BearsFansOnline.com

If I am home and the Blackhawks are not on, I will be watching. I think it will be interesting and I like some of the off the wall rules they have (Kickoffs, PAT). I think it will be a faster paced game and will flow better than the NFL. The play will not be as good, but I think it will match up with the small college football I like to watch.

I haven't read anything about the new league. A few questions.

Are the field dimensions different? I would like to see the NFL widen the field a bit.

Is the NFL supporting the league at all? They could use a minor league system other than the Canadian Football league. Not only can it be a developmental league that's more convenient than NFL Europe was, but they could also arrange some trial runs of rules, equipment etc,

Drone7 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 05, 2020 10:58 am I haven't read anything about the new league. A few questions.

Are the field dimensions different? I would like to see the NFL widen the field a bit.

Is the NFL supporting the league at all? They could use a minor league system other than the Canadian Football league. Not only can it be a developmental league that's more convenient than NFL Europe was, but they could also arrange some trial runs of rules, equipment etc,

I don't think the field size is any different.

The NFL has no ties to the XFL whatsoever.

Edit: Here's a field that's set for week 1:

Thanks.

A bit surprised they don't collaborate. I don't see them as an AFL threat and this could be a mutually beneficial relationship for the reasons I alluded to.

Drone7 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 05, 2020 11:10 am Thanks.

A bit surprised they don't collaborate. I don't see them as an AFL threat and this could be a mutually beneficial relationship for the reasons I alluded to.

Once Vince McMahon dies in the next 5-8 years, assuming the XFL is still around (which it probably won't be), the NFL could potentially buy it.

That said, I'm not sure the NFL has much interest in running a "minor league" just yet. The NBA's G-League is, to my understanding, something of a success, and obviously the MiLB and AHL/OHL/etc systems have been around forever, but football? The CFL and formerly AFL were sorta there, but you couldn't really call either of those a 'minor league.'

Closest thing was NFL Europe, which admittedly was pretty neat.

XFL could be a godsend for QBs who need more time to develop... young players don't get better standing on a sideline, this goes doubly for young QBs... that's really why I hope it does well... 8-11 QBs should get some good experience over this spring playing for the XFL... get to fully figure out if they can actually improve enough to get a shot back at being an NFL starter or if they should just move on...

yep...Kurt Warner got a lot from the Arena League

NFL Europe certainly helped Warner as well, along with Jake Delhomme and Jon Kitna.

Otis Day wrote: ↑Wed Feb 05, 2020 12:13 pm NFL Europe certainly helped Warner as well, along with Jake Delhomme and Jon Kitna.

Yeah, sucks it is gone. There is technically the American Football World Cup that is played by a bunch of countries every four years but they pale in the comparison to the talent from the US. Before the US began competing in it in 2007, Japan was the dominant country but that year, mostly with guys from DIII schools, the US beat Japan 23-20 in double overtime. Since then though, the US team has consistently just demolished every team they played in the championship games. In 2011 they beat Canada 50-7 and in 2015 they beat Japan 59-12. Other countries still have a long way to go.

It is cool that the NFL is allowing certain teams exemptions to have a non-US player on their practice squads. In 2017 Efe Obada, who was from Nigeria, was one of these exemptions on the Panther's team and they actually signed him to their team in 2018 and he is still currently with them.

I think the drawing for the four teams who get exemptions for 2020 should be in a few more months. Got my fingers crossed that it will be the NFC North this time around.

i convinced some friends from the ffb league i run to put together an 8 man XFL league and it's been slamming my head against a wall trying to figure out who's starting for who. just complete chaos.

one thing i am not excited for is they're shortening the playclock to 25 seconds "to speed up the pace of the game."

fuck that noise, people dont think the play clock is the reason games are too long, it's fucking commercial breaks. It's going to be some sloppy ass football.

RustyTrubisky wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2020 4:10 pm i convinced some friends from the ffb league i run to put together an 8 man XFL league and it's been slamming my head against a wall trying to figure out who's starting for who. just complete chaos.

one thing i am not excited for is they're shortening the playclock to 25 seconds "to speed up the pace of the game."

fuck that noise, people dont think the play clock is the reason games are too long, it's fucking commercial breaks. It's going to be some sloppy ass football.

It was going to be sloppy football regardless.

The more ads they can get into a broadcast, the longer the league will survive. It's wretched, but that's the biz, baby.

Former Bears Demontre Hurst (Tampa Bay) and Will Sutton (Las Vegas) will be familiar names to some.

UOK wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2020 10:10 am Former Bears Demontre Hurst (Tampa Bay) and Will Sutton (Las Vegas) will be familiar names to some.

couple others too. i spotted tanner gentry, daniel braverman and evan rodriguez on rosters. The XFL was made for preseason heros. airese curry, you were born too soon.

today's early game was hilarious. greg olsen doing color commentary and obviously getting exasperated with some decisions marc trestman was making and it was like, buddy, get in line.

I watched all 4 games while doing stuff around the house..enjoyed it. Nice to have Football this time of year instead of just the off season bitching..

Games were pretty good..especially so early. No preseason..just some early scrimmages..

Uh..Tresty..is still Tresty.. Olson was pretty good I thought..his next career..

UOK wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2020 10:10 am Former Bears Demontre Hurst (Tampa Bay) and Will Sutton (Las Vegas) will be familiar names to some.

Marc Trestman is coaching the Tampa Bay team. In their debut, he coached about as well as he did for the Bears.

On Pro Football Talk this a.m., I saw how they handled the kickoffs. It eliminates the bone crushing collisions fueling concussion talks and could save the kickoff.

I watched them casually while doing stuff around the house. It was kind of cool to see some old names play... but I wasn't overly impressed with the play.

I like what they are doing with replay ... it was expedient and well done

I've thought all along the NFL should have something similar, where perhaps the extra game day official is the on site replay guy for each game, instead of kicking everything back to the fatheaded goon Riveron in New York to screw up

I enjoyed the little I saw. I was not expecting NFL, mid season type of football. It is what it is, football for guys who just didn't have enough for the NFL (yet/ever).

I also thought the KO deal was interesting. 25 second clock and a ref whose sole responsibility is to set the ball, I am for it.

Anybody watching?

That PJ Walker kid looks very good...Kinda has a Russel Wilson style of play.

Overall I have to say it’s been fun having football to watch.

I watched a little, it was ok, nice to see some of the options for rules changes, etc.

As far as football and/or players I would expect there will be a couple of them possibly make it in or back to the NFL.

QB play has been atrocious for the most part.

I like the kickoff formation ... seems to allow for some creativity by the return team

seems like this is quality enough football to hang around longer than its predecessor did ... makes a nice B league for the NFL

Any XFL QBs play well enough to get training camp invites? Didn't see any games.

XFL cancels regular-season games, 'committed' to playing in 2021


I guess we'll have to wait until next year ... hope the shutdown doesn't kill the league altogether

We hardly knew ye . . .

XFL suspends operations, lays off employees and has no plans for 2021 season

Eh, it'll be back. The major obstacle to overcome was acceptance, and the XFL seemed to be relatively embraced, at least enough to succeed for a good handful of years.

Vince McMahon's death would certainly quash any sort of return, but that's about all that would stop an XFL return in a couple years.

And any major sports league should probably be considering 2020 a likely lost year. Some NHL teams may fold, honestly.

According to a prominent former XFL staffer who was on the call, Pollack stopped short of saying the league was going out of business. But the strong implication was clear. "It's done," the staffer said. "It's not coming back."

I'm kind of surprised.

If you just canceled everything and put it on hold for a year, I wouldn't have thought there was too much expense involved in being in a holding pattern.

Maybe I'm wrong.