NFL in London

National Football League in London

xfl

CFXL

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One of the main side effects of COVID-19 is the loss of smell.
This is particularly worrying for football fans, who are unable to smell what ‘The Rock is Cooking.’
In this case, it’s a burnt melange of the XFL and the CFL.
The potential marriage is now dead, after the XFL announced it would not be moving ahead with merger plans.
The CFXL is dead.

Cracks in the Foundation

The coming together of the XFL and CFL was a lofty exercise to begin with.
Firstly there is the obvious lack of a league for the XFL, they went bankrupt, sold all off of their stuff, then the Rock and his VC firms swooped in to grab the bits and bobs left over.
The XFL isn’t really bringing anything to the table except The Rock, who won’t be playing in any games.
The CFL however has an actual league, with stadiums, team names, and a fan base going back over 100 years.
The CFL doesn’t need the XFL.
Canadians have long been pestered by Americans to the south ‘showing us how it’s done’, so negotiations would have stalled on any ‘demands’, as they really had no position to stand on.

1 Down

Even if the CFL and XFL did merge, what rules would they play?
The CFL is a 3 down game, with a wider and longer field than the NFL, would American fans accept such football treachery?
Canadian football has struggled on American TV, and these ‘new rules’ (even though they are older than the NFL) are a bugaboo for US fans.
The whole ‘how do we play’ would have been an obvious issue that pitted America vs Canada.
The XFL wants to be a feeder league for the NFL and tap into its heat, whereas the CFL is like a honey-badger, and they don’t care about nothing.

Teams

The CFL has The Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Winnipeg Bluebombers, and the Hamilton Tiger Cats.
The XFL has teams in Seattle, Houston, St. Louis, New York, LA & Tampa Bay. You know who else has teams in those cities? Everyone!
While the Canadian cities don’t exude a sense of sporting legacy, these teams are older than loads of actual leagues, and boast fans that are willing to come out in even the coldest conditions.
Competing with not only the NFL, but the NBA, MLB, MLS, NHL, and even new sports like e-Gaming and cornhole in major cities is a logistical and scheduling nightmare.
The CFL already has its identity, supporters and Canadian-ness, no American business is going to threaten that.

Finding Identity

The XFL really needs to define what it is, and when it will be played to forge ahead.
Loads of new leagues are lining up to take pot shots at the NFL, but none have ever really threatened the king’s dominance.
Sure, The Rock is the biggest movie star in the world right now, but that’s not enough to put bums in seats week after week.
Fans do want more football during the offseason, but not the kind of crap that has been peddled out the past few years.
Releasing a league to be able to ‘tinker’ with it in progress only hurts the league and the fans, and stymies any chance of future leagues developing.

The CFL will keep rolling on.
Ratings in Canada are enough to keep the lights on, and solidify its status as ‘Canada’s league to watch just before the NFL starts.’

The XFL however has one last shot before it joins the monorail as a foolish endeavour.
Dwayne Johnson is going to need put a lot of energy (and money) into it if he wants to see results.
The XFL might be positive about their future, but after this deal fell apart, it’s tough to see how they will be able to go it alone without a massive commitment NO MATTER WHAT.
Does The Rock have the mettle?

Breaking! NFC East Sold

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This just in, the NFC East has been sold to the XFL for a McRib sandwich and a picture of Archie Manning in a speedo inside sources confirm.
The sale represents part of the XFL’s rebuilding plans to recycle some of the garbage from the NFL and repurpose it into something more useful.

According to XFL’s new owner Dwayne ‘The Rock’ ‘Mr Instagram’ ‘All Killer-No Filler’ Johnson, the purchase is part of a new global plan to take the worst things on the planet, and turn them into the best.
He plans on dissembling the NFC East and breaking into smaller, more digestible parts, for easier consumption.
Whatever is left of this will me made into a birthday gift for Kevin Hart.

As for the gap left by the sale of the NFC East, the NFL has announced it already has plans for the empty space as a result of the transaction.
NFL head honcho Roger Goodell confirmed that the league is already in discussion with the Harlem Globetrotters to be retrained as NFL players, despite them having an average age of 46 years old.
‘Retraining is the new training’ Goodell said in a press conference held from his guest bathroom on Saturday, ‘these guys are athletes and sports are for sport people who sport’ he added while delivering his statements while still on the toilet.
He apologised later for the setting of the press conference saying ‘Arby’s is still a no go for me, and when you add an edible you find in your glove compartment…well, you know what happens…am I right fellas’?

All NFC players left in the lurch by the sale have been offered Target gift cards, and dates with whatever Kardashian is single.

 

Extended Quarantine Podcast

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The world is in need, and only the NFL can save us.
Ok, a bit dramatic-but that’s how many of us sports fans feel during this bereft period of no sport.

Wade & Ryan safe distance this podcast as they talk about all things corona & NFL.
They break down loads of stories, forecasts, projections, and generally just talk crap for a half-hour. (good crap though).

Some of the stories the guys touch on in this episode:

XFL is Dead

We hardly knew ye. Despite a healthy looking start, the XFL is a now dead league as the creditors circle the McMahon family home. Several suitors are thought to want to buy the league, but is it too late? If the WWE is considered an ‘essential service’, surely the XFL could have tried to claim that too?

San Fran is Lucky

A leading scientist claimed that if the 49ers had won the SuperBowl, then there might have been a huge corona spike in the area due to the parades and gatherings. Kansas City doesn’t have a massive outbreak, so not sure the logic here.

The Browns

A new uniform, and maybe a new attitude? How are the Browns going to overcome a hyped up season that fell apart quicker than a pair of underwear you have been wearing since the virus began. What do they need to do to make their team successful?

Gronk

Gronk smash. Gronk win belt. Gronk like CBD. What about the rumours he would suckle up to TB12 again in Tampa for a repeat of their Boston success? Gronk is doing fine, everyone wants to be like him,

NFL Win Projections

The folks at William Hill have made their predictions for NFL wins next year, and some of the results might surprise you. The guys look at all of the predictions and see how realistic they are.

We will be doing some more content on the draft throughout the week, listen laugh subscribe.
Stay safe, sane and keep the faith for the 2020 season.

XFL is Dead

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Ding Dong the McMahon dream is dead.
Corona has claimed another sports victim, and this time it was the XFL.

The XFL was thought to be a much bigger and improved version of the AAF and was actually starting to see some uptick in viewership and fanbase, but like any sport in this new world, the weight was too much.

There was quite a bit of pomp and ceremony as the league was announced, and the TV rating rivalled that of NBA games. Like any sport in the first year, you are defined by how the season is reflected upon, and this was just a brutal end to a ceremonial start.

Much like Vince McMahon himself, the game was loud, brash, and admired by middle class America.
With shots of fans using beer luges with their cups, or the viscera trash-talking on the field, and scantily clad cheerleaders drew fans in after an exciting NFL season.

As corona spread across the USA, it was too risky to keep showing the games, and eventually chapter 11 caught up with the the league. It is dead, done and dusted.
Not even The Undertaker is willing to be associated with it now.

Vince and his family were able to convince Florida legislators that the WWE was an ‘essential service’, you wonder if her tried that with Trump as well.

Farewell XFL, we barely knew you.