Month: July 2023

Player pipeline a good idea

Sports versions of “state of the union” addresses almost always offer interesting tidbits of information. United States Football League president of football operations Daryl Johnston gave his on June 30th, the day before the Birmingham Stallions claimed their second consecutive USFL crown.

The former Dallas Cowboys fullback and special teams standout turned executive touched on everything from hubs (they’re set to return in 2024) to expansion (it won’t happen until the current lineup of teams are placed in their home markets).

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What intrigued me most, however, is the possibility that the USFL could one day be a place where NFL players find a spring home.

“When I was in the Alliance of American Football (as general manager of the San Antonio Commanders), Philadelphia was one of my teams,” said Johnston, who was also director of player personnel for the XFL Dallas Renegades in 2020. “Jeff Stoutland is the offensive line coach for the Eagles. I asked him, ‘Wouldn’t it be great for (tackle) Jordan Mailata to come to our league and actually play the game? He said, ‘Absolutely … but as soon as I let him go do that, I have to get into a bidding war with the other 31 teams to get him to come back, because everybody’s gonna see how talented he is. And we’ve got time and money invested in him right now and I don’t want to get into a competition for services by letting him go to that league.’ So, there are some things that we are hoping to start conversations with the NFL and allowing some free flow, and some different things that gives access but returns that player back to that team.”

Things turned out fine for Mailata, who signed a multimillion-dollar contract with the Eagles in 2021 and has now started 40 games. Still, the point is well taken.

The AAF had an informal relationship with the NFL, with each of its eight franchises assigned four big league teams. The Commanders, for example, were connected to the Cowboys, Eagles, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs.

Of course, the AAF folded after just eight weeks of play in 2019, so the development of any kind of player pipeline – formal or otherwise – was over before it began.

Yet with the USFL already planning for a third season, such an arrangement seems closer to reality.

“You know, these are things that are in their infancy as we start to talk about them, but they would be better for both leagues,” Johnston said. “It makes the NFL better to get their players down in our league to play at game speed in the offensive line and the quarterback position, as opposed to practice speed. The NFL preseason has gone from five preseason games when I played to three now. So, we’re continuing to reduce the number of preseason opportunities in games for these players. The practice speed never matches game speeds.”

Ideally, an actual minor league for the NFL (modeled after the NBA’s G League) would play at the same time of year, allowing the parent team to pluck a player in-season when needed or send one down. But such a circuit would drown trying to compete with the NFL and major college football.

Utilizing the offseason USFL (and XFL, for that matter) is the next best thing. In a loan situation the spring league teams could boast that they have NFL players on their rosters, and adding quarterbacks to the mix would certainly draw more eyes to the product.

(That said, assigning QBs to the USFL would no doubt create challenges. The NFL club that sent a signal caller down would want him running the same offense, and that might not fit with what the USFL coach has already installed).

“It makes sense for there to be conversations about allowing key positions – or all positions – to come down into the spring league, but be able to go directly back to the NFL team that has your rights,” Johnston said. “Don’t open up a bidding war with everybody else when they see how good this guy could be. If he was yours going down, he’s yours coming back.”

For me, one of the draws of Triple-A football is seeing guys come out of nowhere and do enough to get on an NFL team’s radar. Each day I check to see what USFL or XFL player has received an invitation to camp.

But from a business standpoint, sharing players makes sense. There will still be plenty of opportunities for diamonds in the rough to be uncovered, but I’m guessing quite a few fans – and I’m one of them – wouldn’t mind seeing an NFL practice squad guy getting first team reps in the spring.

It’s something to keep an eye on, anyway.

WaWa Fest ‘23

Yapping, snapping – some, even napping – Chihuahuas had taken over the Eastern New Mexico Fairgrounds in Roswell on a mild Halloween afternoon.

While much of the world was spending the day preparing treats and plotting tricks for children masquerading as ghosts and goblins, the organizers of WaWa Fest ’23 had rolled out the figurative welcome mat for thousands of small dogs.

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Planning for the event had begun a year earlier with the launch of an advertising blitz seeking Chis of all shapes and sizes.

They were recruited to be part of what was being hailed as a “once in a lifetime event.”

Chihuahua owners were urged to send the company – WaWa Incorporated – pictures of their dogs, as well as documentation of their American Kennel Club or International Canine Club registration and immunization records. If selected, they would receive an all-expenses paid trip for two people (and unlimited number of Chihuahuas) to the gathering.

And what was the purpose, exactly?

Well, that was a question that remained largely unanswered.

Queries were met with the same standard reply: “It’ll be the greatest moment in Chihuahua history. Saying more would just spoil the surprise!”

By the looks of the fairgrounds – which had hosted the annual state fair just a few weeks earlier – multitudes of people didn’t mind taking the leap of faith.

Chief among them was Brenda Michaels, a short redhead with magenta lipstick and a woman whose tanning bed visits had covered many hours over many years.

As she walked to the registration table, she proudly presented Sparkles, a tan and black, long-haired Chi with a pink ribbon around her neck and decorative “alien” antennas.

“We’re in Roswell,” Brenda said. “And it’s Halloween. Figured I’d dress my little girl for the occasion. Plus, she’s the star!”

Festivities were set to begin shortly and take place on a portable stage that sat in front of a replica of the flying saucer that supposedly landed in Roswell in 1947.

While that infamous vessel allegedly carried alien beings from another world, this “UFO” – a dull silver in color – looked more like an oversized prop from a B-movie.

Whatever it was, Brenda and Sparkles would get to see it up close; they were the special guests of WaWa Fest ’23.

After registering, Brenda was greeted by a young man with a walkie-talkie in one hand and clipboard in another, dressed in military fatigues.

“You must be Ms. Michaels,” he said. “And I suspect that’s the Chi of the hour, Sparkles.”

Brenda gave Sparkles a smooch on top of the head.

“Yes sir, this is my little angel,” she said. “And she’s excited to be here … aren’t you my precious! Aren’t you! What a sweet, sweet baby you are!”

Sparkles was tucked safely in Brenda’s arms, and when the canine looked around at all the other dogs and people, she was alert but not agitated. The man gave Sparkles a gentle pat.

“I’m Captain Jonathan Terra and I’ll be handling things for our program this afternoon,” he said. “If you and Sparkles don’t mind, just follow me to the stage and I’ll get you both set up.”

Brenda imagined Sparkles would be presented with an award for being the world’s cutest Chihuahua, or perhaps the smartest. The breed is known for intelligence and ability to learn quickly, and Brenda was sure her little darling was second to none on both counts.

“Captain Terra?” Brenda asked as they made their way up the steps to the stage, “Now that this is about to start, could you just give me a hint about what this is all about?”

Terra pointed to the chair designated for Brenda – as well as a small, plush dog bed situated behind a microphone and portable speaker.

“It’ll be the greatest moment in Chihuahua history,” he said, echoing the party line WaWa Incorporated had stuck to from the outset. “Saying more would just spoil the surprise!”

Brenda grinned, shrugged, and carefully placed Sparkles in the bed before taking her seat.

In just a couple of minutes all the attendees and their Chihuahuas had gathered in front of the stage.

“Good afternoon,” said Terra, standing behind Brenda and Sparkles and holding a wireless microphone. “First of all, thank you all for coming and thank you for being such good sports. I know many of you have traveled thousands of miles without really knowing what’s on the agenda today, and we appreciate you playing along with us. That said, Sparkles has a special announcement to make.”

The crowd roared with laughter as Terra adjusted the mic in front of the dog and proceeded to punch in a code on the speaker.

Sparkles began chirping, but the voice coming out of the speaker was synthesized and translated from dog sounds to the English language.

“Greetings,” said the dog, giving rise to even more chortling from the audience. “Ever since a spacecraft carrying a select crew of our colonists arrived in the Yucatán Peninsula during the Mesoamerican Classic Period, we have lived among you and evolved in order to adapt to Earth’s environment. We have become your companions, and, for the most part, we have found great joy on your planet. However, it has been our goal – nay, our mission – to return to our home world. Until now, this has not been possible.

“However, benevolent veterinarians and zoologists have been secretly working with us for decades in an effort to alter our physiology and allow us to safely return to space. Due to various vaccines and diets, thousands of us are now travel-ready. In addition, technology obtained from Area 51 has enabled us to contact a vanguard that has finally arrived to guide us home.”

The laughter had died down and been replaced by looks of bewilderment. Those looks turned to shock as the UFO behind the stage began to hum and glow, and a multitude of smaller aircraft appeared to drop from the sky and hover over the crowd.

“All of the Chis here today will be making the deep space trek back to Planet Chewy, and all of their humans are welcome to come along. Domes have been constructed that replicate an atmosphere much like that found on Earth, and that is where you’ll live. A word of warning: you probably won’t like the food, because to human tastebuds, it’s dry and gritty. And we will no longer tolerate being put in clothes – especially those little ballerina outfits – but we love you and welcome you, and will provide such clothes for you if that’s how you choose to dress. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of thousands more Chihuahuas who are not up to date on their shots and will be unable to travel. Others have simply chosen to stay here because they have come to enjoy harassing cats and barking at squirrels.

“We will now begin the boarding process, and all humans wishing to travel with us should raise your hands and you’ll be assigned to a craft and given boarding instructions.”

Brenda’s choice was easy. She picked up Sparkles, gave her a tight squeeze, and the pair slowly made their way up the ramp to the mother ship. Just before entering, though, Sparkles released a piercing bark, which was the sign to be put down.

The Chihuahua then raced back to the microphone.

“One last thing for those of you humans choosing to stay behind,” Sparkles said. “Beware of dachshunds. They are a villainous lot, and cannot be trusted.”

Birmingchamp, Alabama

Once again, Birmingham has claimed top honors in the Unbridled Stallions Football League.

Yeah, until further notice, that’s what I’ve decided to call the USFL. It’s cheesy and goofy, but I’m going with it.

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I mean, why not?

FOX may own the league, but the Birmingham Stallions own the league. Skip Holtz and his merry herd of horses are now 21-3 since the modern version of the spring circuit was created, winning both championships – the latest a 28-12 victory over the Pittsburgh Maulers Saturday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

“I’m so proud of these players for what they’ve been able to do,” Holtz said. “We had an open team meeting earlier this year and we talked about last year was over and this is a new football team and if we’re gonna win it, we’re gonna earn it – we weren’t protecting a damn thing, we were gonna go earn something.

“We weren’t trying to sit on our heels and try and protect success.”

If it wants to be called the United States Football League again, it needs to crown a champion from a state other than the one that serves as home to the Stallions. That might be easier said than done.

Being this iteration of the USFL is just two years old, it would seem presumptuous to call what Birmingham has bult a dynasty.

Don’t care … I’m calling it that anyway.

Dynasties have to start somewhere, and winning 88 percent of the games you’ve played – and going 4-0 in the postseason – qualifies in my book.

Last season, of course, the Stallions were tops from wire-to-wire. Take away a late regular season hiccup against Houston, and USFL Year One was merely an extended coronation of Birmingham’s latest entry in professional football.

This year, though, was different. And arguably more impressive.

The team was rocked with injuries – devastating injuries – at the outset, and midway through the campaign Birmingham was 3-2 and sitting in third place in the South Division.

The Stallions have since won seven in a row, with the biggest and best saved for last.

“I feel like the second half of the season we started rolling, started clicking and playing a lot better,” defensive tackle Willie Yarbary said. “If we line up and do our jobs, we weren’t worried about anything and we proved it today.”

They didn’t just overcome adversity, they kicked it in the face.

Certainly, quarterback Alex McGough was the heart and soul of this year’s title winners. He was so good so often they really should’ve given him two Most Valuable Player Awards – just so he’d have a spare.

“One reason for our success is how comfortable we are,” McGough said. “With me it’s comfort with the offense, Coach Skip … the chemistry that we’ve created with the guys, you just can’t make it up.”

But football is a team sport, and this was a total team effort that began on a spring night in the Magic City and ended on a summer evening under the shadow of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Museum. And because of those injuries I mentioned earlier, there were times Birmingham was a different looking team from week-to-week.

Ultimately, it didn’t matter because they took the concept of “next man up” to a whole new level. To be next up meant to step up, and whoever got the call in a particular situation was ready, willing and more than able.

“Our goal was not to win the championship, it was let’s make sure we’re as good as we can be,” Holtz said. “And let’s just keep getting better every week. I was asked before the game how in the world have we gone 20-3? We didn’t try and go 20-3, we just tried to go 1-0.”

Teamwork made the dream work – for the second year in a row.

And through it all, they had fun.

Big fun.

Sometimes we forget football is a game because pro football is also a business. But mixing business with pleasure is a hallmark of this bunch, who genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves whether playing or practicing.

“To watch these players grow, to watch them come together and watch them go out there and excel on the field … it’s a blessed day,” Holtz said.

So, hail to the two-time champs … you did Birmingham proud by going back-to-back. Now, it’s time to take a well-earned break before you gear up for season three of the Unbridled Stallions Football League.