The Alliance of American Football Quarterback Draft Was Conducted on 11/27

[26CornerBlitz]

LIVE: The Alliance of American Football Quarterback Draft - Alliance of American Football

 

 

By Kareem Yasin and Dinn Mann

 

It’s the kind of occasion that simulates a quarterback’s adrenaline rush during a game-winning drive.

 

The Alliance of American Football is conducting its inaugural “Protect or Pick” QB Draft at 8ET/5PT tonight on CBS Sports Network, live from Las Vegas.

 

More than 50 aspiring pro quarterbacks progressed through the scouting process after tryouts, combines and an elite camp to reach this point. A couple handfuls of those players are attending the draft, each hoping to become faces of franchises when the spring league’s historic first season begins the weekend after the upcoming Super Bowl.

 

The site of the QB Draft is Las Vegas’ HyperX Esports Arena, where attendees will wait for their chance to join host Hines Ward, head of player relations for The Alliance, on stage as the unique process unfolds.

 

“The quarterback position is critical to a team’s success, so we knew the importance of making sure each Alliance team had a top-tier quarterback at the helm,” said Alliance co-founder Bill Polian, explaining how league coaches, front office executives and CEO/co-founder Charlie Ebersol collectively agreed on the format.

 

ROUND 1: Protect or Pick

San Diego Fleet, Atlanta Legends, Memphis Express, and San Antonio Commanders elected to protect.

 

Protect:

1. San Diego Fleet protects: Josh Johnson
2. Atlanta Legends protects: Aaron Murray
3. Memphis Express protects: Troy Cook
4. San Antonio Commanders protects: Dustin Vaughan

 

Birmingham Iron, Arizona Hotshots, Orlando Apollos, and Salt Lake Stallions elected to pick.

 

Pick:

1. Birmingham Iron picks: Luis Perez
2. Arizona Hotshots picks: Trevor Knight
3. Orlando Apollos picks: Garrett Gilbert
4. Salt Lake Stallions picks: Josh Woodrum

 

[1st Ammendment NoMas]

tickets for this better be less than $20 or this league will fold. 

[MiltonWaddams]

4 minutes ago, BillsRdue said:

tickets for this better be less than $20 or this league will fold. 

Let's be honest, the league will fold regardless.

[xsoldier54]

I would love to see them succeed and the NFL go completely out of business.  The whole kneeling thing as well as all of the rule changes make the NFL virtually unwatchable in most cases.  

[HansLanda]

If this league ends up being even a little bit of a young feeder league to the NFL, it will be 100% fine. Not every person is ready to play in the NFL at age 22. Some really may be at age 25 if they have the chance to continue to play. As it stands now, there are so many guys that are out of the league that you never know if they would have continued to develop and just needed more marinating. 

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

I watched a lot of it. The only shot one of these league has is to try and be a minor league for the nfl and get nfl teams involved. They seem to sort of understand that. Peterman and EJ should have been trying to get in. The league itself should have moved mountains to get Kap and Tebow.

[eball]

7 minutes ago, xsoldier54 said:

I would love to see them succeed and the NFL go completely out of business.  The whole kneeling thing as well as all of the rule changes make the NFL virtually unwatchable in most cases.  

 

Says a guy spending his time on an NFL team's message board.  Good take.

[jr1]

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

10 minutes ago, Brianmoorman4jesus said:

I watched a lot of it. The only shot one of these league has is to try and be a minor league for the nfl and get nfl teams involved. They seem to sort of understand that. Peterman and EJ should have been trying to get in. The league itself should have moved mountains to get Kap and Tebow.

 

...despite MLB, NHL and even NBA having substantial minor league networks, the NFL just can't afford it (COUGH).....

[Freddie's Dead]

Gale Gilbert's kid!

 

[whatdrought]

I’ve always wondered why the NFL doesn’t pursue a farm team...

 

My best guess is that from a player side, it’s hard to justify the extra investment and punishment that they will take for a potential to break out. 

 

From a business side, I wonder if Owners are worried that it would take away from the football market and the hard work that has been done to make high level football distinct and rare in America. It isn’t like baseball, where you can have a team in each city because fans just love the experience and the sport- there needs to be investment in teams and players. 

[Albany,n.y.]

Have all these guys agreed to play in the league or is it just a wish list?  If it's just a wish list it looks pretty bad for EJ & Nate not even being selected.  

Just now, whatdrought said:

I’ve always wondered why the NFL doesn’t pursue a farm team...

 

My best guess is that from a player side, it’s hard to justify the extra investment and punishment that they will take for a potential to break out. 

 

From a business side, I wonder if Owners are worried that it would take away from the football market and the hard work that has been done to make high level football distinct and rare in America. It isn’t like baseball, where you can have a team in each city because fans just love the experience and the sport- there needs to be investment in teams and players. 

There was NFL Europe/WLAF which produced several guys including HOFer Kurt Warner and future HOFer Adam Vinatieri.

[T master]

I hope the QB picks are better the the names they chose for the teams not a lot of thought went into that project !!?

[buffalostu2]

Fold?  How do people think this is being funded?   They have lots of money.  Do you think the people involved would have signed on if the NFL was backing them?  They aren't rich guys, they are NFL guys.

[quinnearlysghost88]

1 hour ago, xsoldier54 said:

I would love to see them succeed and the NFL go completely out of business.  The whole kneeling thing as well as all of the rule changes make the NFL virtually unwatchable in most cases.  

the kneeling (that almost doesn't happen anymore) before the games, most of which you never see on TV, makes the NFL virtually unwatchable? okay, got it.

[DCOrange]

I'm really curious to see how Luis Perez does

[KD in CA]

52 minutes ago, whatdrought said:

I’ve always wondered why the NFL doesn’t pursue a farm team...

 

My best guess is that from a player side, it’s hard to justify the extra investment and punishment that they will take for a potential to break out. 

 

From a business side, I wonder if Owners are worried that it would take away from the football market and the hard work that has been done to make high level football distinct and rare in America. It isn’t like baseball, where you can have a team in each city because fans just love the experience and the sport- there needs to be investment in teams and players. 

 

Plus they already have a free farm system:   college football

[Mark Vader]

33 minutes ago, T master said:

I hope the QB picks are better the the names they chose for the teams not a lot of thought went into that project !!?

Just wait until the new XFL comes back. Those team names should be real beauts.

[1st&ten]

1 hour ago, Albany,n.y. said:

Have all these guys agreed to play in the league or is it just a wish list?  If it's just a wish list it looks pretty bad for EJ & Nate not even being selected.  

There was NFL Europe/WLAF which produced several guys including HOFer Kurt Warner and future HOFer Adam Vinatieri.

 

I think the Bills Fred Jackson played in NFL Europe also.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

...now it's worth watching..............

 

Free agent QB Christian Hackenberg was selected by the Memphis Express in the second round of the AAF Draft on Tuesday.

 

Hackenberg, of course, was an NFL second-round pick just 2.5 years ago by the Jets, a glaring mistake by GM Mike Maccagnan. The Alliance of American Football (AAF) is a startup football league filled with ex-NFL practice-squad and fringe players who never made it in the league. Hackenberg was taken with the seventh pick in the second round, 15th overall. The Express' head coach is Mike Singletary. The league kicks off on February 9. Nov 27 - 10:29 PM

[xsoldier54]

1 hour ago, quinnearlysghost88 said:

the kneeling (that almost doesn't happen anymore) before the games, most of which you never see on TV, makes the NFL virtually unwatchable? okay, got it.

You are entitled to your opinion, but it is still going on, they just choose not to show it on TV.  Pretending it doesn't exist does not mean it's not happening.  If it doesn't bother you and you still wanna support these guys, then that's great.  It does bother millions of other Americans and the only NFL football that I watch anymore is my Buffalo Bills.  I won't support a bunch of millionaire athletes crying about being oppressed.  Again, if it doesn't bother you, then great.  As a veteran, I find it disrespectful to the men and women who have died in defense  of our country.  There is an established protocol for the playing of the anthem and it does not involve kneeling.

[Gugny]

2 hours ago, xsoldier54 said:

I would love to see them succeed and the NFL go completely out of business.  The whole kneeling thing as well as all of the rule changes make the NFL virtually unwatchable in most cases.  

 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/615678/nfl-national-television-broadcast-deals/

 

Neither the kneeling thing, nor the rule changes, has hurt the NFL one bit.

[Mr. WEO]

2 hours ago, HansLanda said:

If this league ends up being even a little bit of a young feeder league to the NFL, it will be 100% fine. Not every person is ready to play in the NFL at age 22. Some really may be at age 25 if they have the chance to continue to play. As it stands now, there are so many guys that are out of the league that you never know if they would have continued to develop and just needed more marinating. 

 

Yeah, those guys are then replaced by better guys ready to play now.  So it all works out.

 

Anyway, hard to believe that some think that the NFL needs (another) "feeder league", as though the NCAA doesn't exist.

[Gugny]

3 minutes ago, xsoldier54 said:

You are entitled to your opinion, but it is still going on, they just choose not to show it on TV.  Pretending it doesn't exist does not mean it's not happening.  If it doesn't bother you and you still wanna support these guys, then that's great.  It does bother millions of other Americans and the only NFL football that I watch anymore is my Buffalo Bills.  I won't support a bunch of millionaire athletes crying about being oppressed.  Again, if it doesn't bother you, then great.  As a veteran, I find it disrespectful to the men and women who have died in defense  of our country.  There is an established protocol for the playing of the anthem and it does not involve kneeling.

 

As a veteran, I find it disrespectful for people to criticize a peaceful protest that has nothing to do with millionaire athletes being oppressed.  People don't go to games because their favorite teams suck; not because players knelt for a song.  And it didn't hurt the NFL at all.  TV networks are still giving them billions of dollars. 

[xsoldier54]

2 hours ago, eball said:

 

Says a guy spending his time on an NFL team's message board.  Good take.

Says the guy that supports his team and ONLY his team.  I used to watch a lot of NFL football.  Now I only watch the Bills.  Regardless, I don't approve of the protests and neither do millions of other Americans.  If you choose to, that's great, go for it.  It doesn't make my or anyone else's opinion worth any less.

[yungmack]

6 minutes ago, xsoldier54 said:

You are entitled to your opinion, but it is still going on, they just choose not to show it on TV.  Pretending it doesn't exist does not mean it's not happening.  If it doesn't bother you and you still wanna support these guys, then that's great.  It does bother millions of other Americans and the only NFL football that I watch anymore is my Buffalo Bills.  I won't support a bunch of millionaire athletes crying about being oppressed.  Again, if it doesn't bother you, then great.  As a veteran, I find it disrespectful to the men and women who have died in defense  of our country.  There is an established protocol for the playing of the anthem and it does not involve kneeling.

As a Catholic, kneeling is 2nd nature to me. As a Marine vet, I served to protect the freedom to protest. Different strokes, I guess, huh?

[buffalobillswin]

The NFL already has a free minor league system...It's called college football 

[xsoldier54]

4 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

As a veteran, I find it disrespectful for people to criticize a peaceful protest that has nothing to do with millionaire athletes being oppressed.  People don't go to games because their favorite teams suck; not because players knelt for a song.  And it didn't hurt the NFL at all.  TV networks are still giving them billions of dollars. 

As a fellow veteran, I respect your opinion, I just happen to have a different one.   Of course they have a right to do it.  Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean that you should.  You're wrong about the reason people don't go to games though.  I have fellow veterans that are friends, some of which were season ticket holders who will not only no longer not buy tickets or go to games, they won't even watch.  And that's just in my little circle of friends.  The same thing is going on all over the country.  Millions of us find it disrespectful.  If you don't, then great, that's your right.    

[26CornerBlitz]

1 minute ago, xsoldier54 said:

Says the guy that supports his team and ONLY his team.  I used to watch a lot of NFL football.  Now I only watch the Bills.  Regardless, I don't approve of the protests and neither do millions of other Americans.  If you choose to, that's great, go for it.  It doesn't make my or anyone else's opinion worth any less.

 

If you support the Bills, you essentially support the entire league and if the NFL goes out of business as you hope for then bye bye Bills.  Your stance is rather disjointed.   Most people didn't give a hoot about kneeling and just to remind you some Bills' players knelt too.  In the grand scheme of things no one died over the protests that have all but disappeared. 

[GunnerBill]

Ooo Ooo how many of these crappy QBs have been on the Bills?

 

Woodrum and Josh Johnson definitely have.

[Gugny]

Just now, xsoldier54 said:

As a fellow veteran, I respect your opinion, I just happen to have a different one.   Of course they have a right to do it.  Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean that you should.  You're wrong about the reason people don't go to games though.  I have fellow veterans that are friends, some of which were season ticket holders who will not only no longer not buy tickets or go to games, they won't even watch.  And that's just in my little circle of friends.  The same thing is going on all over the country.  Millions of us find it disrespectful.  If you don't, then great, that's your right.    

 

Cheers.

 

Every pissed off veteran could never watch, or attend, another NFL game and the NFL wouldn't even notice, feel it, or care.  They're still getting those advertising dollars.

[xsoldier54]

3 minutes ago, yungmack said:

As a Catholic, kneeling is 2nd nature to me. As a Marine vet, I served to protect the freedom to protest. Different strokes, I guess, huh?

As a fellow Catholic, I too kneel to pray, not to protest.  Of course they have the right to do it and that is why we served.  You're right about that.  Because you CAN do something doesn't mean that you SHOULD however.  If you don't have a problem with it, then that's great.  I do and so do millions of other veterans.  There is an established protocol for the playing of the anthem and it does not involve kneeling in protest. 

[NewEra]

?

[xsoldier54]

2 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

If you support the Bills, you essentially support the entire league and if the NFL goes out of business as you hope for then bye bye Bills.  Your stance is rather disjointed.   Most people didn't give a hoot about kneeling and just to remind you some Bills' players knelt too.  In the grand scheme of things no one died over the protests that have all but disappeared. 

Oh well.   Not watching the other games is my response and it DOES hurt the league.  Not enough I'll admit and if it did they wouldn't be so wishy washy about it.  I don't care what other people do, I do my thing and that is my personal response.

[Gugny]

7 minutes ago, xsoldier54 said:

Oh well.   Not watching the other games is my response and it DOES hurt the league.  Not enough I'll admit and if it did they wouldn't be so wishy washy about it.  I don't care what other people do, I do my thing and that is my personal response.

 

But isn't that kind of like boycotting big box stores, but still going to Walmart because they have the best deals on kitty litter?

[xsoldier54]

Just now, Gugny said:

 

But isn't that kind of like boycotting big box stores, but still going to Walmart because they have the best deals on kitty litter?

Not even remotely the same thing.  IMO it's like boycotting the big box stores but still supporting your local Mom and Pop store.  Regardless, It is my personal response and others can do as they like.  

 

[eball]

20 minutes ago, xsoldier54 said:

Says the guy that supports his team and ONLY his team.  I used to watch a lot of NFL football.  Now I only watch the Bills.  Regardless, I don't approve of the protests and neither do millions of other Americans.  If you choose to, that's great, go for it.  It doesn't make my or anyone else's opinion worth any less.

 

Ok, so you're a hypocrite.  Got it.

 

[Gugny]

5 minutes ago, xsoldier54 said:

Not even remotely the same thing.  IMO it's like boycotting the big box stores but still supporting your local Mom and Pop store.  Regardless, It is my personal response and others can do as they like.  

 

 

I'm sorry, but you're making no sense.  By boycotting the big box stores, supporting local mom and pops is EXACTLY what one would do.

 

You're boycotting the NFL, but still watching the Bills.  That's just not how boycotts work.  Because every time you watch a Bills game, you're feeding the NFL piggy bank.

[yungmack]

21 minutes ago, xsoldier54 said:

Oh well.   Not watching the other games is my response and it DOES hurt the league.  Not enough I'll admit and if it did they wouldn't be so wishy washy about it.  I don't care what other people do, I do my thing and that is my personal response.

If you're older than 49, you mean hardly anything to the NFL. In fact, if you're past 34, you are marginal. 

[Mark Vader]

1 hour ago, 1st&ten said:

 

I think the Bills Fred Jackson played in NFL Europe also.

This is true.

 

Although to be specific, Fred Jackson was on the Bills practice squad and was an allocated player in NFL Europe. All teams had the option to do this with their practice squad players.

 

Kurt Warner had no ties to any NFL team at all when he played in NFL Europe.