XFL is back

[gmartin]

Vince is bringing back the XFL in 2 years.

Maybe BG can get a team.

So what's everyone's thought. Gives college players another level of football past college. Vince stated today no criminals so no Johnny Manziel, thank goodness.

[BillyLP]

I don't hate the idea of a new football league, but I hate the idea of a league in direct competition / no connection to the NFL. I think that makes it destined to fail. I think a feeder league to the NFL would be more successful and increase the quality of the game overall.

Either way, I'll probably watch it out of curiosity. I hope they go to the big cities without NFL teams and play in MLS-style stadiums like Columbus, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, etc, but it sounds like they're leaning towards current NFL markets.

[gmartin]

One thing that did catch my attention is Vince said even though this is only a 10-week league plus playoffs he said the players would be paid over 52 weeks, hoping the players stay active within the community. So it sounds like he doesn't want any of his players to have any other sort of jobs.

[MarkL]

If they again attempt to combine football with the wrestling atmosphere, it will fail. I pulled up an XFL game on YouTube and it was awkward, even leaning toward trashy. The cheerleaders, music, and "names" on the jerseys all turned me off. No surprise it failed.

Here's what I would do. Focus less on the game atmosphere and more on making an exciting brand of football. The average fan loves offense and can get bored in a defensive slugfest. (I personally love good defense). And there are so many college football offensive players that do not make it into the NFL because they are spread players. Two birds one stone. Tailor the rules to allow for air raid, spread option, hurry up, and other college offenses that never work in the NFL. Tweak the rules so that these offenses are encouraged. Bring in new and innovative blood to the coaching ranks instead of the old boys club of the NFL.

And I know this will be controversial. For obvious reasons and maybe it's still too soon. Probably is. Anyways I would think long and hard about getting Art Briles on board. As a coach or more likely as an advisor.

[gmartin]

No wrestling aspect this time. Also no cheerleaders. No instant replay. No coaches challenges. Faster games. A running constant clock. Only 40 players per team. I think this time it will work. No other gimmicks. He already said no criminals. And he doesn't want this to be a stepping stone to the NFL. A totally separate League. This is not minor NFL football.

[Flipper]

The original XFL pioneered the use of the EAS Madden video game "above the field" camera angle. SO it's not like the whole thing was useless. I think a huge issue with the league was that they're aren't too many QB's out there that can actually play You can put together a decent defense with NFL rejects...decent enough that a s**t QB wil struggle

[Lord_Byron]

He's ready to wreck that league, baby!!!

[jpfalcon09]

Given that McMahon and Trump are buds and Linda is a Trump appointee, this whole thing just smells of trying to capitalize on a very small minority who don't like the NFL any longer because of certain social and political issues. The NFL is already watered down enough to put a mediocre product on the field so I anticipate this league still being awful and not being around very long. I do agree that the NFL needs a feeder league outside of college football and the CFL isn't good enough to develop players, so we'll see if ultimately McMahon is able to parlay any sort of success into a deal with the NFL. Otherwise, going in direct competition with the NFL is going to be a monumental mistake again.

[hammb]

Given that McMahon and Trump are buds and Linda is a Trump appointee, this whole thing just smells of trying to capitalize on a very small minority who don't like the NFL any longer because of certain social and political issues. The NFL is already watered down enough to put a mediocre product on the field so I anticipate this league still being awful and not being around very long. I do agree that the NFL needs a feeder league outside of college football and the CFL isn't good enough to develop players, so we'll see if ultimately McMahon is able to parlay any sort of success into a deal with the NFL. Otherwise, going in direct competition with the NFL is going to be a monumental mistake again.

Agreed.

Vince is just trying to latch on to the Trump voters that are "boycotting" the NFL. Yeah, all 3 of 'em.

The XFL will fail miserably if it's anything like the first go around, which it doesn't sound like it will be. It'll also fail if it's this weird mishmash that the press release sounded like it would be.

How it can succeed, and I still cannot figure out why the NFL hasn't just done this yet, is if it wants to work as a minor league for the NFL. There is a huge untapped market that could greatly improve the NFL product and make some money. Take HS kids that don't want to go to college. Pay 'em handsomly. Hire NFL coaches and run NFL style systems. Create a talent pool that is a nice mixture of young kids not yet eligible for the NFL draft and adults that are still trying to hold on to the dream. The hope is something akin to AAA baseball. The games MUST be played in the fall. Ideally you'd have 32 teams so every team had an NFL affiliate, but that is probably too ambitious to start with. But you want to create a league where the quality of talent is better than college football (shouldn't be hard), a place to watch the young stars that will be future NFL stars playing in an NFL style game. Like AAA baseball it has to become something where winning is secondary to talent development.

I think this product could easily be better than college football, while also vastly improving the development of young players, thus making the NFL product even better. NFL QB & OL play is a trainwreck right now because they don't have a true feeder system and they don't have enough practice time to develop players at the NFL level.

The key to this whole thing? How much do you have to start paying the 5* & upper 4* recruits to forego college and go directly into pro football? If you can find the funding to steal the best talent, I think this is feasible and creates better football for all. College football can go back to what it was supposed to be...an amateur sport to build campus community.

[Globetrotter]

Last 2 comments nail it. I am fearful that it will create yet another divide in the country. Instead of having to take a moment to think about why these people of color are kneeling you just avert your attention to something that doesn't challenge you. In essence the problem with Fox news and MSNBC just reporting things that either side already agrees with.

I would welcome a minor league though. What I actually think would be amazing would be if they did a 3 round draft in April. Then played a 2 month long season with the rest of the non draftees or non signed vets and then did another draft in June before camp opens for the final 4 rounds. If you want to keep attention longer that will do it.

[vwfalcon]

I believe this has less to do with the politics some of you so badly seem to want it to be and more to do with the reaction from the 30 for 30 ESPN. That production was received well enough that Vince probably thought it was worth another shot if he was more conservative on the product and focused more on the football rather than the sideshow. If you truly believe this decision was made due in large part to the anthem protest, I don't know what to tell you. You don't sell $100M worth of stock in your main company over a political action. This has everything to do with wanting to fix a blemish on Vince's resume.

[jpfalcon09]

I believe this has less to do with the politics some of you so badly seem to want it to be and more to do with the reaction from the 30 for 30 ESPN. That production was received well enough that Vince probably thought it was worth another shot if he was more conservative on the product and focused more on the football rather than the sideshow. If you truly believe this decision was made due in large part to the anthem protest, I don't know what to tell you. You don't sell $100M worth of stock in your main company over a political action. This has everything to do with wanting to fix a blemish on Vince's resume.

McMahon was asked if there was anything political about this league and said no, then said that all players will be forced to stand for the anthem which is nothing but a direct contradiction, so I don't buy that. He's aiming for the fan disenfranchised with the NFL game because of the aforementioned social and political issues and those who hate how long games are and the million rules the league has. Not buying that the 30 for 30 had anything to do with this. Other leagues have popped up over the course of history in the same vein only to fail (USFL, UFL, Arena League is falling apart, XFL 1.0). Why? The talent pool isn't good enough for two "professional" football leagues in the states. If football were an international game then perhaps it would be a different conversation.

This league is only going to cater to a specific group of fans, be marketed as professional football, be terrible, casual fans will tune out again and the league will once again go under.

[Globetrotter]

I believe this has less to do with the politics some of you so badly seem to want it to be and more to do with the reaction from the 30 for 30 ESPN. That production was received well enough that Vince probably thought it was worth another shot if he was more conservative on the product and focused more on the football rather than the sideshow. If you truly believe this decision was made due in large part to the anthem protest, I don't know what to tell you. You don't sell $100M worth of stock in your main company over a political action. This has everything to do with wanting to fix a blemish on Vince's resume.

How dare we think that the man running the league who runs the wwe and who's wife is in Trump's cabinet would use this league as a tool to instigate the worst of us. It's not October 2016 any more. We have to get used to this.

[vwfalcon]

I believe this has less to do with the politics some of you so badly seem to want it to be and more to do with the reaction from the 30 for 30 ESPN. That production was received well enough that Vince probably thought it was worth another shot if he was more conservative on the product and focused more on the football rather than the sideshow. If you truly believe this decision was made due in large part to the anthem protest, I don't know what to tell you. You don't sell $100M worth of stock in your main company over a political action. This has everything to do with wanting to fix a blemish on Vince's resume.

How dare we think that the man running the league who runs the wwe and who's wife is in Trump's cabinet would use this league as a tool to instigate the worst of us. It's not October 2016 any more. We have to get used to this.

So let me get this straight, you believe this is a politically motivated decision? You believe that this league is being used as a "weapon" of sorts to further a political agenda? I don't know what else to say. That's rather shallow thinking.

[Globetrotter]

I believe this has less to do with the politics some of you so badly seem to want it to be and more to do with the reaction from the 30 for 30 ESPN. That production was received well enough that Vince probably thought it was worth another shot if he was more conservative on the product and focused more on the football rather than the sideshow. If you truly believe this decision was made due in large part to the anthem protest, I don't know what to tell you. You don't sell $100M worth of stock in your main company over a political action. This has everything to do with wanting to fix a blemish on Vince's resume.

How dare we think that the man running the league who runs the wwe and who's wife is in Trump's cabinet would use this league as a tool to instigate the worst of us. It's not October 2016 any more. We have to get used to this.

So let me get this straight, you believe this is a politically motivated decision? You believe that this league is being used as a "weapon" of sorts to further a political agenda? I don't know what else to say. That's rather shallow thinking.

I believe that they are taking advantage of a large part of our population by preying on their lack of intellectual curiosity.