in the states. Apparently the app will stream games too.

Kev8360

I am most interested in how they implement the sky judge system - sounds like VAR as they can rule on any “egregious error” by the refs. seems like the nfc conference game may have sparked a few ideas with them.

Salt Lake Stallion

Frankie Cortese wrote: »

Thought NFL Network would be showing more than a game a week.

If they produce a highlights show I’ll be more than happy though.

I wonder if the NFL getting behind this is an effort to squeeze Vince McMahon before he even starts?

They are, every week except this first week has 2 games on NFL Network.

Deco99

How does the college/NFL team link up work? Just a kinda buddy system? Or something more formal?

eagle eye

Anyone going watching this? Kurt Warner on the mic pregame in the stadium. They couldn't have gotten a better guy for this with how his career went.