New league aiming to speed up the game
On Sunday, the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams played the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever. New England’s 13-3 win spanned 3½ hours, leaving fans wanting more offense.
The Alliance of American Football promises something different. The new league, which opens when the San Antonio Commanders host the San Diego Fleet at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Alamodome, has rules designed to streamline games and facilitate offense.
“It’s a different world now,” Alliance of American Football head of business operations Tom Veit said. “People move a lot faster. People don’t have three or four hours for a game. They want to see things continually move.”
The goal is to play games in 2½ hours — about 30 minutes shorter than the NFL average. The AAF will use a 13-minute halftime, 3minute breaks between quarters and 1-minute stoppages after punts, PATs and timeouts.
Kickoffs have been eliminated entirely. Instead, teams will start on offense from their own 25-yard line after an opponent’s score or at the beginning of a half.
“We tried to engineer the rules in a way that would make the game fun for the audience but also safer for the players,” AAF CEO and co-founder Charlie Ebersol said. “We got rid of the kickoff because it’s the least popular play among fans, but also the most dangerous play.”
The Alliance play clock will run 35 seconds vs. the NFL’s 40.
“On a consumer basis, being (on) a shorter time frame helps attention,” Commanders president Vic Gregovits said. “Games are going to be action-packed and very, very fast-paced.”
Defenses can rush no more than five players on a given play, defensive backs are not allowed to blitz, and adjacent linebackers are not allowed to rush at the same time.
“In the modern era, you have to have offense,” Ebersol said. “And you have to have offense in a way that feels organic to the game and safer, but also, people want to see touchdowns.”
Alliance co-founder and head of football Bill Polian he met with AAF coaches Mike Singletary, Tim Lewis and Steve Spurrier to argue the specifics of the rules. The defensive coaches weren’t happy with the outcome, Polian joked, but it’s expected to be in the best interest of player safety.
“There was no way we could allow people to blitz freely and have offensive lines protect after 30 practices and one preseason game,” Polian said. “We had to put limits on that. And that’s fine. There’s no problem with that. It’s entertaining football. I spent 20 years on the NFL competition committee, and our charge was always, ‘If you had a choice between offense and defense, lean offense.’ That’s what fans want.”
Commanders coach Mike Riley said the change won’t have much impact on his offensive approach.
“You really have to be sound in your protection regardless,” Riley said. “You don’t know which five that always is. You still have to cover all your bases.”
The Alliance eliminated the traditional extra-point kick, mandating that teams attempt a twopoint conversion after a touchdown. Riley said the Commanders have spent a lot of time practicing goal-line situations for that reason and also because of the league’s overtime rules.
If a game is tied at the end of regulation, each team will have one possession starting at the opponent’s 10-yard line. No field goals are allowed, and games can end in a tie.
With kickoffs out, onside kicks are replaced by onside conversions. In the final five minutes of regulation, or if a team is trailing by 17 points or more, an onside conversion can be tried after a score. The offense takes the field in a fourthand-12 situation from its own 28yard line. If the team converts a first down, the drive continues.
“The most interesting impact is the kickoff, or lack thereof,” Riley said. “That’s just interesting, but that’s probably what people will notice the most.”
To prevent situations like the controversial missed pass interference call that helped the Rams beat the New Orleans Saints in the NFC championship game, the Alliance is putting an extra official in the press box to instantly overturn officiating errors.
Ebersol said the addition is meant to make sure the AAF “wouldn’t have egregious plays determine the outcome of the entire season.”
Polian said the official’s primary function will be catching fouls related to player safety.
“He has the ability inside five minutes of the second half to call (defensive pass interference) if he sees it,” Polian said. “I think there will be far less of that than people think, and more of the safety issues, which is really what we want.”