The Official 2020 NFL Season Discussion Thread

So much hatred distilled into a couple of seconds of video. I doubt they'll fire Goodell in a long while. He's the perfect scapegoat for the owners. Him being so good at taking the heat away is exactly what makes him so despicable, though.

Last year's Super Bowl really spoiled us. I'm all for defensive showdowns, but this was a terribly dull affair that you knew the Patriots were eventually going to win. Hell, the best highlight play the Rams mustered up was a freaking punt. If Gronk hadn't pulled off a miracle catch, the game would have probably ended 6-3.

I saw that! I was hoping Hekker would break the most punt yardage record in the Super Bowl. He ended up thirteen yards short with 417 yards on nine punts. Kyle Richardson had ten punts for 430 yards for the Ravens in Super Bowl 35 - a game that we won.

 

This is tangentially related to the National Football League, but I've taken a peak into the new Alliance of American Football, and it's actually a lot better than I expected it would be. Now granted, my expectations weren't exactly high to begin with - but it feels proper, the pace is very European-friendly due to ads only running between quarters, and it avoids feeling gimmicky with some of its different rules. Some teams have absolutely abysmal quarterback play (Memphis and Atlanta), but some are surprisingly decent. I think it has a good shot at sticking around as a developmental league to the NFL and I'm actually interested in how things will progress further.

Decided to start rooting for the Arizona Hotshots, but it looks like the league's darlings are probably going to end up being the Orlando Apollos. Last night, they ended up dismantling the Atlanta Legends 40-6.

 

I'm going to try my best to keep this simple, but I apologize in advance for failing to do so.

As a general introduction into the football Wild West that is the Alliance of American Football, there is one characteristic that jumps out at you - and it's probably one that you're asking about yourself - are the quarterbacks really any good? Surprisingly enough, yes. Don't get me wrong - you won't find a Drew Brees or a Joe Montana in this league, but some of these quarterbacks are putting on a pretty decent show. Where you can feel a sizable drop compared to the NFL, is with its wide receivers and running backs. Most drop balls. Terribly. We're talking Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills levels combined. For example: in the NFL, a wide receiver on average drops a catchable ball for every twentieth ball thrown; in the AAF, he drops every tenth - unless you're Arizona. God bless the Hotshots.

On the other hand, kickers and special teams on average are confidently on the same level as most NFL teams - maybe even better when compared with certain ones - but in some cases, they are unabashedly and unmistakably worse. I'm looking at you, Memphis and Orlando.

Now that we've put that behind us, let's try to break down the eight charter teams that make up the Alliance of American Football, shall we? While it's perhaps too early to get a resounding answer, the general consensus after Week 1 has solidified some teams at the top and others at the bottom. I'll sort them by their presumed place in the power rankings and list their NFL team affiliates. What does that mean? Well, anytime an NFL team cuts a player from training camp, the AAF team affiliated with that franchise has first dibs to pick him up.



#1 - Orlando Apollos
The Orlando Apollos, in addition to being named after the most Greek of the Olympic deities and the god of the sun, boast a powerhouse of an offense filled with creative trick plays - perfectly balanced to please even Thanos himself. Their defense is opportunistic and seriously underrated, but their special teams leave a lot to be desired. They sit comfortably at the top of the rankings after dismantling the Atlanta team 40-6 in the opening week - a dominating performance that included a pick six. Garrett Gilbert of the Carolina Panthers is their quarterback, boasting a passer rating of 116.58 - the second best in the league. Led by Steve Spurrier as their head coach, most people have them as the favorites to win the Championship in the Alliance's inaugural season.

Affiliated Teams: Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.



#2 - Arizona Hotshots
Named after the elite wildland firefighters of Arizona, the Hotshots are an extremely talented roster built by Phil Savage and led by their quarterback, John Wolford. Wolford is thus far the league's star quarterback after putting on a fearsome performance against the Salt Lake Stallions: 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 275 yards and a passer rating of 132.9. By Alliance standards, Arizona's receiving corps are notably elite, coached by Jennifer King - also of Carolina Panthers fame - with the main player to look out for being Rashad Ross. Their defense is serviceable and can make big plays, but it's not as good as San Antonio's or Birmingham's. Overall, they feel like a complete team and have the best shot at winning the West conference.

Affiliated Teams: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers.



#3 - Birmingham Iron
The Iron Curtain. The Birmingham Iron is the elite defensive team of the AAF and the only team that managed to shut out its opponent in Week 1. I expect their quarterback, Luis Perez, to overtake Wolford eventually and claim the season's MVP title - he's in my opinion the one with the biggest ceiling. Right now, Perez sits at a comfortable third place in the quarterback rankings, boasting a passer rating above a hundred. Ultimately, his path to fame is largely going to depend on the development of his receivers as Birmingham struggles with contested catches, as well as wide-open drops. In a way, they are the reverse Hotshots and reminiscent of the Steelers teams of old.

Affiliated Teams: New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers.



#4 - San Antonio Commanders
I like this team. I really do. They're the defensive juggernauts of the West, a hard hitting defense and a surgical, but one-dimensional offense. Their secondary is Baltimore Ravens levels of bold. In their first game against the San Diego Fleet, they kept racking up sacks and interceptions left-and-right. Between them and the Iron, I'm honestly not sure which team has the better defense yet, but regrettably - the Commanders struggle in the redzone as their quarterback, Logan Woodside, threw for zero touchdowns and two interceptions despite being second in the league in passing yards. I guess you could compare them to a Buccaneers offense that didn't neglect its defense. If they don't fix their quarterback play, they will struggle.

Affiliated Teams: Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles.



#5 - Salt Lake Stallions
I almost rooted for this team due to the amount of ex-Ravens players it has - and now they're my team's primary rivals. The Stallions are a decent team that's well-rounded with an offensive edge, but outside of an elite offensive line, they're not exactly frontrunners. Quarterback Matt Linehan (son of Scott Linehan) displayed good pocket presence and made some clutch throws. I was surprised by the amount of outside zone Salt Lake was running with how little time the team's been together. Big fan of their run offense and if they keep developing it, they could very much become the premier rushing team of the AAF. Their success this season, however, will intrinsically be tied to Linehan's progression as the team's leader following Josh Woodrum's hamstring injury.

Affiliated Teams: Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks.



#6 - San Diego Fleet
The best memes come from the Fleet. Boasting the biggest fanbase among the Alliance teams, the San Diego Fleet is comprised out of a majority of disgruntled Chargers fans following Spanos' wise decision to move to Los Angeles and leave its loyal fans behind (#SpanosDidNothingWrong). Despite a loss to one of the best defensive teams of the AAF, the lethargic offense of the San Diego Fleet, coupled with a shoddy offensive line remains its biggest shortcoming. There are flashes of brilliance on defense - players like edge rusher Damontre Moore and linebacker A.J. Tarpley - but the quarterback position remains one big question mark.

Affiliated Teams: Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Oakland Raiders



#7 - Atlanta Legends
Being beaten by Orlando in an easily attained 34 point lead doesn't exactly inspire a whole lot of confidence. The defense doesn't seem to work. The offense is barely capable of driving the ball down the field. Special teams are fine, though. Despite all the initial doom and gloom, I think the Legends could bounce back as the season unfolds. Why, you ask? Well, they lost their offensive coordinator the week prior to the game. They replaced their coach a month before the league started. Organization wise - they're a mess, but they got potential for growth in terms of talent - the primary reason why they're not in last place.

Affiliated Teams: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Redskins


#8 - Memphis Express
Yikes.

Affiliated Teams: Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans

The big games to watch out for next week are going to be the Orlando Apollos @ San Antonio Commanders on Sunday Night - that dominating offense versus that suffocating defense - and the Arizona Hotshots @ Memphis Express on Saturday Night, if you're really into masochistic blowouts.

 

Now, see - this is the perfect reason why you should join me on the Arizona Hotshots bandwagon. It's the unholy union of Ravens and Bears (plus its college affiliate is Oregon State). Though you'd think we'd have a better defense, all things considering.