That was a great summary!
For ease of reference, cross-linked within the following was my recommendation for reform of the dynamic kickoff that no doubt would increase the number of returns via the same point for kickoffs on the 30-yard line.
And I would add another twist - so long as the kicker does not step out of bounds before the kick, he can kickoff from any point on the 30-yard line, just like in the old school rules.
Good morning everybody.
Oh well it’s slightly early, but because I will be engaged with the Masters when I am not at work before the game on Friday night at 8PM on Fox like always for the UFL since 2024, I am going to put up the Week 3 game thread this morning.
Now as it is Week 3, it will be interesting to see how the rosters are shuffled in particular on offense for those teams that are underperforming on offense.
And Dr. Goalposts @BetweenTheGoalposts is definitely toiling all the more in his lab nowadays between games to shuffle up that deck of specialists, but I have received verified reports that he’s already banished some of them from his lab with the use of even kicking force.
Judge him as some of you will, /looks slowly around room, gridiron specialist research is not always squeaky clean and somebody has to get down and dirty!
Alright, phew, I’m glad that’s over for the day, onto your show and may it go well for you and see you here in the game thread if not before at the Masters thread.
If Tyler Vaughns and Austin Reed aren’t in an NFL camp this summer it’ll be a travesty. Those 2 looked like they were playing pitch and catch all night. Perhaps this generations Tommy Maddox 2.0
Without Mike Mitchell ratings news is going to be slow and possibly nonexistent, at least with the NFLN games. Week 2 blowout on Fox was up marginally against the women’s tournament with 653k viewers up from 649k last week. ESPN laid a dud directly competing against BOTH mens finals Saturday night with 293k viewers. Head to head against the Final 4 has traditionally drew 225-275k so its a small victory. I doubt we’ll see the NFLN numbers go public and I expect to see FS1 Tuesday show up in tomorrow or Fridays ratings report. If it draws 300k+ that would be decent.
This week theres 3 network games and a 12pm kickoff Saturday in DC where yours truly will be attending, live on ESPN. Rumor has it DC will be announced as championship hosts during halftime. You heard it here first ladies and gents.
Repole putting his money where his mouth is. First expansion team announced for 2028.
It sounds like maybe that the strategy is essentially to expand into underserved smaller markets, which are chiefly with no NFL team anywhere nearby?
Or will there also be a return to Michigan in 2028 anyway? I don’t see any return to San Antonio in the cards, and of course Memphis was late burnt toast for spring football and is hopefully gone forever, no offense to Jim Nantz.
Note interestingly that Orlando will host the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 2027 season. Repole lives in the Orlando area.
Let’s also note that the UFL has yet to expand west, and I’m thinking that the 10th team will still not be farther west so as to continue to keep travel costs lower than they were for the XFL 2.0 in 2020 and XFL 3.5 in 2023.
As for the bullshit about 16 teams whenever, well that’s great fodder for the fanboys 
who eat that crap up of course. Repole is wise to keeping feeding them as much bullshit that they will continue to chomp!
The article mentions to go to 16 teams by 2025. Much more realistic than 32 by 2030 from what I read earlier
OKC should fit well in the footprint. Looking forward to see where #10 will be.
More realistic than an outlandish 32 teams, sure. Realistic now? Nope, but they can dream.
It’s only Week 3, and the product is weaker than anticipated, but we shall see what the league delivers by May this season.
I’m not expecting anything great this weekend given the annual conflicts for viewer attention.
I’d look forward to the updates in the chart by @BetweenTheGoalposts , even though we won’t have the ratings from the NFL Network.
Of course no doubt the league can also use the NFL Network to hide any future bottom-crawling ratings, including to perhaps move games from ESPN or ESPN2 to hide the inevitable embarrassment.
This is not at all a new method used by big media that is used to pad their stats for any given rights for live coverage of sports.
The 32 teams was pure hyperbole taken out of context. Honestly I’d stop at 12 teams, 14 tops but it isn’t my money.
I think this weekend we see the Birmingham-St louis tilt top 1M on ABC with the precursor game pulling 750-800k. DC-Houston should clear 500k with an early 12pm start Saturday. The actual on-field product is nearly as strong as it was in 2020. With Henderson, Reed, Taamu, and Plummer at QB, this is the strongest crop of starting quarterbacks we’ve seen.
For the sake of people who didn’t read the article, it mentions 2035. No need to get the Doc involved at this point.
As predicted, ratings on a dogs#it network turn out to be dogs#it. 156k for Tuesday night on FS1
The “Holy Heel-Toe Rule” on catches in the UFL is as follows, as I can best understand it.
This is a good rule for one foot minimum in bounds for a catch.
Basically when you make a catch, no portion of any foot can touch the line or be otherwise out of bounds during your catch. One entire foot, aka “The Holy Heel-Toe,” has to be in bounds when making the catch, and of course the other foot cannot already be out of play anyway before the catch (illegal participation penalty can apply).
Of course you can scrape your toes with one foot on a catch before taking a step FORWARD or sideways out of bounds, and that would be a catch, but you cannot touch your toes inbounds on one foot and then fall on your heel or foot otherwise on the line when making the catch.
UFL Overtime SUCKS
Fix this too Repole!
There is so much to sort out that is not a quick-fix and well before all that expansion talk.
Early 2026 UFL Market Review
So far, the jury is out on Louisville.
Orlando will stay around if only because Repole lives there and he has his butt on the scale for them.
Columbus is looking shaky already, as has been Houston.
Birmingham is a small charity case, or the league would have left it behind.
And well Dallas has all the pieces and resources, but so far, it does not look like local attendance will hold up.
St. Louis and DC seem to remain as the most healthy markets that will have staying power so long as there is spring football.
Lousiville looks fine and mostly sold-out am 11.5k seat stadium yesterday. Id argue that Columbus is a slightly stronger market however. DC. St Louis and Birmingham are solid. Orlando is building up steam and Dallas has something special but an absolute horrible home schedule. Houston is the new Memphis and likely a lost cause
Yea but that was a brutal ending. If I spent 3+ hours standing in the rain cheering for the team only for it to come down to losing from the refs and being 0-3 I wouldnt be coming back
