The Unofficial All American Football League Team Florida Blog

Where we stand....

2009-03-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

March 13th, 2008- It has been almost one year since the AAFL officially announced that day that the 2008 season would be postponed. However, we were told that the 2009 season would still be protected. Unfortunately, it now appears that the league has decided to start from scratch and select new host cities for the 2010 season. The financial situation is still unclear as the economy has completely collapsed in the past year. Last spring, we were told that the league would not be able to sustain itself with the all of its investments of $300 billion tied directly to the student loan industry.

Nevertheless, there is some good news to look forward to. After cancelling the 2008 season, the AAFL, ironically, was able to agree in priniciple with NFL Network to broadcast their games. TV revenue is the lifeblood of any franchise and it's funny to think how the NFL would basically be the main operator of the AAFL. A radio agreement with Sirius satellite radio had also been reached along with an agreement with New Balance.

So, I would like your suggestions on some suitable host locations for new teams. My proposal is to primarily have a southern football league in order to cut down on travel costs. Southeastern football has always been the biggest draw in NCAA football and I think it could work for the AAFL instead of having a Michigan team. So here are my ideas (* indicates new team, ^ indicates primary home):

Team Alabama- playing in Birmingham, ^Tuscaloosa

*Team Auburn- ^Auburn, Birmingham

Team Arkansas- Little Rock, ^Fayatteville

*Team Carolina- ^Charleston, Charlotte, Raleigh, Columbia

Team Florida- Jacksonville, Orlando, and ^Gainesville

Team Florida Gulf- ^Tallahassee, Tampa, Pensacola

*Team Georgia- Atlanta, ^Athens, Valdosta

*Team Louisiana- New Orleans, Shreveport, ^Baton Rouge

*Team Mississippi- ^Oxford, Starkville, Jackson

Team Tennessee- Nashville, ^Knoxville, Memphis

Team Texas- Dallas, Houston, ^San Antonio

Projected Lineup

2008-02-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

OFFENSE

QB Chris Leak

RB Travis Glasford
WR Peter Warrick
WR Kevin Beard
WR Travis McGriff
WR Tavaris Capers
WR Chris Doering
TE C.J. Leak
OT Todd Williams
OT John Wilson
OG Steve Rissler
OG Tony Tella
C Zac Zedalis

DEFENSE
DE Elton Patterson
NT Buck Gurley
DE Charles Howard
OLB Bam Hardmon
MLB Greg Favors
MLB Keyonvis Bouie
OLB William Beckford
CB Mike Rumph
CB Pete Hunter
FS Willie Offord
SS Jarrell Weaver

SPECIAL TEAMS
K Judd Davis
P Matt Leach

LEAGUE TRANSACTIONS

2008-02-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

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February 29th- Team Florida took some big hits these past few weeks as draftees WR Ryan Moore, CB Tay Cody, and DT Thomas Smith were all picked up by teams in the CFL. Team Tennessee took the biggest hit as QB Tee Martin decided to retire (Good luck finding a QB guys). WR Freddie Milons also decided to call it quits as well. Team Florida did acquire LB Greg Favors, a long time NFL vet. http://www.allamericanfootballleague.com/transactions.php

Supplemental Draft

2008-02-29T07:56:00.000-08:00

February 16th- The AAFL conducted a supplemental draft today. The supplemental draft was created to select players who have been recently cut by NFL teams. Team Florida selected ten players. Notable names included former FSU stars Tay Cody & Todd Williams, Miami star Mike Rumph, and even Chris Leak's brother CJ! The rest of the names include: Sacha Lancaster (Arkansas), William Beckford (Rutgers), Keyonvis Bouie (FIU), Willie Offord (South Carolina), Justin Rascati (James Madison), Jason Hunt (Cincinnati), and Brian Ross (FSU). For a list of complete results, visit: http://www.allamericanfootballleague.com/2008_Supplemental_Draft.pdf

News and Notes from the Draft Party

2008-01-26T21:18:00.001-08:00

-Team Florida has announced that they will be using a 3-4 defensive scheme

-It was wierd seeing Peter Warrick holding an orange and blue jersey, but he seems comfortable in his new surroundings

-There were alot of no name players selected before former famous college greats that we all remember. Yet, this only goes to show how great talent from small schools can be overlooked by the NFL and scouts. Also, remember, alot of these guys have not played football in a long time. How much time since then have they put into training?

-There already seems to be a rivalry developing between Team Florida and Team Tennessee.

-Kresser and all of the players that were protected by Team Florida met with fans before and after the draft

-The New Helmets were revealed and they look great! All of the teams feature a logo of their state with colors that are familiar in their area. Team Florida's helmets are basically like the old Gator F helmet with the following exceptions: the helmet is blue instead of white and a logo of the state of Florida is featured behind the orange F.

-Fan attendence was extremely high; the building was packed.

2008 INAUGURAL AAFL DRAFT

2008-01-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

Today, I went to a Team Florida draft party in Gainesville. Here are the players that were selected by Coach Matthews in the draft:

QB Eric Kresser (Marshall)
DE Thomas Smith (Pitt)
OT John Wilson (Penn State)
DB Pete Hunter (Virginia Union)
RB James Lemon (Stanford)
QB Chris Leak (UF)
WR Peter Warrick (FSU)
WR Willie Jackson (UF)
LB Craig Kobel (USF)
WR Travis McGriff (UF)
WR Tavaris Capers (UCF)
WR Ryan Moore (UM)
WR Chris Doering (UF)
RB Elijah Williams (UF)
DB Fred Weary (UF)
DT Tyronn Johnson (Florida A&M)
WR Kevin Beard (UM)
DE Elton Patterson (UCF)
LB Maurice Jones (USF)
DB Leroy Smith (FSU)
TE OJ Small (UF)
DT Buck Gurley (UF)
DE Willie Cohens (UF)
LB Bam Hardmon (UF)
LB Brian Crum (UF)
FS Kyler Hall (FSU)
DB Keith Williams (Florida A&M)
DB Cory Bailey (UF)
S Jerrell Terry (FAU)
DE Alton Wright (UM)
DE Charles Howard (FSU)
G Zac Zedalis (UF)
T Tony Tella (UM)
T Bradley Kunz (UM)
TE Victor Jones (Edward Waters)
TE Cory McKinney (FIU)
G Steve Rissler (UF)
C Anthony Wollschlager (UM)
T Freddie Moore (Florida A&M)
LB Travis Harris (UF)
LB Carl Walker (UM)
DB Johnny Lamar (UF)
S Jarrell Weaver (UM)
K Judd Davis (UF)
P Matt Leach (UF)
CB Chris Hawkins (Marshall)
C Jon Schall (Pitt)
LB Mario Reese (Minnesota)
RB Travis Glaford (Western Illinois)
RB Norval McKenzie (Vandy)

Playoffs? Playoffs?!! Are you kidding me? Actual Season NOT HAPPENING?!

2007-12-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

With only seven months left until the AAFL's inaugural season, much preparation still needs to be done. Yet, it appears that from several of my sources, the AAFL may have to postpone its se It's unknown what problems the league may be encountering but here are a few possibilities:

Communication problems- Apparently, not even the individual team franchises are aware of the league's activities
The $1 Million question- The AAFL has paid universities up to $1 million per game to use their stadiums. How in the world does the AAFL expect to cover a $1 million expense from every game?! Advertisements, ticket sales, and TV deals are simply not enough.
Not enough season ticket commitments-The tickets have been slightly overpriced for such a risky investment. I was told by an AAFL spokesperson that the league expects to sell out every game! This is simply not possible.
TV?-The AAFL hopes to broadcast its games on television. The question is whether the games will be shown on an AAFL network or another station. The league hopes that by putting the games on their own network, this will take away TV timeouts. The truth is that sports networks tend to be very pricey, which tends scares off alot of cable companies (i.e. NFL network trying to get on Comcast's regular TV package). The AAFL does not have enough money or power to fund such an expensive network. Yet, they do not have many options in terms of signing with another network. The NFL will not allow NBC, ESPN, CBS, and FOX to sign an agreement with another professional football league. The options are limited. There is the Versus Network which has shown some MWC and PAC-10 college football games along with the NHL. TBS and TNT do not carry the NFL and College Football anymore. However, TNT broadcasts the NBA playoffs in the midst of the AAFL's projected season. Local networks such as SUN sports would be a good alternative. At any rate, the league needs to find a credible TV source who can provide enough funds to cover these $1 million per game costs.
TV and tickets- Of course, the Networks are going to be skeptical about broadcasting a game in a 90,000-100,000 stadium in which only 3,000 fans show up. The league needs to lower ticket costs and provide free tickets to college students. A committed fanbase needs to be established.
3 year investment- This is the AAFL's surname. If the league opens its season as planned in April, the AAFL will be running in the red for the next 3 years at least. At the end of the 2010 season, the league will need to reevaluate itself to see if they are A) establishing a consistent ROE, B) bringing in new fans, and C) providing a long term forecast. If the league can accomplish these three points, they should be able succeed. However, for now, the league remains an extremely risky investment.

Last Month's Poll

What former Florida Gator should Team Florida seek?

G Zach Piller
0 (0%)

WR Jacquez Green
7 (77%)

DT Reggie McGrew
0 (0%)

P Eric Wilbur
1 (11%)

LB Mike Nattiel
1 (11%)

It wouldn't be a suprise for Team Florida to pursue Quezzie. Jacquez Green went back to school to complete his degree just a few years ago. He still has the talent and speed to excel for Team Florida.

Team Florida Notes

2007-10-24T00:22:00.001-07:00

This section of Team Florida notes points out some of the players that have been showing up at the workouts.

C Zac Zedalis (1996-2001) UF
-Tough player whose career was sidelined for two straight years. The first injury was a torn knee ligament, but the second injury turned out to be a rare bone illness that ended his career. Yet, despite the injuries, Zedalis is an excellent center and he has been trying to rebound his playing career with Team Florida

S Zephrin Augustine (2002-2004) UF
-Regarded as more as a special teams ace rather than a safety. Augustine was known for his quickness and ability to deliver big hits while being on the kickoff team. Definitely a game changer on kickoffs.

DB Cory Bailey (2000-2004) UF
-Known for playing multiple roles in the secondary. Bailey can play either the nickel slot or strong safety. As a starter at strong safety during the 04' season, Bailey established himself as a tackling machine.

CB Johnny Lamar (2001-2003) UF
-Started out on special teams, but quickly moved into the cornerback spot. Lamar was named a starter at the beginning of the 03' campaign in which he was 4th on defense in number of tackles.

Fantasy Depth Chart

2007-10-23T23:07:00.001-07:00

FOUNDATION OF TEAM FLORIDA

With Team Florida currently being assembled, I have constructed my own roster of what the team could (or should) resemble. By rule, each team is allowed to have only 60 players with 20 of those players coming from that team's respective state. Here, I am using only Florida players to create the roster of 60. Starters in Bold. Players that have already been signed are in italics.

OFFENSE

QB Chris Leak (UF)
QB Brock Berlin (UM)
QB Wyatt Sexton (FSU)

HB Ran Carthon (UF)
HB James Jackson (UM)
HB Jarret Payton (UM)

FB Billy Latsko (UF)
FB William McCray (FSU)

WR Peter Warrick (FSU)
WR Jacquez Green (UF)
WR Reidel Anthony (UF)
WR Doug Gabriel (UCF)
WR Ryan Moore (UM)
WR Travis McGriff (UF)
WR Chris Doering (UF)
WR Willie Jackson (UF)

TE Erron Kinney (UF)
TE Pooh Bear Williams (FSU)
TE Kirk Wells (UF)

LT Kenyatta Walker (UF)
LT Mo Mitchell (UF)
RT Jason Odom (UF)
RT Joaquin Gonzalez (UM)
T Randy Hand

LG Mo Collins (UF)
LG Tony Tella (UM)
RG Zach Pillar (UF)
RG Ryan Yarborough (UF)
G Steve Rissler

C Jeff Mitchell (UF)
C Zac Zedalis (UF)

DEFENSE

LDE Jamal Reynolds (FSU)
LDE Willie Cohens (UF)
RDE Andre Wadsworth (FSU)
RDE Tim Beauchamp (UF)

DT Reggie McGrew (UF)
DT Ed Chester (UF)
DT Andrew Williams (UM)
DT Larry Smith (FSU)

LOLB Mike Nattiel (UF)
LOLB Jeremy Mincey (UF)
ROLB Earl Everett (UF)
ROLB Todd McCullough (UF)

MLB James Bates (UF)
MLB Ben Hanks (UF)
MLB Matt Farrior (UF)

CB Tay Cody (FSU)
CB Fred Weary (UF)
CB Mario Edwards (FSU)
CB Stanford Samuels (FSU)
CB Elijah Williams (UF)
CB Vernell Brown (UF)

FS Lawrence Wright (UF)
FS Kyler Hall (FSU)

SS Tony George (UF)
SS Al Blades (UM)
S Cory Bailey

SPECIAL TEAMS

K Judd Davis

P Eric Wilbur

PR Jacquez Green (UF)
PR Bo Carroll (UF)
KR Bo Carroll (UF)
KR Jacquez Green (UF)

KOS Eric Wilbur

LS Zac Zedalis

So there you have it. Note that even though the WR core may look overcrowded, there is no guarantee that all of those players will be signing with the team. This is just a "Dream Team" drawup.

A NEW GAME

2007-10-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

NEW LEAGUE RULES

In this edition of the Team Florida blog, I have made a list of rules that the AAFL should install to improve its game and create a unique style of football. Here are some suggestions for gameplay.

The league should use college football rules as a base from which to work on
A running clock should be installed. By keeping the clock continuously running throughout the game, the league can cut down on unnecessary pauses such as tv timeouts. A faster game will help offset alot of the inexperience that the players will endure. The clock should stop only on these instances:

After any point is scored
At the end of the quarter
Timeouts (only 2 can be used per half)
During an injury (injury timeout)

3. No team mascots. Since each team is hodgepodge of its state's former college football stars, it really wouldn't make much sense to create a whole new mascot. Team Florida has the same colors of the Florida Gators and is also destined to be a team full of former UF stars. *(On a side note, Tallahassee will eventually have a team of mostly former Seminoles to rival Team Florida)

4. Players should only be signed to 1 year deals. $100,000 will be given to players who have played the majority of the season as starters, while $50,000, the base salary, will be given to the rest. Teams can not exceed these amounts. Payment will be per game, (the $50,000 starter incentive will be given at the end of the season)

5. Players can be signed, released, or traded at any time. No drafts.

6. Spring games (i.e. Orange & Blue game) will occur in late February

7. Students can attend the games simply by showing up with their university ID.

8. The AAFL should really try to market itself on campuses to appeal to students

Thats all I have for now.

Inaugural Edition: Suggested additions for Team Florida

2007-10-07T11:06:00.001-07:00

Hi there, thank you for visiting my blog. Excitement has been building up quickly for the new All American Football League. Recently, a press conference was held in Gainesville, Florida to introduce the new Team Florida. Former UF quarterback Shane Matthews was announced as the head coach. Coach Matthews announced his team's new signings of other former Gator players. Here are my suggestions for Team Florida players from the state of Florida. Feel free to add your own suggestions.

University of Florida: Top 5: G Zach Piller, WR Jacquez Green, DT Reggie McGrew, P Eric Wilbur, and LB Mike Nattiel

OL Zac Zedalis, WR Jermalle Cornelius, LB Brian Crum, WR Reidel Anthony, WR Jacquez Green, WR Alex Willis, WR Nafis Karim, WR OJ Small, KR/RB Bo Carroll, FB Billy Latsko, P Alan Rhyne, K Jeff Chandler, S Lawrence Wright, S Shea Showers, DE Derrick Chambers, DE Keith Kelsey, S Guss Scott, S Takeo Brown, C Thomas Moody, C Ryan Yarborough, CB Tremaine McCollum, CB Jermaine McCollum, K Matt Leach, K Bart Edmiston, WR Jack Jackson, QB Terry Dean, LB Mike Nattiel, QB Eric Kresser, TE Kirk Wells, P Eric Wilbur, WR Carlos Perez, G Zach Piller, QB Jesse Palmer, DT Clint Mitchell, DT Reggie McGrew, DT Tron LaFavor, S Jarvis Herring, LB Todd McCollough, RB Wille Green, RB Robert Gillespie, DT Buck Gurley, QB Gavin Dickey, DE Willie Cohens, LB Matt Farrior, OL Jonathan Colon

University of Miami: Top 5: QB Brock Berlin, QB Gino Torretta, S Al Blades, OL Tony Tella and WR Ryan Moore

QB Brock Berlin, RB James Jackson, QB Scott Covington, QB Kareem Kelly, WR Andre King, OL Joaquin Gonzalez, WR Kevin Beard, DE Andrew Williams, DE Matt Walters, K Todd Sievers, P Freddie Capshaw, S Al Blades, RB Jarrett Payton, CB Alphonso Marshall, FB Kyle Cobia, OL Tony Tella, WR Ryan Moore, QB Gino Torretta

Florida State University: Top 5: WR Peter Warrick, QB Danny Kannel, DE Jamal Reynolds, DE Andre Wadsworth, and CB Mario Edwards

WR Snoop Minnis, DE Jamal Reynolds, WR Ron Dugans, WR E.G. Green, CB Stanford Samuels, QB Thad Busby, QB Danny Kannel, OL Charron Dorsey, CB Mario Edwards, DE Tony Bryant, QB Chris Rix, QB Dan Kendra, DT Larry Smith, DE Andre Wadsworth, TE Pooh Bear Williams, WR Peter Warrick, LB Reinard Wilson, RB Davy Ford, WR Talman Gardner, QB Chris Weinke, K Xavier Betia, QB Wyatt Sexton

University of Central Florida: WR Doug Gabriel, K Javier Beorlegui, QB Ryan Schneider, DE Paul Carrington, WR Jimmy Fryzel

University of South Florida: K Santiago Gramatica, OL Chris Carothers, QB Marquel Blackwell, DL Lee Roy Selmon Jr., QB Pat Julmiste, WR Huey Whittaker, S J.R. Reed, RB Andre Hall

Florida Atlantic University:

Florida International University: LB Antwan Barnes, S Nick Turnbill

Florida A&M: QB Casey Printers