Sounder

There is no plan for expansion for 2020. Bill Polian wants to focus first on establishing a firmer footing for the original 8 franchises. There will be no relocations...... the league and the NFL have established at least some kind of "informal" dialogue on the subject of NFL teams allocating players to the AAF. And Johnny Manziel likrly won't be hired by any AAF team this yesr mostly because it's already mid season and too late for him to come in and get acclimated. That...... and the due diligence process hasn't quite been completed....... y'see what kind of crap you can bring on to yourself? But I'm not ending this post on that note.......... Hey Boys and Girls......there's a new arena football expansion team coming......the Atlantic City Arena Football soon to pick a name club is actually holding an open tryout on Saturday March 30 in Pitman NJ......so I'm just saying if you think you can be an arena football player...... here's your chance. Its not for the feint of heart because they do things there like slam you into boards.

I don't really think the league can do much...... the original antitrust suit Al Davis won years ago pretty much ties the leagues hands in these matters......let Marc slop around in his own vomit. As you may be able to tell..... I was a Raider fan once......

Why isn't there an "America's best sob story" show? Or is there?

Maybe men should just stay away from women......period.

This show pretty much hasn't been much more than a game show for the celebrity coaches....rather than a show that launches careers. Maybe on the country charts but I'm not huge on that. Yeah.....John has quite the personality don't he? But Adam must have approved his being on the show.... because Adam is the lead guy right? Anyway.....like the blinds.....like the concept of performers being actually judged by their singing first......its kind of a pre MTV relic way to do it but amazingly still effective. Would like to believe sobby back stories have little impact......but....... anyway, after blinds I usually slip away.

And by the way.....despite the fact that Richardson has seven TDs in four games.... he's getting a lot of goal line chances.....at least he converts them.....his yardage doesn't rank on top and I've barely seen his name on any top five MVP candidate lists. In Atlanta..... they may have been a little hasty writing off the Legends now that Aaron Murray will be assuming the starting role..... he looked real good against Arizona and I still can't believe he didn't stick in the NFL. I hope he gets another look.

The news on the television front has been positive so far through four weeks..... the AAF has outperformed the NBA, NHL, MLS, EPL, Pro Bowling. and even the NFL combine on the various cable outlets..... only the TNT games and NFL net games have been measured...... numbers for games on CBSSN and B/R Live are not available. It has been encouraging enough for TNT that even though they only initially committed to a single regular season and one playoff broadcast..... in addition to already having added the Orlando vs Birmingham game this weekend.....they will also add Orlando vs Atlanta the following week......howwwwwweverrr.......... attendance for week four suffered some..... bad late winter weather and cold and in one case snow......led to a poor turnout for Salt Lake. Less than 10,000...... hell.....I wouldn't have gone either.......Arizona posted a disappointing turnout.....maybe it was the winless Atlanta Legends......who are winless no more. But the tv numbers do indicate that people are willing to watch the league..... it'll take some time for people to actually come to the stadiums...... be patient.

So I was right then.......

Slapping a player with the "tag" commits the team to pay him an average of the top three in the league at his position .....but takes him off the open market.

Cuz y'see..... espn/abc I believe could easily air MNF on the big network.... is there a reason they don't?

The newest gizmo brought to you by the AAF is "Sky Judge"..... its purpose is to catch what the "snazzily dressed" AAF officials don't see. In the Commanders/Iron game..... it flagged a play on the SA cornerback for targeting a defenseless reciever that the refs had missed. Imagine what would've been in BOTH the AFC and NFC title games if such a device was in play...... but then again...... if the NFL had this..... they wouldn't have gotten the outcome they wanted.

ESPN doesn't usually report on things they don't have any kind of interest in...... and they suck anyway. Why can't MNF be back on ABC?

So we have Orlando on top with Birmingham one game down in the AAF East..... Atlanta and Memphis finally notched their first victories..... Birmingham will face Orlando this weekend. Int he AAF West...... things are wide open ..... Arizona, San Diego. and San Antonio all sit at 2-2......and Salt Lake sits one back. Maybe Johnny Manziel makes an impact perhaps?

It made for an intriguing finish yesterday in Birmingham as after Trent Richardson scored his seventh TD in four games ....and the conversion successful....we had a 12-11 Commanders lead. The Iron can now try the 12 yd "onside conversion" to regain possession......it didn't go this time....but the idea is good. The altered NFL kickoff rule....with no running start..... didn't so much ruin the kickoff play..... but rendered the onside kick useless. Meaning when a team drops two scores down late.... its over. I don't want to see kickoffs removed from the game. But adopting this onside conversion would be better than the failed onside kick ritual.

Well as I alluded to earlier...... some kind of off-NFL football in early spring will remain. You may not actually need it.....but it's there. It's a short three month cycle and it's kind of fun. The NFL..... if it desired.....could easily cover these six to eight next markets and be a 40 team league I guess.......this system. works better.

So that's my top five..... not the top three and two fours.

I have heard much speculation about AAF expansion and where it should go..... 1 Portland....a territory with an appropriate stadium.... a large population center....strong collegiate football in the northwest.....so a lot of potentially strong talent here.......a natural fit...... and it has had second league history with WFL and USFL teams. 2 Columbus: A 20 000 seat venue is available here and a team that would draw it's talents in big ten territory..... had previous second team in WLAF (Ohio Glory). 3. Oakland: Yes I would go there.....an area with a somewhat solid collegiate football player base...... and how can you call Oakland fans disloyal? The Davises gave Oakland pro football.... took it away..... brought it back..... and even though for the time being its remaining...... it's leaving again for good. Showed to be an interested fan base for the USFL Invaders despite the Raiders departure to LA. Can tear down Mount Davis still and restore the Coliseum.....restore it's views.....reduce to maybe 30,000 seats for baseball and AAF football.....it would work. I'd tear down Mount Davis even with the Raiders still there...... even during the NFL season. 4. The league needs a territorial presence in the upper northeast. and I'm thinking maybe Red Bulls Arena or the Carrier Dome in the New York region There is collegiate talent here.....and the #1 tv market is here.....still gotta consider that. 4. Raleigh-Durham: Have you noticed the numbers of players from this region on NFL rosters? If you include the Virginia area here you could build one solid tremendous football roster even with the second guys. The area has experienced second football before with the Skyhawks of WLAF.

And it would also help legitimize these second level markets that will likely remain so..... franchises people will grow to rally behind and be willing to wear its team gear with pride. If not.....you'll get even MORE teams and more leagues that adds even more sub league history like the great Birmingham/Memphis legacy. San Antonio and Orlando too for that matter turn up in every league. Unless the NFL wants to be a 48 team monolith.... and I don't see that......this is the highest level of ball these markets will get. And it's pretty good stuff. Help it grow to be even better.

Not only am I cheering that post.... cuz I agree.... it brings a question: Isn't it possible to connect your laptop to your 48 inch screen? Myself....I still kick it old school with a 20 inch that doesn't have the connections. So for now....I gotta use my android. But since I'm such a geek for this league becuz my belief that pro football needs this level of league.....the AAF will make the NFL a better product with better fundamental players taught by football savvy people that might even finally be able to shrink NFL preseason to two games with that eighteen game regular schedule they're likely gonna do anyway. With all that..... I'll do more to follow it. How many more football geeks are out there? Make a deal with Stadium channel at least because they really need a league to cover other than that Frisbee sport. Let CBS produce it cuz it needs the NFL style coverage and trappings to give it and its players a first class environment.

I'm simply learning what these symbols do...... I'm a rook here.

Week 4 in the AAF: Saturday.....San Diego at Memphis on B/R Live...... Orlando at Salt Lake on NFL Net..... Sunday......San Antonio at Birmingham on CBSN..... Atlanta at Arizona on NFL Net. All games available on fuboTv......damn....... I got NONE of these!

Zach Mettenberger (you remember)..... will be the starter from now on for the Memphis Express..... he made the CBS players to watch list for week four after a good performance against Orlando.

Nelson Spruce, Wide receiver for the San Diego Fleet is one of the players to watch...... he caught two TDs last week....in part thanks to a qb switch to Brian Nelson .... Spruce.... from Colorado, while there tied or broke 43 school records..... but didn't perform well at the NFL combine..... doesn't have the measurables that make scouts drool..... stock dropped..... he didn't get drafted. He was studly in college..... he's doing it again in the AAF. Sometimes..... pure talent doesn't show itself at the combine.

And yes.....the CFL conducted a two year experiment with US markets.... after Baltimore won the 1995 Grey Cup...... experiment ended.

The survey yielded eleven results and it's Memphis 6 Birmingham 5. There will be an AAF meeting between the Iron and Express later this season...... the Iron beat "Hack"enburg and the Express 26-0 in the first meeting. So its more than just another game...... ultimate bragging rights are at stake.