Your take on the USFL

[Ralph Damren]

The players looked like players......

     The officials looked like officials.....

         The fans looked like empty seats......

The crowds seemed bigger during the pandemic ,  did anyone know there was a game being played  . The  Celts, Bruins and Sox were also playing...I did not watch football long 

What say you ??  (7-man crew)

[HLinNC]

The problem with playing in a central location yet using city names for the teams.  The Birmingham Stallions drew fairly well Saturday night.
Playing the rest of the games on Easter Sunday in the South, which is still a pretty big deal with church and family dinners for some, wasn't a great idea either.

The games all appeared to be close and a couple went down to the end of the game.

I just don't think that an alt league that the NFL is not obviously backing will make it.

[Ralph Damren]

The problem with playing in a central location yet using city names for the teams.  The Birmingham Stallions drew fairly well Saturday night.
Playing the rest of the games on Easter Sunday in the South, which is still a pretty big deal with church and family dinners for some, wasn't a great idea either.

The games all appeared to be close and a couple went down to the end of the game.

I just don't think that an alt league that the NFL is not obviously backing will make it.

I agree, HLinNC, it sorta' seemed like singing Christmas Carols at Easter  ! In the late 60's I lived in Hartford. The Hartford Knights, of the Continental Football League, lived in Hartford then. They were affiliated with the Buffalo Bills...sorta' like their minor league. They drew well then as many fans looked at the players as possible stars of the future. I'm not sure that the fans can get such a grasp on the USFL players as the NFL will be treated as a rival , not a parent club. Competing with NBA and NHL playoffs, along with MLB, probably won't be a good draw to the average sports fan. 

[ElvisLives]

I can't wait until an upset player swats that dang drone outta the air. Just gimmicks that serve to do nothing but promote the television network. They do nothing for the game, itself. And get that dang cameraman off the frickin' field. Geez. Amateurs.

[KWH]

I just want to see a 3-point try!

[Ralph Damren]

Along with a replay official, do they also have a censorship official  ? With both players and coaches mic'd live, one of those seven  'naughty'  words will surely slip in the heat of battle  Parents may be advised that this game is rated :PG-13 and mute is advised for those younger as 'closed-caption' will only show the Queen's English.

[HLinNC]

There should be a built in delay just like any other broadcast.

It was refreshing listening to Mike Riley Saturday night repeatedly saying "gosh darnit".  I thought I was watching Happy Days.

[Ralph Damren]

Being of the season, I recall after the Boston Marathon massacre. The city of Boston was on a full lockdown, canceling a Red Sox game. After the bad guy was caught  , the Sox were back in business. In pre-game, the governor, mayor and a player - Big Papi - were to speak . gov and mayor did fine . Then came Big Papi " THIS IS OUR F CITY, BOSTON,STRONG" .Out over the airwaves it went, the Sox Jerry Remy responded" Er.... I don't know if I would have put it QUITE like that... !"

Later that evening ,the commissioner of the FCC spoke to say that normally such a censorship flaw would have drawn a heavy fine to the network. Rarely are exceptions made, one was made that day.

I, too, assume that the USFL has a time delay with a grammar school teacher at the bleep button. Celts, Bruins, Sox and my own baseball umping will be my sports time, and of course, chatting with you guys  .

[AlUpstateNY]

Later that evening ,the commissioner of the FCC spoke to say that normally such a censorship flaw would have drawn a heavy fine to the network. Rarely are exceptions made, one was made that day.

I, too, assume that the USFL has a time delay with a grammar school teacher at the bleep button. Celts, Bruins, Sox and my own baseball umping will be my sports time, and of course, chatting with you guys  .

Somewhere. some time ago the sausage industry decided it wasn't a great idea to advertise the ALL inner details of exactly how sausage  was made.  A concept that seems to apply as well to a game where highly competitive adults engage in aggressive physical interaction.  Sometimes too much detail is simply too much detail.

[stevegarbs]

Was I seeing things or did they have multiple cameramen on the field during live action? I know I know I saw a ground-level camera about five yards in front of and to the side of the place kicker on the opening kickoff, and thought I saw other cameramen in the middle of the field during scrimmage downs (not drones, hand-held cameras being carried by people). Did anyone else see it? I wonder what the rules and mechanics are for those additional obstacles?

[Ralph Damren]

Was I seeing things or did they have multiple cameramen on the field during live action? I know I know I saw a ground-level camera about five yards in front of and to the side of the place kicker on the opening kickoff, and thought I saw other cameramen in the middle of the field during scrimmage downs (not drones, hand-held cameras being carried by people). Did anyone else see it? I wonder what the rules and mechanics are for those additional obstacles?

TV shows and movies, with all the special effects and realistic props, etc are enjoyable and believable . The Goodyear blimp was one thing, but with drones flying thru pass patterns and cameramen in both backfields, makes this more of a production than a game. In 2005, Maine's horror author , Stephen King filmed Empire Falls in Maine. It stared Paul Newman, Ed Harris and Helen Hunt AND had a 0:00.15 scene of a football game...remind me to tell you guys about that some day.....

[AlUpstateNY]

Woke up this morning to about 3" of snow covering everything, after the power came back on.  Maybe it's just too early for "Spring" football even with lots of shiny new innovations.

[stevegarbs]

TV shows and movies, with all the special effects and realistic props, etc are enjoyable and believable . The Goodyear blimp was one thing, but with drones flying thru pass patterns and cameramen in both backfields, makes this more of a production than a game. In 2005, Maine's horror author , Stephen King filmed Empire Falls in Maine. It stared Paul Newman, Ed Harris and Helen Hunt AND had a 0:00.15 scene of a football game...remind me to tell you guys about that some day.....

Thanks, Ralph. Over the course of my career I was involved in two games that had camera crews in and around the field filming for documentary purposes. Had some camera positioning issues pre-game (What do you mean we can't have a camera platform tripod set up in the end zone?) but overall it was a positive experience. Would like to hear your stories when you get the chance.

[dammitbobby]

Woke up this morning to about 3" of snow covering everything, after the power came back on.  Maybe it's just too early for "Spring" football even with lots of shiny new innovations.

Must be a regional thing, supposed to be 96 here tomorrow. 

[Ralph Damren]

Spring's answer to a Nor'easter. Plenty of  rain - 1.5-2 inches, plenty of wind - 45-50 MPH, some snow - 1 inch. NO BASEBALL TODAY

[Ralph Damren]

Thanks, Ralph. Over the course of my career I was involved in two games that had camera crews in and around the field filming for documentary purposes. Had some camera positioning issues pre-game (What do you mean we can't have a camera platform tripod set up in the end zone?) but overall it was a positive experience. Would like to hear your stories when you get the chance.

The movie casting took 2 local high school football teams, 4 football officials and a grandstand of screaming kids. I watched the officials from afar as a range war quickly developed. Many wanted to become a 'movie star' , but how could the four  be chosen  . I quickly announced that I only handle rules 1-10 and this was rule 11 . The football game scene was Ed Harris making out with Helen Hunt who was Paul Newman's wife. The football game was in the background. The players, coaches and officials were on the set for about 6 hours, mostly just standing around.The footage of the game lasted about 15 seconds. The officials were paid $50. for being extras, our game fee then was $60.

IF YOU WISH TO BE A 'MOVIE STAR' ,THINK BEFORE YOU SIGN 

[KWH]

USFL Rule differences:

On a Try Team A may attempt:
* A 1-point Field Goal snapped from the 15-yard line, or;
* A 2-point Touchdown snapped from the 2-yard line, or;
* A 3-point Touchdown snapped from the 10-yard line
Note: Should Team B score a touchdown (defensive conversion) during any try attempt,  Team B is awarded 2-points

Teams can attempt to retain the football after a try by choosing:
* A traditional onside kick attempt from the A-25 yard line, or;
* 4th and 12 from the A-33 yard line. If A earns a first down, A retains possession, otherwise, B takes possession at the deadball spot.

I like the 3-point try
I like the 4th and 12 replacement for the Onside Kick (I would prefer 4th and 12 from the A-38? - easier to set up and everyone would know Team A needs to get to the 50?)

While some may disagree, I would support these changes in NFHS

 

[Grant - AR]

* 4th and 12 from the A-33 yard line. If A earns a first down, A retains possession, otherwise, B takes possession at the deadball spot.

I'm pretty sure a similar rule change was proposed several years ago in the NCAA.  I seem to remember Greg Schiano proposing it while he was still at Rutgers (I could definitely be wrong on this though).  I think his proposal was something like 4th and 15 from the 30 yard line.  Team A could either go for it or punt it (since they said punts were much safer or had fewer injuries).  If they made it, they kept the ball.  If they didn't make it, Team B took over at the dead ball spot.  I thought it was a pretty good idea since they were trying to make kickoffs less dangerous.

[Ralph Damren]

I wouldn't mind the 3-point PAT, but I wouldn't be in favor of moving the PAT kick back. The kick now is far from automatic and why make it harder ? A defensive score on a PAT has never been on my wish list  . Possibly an Ivy League math major could calibrate the success rate of a conventional onside kick and pare it with the success rate of a 4th & ___ scrimmage down.

Questions to ponder.....
 Would K need to be in scrimmage kick formation  ?
  If R blocked the kick, would the ball remain alive  ?
   If B fouled on this 'go for broke' play, would A gain possession  ?
    Would it just be easier just to give B the ball at the 30/35/40 like in many scrimmages 

Remember, in the early daze of basketball, a jump ball was held after each basket...someone finally said , let's just give the ball to the other team. In our game, how would K/A be able to get the ball back after they scored, one might ask ? ...By playing good defense, another might answer  .

[AlUpstateNY]

USFL Rule differences:

Teams can attempt to retain the football after a try by choosing:
* A traditional onside kick attempt from the A-25 yard line, or;
* 4th and 12 from the A-33 yard line. If A earns a first down, A retains possession, otherwise, B takes possession at the deadball spot.

I like the 3-point try
I like the 4th and 12 replacement for the Onside Kick (I would prefer 4th and 12 from the A-38? - easier to set up and everyone would know Team A needs to get to the 50?)

While some may disagree, I would support these changes in NFHS

On the 2 "4th & 12" options, how would the precise LTG spot be established (and subsequently determined) if measurement was necessary?

[ncwingman]

Especially in high school, there's no reason to make kicks harder. As it is, kick tries in JV games are exceedingly rare around me because if the team has a decent kicker, he's on Varsity and the JV team just goes for two every time.

The 3 point try feels a bit gimmicky to me though. Not to say I wouldn't eventually come around, but I'm not sold yet.

I wouldn't mind seeing the Schiano proposal make an attempt somewhere though. There would need to be some sort of study (or a lot of trial an error) at determining where to put the ball/LTG. If it's a 10+ yard situation, I could see that being difficult for a lot of middling to average high school teams, but you wouldn't want to make it too easy for the really good teams.

Also, if it's a complete mismatch -- 12 time consecutive state champion vs. Little Sisters of the Poor -- LSP could *literally* never get possession of the ball if they couldn't stop that play. You'd probably need a mercy rule caveat.

[ElvisLives]

On the 2 "4th & 12" options, how would the precise LTG spot be established (and subsequently determined) if measurement was necessary?

Al, no different than a touchback, which is set by rule, 1/10, B-20 (which then becomes the A-20). The LTG is precisely 10 yards in advance, i.e., the A-30. If a subsequent dead ball spot is touching the back edge of the A-30, or beyond, with Team A in possession, - first down.

So, for 4/12 at the A-33, by rule, then the LTG is precisely 12 yards in advance, i.e., the A-45. So, if Team A advances the ball to the near edge of the A-45, with Team A in possession, - first down.

[Kalle]

So, for 4/12 at the A-33, by rule, then the LTG is precisely 12 yards in advance, i.e., the A-45. So, if Team A advances the ball to the near edge of the A-45, with Team A in possession, - first down.

And I'm willing to bet that the yard lines and the LTG have been selected exactly for the ease of measurement, as the A-45 is a full yard line. No unambiguity in determining the outcome (unless of course you have weird penalties enforced before the play, but these would have to be really weird to make the LTG to be a non-five yarder).

[ElvisLives]

And I'm willing to bet that the yard lines and the LTG have been selected exactly for the ease of measurement, as the A-45 is a full yard line. No unambiguity in determining the outcome (unless of course you have weird penalties enforced before the play, but these would have to be really weird to make the LTG to be a non-five yarder).

Weird? What's weird about the USFL? 

[KWH]

Full Disclosure:
I didn't mean to suggest, if, this were to be proposed in NFHS that we could move the kick-try line?

Rather:

* 1-point Field Goal would be put in play at the 3-yard line
* 2-point Touchdown would be put in play at the 3-yard line
* 3-point Touchdown would be put in play at the 10-yard line