Author: Scott Adamson

Alliance of American Football debuts this weekend

The last time American sports fans were graced with a big budget spring pro football league – 2001 – it was the rasslin’ influenced XFL begging for our attention.

Scott Adamson’s sports column appears pretty much whenever he feels like writing it.

Vince McMahon vowed that his rough and risqué circuit would change the face of football, but by the end of one disastrous season, TV viewers had simply changed their channels.

XFL 1.0 was one-and-done.

The reboot is set for 2020 (and kudos to the Dallas franchise for hiring Bob Stoops as head coach and general manager on Thursday), but McMahon can’t take credit for reviving February football for a new generation. Staking that claim is 36-year-old Charlie Ebersol, whose Alliance of American Football kicks off in four cities this weekend.

The honor of competing in the first game goes to the San Diego Fleet and San Antonio Commanders, who’ll meet at 8 p.m. EST on Saturday at the Alamodome.

At 8:30 p.m. on opening day it’ll be the Atlanta Legends at the Orlando Apollos.

Sunday at 4 p.m., the Birmingham Iron hosts the Memphis Express, and at 8 o’clock that night the Salt Lake Stallions will be in Phoenix to meet the Arizona Hot Shots.

So what makes this spring league different from the ones that have come before it?

The United States Football League (1983-85) is the gold standard in that it paid major league money and had major league aspirations.

The first iteration of the XFL was minor league, but pretended it was a major league.

(McMahon and company even spent an inordinate amount of time barking at the NFL, which was the equivalent of a Chihuahua going after a Doberman).

Matt Simms will lead Atlanta against Orlando on Saturday night. (photo courtesy of AAF/Atlanta Legends)

The AAF doesn’t want to be labeled, but it doesn’t claim to be the apex of pro football, either. If it can one day attain “Triple A” status and serve as an informal (or formal) feeder league to the NFL, I think all involved will be fine with that.

“It’s really about helping guys fulfill their dreams,” said former Georgia and Pittsburgh Steelers star Hines Ward, now the AAF Head of Development. “I played 14 years in the NFL – I know what players want and need both on and off the field, so being an executive in the league, being able to implement great policies for our players to help our players, I’m extremely blessed and honored to be a part of it.

“The talent is awesome. It’s not to sit there and say they can’t play at the next level, they just weren’t given the opportunities. Having these guys, I know they’re extremely excited. You can see them playing with a chip on their shoulders. They really want to prove to the world that they can play at the next level. I just think that you’ve got a bunch of hungry guys who love the game of football.”

When it comes to coaches, the AAF has done a terrific job of bringing in names you know.

Steve Spurrier was the first one announced, and it didn’t take much convincing to get the Head Ball Coach to take a retirement job two hours away in Orlando.

Dennis Erickson pried himself out of the rocking chair to take over as boss of Salt Lake, while Rick Neuheisel (Arizona), Mike Singletary (Memphis), Mike Martz (San Diego) and Mike Riley (San Antonio) have varying degrees of star power.

The coaches in Atlanta (Kevin Coyle) and Birmingham (Tim Lewis) have plenty of experience; Coyle was an NFL assistant from 2001-17, while Lewis’ NFL coaching resume spans 23 seasons.

“This is an opportunity league for coaches and players alike,” Neuheisel said.

As for the players – yeah, there are some known commodities, but this might just be a league where guys you’ve never heard of get the chance to make some noise.

Orlando coach Steve Spurrier says his team will have to earn the support of fans. (photo courtesy of AAF/Orlando Apollos)

The teams draft players territorially, so naturally there’ll be plenty of college guys familiar to AAF fans.

But even though former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray was drafted by the Legends – and expected to be a major draw – he was beaten out for the starting job by 30-year-old NFL castoff Matt Simms.

Blake Sims quarterbacked Alabama in 2014, but he’ll play behind Luis Perez in Birmingham on Sunday.

Perez was a Division II dynamo, but likely a stranger to Iron supporters.

It’ll be fun to see who steps up and who stands out early on, regardless of what led them to an AAF count. And with each player getting 3-year, $250,000 contracts, there was no shortage of legitimate talent seeking roster spots.

Of course any new league needs some kind of gimmick, and the Alliance will be doing fairly serious rule tweaking.

There are no kickoffs; offenses will begin play at their own 25-yard line to start the game and following a score by the opposition. Instead of an onside kick a team can try to convert a fourth-and-12 from its one 28 following a score, but only if it trails by 17 points or more or there is under five minutes remaining in the game.

Extra point kicks are also out. Teams have to go for two following a touchdown.

The overtime procedure is similar to the one used by many high school leagues. Each team gets the ball once, first-and-goal from the opponent 10, and field goals aren’t allowed. The other team then gets a series and must either win or match the score, which results in a tie.

There are also several other changes, including an extra press box official who can quickly overturn obvious bad calls, and the play clock has been reduced from 40 to 35 seconds.

Of course ultimately, it’ll all come down to how this version of spring football resonates with fans – or doesn’t.

The league’s broadcast partners include CBS, CBS Sports Network, the NFL Network and TNT, and success or failure will largely depends on who watches throughout the 10-week regular season and playoffs.

And butts in the seats will be helpful, too, although Spurrier says that kind of loyalty must be earned over time.

“I’d hope for around 20,000 or so (on Saturday), and that would be a wonderful start, but we’ve got to earn our way,” said Spurrier, who’ll also serve as offensive coordinator and QB coach of his team. “I’m a believer that the team will get the fans in the ballpark if we do well. So I’m not going to beg everybody to come. Hopefully they’ll want to come, and we need to go out there and put on a good performance.”

 

Squires happy to be back with Greenville FC

The soccer community – players, coaches, supporters – can’t get enough of “The Beautiful Game.” And when it comes to community soccer, Lee Squires is excited about doubling his pleasure.

Scott Adamson’s column on soccer appears periodically, usually when he’s feeling especially soccerish.

Squires, who guided Greenville Football Club in their first season of competition last summer, is back to coach the squad again in its second year as members of the National Premier Soccer League.

As an expansion team in 2018, GVLFC finished 4-7-3 in the Southeast Conference Division of the South Region, but was in the mix for a playoff spot until the final week of the season.

The club showed marked improvement from week to week, and there were plenty of positives.

“There were many individual moments that were special, such as the first win down in New Orleans, the last minute equalizer at home to Chattanooga, or the two wins over Asheville,” Squires said. “But overall, it was great to see how the club grew in year one, both on and off the field. The connection to the fans and the culture we built is something that we will carry forward into this season, more so than any win and moment on the field from last year.”

Squires already had a great coaching pedigree before taking the reins of Greenville’s adult amateur soccer club. As head coach of Lander University, Squires has compiled a 57-13-9 record with four NCAA Tournament appearances. Last fall the Bearcats finished 16-2-3 and won the Southeast Region championship – making their deepest run in the postseason in 13 years.

According to the skipper, segueing from one team to the other isn’t a difficult transition.

GVLFC boss Lee Squires works with his team at Stone Stadium during a match last season. 

“I wouldn’t say there are too many differences,” Squires explains. “I get more time with my college guys than the Greenville guys, so we can cover more things in practice. We are trying to build a summer squad of high level players, so the depth throughout the team in the summer may be higher.”

Greenville FC President Marco Carrizales said in an earlier interview that bringing Squires back is a huge boost going into 2019.

“His hunger to be better as a coach and his desire to perfect his craft were things that made me very comfortable,” Carrizales said. “Player development and player happiness are essential for us to recruit high level talent, and Lee provides that for us. I can confidently say that Lee has full trust from us and I’d like for him to stay for as long as we can have him.”

Even though the NPSL season is still three months from kickoff, preparations are well underway. On Saturday, the first of two open tryouts were held at the Kroc Center, with the next slated for February 16.

In 2018, four trialists earned roster spots.

“Tryouts are a great way to bring players in who have an interest in competing for the club,” said Squires, who worked with more than 30 hopefuls over the weekend. “Of course, we cannot make an in-depth assessment on every player in just one day, so we are looking for little things that show there is development potential in a player. Ultimately, we want these guys to make our roster, but in reality they just need to show well enough on the day for us to want to see more going forward.”

As was the case in 2018, GVLFC will face Anderson University in an exhibition once tryouts are complete. That preseason match is set for March 2 at 3 p.m. at the Kroc Center.

GVLFC will once again be aligned in the Southeast Conference Division this season, although there are some changes.

The Atlanta Silverbacks have been rebranded as Atlanta SC, and Chattanooga FC will be making its farewell tour of the league’s amateur wing as it transitions to the NPSL Founders Cup and professional status.

But the bulk of the league will still be based on the adult amateur model, and Squires says that’s important for the growth – and health – of American soccer.

“It’s huge, especially in the smaller or mid-size markets,” Squires said. “Soccer needs to be accessible to as many people as possible, so teams like ours can reach people who cannot easily get to the nearest MLS team. You can see from our fan base last summer what soccer can mean to a community like Greenville.”

GVLFC dug its roots even deeper in the community when the formation of Greenville FC Academy was announced on Monday. The early stage developmental program will be offered at no charge to participants and their families, and is open to participants age 8-12.

Academy training sessions will be led by Greenville FC players and staff and will run concurrently with regular season NPSL play.

And Squires hopes those who come to Stone Stadium for the first time this summer for Greenville FC’s second season will get a taste of what community soccer is all about.

“They can expect a family friendly atmosphere, lots of entertainment, a connection to the players and staff, and an exciting brand of soccer that’ll deliver more memorable moments,” he said.

Babysitting animals keeps me busy

If you’re an animal lover like me, you know that critters aren’t like family – they are family.

Brain Farce is a humor column written by Scott Adamson. It comes out basically whenever he feels like writing it. Follow him on Twitter @adamsonsl

But all families have issues, and since my day job is watching over our house beasts, it can be challenging.

As you might know, we have an 11-year old Sheltie named Charlie; two shelter cats, The Mighty Thor, God of Thunder (four) and Bane (18 months); and a rescue Chihuahua, Steve Rogers, Captain America. He’s also 18 months old.

Usually, it’s wonderful having four animals to hang with. There’s lots of belly rubs and skitches, and sometimes (many times, really) the company of a four-legged friend is the best company of all.

However, it’s not always sunshine and rainbows.

Sometimes it’s broken glasses and vomit.

To be fair, Charlie’s not much of a problem. He’s always been a low-key fellow and now that he’s getting on in years, he spends a lot of his time sprawled on the floor sleeping.

And since he’s a senior citizen in “human years,” he considers himself retired so other than yelling at the television and asking me if I’ve seen his glasses, he doesn’t exert a lot of energy.

He does find time, however, to raid the litter box which – as you might imagine – is disgusting. Of course it’s not disgusting to him, which makes it even more disgusting to me.

I try not to judge but, damn, that’s gross.

Steve is a sweet little dog, except when he’s not.

Watching out for Thor is normally a breeze. He’s very loving, and enjoys nothing more than curling up in my lap. But he’s also extremely skittish. If you sneeze, he runs away in a panic, only to be found later trembling in a corner while smoking a cigarette.

He is a fan of heights, though, so I have to keep my head on a swivel to make sure he doesn’t jump up on the dresser and knock things off.

When I hear the sound of a broken glass in the middle of the night, I can blame it on him.

Also when I smell smoke, I know Thor is nervous and has fired one up.

Bane is a bit more high maintenance. He’s a shredder and plunderer, and I have a hard time preventing him from doing either.

We have several pieces of wicker furniture that used to look really nice, but now appear to have gone through a wood chipper. Bane rips them to shit with his claws, even though I ask him nicely to stop.

Speaking of wood, we have a tree branch couch on the back porch that Bane has partly destroyed with his claws. The legs look like someone has taken a pocket knife and begun the process of whittling.

In fact, that could very well be what’s happening.

Bane has recently become quite adept at opening cabinets and drawers, and he’s particularly fond of the drawer where we keep our knives.

That’s troubling.

While it could help explain the whittling activity on the couch, I’m convinced when the animals rise up and rule the world, knife-wielding cats will lead the way.

I think Bane loves me and he’s very affectionate, but his first loyalty lies with the revolution.

And he vomits … all cats enjoy barfing.

Steve, on the other hand – even though I love him dearly – drives me out of my freakin’ mind.

He’s four pounds of bulbous-eyed fury.

All Chihuahuas are “yappy,” but I know of none who unleash shrill, blood-curdling barks with the volume and frequency of Steve.

If he sees someone walk in front of the house, he lets loose a “dog scream” and charges the window – hair on his back raised and snarling like a hound of hell.

When I look at him sternly and say, “Bad dog!” he hunkers down and mutters under his breath.

One time he told me to kiss his ass and shot me the bird.

Worse, he has a tendency to attack the other animals.

It’s not much of an issue with Bane; they’re BFFs, and it’s fairly obvious they’re play-fighting.

But he menaces Thor by charging at him – causing the poor cat to retreat to a closet (and light up). Thor swatted him once so Steve has learned not to physically assault him anymore, but he still takes advantage of the kitty’s nervous nature.

And poor Charlie … this was a dog who I never heard growl until Steve came along. Now he has no choice because Steve – unprompted – will sometimes leap from the couch and bite Chuck’s butt region.

Charlie has so much hair it doesn’t hurt, but I would assume there’s a certain amount of indignity in having a small dog trying to chew his way to your arse.

I’d growl, too, if it happened to me.

Steve is also a chewer. He’s already destroyed many of his toys, and if you leave him unattended for just a few minutes you’ll find a stuffed duck unceremoniously unstuffed.

Otherwise, he jumps and runs and snorts, and just when you think he’s finally wound down, he jumps and runs and snorts some more.

Fortunately when the weekend comes Mary is home, and the critters are usually on their best behavior then. They tend to glom on to mama, which affords me a respite from cat litter snacking, knives, second hand smoke and small dog insults.

Yet the moment she walks out the door on Monday morning, the circus begins anew.

So yes, wrangling a houseful of animals can be quite a job.

But you know what?

It’s still the best job I ever had.