https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/20...441604002/

No kickoffs or PATs (you have to go for 2)...and a crazy "in lieu of an onside kick" rule

The XFL won’t be the only new professional football league set to launch over the next couple of years.

The Alliance of American Football was unveiled at a press conference Tuesday in New York. It involved less hype than when Vince McMahon made public his XFL re-launch for 2020, but this new league did offer more details, including a debut date (Feb. 9, 2019) and a TV partner (CBS Sports Network).

Charlie Ebersol, who will serve as AAF’s CEO, presented the new spring league not as a rival to the NFL. Fellow co-founder and former longtime NFL team executive Bill Polian described the AAF almost as a feeder system to the the NFL, since players will not be locked into long-term deals and seasons will end April, well before the start of NFL training camps.

“I think this will be complementary to the NFL,” said former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, who will serve as the AAF’s head of player relations.

The league will consist of eight teams, although Ebersol said the teams won’t be introduced until next month.

Polian said that eliminating one of the most dangerous parts of football – kickoffs -- was paramount to those involved in creating the AAF. There will be no kickoffs as teams will start on the 25-yard line after a score and at the start of each half.

Since there are no kickoffs, however, that means no onside kicks, but Polian said he found a solution: The team that scored a touchdown gets the ball on its 35 in a 4th-and-10 situation.

“If you make it, you keep going,” Polian said. “That will be exciting, strategic and will create a lot of interest.”

There will also be no extra points in AAF as teams will be forced to go for a 2-point conversion.

Sounds like the UFL.

My proposal would have eliminated all kickers. In each half a team gets the ball on their 25, and plays until they score or lose the ball on downs. Run or pass for extra points.


What gets the entire stadium on its feet BEFORE a play? Going for it on fourth down. You get about 20 of those per game with my system.

Zero kicks. No punts or place kicks.

clt says we have enough pro football with nfl, xfl, and the sec

I really like that they're doing away with kickoffs, and trying out the 4th and 10 onside kick replacement. I'll be following this league with a lot of interest, because I can see a similar system becoming standard in football in the next 10 years. There's a youtube video that rips apart kickoffs, I'll see if I can find it.

You have to get some of the best talent or else it is simply semi-pro football that no one will watch.

(03-21-2018 07:34 AM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  I really like that they're doing away with kickoffs, and trying out the 4th and 10 onside kick replacement. I'll be following this league with a lot of interest, because I can see a similar system becoming standard in football in the next 10 years. There's a youtube video that rips apart kickoffs, I'll see if I can find it.

This league will be a good opportunity to test these rules and see how they work out and how fans react.

It seems that 3/4 of KO returns result in a blocking in the back penalty, so eliminating them will speed up the game.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/20...465231002/

The Ol' Ball Coach might soon be returning to the sidelines.

Steve Spurrier told The Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday that he has been in contact with representatives of a recently announced league, The Alliance of American Football, and is interested in the opportunity.

"I can’t talk a lot about it," Spurrier told the newspaper. "It sounds like an interesting and intriguing format and could be a lot of fun. I’m fired up about it, and we’ll see what happens. But I do have an interest."

In addition to Spurrier, the former Florida, South Carolina and Washington Redskins coach, Sporting News also listed former San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary and former Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher as possibilities, among others.

(03-28-2018 10:03 AM)usm99 Wrote:  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/20...465231002/

The Ol' Ball Coach might soon be returning to the sidelines.

Steve Spurrier told The Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday that he has been in contact with representatives of a recently announced league, The Alliance of American Football, and is interested in the opportunity.

"I can’t talk a lot about it," Spurrier told the newspaper. "It sounds like an interesting and intriguing format and could be a lot of fun. I’m fired up about it, and we’ll see what happens. But I do have an interest."

In addition to Spurrier, the former Florida, South Carolina and Washington Redskins coach, Sporting News also listed former San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary and former Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher as possibilities, among others.

I listened to an interview with the guy who is starting this. They have a lot of former players who are involved with the "Alliance" as they call it.

It's not some rag-tag operation like the XFL. This will have recognizable names as coaches as mentioned.

Seems like it could be a farm system for the NFL. The players sign very short contracts (if I remember correctly) and will have a clause in every contract allowing them to leave if an NFL team signs them.

(03-28-2018 10:38 AM)eagle04 Wrote:  

(03-28-2018 10:03 AM)usm99 Wrote:  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/20...465231002/

The Ol' Ball Coach might soon be returning to the sidelines.

Steve Spurrier told The Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday that he has been in contact with representatives of a recently announced league, The Alliance of American Football, and is interested in the opportunity.

"I can’t talk a lot about it," Spurrier told the newspaper. "It sounds like an interesting and intriguing format and could be a lot of fun. I’m fired up about it, and we’ll see what happens. But I do have an interest."

In addition to Spurrier, the former Florida, South Carolina and Washington Redskins coach, Sporting News also listed former San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary and former Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher as possibilities, among others.

I listened to an interview with the guy who is starting this. They have a lot of former players who are involved with the "Alliance" as they call it.

It's not some rag-tag operation like the XFL. This will have recognizable names as coaches as mentioned.

Seems like it could be a farm system for the NFL. The players sign very short contracts (if I remember correctly) and will have a clause in every contract allowing them to leave if an NFL team signs them.

Agreed.

from the article :Spurrier, who will turn 73 next month, told The Sentinel that he is intrigued by the AAF because it already has a television contract with CBS Sports and would require only a four-or-five month time commitment.

Thought that maybe it was the AAC starting a new campaign to elevate themselves above the P5. Just wanted to check.

(03-28-2018 11:33 AM)Volkmar Wrote:  Thought that maybe it was the AAC starting a new campaign to elevate themselves above the P5. Just wanted to check.

They wouldn't be a new pro league.