chongli

Who was in the WFL for three years?

We blew a 14-0 lead at Baltimore (the Colts), which made it even worse. Another point: under today's rules, Buffalo would have had a better chance getting to the SB that year, IMO. The three division winners (San Diego, Cleveland, Buffalo) all finished 11-5. Because of tie-breakers, Buffalo was ranked third, even though they beat the Chargers (on the road) in the regular season. San Diego was ranked one and Cleveland two. Buffalo had to go to San Diego again in the divisional since Oakland, a wild card, also at 11-5, could not play a team in the same division in the divisional round, per league rules at that time. Instead, number four Oakland had to travel to number two Cleveland, leaving number three Buffalo having to go to number one San Diego. Oakland went on to beat both Cleveland and San Diego on the road and head to the SB. Under today's rules, Oakland would have gone to San Diego, despite being in the same division, and Buffalo to Cleveland. If Buffalo had won, they would hosted Oakland in the AFC Championship game. I think Buffalo would have beaten Oakland and headed to the SB.

Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports just posted an article where he agrees with you: https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/under-the-radar-players-who-could-be-2021-stars-for-each-afc-team-marquise-brown-among-potential-breakouts/ Under-the-radar players who could be 2021 stars for each AFC team: Marquise Brown among potential breakouts Don't sleep on these AFC players heading into the 2021 season Bills: A.J. Epenesa, DE "A.J. Epenesa was arguably a first-round talent coming out of Iowa in 2020, but Buffalo was able to scoop him up in the second round. He appeared in 14 contests for the Bills during his rookie season, but played sparingly (27% of the defensive snaps). When given more of an opportunity in the later part of the season, however, Epenesa didn't disappoint. His lone start of the season came in Week 17, when he totaled a season-high three tackles for a loss along with a quarterback hit. The rookie also was a noticeable presence during the AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs. As he heads into his second season, coach Sean McDermott will likely give Epenesa even more opportunity to grow within this defense. As Buffalo looks to contend in the AFC in 2021, Epenesa could prove to be a key piece along that unit to compliment Josh Allen on the other side of the ball. "

Tennessee just went from +4000 to +2500 to win the SB, tied for the ninth choice on the board with the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks. https://www.thelines.com/julio-jones-trade-titans-super-bowl-odds-2021/ "In AFC South futures, the Colts were -106 favorites before the trade with the Titans a +130 second choice. Tennessee is now a co-favorite at DK with Indianapolis to win the division at +110, each having an implied probability of 47.6%. So with Julio Jones going to the Titans, oddsmakers essentially see the AFC South as a coinflip. The best available price across legal sportsbooks on the Titans to win the division is that +120 price. Meanwhile, the Falcons saw a shift in price for their win total for 2021. Before the trade, DraftKings Sportsbook had Atlanta projected for 7.5 wins with the over juiced to -137 and under at +113. The Falcons are still at 7.5 wins post-trade but with an over now at +100. Odds to win the NFC South now sit at +900, third choice behind the heavily favored Buccaneers and Saints."

Good find! Here's a short excerpt from that article: https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/06/04/does-the-new-usfl-have-the-legal-right-to-call-itself-the-usfl/ Does the new USFL have the legal right to call itself the USFL? “I was surprised when I heard about it this morning,” Steve Ehrhart, former USFL executive director, told Domowitch. “I want to dig into it and see who they’re claiming they acquired these rights [to the name] from. Because it didn’t come from any legitimate source. “My guess is there’s some knucklehead out there who claimed he had registered the name and had the rights to it. We’re not being antagonistic. But if they want to do this, they should do it the right way and talk to the actual people, not some guy who sent in an Internet registration or something like that.” Erhart contends that the USFL still exists, and that league officials still get monthly royalty checks. Brian Woods has resurrected the USFL, with FOX as the broadcaster and equity partner. “We were only around three seasons, but the USFL was a classy, well-respected name,” Erhart said. “We always said that we didn’t want to just jump in there and sell it to somebody who was going to be underfunded and blow up and give a halfway kind of effort. So we never did give or sell or authorize the rights to anybody.” [end] I'm surprised league officials still get monthly royalty checks after all these years. They still have money to give out?

Haha, good question. According to his linkedin page, he is no longer with the XFL and is now the managing partner at Beautiful Game Group, LLC: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougwhaley "Beautiful Game Group LLC 1 year 2 months Managing Partner May 2020 - Present 1 year 2 months COO and Managing Partner May 2020 - May 2020 1 month Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States Beautiful Game Group LLC is a modern private equity company, that intends to invest in a network of professional sports teams across a variety of global growth sports. We intend to invest in soccer, basketball, eSports, cycling and rugby teams, employing extensive industry knowledge and research, to seek to achieve sustained sporting success and enhancing brand value, with social responsibility at our core."

And a little less fumbles!

The USFL was actually good to Buffalo in that regard. Jim Kelly, Doug Flutie, Kent Hull, Scott Norwood, Ray Bentley, Dwight Drane, and others all played there first. Bill Polian, Marv Levy, and John Butler also were there before Buffalo. https://www.espn.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/4953/remembering-how-useful-the-usfl-was-to-buffalo "Bills fans despised the USFL for harboring Kelly and luring away star running back Joe Cribbs, yet no other team benefited more from the USFL than the Bills did. The man who built their Super Bowl teams (Bill Polian), his eventual replacement (John Butler) and the man who coached them (Marv Levy) all came from the Chicago Blitz. Three-time Pro Bowl center Kent Hull was undrafted out of college, but proved himself with the New Jersey Generals. [...] Polian wouldn't have gotten his break when he did. Somebody else would've needed to make selections such as Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and Shane Conlan. Without the USFL, enough variables would have altered Bills history that they wouldn't have gone to four consecutive Super Bowls. And it's safe to say one other memorable event wouldn't have occurred. Birmingham Stallions kicker Scott Norwood probably wouldn't have made it to the NFL either."

I actually had fun as a kid in the 80's following the USFL. Not happy that Joe Cribbs left Buffalo for them and Jim Kelly went there instead of to Buffalo, but I was glad for their success. My Social Studies teacher at the time flipped a lid when Steve Young signed a $40 million contract the LA Express, the highest at that time. But can you blame him for not going to the Bengals, lol? https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/flashback-steve-youngs-43-year-40-million-usfl-contract/ "The billionaire owner of the USFL's LA Express, J. William Oldenberg, lured Young to the new league by basically offering him a four-year, $40 million contract that would be payable over 43 years. Young's other choice was to go No. 1 overall in the 1984 NFL Draft to the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Bengals were only offering him $3.5 million, according to a Sports Illustrated article from March 1984. The $3.5 million wasn't even guaranteed -- Young would get a $1 million signing bonus and a five-year nonguaranteed contract at $500,000 per year."

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/31559189/usfl-relaunching-spring-2022-least-eight-teams "The USFL's return could result in two pro leagues playing football in the spring. The XFL has been targeting a 2022 resumption of play after owners Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson and RedBird Capital Partners purchased the league out of bankruptcy in 2020. Planning for the XFL's 2022 season has been on pause since March, when it entered into negotiations regarding a collaboration with the Canadian Football League." Ought to be quite an interesting spring.

Nate Peterman will probably start, along with Tim Tebow as tight end!

Uh oh!! The NFL had better be scared! 😅 https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/usfl-set-to-return-in-spring-2022-after-being-shut-down-in-mid-1980s-original-team-names-will-remain/ "USFL set to return in spring 2022 after being shut down in mid-1980s, original team names will remain The league folded back in 1986 after a three-year run" Excerpt: "The United States Football League was the most popular spring league in football, emerging as a viable competitor to the NFL in the early to mid-1980s. Nearly 40 years later, the USFL is planning to make a major comeback. The USFL announced its re-emergence Thursday with a return in the spring of 2022. The league plans a minimum of eight teams for its first season and will retain rights to key original team names -- like the New Jersey Generals, Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars. Memphis Showboats and Los Angeles Express. [...] More information on the USFL, including cities, teams, head coaches, and game schedules, will be announced at a later date. Fox Sports will serve as the broadcast partner for the league. "

I lile your enthusiasm, but KC has beaten us the last two times, including us at home last season. They have represented the AFC in the last two Super Bowls. Until we prove we can beat them, they are the team to beat in the AFC. Period.

When McD actually arrived in Buffalo and signed his contract. They literally rolled out the red carpet for him. I just had this weird feeling.

"How an NFL star and an Austin pit master brought their Tex-Mex barbecue to Miami Lakes" https://www.miamiherald.com/miami-com/restaurants/article251679683.html Excerpt: "Rodriguez’s ‘cue enticed McKenzie, an American Heritage football star whose cooking was mostly reserved to family cookouts and the football field: He smoked the Miami Dolphins for three touchdowns when his Buffalo Bills came to town in January. But McKenzie, 26, had been looking to open a food truck or restaurant in his hometown. In the football off season, the two worked the smoker together at pop-ups and watched their following grow. McKenzie tapped into his 73,000 Instagram followers and 20,000 tweeps, and soon he and Rodriguez had been invited to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, where guests got a preview of their barbecue."

And Cleveland! They didn't name it the "Mistake on the Lake" for nothing! And they have their own "Fumble" Wikpedia page too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fumble

No apologies needed, but Frank Lewis! He played 6 seasons with Buffalo from 1978-1983, including two 1,000-yard receiving seasons: 1979 (1,082 yards) and 1981 (1,244 yards). He and Jerry Butler were a remarkable tandem.

May have been mentioned, but the Andre Reed helmet slam for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during a crucial time?

Yep, the sad thing is Tennessee went on to go to the SB. That could have been Buffalo. ☹

Good post. It also happened in the early or mid-80's to a Bills KR. He thought it was a dead ball, but it wasn't. I was furious when if happened. A lot of plays from those mid-80's teams would qualify for this thread, lol Also, haven't read the entire thread, but has someone mentioned the Stevie Johnson dropped TD pass (because of God)?? 😁

This thread reminded me of an old thread on the former BBMB years ago which asked in a poll "Would you trade JP Losman for Tom Brady straight up?", and a lot of people said no, lol. My answer to this current poll is no. I haven't read the whole thread, but put simply: 1. Josh is younger, and cheaper for another year. 2. Josh has (a little) stronger arm. 3. Josh's ceiling is higher. 4. Josh is a better rusher. 5. Josh is bigger, and, presumably, less injury-prone (if he doesn't run too much). 6. Josh is more athletic. 7. As people have mentioned, Josh is a better fit for Buffalo. He reminds me of Jim Kelly with his attitude. He is loyal and loves Buffalo. 8. Josh has demonstrated growth, especially in accuracy and decision making, and commitment 9. Josh has already developed a good relationship with the team. Now if he could just protect the ball better! 😃

Record for longest post ever, lol? 😁 Thanks for making a well thought-out post, especially from a new poster. Your effort is much appreciated.