Article: Former Wranglers preach patience, stability for new USFL

[4th&long]

Has some local (AZ) history of USFL and opines on 2022 version

https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2021/07/ ... -new-usfl/

>> Brian Woods, founder of The Spring League, announced in June his intention to work with Fox Sports and bring back a new iteration of the USFL in 2022. In the intervening decades, the NFL has created barriers to entry for spring football: It’s become more of a year-round enterprise, from the February scouting combine to July training camp, and more markets have received teams. Numerous spring leagues have come and gone, rarely completing one season, let alone three.

Wranglers alumni just hope this new USFL has leaders who know how to build patiently, from the ground up.

“I hope they learn that you got to stay within yourself, you got to be patient, you got to let the league develop,” said Alan Risher, a quarterback for the 1983 and 1984 Wranglers. “And the fan is just not going to spend good money seeing a bad product. You can’t buy somebody’s love.”

When the inaugural rosters arrived at their first USFL training camps back in 1983, the young, impressionable, borderline-NFL-caliber players had few doubts about the league’s viability. As Rick Neuheisel, the San Antonio Gunslingers quarterback and later longtime college head coach, put it, “When you’re 23, you think everything’s 10 feet tall and bulletproof.” <<

[Gopher123]

Has some local (AZ) history of USFL and opines on 2022 version

https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2021/07/ ... -new-usfl/

>> Brian Woods, founder of The Spring League, announced in June his intention to work with Fox Sports and bring back a new iteration of the USFL in 2022. In the intervening decades, the NFL has created barriers to entry for spring football: It’s become more of a year-round enterprise, from the February scouting combine to July training camp, and more markets have received teams. Numerous spring leagues have come and gone, rarely completing one season, let alone three.

Wranglers alumni just hope this new USFL has leaders who know how to build patiently, from the ground up.

“I hope they learn that you got to stay within yourself, you got to be patient, you got to let the league develop,” said Alan Risher, a quarterback for the 1983 and 1984 Wranglers. “And the fan is just not going to spend good money seeing a bad product. You can’t buy somebody’s love.”

When the inaugural rosters arrived at their first USFL training camps back in 1983, the young, impressionable, borderline-NFL-caliber players had few doubts about the league’s viability. As Rick Neuheisel, the San Antonio Gunslingers quarterback and later longtime college head coach, put it, “When you’re 23, you think everything’s 10 feet tall and bulletproof.” <<

45000 turned out for the Wranglers in 1983??!!! And I thought the 30000 the Battlehawks had was impressive. More evidence of the appetite there was and still is for spring football.

“And the fan is just not going to spend good money seeing a bad product. You can’t buy somebody’s love.” - Alan Risher

Very true. This is where I’m hoping the USFL can hit that balance of showcasing a quality product without breaking the bank.

A couple changes I would like to see to separate the USFL ( as in their promo, a real pro football league) from the TSL ( a spring developmental league) :

Contracts that keep the best players from being plucked by the NFL, CFL or anyone else before the end of the season. I know it’s the goal of most players to move up but it’s important to keep fans interest by keeping the teams consistent week to week if you’re advertising yourself as a real pro league.

Also, this should be more about putting the best players on the field than solely about getting certain players game tape. Rotating quarterbacks every quarter, every half, or every other series when not required because of performance reasons screams developmental league not pro league. One of my biggest complaints with the TSL was watching a qb with good numbers get yanked at halftime and be replaced by someone who didn’t perform as well and their team lose. For the USFL to be taken seriously this can’t happen.

It will help having fans in the stands as well. This hurt the TSL’s game day feel but obviously they didn’t have much control over that. The crazy XFL fans created a lot of energy and excitement. Without them the XFL games wouldn’t have had the feel they had.

I’m quite interested to see what cities the USFL picks. Big tv markets, smaller rabid football cities, XFL cities or if they try to stay away from XFL cities.

[4th&long]

Has some local (AZ) history of USFL and opines on 2022 version

https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2021/07/ ... -new-usfl/

>> Brian Woods, founder of The Spring League, announced in June his intention to work with Fox Sports and bring back a new iteration of the USFL in 2022. In the intervening decades, the NFL has created barriers to entry for spring football: It’s become more of a year-round enterprise, from the February scouting combine to July training camp, and more markets have received teams. Numerous spring leagues have come and gone, rarely completing one season, let alone three.

Wranglers alumni just hope this new USFL has leaders who know how to build patiently, from the ground up.

“I hope they learn that you got to stay within yourself, you got to be patient, you got to let the league develop,” said Alan Risher, a quarterback for the 1983 and 1984 Wranglers. “And the fan is just not going to spend good money seeing a bad product. You can’t buy somebody’s love.”

When the inaugural rosters arrived at their first USFL training camps back in 1983, the young, impressionable, borderline-NFL-caliber players had few doubts about the league’s viability. As Rick Neuheisel, the San Antonio Gunslingers quarterback and later longtime college head coach, put it, “When you’re 23, you think everything’s 10 feet tall and bulletproof.” <<

45000 turned out for the Wranglers in 1983??!!! And I thought the 30000 the Battlehawks had was impressive. More evidence of the appetite there was and still is for spring football.

“And the fan is just not going to spend good money seeing a bad product. You can’t buy somebody’s love.” - Alan Risher

Very true. This is where I’m hoping the USFL can hit that balance of showcasing a quality product without breaking the bank.

A couple changes I would like to see to separate the USFL ( as in their promo, a real pro football league) from the TSL ( a spring developmental league) :

Contracts that keep the best players from being plucked by the NFL, CFL or anyone else before the end of the season. I know it’s the goal of most players to move up but it’s important to keep fans interest by keeping the teams consistent week to week if you’re advertising yourself as a real pro league.

Also, this should be more about putting the best players on the field than solely about getting certain players game tape. Rotating quarterbacks every quarter, every half, or every other series when not required because of performance reasons screams developmental league not pro league. One of my biggest complaints with the TSL was watching a qb with good numbers get yanked at halftime and be replaced by someone who didn’t perform as well and their team lose. For the USFL to be taken seriously this can’t happen.

It will help having fans in the stands as well. This hurt the TSL’s game day feel but obviously they didn’t have much control over that. The crazy XFL fans created a lot of energy and excitement. Without them the XFL games wouldn’t have had the feel they had.

I’m quite interested to see what cities the USFL picks. Big tv markets, smaller rabid football cities, XFL cities or if they try to stay away from XFL cities.

1) Agreed - it will depend on if they pay players. If they do, I'm sure it will say no leaving until season over.

2) Agreed - since this will be marketed for best TV audience more so than TSL, I see them going with a QB starter and back up like other leagues

3) Agreed - but it depends on what thy have resources and runway for - Fans in stands depends on Hub vs individual cities vs hybrid

4) As far as cities? I think FOX is pulling the strings in this one, the league needs to please them. So there may be a couple strong larger non-NFL cities like STL, Orlando or SA. But they do need big markets for the TV audience. Also they will look to go in cities-states that are less expensives to operate in... e.g. Texas, Florida and avoid California (sans LA).