Well, here we are. We're back, happy Monday. Back missed a week, we had a week off.
All welcome in.
John Here at UFL Week five recap, mid season review.
I think we'll do that today.
We have TV ratings from Friday as well as attendance. I think Mike Mitchell I'll pull up his article here in a little bit. Lots to talk about John.
How are you?
I'm great.
I mean, I think by far we talked about it this weekend. I think the have finally found their offense. This was by far the best week of football we saw on the field. I mean, now, granted San Antonio Houston wasn't great, but man, those other three games, those were world beaters.
That was incredible.
Yeah.
So I I was out all weekend, but I did spend all day today.
I got to work the rest of the week. But I said, went on.
I recapped everything because it was crazy and I was like tracking everything and.
I'm just putting up a comments here kind of as we talk.
But uh, you know, I would see in the group chat like I didn't even know, like the defense, you know, went to overtime.
And kind of all this stuff.
Yeah, Pat says the intro sounds like everything she does is magic. Hey, we got copyrights stricken for my Slene dal line whatever, So.
Like, don't you feel bad now?
Well I was kind of mad to be like, yeah, there's what you know, the eighteen cents or whatever is going back to whatever publishing. But anyway, we're here today, Yes, John, not to be the fanboy, but the without of do the best weekend of football here. Lots to talk about. We had the way Phillips and all that when I was gone, I was in Vegas.
We'll figure out next week. I'm not quite sure yet.
We can talk after whatever, but overall, I guess we'll do the deep dive of the weekend. We'll talk through the season, but just overall, grade grade the weekend and kind of grade where we are thus far here Monday, April twenty eight.
I grade on a curve because of what we saw the first four weeks.
So yeah, I.
Mean, to me, this was an a like if you if you know, you can take away whatever you want to with San Antonio and Houston. But I mean, Jaylen McClendon was pretty fun to watch, so I mean, it wasn't a It might not have been a great game, but I think that was a great win for Houston. I mean, I'm not sure that they're gonna their post season material, but still, I just think when you look at the game, the it's stunning upset for Memphis. We saw an overtime and you know, an overtime game. It
was fun. Saint Louis doing work DC with an historic comeback. I mean, it's it's an a for me.
Yeah.
Well, and we also have the whole Samson Nukua right, like, well, there's that interaction we'll talk about. Yeah, we have like national spotlight all that I was thinking too, And I think it was Abdul that said after the show, you know, two weeks ago. At this point, you know, John and Reid it really like the Angel and the deep, like the devil kind of on this show.
But I will agree this week.
But it did make me think because when I went to Gonzaga, when I got my broadcast degree, famously, two things if I ever win like a you know, a you know, an Emmy for a short animated series about spring football in eighty years or whatever, the two famous things about me was I made a meatloaf music video my junior year. That was my big junior year project, I did an eleven minute music video too. I would do anything for love, but I want to that let meet Love rip.
But then senior year I did and it was.
A play on the odd couple and it was called the God Couple, and it was at Gonzaga and an angel and the son of the devil lived together at Gonzaga.
John. It was the whole series. I think we did like seven episodes.
I blew up a dorm fictitiously in the series, like I licensed special effects and we got like my teacher goes, so security has called the broadcast department like why are we supposedly.
Like blow it? We it was a big deal. It was a big deal.
We made this most like yeah, anyway, it was a big deal.
So but that made me think of us. So I appreciate that job that I do.
I think we give two and I we kind of went into this not planning, but I think we have kind of I think we have a good chemistry that way. Let me say, I think you're a little bit more optimistic. I'm a little bit more pestimistic.
So there we go.
Well that's the end and the yang of this podcast. It worked. It totally works.
It totally works.
So let's talk first off real quick here, Let's see can I share this just before we you know, we always talked through the ratings and everything here for the weekend.
Did I get this right?
There we go Friday night UFL average four hundred and sixty seven thousand viewers on Fox up against right the NFL Draft.
I forgot to make that joke as well.
I made that to my father in law the other day that we were gonna be able to start this podcast John until shoot Or Sanders got drafted.
So he got drafted.
You know, I was told, we knew the floor was here for the Friday nights at six hundred thousand. This is not great again, obviously the NFL draft. Any other takeaways, I don't know if we want a deep dive or maybe we do, or do you just say that this is the asterisk and we move on to next week.
Well, I think it's interesting that at the start of this game eight oh seven to eight fourteen, the game peaked at six hundred eighty one thousand. I don't know what the lead into that was on Foxes. I guess it was just fringed local programming. But either way. Yeah, we really thought that the floor was six hundred thousand, and when you see four hundred and sixty seven thousand, no matter what, you can talk about competition, that's fine
with but this is on network television. Network television kind of is a catch off for everyone, not just hardcourt sports fans. So that was pretty rough. And I think people who were watching that early were probably I'm not sure I want to watch it after, you know, fourteen minutes of this thing, So that's that's too bad.
Well, just to and we'll do the games here.
We talk about this obviously, the attendance and everything, but holy god, like that battle Hawks game felt so hot, you know, just in even trying to catch up today and rewatching and seeing the clips league posting and watching the highlights on YouTube and everything else, like it just it makes such a difference, and that game felt That
game had a vitriol to it. It felt like right And obviously we saw that spill out on the fields afterward, right when we get to all that, but it just it just there is that intangibility and so when you when you do the game on Friday, right, it was in Birmingham, I think it was eight well, we have Mike's attendance and we'll pull up your eight the eight thousand or whatever I think it was on that. It just I would see having it switched to that and
that not immediately drawing my attention. I think if we do this again next season, I think we really need to evaluate those Fridays.
Yeah, I think so there's something needs to be done there.
But yeah, it's like.
And you know, you tune in and again people have gotten on me about we talked too much about attendance and we talked too much about ratings. But it's it's kind of what I said. I made this this comment. Uh, when someone was taking me to task on this was like, it's like a restaurant, you can we said, well, why don't you guys talk about the gameplay?
The gameplay is good.
It's like, okay, well, if you got a restaurant it's got great food, but no one's coming in, then you got to figure out, like what's the problem here?
Is it your location? You know what is it? So?
Uh but yeah, that's that four hundred thousand. Was that that's concerning I that was that's tough, and you're right Fox to me, I still felt like Fox could have made this a bigger thing. We had talked about that before the season. I kind of wish they'd made a little more special.
Yeah, it's just hard.
Uh. I also think that it's it's just father that people talk about. I mean to look at this shit you or Sanders stuff with the draft, Like there's just certain things that that people gravity towards more to talk about, and no one's talking about you know, Dresser Wan or whatever, you know, his his our performance. Uh, you know, we might try to talk about attendance or kind of anything else. So I think that that kind of goes into this. Well,
I think we've learned that. Let's pull up real quick here just and we'll kind of round out the conversation. Mike Mitchell posted over on UFL news sub which I did see Mark Perry got not be Mark Parry, but Mark Perry got cut from the Patriots. I had to tweet at the UFL news stub damn. Obviously not the Saint Mark, but he appreciate it anyway. Over on UFL newstub dot com. First, I kind of you know, Mike's first bite here your first half of the season, I UFL incremental six.
Percent er point six percent increase year every year.
We did it, John, We have it down here. This is a week five week five average fifteen thou one hundred in Birmingham. Yeah, I knew it wasn't quite that twelve. They normally put out thirty in Saint Louis and then Arlington and San Antonio. Excuse me, not a great San Antonio game. And then also not a great reward for them to wait till week five to get a home game. We'll talk through all that, but anything stand out attendance here and this at the point six percent we've moved up.
Well, I mean, any increase is good, I guess, but the fourteen thousand in San Antonio, that's a good sign. I'll and I'll tell you why because you brought up a really good point. Before the season started, we talked about what happens that they have to wait till the midway point of the season to get their first home game, and maybe this team's not very good, like how many people are going to show up? But what we found out is Brahmas fans did show up for this game.
They finally you know, it was the first home game. The question is how many people are going to show up for the second home game if this continues, because when you get housed by Houston, you got problems. And I thought that this was a team that was going to be on the rise because of that win at DC and you know, everything just seemed to be clicking and everybody was on this the Peyton party badwagon. I was too, and then this egg gets laid. So that's tough.
But the good news is fourteen thousand people did wait till the five weeks and did show up for the game.
A couple of things that not to be the pessimist, but it is. You know, it is easy to front load these games, right like, hey, first home game, first time first and whatever, you know, and then we do that, you know, because they've had all these announcements, if I you know, they have the mascot announcement, and you know, they've been able to kind of push this.
But you know, God bless them for doing that.
I just to me, it's tough right now, you know in Texas and I know that all these leagues compete whatever, but like you got the Dallas Stars in the you know, in the NHL playoffs. I'm like, I don't know if I'm san Antonio, like you know in my tracking MBA, do I care? Like, I don't know, it's just a weird sports demographic. And even when I've gone there for work last I think it was like August September, I talked with like my Uber drivers and people like, so.
Do you watch spring football here?
Like you know, not trying to be the mark, but like what do you do in San Antonio?
Do you watch this? Do you want to be considered that? So it's a tough market.
I feel good for the fourteen whatever one thousand, but I agree they got to you know, getting trounced by Houston isn't a great I look for your first.
Game well, and I will say too, we say this every week. Fourteen thousand people were not there. Thirty thousand people were not in Saint Louis. Again, this is tickets distributed. But there were certain angles in that San Antonio game where sometimes it looked like it was sparse and other times it looked like there were a bunch of people. So I don't know where they were sitting in regards to where the camera placements were, but it still was a good crowd no matter what.
Yeah, the uh, the album. Doome is like the biggest state it It's.
Just like a massive again.
Terrible and uh the funniest thing years. God, this was fifteen years ago, and I think when TNA was competed against WWE and they ran an Alamo Dome show and I always remember the screenshot of like the seeding chart and it was like, you know, the top right corner and.
Like, I mean, just you know, Okay, I guess we can go in.
These two doors. Like, hey, but you played the Alamo Dome, you know, now, should you have done either or not?
A couple of comments here where did you have something before you?
Oh?
No, I was gonna I cover. Here's how old I am. I covered the nineteen ninety eight final four there. I think it was ninety eight Final four. So if you think of football, you know, or or something like that looks small, wait till you put this. It looks like a postage stamp, you know, basketball court.
In the middle of the thing. It's just you know, they do that with every Final four.
Yeah, they put in the basketball last year. Was it somewhere in Texas or one of those places it was? Didn't they put some in Jerry World or somewhere.
Yes, yeah, they did. They had n cuaa tournament at Jerry World. They've done you know, they do it at Lucas you know, Lucas Oil almost every year, like the at least you know, a regional or a final four. And I covered in Houston at whatever it's called now NRG Stadium or whatever it was. I mean still, it's just it's incredible when you see when you're in this gigantic dome and you see a you know, a basketball floor the court in the middle, it does it looks like a posted stamp.
Uh.
Yeah.
It was kind of like and we can talk Vegas at the end if anyone wants to talk Vegas or WrestleMania. I didnt get back from WrestleMania, but it was like, yes, it was also like.
Watching wrestling at Allegiant Stadium.
And I posted my because like spoiler alert, like I had pretty good seats and I was pretty happy with them for what I paid. You know, you post a photo and everyone's like, well, you're watching ants you go fall stand, I mean they got I'm seeing the I mean unless you're the first ten rows that I mean, that's just how it is.
A couple of comments here, I I got.
The one that I have to hear some about, uh oh, some about the twilight out here we go, isn't it We're Houston and Memphis when the twilight?
Is that ever going to happen again the rest of the season.
I'm excited for that. Yes, Scott here, both of you make UFLA so much fun. I appreciate that great. I assume Mike here out for the ratings, Michael here, it was exciting for you. It was by the weekend and then just a couple and I agree with all this. This year, Scott, they need to started the weeknd season earlier. I agree, I agree, I agree because now, I mean this is a whole Temple week. I mean it's all
the time, it's every week or something. But you know, now you got the Stanley Cup playoffs and kind of everything else. I do give credit where it's do ESPN red hello ufl ads during their draft coverage, Abdul saying, I'll say asterisk Friday night, a lintialle draft rains were up forty percent.
I agree with all that.
That's a good call.
Yeah, and then this was just with you and we'll get to the games.
I promise it's not because the attendance numbers are higher, but she needs some more empty seats.
Yeah, I said, I think they're picking up. I'm like, let's just hand out some more tickets.
Let's just go strim me them out. We'll just say I got five hundred tickets. I'm going to go down to the ball I'm going to give them out. I'm going to go door to the door. I saw someone the other day, like our nest camera rang. Someone was like taking a photo of our house.
I'm like, are you are you coming back to try.
To buy I don't you know, just go hand out stuff, just go sure, Hey, I handled all this stuff. Uh yeah, there you go. The all football digest hums couldn't get you four uh no, and uh knowing what I spent and then hearing what other people spent for us many tickets. They had an interview with Randy Orton where fans said that they spent thirty thousand dollars on tickets, so it was their first Oh my god, Yeah, I knew a guy, or I knew a guy. I talked to a guy
at the airport. They spent sixty five hundred and their ticket broker came up with nothing, so like, I mean, wow, it's uh yeah, it gets crazy, but yeah no, no, the All Football Ties ups did not get on that.
So let's go here. First off, did I do this right? Yes? We will go to week.
Five, Friday night here at the Memphis show Boats upset the Birmingham Stallions at home. I thought, excuse me, I thought this was a great win. I uh texted you, I go, I think dresser win on a random Friday night in Birmingham. It's like already, like I called him, big dick, dresser Win.
I mean, you can swing that thing around in Memphis.
I don't know if you would hit too many fans in Birmingham a few more, John, this was a great game. I mean Birmingham had two losses on the year. Did they lose last week when I was in WrestleMania.
Trying to remember that last loss?
Was it's all come up with, James, what did you mean this? This was a great one. I was very exciting, came down to you know, came down the end.
It was you know what was incredible. It's like it was eleven nothing at one Well, yeah, the first quarter, I'm like, wait a minute, what is going on, and as we all had suspected in their future, Odds had the longest play from scrimmage was we know, okay, oh there you go, there you go.
I've been gone like two weeks and this is like.
I couldn't I barely remember. But yeah, I mean, as we all had in our futures, Odds, the longest play from scrimmage was Dresser Win to Dee Anderson. That was going to be the longest play from scrimmage in the UFL. But man, you know he it was when I saw that Dresser Wind was going to be the starting quarterback and like, okay, well this is just desperation.
They're just gonna try anything.
But uh, you know our guy Pat Raffino, analyze and educated, who's always in the comments here, he's been on Dresser Win for a while, and I thought he played a tremendous game. And it was just so funny that they went in overtime and they are like, oh you know, and Jenny Taft I think she was doing sidelines is Dresser win And you could not tell if he had won the game or lost the game. Uh, he was kind of glib, and he was, you know, very calm, but man, it's just it is incredible to see like
what what Memphis did. Now, are they going to the postseason? I don't think so.
Uh.
But also Birmingham kind of shot themselves in the foot. There was some really bad miscommunication with the coaching staff on a super challenge. That is just there were a lot of things that were unstallions like. But I don't want to take anything away from the way Memphis really showed up and played at Birmingham.
Oh, I mean it looked like a totally different team. I mean really it was fun.
Again.
I mean that's when we talked about the top with these TV ratings and everyone and turn them on and you know, you got to have some action here going and hey Memphis, immediately we got kick returns and putting up it just it just was, uh, it's really what you want the UFL to be, I think, not to be uh, not to be in the total shill here
for the UFL. Now, here's a good point, jud Jackson, And when had the advantage of being in an unknown See you get that in the CFL all the time where they'll play who was that we had the dustin Crumb, We had like Crumb sanity, and it was like, oh my god, I think I think it took like two or three weeks and then the CFL defense is.
Really shut him down, you know, so we'll see I mean.
The backup quarterback or the third string or what you know, it's always a favorite until you.
Know you well go for it.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you're right about that. But the good thing for this and for Dresser Win is this is a very short season. They are only five games left. It's a ten game season. It's gonna it's gonna take these guys some time to figure these things out. But it is a good point. He came in as an unknown and they really didn't know, you know, what his total skill set was. And they also probably weren't prepared for a kick six from Isaiah Handy.
That went hundred and eight yards either.
Uh, but you know, no excited that. What did you think of kiss Cookus? I found it was funny they were talking, and you know, I was thinking about this as well. And if I was Kiss Cucus, I would probably hate the UFL.
They made him get married.
I'm broken leg and then I forgot The next year he came back and then he lost his wedding ring playing the usfl right, and now he you know, now he's with the Stallions, and I mean, like god, I mean, can this guy catch your break?
How did the how's case cook Us do for this end?
Well?
I felt like he struggled there. I mean he kind he started to look like Case cook Us a little bit more in the fourth quarter. But you know by that time you don't let you don't let Dresser win and Memphis hang around.
But yeah, I think he struggled a little bit. You could.
There was a lot of frustration from skip Holtz, uh, you know, with cook Us and and with that offense, and rightfully so yeah, I mean you're looking there at the stats.
I mean it was those stats.
You know, on paper it looks all right, but you know then you look up at Dresser Win there, you know, two hundred and thirty five yards. It was Yeah, there was a lot of frustration from skip Holtz, and I we've seen we've seen a little bit.
More of that.
It felt like this season so far, in the first five games, but it was like really like at a head there in the in this fifth game.
You think that skip Holtz is seeing like all these other worst quarterbacks get jaw or not quarterbacks other worst like coaches in coordinated and I'm not worth but like ones that have had less success than the UFL than him, get all of these wonderful johnted these skips just like that my life here.
I gotta like, what did I do? But yeah, but you know it. They're Memphis.
Memphis did make some mistakes in this game, but Birmingham just felt like they never they never took advantage. It just it they just I don't this could This was probably an anomaly for for for Birmingham. But but yeah, you're right, and you gotta think skip Holtz is sitting there saying, look, look, you know, I'm just supposed to be the favorite. We're supposed to be the favorite. And this happens at home and and of course, you know, a lower crowd and people it's like, oh, well, there
are the thunderstorms in the area. It's like, okay, this is going to happen in spring and Alabama. How many times can we start using that excuse? Well, there were thunderstorms over this. I even said something about it one week. So enough, like you show up for this team and watched them win they've delivered you three championships.
Now I'll come and then I got a couple of you here. We'll get to that as well.
Crowds of Birmingham offenses by far the most inconsistent they've been the last four years.
Grid Iron Coasters, well, no question. And they've had quarterback issues too. It's like, you know, you had Kraal getting hurt and Magoo getting hurt, yet case cook is coming in call it yeah, but.
You're right, that is true.
And here with Joe Cuckis has cubedilias diehards wanted to prinees pretend he's Jesus. Well, that was a lot of their offense with him scrambled and getting blown up like he always does, Oh my god, like lay down, like just go, you know, I mean that was the fear of that. I mean, as as some of the had Jane Daniels, oh my god, he's gonna.
Run and get blow up. Cuckas is out there just getting.
The offensive line in Memphis last year was horrific. And that's why I was surprised number one that he came back, and number two it was Birmingham, and even there, I think it was in that broadcast that they said that when he talked to Skepolsi, He's like, listen, I you know you can come here. You're not going to start, but uh, it just felt like case Cooks could probably start for a lot of teams. Now, would he want to go to Houston? Probably not, but uh, yeah, but
you're right. I'm just kind of surprised that he came back.
Delius says, did you not know, John, when it rains in Birmingham, the people in their body mouths sugar.
Yeah.
I know we talked a lot about the Birmingham Attendants and all that, but yeah, I mean, I it's like, God, it's your ful.
I just don't. I don't.
I don't know some of these It's it's hard. Uh, it's I don't know. We talked all about this. I think the USFL did demonstrable and unrepaarable damage to some of these markets, and it's, uh, it's kind of confusing to me. King any comments on that. Let me see what King William pass here. No.
I think you're right.
I think there's gonna have to be some some tough conversations here after the season.
And maybe Birmingham is part of that.
Conversation, but obviously, yeah, Memphis and Houston there there's gonna have to be some talks. And you know, we talk a lot about expansion because you know what that that cranks it out and gets interest.
As it should because it's something new.
But I also think that you've got to shore up what's gonna happen with these other two teams, and and you know, maybe it's more of relocation than expansion in twenty twenty six.
Real quick.
And so the CFL announced last Monday sometime their new commissioner, what's his name, Stuart.
Johnson, right, And you know there had been.
Long i mean shoot for since Team nine and you know, since all the other teams and everything have come and the CFL has have people move and you know, like there was two rough riders.
For a while.
I'm afure you know more about the CFL history than I do. But he came out first off and said expansion was not a priority to him to get to ten teams at all, that he wanted to shore up, listen to the markets, talk to the teams, talk to the staff, talk to the you know a lot of that kind of stuff. But he said expansion was not anywhere near the top of the list for him. Obviously,
UFL is in a different many different things. But like, I think you need to come up a place of strength if you want to expand, and not if you looked at the CFL back in the eighties, you know they expanded to the US out of desperation. I think you want to expand, you know, look at the NFL, or we're expanding because we have all this to offer that oh my gosh.
We need franchise money or we need more. You know, we got to get people involved in this.
The Birmingham mad Dogs and the Baltimore Stables. Actually the Baltimore Stallions won a Great Cup so that that actually did work out for the US part, not so much for the Canadian part. But but yeah, you're right. I mean, you know you talked about this, and we've talked about this before with expansion, is you want to show signs of growth. But to do that, you, like you said, some of these weaker franchises and markets.
We got to figure this out.
A couple of just quick comments here, I don't want to do too deep dive on the attendance. Well, we'll finish the Stallions game here in the little move one. It's convenient thing for me. Cities where you're struggling, why don't you bring the Rock in? Well, I'll tell you right now, if you're coming out to WrestleMania, the Rock
is persona non grap right now. And I think people I think the rock stock is is at least in the realm of like we my mom, I would you know, my mom is like a casual, I would say, in the realm of people that follow the Rock and his trying to take over after WrestleMania and he wasn't there and then it was all my idea.
I didn't want to.
Like, rock Stock is very low right now. I think the UFL is probably better just utilizing Fox and ESPN talent to work on that right now. Greg Parks has said that a lot. I don't think the Rocks made a difference, and especially not right now.
Well, and I also wonder too, like if he's not involved right now, like is he going to be involved next year? Because you look at fifty percent of this league is owned by him, Danny Garcia and Redbird Capital, so they're they're part owners of fifty percent, Like is he going to drop? And you know, I don't know how they've split that up, you know, between themselves for that half. Uh, But yeah, I do. I do wonder about the future of the ownership in the whole league.
And then the last thing here, John Johnson.
There's always rumors of a buyer from MPIs the whole time, and it's never like this what And I'm not uh critiquing Mike Mitchell's reporting that, you know, the people that they were trying. I'm sure they have all these intentions to do whatever, but like it's in the pot. We've talked about this before. What are you buying with the Memphis show boats? Like what I mean, what is There's nothing, There's nothing to buy.
It's like the whole it's the whole system. It's like if you're you know, the idea for the USFL in twenty twenty two, and maybe this is for the UFL in twenty twenty five, was to franchise these out to owners. But what product you have right now there now if you're in Saint Louis, Yeah, maybe, but that's the outlier.
You can't keep that.
You can't keep comparing the entire league and trying to hang it on Saint Louis.
Okay, I just feel any other commentary now, let's move on. Anything else.
You have anything else with Birmingham, anything with that, we want to touch you before we get to.
The big you know, the big brawl. But anything else from this game.
Uh No, I mean I I think Birmingham they got to be kind of poised here for a bounce back because that this just felt like an anomaly. Some some Unburningham things happened in this game. So you know, we'll see how how they do bounce back from that.
Well, and like I think even on the broadcast, Oh so you know, it's a short week. I'm like, all these teams and you're busting and you're flying and you're on the sand, Like I don't I don't know if playing on Friday, yors. Yes, I'm sure obviously you know it makes the difference. But I think that sometimes with that, let's get to so this and then we'll talk the game and then we'll talk the virality of it afterwards. But Ballocks come out here and this was this was
a very high scoring game. This was a very contentious game. Max Duggan, it felt like just ran and ran and kept running and just would just run over people. I thought this was a tremendous game. I think people were saying the DC game might be game of the year. But for my money, I like this a lot.
What was your What was your?
I thought this was the best game of the season. I just think yeah.
And some people might look at Max Duggan's passing line there and say like, oh, that, you know, what was that? But if you didn't watch that game, I mean you really missed out because he started to do things and the announcers even made, you know, made the comment, this is the TCU Max Duggan, Like, this is what we saw. This is why he was a Heisman runner up. I had questions after he replaced Manny Wilkins after Wilkins went out with the achilles injury, which is just still that
just brutal. And he came in, he was a little bit shaky, he was under a lot of pressure pass rush. But then he comes out in this game against a very good Michigan team. I mean, there's no question Michigan is one of the classes of the of the USFL conference. And just what he did and what this Saint Louis BattleHawks team did and Michigan was going toe to toe.
I really hope that this Bryce Perkins needs to say the starting quarterback, not the starting not just the starting quarterback, but this two quarterback systems got to go because man, Bryce Perkins was the man. He just kept answering the bell and answering the bell. And honestly, I think what lost this game was Mike Nolan putting in Danny Ettley, who who dearly who did throw an interception and nearly
threw another one. So it's just but again, this was all Saint Louis like, this was this was some absolute you know, even breaking out the uh. I think it was like the you know, like kind of a half back pass. Uh, Hakeem Butler obviously makes this team, you know, one hundred percent better. Uh So I think that's what we really saw. We saw a full strength, confident team at home. And as you said, I mean, this was this, this was made for TV. This It's too bad this one wasn't at prime time.
I'm trying to pull up my next thing here. Sorry it was pan defession.
Uh no that uh and and I I hope ratings, you know, fall from this and top obviously going up against the Saturday.
I I I like, I.
Was looking at the standings here and obviously the BattleHawks won this game, but it felt to me like at some point the Panthers had one. I like the USFL Conference, like feeling like they matter a little bit.
I like some of these teams, you know. I like the Panthers being good even if though they lost. I like them looking like they have some momentum there. Same with the show.
But so that was kind of my takeaway at least, and that was, you know, the USFL Conference lost that one against the stallt or the BattleHawks Los Mallhawks, but I just liked them being relevant. I like Mike Nolan, he was good at the interview. I just there was a lot of this game to take away I.
Thought was good.
Uh and the broadcast takeaway from this other than you know, King Butler being a potty mouth, which was pretty funny.
That was I laughed hard on that one. King Kim is right.
But you know, with Mike Nolan on the headset well, although at the time Jacob Sailors was absolutely just ripping his defense, but he continued to talk to the announcers live Seneca Wallace when they were talking to him. As
you know, Max Duggan was making his drive. It's like watching film room, except it's live, and it's just I just to me that aspect of the game, if they can get these coaches to do these things, is a lot more valuable as a viewer to me than when they run over and try to you know, talk to a player who's just come off the field. I mean that stuff is fun too, but to me, that's valuables as a viewer to hear those coaches and tell you
what's going on. Or when they talk to the backup quarterback and he's starting to talk about, well, here's what we're going to do here, this is what he's looking for. I mean, it's like it that's like some football one oh one stuff.
I really enjoyed that.
I was just going to say that that is my favorite thing when they have the backup quarterback there, because not only is it like also you're trying to get to kind of get these players known, right, So maybe you do have two quarterbacks where they are seeing, you know, more equal time, but then maybe you have one where they're not seeing the field. And I think it's great. I think it gives them just yeah, far more usable than the like, yeah, destroying running off the field after
missing the field goal or whatever. What do you think about it? I texted you and Anthony and they were talking to Anthony they.
Gave up something. He's just like, he's like thanks, guys.
He was it was not going well at that time. But uh, yeah, no, I thought that was great. And it was interesting that what when Danny Etling went out after Bryce Perkins was absolutely on fire led him to a touchdown that you know, I think who They were talking to him to Bryce Perkins and it was kind of like, well, how do you feel? You know have you know, you just had this great drive, You're on fire. And he was completely political, you know, right down the
line about it, as he should be. But it's like you just got to control what you can control. You could tell he wasn't happy because he was.
The hot hand. And then Antling went in there and kind of blew it.
So, yeah, so what do you make so they lost?
Moving forward?
What do you make?
And then and then we'll talk through the Nicku stuff here, but what do you what do the Panthers do moving forwar? Because you said that they kind of gave the game away because of that decision.
I felt like that was the decision that that lost it for them, and I agree with my I mean, sometimes Nolan does make some questionable decisions. It's almost like, you know, we talked about this too. It's like in the NFL you can't run a two quarterback system. In the UFL, you can give them a little more leeway because there are a couple of things at play. There are trying to win games, and they are trying to get these guys better and then move to the next level.
But at some point when this happens, and you can't be stubborn and stick to that game plan. Now, Mike Nolan has coached and won a lot more games than I have, so but I just have to think that the Bryce Perkins, you know, or the the Danny Etling Bryce Perkins experiment, Like, no matter what happens, it's gonna be Bryce. Then then then Danny Etlin goes in. I think, to me, that's got to end.
Yeah, I they need to.
I mean, this goes back to everything, but they need to establish this league.
It's just winning and it's important.
I can't say like what we have to develop, or we have to do or we have to like as someone that you know watches a ton of hockey and we have a really great minor league team in Coachella like this and guy up when they're ready to go and play, you know, and you said, like as a propers, I mean I'm explaining how like you know, like pharmacystems were like how it should work, and I just can't
stand that. Yeah, ever, any idea of like, well we could have won and we couldn't have won, but yeah, we had to make sure we got an equal playing time were like, then that's what this league is, or it's not that I can't have game decisions we made on that.
Yeah, I agreed.
I mean it's at this point, especially now, you know, if you're Houston or Memphis, you know, like with Memphis, let's put in our third string guy and see what happens. We saw what happens. And I don't think the nation is talking about dress or wind, but we certainly are.
Yeah, bed transformed. So let's talk through.
Let's talk through a little Maddie, Marty Fresh here, let's talk to you. I wasn't clear really even when this was posted, Like I don't even know if like.
He recorded, It's like a screen. I don't know where this came from.
And yeah, I just saw this, but I don't know where it came from, right, correct?
So just.
I have made fun of a lot for like talking about your inalistic standards in here, but could you please next time you're gonna post a viral clip, take the two seconds like maybe he.
Recorded it, but I don't, I don't, I don't know.
I don't know what was Marty at the game, like I don't, I don't know it was in Saint Louis. I know he's anyway, you see it was Samson Nicola right, brother brother of here right right, obviously a known name engaging for you. He was the parents engaging with.
The Battahawks fan here.
Uh I'll have my thoughts and the mena but curious kind of your thoughts on this, John because this kind of went everywhere, and this seemed like it was one of the talking points coming out of the weekend.
Well, uh as Abdul said. Darryl Johnson said he wanted the viral moment.
He got it there.
But I will say, and some people were saying that he was trying to knock the guy's hat off. It doesn't matter like you you don't touch a fan. And I'm not saying it's right or wrong. I don't know what the fan said. I've heard different things, but like you're just nothing good come out of this. And so if I'm his teammate rather than over there laughing at the guy or saying something, I'm trying to take my teammate away and get him out of this situation. And
that's just I do wonder, you know, the UFL. Finally, I think there was so much attention on it, the UFL had to They had put out a statement said we're aware and we're investigating, which you know was kind of a non statement, but they had to at least acknowledge it. So I don't know what's going to happen with him. I was just really surprised when I saw when I saw this video.
Yeah, and also, please don't copyright Streika because I can't come two weeks hopefully.
But yeah, no, they put out and I have it here, which you fell dos to comment on a lot. So it's good to get a comment on it because they're a tight lip sometimes don't talk about further usage rights, but we will talk about our players knocking the fan let it go man. The UFL is aware of the incident that took place last evening at the conclusion of the Michigan Panthers Saint Lewis game, and Say Louis League officials are currently investigating in the manner. Two questions for you,
is Nikua gone? A and B If his last name was it Nikua and he is still there, would he be gone if his name wasn't it Nikuah?
That's a good question because if you've seen any of the headlines from this outside of our niche it's brother of Puka Nikua, you know, slap span or whatever. So this is not the kind of attention that they want because this is kind of bush league. Now, what Mike g is saying here in the comments is right, like what if it was family based or racial remarks?
I think every player has.
Now we did see you just saw that in baseball, right that the one forgive me? But is he with the Cap and the Nationals. One of the players I think has been dealing with some mental health issues talked about how he had contemplated suicide I believe in the past. A fan I think it was last weekend, yelled at him and then he engaged, and then I think the fan ended up I think getting a cause by security because it came out what he's so, Yes, there.
Are real, you know things happen, sure, but like what what Mike is saying here, I think every player has the right to deck a fan.
It's like also saying like.
You've got the right, You've got the right to say whatever you want, but you don't you don't have the right to avoid the consequences of what you say or what you do. Yeah, and I hope that wasn't the case. I just I mean, whatever happened, like, nothing good is going to come out of that. But again, you know, when when you look at it as a context of what someone said, like he was trying to like knock
the guy's hat off. Even still it was an open palm, you know, open hand slap to the face, and you know you can't rick James somebody in the stands just walk away and go to the locker room.
It was funny, I just said, maybe it wasn't funny. It made me think about the This happened in the CFL.
I think it was.
Four years ago and it was an Eastern semi final playoff game. And I think Toronto lost in Hamilton, and as the as the Hamilton Toronto have a very contentious relationship, and as our ghost players re leaving fans realited, I think a couple of Toronto's players jumped the gate, like onto the concourse they were. That was when John Murphy he was I don't think he was the GM, but he had another player personnel role there, like he got suspended. He said like it was a very big deal in
a fight. So these are definitely not the things you want to have coming out, especially the UFL. Like you said, it just looks bush league, especially on the weekend where like people were kind of joking about the UFL with Shadua Sanders. I wouldn't then want the UFL also made made fun of because of stuff like this.
Yeah, but to answer your question, do I think he's gone, I don't know. This is I don't know that we've really seen anything like this. I mean, we've seen somebody get pretty much cut from a team because they wanted pizza, But this is this is a whole different kind of story here.
Yeah, anything else from this game, We'll move on to the defenders.
Anything else from this.
No, it was awesome. I think that was just to me, that was Now, there were a lot of good games. To me, that was the best one, and the one we're getting ready to talk about I think was probably the second best.
Yeah, And I mean, just this is what happens, right, we have these games and then we spend ten minutes or whatever talking about these other things, like that's not what you want and obviously you can't write. But again, as I said off the top of the show, the St. Louis game felt like it had the highest stakes because the fans were like, there was just a lot of it had a division rivalry. They always say that in the NFL kind of feel to that.
Yeah, so we have the So this was the largest comeback in UFL history. So were they down like fifteen?
I think they were down fifteen.
Because I was like, yeah, was it two scores plus? Okay? What was whatever? The greatest comeback?
This was exciting, DC, you know, accomplished everything. I texted because Anthony Miller, one of their he tweeted out, so I can say, but like one of their family friends had shoes.
He had to help them with their house and so he wasn't at the game. I go of course, Anthony, and this is like the best game of the year before. Guy, what did you make of this one?
Uh? I think if you love passing, like this was the game. I mean, look at im. This was just insane, like Jordan Tomu throwing the ball forty six times. Now, I think we saw Matt Carrall throw forty nine times in one of the in one of the games earlier this year, and then Luis Perez doing Luis Perez things. I don't know what he was thinking on that last throw. I don't know if it was miscommunication or what. But the bottom line is like this was this was a
passing clinic, man. I mean, now they were doing some things on the ground, but I mean you look at those it was just this was just a really fun game to watch.
Well, it was kind of vintage, right, I mean it felt like I mean Tomu we we I think we've talked the last couple of weeks like is he kind of long for this world here? And it felt like he's kind of been around the block and you know, Louis and is it and we need to decide is he the king of Spring or is he the Spring King? Because I believe the book was called King of Spring.
I think it's no. I think the book is Spring King.
Well we need to pick one. What is pras this book? You don't even know, but I.
Think it's Spring King. I haven't. I think it's Spring King.
I'm going to look at it anyway, Justine, No, so he is the Spring King.
Yeah, he's the Spring King. I think that's what they're gonna hang. I always thought it was King of Spring. Was had a little bit more of a you know that flows a little better. But the bottomle I think what we saw we saw two there you go, the Spring King. Sure, but I think what we saw we saw two very uh you know, talented, but also, as
you pointed out, very experienced quarterbacks in here. It's kind of like being the I remember we had there was a minor league player here in Louisville, Corky Miller, who finally, you know, I think he's in coaching now, but he had he had set the record for like, however many minor league games and all this stuff. And I was like, does that you know that that's pretty cool you have the record.
He goes, well, it means that I'm old and I've never made into the major League.
But so but there is something too that you when you have that experience, and I think probably what both these quarterbacks do and I and Luis Perez I used to ask him about this during his Spring King book tour. It's like, you know, they help these younger quarterbacks and they can learn a lot from them. So uh, but to see those guys go at it to legends, I mean that was that?
Was it? The King of Spring Kings? I like that one we'll go with.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. Jiel said the King of Spring King.
I mean Triple H was the King of King, so you can you can be the King of Spring or the King of Spring King. But yes, said I like, Triple H is the King of Kings. But that was good.
It was it?
Oh, you know because the mirror that was I was trying to look up. The Mariners have a have a utility player right now light that as well that he has been you know, I think twelve or thirteen years kind of going through. But they talked through that, and like, uh, it means that I'm kind of ready for any situation and that I think there's a lot of intangible to go into that. Even when you get people like Louis Prez in the book, and then Mike Mitchell talking and
people making fun like, well what growth is? We like, Louis has played a long time and done really like it's okay to not disminish everything.
It's fine exactly. Yeah.
I mean he's got you know, great story, there's no question, and we've heard it a lot.
Now he's got a whole book.
Can I tell you the funniest thing?
So the you know, the draft is this weekend, and so, uh, first of all, my mother, who's a diehard football fan, has never watched the draft ever, so that was just an interesting thing of like so like do they have all the hats at their house or like, you know, just a lot of like like logistics questions. But then Dorothy goes, so what happens like if you don't get drafted?
And I go, amazingly enough, this football league exists to your husband this podcast for four years or other leagues like, but like Dorothy finally realized, She's.
Like, oh, I go, yeah, this is what I just thought.
It was kind of funny that like we all kind of came to this realization.
And in fact, if you were watching Sunday you might see some of these guys playing in the UFL.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, anything else. So I think who was it the new d C for Defenders. He was tweeting out like he didn't have as much gray hair when he came in. He's excited here DC, right, all the coaching turmoil and all that they're putting up points here, So like.
Yeah, what do you make of this?
To me?
This is very impressive having gone through everything DC has gone through.
Oh totally, and it's it's it's like kind of you've seen how they've adjusted. And I don't know that you can build a lot of culture in a franchise of the way that the UFL is laid out right now. But what you have seen, you know, from Shannon Harris, from from Blake Williams, is you know they were able to step in and and you know, keep keep it going.
And that is that says a lot. I think about the relationships that you have with each other and within that locker room, and you know, to have Fred Kayes obviously they're you know, still the offensive coordinator and doing good stuff too. I mean there's just continuity says a lot. And I think that's that was one of the things that we had an issue that we're starting that we're seeing with san Antonio, there was just there was too
much change too fast, especially you know, head coach. And then you've got a guy who was I believe Peyton Party may have started the season as like the special teams coach and now in week four he's the head coach. So those kinds of things are pretty hard to get over. You know, Memphis figured out a way, but man, I mean that's just team turmoil.
Uh, the other just and just I know we did the attendance, but like the Star contrasts and I've done We've done the kickoff, you know whatever. However many years they're in Choctaw two or three. You know, I took Dorothy there two games, like we've done not yet, like I've done just the Saturday game at chalk Taw or send it, you know whatever.
Like what is stark difference just in energy from.
Like this in the battle Hawks And obviously you know we're comparing poop to an apple, right, I mean you can't, you know, I mean it's like right, you know, the battle Hawks is that is the pinnacle of what we are trying to do, Right, and Jocksaw's working on that. But Lake, it's the stadium, it's the size, it's the configure.
I mean, it's just everything. It's just dead.
It's just the laziest like not the league. It's just the laziest feeling kind of like you're just kind of there hanging out in the sun.
It's a baseball stage, you know.
It feels like you're out of baseball stadium, kind of just hanging out.
I just I saw there was there was a one of the touchdowns and you could see it look like a father and son and they're sitting at this weird angle in the corner of the end zone and you kind of it's almost like they look at him like walk like run by and they're looking down. It's just it is such a weird layout. I'd love to go. I mean, all that said, I would love to go. And you know, check out the UFL all the headquarters there in the weight room that we've seen so much
about every halftime. It looks, uh it is. It's an interesting layout and it's too bad because that's the hub. You think that there would be some kind of you know, maybe a little boost of interest. But if this is the boost we're seeing. That's that's not great.
Yeah, well, Johnny, you don't like I always laughed too, But yeah, when you go to like a game like that and the two people have bought tickets, you go, you know, you can sit anywhere, right, like no one's I did laugh. We went to the last Mariner games at Oakland Coliseum and they were we had bought tickets up front because you can afford to do that at Colisseum, and people were checking our tickets and I go.
Really like, what are we like, what are we guardying here? Whether we in the stadium's you know, you're not playing here? Anything else? From this, We'll go to the blowout in Santoi anything else.
Yeah, No, I think we covered it. We covered it all there. This is Houston, San Antonio. That was that was something.
Well, ay, you know, I think you've I think that you're rubbing off a little bit, right. You had the CJ was that two weeks ago? They had the win, right, and they had the kissing and all that.
And now I did see that. I really thought I thought I had seen Hton's only win of the season. I was like, oh my god, I'm standing here, I've seen it. I saw it with my own eyes. And then they go to San Antonio and do this. Man, I mean roughnecks were doing it with defense, you know, Jaylen McClinton and that dude was he was balling and through this thing. And I don't understand it to me when he when Peyton Party put the hook on Kellen Mind, I'm like, I don't think this was all on Mind.
I know there were a lot of people who were, but it just felt like to me, he he had progressed, you know, week after week after week and just looked really good. And then they were fresh Brahmas were frustrated. Whatever Houston was doing was continued to front. It was chippy the whole game. You know, Houston didn't even punt until I think the late third quarter. Like that tells you, like how dominating that they were. And who would have
ever thought that. We would have said, you know, Houston dominated someone, but they did.
Well.
Here you go, Philip, Johnny, you have little faith pills Philips believe the whole way through. But here's the question, because this in the group shot is we were again I've watched all this today. We were at the MA and then my mother was over. But like the consensus for the gentleman in the group chat was, you know, Brahmas gave this game away or just played kind of awful more than like Houston really okay, they're kind of building momentum here.
How do you how do you view that?
No, Houston, Houston did everything that they needed to do talent wise, as someone pointed out, Yeah, I mean see that's the problem here, CJ is they seems like they win and you know in spite of him, like he he really did, Like what what was it that Jaylen mcclindon wasn't doing, Not not taking anything away from from Nolan Henderson, but like you know, Anthony Anthony Brown didn't he was he like the starting quarterback to start to
start the season. It was just like I don't understand what they were seeing in practice that they didn't see, like Jaylen mc clinton is the guy that you know, that's who we need in there, or but it's I don't take anything away from Houston in this game. They absolutely dominated san Antonio, and san Antonio frustrated and they and they just san Antonio. It wasn't like they lost the game. Houston won this game flat out, but I mean, I was shocked we didn't.
I was in Vegas when the all the way Phillips stuff came out right and we believe you know, stepping down and probably health related an age and all of that.
I tweet, you know, I said, well.
This isn't a good look just because this is another head coach and all this.
Do you view anything of that?
And and and we obviously the AJ Smith and everything we've there's been a lot of turmoil, especially with the bron Defenders and Brahmas. Really feels like a lot for that way. But I don't know, like where did the Brahmas go from here? Just kind of general thoughts because he hadn't touched on that.
Yeah, I don't.
To me, I don't know that they recover from this. You beat DC and you look good doing it, and then you come home and you have that kind of game. It's just really hard for me to see how this team bounces back from that. In fact, when they were zero and three, I had San Antonio still I still had them third in uh in my power rankings, because I thought they were that good. It just wasn't coming out on you know, they weren't on the right side
of the score column. But after that I put them, I put them dead last this week in my power rankings because I just don't think that they have it now. I mean, I probably shouldn't judge them like, oh they were they were great last week and then they were terrible this week, and that's what they are. But to me, I just don't see them bouncing back from this, especially in that conference.
It's just it's an interesting team to track, just from the XFL and then obviously with all the Hines Wards stuff and then with the rough Necks for the gamble Necks and okay, and the Brahmas kind of become the rough Necks, and then we had all this stuff now with AJ Smith and that consternation and uh kind of dating back to the championship game and Chase Carl like uh, you know, not that the UFL has a long history here, but you really can kind of track this downfall the
Brahmas over, you know, starting at the championship kind of all this.
It's just weird because they especially as.
The rough Knacks in the movie over like there was so much oh my god, you got a J Smith and silver as the way filled all this like oh, they're gonna drive, and it just they really the carts come off, and it's this is a team that went to the championship last year and that's you know, like you said, and then it was just so much change and it just, yeah, it felt like I don't know what if it was behind the scenes, what was going on, but it just felt like, you know, stumbling out of
the gate like that and trying to figure out, you know, killing mom was still figuring out the offense, and I kept saying, I think, like, I think he can be an all UFL quarterback. And I don't think that he should have gotten the hook for Jared Guarantano.
I mean, I don't. I did not understand that move at all.
Oh, and I was just looking if Silver's is back with the BattleHawks, right, it's like the third singer. I just was trying to kind of remind myself. I knew that I remember seeing that he got picked up again, and obviously with the injuries and all that, so you know, I mean, we're still there's.
Remnants of the Brahmas still around.
But last thoughts here and then we'll kind of do a recapping out any other thoughts on the rough next year a Philip is saying, or a duel saying Houston could be five hundred next week, and then at Philip saying, you know, that's the beauty of the league. Anyone can be there with So is this a one off? Is Houston what are we doing here?
Well?
I thought, well, now the win against Memphis. Memphis lost that game. Houston didn't win that. I mean it just you know, they got the W. But like Memphis just shot themselves in the foot and c J was blowing kisses to the crowd.
That's a much improved team, man.
I mean it's hard for me to say that. If that team with Jaylen McClendon continued to perform that way and that defense continuing to perform that way, now that might be a lot to ask, you know, that much consistency when you've had such a kind of a terrible start. And again, I have a lot of questions about that coaching staff. I don't think it's a one off. So I'm kind of you know, Houston was the least interesting team in the world to me, and now it's like, okay,
this is kind of interesting. And someone, as you said something that you pointed out that someone both pointed out, anybody can be anybody in this league, and now you've got to do it, like you have to do it now.
Dynamic Gaming Houston attendance up this week now, No, seriously, So anyway, so we got five minutes off, let's look at this standing, so we'll recap, we'll get out of here. But wait, I agree with what you said about that, you know, the rough necks and being interesting. That's how I feel about Memphis now too, like the like, yeah, I just I want to I don't like and this is what people don't get and it doesn't this is
like the biggest first world problem in the world. But like, I don't have a ton of weekend time to watch these games. And so then when like I turn on and it's Arlington and Memphis and they're putting up six points or whatever like that, it kills my excitement for all of this. And I know that, you know, I'm just the one I'll like. It's just hard. So I like being able when I turn on my TV, the fact that like, wow, like something interesting might happen here, this would be cool.
Well, I'm a sicko and I watched Like if I don't watch it, watch them live. I will watch like.
Every minute on on DVR. My wife just sends me to the basement on Sundays for the doubleheaders. So yeah, I mean I get that, but it is it is. It is fun to see interesting teams, interesting stories. It's what we always talked about that is the strength of this league or this the interesting stories of the players certainly and the coaches.
But when they start to.
Play, like the three games we saw and and what Houston you know, did on the field as well, like this is good football. And if you would have told me two weeks ago that Houston's gonna be playing good football, I would say there's no way. But things start to come together, and this is the time for it to come together. I think what we saw, these offenses have now caught up with the defenses because they're playing together, and frankly, these quarterbacks or something.
There you go, Philip, here we're on the same page. Here.
The offenses are starting to catch up with the defenses because you know, they they're getting in a groove now and they have seen over the first five weeks what works, what doesn't, what are people's strengths. And for Houston, I'm hopefully that that coaching staff has said like, oh, maybe our strength is is Jaylen McClinton.
Uh, yeah, you Philip here, I put that up in my here. I was loving TJ blowing kisses to the fore.
But I'll stand though.
I mean I was kind of looking here because it's like do I do I drump?
Do I dump the Brahmas?
I mean that's my team, I kind of you know, but it's like not even the same team anymore. There's like knowing there I might just have to be like a dresser Win guy, Like I'm just I'm just a guy.
I just I just track guys.
Now, maybe I can't track teams because all my teams fall apart.
Well, I mean there are worse quarterbacks to get on the dresser Win. I mean what like that was just that was a great performance and you know, and then his demeanor through the whole thing that was that was pretty fun.
Yeah. Uh the last thing.
Everyone a couple of things and then we'll do Leon Reed is a band waking Absolutely for stuff like that, absolutely, uh you know, mariners and cracking and command like yes, but for spring football absolutely, absolutely, even the CFL. I bounced around until I found my home. Now I have my home, but we did all that. Leon says, it is interesting they're not listing the X and L, e U s USFL standings online.
Yeah.
I liked that because I like, you know, I just made more people yell at me and stuff.
So that was kind of fun to do that.
That's what you want.
But anyway, so DC, with everything top of the XFL division here, your biggest comeback in history obviously would be high on the power rankings there if I was submitted all that stuff you know, ready gets here.
What do you make of it?
The big picture, halfway through the season, before we get out, I.
Think we're starting to see teams, even the even the teams that lost in Week five, you're still seeing some of these teams rise to the top, like with D for instance. I mean, DC, there's no question they were number one of my power rankings this week. Although when you say, like, oh, well fifteen, yeah that you know it's the biggest comeback. You know, possession is still nine. It was less than two possessions.
But it was still.
Don't take anything away because Renegades their defense is so much improved from last year. So I like, to me, it just feels like the XFL is going to be so much fun to watch because you have those three top teams there who you know very well. You could take any of those three and say they're going to be in the UFL Championship. There's two right there that you take and say, like and it's probably you know again,
how do you bet against Skip Holtz? Like you even with that losing to Memphis at home, which was just such a shock, You don't take anything away from him and you don't bet against him.
Just in speaking of the the you know the whatever. Oh it's the one score lead or the two score leader that always kills me and you get in a lot in the spring football, but even in the NFL, like where a team han't done anything all game, and that's my biggest announcer, pet Peeve is like, oh, you know, if they scored and went for the two points and then got the off side to them, like.
They haven't done anything all game.
They're not scoring twenty two points here in the last three minutes like.
Comes like some kind of tech mobile comeback in the fourth quarter.
Yeah, but no, I think this is a I mean positive note to leave on.
I feel decent.
We'll see where the rest of the TV rates go. It's a tough weekend, I mean the draft. This goes back to why I would do the February start. This time of year, people are out, We're out, like it's to me, and it really exemplified, like this weekend of just how much stuff we had in the February start you have to do. It's impossible to pull in a casual audience when springtime hits.
Agreed, And I would almost be willing to say start your season the week before the super Bowl, when you've got the whole weekend to yourself. You could still I'm gonna lay this out. I got to figure this out. But I honestly think like you could do that. You could start in late January or early February or however that you know it would lay out for the super Bowl, and you could have a spring league that gets eyeballs and surround it even even during super Bowl when that
is what the world's attention is on. I just I really think that you could do that and do this in February and get these guys in the right cycle to get into the NFL, you know, mini camps and all that.
I agree one hundred percent you're getting a lot of be a big fans agree all out in here because to me too, and you know, I would look at it as how I was just in in Vegas for WrestleMania.
Look at it that way.
Every other everyone else that's involved in wrestling goes where the ww egos right for wrestling any weekend. It's the same with the NFL. And maybe you can you know, I don't. Can you get a high school stadium nearby or college stadium and do a one off kind of Hey, it's a it's an exit your year. You're's marking at me now?
No, No, I like it.
Should we do a preseason expedition whatever, exhibition I can't even tell about exhibition game whatever.
But plus then you know, I think mid April is the is the ideal out And then you know, and then you're in the draft cycle, and then you're in all of this stuff, and then then if you aren't in the championship game, you're out a couple of weeks earlier, and you can, like, it just makes so much more sense to kill.
Fox wants that when they.
Need their TV programming, right, I think that's why they want to do all this and that's why they're so fervent about, like, well, this is when we need the programming, so this is we're going to do it. But for the players involved, I think it's impossible to argue. And we heard that with with agents and everything too. They prefer the ex schedule.
Yeah, it just makes sense.
And you to start in February. And people say, well, there's football burnout. I don't think that's the case because by the time you're getting to the playoffs, most of the league has been and a lot of our teams have been eliminated, and then it's you know, two less, four less, and then you know you're not getting burnout.
You're getting fewer games and fewer And man, if you started Pro Bowl weekend and you put a game as like instead of six hours of feature stories and nonsense on Fox or whatever, and you had it, it doesn't
matter where the Super Bowl is. If you're having Super Bowl get togethers and somebody's like, we'll put on the UFL game that kicked off at noon and we'll be over by three people might actually sit and you know, or at least stand around and you know, drink a few cold ones and eat s nachos, and say this is interesting.
So I just there's opportunity there.
Yeah, I don't.
I do not watch like from uh once you know, the Commander's lost to the Eagles right in the NFC Championship, and then I watched the recaps the next day, and then I didn't watch sports till the Super Bowl because you're done, like yeah, this whole Oh there's all this burnout. Like no, there's not, because you're like you said, you're only watching six games or whatever that last month. Anyway, Like it's not, it's not. It doesn't feel that way.
So I and they're talking like if the NFL went like you can figure that out spoiler alert, I'd rather overlap on a Friday Saturday Pro Bowl weekend or whatever. I then play against the NFL drafts and all this other crap they got to go against.
I don't know. I think that's a longer discussion for another day. We'll get out of here.
But I think that that's the key the February has always been, and however you want to overlay that is.
Hopefully that the UFL continues to learn with what's going on this season.
For sure, Well thanks to everyone like and subscribe John's got a code with Royal Retros JLS Sports.
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Like the video. We'll figure out next week. I'm going out of town to watch a.
Couple of Mariner games in Sacramento wherever they're playing now where I don't even know where they.
Are, Sacramento, the Athletics.
I'm seeing the Mariners play the Athletics. But maybe we'll do a preview.
I don't know. We'll see.
Maybe we'll be off, maybe we'll do a preview show. But we'll figure it out. John, I appreciate it. Everyone give a thumbs up.
And hey, we're good. Positive. We're positive to that it finally happened. There you go. We'll see you guys next