Formation of the UFL, Return of the USFL

[mybreakingpoint]

Both are happening.

http://www.ufl-football.com/ -- Jim Fassel, Dennis Green, and Jim Haslett will all be coaches in this new league, and apparently they're trying to lure Vick into playing. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/11479582

And the USFL is coming back, after disbanding in 1986. The league will start with 12 teams and grow to a maximum of 16 teams. Teams are currently slotted for California, Oregon, Nevada, Texas, Michigan, Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, Utah and New York. http://www.pr.com/press-release/101943

Thoughts?

I'm actually excited for both, especially the USFL. I can never afford tickets to NFL games, plus I always miss football after January, and the USFL season will be from February through June, so now we'll have football year-round. It'll probably be cool for a little while, and eventually one or both will disband. But we'll see, I guess.

Here's hoping they give Oklahoma City a team again haha

[preppyak]

well, if the XFL and AFL have taught us anything, its that any rule changes won't work, and trying to compete with an NFL schedule won't work either, so that makes me think the UFL is screwed from the start (their championship game is Thanksgiving weekend...which is already filled with NFL/College games, as well as college b-ball).

Didn't know about the USFL, but its timing might be good, as the NFL will be figuring out its collective bargaining agreement then and the words "lockout" might be coming up. And if the UFL survives to season 2 and 3, they could benefit as well, seeing as they would be essentially able to take the NFL time slots should games get cancelled

[kshtoinks12]

That's pretty sick. Its hard not to be happy and hopeful about a new sports league starting. Hopefully the USFL catches on.

[J.C.]

Trying to start up a league in this economy is a bit ballsy.

I've been interested in the UFL for a while since I heard they were giving Connecticut a franchise. Apparently for the first year they're only having 4 teams or something like that. Fairly stupid.

[GoWaitInTheCar]

That's pretty sick. Its hard not to be happy and hopeful about a new sports league starting. Hopefully the USFL catches on.

I agree with this.

We will see what happens.

[Kaleidoscope]

Let's hope it catches on. Are they going to play the season during the NFL season?

[mybreakingpoint]

Let's hope it catches on. Are they going to play the season during the NFL season?

UFL is during the NFL season, with it's Championship game on Thanksgiving Day.

USFL is from Feb to June, so we now pretty much have football in some form year-round.

[Kaleidoscope]

That is awesome.

[mht]

he hate me?

[J.C.]

I'd say the USFL has much greater odds of surviving it's infancy.

[Spicoli hey bud]

well, if the XFL and AFL have taught us anything, its that any rule changes won't work, and trying to compete with an NFL schedule won't work either, so that makes me think the UFL is screwed from the start (their championship game is Thanksgiving weekend...which is already filled with NFL/College games, as well as college b-ball).

Didn't know about the USFL, but its timing might be good, as the NFL will be figuring out its collective bargaining agreement then and the words "lockout" might be coming up. And if the UFL survives to season 2 and 3, they could benefit as well, seeing as they would be essentially able to take the NFL time slots should games get cancelled
Exactly my thoughts.

[Ben09]

he hate me?


One can only hope

[AshesAshes]

Could be interesting, if Utah gets a team I'll follow either one for sure

[startBBtoday]

ugh, i hate the idea of this. talent will be spread so thin between the ufl, usfl and the arena league all three of those leagues will be unwatchable. and if they steal any talent away from the nfl, it will just be lame.

[imirish06]

bleh at this.

I can't wait for the Rugby World Cup 7's to be televised on Fox. It's going to open some eyes

[LastPlaceRocks]

ugh, i hate the idea of this. talent will be spread so thin between the ufl, usfl and the arena league all three of those leagues will be unwatchable. and if they steal any talent away from the nfl, it will just be lame.
It won't happen as none of these leagues have enough capital to seriously compete with the NFL and will more than likely be competing with the CFL for talent.

[preppyak]

ugh, i hate the idea of this. talent will be spread so thin between the ufl, usfl and the arena league all three of those leagues will be unwatchable. and if they steal any talent away from the nfl, it will just be lame.
The AFL is dead...not having an '09 season, and they've already discussed scrapping the '10 season

[FondestMemory]

combined they will last no more than 3 seasons total.

world league football failed when it tried to be marketed in america. it failed again as nfl europa, even with the nfl overseeing it. xfl was a joke. arena football has failed for 20 years to gain a legitimate following. the cfl failed in their attempt to gain american fanfare by placing franchises in the us.

there is not enough talent to go around. the players in these leagues aren't in the nfl for a reason. nfl rosters are far too deep. salaries won't be able to compete. the best players will still be players who aren't good enough to be in the nfl. the quality of game on the field will show that.

a lot of people are gonna lose a lot of money between these two.

[preppyak]

For the UFL
VERSUS will broadcast the games on Thursday nights.That may actually work out decently well for them...the ESPN Thursday games blew last season, and I bet the ratings tanked because of that, so the competition on a Thursday night won't be overwhelming (though network TV is strong then). Regardless, having 4 teams randomly scattered throughout the US is odd, and I agree with Fondest, its likely that the UFL will not make it that long, even if they get Michael Vick

[mybreakingpoint]

Speaking of the USFL

I found a Tampa Bay Bandits shirt at Salvation Army yesterday

It's a LITLLE too big, but it's so sweet, I don't even care

Steve Spurrier was their coach and Gary Anderson Nate Newton played for them, so that's pretty sweet, I think haha

I'm just stoked for the USFL. If the UFL's going on at the same time as a good NFL or NCAA game, I likely won't watch it, regardless of if they have Vick in there. But since USFL will be during late Winter/Spring/early Summer, it'll be the only football to watch on TV, plus it says there should be a team in Michigan, so I'll probably try & catch a few games, as long as tickets aren't as pricey as NFL games, which I'm doubting.

[mybreakingpoint]

hmm...
http://www.newusfl.com/files/ExcitingChanges.jpg_1.png

[preppyak]

ew...just, ew. Changing the rules doesn't make it more exciting, it makes it more confusing. And all of those changes are useless (especially the longer FG/3pt PAT/and 1 foot rules). They basically made themselves a joke before they started.

If the UFL keeps the rules the same, and can be viable come 2011, they may be lucky, cause its looking like a lockout for the NFL right now

[mybreakingpoint]

Yeah, I don't care for any of the rule-changes except the overtime rule change.

I hate it when there's a tie game in the NFL these days.

Regardless, I think it'll still be cool to have football year-round now. I always get bored in the spring with no good football to watch, and with MI getting a team, I'm hoping ticket prices will be low enough that I can make it to multiple games.

[bluecrunchy]

I don't really see the UFL being able to successfully compete with the NFL if their schedules overlap. The USFL seems like a more viable league simply because they play during the NFL offseason. But then again, so did the XFL, and we all know how that went.

[LastPlaceRocks]

Yeah, I don't care for any of the rule-changes except the overtime rule change.

I hate it when there's a tie game in the NFL these days.

Regardless, I think it'll still be cool to have football year-round now. I always get bored in the spring with no good football to watch, and with MI getting a team, I'm hoping ticket prices will be low enough that I can make it to multiple games.
While I'm not a big fan of the NFL's OT, there isn't much to be pissed off given there are like two tie games in the league every decade.

[mybreakingpoint]

I don't really see the UFL being able to successfully compete with the NFL if their schedules overlap. The USFL seems like a more viable league simply because they play during the NFL offseason. But then again, so did the XFL, and we all know how that went.

ya, i guess we'll just have to see. i really don't see the UFL going anywhere if they're competing with the NFL for scheduling, unless maybe if they put their games on Thursdays or Fridays so as not to compete with the NFL on Sunday and the NCAA on Saturdays.

While I'm not a big fan of the NFL's OT, there isn't much to be pissed off given there are like two tie games in the league every decade.

i didn't say pissed off, i just hate it. i like closure, i enjoy knowing who won. the NCAA gives us that, i think the NFL should, too. i just don't think there should be ties anymore. what's the point, really?

[Spicoli hey bud]

hmm...
http://www.newusfl.com/files/ExcitingChanges.jpg_1.png
This creates so many problems. Can you use a delay of game to back yourself into 4 point range?

Most of these rules are clearly to "make the game more exciting," but the problem is that the NFL rules are not any less exciting and 99.9% of people prefer them the way they are, with the exception of maybe overtime rules.

And a 3 point PAT? How does that even work?

[mybreakingpoint]

3-point PAT is just stupid.

Changing the amount of points for anything is dumb. Everything else can be debatable as to which is better, but it's pretty pointless to change 51 yard FGs and safeties each to 4 points. That doesn't really do anything.

Idk, I want to know the teams & who's playing on these teams before I reach a conclusion as to whether or not this will be any good.

[LastPlaceRocks]

i didn't say pissed off, i just hate it. i like closure, i enjoy knowing who won. the NCAA gives us that, i think the NFL should, too. i just don't think there should be ties anymore. what's the point, really?
If no one scores in the fifteen minutes of OT then the game probably deserves to end as a tie as that's a long enough period of time to figure out who deserves the win.

[preppyak]

If no one scores in the fifteen minutes of OT then the game probably deserves to end as a tie as that's a long enough period of time to figure out who deserves the win.
I would not have wished for 15 more minutes of that Eagles/Bengals game...my god was that awful, awful football. And the way those offenses were playing, the college football style overtime would have been a FG kicking contest, with whoever misses first losing. Not really the best way to handle it

[mybreakingpoint]

I just think it's better to have closure on who won, who lost, but I guess that's just me. :shrug:

[bluecrunchy]

If no one scores in the fifteen minutes of OT then the game probably deserves to end as a tie as that's a long enough period of time to figure out who deserves the win.

I disagree. I mean, look at basketball for example. That Syracuse game with six OT's was incredible. I'd love to see something like that in football.

[preppyak]

I just think it's better to have closure on who won, who lost, but I guess that's just me. :shrug:
Normally I'd agree...but, I didn't even want to see OT in that game...I'd have gladly settled for the coin toss actually deciding who won.

[LastPlaceRocks]

This isn't soccer or anything - you get closure for 99% of games.

[LastPlaceRocks]

I disagree. I mean, look at basketball for example. That Syracuse game with six OT's was incredible. I'd love to see something like that in football.
There's a difference though between basketball OT and football OT. In basketball, it is a much shorter period where there is constant movement - the Syracuse game sort of reminded me of playoff hockey where the first team that blinked lost. In football, that's not really the case.

[bluecrunchy]

There's a difference though between basketball OT and football OT. In basketball, it is a much shorter period where there is constant movement - the Syracuse game sort of reminded me of playoff hockey where the first team that blinked lost. In football, that's not really the case.

Isn't the whole premise of NFL overtime that the first team who blinks loses? Still, I think the NFL overtime system is flawed and would be better off with something similar to college rules.

[LastPlaceRocks]

Yes and no - it's sort of hard to get to that point when 30% of the time one team doesn't get a chance to blink.

[preppyak]

I like both overtime systems and think they work well for their respective sports...and I don't think changing them significantly will do anything useful.

I don't think changing the rules of an NFL game in overtime is smart...its why I like soccer and basketball extra time, because its an extension of the game already. The only change I might make is that instead of an extra coin toss before OT is just give whoever received the ball in the 1st half the ball in OT, that way it changes the way deferring now works.

I never see anyone complain that whoever wins the opening coin toss has a big strategic advantage in the 60 minutes of game that follows though...so, I don't understand the complaint about winning the coin toss in OT being a killer.

[FondestMemory]

awful fucking rule changes. i definitely won't be watching.

college overtime is fucking awful.

[splitsecond]

they are allegedly building a UFL training facility near me, but I will believe it when I see it.

[Scott Weber]

awful fucking rule changes. i definitely won't be watching.

college overtime is fucking awful.
/awesome.

[mybreakingpoint]

i want to start seeing what players are going to be playing in these leagues.

i'm hoping for draft busts & college players who couldn't cut it pro. it'd be nice to see some familiar names, for sure.

[CubbyNick42]

Why not just play the whole 15 minutes of overtime regardless? If it's a tie after that, then call it a tie.