Measuring stick

[MGB01]

The USFL's first head-to-head competition is now known: Nuggets/Warriors Game 1 on ABC (which would also explain why ABC aired The Ten Commandments two nights ago instead of its usual Easter weekend viewing). Also, it's NBC's lead-in to Saturday Night Live, they started airing it live on the west coast a few years back. Did they have to get Lorne Michaels' OK or did they realize that it's 2022 and he just doesn't matter anymore?

A decent number against the Warriors playing their first playoff game proper since they were in the NBA Finals three years ago should put the league in strong position to do what the AAF couldn't: follow up. Remember Turner and NFL Network got involved late in the game so the original league "plan" was to debut in prime time on CBS and then send everybody over to CBS Sports Network, which literally nobody watches. Here, NBC's right back at it at noon Sunday.

A big debut (doesn't have to be say a 31-29 OT game--in which obviously the new format will be in play right off the bat, but it won't hurt) might be the thing that finally gets an alt league to stick around and determine whether FOX sees the money and interest there to go to a year two when D-Day comes. So a fun game, fun crowd, and essentially just fun should be the goal.

[4th&long]

The USFL's first head-to-head competition is now known: Nuggets/Warriors Game 1 on ABC (which would also explain why ABC aired The Ten Commandments two nights ago instead of its usual Easter weekend viewing). Also, it's NBC's lead-in to Saturday Night Live, they started airing it live on the west coast a few years back. Did they have to get Lorne Michaels' OK or did they realize that it's 2022 and he just doesn't matter anymore?

A decent number against the Warriors playing their first playoff game proper since they were in the NBA Finals three years ago should put the league in strong position to do what the AAF couldn't: follow up. Remember Turner and NFL Network got involved late in the game so the original league "plan" was to debut in prime time on CBS and then send everybody over to CBS Sports Network, which literally nobody watches. Here, NBC's right back at it at noon Sunday.

A big debut (doesn't have to be say a 31-29 OT game--in which obviously the new format will be in play right off the bat, but it won't hurt) might be the thing that finally gets an alt league to stick around and determine whether FOX sees the money and interest there to go to a year two when D-Day comes. So a fun game, fun crowd, and essentially just fun should be the goal.

My concern is good play and a competitive game. Even early NFL games teams tend to suck.. Remember GB NO last year - brutal. Hopefully these players are hungry, this game will be the biggest TV as its on both Fox and NBC - Players/Coaches/TV crew/Mascots/Cheerleaders et al need to show up and put on top performance.

[super390]

A lot of new football leagues have suffered from low-scoring games at first. I think it really hurt the first XFL because of the intense spotlight at the moment. It didn't seem to harm the first USFL, but I think more emphasis on offense would have helped. The AAF had a problem with it that clearly was getting better late in the season. The second XFL had the virtue of plenty of quarterbacks, as it turned out; if the first guy looked bad he got yanked quickly.

It's not clear that the 2022 USFL has the QB depth to fix mistakes. And casuals no longer tune in to watch running backs. The coaches better be innovative in moving the ball. Push those run/pass options using the 2-forward-pass legalization.

[MGB01]

A lot of new football leagues have suffered from low-scoring games at first. I think it really hurt the first XFL because of the intense spotlight at the moment. It didn't seem to harm the first USFL, but I think more emphasis on offense would have helped. The AAF had a problem with it that clearly was getting better late in the season. The second XFL had the virtue of plenty of quarterbacks, as it turned out; if the first guy looked bad he got yanked quickly.

It's not clear that the 2022 USFL has the QB depth to fix mistakes. And casuals no longer tune in to watch running backs. The coaches better be innovative in moving the ball. Push those run/pass options using the 2-forward-pass legalization.

I referred to the first Generals/Stallions opener in my anniversary post, boy not a day for offense: neither team had 300 yards; Brian Sipe and Cliff Stoudt, who had actually played against each other in the Steelers/Browns week 16 finale two months earlier, were a combined awful (less than 50%); and Maurice Carthon had the only two touchdowns. But what did they have going for them? Just the atmosphere overall was bigtime: The legend (Keith Jackson) on the call in front of 60,000 at Legion Field like it was Bama against Tennessee or Auburn, and, like it or not, the Donald.

This USFL won't have Keith (RIP), TD, or a field littered with NFL talent, but it what it can have is what the XFL2.0 debut had, a fun electric atmosphere. Certainly the game part will need to catch up, thus the 31-29 OT scenario (throw in some double passes and a 4th and 12 onside conversion) that I came up with last night will help. Something to get the viewer to tune back to NBC roughly 14 hours later and for FOX to say 'we got something' and it builds week after week.

[super390]

I referred to the first Generals/Stallions opener in my anniversary post, boy not a day for offense: neither team had 300 yards; Brian Sipe and Cliff Stoudt, who had actually played against each other in the Steelers/Browns week 16 finale two months earlier, were a combined awful (less than 50%); and Maurice Carthon had the only two touchdowns. But what did they have going for them? Just the atmosphere overall was bigtime: The legend (Keith Jackson) on the call in front of 60,000 at Legion Field like it was Bama against Tennessee or Auburn, and, like it or not, the Donald.

This USFL won't have Keith (RIP), TD, or a field littered with NFL talent, but it what it can have is what the XFL2.0 debut had, a fun electric atmosphere. Certainly the game part will need to catch up, thus the 31-29 OT scenario (throw in some double passes and a 4th and 12 onside conversion) that I came up with last night will help. Something to get the viewer to tune back to NBC roughly 14 hours later and for FOX to say 'we got something' and it builds week after week.

Under 50% wasn't so unusual for an NFL game in the '70s. Doug Williams went from being that kind of QB with the Bucs, then in the USFL became a 70% completion passer in Oklahoma, and brought most of that back to the NFL with him on the way to a Super Bowl ring.

But Trump didn't buy the Generals until Season 2. There's a great article at the Village Voice archive about how Trump delayed buying the team while he maneuvered to have himself appointed head of the NYC commission to build a new stadium to get the Jets back from New Jersey. It was an amazing scheme on his part to sabotage the Jets return and then use his position with both the commission and the USFL to create a fait accompli to get a team that he owned (in whatever league) into the stadium he controlled. That was the end goal of everything he tried with the USFL down to the lawsuit.

[MGB01]

I referred to the first Generals/Stallions opener in my anniversary post, boy not a day for offense: neither team had 300 yards; Brian Sipe and Cliff Stoudt, who had actually played against each other in the Steelers/Browns week 16 finale two months earlier, were a combined awful (less than 50%); and Maurice Carthon had the only two touchdowns. But what did they have going for them? Just the atmosphere overall was bigtime: The legend (Keith Jackson) on the call in front of 60,000 at Legion Field like it was Bama against Tennessee or Auburn, and, like it or not, the Donald.

This USFL won't have Keith (RIP), TD, or a field littered with NFL talent, but it what it can have is what the XFL2.0 debut had, a fun electric atmosphere. Certainly the game part will need to catch up, thus the 31-29 OT scenario (throw in some double passes and a 4th and 12 onside conversion) that I came up with last night will help. Something to get the viewer to tune back to NBC roughly 14 hours later and for FOX to say 'we got something' and it builds week after week.

Under 50% wasn't so unusual for an NFL game in the '70s. Doug Williams went from being that kind of QB with the Bucs, then in the USFL became a 70% completion passer in Oklahoma, and brought most of that back to the NFL with him on the way to a Super Bowl ring.

But Trump didn't buy the Generals until Season 2. There's a great article at the Village Voice archive about how Trump delayed buying the team while he maneuvered to have himself appointed head of the NYC commission to build a new stadium to get the Jets back from New Jersey. It was an amazing scheme on his part to sabotage the Jets return and then use his position with both the commission and the USFL to create a fait accompli to get a team that he owned (in whatever league) into the stadium he controlled. That was the end goal of everything he tried with the USFL down to the lawsuit.

You know for all his braying about Shula and JoePa, Walt Michaels seemed to be Trump's kind of coach: he probably remembered (or more likely had it relayed to him) the time when Michaels downplayed the defending Super Bowl champion/SB re-bound Cowboys more than he did the Jets going back to the playoffs for the first time since the merger--never mind they lost 30-7 it's the first strike that counts

And yes I was referring to the '84 season opener, matter of fact I think Al Michaels was in the studio.