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AAF in serious danger of folding. UPDATE: AAF Suspends ALL Operations!


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7 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

....so then why does MLB and NHL have longstanding, vast minor league developmental levels?.....I have to preface by question by realistically comparing length of seasons....162 vs 80 vs 16, SUBSTANTIAL differences.....NFLE seemed to be working although I'm not sure about across the pond.....Gunner Bill is in the UK and can speak to interest first hand.....and then it vanished...

Because the NHL and MLB are sports that draw from a world talent pool bud

 

The good ol US of A is the only country in the world that plays this sport at an elite level and after 3-5 years in D1 weight rooms they are 95% developed and the cream rises

 

there are college all Americans every year who can’t make the league ... because of talent... that shows you how amazing these NFL guys are

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Just now, Buffalo716 said:

Because the NHL and MLB are sports that draw from a world talent pool bud

 

The good ol US of A is the only country in the world that plays this sport at an elite level and after 3-5 years in D1 weight rooms they are 95% developed and the cream rises

 

there are college all Americans every year who can’t make the league ... because of talent... that shows you how amazing these NFL guys are

 

...DAMN good point......shoulda known I'd miss THAT boat....back to the SS Minnow with Ginger.....oh well......

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1 hour ago, Chandler#81 said:

I’m not surprised. I’ve watch a few Orlando games and the fans have progressively lessened to around TEN yesterday. 

And they’re the best team in the League! Yesterday’s game vs Chicago was actually pretty entertaining, but the final 5 minutes took over a half an hour. I got so bored, I starting counting fans. That took less time than a 30 second Time Out...

I have watched the first 3 weeks. Have been too busy since then. I believe that is probably an issue.

 

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12 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

Because the NHL and MLB are sports that draw from a world talent pool bud

 

The good ol US of A is the only country in the world that plays this sport at an elite level and after 3-5 years in D1 weight rooms they are 95% developed and the cream rises

 

there are college all Americans every year who can’t make the league ... because of talent... that shows you how amazing these NFL guys are

 

It's not just talent, it's development too. Players fall through the cracks because of poor coaching, injury, being outnumbered, etc.

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Just now, PromoTheRobot said:

 

It's not just talent, it's development too. Players fall through the cracks because of poor coaching, injury, being outnumbered, etc.

There are always underdog success stories in the NFL... and almost all are given shots in the NFL

 

they aren’t developing high end players and they never will... because the players with the ability to become high end players are still signed to Practice squad contracts and reserve contracts and are brought in UDFA...

 

at best they are developing role players with specific scheme fits, which NFL teams already do with the practice squad , future contracts and UDFAs

 

These 22-23 year olds have already gone through 3-5 years of D1 weight training , and are for the most part fully developed... their are thousands and thousands of D1 players who were very good who can’t make the league 

 

those are primarily the players in this league... glorified semi pro players... not that there is ANYTHING wrong with that

 

id do that in a heartbeat

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I was surprised it got off the ground in the first place. 

 

The NFL has worked hard at having relevance for 365 days a year. They have fine tuned their offseason schedule to keep fans interested. I don’t have the energy to watch a single second of an inferior league.    

 

The break from football is what makes each step exciting again. I’m not ready for football, I will get hyped for the draft, then it dies down until TC and fantasy talk heats up again.

Edited by CommonCents
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1 hour ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

The stiry you cited was posted a few days ago in that thread.

 

That’s my point, that thread has mostly been about the league in general, most people stopped going to it.  

 

That  would be like having one universal Josh Allen thread or one universal Free Agency thread.   But there’s different threads for different stories related to each 

 

All good, just thought this was worth its own dedicated discussion 

Edited by Alphadawg7
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7 minutes ago, Joe in Winslow said:

I'd rather football have a minor league than use college for that purpose.

 

....college is free developmental.......minor league would cost money and the financially beleaguered NFL owners could never afford it.....probably mass Chapter 11 filings on that horizon.....

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6 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

....college is free developmental.......minor league would cost money and the financially beleaguered NFL owners could never afford it.....probably mass Chapter 11 filings on that horizon.....

 

Oh lord of the ellipsis, I humbly put forth the notion that the nfl owners have ample money to absorb the creation of a minor league.

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2 hours ago, Augie said:

 

Failing does not surprise me at all. Failing so soon shocks me! What were they thinking? How did this go so wrong so fast??? 

They needed a genius like Doug Whaley running things, but Vince McMahon beat them to him.

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1 minute ago, NoSaint said:

 

Right- Fred Jackson and Kurt Warner are such interesting stories because they are so incredibly rare. 

 

It isnt like there’s some huge pool of guys out there and the league will suddenly be changed. With or without AAF you’ll have the same quality product on the field 

And Kurt Warner DID sign an NFL contract out of college 

 

The NFL DID SEE his talent out of college to sign him... which was my point

 

They will find you...

 

All players could use more development.. 100%... that doesn’t mean the 1% of anomalies (Kurt Warner) need their own developmental league 

 

as you said , it’s super rare... and the cream always rises to the top in the NFL

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12 minutes ago, Joe in Winslow said:

 

Oh lord of the ellipsis, I humbly put forth the notion that the nfl owners have ample money to absorb the creation of a minor league.

....quite the smartazz, aren't I?.......how 'bout a GoFundMe page for Jurrah???..

Edited by OldTimeAFLGuy
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1 hour ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

....so then why does MLB and NHL have longstanding, vast minor league developmental levels?.....I have to preface by question by realistically comparing length of seasons....162 vs 80 vs 16, SUBSTANTIAL differences.....NFLE seemed to be working although I'm not sure about across the pond.....Gunner Bill is in the UK and can speak to interest first hand.....and then it vanished...

Simple, because they are drafting players still in high school who are not ready to break into the league most times at 18 years of age. MLB also has 40 rounds in their draft...all those players have to go somewhere.  Sometimes they are like Eichel and Dahlin, but in most cases they are not and need to work on parts of their game to develop. In football, the players are drafted after their junior or senior years in college and they have a much better idea of what the finished product will be like than the MLB or NHL does.

 

The NFL has practice squads set up for this purpose, allowing 10 players who aren't ready to play yet to stay with the team and try and develop. Along with this and the CFL.

 

In addition to this, the NCAA is in large part the developmental league already for the NFL...acting as the 3-4 year buffer that 18 year olds in the MLB or NHL would have in the minor leagues.

 

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47 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Simple, because they are drafting players still in high school who are not ready to break into the league most times at 18 years of age. MLB also has 40 rounds in their draft...all those players have to go somewhere.  Sometimes they are like Eichel and Dahlin, but in most cases they are not and need to work on parts of their game to develop. In football, the players are drafted after their junior or senior years in college and they have a much better idea of what the finished product will be like than the MLB or NHL does.

 

The NFL has practice squads set up for this purpose, allowing 10 players who aren't ready to play yet to stay with the team and try and develop. Along with this and the CFL.

 

In addition to this, the NCAA is in large part the developmental league already for the NFL...acting as the 3-4 year buffer that 18 year olds in the MLB or NHL would have in the minor leagues.

 

...ALL great points....thanks for the assessment bud.....

....so if the AAF folds, what's the likelihood of McMahon's second folly succeeding?......

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11 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

...ALL great points....thanks for the assessment bud.....

....so if the AAF folds, what's the likelihood of McMahon's second folly succeeding?......

Low with Whaley likely using the league money on cam girls. 

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16 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

...ALL great points....thanks for the assessment bud.....

....so if the AAF folds, what's the likelihood of McMahon's second folly succeeding?......

 

Very low.  Sounds like the league will die of attrition.  It's easier to fake the violence in WWE, and yet still guys and girls get hurt.  You can't really fake it in football.

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32 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I’m not trying to be the kind of guy that says “I told you so” but if you go back to the 1st thread I called the league folding after a year before a game was played. Minor league football doesn’t work. It never has and it never will. 

the NCAA and CFL is already Minor League football

1 hour ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

...ALL great points....thanks for the assessment bud.....

....so if the AAF folds, what's the likelihood of McMahon's second folly succeeding?......

Probably not very god...in addition to this I mean no matter how much time a player spends developing, you can't make a guy who is 5'11" tall and 220 lbs an MLB in the NFL...you can't make a WR who runs a 4.8 40 time a WR in the NFL...a lot of these very productive guys in college are simply not going to ever make an NFL team because they simply cannot meet the minimum necessary requirements for the position they play...whether its size, height, speed, agility, etc...you might be able to get away with that in college but not in the NFL.

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2 hours ago, Joe in Winslow said:

 

Oh lord of the ellipsis, I humbly put forth the notion that the nfl owners have ample money to absorb the creation of a minor league.

They do, but there is no reason to pay for

something you can get for free (the development of pro prospects). That’s what the NCAA provides for them. 

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18 hours ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

how many years have NHL had extensive minor league developmental systems?

 

Since 2019.................

 

Image result for buffalo sabres logo

17 hours ago, Steptide said:

Here's the problem with football leagues other than the NFL. They put teams in cities where NFL teams don't exist. Imo, the AAF should have teams in Chicago, Dallas, L.A. Etc. Put these teams in major cities. It's a short schedule and I feel like major cities woukd support these teams better than places like Orlando or Salt Lake city. 

 

I totally agree. No one wants to wake up early and drive up to Las Colinas to watch the AAF.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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14 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I’m not trying to be the kind of guy that says “I told you so” but if you go back to the 1st thread I called the league folding after a year before a game was played. Minor league football doesn’t work. It never has and it never will. 

 

 

I'll be that guy.

 

Too many here have used the same old "the NFL needs a developmental league"  (clearly, it does not) in order to pretend or will another doomed "pro" league into viability.

 

Few ways to waste money so reliably have ever been conceived than to invest in an alternative pro football league.  It didn't kame sense 30 years ago, it didn't make sense with the last iteration of the XFL a few years ago, and it certainly doesn't make sense now.

 

No one wants to watch this stuff.

15 hours ago, Bills2ref said:

What the AAF showed me is what I already knew, San Antonio needs an NFL franchise. 

 

 

Nah..

 

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/columnists/mike_finger/article/In-San-Antonio-NFL-snubs-don-t-sting-anymore-13465104.php

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4 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

 

I'll be that guy.

 

Too many here have used the same old "the NFL needs a developmental league"  (clearly, it does not) in order to pretend or will another doomed "pro" league into viability.

 

Few ways to waste money so reliably have ever been conceived than to invest in an alternative pro football league.  It didn't kame sense 30 years ago, it didn't make sense with the last iteration of the XFL a few years ago, and it certainly doesn't make sense now.

 

No one wants to watch this stuff.

I just liked watching old college stars out there.

 

I was hopeful for the AAF, but they are appealing to such a small subset of fans.  How many casual fans truly are going to tune in to see Jamarcus Russell and Johnny Manziel out there playing?  Or even lesser known guys like Mettenberger?  

 

I threw a couple games on in the background this year.  But no one is going to a bar with friends to watch those guys for 2 hours. 

 

Too many folks confuse "that'd be neat, I guess" with "there's definitely an untapped market here!"

Edited by BringBackOrton
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23 minutes ago, BringBackOrton said:

I just liked watching old college stars out there.

 

I was hopeful for the AAF, but they are appealing to such a small subset of fans.  How many casual fans truly are going to tune in to see Jamarcus Russell and Johnny Manziel out there playing?  Or even lesser known guys like Mettenberger?  

 

I threw a couple games on in the background this year.  But no one is going to a bar with friends to watch those guys for 2 hours. 

 

Too many folks confuse "that'd be neat, I guess" with "there's definitely an untapped market here!"

Exactly the problem with the league. It really does, and only ever will, appeal to die hard football fans. Those who will watch any type of football be it High School, College, NFL, minor developmental league. Keeping that in mind getting 250k fans to watch the game on a Saturday night is pretty good. Unfortunately for the AAF it isn’t anywhere near what they would need to survive. 

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16 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

And Kurt Warner DID sign an NFL contract out of college 

 

The NFL DID SEE his talent out of college to sign him... which was my point

 

They will find you...

 

All players could use more development.. 100%... that doesn’t mean the 1% of anomalies (Kurt Warner) need their own developmental league 

 

as you said , it’s super rare... and the cream always rises to the top in the NFL

Yep, this is the problem with AAF style football leagues. You are watching second tier talent. That’s a tough sell to all but the most hardcore football fans. The only way these leagues could generate interest among a larger fan base is by signing elite talent right out of college or high school. “Minor League” football doesn't have the same appeal as minor league baseball or hockey. In those sports you could be watching future all stars and hall of famers at any moment. It’s highly unlikely you are watching that caliber player in leagues like the AAF or XFL. Guys like Kurt Warner and even Tommy Maddox are exteme outliers. On the other hand,  I’ve watched tons of big names play minor league baseball. 

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Dundon: Decision on future of AAF could come tomorrow

Posted by Mike Florio on April 1, 2019, 4:43 PM EDT
 

In the aftermath of Alliance of American Football majority owner Tom Dundon acknowledging last week that the AAF may not make it to year two, PFT reported that the AAF may not make it to the end of year one — and that this past weekend of games could be the last.

 

Dundon said Monday that a decision on whether the plug will be pulled could come as soon as Tuesday.

 

He told Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Daily that, without an agreement to use NFL players, there’s a “real possibility” the league will close its doors.

“Trying to figure that out so I will have more information tomorrow,” Dundon said. “It’s pretty fluid. It’s day to day, I would say.”

 

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/04/01/dundon-decision-on-future-of-aaf-could-come-tomorrow/

 

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On 3/31/2019 at 2:15 PM, That's No Moon said:

Not wanting their membership to be shipped off to expose themselves to increased risk of injury for minimal additional compensation?  The union protecting the wages of the bottom fringes of their membership by preventing 2 way contracts like the NHL has and maintaining things like the practice squad? The AAF pays considerably less than the NFL does. How exactly does having young NFL players help the AAF? They pay everyone exactly the same. The only way it helps is if it's a loan situation where the NFL team send the player and foots most if not all of the bill so the AAF can reduce its wage bill. That actually reduces the number of football jobs available for everyone and, as I said increases the exposure of the most vulnerable members of the NFLPA. You are on a futures contract and your team tells you they want you to go to the AAF. The pay difference is very close to zero if not actually zero. What are you going to do? Say no? It isn't the NFLPA fault that the longterm AAF business model depended upon treating the bottom tier of players more like livestock than they already are.

 

There is a reason these things are bargained.  You want something, you give up something.  The NFLPA could care less whether or not the AAF lives or dies, there is ZERO benefit to the NFLPA in helping them survive unless the AAF becomes a union shop.

 

they will have their union pride

 

and no jobs

 

 

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