How did the inaugural first week of action go for the young Alliance of American Football?
It’s one week after the Super Bowl or, as most fans know it, the beginning of the long drought known as the offseason.
This year instead of the drought fans have become accustomed to, we were introduced to the Alliance of American Football. A new pro football league has sprung up with the mission of being a developmental league for the NFL.
For those that are unfamiliar the AAF, it was founded by Bill Polian and Charlie Ebersol and is backed by former players like Troy Polamalu, Justin Tuck, and Hines Ward. The AAF’s current eight teams are the Arizona Hotshots, Atlanta Legends, Birmingham Iron, Memphis Express, Orlando Apollos, Salt Lake Stallions, San Antonio Commanders, and the San Diego Fleet.
These teams have been split up into an Eastern and Western conference, and the first season is going to span ten weeks, with 40 total games, and a four-team playoff held afterward. The teams are comprised of former NFL players like Trent Richardson, Christian Hackenberg, Bishop Sankey, Zach Mettenberger, and Aaron Murray, while also touting notable coaches like Stever Spurrier and Mike Singletary.
The AAF has done an excellent job bringing in talented players and talented coaches to put a quality product together for audiences. With the first weekend behind us, let’s take a look at how each team stacks up heading into Week 2 of the season.