There is one thing you will always get me to agree with which is that there is always more room for football. Not saying there isn't a lot of football games, but they all happen at the same time. That's why I've been such a supporter of the XFL, USFL, AAF, and other leagues that try to add more football into the year. Unfortunately, the NFL holds a Monopoly over American Football and any attempts at new leagues end up failing almost right from the start. Ratings usually start dropping and the leagues just don't make the income to support their organization and players. NFL fans already have their favorite teams and seem to giving any more attention to another sports club, which can be disappointing for some players who just haven't developed enough in college or those who want a second chance to play. How could we make this happen? NFL Minor League Football.
Why try to fight it, when you can join it? The NFL and it's teams have the money, facilities, and fans to make this happen; so why not? I'm not even talking a game every week. Imagine just once every two weeks have your rookies, practice squad members, free agents, or whomever is looking for a chance to compete and play some football on a competitive level before training camp or the regular season starts. You could just make the season June through July for all I care, I just think it would be a cool way to watch some football. Hell, you could even replace the whole pre-season and just do this instead (maybe).
I'm not talking using established NFL team names and mascots either, I'm saying they should establish affiliate teams directly correlated with an established franchise. Imagine a team like The Miami Dolphins; lets say they draft a 5th round Corner Back from a FCS school and want to see how he will transition from college to the Pro level. So after you draft him, you could sign him under the stipulation that he will have to be a member of the Miami Flippers (great name) until training camp begins. That way the coaches can see how he matches up to seasoned NFL practice squad players, other rookies, and undrafted players. At the same time, you broadcast and even sell tickets to all these games so fans can watch their Franchise's future prospects or maybe even some practice squad fan favorites earn their spot in the league. We do it with The MLB, why not the NFL?
The players in the league don't have to be temporary either. Maybe you have some guys that just can't quite cut it at the top level so they just bounce around the minors until they're ready to call it a career. It's too late now, but imagine how great Tim Tebow could have been in this league instead of playing minor league baseball? I honestly could name five or more Rookie Quarterbacks this year that could have benefitted from getting some minor league snaps before taking over a Franchise as a whole.
List of what I believe could possibly be great NFL-AAA team names:
-New England (Musketeers)
-Atlanta (Firebirds)
-New York (Cyclops/Warthogs)
-Buffalo (Oakleys)
-Detroit (Ligers)
-San Francisco (Gold)
-Seattle (Seagulls)
-LA (Kids/Thunder)
-Las Vegas (Gamblers)
-Arizona (Sand)
-Dallas (Lone Stars)
-Denver (Stampede)
-Houston (Republics)
-New Orleans (Prayer)
-Pittsburg (Metal)
-Philadelphia (Birds)
-Chicago (Sun Bears)
-Green Bay (Fudge Packers)
-Cleveland (Orange)
-Cincinnati (Stripes)
-Minnesota (Pillagers)
-Washington (Minor League Football Team)
-Tampa Bay (Skippers)
-Carolina (Cats)
-Kansas City (Corporals)
-Baltimore (Crows)
-Miami (Flippers)
-Indianapolis (Horse Shoes)
-Jacksonville (Fangs)
-Tennessee (Oilers)
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