Hey, guys, welcome to the marcass read here. Well, here we
go, here we are. It is finally time to have an expansion episode.
Word gets thrown around a lot here in the alternative football landscape. I
think it's almost kind of become a crutch, you know, like we need
to write about the UFL. We need to talk about the UFL like twelve
teams, you know, expansion coming in twenty twenty five. But I do
think we're actually at a decent spot right now to kind of take a pause,
take a deep dive here and to see, like what do we think
relocation, expansion, anything else could look like in the UFL as we approach
the presumed twenty twenty five season. We have a lot of data here in
terms of TV ratings, attendance, we have trademark kind of updates happening the
Dallas Stallions, anyone. But we have some stuff to actually look at today.
So I think it's good to have a kind of a deep dive.
I'm into all this now, a little bit of speculation today, but it
should be fun. If you enjoy the work that we are doing, please
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today. If you want football talk, real grid, Iiron football Talk Andy
and I did that on Monday second half of the live stream. I made
sure the kind of we did a deep preview in all the matchups this weekend,
especially that last half because we were talking to tendance and all that.
So if you want the real football mondays on that. We're doing speculations and
a musings today on here. John Lewis of John Lewis Sports joining us.
John has a great YouTube channel. I figured he be down. I think
we spend almost an hour talking about hypothetical situations for the UFL in twenty twenty
five, and then CFL Talk with Dan Ralph of the Canadian Press Hall of
Fame reporter. Really appreciate Dan taking the time and John as well. With
Dan, we talk about de shun Lemon kind of his or is he retired,
is he suspended? What's going on with the gambling with the Alouettes and
all that. We talked Chack Kelly and the argos, whether are they going
to do without a quarterback moving forward? We also get Dan's thoughts on some
of the other CFL teams in the West. I plan on doing a lot
more kind of deep dive here is now. This has just been the last
couple of weeks have just been crazy. So I want to get you know,
the Dave Campbell's of the world and Tim Baines and you know, Steve
Milton and kind of all that stuff, to do some CFL team previews or
you know, kickoff. Here is what June sixth. It's in like four
weeks from today, I think, so we're certainly getting there. One note,
Chad Kelly did release his statement today after Dan and I recorded, he
is taking time away from the team during training camp. That's kind of what
was dictated the suspension and all of that, but Chad did put that out.
So if you want to read that. I know it's on I think
his Twitter and the argos and all that push that out, So please like
and subscribe. Ho if you enjoy fun episode today, leave your comments.
What do you think? What do you want to see with the UFL expansion
here coming up potentially in twenty twenty five and we'll see at the end.
Thanks. Well, here we are today, finally, this is the long
anticipated expansion episode we've been trying to hold on. This is such the like
sugar rush. Okay, you know what, we have nothing to talk about,
let's talk about expansion. But I think that this is a good spot
here. We have John Lewis here today. John Lewis sports great YouTube channel
as well and probably one of the only people that would do this. He
died with me. But we have the report of Friday night UFL games potentially
next spring. There's been some recent trademark activity I related maybe to the Birmingham
Stallions. So little things to talk about here, Andy and I kind of
previewed the games for the weekend on the Monday recaps. If you want more
football stuff, this is a little bit more evergreen speculation today, but talking
you know, expansion, relocation, kind of who's on the chopping block here,
John Lewis, How are you doing, sir? I'm doing good.
You know, we talked before the season about like, you know, what
what is your optimism level? And I got to be honest, like it
it's really higher now that we're getting closer to the postseason. So I think
all's going good. We have some problems, but but there's been a lot
of positivity too. I know it was I don't know what the deal was
on the Monday Show, everyone like you guys hate the Stallions. I'm like,
we just heat praised at the Stallions for forty five minutes. But you
know there is a question there, and that'll be one of the first cities
we tackle here because you know, the protective stadium lease is going to be
up. We've gone the three years there. We'll get into that first off.
Just pour one out here, Ori ip the XFL twenty twenty Vipers.
Sure I didn't see this because I'm like notified. If I don't know,
I get these some time ago. I set up email notifications. So the
original v the Tampa Bay Vipers, and the Cobra face there. I don't
think that relates to you. With you the Vegas Vipers. They don't want
to do anything like that because that was a different view. But John,
are you sad to see the rip twenty twenty Tampa Bay Vipers. Yeah,
it's such a legacy they left behind and then becoming the Las Vegas Vipers.
I don't know that anyone is going to really miss that. Yeah, the
twenty twenty Vipers with probably one of the worst color combinations that the XFL could
have thought of. But yeah, but maybe maybe good riddit to that one.
Yeah, it's interesting when you talk about like some of the attendances now
and you know, I'll include some of the XFL franchises in there, but
you know, you look back at like when the Guardians were drawn or what
the Vipers were drawing, even the Wildcats. I mean we like, you
know, it puts it all in context here kind of all that stuff.
So we have we had the report coming out the Friday night football games and
potentially here next year. I know Mike Mitchell's talked about, Okay, adding
teams. I'm at the point where going into if there is a twenty twenty
five season, you need to either one or both of moving a team or
adding teams just to have it feel like there's some sort of excitement and growth.
The USFL kind of tried to do that with the hub things going from
year one to two. Are you have similar ELK, Do you think we
can just roll eight out next year? Kind of where do you think,
just generally about expansion and relocation. I think you could roll eight out.
I think to your point, I think it is a better sign of success
if you and you're fiscally responsible about it, to roll out at least two
more teams just to show that there's some kind of growth. I mean,
and it's it's not just that you're passing along to your fan base or even
to the casual fans who we talk a lot about that. I think this
league really needs to continue to bring in. But I think it is something
that adds to the product on the field, and I don't think it waters
down anything. You know, there was a lot of talk about how consolidating
these two leagues together was going to make this extremely better play. I mean,
we've got you know how many one and six teams right now, so
it's not that that wasn't necessarily the case. So I don't think you're going
to water anything down by adding two more teams and you know, one hundred
more jobs out there, one hundred more players. Yeah, I mean the
quality football is good, and I know Mike's been talking a lot about that.
We talk in our group chat kind of over the weekends. It doesn't
feel like super teams though, it is weird, and I do kind of
worry about that. Like you said, you know, you could add the
too, Like I don't know, I mean, do you have to go
to Skip Holtz and say you gotta let go back Corral, like we gotta
have another quarterback here because you know, but you add these I don't know.
It doesn't feel like it's been super teams this year. I think the
quality of play has been the best we've seen since probably twenty twenty. Where
do you land on that? Yeah, no, I will say there with
with the Renegades, that is a one in sixteam that doesn't feel like a
one in sixteam if you watch them play the other you know one and six
is unfortunately you know for Memphis, they in Houston. Those are two teams
that just don't look good on the field. But yeah, I mean I
thought you know there was going to be for the season, I went on
a fool's errand and try to like to predict, you know who the final
records of these teams. You know, I still, you know, I
didn't think that Birmingham and Saint Louis We're going to be the two teams that
were right up there. But it did feel like this is a little bit
of bottom heavy league. Maybe it is, yeah, it is quite and
now especially kind of why I do in the episode today, like some of
this stuff is kind of locked away. We know the USFL staff. I
think the XFL will be pretty locked up here coming up. I know you
can still play for home field, right if Michigan wins out, and you
can kind of do that, But for the most part, I think that
they're going to have that all So in terms of you know, I think
you tend to be a little bit more optimistic when it comes to the USFL
stuff. Have you What have you made of kind of the attendance woes.
I think Arlington has kind of been a glarian spot as well on the XFL
side, But where do you land on that? And then we'll kind of
roll that into what we should do with these cities. You said something before
the Birmingham Saint Louis game that I completely agreed with. If you don't get
sixteen thousand people in their protective stadium and AJ mcchern's coming to town with the
Saint Louis BattleHawks, then there might be a problem. And it was only
fourteen thousand, So I think there are a lot of people in Birmingham that
are diehards who expected a lot more and they're kind of disappointed that the rest
of the community hasn't, you know, caught on. And that's too bad
because it's a very good team. They are fun to watch now. They're
obviously fun to watch on television because when you start to look at the market
rankings, you've got Birmingham up there, you have Saint Louis up there.
Interesting enough, Louisville, Kentucky where I am. Maybe I'm helping the ratings
somehow, but it's top ten. So these are all teams that are fund
Detroit's in there too. These are teams that are fun to watch. But
as far as attendance goes, you know, I do, I ride kind
of the fence on this because we understand that the financials are not necessarily based
on ticket sales, but Also, when you're putting on a TV product,
you know you can't you wouldn't go, you wouldn't watch a concert that there
was nobody in the stands, so you would think like, well, this
act is no good. So I think that there is a there's a dichotomy
there that we have to kind of come to grips with. And when I
start to see fourteen thousand for the biggest game of the year, that make
that take pause in that for sure. And I mean their TV radiance came
out, it was carried the weekend. You know, it was the highest
viewed one and it was on Fox. But you know, seven hundred and
fifty thousand, a lot of people were saying, hey, that's going to
be a million. You know, Saint Louis is a big market, and
it's it's no there's there's a weird especially with Birmingham. Saint Louis is in
that too, some of these markets, but there's this weird like the team
like you living there, like the city is part of It's kind of like
the CFL, right, where like the people in Canada that really take pride
in like we are Canadian, like this, it's like the Birmingham people.
It's no, it's no disrespect on the city of Birmingham or the team or
how standing they're playing. It's purely you know, the number of people I
didn't when you know, Seattle didn't show up. And I was the first
one to admit that when Seattle didn't show up for the twenty twenty Sea It's
like I didn't take personal injury that like, oh, they're criticizing the Seattle
Crowley. It is what it is, right, and especially now you know
you've been there three years. I think the Hub has warned people out there.
I think that they have other stuff to do. I think you've lost
the novelty of it, except for the diehards. I'll always be surprised how
the damage that that Hub did the first two seasons there, for the stallits
and just I think just saturated and just burning people out. I think anyone
that was going to go kind of went yep. I think you're right about
that, you know, And it doesn't even have to be a good team
or a bad team. I don't want to come. I'm very reluctant to
compare the UFL to like minor league baseball. But when a lot of people
go to a minor league baseball game. They don't necessarily go for the team.
They go for the experience, They go for the other things that might
be happening, They go for the giveaways. And I think that was what
is really lacking when I now, I really enjoyed my time in Birmingham in
twenty twenty two when I went down there, because it was two games a
day and the parking situation was great and all that, and I got you
know, you sit around and drink some cold beers or whatever and watch a
couple of football games and it's very accessible. The only problem is there was
almost nothing surrounding any of these games. It was kind of like that in
Canton. There was nothing happening between you know, the Saturday game and the
Sunday game. There was nothing really on site. So I think there's has
to be a little bit more experience, and I do wonder if that's starting
to hurt some of these teams. They go like, well, it doesn't
really matter about the product on the field. If you're a casual fan,
we're just gonna go like, hey, let's spend a few hours and watch
some football. But if you've got kids or even you know, you're just
there. You want something else to do before and maybe after the game.
And I don't know that a lot of these venues are providing that, and
they're not providing a lot of a lot of giveaways. Now they have recently
giveaways including not just tickets, but you need to give away some merchandise and
maybe that'll help boost it a little bit and that brings more people in and
maybe more people watch the product on the field, and then they say,
yeah, this is something that I want to I'm interested in and would come
back to. It's so funny and the last thing about this and I want
to get into Like even my wife last night we were watching the Mariner's game
on and we had been they're on the homestand and we had went Friday and
then Sunday from Mother's Day. We were watching the game last night and it
was colder here Monday night, like very sparse crowd. And even Dorothy walks
downstairs and she's like, oh wow, like there's really not a lot of
people at the Mariner game tonight. I'm like, you know, this is
someone that's like so it's it's these people, and you get I respect the
Emory hunts of the world, like, well, who watches for the you
know who looks for the stands and who watches like it's just a casual thing.
You turn it on, like wow, people are invested in this,
you know. You turn on the game on Sunday and we had forty two
thousand people or whatever there you go, Wow, this is Look how beautiful
of this? Look at this say like it just adds to the whole ambiance,
even if you're not watching the game for that, it just adds to
it. I just it really took me back of that even where she's like
wow, like that's that's remarkable. There's a lot of people there. It's
a it's a TV it's a TV program, you know with the UFL,
and that's part of the set. The people in the background, the fans,
and they add something to it, as you said, an ambiance.
You hear cheering, you know, you hear booing when you don't hear that,
and it's an empty stadium. That was always the knock on the UFL.
On the USFL was a problem with these empty stadiums in these hubs.
It was like it was not appealing for a lot of people to watch.
Last thing here. I want to make sure any thoughts on this so because
part of the we had this dense deadline Hollywood coming out talking about this,
and I wish here I can pause that gift because that has given me a
headache. Adding the Friday night games, I think leads credence. In our
conversation today about you know, adding two teams, Mike Mitchell had said it
was very much going to be the two you know two teams, and Canton
was very much in play or Ohio, what is your thought process the same
here that it would really be hard to move, you know too of the
games from Saturday or a game from Saturday like this would help add add.
I guess TV what shelf whatever for advertisers instead of add or with slots for
them. Are you under the same feeling, Yeah, I think so,
and that you know, Fox has really leaned into live sports programming over the
past five plus years. You know again, you know, SmackDown was on
on Friday nights. They go into you know, college football and college basketball
on Saturdays and Sundays, and it seems to me like this is another opportunity
outside of college football or basketball, where you have a time where you can
put on the UFL. Yeah, you're right with the cadence of if you
didn't add a team or two teams, the cadence of one game on Friday
night, then are you're only going to have one game on Sunday and two
games on Saturday or whatever. So to me, this feels like there is
a lot of talk behind the scenes, which I'm sure there is, that
we need to add at least two more teams to add that extra game,
and that gives you know, some availability there for Fox to sell and make
it a thing, you know, make it a Friday night thing. I
think. You know, personally, I thought it'd be great to have either
a Thursday night or a Monday night game, but you know, Friday night
makes sense for a lot of reasons. You could do a Friday night game
and then maybe do two early games Saturday or Sunday, whatever you want to
do with that. But you have that cadence of three straight days of the
UFL and more opportunity for people to jump in. And yes, so to
me, when I did see when I saw this from Deadline Hollywood, it
seemed like, okay, unless they're really going to fundamentally only put you know,
change things and only put one game on a Saturday or Sunday. It
feels like there have to be at least two more teams in play for twenty
twenty five. Yeah, and you know, to me, it shows investment,
right, it shows investment in Fox and we're giving the spot to that,
you know, the college staff and everything they have. And I know
we talked partly about this on the Monday, but just more more thoughts here
as we sit later in the week. But like, you know, what
are these networks putting on this time of year? You know, I think
that that's a good spot for that. It it keeps the whole Like Live
Sports w deVie has really done a remarkable job over the last decade or so
of marketing themselves more as a sports product, even though it is scripted and
they're able to call it in you know, more advertising dollars for that,
and I think keep that. And hey, if you like sports on Friday,
even if it's not wrestling, here's something else, kind of action packed
and yeah, put some brandy behind it. CFL does a great job with
that and a Friday night football in Canada. I know a lot of the
CFL listeners on our show kind of wrote in about that and said, yeah,
you know, we like that and this is kind of what we do.
Any other thoughts on matter else, Let's get to kind of the eight.
I think we'll go, you know, kind of rough shot through the
eight cities we have, and then we can see if we want to do
any expansion as well. Any other thoughts before we move on. No,
but you know, just to just kind of summing up, you know,
we talked about how Fox is starting to lean in on live programming. I
think a lot of networks will too. So if CBS and NBC start to
get involved. I mean, you look at Fox's schedule right now. I
think on you have like it's all either reality shows or game shows, and
that's what almost every network is doing. Very few scripted shows. And what
are some of the things that are cheaper to produce than a scripted show.
It's news and it's sports. And I think that's where Fox has really started
to lean in and get away from some of the scripted shows and then move
into this and then make that initial you know, extra investment in the UFL
and I think that is a good sign. I think we are definitely going
to have a twenty twenty five season, and it really feels like there's going
to be at least ten teams in this league. Yeah, and also I
think you know there and I know we're still kind of in the wake of
the writers' strike, but like that was part of it, and now have
the networks I used to, We're like, hey, let's focus more on
like then we don't even need to worry about these you know, stupid union
riders and all that, and not that I like, you know, but
I think that that's what happens, right when you put yourself in a situation
of you know, we're going to go on a strike or we're going to
do whatever. Okay, well that people find alternative sources or you know,
ways to kind of do all that stuff. So a lot of talk and
we I know, on the Monday as well, we had a lot of
talk about the stallions here and everything else. The protective stadium lease has been
good, right, successful with the hub and kind of all that stuff.
Do you is that worth investing in continuing to invest in the Birmingham We have
a trademark here. I wanted to get to involved in the Stallions, but
just overall thoughts is I think it's been worthwhile for the three years. Is
it worthwhile to double down on that movie forward in Birmingham? I think so.
I don't think you're throwing you know, good money after bad because it's
it has been an investment. You're still getting you know, fourteen, you
know, to six sixteen thousand people, fourteen fifteen, sixteen thousand people,
and I think by UFL standards, as we know, that's that's pretty good
if you continue to build. And you know, I went into this season,
I have a little different mindset than I did before the season started because
it was such a clunky rollout and you know, you and I have talked
about that a lot. You've talked about that with a lot of people.
It's a clunky rollout on a lot of different things. But the more I
thought about it, and the more I've seen this season progress, you know,
we know that they were trying to just get this out and trying to
get this product on the field. It was almost like a you know,
a proof of performance thing. Here, here's the concept here, this is
what we're trying to do. And I think if you're getting fourteen thousand people
on kind of a shaky roll out here in Birmingham. Yeah, I think
it's I think it's worth it now. I know we're going to talk about
this, but I think there are some other places where they've got some big
decisions to make, but I think, to me, it's worth it in
Birmingham. So here, Mike Mitchell had sent this over as well, and
he's like wow, because I was posting about the Vipers, like well,
if you really want to make people go crazy, I'm like, well,
well maybe we'll talk about this. Wait to go by. But Dallas Stallions,
so this was falling back in April twenty twenty three, okay, whatever,
but they just filed an extension year of April. So you'll a little
less than a month ago here to extend that out. Because here's my crazy
idea, this is my crazy read read whatever tempoile hat here we'll talk Arlington.
Arlington's been lackluster. What if you keep if you keep an Arlington team,
have it be the Dallas Stallions with the Stallions there and you still have
the hub in Arlington. Oh, I hate everything about that. I hate
everything about that. That is just I mean, that's up there with let's
call the Houston Gamblers the Roughnecks and move them to Rice Stadium. I mean
that's just I mean, that is just too much fumbling the wall there.
But you're keeping You're keeping the Hut presence in Arlington. You're keep I mean,
it's the same team. You're just really so you you wouldn't touch the
Stallions. About what do you make of this the Dallas Sayn's trademark. I
I don't know, honestly, I don't know what to make of this unless
this is something this was some kind of insurance policy that if they couldn't or
Birmingham didn't want to come through, that they well they have this. I
don't understand that. This is well beyond my business comprehension, and this is
very much above my sports comprehension, because I can't imagine why the USFL would
want if you did move the Stallions, why would you would want to continue
to call them the Stallions? It just you know, I know that I
know that Eric Shanks in the USFL, and what they wanted to do was
really play on this nostalgia and this has been a this was a personal project
for Eric Shanks of Fox. But you know what, if you're this seems
like it would be personal to try to keep the Stallion brand alive. And
I just think there's you know, Birmingham has always been the place, the
home city, the capital of all kinds of football, which Scott Adamson had
does a great job of, you know, covering and he wrote a great
book about it. Because there's been every spring football team seems to have a
has had a team in Birmingham. But this one, it's beyond me.
I don't This just seems like would be such a bad move on many many
levels. So we know we have the mobile Stallion's trademark, and that was
filed back when they were doing the Birmingham stuff, and I don't know if
they were just worried about kind of and still could call it kind of be
in the area or whatever, right because it's not that far right mobile to
Birmingham now that I don't know. Oh come on, I mean I've been
to Birmingham, but I haven't been a mobile. It looks like it said
that three hours, so three and a half hours. So yeah, But
I remember when I was coming out there was all of that and okay,
this is our we're keeping all that. But I don't know, it's interesting
to me, this Dallas Stallion's thing. Yeah, you have a little little
placeholder there. And again it's cheap and it's easy to file trademarks and the
trademark for the National Street Football League and all that stuff, and more expensive
for me than it would be for you know, Fox and USFL here,
which it is interesting that these are still under the USFL enterprises, right even
though now it's supposedly this Fox Redbird kind of indenture endeavor there. But I
don't know, I could just I guess. So they were reflecting on that
they're Arlington Renegades. I know that's the home of the XFL. You wouldn't
know that by walking around chalk Tak Stadium. You wouldn't know that by talking
with a lot of the Arlington Renegades maybe you know audience, walking around people
on the street. You have to keep a presence there. What do you
do just double down and hope for more? I mean, I don't think
you can pull the Arlington Renegades unless you have a different thought. No,
I don't think you can. I mean, if you're going to continue to
keep that model there, but to just change the name to the what good
does that do? Like just to change the name of the Stallions or the
Renegades. I mean they did go from Dallas Arlington whatever that means. But
yeah, I don't don't get that one. Have you been surprised? I
have been, and I know the team now is terrible. I'm going to
be at the game here in a couple of weeks. I'm like, oh,
this will be a fun I bought this like monthly. This would be
a fun game to go to. You the Vallahawks and the Renegades. But
we'll be there. Uh. I mean, the team's terrible. It's really
hard now. It's kind of like the Edmonton Elks in the CFL, where
it's really hard to kind of market these team. It's hard to get people
out to the games when the team stinks. But are you surprised with kind
of it? Just it feels like apathy for the Renegades. It just never
feels even last year for the kickoff, it just uh, you know,
I don't know, it just does. It doesn't feel like there's real fervor
there. Yeah, I mean they've got you know, the Renegades have that.
You know, they've got the die hard fans. I know how much
you love to talk about the beer snake, but it it almost seems like
the apathy is start. It's showing up on the field. It's just it's
they seem checked out and it and I don't understand why. I mean that,
you know, you you had it seemed like there was a really good
court. Now I understand Abram Smith, you know, got hurt for the
year and all that, but uh, that should not make the team as
bad as it is. And I don't know whe you know what happened last
year, if it was, you know, they just you know, they
got hot and continued to be hot and the schedule laid out for them.
But yeah, I mean, I you know, I've got friends around the
DC area, and I don't think a lot of them, you know,
even realize about you know, the defenders or what they are. I mean,
And there are people, you know, I've run into this friends of
mine. I worked in sports industry TV sports for thirty years. I got
friends of mine in the sports industry who have been in it for as long
as I was, or longer. And they still get the USFL and XFL
and UFL confused. And these are people who follow sports every day. So
there's got to be a better marketing effort I think overall, but certainly in
these communities to get people out. Yeah, it just seems like, you
know, the DC, what was it, twelve thousand people they said showed
up for that game, and hey, I don't know. So all right,
so going through here in Birmingham, you said, you feel like it's
untouchable Arlington. You need to have a presence there. I don't know,
if you get rid of Stoops here at the end of the year, can
you kind of evamp in there is? But I'm worried. I'm worried about
the Renegades kind of pure because yeah, if Prez ages out, just it's
just been, like I said, I've said apathy before, but he just
feels like that. It just feels like they can't get if there, if
the hub wasn't there, if they didn't have the deal with talk to I
don't know if you would, if you would keep the Renegads there moving forward.
Yeah, I mean I think that's a good point. I don't think
I think Stoops might just walk himself out of there. I don't. I
don't know that how interested he is and in this whole thing, especially the
way the pay structure is going to be for coaches next year? Is it
going to be worth it to him? As far as Perez, you know,
he maybe he ages out, but when you look at the stats man,
he's you know, you can't blame any of this on Pere, on
Louis Perez right now. So you know, I would I would hope that
they would keep some kind of something there, especially if it's going to continue
to be the hub, because it seems to it, it seems to make
sense. I wouldn't say it's untouchable, though. I mean, I'm reluctant
to say Birmingham's untouchable, but I think they are. Uh you know,
Arlington seems like that's a place that you you've got to continue to keep this
thing going unless they have a better business plan right now. It's like firing
a coach. It's like, you know, when you're talking about moving a
team or moving a hub or whatever, you better have an upgrade. And
I just wonder if they have an upgrade in mind. I do think we're
going to season big coaching changes here coming in going from the this season to
next season. I think Stoops is I from from just my feeling, I
would think Stoops is gone. I can't imagine way Phillips rides up this again
if if the pay structure drops down. Uh back, we talked about that
before I'm here. I mean, he's so tied into that brand and it's
not even worth talking about, like relocating the Ballolehawks. But uh, him
him staying involved. What is your sense of that. It feels like he's
pretty invested long term. But yay, there's always going to be lots more
opportunities for someone like him now going through all this, just a side note
here to kind of veer off. No, No, I think you're I
think you're right. He is so connected with that Saint Louis brand and what
he has done for that community. But you do have to wonder, you
know, when he when he has the success on the level that he has
had, you know with Saint Louis, if an NFL team comes calling for
you know, for not a position coach, but you know, for for
maybe some kind of coordinator position or maybe even a front office that you would
think that, you know, that's something that he would have to look at.
I mean, I hope for the UFL's sake, I hope for Saint
Louis's sake. Things don't change there very much. You know. I don't
know if a J. Mccaerron's going to come back, that could change a
lot of things too, So but yes, I think there's gonna be some
coaching changes. I can't imagine that, you know, Houston, they've got
to make a change, So they're going to be a few going from So
I think DC. We've touched on DC less less enthusiasm right now in the
stands or out of field. I know that Mike haven't paid attendance here for
the weekend certainly looks less than that in the stands, but that feels like
about as strong of a market as you can have right now, you know,
building back all the way to twenty eighteen through twenty twenty. I know
the play on the field hasn't been as great this year, and I think
that's probably part of the any other thoughts on kind of DC because I want
to get to Houston. Yeah, I think in the there is a little
maybe a little bit of apathy, and you know, it's starting to come
down because the play is not great and there are a lot of there are
you know, some very knowledgeable football fans in that market. But to me,
you know, on the when you start comparatively speaking about as far as
you know in fan engagement and fan attendance, I mean, it's still up
there. So it just seems to me like that's something that they can build
on. And going back to my point, I feel like they were just
trying to do a lot of different things and trying to get this league going.
Maybe what they've learned in a year they can build it up and you
know, maybe another step. I the defenders have been lucky that the Commanders,
you know, the football team, the Redskins maybe on have not been
great kind of through this whole because it's been a long I mean they really
lucked out right because I think we'll talk with Michigan. I think you've seen
you know, the Lions now and my god, we're paying Jared Goff,
you know Kings Ranzio, Hey good, you man, get your baby.
But like you know, you're seeing some of these markets, even you know,
Seattle and with the XL coming in and then we had the Kraken and
the Sounders are more popular. You know, you kind of you lose that.
There's certain times where obviously Saint Louis hit. That situation hasn't changed,
right, you know with the NFL. But I think DC has been really
lucky that the commanders have not been great. Now, hey maybe Jane Daniels
comes in and sets the world on fire and then hey, I'm going to
watch this versus kind of the Defenders. But they've really been lucky thus far.
That there. You know, Washington's kind of wallowed in the football market
here the last four seasons, and you know a lot of the enthusiasm for
the Defenders was we hate Dan Snyder and now that's all out. But I'll
be curious if that continues, if they're continued to retain any of that,
or now if people are willing to go back to the NFL franchise. Yeah,
I mean that that that's the dynamic in Saint Louis by far. That
that's the reason they have thirty THI when I was at the game earlier this
year against Memphis, you know, there was a guy there who was dressed
like Stan Crockey. They were there were there's still you know, people holding
up signs about Stank Krockey who moved the Rams to LA. So there is
that dynamic. I think You're exactly right. D C had gone down so
far in the NFL. This team comes in and just starts setting it on
fire in the regular season and you know, goes all the way to the
you know, championship where they they know were they at the championship? I
got to think DC Championship, Well, we had Arlington one d C.
Yes against d C. Okay, yeah, when you turn fifty, these
things happen. So yeah, I have a lot of different but but yeah,
you know, they they made such you know, had that weird loss
against Orlando was their only loss, and then they you know, went to
the chap went to the championship game. So so I think you're right about
that. That that's why I say, I know there's there are so many
thousands of factors at work, but it just seems to me like San Diego
would be a great place because they've been jilted, they love football there.
Wouldn't that be a great place to put a West Coast team? Yeah,
we'll and we'll we'll touch on it because that's Yeah, that's a deep conversation
I want to have here with all that. Like I don't so talking Houston
now. I'm just kind of trying to kind of roughly alphabetically through this.
I don't know what you do with Houston now. I think Houston's been so
mismanaged in terms of just you know, the coaching, and then that screwed
out the Brahmas as well, and obviously they're they're better because of it,
but like, you know, the domino effects of trying to keep and playcate
the USFL side with the Houston you know, Roughneck gamblers, whatever situation,
however you want to refer to it, Like, I don't know how you
come back from that, is it. I've seen people complain about Rice Stadium
and that's part of it too, But it's this whole mishmash. I mean,
do you pull the plug on that? Do you they have other you
know, they have other Texas trademarks here we'll kind of go through some of
these, you know, the Austin Outlaws, the Austin Gamblers, the Austin
renny. Like, I don't know what you what you do at this point
to rectify the situation. I don't know that you can. I mean,
I really don't. That's one of the way that's been handled. What does
the UFL do as a league to say, Okay, you know, we
kind of fumbled this and this was messed up and we shouldn't have done this
and shouldn't have done that. But how do you, like you said,
how do you come back from that? I can't think of a good plan
where you say, okay, well where Rice Stadium didn't work, so where
are you gonna play now? They already had so many, you know,
problems trying to find a place to play in the first place. To me,
I think if you pulled the plug on Houston, there would be a
few heartbroken fans for sure, But I don't think overall that the entire league,
or you know, the even the casual fans are going to say,
what happened to the Houston Roughnecks slash Gambler. So I don't know that the
value is there for this league, for this team in this league except for
just the hub sense of it, right, And that's really the reason why
we have the three Texas teams to begin with. Like, yeah, I
don't, I agree, I don't. I don't know what what value.
I just it could have been tremendous value. I just don't know what what
value it has. I think if any of the teams thus far. I
think Houston at least has to be drawing sixty seven hundred people whatever there.
It's just not going to cut it. I mean, it's like it's just
so sad because we have a lot of people in the the Phillips of the
world that have been fans of the show forever and they sit there and like,
you know, we love this brand, and but I get a lot
of people that they're still that that are upset and it's it's weird because I
really predicted this and everyone was like no, like nobody cares like they they're
they're fans. I'm like, no, Like you can't. You can't just
put like you said, you can't just take the Birmingham Stallion as Hey,
they're the Dallas Stallions. Now, aren't you going to still be a fan?
Like it's the same, it's the same, you know, And I
don't know, like back in the USFL in the eighties, like how how
that worked if you were fans. If I've never lived through having my team,
I know, well, I guess we had the Sonics leave, right
and now it's been long enough that if we had a new team here,
people would embrace that but like certainly Sonics fans that felt scoring by the Sonics
leaving Seattle fans, they weren't fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder like that that
was that was the opposite of what you wanted to be. You hated the
Thunder because they were the ones that took your team. I don't think you
gain, you know, the relocation of that. I don't think you gained.
I don't think you retain the fans from your original city and then gain
the fans that you're moving into. Yeah. I mean you'd have to go
back and ask some of those fans who were who were Breakers fans back in
the original USFL Well, they had like three different cities before the whole thing
collapsed. So yeah, I don't know that that followed. You know,
apparently they thought that brand was good enough, and but I don't know that
they those teams would follow, you know, those other teams. So,
yeah, you're right, I don't there weren't many. Uh. I don't
think there were too many Cleveland Browns fans that became Baltimore Ravens fans. Yeah,
I mean, I don't know. I think there's a there's a weird
and we have this all the time, like, oh, do we need
to go back to the here? Should you go back here? And part
of all this conversation with all that, like I think Seattle's burned, Like
I think some of these cities you do get burned. I mean, shoot,
they're in San Antonio and we'll talk about them, but you still hear
like San Antonio is burned in the city. The darn teams in the city
right now, Like, well, we don't want to go because we're we're't
too upset about stuff in the past, like they have a team, Like
I don't think. I think you lose, you know, you I guess
before you don't retain. It's not you're not adding through really relocation. You're
kind of slicing off and then moving on. But yeah, I think Houston,
for sure, I should be on the shoppeople block. Anything else on
that we can talk through. What would it be Memphis would be next?
Yeah, I mean, you know Fox has put Fox themselves put a lot
of money into into Liberty Bowl, so they might want to roll the dice
one more time with Memphis maybe. I mean, I think there's gonna have
to be some retooling there. I was really pulling for John d. Filippo
to do something with that team. But in case cook is, you know
that they just seem like two of the best guys you know in the league.
But I think with the with the monetary investment that Fox has put into
the Liberty Bowl to do some different things there, that they did it a
couple of years ago. Maybe they roll the dice on that, but they
have got to they got to figure that out. Yeah. I agree on
the surface, Yeah, you could pull the plug and because you could say,
well, they didn't provide any value either, but I think it might
be a little bit more value for Fox. We'll see except for that,
except for the FedEx guy that they say wants to buy the team there,
And I mean, yes, right, I mean what are you buying?
Well, that's been my point along And this goes back to the attendance thing,
and people get mad at me all the time because the gate doesn't matter,
Like but but then, yeah, what what are you buying? Then
you're buying partial ownership of some trademarks from back in the day, and you
know, you get a ten percent stake emerged from you know, the UFL
dot com. I mean, I don't know what being a franchise owner in
this league, and maybe that's a deep dive for another day, Like I
don't even know what being a franchise owner would look like. Here, you
still have to I mean I would imagine that Redbird and then from what I
hear Fox then would still kind of have to, you know, sign off
on everything. It's not you're running your own marketing plans and everything or running
your own deals. Well, and hopefully that's been the talk for a while
now behind the scenes, like what what do we do to make this happen?
That was always the USFL's plan. Well, you know that we're going
to try to relocate those teams I think in five years or something like that.
Well then there was the merger, so that probably reset the clock on
that. So hopefully there's some talk and some you know, real talk behind
the scenes of here's how we're here's how this league will improve next year,
and here's why you should invest. So you know, maybe maybe there will
be you know, two or three that step up. There's always been this
and and Mike's reported this, and I don't I don't question Mike, but
I you know, I questioned that kind of the the people saying, you
know, providing this information like always, well, all these USFL these were
all set up long term because you know, we had ownership. We knew
who we wanted in each and I remember back what was it with the Generals,
and it was was it a Rod or someone that Jeter wasn't like Jeter
wanted to own part of the team or they wanted Jeter? Right, it
seems like Jeter. I think it was. Yeah, I think it seems
like it was. It was it was someone you know, it was a
former Yankee of someone that was going to be involved to be a part owner
of the Generals, right. But I but I just don't like this is
you know, like we've talked about this before and here, but like the
way we've got these cities now right now at eight is eighteen steps of telephone,
through the through the world, right you know. It was the like
this is why we were going to do these and this is why the XFL,
and then we had to do this. We had to do this,
We had to do this, We had do this. Like I don't believe
any of these save for supposedly this legendary Memphis the fat X guy. I
don't think any of these do. But I can't imagine at this point he's
even he's like, shoot, man, it's been three Like, yo,
we did the Hub, but we're doing this year. Like I think,
especially when you're like you're looking at the standium every week and there's no surprise,
like, oh well, actually there's all these people invest like you can
see that. You can see the local investment on the field every week.
I mean, it's it's not it's not high hidden, no, No,
you're right, it's very public. You do have to wonder if this team
had been better, if there would have been a better turnout. I think
that that might have been a market to me that if that had been a
good team, that maybe you would have had a better turnout and it would
look a lot better on television, you know, I don't know, and
maybe and maybe it draw some investors. I have to think that everybody behind
the scenes, you know, combined as the UFL have some kind of plan
in place, because you know, if expansion did happen. Andy brought up
a good point. If expansion happened, this would be the first time it
really happened in spring football for you know, in recent memory. And I
remember I'm old enough to remember the original XFL. A month after the XFL
started, it was like March of two thousand and one, they were visiting
cities to talk about different they were these they were in open about it.
They were visiting cities to talk about the expansion of the original XFL. And
they had gone to d C And Portland and I think Pittsburgh and some other
places. So you always have to keep that in mind because you have to
grow the product. And back to your original question when we first started,
you it has to show some kind of and I think you've got to have
at least two more teams. But but then you also have a few that
you're gonna have to say, well, we got to do something with it,
either either either fundamentally change them or maybe move them somewhere else. But
you're still going to have to add teams one way or another. I think
you give too much credit like there's a plan, like, oh, they
got they got this plan here. You might be right, you know,
And I mean like I you know, we were used to working news and
I remember all the time, and you know there's there's media bias one hundred
percent, right, you watch CN now or Fox or kind of any of
this stuff. But you know, I remember back at like the local Fox
level of people, Oh, like you you didn't go to this, like
cause you guys are biased. It's like, no, maybe Sherry was just
in the bathroom and missed the phone call and then we just totally missed the
story, and like maybe there's no like you know, or it's like you
know, people, you know, you read into a lot of this stuff,
or like, oh, Read's covering or Reid didn't do this or repost
it. It's like maybe it's like I I was in the bathroom and saw
this and thought it was funny and had to tie and deleted that. They're
like, I don't know, Like there's not always some grand conspiracy here with
all this stuff. You're right about that. Every time I hear about that,
when you know, working on local TV as long as I did,
people would say, well, you, yeah, the same thing. Well
you guys didn't cover this because you're biased against us or whatever, And I'd
be like, if you think that there that we're organized enough to get a
conspiracy together, let me let you sit in on a news meeting that happens
at nine o'clock. In the morning where everyone starts talking in circles trying to
figure out what they're going to do that day, much less trying to plan
out some vast conspiracy to not cover your events. So, yeah, you
may be right, but I think that might be some cautious optimism on my
part and maybe just wishful thinking that there is a plan behind the scenes.
Uh, Memphis, to me, I like the brand, good, strong
brand. I think they've done questionable stuff with some of the uniform and that
people are kind of hired bad about that. Michigan the other one here with
the Panthers, a lot of history there. You got the Ford Field,
you know, the people can they play. I think there's a college they
were training that during the Hub and kind of all that stuff. Like I
don't know what you do. It's both of these and like literally so every
week when I posted things on like Sports Illustrator whatever, I got to tag
all the cities and I'm trying to go through alphabetically, and I always forget
the ms because it's like, hey, we got Arlington and Burmihead because to
me, they're both really forgettable. I know, Memphis is second in the
USFL Conference right now, to me, all these really kind of boring games,
boring teams. To me, Michigan is in the same point as Memphis.
I doesn't feel like there's a strong outpouring of support there for Ford Field.
No. I mean the numbers reflect that, and it's I think it
was an average of seventy four hundred people or so when the four home games
that they've had, and despite that, there's still three and one at home
and not having a home field advantage, and they're a good team. And
I kept saying, like, I've heard so many excuses about I know that
the ticket sales came late, you know, understand that. Then people saying,
well, there were three straight home games and we could you know,
Well, to me, that was three straight opportunities for someone to attend one
game. There was just so many excuses on why that is not working there.
But I think you hit on one of the big, big reasons.
It's not an excuse. It's because the Detroit Lions are very good and they're
they're starting to really catch a fan base, and I don't know that the
appetite is that big for another team in Detroit. That's why, you know,
I did a YouTube video and caught some heat from some people and got
some agreements from others about there is a problem in Michigan and it's with ford
Field. And there are a lot of people that said, we can keep
the Michigan name, but you got to move this team somewhere else because you
know, I what again, that's to me throwing good money after bad is
if you are trying to get this lease on ford Field and you keep seeing
the attendance drop, you know in what was it sixty five thousand seat stadium
or whatever it is, it's getting out yea seventy four hundred people. It's
just that this that doesn't make sense to me. And it's a good team.
Obviously they're going to the USFL championship game. The yeah, the conference
whatever like to me. And and part of it too is the way that
this all goes back to how this league handles its media relationships right, And
we've seen that. I don't know if you've tracked all of this, like
the Birmingham there's like this, like the controversy with the Birmingham stuff and all
that, but like the the league, in my opinion, doesn't always do
the best right. Okay, we don't know how to work with the non
traditional media, right, and thank god, and I this is no no
personal complaints, but just like this is I've seen other podcasts and read other
things, and like so we have a question about that. But then we're
also not sexy enough nor doing enough to attract the big name media. And
I think you see this in Detroit, right if I if I'm a writer
in Detroit, and I know, like the Bill Shaves of the World and
Tony, uh, what's his face with the he's been on the show?
Sorry this last name, Tony Tony Paul over there, like you know they
came with the first game there, Oh, this is a novelty, let's
go check it out. Whatever, But like that wears off right, and
like we're we have meal vouchers in Arlington for the media there, Like that
doesn't help. I don't know how the Detroit you know, I don't have
someone sitting in the Detroit press box every week to ask him about that.
But like you so you don't want to deal with the non traditional media,
but then the traditional media think you're too small time, right, Like I'm
I'm not coming to season two, week seven of you know, the Michigan
Panthers. So then yeah, I don't know how you continue to grow in
that market. Memphisis is a little bit better because it's not as big,
right, Michigan's got a lot of other sports stuff going on, like you
said with you with the Lions, and they've been having the draft stuff.
I mean even though the draft was ever, I mean that was a month
going into that was all that, hey, we're covering you know, this
is gonna be set up for this. We're doing that. Like, I
don't that's an issue to me some of these markets where like we don't like
what is the game plan in Michigan, Like, I don't know how you
do build that out because you don't have anybody there thoroughly covering the league I
think and into indling numbers that kind of traditional media are. I just don't
know who's covering that league there anymore. And read as you know, when
you work in local television, which is you know, even even as local
television is you know, it's not what it once was, but it's still
you know, a big it's still a big avenue to get the word out
and a lot of people still consume you know, local TV news. But
when you start, you know, especially a market like Detroit, and especially
in the environment that news is now, you don't have the manpower you used
to have. So if someone's gonna decide, well, are we gonna cover
A or we can cover B, and B ends up being the Michigan Panthers
and A ends up being something that is of more local interest or something bigger.
They're gonna choose. They're always gonna choose A. And you know,
I feel for the for some of the you know, I guess you know,
sports information directors, some of the you know, the guys who are
you know, behind the scenes of PR guys for these teams, because what's
the answer. It's like you're trying to appeal you know, to a to
these you know, traditional media. But the problem is you got to wonder
is it from on high or are these people sitting in their own fiefdoms of
the of PR saying well, we're not going to deal with John and we're
not going to deal with read because you know we we don't ever see their
stuff. We're trying to, you know, get the attention of the local
market. There's a happy medium in there somewhere. I just don't know what
it is yeah. I mean I just searched at Michigan Panthers. Here in
news, I mean, you have a you have a Detroit News article from
yesterday, a Detroit Free Press article from two days ago, and then there's
like a million sporty news, sporty news, sporty like whatever this website is,
and then the Detroit Free Press article from a month ago. So it's
not like, you know, and we tell you it's another conversation too about
the offseason, like how this the UFL handle you know, during the week
kind of stuff and getting information out there when it's not game day and how
do we deal with off season and kind of getting the news out. But
I certainly wouldn't say that there is a you know it overwhelming amount. I
don't know, to me, Michigan if it wasn't such a nostalgic brand.
But I don't think you can. You can get tied up. And I
mean to me that that's on the chopping block as well. I think it
is just because of Ford Field, if nothing else. I mean, I
don't know if there's another venue in Detroit that would work, or if you
are going to have to move that team. But you're right, it's and
it's sad because you know they can they could pull it. But then again,
the Pittsburgh Ballers, you know, they they they were successful team and
then you know they got the plug pulled on them because but they weren't really
in Pittsburgh or ever played there. But you know, there you have you
have to weigh is it worth you know, what we're putting into it.
And I think when you start to look at Michigan, even though they're a
good team, UFL has to say, like this is just not working,
you know, as a whole last one here and then we'll do a little
expansion. Tyme Ballahawks obviously untouchable with that. I mean, there's no point
even having to about that. Uh. The problems are a tough one because
the prom is having. You know, we're good in the AAF with the
commanders and everything else. Have never really hit those marks. Uh, have
done respectable. I know the Easter weekend right the first game was like fourteen
thousand, and they've gone down from that. But like that's about kind of
you know what Birmingham drew. Uh, what are your thoughts because to me,
Birmingham's kind of a kind of a bubble one. Uh, yeah,
I think it with you San Antonio. Yeah, I think if if there's
a I don't know what the least agreement is there for them, So I
don't know what you know, what they're pouring into U as far as their
stadium, but I think you know, when you start to get you know,
the numbers that they've gotten, Yeah, you know, a bubble team.
I think that is a good way to put it. But again,
if you're going to move them, you know, or you're going to do
are you going to move venues or whatever? You need an upgrade? And
I don't know, you know what the answer really is for San Antonio there?
Do they you know, do they especially if they want to continue to
keep the Texas thing going? But yeah, didn't the I think the San
Antonio Commanders average like nineteen or twenty thousand fans for the brief time that they
were there, and I think they it feels to me like you're right,
they were. That community was so burnt and it actually has a really good,
you know, alt football history. But I think they were so burnt
that you know, even Wade Phillips might not be able to win them over
here as it goes along. Yeah, so back this was Easter weekend,
the first week in that Sunday game, you know, thirteen thousand for the
sent for Easter Sunday, and you know, we had all the with the
brit And I understand the market sizes are different. I understand that San Antonio
has more people than Birmingham, But like you know, we're just talking about
and again it's not always apples to apples because I get all these cool how
come we so hard on Birmingham and you're not so hard on it because Birmingham
has been there for three years and they played like seventy games in the city
and the people should know what that's going on there, like because even non
Birmingham, Like if you think about that, like you know, you had
forty UFL games season one, and then you had another quarter of the games,
uh, you know, and then what another How are you I can't
remember the schedule break down how many Protector but you've had probably sixty five you
USFL UFL games played at Protective Stadium over the last three years. Like,
visibility is not an issue there is. It's fan interest in that product.
Yeah, and the Stallions are a known brand there with San Antonio. You
know you sometimes in these markets too, as you know, working in you've
worked in local television. You've got to have an advocate inside some of these
stations. If it's if you unless you're Saint Louis, because you know that
they've got really good relationship with the media there in Saint Louis, because Saint
Louis television and you know, newspaper, radio, whatever. Understand that people
are interested in the Battle Hawks. That's not you know, there's there are
small groups that are interested in all these all these cities, but not maybe
overall. And I think that's what you really got to work on, is
the marketing and some of the media relationships. But yeah, I mean yeah,
I mean it's you know, you could look at the attendance, you
know, with these New York Guardians and it didn't you know, you're in
the biggest city, but it didn't really work out. So they're yeah,
you still you're looking at numbers of people who are coming to these games.
It doesn't matter how big the community is, uh, just to you know,
to make sure that I'm fair on all this, I I'll put I'll
cut San Antonio. I say they're on the chopping block. You've had two
seasons there to figure it out. You're not up to the standards anymore.
W Scott Bailey's of the world trying to advocate for you, but it's not
working out. I put them on that. So what I got, I
got. I'm cutting Houston, I'm cutting I'm cutting the whole. Yes,
I think. I don't know. I think everything except Birmingham, I mean
Birmingham Saint Louis Is. I really would. I I appreciated Todd Murco's interview
last week on here. Yeah, it was good. There really can't be
To me, there can't be that many untouchables besides what's to call it Birmingham,
Saint Louis and d C at the end of the day, I would
absolutely, I'll totally agree with that. I think if you've got some bubble
teams like San Antonio, I think you give them another year. Houston pulled
the plug. You're not You're not losing anything there. There's there's sadly,
there's just no value there. And you know, to me, with the
Panthers, that's got to be relocated or something. I don't think you can
continue to trend the way they're trending and be and stay in there all right,
So now let's talk real location here a little bit. We'll try to
get this going along. I hope John Liss is like, how long am
I am? I this? I'm pulling up here because I want to get
it just a map of all this to kind of show because this is where
let's see. Okay, Reddit, Reddit made this one. Okay, this
is good. So now what do we do with these teams? Because I
think we need to get some West coast representation on this. It kills me
and this I wanted to find the officual but this, this, this demonstrates
clearly here where like when they show this map of like where are you cheering
the UFL from? And it's you know, we're showing like the area here.
So what what do we do here? I have some trademarks to the
USFL has, right, We've got like the you know, like the Austin
Gamblers. We got a lot of Austin, we got the av Thea's got
a lot of Baltimore. Steven here where do you want to see him go
here? I mean I think you got to take advantage of Oakland somehow.
I don't like I don't know how you how you do that, but to
me, that would be a no brainer. Try to hop in there.
The San Diego of it all, you got to get somewhere in California.
I think you have to get somewhere in California, and you've got to get
somewhere in the northeast. I think some people have tried to push like,
well, you've got d C. I don't really count. I mean,
DC's not really that northeast. I think you have to get something up there,
and and there's a and you have to have a West Coast president.
You've got you've got the your Middle America there, you've got your all your
Central Time people. But you've got to get somebody. I agree. Like,
to me, San Diego is a no brainer. Now again, there's
so many things about trying to place a team in California. I think a
lot of owners would tell you that that there are a lot of issues.
But Oakland, you know, let's bring back the Invaders, let's go or
San Diego, either one that makes sense. Portland would make sense to me.
Uh, but if you're going to add two teams, I'm with you.
I think you have to add a team in the northeast and a team
out west somewhere in the Pacific time zone. Yeah, so you have the
Oakland Invaders here and not all. If you go through kind of the trademark
listing in here, I kind of put I put a little bit more stock.
We're the ones where they've registered multiple categories for these, right, So
if you're looking at the Oakland and again this is easy to do, but
just in terms of things that they've gone through the work to kind of do
here, a lot a lot of work with Ohio, right, and Mike
Mitchell was talking about that then that was going to be one of the teams
O Canton. I think I would just call it Ohio. I don't think
you need to call it Canton. Oakland Invaders here, heavy marks on that.
I've got the Oklahoma Outlaws here, a lot of heavy marks on that.
Uh. And then you go down through the line here obviously we've got
the Stars and the Malllers teams that are involved in that, you know,
because yeah, this is kind this is when I was kind of losing track
to kind of going through time here. You're trying to get on that bucks
like, I wonder all this is going on, But I don't know.
To me, I go through the Tom murcos of it where and you said
earlier with the Houston, like you know you move Houston. Yeah, are
there going to be some upset fans. I think I think you need to
prioritize being in in in a market. And I think if TV is important
as it is, you know, no disrespect to Birmingham, not the biggest
TV market in the world, no respect to Memphis. Like I would almost
stay in Michigan just because of you're in Michigan, like if if nothing else,
like because it's a bigger market in terms of that, Like I know
Houston's high up there as well, but like you said, dumping money in
there, that would be where I would prioritize it. Thoughts on that,
Yeah, no, I agree, it's I do. I do like the
idea of Ohio and in the whole Canton area that I mean, I went
up there last summer. It was really fun. But yeah, I think
there's if you if you have a team in the West and you've got a
team in the Northeast, it just kind of feels like it balances every thing
out and with you know, the in Ohio, I mean, it'll be
another Midwest team. You know, I guess you know that could work.
But yeah, you've got to color this map in some more. I mean
this is uh, this looks like Mondale versus Reagan here back in the day.
This is find around So Arizona Outlaws, you've got we got a lot
of Arizona on here. You know, a couple of different marks for that.
Uh many many Austin. I don't I think if you can't make it
American Houston, if you're gonna make it work in Austin, I don't know
if the population and everything's there for that. Uh, the Baltimore is of
it? You do you like the Baltimore Stars at the Stars? No,
I mean you've got d C there. It does that to me. It
doesn't make sense to put to you a small two two teams that close together
in such a small league. That does that to me, that doesn't make
sense. Boston Breakers, there's your Northeast presence. I could see that just
going through Canton on that here we got of Dallas Stallions. Uh, Denver
is you bookmarkd this the Dallas Stallions the have of the UFL. Denver Gold
always get a lot of you know, there was a camp Gold. I
think that was rumly as well. But that would I would be that that
would qualify for me, even though that's not quite filling out the mouth as
much as I would like anything. And I know the sports doesn't exist for
a large swath of this, but like, uh, I would be okay
with Denver. What would you make of that? And you know, Denver
was a pretty popular team back in the original USFL. Now that you know
that was a long time ago when and lots of things have changed. I
mean, the only concern is are you going to be playing, you know,
in Denver in March or April? And that could you know, that
could be a little tough. We've seen you know, you get snow outs
out there sometimes in baseball, so you that could be that could be a
little tough, and it'd be but you know, I think you know,
Denver could be in on it, especially if you know, if that if
it could be another another city with a very bad NFL team that would maybe
say let's try this gold stuff for a little bit. Oh your national tutors
and this one had to come up here. Well, I just around out
the conversation and make sure we're touching all these, Like I said, you
gotta get you gotta get out of this portion of the map. But you
we gotta. It's hard, it's hard to feel like again, I've said
this a million times, you would never pick this at these You would never
settle a team on these, you know, a league in these markets under
any circumstances except the way that we are at right now. Well, but
wouldn't you feel like Nashville might be a home for relocation rather than expansion.
Yes, that would be fine. Yeah, but but but to me,
it's flip floppy one. It's that's deck chairs on the Titanic. At that
point you might make it might be right. I think you need to make
a move on that. And I think that's it. I was just trying
to make sure we had any other and again you can, you can get
a lot of these, but at least it just gives us a good jumping
off point for all of that. So, uh, I don't know final
thoughts rounding this out out here, I've been wiled me under into conversation.
Anything else you want to touch on. I know we came in with a
very structured idea of what we're going to talk about, but it tends to
happen. We talk about a lot of different things, which I enjoy.
No, I'm just I'm continuing to stay optimistic. And like I said before,
it was such a clunky rollout and there were so many red flags with
this league the way it rolled out. But then the more I continue to
think about it, and maybe I'm just getting soft, It's like, Okay,
they've got it. It's it's working TV wise. Let's hope that there
are. They're learning from their mistakes. They're starting to learn from what I
know you have heard a thousand times and I have too. You've got to
do better local marketing. Let people know these things are happening and start giving
away stuff. I mean, you know, come on, let's let's give
away some things and get some people in. That's what I'm hoping for.
Yeah, I've always said that they need to view I was like, oh,
my dog said, I thought, there's another creature on my deck.
You know they there needs to be I would say if I was involved in
the UFL, I would do a deep dive in the off season. How
does the CFL conduct it's marketing a in the off season? Because they the
CFL has an extended off season as well. I mean they really go dormant
for a lot of it, and then how do they ramp up and how
do they work with the communities. That's why I thought Todd was great last
week because you're any you're selling, you're selling tickets for to me, and
I know there's vast differences and like I had Sam Schwartzeen texting me like that
in a football is nothing like that. I'm like, it's it's worth selling
football content here, like it's you know, you're trying to get butts in
seed to the end of the day, you're trying to market a niche product.
Like I think there's a lot but but yeah, if I was with
the UFL, I would do a deep dive into some of these CFL franchises
figure out how do you stay relevant in the off season, how do you
market, how do you bring players? And I know the teams are doing
more. I get the pressure releases they're trying. It seems like they're not
coming in just an hour before the game. They're trying to come in the
day before the morning off and try to do some more stuff. But my
fear is, you know, June seventeenth, or whatever. This shuts off
and then we come back in December again, And that's kind of the big
spirit because then I think you're rolling the same same plan out next year and
it doesn't seem Mike it's gonna change. No, and that that that that's
not gonna work, that's not sustainable. Yeah, you've got to you gotta
sell an experience too. I just I remember listening to a podcast of a
guy who was the general manager of UH at the time of WUSA, which
later became the NWSL roundabout. But he said, you know, you can
say, yeah, these are the greatest. You know, this is the
highest level of soccer, of women's soccer, and you know, no,
but people don't care you can say it. You've got to sell an experience.
You have to give people an opportunity to come to the game, a
reason to come to the game. Uh you know, whether it's you know,
some pregame stuff, halftime stuff, postgame stuff, and then when they
take in the product on the field, they say, oh, that's interesting
too, that was fun. This was a whole fun experience. So I'm
gonna come back and I hope that we see a little bit more of that.
UH as we go along. I you know, in Saint Louis,
I was there. There was a little bit of pregame stuff. It wasn't
as big as it was the year before were and there was really nothing happening
after the game, but they're the games the thing. There was a lot
of tailgating going on that was a lot of fun, and I'm gonna be
interested. I'm I'm planning to hit down to Birmingham for the season finale,
so I kind of want to see, like what, you know, is
there a better experience than what I had before as far as outside the arena.
So it's gonna it'll be fun. Yeah, I've always said, and
I got a lot of flak even going into the XFL last season from people
with the league, and like I it's never been a question of like the
football on the field and the and the minds behind the football product of it
at all. And I mean even we want to pooh poo on Curtis Johnson
and Bob Stoops and stuff like overall, and the quality football is I believe
the highest quality of spring that we've had since you know, the USFL back
in the eighties, and like that that's not that's not the issue. It's
never been the issue. It's kind of all of this other stuff. And
I use my own as as a videographer like I am not at all like
the best videographer in the world, right, like in terms of you know,
vision or talent or whatever. But like I I do a really good
job like wrapping what I do into a tangible thing that I think are pretty
good at marketing it. I think are pretty visible about it. I think
the customer service aspect of it is pretty good. I mean, we we
just got back from Vegas this huge conference that it wasn't even my client,
it was what my you know whatever colleagues clients, and I'm like, there's
nothing that we do. It's like a thousand other people could come do this,
right, the quality of what like, But it's everything else that's involved
in that. And it's you know, you're responsive and we show up and
you look professional and you you market and you're in these places like the quality
of the football isn't the issue here, but that's also yeah, not people
are not. That doesn't when you're flipping through your guide on the you know,
Saturday morning, it doesn't say ufl like the best spring football that's ever
existed, Like you need to know everything else about it. It doesn't matter
what's on the field that people aren't turning on the TV, which I wish
they would bring back the United by Football or some kind of pregame show for
these things to tell those stories. Because there's a thousand great stories in this
league. Well I think yeah, I mean you can even do that through
podcasting right now for free. But they what an idea? Read what a
great idea. Just make some guys available and we'll talk to them about their
story. I've given them up. It's been so busy, but I've really
just kind of give him up sending my money emails. So, John Lewis,
if you want shorter, little more detail, shorter conversation, John Lewis's
channel is probably the way to go. If you want long me entering,
rambling thoughts, this is probably the place to go, John. Anything else
you're working on, no, just you know, I try to do that
about it about a video a week or so, just try to talk about
the league and some stories and things like that. So, but I appreciate
you having me on. It's it's always fun to be on here. And
yes, a lot of My videos are usually less than twenty minutes. Sometimes
they're about five to ten, So it's fun to talk over an hour about
some UFL. I appreciate it. Yeah, I'm about out the game.
I'm just gonna start uploading the games to YouTube and just call it a day.
I think I'm getting out of this, but I appreciate you guys comment,
you know, anything you have any thoughts on this, anythink we've talked
about. Like I said, you know, a little more vulation today,
but always find wanted to touch on that. So I'll appreciate it. And
thy we got some CFL content, hopefully finger scratched. You are coming up
after the break. Well, I haven't seen this great face since I think
our CFL Great Cup show in where the heck were we hammeled him back inhaml
Dan Ralph Canadian Press here, Dan, how are you doing? It's almost
June, It's can't and it can't come too soon? Thank you? Always
great to catch up. Do you mean in terms of excitement for football or
in terms of weather? In terms of both both, you know, I
mean we can't complain about the winter we had. We had very little snow
by southern Ontario. Proportions. But yeah, I can't want Summer's always summer
and full or my two favorite times a year. So bring it on.
Let's go. Well, we're getting in and we'll talk, you know,
the chat colls of it all here and everything else, Argos and I want
to talk maybe a little Edmonton, but this Sean Lemon thing. And then
we were tracking that, you know, last week coming out and then the
news that you know, he's a training camp and the cflp CA all that
walk us through that because this took a lot of us here in the States
side kind of by surprise, well us too, excuse me, only because
he retired. Then came the league you know, discipline, and then they
made it sound like it was pretty it was pretty emphatic, you know.
But then, as is the case with any suspension, the player can appeal
and the the cflp A can can launch an appeal or a grievance on the
player's behalf, and while that process is is going through to fruition, the
player is allowed to resume practicing and ultimately playing with the team until an arbitrator
renders his decisions. So I thought when they the whole thing was kind of
bizarre. I mean, you re signed with the Yellows after the Great Cup,
then he hired, and then came the discipline, and then Tuesday,
Tuesday morning, he was a practice. And so I think, like I
said, where the PA is going to come from on this is he was
suspended for allegedly betting on CFL games in twenty twenty one when he was with
Calgary and on one occasion he also is allegedly to have wagered on games that
he was involved in. Sports bending didn't become legal in Ontario, and Ontario
is the only province in Canada until twenty twenty two, and so I think
where the PA is going to come from on this is, how can you
have a policy in place in twenty twenty one when it wasn't legal to bet
in Ontario, for example. So I don't know, we'll see where it
goes. I guess I shouldn't be so prized that he came back because it
was on again, off again. Now it's on again. But we'll see.
I mean, there doesn't seem to be any idea how long this could
take. And so you know, he'll get into maybe an exhibition game or
two, or maybe he'll start the season, We don't know. It just
surprises me because, like you said, I would just you thought he was
walking away, he was retiring here and you go out and with great coup
kind of all that stuff. I just don't understand here. And now to
be embroiled in all of this. I know he's a player that's been in
the league a long time, you know, because various players, you know,
you might go to the CFL and then whatever, I'm walking away,
But to someone to be in it so long and then, I mean,
does this mar his legacy? Now? We had Darryl Davis on a couple
of weeks ago when it kind of first came out, and you know,
he looked at it way less severe than maybe an Andrew Harris issue where you
know, you're you're cheating on the game, you know, and all that.
But just what does this do to kind of his legacy here? Because
it just seems kind of messy right now. Yeah, it seems messy.
I mean, I guess it all depends what the arbitrator decides, excuse me,
and what the arbitrator finds. If the arbitrator finds evidence that he did
do this and adheres to the suspension, or gives it let's say nine games
for arguments sake, then I think we can sort of say that it's a
Turners to bit. But right now, I don't think it has done anything,
only because we don't really know exactly. I mean, there's allegations of
what he did, but until the arbitrator does a deep dive and takes a
look and we find out exactly what he did, you know, what's it's
very very bizarre because sports betting and betting on your own game, I mean,
there's a whole integrity issue. I mean, we went through this years
and years and years ago with Pete Rose, right and and you know,
decades later, Pete Rose is still not in the Baseball Hall of Fame because
of it. So, I mean, it's a serious matter. I get
it, But it happened, you know, I don't know, Maybe we're
naive here because it's it's not like there's allegations that he threw a game,
or that he he he bet on his bet on himself, or or he
somehow intentionally marred the integrity of the game. We don't know that. And
and if the arbitrator comes through and says that the policy is not very strong
and that mister Lemon did not do anything unto work, then I think he
should be allowed to play based on that. Now, depending on what the
arbitrator finds. If the arbitrator finds something else more gammoning, then I guess
we have to revisit the subject at that time, because yeah, it's less
and there's a fire ambulance or something going by here. It's less. It's
severe than the trying the raptors right where the guy was betting on games and
the parlias and all that kind of stuff. And we'll get to the argos
here. I mean, this is this a Sean Lemon issue? Is this
an Alouette's thing at all? Because I know the argos a got their own
pr and kind of everything. But because obviously the Aulettes and they want to
focus of this the off season now to be hey, we're running the back
and kind of all all that stuff, Like is this affecting them kind of
what's the media landscape of that? Or it is just just a Sean Lemon
issue, you know what I'd be. I know yesterday it caused a bit
of a start training camp just because of the obvious. Right, you come
there and you see number zero on the field and you go, wait another
I thought it was suspended. Like I said, I can only speak for
me. I would look at let's wait and see what the arbitraritor finds out
and go from there. I like I said, I don't I don't partake
in sports betting, so I'm probably very naive. And in terms of asking
whether this is bigger or not, I mean I think it's a big deal.
I mean the integrity the game comes into play, definitely. But you
know, like I said, someone much more succinct than I is going to
take a deep dive into this and then hopefully those those findings come public and
you know, the d when the arbitraitor renders his decision one way or the
other, well we'll have a much clearer picture. Yeah. I I am
emotionally invested in that and all the sports stuff. I couldn't imagine that any
of this stuff that may be more upset. We were gonna do this last
week and then my work schedule and stuff, but now we got more with
this Chad Kelly issue and everything, like catch us up to speed here,
because it really sounds like a mass and just a lot of pr kind of
nightmare for the Argos and Chad and everything else. Yeah, it is.
There was a lot of fallout Thursday when you know, we showed up at
rookie camp. You were told that Mike Clemens was going to speak on the
suspension two days prior of Chad, and you know for the tender based violence
policy of violations, and so there there was I mean, by ourgo standard
are very good contingent of media there. And I got there a couple hours
early and during the workout and I wasn't even at the stadium ten seconds when
another reporter said, can you believe it? Leave what? And I took
a look on the field and It's like, holy smokes. Really Now,
I know, technically he was allowed to be on the field, and I
know he wasn't participating in practice, he wasn't practicing, he was he was
just on the field, But the pr ramifications of that just, I mean,
it just it was mind boggling. I just I don't know who thought
that that would be a good idea for the Argos, for Chad Kelly and
for the CFL in general, because I mean, we'll get into the reasons
why, but the reasons why are very very serious and very very significant.
And to have him on the field as if well, I don't want to
see nothing happen, but have him on the field, to me was was
very very It was a peer nightmare, and it created the follow up that
you would expect it to create, to the point where on Sunday when the
open camp, they had said they made it clear that Chad Kelly was not
going to be involved in team related activities and and to the best of my
knowledge, that remains the case moving forward. I've seen now like he's going
to be transferred to the suspended list or there's kind of stuff. He was
transferred this morning. But that's procedural too. I mean, anytime a player
is not with the team for team activities, a matter of procedure is to
put him on the suspended list. It's not I mean, if you look
at it the first time, you might look and go, oh my gosh,
the Argos have suspended Chad Kelly. Well not not really, They've They've
done a procedural moved to put him on the suspended list. I wanted to
talk about this twofold from the football side as well, but just from kind
of you know, the argos and we we've you know, chronicled this for
a long time on the show, and I mean, you know, even
longer than that, but you know, with the media there, with you
know, getting foothold on all of this, and here we're finally we do
the Great Cup two years ago and then we make it again and all this
stuff and like what is this? I mean, is this Do you think
this will blow over? A season rolls on? Because obviously Child's going to
be out for a while penning all of this stuff. But what does it
do just kind of for them in the in the landscape there. It's a
really good question. I part of me wants to think that if he complies
with conditions of the suspension and goes through all of this rehab or all of
this education process that the league has put forth to him, and comes back
and there and they feel that he's completed terms of the suspension, then I
think the CFL will welcome him back and sorry, reinstate him. I think
that's the better word. And then and then Toronto's got a decision to make
right and and that's the whole thing through this process. And that's what GM
Mike Clements said last week. Even if if Chad is in his camp appeal
the suspension and theoretically is able to come back to resume practicing and play,
the Argos will reserve the right to decide at that time whether to bring him
back or whether to you know, give their own secondary punishment or on this
matter. So they've taken the attitude they're going to take a wait and see
and they're going to see how this plays out. And I think that's probably
the way they're going to do it. And I'm, like I said,
I'm with two minds. I you know, this is a very serious,
serious situation for him, and can he come back? I guess kind of
maybe, but I wouldn't be surprised if he finds it difficult to come back,
just because the severity of the situation. But then the other part of
me saying, if he comes back and they're two and seven, one and
eight, and he comes back and all of a sudden they win two three
games, then I you know, maybe to some that they'll they'll put that
in the back of their mind and think, Okay, you know, he's
back playing good football, the team's winning, everything's all good. I'm not
so sure. I just think the severity of why we are where we are
is pretty damning, and you know, the argos are really walking a pr
tightrope here regarding how they handle this and what happens moving forward, and you
know, I guess we'll have to see. I I'm just like I said,
I would have kind of liked to go to the rookie camp last week
and just concentrate on my Clemmens and then understand, I just took it for
granted that he was not going to be at rookie camp, and he was
not going to be at a training camp until you know, and was not
going to be with the team until he complied with conditions of the suspension bringing
him back and telling us that, oh yeah, it doesn't violate conditions of
his discipline. I thought, WHOA, I'm not sure I would have done
that. One last question about Chad, and I wanted to talk to the
football side of it, because it's hard where someone's had kind of things in
the past right where I don't know, if if you know, Jeremiah Mozzoli
for example, gets accused. I just think where there was, you know,
history of kind of other behavior in the past where it's just more of
a spotlight here on that where maybe you would like, I don't know if
Chad's not getting the betefit of the doubt, and I don't really have a
you know, side one way or another rise stand but in this hard where
like you're someone that's had things in the past and now you have this and
now it's like, oh, we'll see, there you go. We were
just waiting for him to screw up, and now we finally screwed up.
It's kind of what it seems like, you know, and not that people
were like wanting to see Chad fail, but it feels like, oh see,
there you go. We knew all all that was going to happen.
Yeah, it's funny though. I mean, I up until everything that happened
in November and in the off season, I'll be honest with you, he
was. He really made me personally believe that he had turned a corner and
that he had matured and that he had grasped the understanding that this was a
new opportunity for him and it was an opportunity for him to continue playing football
with a new team in a new city, in a new league, and
to start fresh. And I mean in training camp when he was going through
the process of being the starter. I remember asking him about his past and
what have you, and he's always owned up to it. And when we
talked about, you know, whether there was vindication on his part because of
his past, I mean, he was very adamant. He said, what,
you didn't think I could do it? And I full in point blank,
I said, you know what, I was willing to give you the
benefit of the doubt, but I told him I didn't. You know,
there was some trepidation there and he accepted that. He you know, he
embraced it, and everything he did during this course of the season, he
looked like he had embraced being the face of a franchise. Then this came
right and and it's it's it's unfortunate because like I said, I mean,
we're all very well aware of his past. It's he has he has made
questionable decisions in the past. But I just I mean, the guy is
twenty nine, he was approaching thirty, and I just thought he embraced the
fact that this was one last opportunity I played football that was close to home
and all those things, and then he had embraced it. And unfortunately,
you know, we are where we are and making pretty good money, you
know. I mean that doesn't hurt either, But I mean now all of
a sudden that that opportunity is hanging in the balance too. So so football
here. I mean the argu is right. They got Cameron Dukes up there,
Ryan Scott, friend of the show, and you know he has kind
of been you know, the way down the depth right there. But kind
of what do they do? I mean, it's this season gone? Is
that you know, nine game I mean half the season? I mean,
what do you think from a football standpoint? Well, I mean if you
bring in right now, nobody's cut any veteran quarterbacks or they have you know,
all the guys who have to see if a pedigree are still in camp
or have retired. So I think you're you're almost obligated to go with what
you got because at least Dukes and and I'm having a brain cramp, right,
thank you, at least they know the system, they know the coaches,
they know you know, when when when Ryan Dinwiddie makes a call,
these two guys at least can comprehend it immediately and know what to do.
You bring in a new guy now and he's got to if there's a crash
course involved. CFL training camps are are are are very very short, a
couple of weeks, and you don't give you a whole lot of time to
cram. So I think they're going to stick with what they have and we'll
see both those guys play in the exhibition season. And I mean Dukes made
two starts last year and was the short yardage quarterback and and you know,
and showed showed glimpses. Now we'll see, you know, can he be
the bona fide starter. You know, the jury's out, but I mean,
and that's not a slight against him. That's just Chad started sixteen and
eighteen games last year and and was you know, the outstanding player for a
reason. So I mean, there's just a lot of talent there. You
know, you would just like not like to waste kind of this opportunity right
now. It just feels you know, I mean, Chad's playing right this
is their windows still and you know, and now you think you flip it
like that, you would never think that we're not going to have our starting
quarterback like that, you know, non injury related for half the season.
I mean it's it's a pretty big blow there. How do you think,
like, have you got a sense of how coach Dimwitti and everybody's handling it.
I know Pinball did his media. I mean, have you guys gotten
into that sense yet? I have not had a chance to talk to Ryan,
As I said to you, I'm going to go off tomorrow and we'll
have my first opportunity to speak with Ryan on and off the record, just
to see how he's doing and you know, what they're doing and how he's
grasping it. But I mean, the guys had a pretty good run up
to now. I mean three years at the on the on the job and
they've finished first all three years and won a Great Cup in twenty twenty two,
So you know, he's obviously a very good coach. And I look
at that offense. The offensive line is coming back intact. The receiving corps
is maybe minus Curly Gittons junior who was traded to Edmonton, but Curly was
hurt much atlast year too, so a lot of those guys are coming back.
There's a lot of familiarity on offense. You know aj Will that's gone,
but you know Kadeem carry is shown when healthy he can be a pretty
good running back. And Daniel adib a boy boy. I'm proud of myself
for even pronouncing it. Has shown that he can he can step up and
he probably may get a more increased role in twenty twenty four as well.
So offensively, I think they're in decent shape. You just want your quarterback,
you know, don't shoot us in the foot. Just basically what they
had told Chad. You know, we take whatever's there and live to play
the next down. And I think Cameron Duke's and Brian's got thank you and
Brian will have that analogy because they're young quarterbacks right and they probably don't have
that same mentality that Chad does that I can. I can make this happen,
whereas these guys are going to look and go, okay, it's there.
I can do it that way. Yeah, I'll just because aside note,
I'll never forget Brian and winning the Spring League we had been the twenty
twenty one championship during COVID they flew him into I think they had to do
it in Orlando because everything got shut down, and having him call in from
the hotel room the next day it was very exciting stuff back in early marcast
War last things here like so, you know, the East, we got
the Alweds here running back and everything and Toronto. Uh. In the West?
Am I wrong in thinking that Edmonton is the most interesting kind of the
watch here? I don't understand the trade Ford not Okay, we're bringing him
a cloud hand in a bucket of money. Do you agree with that or
what do you think? In the West? Well, to me, the
West is intrigue top to bottom. I mean, you've got you've got the
Elks making the big pitch for McLoud. But it is only for this year,
so let's keep that in mind. But also you mentioned tray Ford.
I kind of thought last year he earned the right to at least start the
year as the starter. And he's in the last year of his rookie deals,
so you know, the timing is interesting. But I mean, to
me, there's no doubt that mccleoud's how do I say this nicely because I
love Trey for it, but I think McLeod brings more experience, more veterans
savvy, and a championship pedigree having won two of these and and and he's
he's played a ton of football throughout his pro career. So I get it,
I understand it. I just my concern is is that you know,
you've got what what sort of impact do you you make on Trey and his
development by telling him this year that you know what, yeah, you're gonna
watch. And I mean in talking to Trey this offseason, he says all
the right things, but you know you can tell, just as the competitor
in him that he's disappointed. But the other, the other intriguing thing to
me is you got bcing the Gray Cup this year. There's a big push
for them to get to the game. You've got you know, the Calgary
Stampeders, they had their first losing season in a while last year. They're
in the playoffs last year for the eighteenth straight year. Can they keep it
going? And there's a lot of questions about Jake Meyer and in his time
there, And Matt Schultz is the backup in Calgary, and you know he
played well when given the opportunity in Hamilton last year too. And Saskatchewan has
Trevor Harris back, healthy, new head coach's and a bunch of new faces
in free agency. And then you've got Winnipeg being Winnipeg going after a fifth
straight Gray Cup. So to me, there's a lot of intrigue in the
West. And but yeah, I my interest is in Edmonton to see what
happens because they haven't made the playoffs since two nineteen and they've only won something
like eleven games since then. So and Chris Jones, I got to believe
as the coach, GM is under the microscope this year. This is year
three and they've been four and fourteen in each of the last two. So
it's time to fish a cup bait. Yeah, there's got to be some
sort of just you know, saw or was it oil and vinegar or oil
and water between Trey Ford and Chris Jones. There's just got to be because
when he plays and you see it on the field, and I don't understand
why you don't, do you know what the trade Ford thing, like BC
did with the Nathan Rourke when they had him for cheap and let's bring in
It's like, well, no, now we're gonna pay McCloud about a lot
of money and then we got to like, you know, take advantage while
you can. I mean BC was incredible that year. I mean a work
was awesome. But we could, you know, sign every single person we
wanted around him because we were paying them, you know, a nickel on
the half, right, Yeah, exactly to me. I think Trey showed
last year he can be a good, very good quarterback. Maybe you could
have made some investments on the defensive side to give him some support, or
maybe brought in another receiver. I mean, they do have you know,
Eugene Lewis as a as the top receiver, so I mean there's no there's
no doubt there. And they have you know Brown as the as the running
backs. So yeah, it's interesting. I guess you know, the CFL
is a quarterback driven league. However, so you know, if if basically
you're telling McLeod, you know, we're expecting you to stay on the field
and put points on the board and and keep our defense fresh and keep them
keep them off the field. So maybe it's you know, And but I
will say this to read that Chris Jones has won a lot more Gray Cups
than I ever have, so I'm I'll defer to him, but if it
doesn't work, I'll be the first to tell them. Well, you know,
but yeah, I mean, but you get that with like the Bill
Belichick's here where you know, I mean, you can have success for a
long time. I just if I'm trade four and I demand, you know,
a trade of the Argonauts or something. I mean, you know what
I tell you. I think he would look really he would have looked good
in my mind in Hamilton, because he's from nearby Niagara Falls. You know,
they've they've got their quarterback of the future in Taylor Powell, who showed
a lot to me last year as a rookie starting nine games. So I
get that. But you know what, he would look good from anywhere in
southern Ontario. That's for darn sure. You're right. Last question then,
so because I bow right showing up in the boot, they say, it's
fine. You really are high on Taylor Powell there. I mean, what
do you make of that? Well, I was there on Monday when bow
took to the field. He participated, he was in pads. He participated
in thirty or forty plays. Granted they were you know, Skelly, you
know, six receivers against seven defensive players. And he didn't run, but
he threw the ball well. He made some very nice passes and afterwards declared
himself fit and ready and that he's no doubt in his mind that he's going
to play in the season opener in Calgary, which is a homecoming for him,
you know, given that he started his career with the Stamps. So
but I don't think it was in It was a coincidence that on Sunday they
signed Powell to an extension, keeping him under contract till twenty twenty five.
So you know what you can't have I mean this, they'll tell you anything
in the CFL that can't have more. You got to have more than one
quarterback to make a run of it. And but yeah, those those they're
pretty solid there with those two in my mind. But as far as Bo,
we'll see, right, We've got two weeks to see how much he
plays in the exhibition games and see how he feels. There were a couple
of times he walked to the line, or he walked to the take take
the snap. He looked like he was a little ginger with his right leg.
But we'll see. Well, Dan, I really appreciate making the time
today, taking time good luck tomorrow at training camp and all that stuff,
and hopefully we'll get you back on here and we're I'm getting my my rolodex
here working there trying to remember what you who's on what team and everything.
We're getting back into it. It's been ufl here and now we're getting back
in so I appreciate it my pleasure. Thank you so much, huge spreccer.
Thanks to Dan and John I'm Lewis for coming on today. Really appreciate
that. Like I said, Dan working with my crazy work schedule in him
and covering the Argos training and the Tiger Cats and kind of all that stuff.
Dan's incredibly busy. You always just a huge wealth of knowledge, a
Hall of Fame reporter like he is coming on the show. And then John
Lewis is always go check out John's channel, you know, like I said
during the interview, not why it is you know, this extensive hour line
discussion. John does a little bit more bite size, and so I think
that it's, you know, both sides of the coin. I think it's
all good like it. Subscribe if you enjoy all this and give us to
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