Atlanta Legends v. Orlando Apollos
The first game in AAF history was held in Orlando at the University of Central Florida. The Legends started by scoring the first points for the AAF with a field goal kicked by former Los Angels Chargers kicker Younghoe Koo.
After those initial points, all the momentum swung in the direction of the Apollos. Orlando was able to pull ahead to a 22-6 lead by halftime, with their last touchdown in the half coming from running the famous “Philly Special.” Each team lost a fumble throughout the night due to muffed punts by the return men. The Legends had a hard time keeping pace with the Apollos, part of this was due to the two interceptions that Matt Simms threw, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
Orlando was able to easily take home this win with a final score of 40-6. The difference in coaching between each team was evident as the night wore on. That is not entirely on the players of Atlanta though. The former coach of the Legends Brad Childress stepped down as the head coach of the team just a month before opening weekend. The defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle took over as the teams head coach after Childress’s sudden departure.
On top of that, just two days before Atlanta was scheduled to play against Orlando, former NFL quarterback Michael Vick who was the Legends offensive coordinator decided to step down. Why all of this happened has not been made clear, but it is painfully apparent that all of this turnover so close to the start of the season affected the Legends. Meanwhile, the Apollos led by Spurrier will be looking to rack up more points against their next opponent the San Antonio Commanders. San Antonio is also coming off their first win, it will be interesting to see who is able to continue their win streak after next week.