Alliance of American Football 2019 Thread

[Hugoagogo]

See thats the interesting thing, I wonder how their TV ratings were. If they were good I could see the networks continuing to back them but if they weren't this could be a short experiment

I know that the Saturday game on CBS beat the OKC/Houston NBA game on ABC.

[turftoe27]

It already looks better on TV than what TSN does for the CFL.

Gotta say I enjoyed it. The Super Bowl was such a yawner after two great playoff games . Liked how quickly they got the plays called . Plus they must have told the players to resist getting in one another's face with that macho bullsh!t you see the NFL all the time.

With the NFL behind the league as a farm system it will be interesting to see how long they support it if the ratings or attendance are not there.

[Diesel]

See thats the interesting thing, I wonder how their TV ratings were. If they were good I could see the networks continuing to back them but if they weren't this could be a short experiment

The quality of play is definitely a step below the CFL, but the TV product in a few ways is ahead by a mile. TSn still can't give us sky cams unless its the playoffs for one. And their booth people should make TSn embarrassed to keep Black and Suitor on air

[Looner]

The quality of play is definitely a step below the CFL, but the TV product in a few ways is ahead by a mile. TSn still can't give us sky cams unless its the playoffs for one. And their booth people should make TSn embarrassed to keep Black and Suitor on air

The eye in the sky makes a huge difference, makes you feel more in the game.

[Hugoagogo]

The eye in the sky makes a huge difference, makes you feel more in the game.

Agree - the on field cameras prior to snaps were also a nice touch (of course it's much easier for a camera man to run off the field when it's NFL sized)

[Esks4ever]

I know that the Saturday game on CBS beat the OKC/Houston NBA game on ABC.

it could be just because of it being the "new" thing. Lets see how the ratings are in 3 weeks

[Hugoagogo]

it could be just because of it being the "new" thing. Lets see how the ratings are in 3 weeks

Very true - it was also a big crowd at the Alamodome, but I hear thousands of seats were given away for free to military and their families.

[bone]

Very true - it was also a big crowd at the Alamodome, but I hear thousands of seats were given away for free to military and their families.

They are going to need to give away a lot of tickets early on to get people to take in the product as you don't really have the advantage of life long fans with a product so new.

I only watched about a quarter yesterday, and the football didn't look overly interesting, but they are at least trying a few things (it appears) to keep the pace up so that the people in the seats aren't bored with too many stoppages. I'm skeptical about the long term viability of a league like this, but hopefully they introduce some new innovations to improve the game.

[glenvb]

The quality of play is definitely a step below the CFL, but the TV product in a few ways is ahead by a mile. TSn still can't give us sky cams unless its the playoffs for one. And their booth people should make TSn embarrassed to keep Black and Suitor on air

I have to say I was also impressed with the commentators. Top notch. Honest about what was on display while still positive, direct, insightful.

Very true - it was also a big crowd at the Alamodome, but I hear thousands of seats were given away for free to military and their families.

I can't find the number for the other game, but I get the impression there's a reason I can't find it. Let's see how many people are watching four weeks from now.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Overall, it feels somewhat like what football would be if football players were designing it.

Built in social justice initiatives so that no one has to risk protesting.

Health coverage.

10 game season.

Reasonable salaries with pretty equal treatment, and a path to the NFL.

Emphasis on safety (elimination of kickoffs) while not getting carried away with good, tough, physical play.

I think the technology and wagering will ultimately give more profile to players rather than just teams.

---------

It's a good start for them, but other leagues have had good starts before. I do believe that they've got something different this time, and we'll see if it grows or backslides.

[tigerdar]

and most importantly a big win by Ham!

[turftoe27]

Former Alabama star RB and ex. Rider , Trent Richardson was penalized 15 yds for spiking a football that went into the stands during the Birmingham- Memphis game. All AAF footballs contain chips that track the speed and trajectory of balls thrown and kicked. Word is that no footballs are to be given to fans for budgetary reasons.

[Hugoagogo]

Remind me to be more appreciative of the layout and content of the cfl.ca website.
AAF's website is a friggin' joke.

[Jtuck09]

Looks like the AAF is already in trouble and just got a big shot in the arm. This league won't last very long if this is the case.

https://deadspin.com/report-the-aaf-...jus-1832723865

[Deathsdoorstep]

Shock of the century!

[Hammer24]

The eye in the sky makes a huge difference, makes you feel more in the game.

I watched a bit of one of the games Sunday when it was replayed on NFL Network later that night. It was the Arizona/Memphis game. I noticed the heavy use of the sky cam. I started wondering if they were doing it as much for the enjoyment of the viewer at home as they were to keep the stadium crowd, or lack thereof, out of view as much as possible. Apparently attendance was a hair over 12000. I kept watching for shots of the crowd to get a sense of size and they deftly avoided that. Once in a while the skycam panned back to the bench area and a bit of the lower levels of stands down in the corner could be seen. On one punt they used the skycam from behind the punter. You could see the bottom 10 or so rows of the seats at the back of the endzone in behind the returner. Normally a camera from that angle would rise to track the flight of the ball and zoom out a bit if needed to keep the coverage teams in view. On the play I watched the camera barely rose at all. The ball quickly went out of sight until it came back down to be fielded by the returner. Would that be deliberate to avoid showing seas of fans disguised as empty bleachers?

[Looner]

I watched a bit of one of the games Sunday when it was replayed on NFL Network later that night. It was the Arizona/Memphis game. I noticed the heavy use of the sky cam. I started wondering if they were doing it as much for the enjoyment of the viewer at home as they were to keep the stadium crowd, or lack thereof, out of view as much as possible. Apparently attendance was a hair over 12000. I kept watching for shots of the crowd to get a sense of size and they deftly avoided that. Once in a while the skycam panned back to the bench area and a bit of the lower levels of stands down in the corner could be seen. On one punt they used the skycam from behind the punter. You could see the bottom 10 or so rows of the seats at the back of the endzone in behind the returner. Normally a camera from that angle would rise to track the flight of the ball and zoom out a bit if needed to keep the coverage teams in view. On the play I watched the camera barely rose at all. The ball quickly went out of sight until it came back down to be fielded by the returner. Would that be deliberate to avoid showing seas of fans disguised as empty bleachers?

funny I actually noticed the same thing.

[Hammer24]

I have to say I was also impressed with the commentators. Top notch. Honest about what was on display while still positive, direct, insightful.

I didn't come away with that same perspective. From watching some of the San Diego/San Antonio game in Week 1 I felt like they were spending half their time trying to tell how wonderful the AAF is due to the experience the coaching staffs have. It seemed like they spent more time fluffing the coaching staffs than they did talking about the players or the play on the field. It felt more like listening to an infomercial than a football game. A certain amount of that is understandable. They just seemed to be a bit over the top on selling the game based on how wonderful the coaches are.

[Hammer24]

funny I actually noticed the same thing.

Another thing I noticed is that while news of the TV ratings from the season opener last Saturday was all over the internet I think before they even played their Sunday night games I can't find a whisper about this week's ratings. Seems to be crickets on that. I don't know if CBS did a game this past weekend or if it was just NFL Network who covered a game or two. I'd forgotten about the AAF until Sunday night and watched a bit of that replay.

[Looner]

Another thing I noticed is that while news of the TV ratings from the season opener last Saturday was all over the internet I think before they even played their Sunday night games I can't find a whisper about this week's ratings. Seems to be crickets on that. I don't know if CBS did a game this past weekend or if it was just NFL Network who covered a game or two. I'd forgotten about the AAF until Sunday night and watched a bit of that replay.

there was a game or two on CBSN but I don't get that channel so I tuned into the game on the NFL network but found the quality to be crap so I shut it off. I guess as a die hard CFL fan I probably shouldn't tune in as the better the TV ratings, the more likely they are to carry on and essentially make it tougher for us to find talent.

[Jtuck09]

there was a game or two on CBSN but I don't get that channel so I tuned into the game on the NFL network but found the quality to be crap so I shut it off. I guess as a die hard CFL fan I probably shouldn't tune in as the better the TV ratings, the more likely they are to carry on and essentially make it tougher for us to find talent.

If they are already being bailed out after one week, I wouldn't worry to much about the AAF being around much longer.

The guy who put the $250 million down is the same guy who bought the Hurricanes. Hasn't exactly made it work there either.

[Deathsdoorstep]

Not predictable at all, though. Right????

[Looner]

If they are already being bailed out after one week, I wouldn't worry to much about the AAF being around much longer.

The guy who put the $250 million down is the same guy who bought the Hurricanes. Hasn't exactly made it work there either.

But they are doing gimmicky skits after their games

[Jtuck09]

But they are doing gimmicky skits after their games

Haven't watched a game yet but you just sold me!

[adb]

If they are already being bailed out after one week, I wouldn't worry to much about the AAF being around much longer.

The guy who put the $250 million down is the same guy who bought the Hurricanes. Hasn't exactly made it work there either.

That is a lot of money. Not sure how much a year's worth of salaries for players and coaches would add up to but $250 million should carry them for quite awhile whouldn't it? Unless they already had a substantial amount of debt or also needed the money for other expenses like stadium rentals and other support staff. Anyone know if they are making any substantial amount of money on their TV contracts?

[Looner]

Haven't watched a game yet but you just sold me!

https://youtu.be/7uTcYzBBuHM

Smells like the fox puck LOL

[danlaurin]

Looks like the AAF is already in trouble and just got a big shot in the arm. This league won't last very long if this is the case.

https://deadspin.com/report-the-aaf-...jus-1832723865

I am not surprised. I watched a few games and it is not as entertaining as Highschool Jr or CIS football. Bad players who can't seen to make plays except for some Running backs.

[adb]

https://youtu.be/7uTcYzBBuHM

Smells like the fox puck LOL

When i saw this the first thing that went through my mind was that this was the same fanbase that got the Stanley Cup over us in 2006. Had we won that series the city would have absolutely lost it's collective mind and instead it went to these guys who probably didn't appreciate it at all. What a waste. Watching players having to resort to this sort of B&!!$H!T in order to engage the fans just solidifies this for me AFAIC.

[Hammer24]

When i saw this the first thing that went through my mind was that this was the same fanbase that got the Stanley Cup over us in 2006. Had we won that series the city would have absolutely lost it's collective mind and instead it went to these guys who probably didn't appreciate it at all. What a waste. Watching players having to resort to this sort of B&!!$H!T in order to engage the fans just solidifies this for me AFAIC.

I bet if you polled the rest of the players in the league you'd get a big majority giving a thumbs up to the Canes. Likely many of them are thinking man why didn't we think of that first and how can we start doing something like it without looking like copycats. Hard to tell if the Oilers would be copycats. They haven't won at home in over a month and only twice in 2 months.

[Deathsdoorstep]

Clapping at the crowd and then skating and jumping into the boards is now below the line? Puleeeeez!

Good on the 'Canes.