GCn20

That is exactly what it is. The NFL will let them toss around their illusions of a relationship in exchange for them testing out some rules and giving more coaches a place to get better. No cash, no support otherwise. There is no player sharing, and no money changing hands. The only thing this deal benefits is the NFL and that is why they are allowing it. If the XFL comes hat in hand to the NFL they will have the door slammed in their face. Wrong time of year, and too bad of a history for failure for US sports fans to even give these leagues a fighting chance.

NFL officials are not NFL owners and partnering on developing officials and testing rules is a FAR cry from a player development league. Not even in the same stratosphere. They don't have a developmental partnership with the XFL as far as players go. You made the comparison to NFL Europe which was an NFL funded player development league that was actually even profitable, and the NFL still shut it down because they felt it was a waste of time. The XFL is NOT a developmental league for the NFL no matter how much they claim to be. They have an agreement in place for the XFL to be a testing ground for them and a breeding ground for coaches. Nothing more. That isn't worth a wooden nickel to the NFL.

I'm not moving the goal posts one inch. The discussion was would the NFL keep any of these leagues alive so that they could have a developmental league. I stated that NFL ownership has already said no chance they would fund a league, and NFLPA has stated no chance they would allow the transfer of players to such a league. Show me where I moved the goal post? You came into the conversation talking about XFL testing rules and turf and being buddy buddy with the NFL....that was YOUR effort to move the goal posts because that wasn't the discussion at all. Even the XFL has stated they will never be a player developmental league.

Pffft...he's been a member of Riderfans for a couple years now, compared to the bias over there we are like Switzerland in comparison.

That's great, but that is a far cry from them being a player developmental league and providing financial support of any kind. I think you guys are confused at to what the conversation was about originally. I was responding to the idea that the NFL would float money to these leagues to keep them alive so that they have a player developmental type league. I have no doubt that the NFL would use any league willing to be their guinea pigs on stuff like rule changes, football leather types etc. but that is not even remotely the same thing as being a fully funded developmental league. The XFL gets some credibility by having the NFL endorse it's existance but that's as much as they will gain from this. The road to profitablity and sustainability is solely on XFL/USFL ownership to generate enough revenue to exist, and that is something that historically has never happened for a spring league. Through most of the US, fishing season, golfing, baseball, and other outdoor activities begin right at the time this league begins. It's a hurdle no spring league has ever come close to clearing and there is absolutely zero reason to believe The Rock or anyone else will make it happen now.

He would do well to learn.

The NFL owners have unequivocally stated that they don't see a need for a developmental league. The NFLPA has unequivocally stated that they will NOT support the transfer of players between the NFL and any other league. Not sure what you are basing your opinion on? Owners and NFLPA have already weighed in on this, and it's a big fat NO.

In fairness to DT, when you are working the booth with neanderthals like Mullinder, it is probably a good idea to just keep talking stats instead of letting the baboon next to you have air time. He won't have that problem if Doug Brown is back, he is a great color guy.

Welcome aboard DT. Look forward to hearing your broadcasts.

Hunter Biden took more money from Russia than the 2 million donated to the British Conservative party. This is deeply concerning that politicos of ALL stripes seem to be in Russia's pocket.

Not true but not false either, they have not been historically interested enough in these leagues to make them financially viable. That is a fact. Attendance in every incarnation of the spring leagues has been abysmal and TV ratings poor. Could some of these leagues build themselves into viability eventually, maybe, but it would take billionaire ownership of each franchise to do it because it would take years to even get to a break even point and would hemmorhage money before that. It's a business model that just doesn't work in it's market. Proven time and time again.

He's been chipping away at this for 20 years now. He is getting old and impatient now but this was always his plan.

Sure that is what Putin wants, and that is a very serious miscalculation on his part. As for NATO, let's not pretend the USA doesn't wear the pants there. I don't want NATO to fight, I want them to supply the fight. Theoretically, I doubt he does. He's crazy but he's also smart enough to know that they would be nuked back to the stone age as well. If we were to invade Russia maybe he would, but he would not risk losing all of Russia over the Ukraine.

Jerry Jones said that NFL owners feel that the NCAA is the greatest feeder league in the world and it would be wasted money for NFL owners to pay for one. This is when he was directly asked if NFL owners had any interest in propping up the AAF. That was 3 years ago. I can't possibly see what would have changed their mind from then to now. He even stated that there are more than enough NFL ready prospects coming out of the NCAA and that development after college is a waste of time as the majority of players only have a 5 or 6 year window out of college. He stated that is why the NFL expanded their PRs and PR eligibility and that NFL teams develop players far better this way than in a different league. I do not foresee an instance where the NFL provides any meaningful financial assistance to the USFL or XFL, and I see no chance of either being financially viable on their own. Dobson signed a contract that is highly unlikely to be valid or in place after it's first season. Every time one of these fly by night rinky dink spring leagues pop up the CFL writers predict doom and gloom, and every time they fold and hundreds of players are out there looking for work.

Escalating it? To what exactly. It's war and it's time people wake up and see that. Putin has escalated this and will continue to do so. Nip it in the bud now or he will have his iron curtain back before we grow the onions to do something about it. Sanctions are a good first step, but the time for military support is now....right now. Putin does not care. He is Nero fiddling on the roof. This is his last chance to realize his dream of regaining the USSR and he won't stop.

Well aware of Kaliningrad. Just don't see it as a bigger problem than what Russia is doing right now. Invasion is invasion and no free passes should be handed out to this nut bar.

I expect them and the rest of NATO to do like they have all over the middle East when it was in turmoil, and provide military support to Ukraine. Not troops, or a declaration of war, per se but NATO should be shipping all weapon tech, munitions, training support etc just like they did against Iraq, Iran, Syria etc.

Biden is a no show on Putin right now, as far as I can tell he is part of the Russian bootlicking problem. Putin won't stop until he is stopped. How many countries have to fall before that happens will depend on when the world finally decides to treat him like the power mad dictator that he is. Why is Poland and Lithuania a bigger problem than Ukraine? Any invasion, including this current one, is a massive world problem. This is a country being invaded for the simple reason that they wanted to join the EU and NATO. The G7's and NATO allies response to this so far is absolutely sickening and cowardly.

Sure the spring leagues are appealing, just as the AAF and XFL were appealing, but they are also financially unstable to put it lightly. They can have deals worked out with the NFL on trivial matters of importance and even market themselves as an NFL feeder league just like the AAF and XFL 2019 did but without deep pockets and NFL financial support their chances of success are remote. At this point the NFL owners are pretty much unanimously against funding, or even financial support, of any of these leagues. Will the NFL use them if it doesn't cost them anything? Sure they will but that is about as far as these relationships will go. When the USFL and XFL are inevitably bleeding red ink the NFL will simply whistle past the graveyard of defunct spring leagues and tip their hat.

For sure. Walters saves a bit and gets a bit of SMS relief from the 6 game every year to make in season moves if he needs to do so. Probably every GM does really. Yea...I guess there is always the possibility that Desjarlais becomes available sooner rather than later. Also, I'm pretty sure he had 85-90k set aside for Dobson as well.

Their season ends when ours starts. At most he misses this season before he signs a CFL deal for more money. Also, there is no working deal between the USFL and CFL preventing us from signing Dobson even after this season. If I were a betting man, I would think he is going to play spring league in the hopes it gets him an NFL look and if that fails he will be with the Bombers in early July, The NFL is on record, numerous times over the past several years, saying just the opposite. They have stated they have no interest in a developmental league at all. In fact the XFL approached them towards the end of their run asking for NFL support to be turned into a developmental league and the NFL said no thank you.

Nor should he come for less than that. However 150-160 is very doable imo. It's not that massive of a salary for a 1 or 2 receiver and certainly isn't anywhere near Lawler money.

Mmmm....Nanaimo bars....coconut, nuts and wafer with a layer of custard and chocolate on top. I guess they are like a drug.

I've heard a couple of Taylor's games with the RIders and he did a very good job of PXP. A little over the top in praise of the RIders but that is what the job description demanded. I look forward to him being able to call a game and offering his honest insight, and I am sure he does too. Crazy that he left the football mecca of Regina to come here, as Riderfans are convinced their CFL PXP guy is a top 3 sportscasting job in Canada.

Duke was an overpay. He is not nearly as good as Lawler.