Jerimiah Spicer is the sports equivalent of DC’s Shazam. A lifelong orphan who was abandoned as a child, he grew up without a mother and father, and lost his grandmother as well. He was forced at a very young age to face this world all alone. Somehow, Jerimiah Spicer made his way from being homeless in Downtown LA, to skid row, to foster and group homes, and then somehow, some way, magically making his way onto a football field. Sometimes the true inspirations in life do not come from the desired destination but from the journey itself. Jerimiah Spicer’s story is an inspiration already because of his journey, more so than where the dream eventually takes him. Jerimiah’s dream is to one day be playing pro football. The football field to him has always been his one true home.

It all started out as a nightmare. Jerimiah Spicer has had to do everything the hard way. It’s been a struggle every step of the way. Spicer attended eight different high schools. Football was his salvation, but his road has had many potholes along the way. No four year college programs for him. The 6’1″ 240-pound linebacker made his way onto Riverside City College, before transferring to Bethesda University. The struggle to survive and find a purpose in his life continued for Jerimiah, as he never saw the field for Bethesda. Undrafted and unsigned after his college days ended, things looked as bleak as ever.

Thousands of college football players from good programs don’t make the NFL every year, let alone someone who has the limited playing background that Spicer had. Finally, he was able to be drafted by “Major League Football,” a fledgling upstart league that failed to launch. Jerimiah finally caught a break in 2018 and ended up playing and starring in the American Arena League with the Cape Fear Heroes. Spicer led the league in tackles and was all first team. NFL teams took notice and Spicer landed tryouts with a few NFL teams, the Chargers, Browns, Rams, Bucs, among others. Just getting to that point from where he started is magical in, and of itself.

Pro football prospect Jerimiah Spicer is the shining example of where social media can be a positive. In this day and age, there are so many college and pro football hopefuls that get overlooked and fade away into darkness. Spicer has put on his social media shoulder pads and has been playing hard from sunrise to sunrise, just to get his name out there and to realize his dream. Players from rough upbringings like Jerimiah Spicer have a hard time getting ahead and getting noticed. There are thousands of pro and college football hopefuls that simply do not have the support to get a break.

Players like Jerimiah Spicer and others have to make their own breaks and end up using the tools of social media for self promotion. It’s a long shot for most, but sometimes lightning strikes and you get lucky. Take Oakland Raiders first round running back Josh Jacobs as an example. Jacobs spent his high school years without a home and spent time sleeping in the backseat of his father’s car. A zero star recruit, Jacobs sent college football programs his game films from high school, and Alabama, of all places, took a chance on him.   If it wasn’t for Jacobs persistence, he wouldn’t have made it. He promoted himself as hard as he could,  and with a whole lot of talent, a boat load of drive and some luck, Jacobs is now in the NFL, getting ready to be a feature back for one of the most historic franchises in all of sports, the Oakland Raiders.

Despite having an agent, Jerimiah Spicer has been his own best advocate. With the XFL exclusively inviting close to 900 players at eight different player showcases. Jerimiah Spicer wasn’t one of the original invites. It didn’t slow him down. When XFL Los Angeles Team President Heather Brooks Karatz had a meet and greet with the fans a few months back. Jerimiah Spicer showed up and made his presence and support known. Within days, he had received an invite to the LA showcase. With the XFL showcases now over. Hundreds of pro football hopefuls are sitting on the sidelines waiting to see if they will be getting league contracts from the XFL. Jerimiah Spicer and his story has been featured by the XFL on social media in recent weeks. His story, drive and persistence has made everyone take notice.

I caught up with Spicer and was able to ask him some questions about his future. As he patiently waits to see if he will signed by the XFL, and added to their pool for the league’s upcoming draft in October.

Has the XFL been in touch with you or your agent since you worked out for them at The LA Summer Showcase?

Yes, the XFL has been in contact and I ‘ve been hearing that every coach in the league likes me & wants to see what I got to bring to the table just like the rest of the world. XFL did a small documentary on my life story. The XFL has been nothing but good to me. President Heather Karatz & Coach Moss showed instant love and told me it won’t be handed to me . I still got to put in that work. Just be myself and everything will workout.

Did you ever find out or ask what your test numbers at the LA Showcase were?

No, I never asked my test numbers . I really didn’t care because they don’t make me. I just do them because I have to. Those tests don’t show my instincts or the adversity I went through in life , nor my heart nor my tackling ability. Only I can beat myself in a game. The man who makes the least amount of mistakes and plays through 4 quarters relentlessly wins . It’s an attitude you have to have. I went through hell in life , can’t nothing stop me.

From your experience at The LA Showcase, How would you compare it to the NFL workouts you have received in the past?

XFL showcase was pretty much like an NFL COMBINE . 40s , 3 cone , Shuttle , broad jumps , more cone drills , then 7 on 7 and one on ones . It was very busy with over 100 athletes . That’s my first Real Combine with the XFL. I never got invited to the NFL COMBINE but I watched them all. I was at NFL facilities , and with the Chargers ,we only did Position drills it was 4 or 5 Linebackers . We didn’t run 40s or Shuttle etc,  they wanted to see if you can move Side to side , front to back and how fast can you get to the ball . Play recognition instincts and locating the ball stuff like that.

Were you able to spend some time with any of XFL LA’s coaching staff? Like Defensive Coordinator and Multiple Time Super Bowl Champion Pepper Johnson?

Yes , talked to Coach Pepper Johnson . He is a very serious person, you better be listening and not talking when he is speaking. I watched a lot of film on him before I met him so when he spoke, I knew a lot of what he was saying , when he was speaking from his experience. I have a lot to prove to the coaches cause I’m basically a NOBODY who was persistent enough to survive the storm. It still ain’t coast as clear but I see the Sun peeking through.

Speaking of former great NFL players like Pepper Johnson. Who are some of your favorite players either watching as a fan, or are there any players that you have modeled your game after?

I play like Junior Seau , Derrick Thomas, Thomas Davis , Ray Lewis and  Luke Kuechly.  I’m a ball hawk . I find the ball and get there,  and when I get there , I get there with a bad attitude.

Who would you consider the best teammate you ever played with and the best player you ever played against?

My best Teammate ever was ZAIRE ANDERSON Linebacker , Active with Denver Broncos. We played at Riverside City College together in California . Derron Smith Safety Active with the Minnesota Vikings, we played at Banning high school together in California. Best Player I played against was Kenjon Barner . Active Running back for the Atlanta Falcons it was BANNING HIGH VS Notre Dame high school in Riverside California. That was my first time playing against a Legit Running back ,that was smart,  he would take one step instead of juking then going. It was one step go.

How would you describe yourself as a player?

I’m the hungriest dog a team can get.  I also live life with my fans.  I’m a game changer that can change a game at a moments notice. I have positive contagious energy that can help win games and fans. 

You’ve done a lot of motivational speaking and a lot of self promotion. Using social media as a tool to promote yourself and your story. Have you ever considered being a counselor or mentor in your post playing career?

I do motivational speaking ,spoke to over 25,000 kids , I train kids. I did my FIRST ANNUAL SPICE IT UP Skills Camp it was a success. Motivational speaking is something I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make it a Profession one day. Yes I will go back to foster homes , group homes and juvenile halls. To Homeless streets and speak wisdom to the ones coming up.  So I’m ready for the challenge.

Thank you to Jerimiah Spicer for his time. He’s certainly been ready for all the challenges he has faced in his life. The truth is that those challenges weren’t ready for someone like him.

As the old saying goes, You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. The return of the XFL is flying against the face of that. The revival of this brand is one of the most improbable and unlikely in all of sports and entertainment.

A reboot is common, but it’s usually reserved for properties that have had some sort of initial success. While the original XFL made an impact and changed the way all football is broadcast and viewed today, there’s no denying that the original XFL was a flop. The branding played a part in it,  as did the quality of football,  which was rushed and poorly executed. It wasn’t just the substance of the league that failed,  the overall presentation of what it stood for, did as well.

The original XFL was NBC’s direct broadcasting replacement for the NFL, and the league bragged as if it was going to be better than the now 100 year old NFL.  In hindsight, that expectation level was absurd for what was a first year startup league. The league was thrust into weekly prime-time network television and was asked to come close to duplicating  what the NFL and other established sports leagues were already doing. The hype and marketing did just that for one week, but the quality of the product wasn’t ready for prime-time initially and it died on arrival for most of the viewing public.

In most cases with reboots, a once popular entity is updated for the modern era. The brand name of these reboots have name value, so producers think they can recapture old magic with these brands or maybe even make it better. The idea is bringing back classics for a whole new generation that may not be familiar with them, and take an old trusted formula and make it new again. It doesn’t always work out,  and here’s hoping that nearly perfect classics like Back to The Future, Scarface, Goodfellas or The Godfather never ever get the reboot treatment.

The XFL is the opposite of the traditional reboot. It may still borrow the method of innovation like the original XFL 1.0 had, but the idea is to get it right this time. Despite the football world and it’s players needing a second pro football league, outside of diehard football fans who love this concept, no one was clamoring for the return of the XFL. The 2020 version is supposed to be the complete opposite of the original. It’s supposed to be structured and presented in a more traditional and updated fashion, with the sole emphasis being football.

As we edge closer to the reveal of the XFL’s eight team identities. This is where the new impression of the league itself is shaped. The XFL has made all the right moves thus far in methodically building up their league brick by brick. The football hires have been a reflection of that. The front office hires for the league and the individual teams have been outstanding. The process of testing game rules and broadcast technologies with ABC, Fox and ESPN has been a measured one.   The latest phase of testing with The Spring League in California was just completed.  The XFL’s eight talent showcases were executed and organized so well by the league’s football operations department. The XFL  has full insurance and coverage for all of it’s players and a health advisory committee headed by famed Doctor Julian Bailes.  So far so good, but the team identities hold the key to helping change the league’s perception.

Look no further than social media for what people think of the XFL brand when it comes to team identities. If any pro or college sports team debuts a new look, the go to criticism of any new concept is that it “looks like an XFL team.” When the New York Jets debuted their new uniforms this past spring, this was one of the knocks against their new look. The XFL hasn’t had any new team names or uniforms since 2001. That’s 18 years ago, and yet any perceived failure at branding is still associated to them. If a uniform or logo is panned as being ugly or second rate, it is instantly pegged as an XFL concept.

There is great pressure on the current XFL brain trust to get the team branding right. Their eight team identities will still face criticism even if there are no offensive team names. Team branding is very subjective, so there will always be people opposed to, or who are critical of a team name, but the XFL will face harsher criticism than most due to it’s history. It’s all because of the negative reputation and perception attached to their original league.

The original XFL team names and logos flew against the face of traditional sports teams. It was a group mostly of anti-establishment brands that were purposely positioned as being against political correctness. Some people may expect the current XFL to adopt their original branding and go the “Meth Gators” route. With that being stated, while most of XFL 1.0’s brands were certainly out there, the Las Vegas Outlaws was a great brand with the perfect combination of colors, logo and uniforms. The league would do just fine if they can recapture the perfection of that brand. Lost in the fact that “He Hate Me” was written on the back of the jersey, was how good those jerseys actually looked.

Secondary football leagues have always been about redemption, but it’s usually been stories for the players mostly.  The overwhelming story arc of how no one else gave these players a chance, these leagues are usually about former high round draft picks trying to redeem themselves and resurrect their careers.  It’s also about the forgotten college football all stars who never got a chance to shine in the pros.   The stories then extend to the overlooked virtual unknowns who want to prove themselves worthy of being pro-football players.

Secondary pro-football leagues from the past, like the USFL, XFL and NFL Europe, have been a proving ground for the likes of Sam Mills, Tommy Maddox, Kurt Warner and many others. XFL 2020 will have those stories and then some, but what makes the current XFL different is that the league itself is sharing with the players the same exact story of redemption. The proving ground is not just for the players but for the league itself.

Outside of the actual founder and funder of the XFL in Vince McMahon, and a few assistant coaches who actually played in the original league, the 2020 version of the XFL has a whole new set of executives and coaches attached to the league. Even with a brand new cast, the league is still fighting the battles that the original XFL lost. The biggest battle is in how the overall league is viewed, treated and perceived. It’s a brand new league with a brand new vision trying to erase the mistakes of the old league’s branding.

The process leading into February 8th 2020, when the league premieres on ABC and Fox, will play a big part in changing the overall outlook of the league. Despite being a startup league, the XFL will have a short leash with the public. They have to make the right moves now in order to present a quality product right out the gate. These next six months will dictate how well the league’s second first impression goes. The league is giving itself a second chance.  There won’t be a third.

The biggest question surrounding the XFL, is will the league be able to survive and thrive in the long run, when so many other football leagues haven’t? A lot of that will hinge on what transpires from now until the start of it’s season in February.

In 2017, unbeknownst to many, a team of employees were hired in preparation for the relaunch of the XFL, before any announcement could be made of the XFL’s return. Vince McMahon needed to work extremely hard to secure risk insurance for his players and the league. Without it, the league wouldn’t be able to proceed. McMahon succeeded by obtaining the services of two of the countries leading sports risk and insurance companies in, The Berkley Group, as well as The Fairly Group. For over two decades, Berkley has insured more pro sports leagues, teams, and professional athletes than any other U.S. insurer. The Fairly group is also an industry leader in the field of risk consulting and management. It was this very action that helped Vince McMahon make his sales pitch to Oliver Luck, to become the CEO and Commissioner of the XFL. This showed Luck, how serious Vince McMahon was.

The first seeds planted in the growth of the XFL was a proactive plan to have the league prepared for adversity, something  most startup business don’t take account of in their early stages. Ninety percent of all startups fail, and they almost all fail in their first year, because they do not effectively factor in all the challenges and pitfalls that are guaranteed to come their way. Start-up companies need to be able to cover all their bases, have proper planning, and be resilient enough to recover from all the blows.

One need not look any further than what happened to the Alliance of American Football. Any business, particularly a start-up business, needs to have contingency plans for the challenges and problems that will inevitably come their way. The Alliance’s plan A was a disaster, and Plan B was an equal catastrophe. The glitch wasn’t in the payroll system, but in the entire plan. While the league presented a good front to the public, the AAF was dead on arrival. Its just that no one knew it publicly. Everything went wrong before the season even started. It makes most wonder how could the AAF could not have seen this coming, and why weren’t they prepared for all the adversity. There’s a reason for that. The concept of a football league has always been fun to imagine and plan, but not as fun once it is realized and set in motion.

Right now, the XFL is in the fun part of league building. Cities and stadiums have been announced, the coaching staffs and front offices are being put together. A TV deal has been announced with two of the very best sports networks, ABC and Fox. The XFL has actually started it’s first run of league events, by working out prospective players in all eight of their markets. They are testing innovative game rules and in-game technologies with the Spring League and their broadcast partners. Team identities will be revealed, players will be signed, teams will draft those players, and then off to training camp and eventually the season.

For all the fun in building a football league from scratch entails, the XFL is going to face many challenges in the lead up to year one. The league is going to have its fair share of doubters and naysayers. Everyone associated with the league needs to embody their founder and have thick skin. Start-ups tend to fail when there is the lack of a dedicated team, and when there is fear of being responsible or being blamed for failure.

Read any article or commentary about the XFL and you will see the same old arguments. The biggest being, whether there is really a market for another pro football league. The question is valid, but has been beaten to death. There are two areas where there really should be very little concern. The first is what ails most startups, a lack of financing. As documented, that’s not an issue with the XFL. The other area, that can be argued is the talent level of the players. This is where I depart from popular opinion. There’s no question in my mind, that there is so much football talent out there in 2019, that a second pro football league is necessary. This is really a result of the quality and evolution of college football programs. There are so many good football players out there,that can’t be fit into just one league.

There are some key areas where I do feel that the XFL will face difficulties. Of course, the big concerns down the road  are attendance, ratings and profitability. How well the leagues does in those areas may be determined by what transpires in the lead up to the February launch. These are what I consider the potential pitfalls of the league leading into year one.

TEAM NAMES/BRANDING

I wouldn’t classify this as an extinction level event, but it has the potential to make or break the league. You could argue that this is the most important and the most difficult decision that the league will make. The XFL can’t afford to get this wrong. The people out there, who have a negative perception of the XFL, expect the team names to reflect the in your face style of the original league. There are people out there who expect the teams to be called the “Dallas Dirtbags” or the “Seattle Psychos.” Those same people probably think that ABC is going to hire OJ Simpson to call the games.

XFL 2020 is certainly not going in that direction. But poor branding could kill the league before it gets off and running. Great branding can really be a difference maker, in not only how the league is viewed, but in how popular the league becomes. Once the names are revealed there’s no going back. How well the names and logos are received will go a long way towards having the league build fan bases in all eight of their markets.

FIRST IMPRESSION

It can be argued that the most important time period for the entire league will be in the months of November and December. For all the talk of how much time the league has in preparing for kickoff in February on ABC and Fox, the area where things will really need to be amped up is teams forming and practicing together in the fall. The XFL’s team rosters won’t be in place until Mid-October. Players are expected to be signed during the summer, and then more predominately after NFL cuts in September. This will be followed by the league’s drafting process. There will be close to 700 players signed and then drafted by the league’s teams. The talent will be there, but the most crucial element towards the league achieving a high quality of play is the time that the league’s eight teams have together in preparing for the season.

All indications thus far are that the fall practices for the XFL’s eight teams will be sort of similar to OTA’s. This will all lead into a league wide training camp, January in Houston. Roughly ninety percent of the XFL’s rules are supposed to follow the NFL, but there are areas of difference. Specifically when it comes to a faster 25 second play clock, a potential all 11 communication system, and some other rule tweaks, like the 3-point conversion, the new kickoffs, among other elements.

The eight teams in the XFL need to spend as much time as possible working together in order for the league to present quality football. It takes time for players and coaches to gel with one another. Everyone in a new league is new to another. This doesn’t only extend to the football teams. Prep time will also be needed for the officiating and broadcast teams. There will be several innovations introduced in those areas as well. You want all these elements to go off without a hitch.

The league can’t afford to struggle early on, with what is presented on the field. As is always the case, with new leagues, there will be a curiosity factor in the early going. If the league struggles early on to work out the kinks, they may lose potential viewers who are not impressed with what should be a ready made product come week one. Lack of preparation and planning could hurt all aspects of the teams and ultimately the league’s potential for success and growth.

KEEPING COACHES

One of the things that can disrupt the quality of a football team is losing players to injury. The quality of a team suffers as a result. The same can be said for coaches. Losing quality coaches can hurt a football team, especially if you are very close to the start of your season. The XFL is in a unique spot on the football calendar. As the league prepares to play it’s season in February of 2020, the 2019 NFL and College football seasons start winding down. Late December/January is firing and hiring season for NFL teams and NCAA programs.

As the XFL began the process of hiring coaches in February, they benefited from the fact that most coaching positions in the NFL and NCAA had been filled. So they didn’t have to compete for coaches services with NFL or NCAA teams.

While the XFL has language in player contracts that prevents them from going to the NFL once they are drafted in October (according to agents that were spoken to, on the condition of anonymity), there is no such language in the league’s coaching contracts.

The AAF ran into this issue last winter. Atlanta Legends Head Coach Brad Childress, stepped down right before the Alliance’s season started. He ended up taking a position on the Bears offensive staff. Michael Vick, the Legends coordinator, walked away from the job. Vick’s replacement, Rich Bartel, abruptly resigned two days before the teams opener. San Diego Fleet Offensive Coordinator Jon Kitna, left before the AAF season started to become the QB coach for the Dallas Cowboys. Cadillac Williams left the Birmingham Iron for Auburn. Hal Mumme, the current XFL Dallas offensive coordinator, resigned his position as the offensive coordinator of The Memphis Express, after only two weeks on the job.

Now, in the case of some of the AAF coaches, like Mumme and Vick, some left without a job in waiting. Brad Childress took a while before taking a senior position with Chicago under Matt Nagy. Some AAF coaches saw the writing on the wall and jumped ship. So it was more about the league showing bad warning signs, than better opportunities being presented.

However, what’s to stop an NFL team, from reaching out to Bob Stoops before the XFL season begins. Stoops may not be interested in coaching an NFL team in the fall come the 2020 season, because of family considerations, but if the Cowboys have a poor season in 2019 Jerry Jones might be tempted to make a play for Big Game Bob. It’s a mini doomsday scenario that most XFL supporters do not want to even consider.

There may very well be some XFL assistants that receive offers from NFL and college teams before the XFL season starts in February. It comes with the territory, but it would hurt the league if they were to lose any quality coaches, so close to the season starting. There needs to be contingency plans, in case any of the teams do lose coaches.

FINAL SUMMARY

When it comes to the history of football leagues like the USFL, UFL and NFL Europe, the question of “Where did it all go wrong?” usually has several answers to it. In the case of the AAF and the original XFL, the answer usually leads to the period before their seasons even started. If the current XFL truly plans to learn from the mistakes of the AAF, and their very own past, then, unlike the Alliance, the XFL has to be prepared for the difficulties and pitfalls that await them. If they are, they will make it to year two and beyond.

The drive starts for a young quarterback, who is trying to score big. The sweltering heat in Texas is upon him. His blood is boiling, nerves are jumping and his heart is racing at an all-time high. He’s been waiting for this opportunity his whole life. This might be his last chance to finally prove himself…. then all of a sudden, the drive comes to an abrupt halt. His car breaks down on his way to TDECU Stadium in Houston.

With time running out on the clock, the young quarterback is forced to call an audible. His car engine has overheated. It’s time to abandon the game plan, call roadside assistance, and immediately head to the stadium on foot. He makes it just in time to check in, and hit the field to showcase his ability.

This is the story of Grambling State Quarterback De’Vante Kincade, the former 4-star recruit out of Skyline High School in Dallas. De’Vante was invited to the XFL’s first showcase in Dallas on Friday. With six quarterbacks at the showcase, Kincade was told that the Showcase was full, and was asked to return to another Showcase, taking place the next day in Houston.

From day one, it’s been that kind of journey for De’Vante Kincade. He has had so many twists and turns, that it’s no surprise his car would break down on the way to this moment. As a 4-star recruit, Kincade was recruited heavily by several schools coming out of High School. One of the coaches that recruited him was current XFL Houston Head Coach June Jones. Kincade was offered a scholarship by Jones and SMU. De’Vante and June would cross paths one more time before Kincade ended up throwing passes at TDECU on Saturday morning. More on that in a bit… Out of high school, De’Vante would end up signing with Ole Miss. He never got the opportunity to lead that program. He ended up mostly on the sidelines for three years. Kincade then transferred to Grambling State, where he ended up being the two-time Offensive Player of the year in the SWAC. In two seasons as a starting quarterback, Kincade led the Tigers to a 22-2 record, including a 16-0 mark in conference play. Kincade won two straight SWAC championships, and won a national championship. De’Vante amassed 5,297 yards through the air with 54 touchdowns to just eight interceptions.

After the 2017 Collegiate season ended, Kincade hoped that his last two years would earn him a shot at being a pro quarterback. He was anxious to prove himself as a quarterback, and didn’t want to switch positions. Measuring in at only 5’11 and 198 pounds. Kincade ended up not being selected in the 2018 NFL Draft. He did however, receive a post draft workout with his hometown Dallas Cowboys, but again nothing panned out. Looking for an opportunity and anywhere to prove himself, Kincade signed with the Maine Mammoths of the National Arena League in May of last year. De’Vante ended up not playing a single game for them. Two months later, up north in Canada, less than a week after the Hamilton Tiger-Cats traded Johnny Manziel to the Montreal Alouettes. Kincade was brought in to work out for then Hamilton Head Coach June Jones. Kincade ended up impressing enough to sign a contract with the Tiger-Cats. He would end up on the Ticats practice squad for the 2018 season. There were quality QB’s ahead of him that had already earned their spots on the roster, like former Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli, who has become a star in Canada. There wasn’t an opportunity for De’Vante to get on the field. This past May, Kincade was released by Hamilton. Once again, being sent back to square one. The XFL came calling with an invite. One in which, he almost missed out on twice.

Kincade and the other 799 players that participate in the XFL’s Summer Showcases, are an example of why everyone who loves football, should be rooting for the XFL to succeed. There is no guarantee that De’Vante earns himself a contract, but there’s no question that his heart and drive are good enough for one.

The XFL opened up their doors officially this past week to football players, with two Showcases taking place in the heart of Dallas and Houston. The league began its first phase of working out and potentially signing players. All the players that participated in these showcase workouts have unique stories.

There’s former NFL Running Back Christine Michael, a 5-star recruit, former Walter Payton award winner coming out of high school and then bounced around the NFL, making only nine starts, and only carried the ball 254 times in the pros for 1,080 yards and seven touchdowns. There’s 25 year old rookie, the undrafted BYU Quarterback Tanner Mangum. A 4-star recruit who shined when given the chance, but who ultimately ended up splitting time at QB with the likes of, Saints jack of all trades Taysom Hill. There’s also former Air Force Wide Receiver Jalen Rowell. The 6’3 220 pound wideout led the nation in yards per catch. On his way to being drafted into the NFL, his draft eligibility was denied, and Rowell had to finish two years of service before being able to play pro football now. There are also former high end NFL draft picks like Kony Ealy. There are so many unique stories and players that took part, and that will take part in the XFL’s Showcases.

Making an NFL roster is extremely difficult. As documented here in the past, a recent NCAA study showed that only 1.6 percent of all college football players make the NFL. There are thousands of draft eligible players every year that do not get to continue on their pro careers in the states. A simplified look at an NFL roster composition can be seen like this: Every team has 22 starters, 11 on offense and 11 on defense. If you factor in 22 backups to those starters. That brings you to 44 players. You then add three starting specialists per team, a kicker, punter and a long snapper. The total is now 47. That leaves only six spots remaining. All NFL teams carry more than just two running backs, usually four or five. All NFL teams carry more than just four receivers, it can be as many as seven or even eight. This extends to the defensive side as well. Most teams carry more than ten defensive backs. So teams mix and match, doing a little give and take at certain positions to get to their final 53. In what has become a growing roster trend in the NFL, some teams will carry only two quarterbacks, just so that they can fill out their rosters. Sometimes a player, who doesn’t have front line starter ability, will make a roster based on the roles that they fill on special teams. This will come at the expense of players who can be starters, but that don’t fill specific roles as backups or on special teams. A fifth WR has to be able to either bring value as a returner or on special teams coverage, or he will not make the team. There’s no reason to even dress the player if he doesn’t bring game day value. Veterans lose jobs every year in the NFL, at the rate of a few hundred every year. Why? It’s simple. 300 to 400 new rookies make the league every year, and take their spots. The average NFL career is four years. Two reasons for that, one is injuries, the other is that a good number of NFL players don’t see their second or third contracts. Players are constantly being replaced. They come into the league at 21 or 22 years old and by the time, they are in their late 20’s. They are out. The rosters are constantly turning over every year. A lot of quality college players are not getting into the league, and a lot of quality players that did make it into the league, don’t end up lasting long.

The XFL’s goal, as stated by its Director of Player Personnel Eric Galko, is to sign players they feel are NFL players that, for varying circumstances, are not in the league. Players that should be playing in the NFL, or are NFL caliber players. A lofty goal perhaps, but the right mindset to have when trying to put together a pro football league. There are valid arguments for or against a second pro football league existing. Usually the most valid points against one existing like the XFL, is the financial viability of it. Whether or not, the quality of it can get the backing of the viewing public. However, those who are opposed to it, because they see a second league as a “place for rejects”, are out of touch with the realities of how many quality football players are out there. Even if a narrow minded football fan were to dismiss the thousands of draft eligible college football players every year that don’t make the NFL, and just stick with Division 1 football. There are close to a thousand draft eligible players from that group alone every year. The percentage of those elite college players from elite college programs that make the NFL every year is very small. Only 254 players get drafted every year. Then there’s the thousands who are undrafted. For those who question the quality of the undrafted. Take a good long look at NFL rosters. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, there are more undrafted players in the NFL right now than there are first and second-rounders combined. That means there is value in the players that are overlooked. The real argument against a spring football league, is really, Can it survive and thrive? In my mind, there’s no doubt that it should exist. The players and the football ecosystem needs it.

The leap from playing college football to the pros crushes the dreams of so many players. On April 3rd, The NCAA released its research report on the estimated probability of their athletes competing in pro sports. In regards to football, using data from 2018, only 1.6 percent of the 16,346 draft-eligible NCAA football participants made it into the NFL. 256 of these players were drafted, and a few hundred were signed onto NFL teams as undrafted free agents, with the potential of making an NFL roster in the summer.  Other players were brought into NFL rookie camps with an opportunity to latch on, but the overwhelming majority of these players didn’t make those teams.

We are talking about talented young football players, many of whom have dedicated their entire youth to the game. Thousands of them every year that made the journey from high school football into college. For many, that journey ends when their college playing days are over. More than ninety-eight percent end up seeing their dreams of becoming a pro-football player die.

Football fans are excited that the NFL Draft is less than two weeks away. It’s one of the most exciting periods for College football programs, for all thirty-two NFL teams, and the fans that follow them. It’s a week that celebrates college and pro football. Over a three-day period, these entities combine for a celebration, where players achieve their dreams by graduating into the pros. If you take a step back and take a 30,000 foot view, lost in the celebration is how the vast majority of college football players are having their dreams crushed at the same time.

It’s the reality of sports and the numbers game. On the flip side, and at the same time that 254 players are being drafted into the NFL, current NFL veterans on the NFL 90-player rosters have to worry about losing their jobs and careers because a whole new group of young players are coming into the league. There are only so many spots available. The average NFL career went down last year to a shade under four years. This is a combination of injuries involved with the sport, but also the constant turnover with rosters. There are so many players in their mid to late twenties that don’t get to see their second contracts, let alone their third. Getting into the NFL is extremely difficult, and then staying in is just as hard.

All these factors are why anyone that loves football and the players, should be rooting for non-NFL pro-football leagues to exist and thrive. With the AAF’s demise, in what now feels like a really slow and miserable death, one of the avenues to continue on as a pro-football player is no more. With each day, the stories get exceedingly worse. Over a thousand employees lost their jobs, not to mention all the people who benefitted from the league’s existence, like workers at venues and local businesses. The biggest victims however are the players. For many of the executives and office workers, their careers are not over. The path is difficult, but there’s still a chance for their professional careers to continue. The football players themselves, are the true human capital for all these leagues. Without them, these leagues don’t exist or thrive. Football players have always been the human capital for NCAA football and for the NFL. There is a very small window for pro-football players to have careers. For some it ends in their twenties, and for others who are extremely lucky, in their thirties. You can be a sports executive or work in a front office until you are in your sixties, but that’s not the case for any football player who wants to continue their professional career. Time is not their friend. The countdown clock on their careers starts ticking immediately once they step on the field.

On the bright side of the AAF’s demise, as of press time, forty-nine AAF players have signed on to be a part of 90-player rosters in the NFL. That’s more than ten percent of the league’s players. It’s evidence as to why there should be more than one pro league in the United States. Not all of these players will make it onto NFL rosters or practice squads, come September’s huge 864 player cut down day, but getting game time in the AAF helped them get another chance. Some were talented enough to potentially get another shot without the AAF, but there’s no question that playing in that league helped them. 416 players all put their faith into the AAF by signing three-year non-guaranteed contracts. These contracts only allowed them to leave the league for an NFL opportunity. Unfortunately, over 300 of them are currently being prohibited from pursuing their pro playing careers outside of the NFL. Great leagues like the CFL, which has carved out its own niche and stood the test of time, are not being allowed to open the door for players to continue their pro-playing careers. Over 80 plus percent of the AAF’s 416 players will not even have a chance to play in the NFL this year. Some of the current 49 players that latched on to NFL squads, will make the league. Some won’t. These leagues exist for the betterment of football and its players.

Even the original XFL back in 2001, had several players go on to have NFL careers. Names like Tommy Maddox, Rod ‘He Hate Me’ Smart, Paris Lenon, Kevin Swayne, Bennie Anderson, Kelly Herndon, Mike Furrey, Corey Ivy, Steve Gleason, Kevin Kaesviharn, Jose Cortez, and over a dozen more all made NFL rosters, and had extended pro-playing careers, as a result of playing in the XFL. A good number of the XFL’s players that didn’t make NFL rosters after the league folded, ended up in the CFL and the Arena League. Players like Bobby Singh ended up having the distinction of winning an NFL Championship, a Grey Cup championship and an XFL Championship. There are several other success stories from the league. Players that are currently coaches in the NFL, and two starting XFL Quarterbacks are now in the college ranks: Jeff Brohm with Purdue and Tim Lester with Western Michigan. These leagues provide a gateway and an avenue for football careers to continue and survive.

Is the current XFL our final hope for a non-NFL pro league? For a long time, it appeared as if the winners of a spring pro football battle between the XFL and AAF would be the players, with both leagues employing nearly a thousand of them at the same time. With that possibility gone. the XFL, for now, is left standing. So many of these leagues have died. The odds are heavily against the XFL standing the test of time and defeating history, despite the immense amount of capital invested by the founder, who is also the funder. This is a key point that ultimately killed the AAF. Over 80 percent of all startup businesses fail. One of the central themes for them failing is that the founders aren’t the funder. They scramble for investors to buy in to something that they are not emotionally invested in. The founder may be emotionally and spiritually invested, but without the proper funding, the founders company dies.

Make no mistake about it, and while most don’t want to admit it, the XFL existing is great for the sport of football, but more importantly for the players. While the league continues to add to its football operations side, with the upcoming Team President and Head Coach hire in New York this Tuesday, it’s the players that will ultimately decide whether the league is viable. When most of the detractors of these types of leagues take shots at the talent level. We should just shrug it off and forgive them for their ignorance. The 1.6 percent of all college football players that make the NFL is what makes that league the greatest level of football talent on the planet. While there is no denying that the NFL is the absolute pinnacle of football talent and players, that doesn’t mean there are not any more players who are capable of playing good pro-football. It just means that there isn’t enough room for all of them.