Rumours of a new football league had been swirling since shortly after the XFL suspended it's comeback season due to COVID-19. At the time it just looked like a bump in the road for the McMahon backed league, but that hiatus soon turned into a bankruptcy filing and the second straight year of a startup spring league failing to complete their inaugural season. While these setbacks reinforced to many fans and analysts that there would only ever be one game in town, a dedicated group of football diehards, combined with some significant financial backing, had been hard at work developing a potential organisation with staying ability and star power. Quiet work in the background acquiring key business personnel and hoovering up intellectual property had suddenly turned into frantic development when TV stations suddenly became desperate for content during the isolation months. A rapidly accelerating time frame saw a press conference called at Spectrum Stadium in Orlando, Florida on June 9, 2020.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce myself as Lakisha Moore, the commissioner of the American Gridiron League and I'm pleased to welcome you all today to sunny Orlando on what we hope will come to be seen as a pivotal day for professional sports in this country. Our team behind the scenes has been hard at work establishing our new football league that will fill the gap and provide a true alternative to the NFL. I know there is scepticism out there about our viability, but we believe that we have created a formula for success and ensure the best possible product for fans and players alike.

"Our aim is to continue to do what we know works - faster games, transparency regarding refereeing, rule changes to promote player safety - as well as learn the lessons about things that didn't - like a lack of name brand athletes. If it's big time players you want, I guarantee you won't be disappointed at the announcements we have for you in the coming days.

"To acknowledge those that have come before us, two of the franchises competing in the first AGL season will be familiar to most of you. Representing the league's hometown of Orlando we have the Apollos who competed in the 2019 AAF, and we also revive the most successful team from the 2020 XFL season, the Houston Roughnecks. They will be joined by six additional franchises based across the southern United States which will be revealed on our website AGL.com tomorrow. 

"Thank you for your time today, and I hope to see you on the Gridiron soon!"

🏈🏈🏈

Ryan Schwartzman returned his desk phone to it's stand and lent back in his leather chair. He looked up at the TV mounted on his wall and watched Ms Moore shaking hands with ESPN reporters as she moved away from the podium. He spun slightly and gazed out of his office window at the admittedly low rise skyline in Mobile, Alabama and thought to himself how there might be a few more skyscrapers erected when his tenure as GM of the Maurauders was over. The deal that he had just completed with a household name quarterback's agent might have just laid the groundwork...

Ohhh shit. An administrator gettin in of the fan fic game.

@ness, PW News better report on this. I haven't seen a mod or higher-up be creative since... I dunno, old PW?

This has a lot of promise, football fan fic is an awesome idea.

🌐 AGL.com 🌐 
Inaugural Franchises, Head Coaches Revealed
Mark Sessler - AGL Newsdesk 
Wednesday June 10, 2020

Everyone loves new toys, right? Football fans got eight of them on Wednesday, with the public release of the franchises that will compete in the first ever AGL season. No doubt the team names and colour schemes will be dissected endlessly on Twitter, but the more significant news are the names of the coaches taking charge of these fledgling organisations. There are a number of familiar faces like college legends Steve Spurrier and June Jones, as well those with years of NFL coordinator experience like Tim Lewis and Pepper Johnson, but the most newsworthy appointment has to be in the Arizona desert where Jennifer Welter becomes the first female head coach of a men's professional football team in the United States. 

Welter has history in the Grand Canyon State, effectively becoming the first female coach in the NFL when she was an intern at the Cardinals training camp in 2015. She later became a defensive coach with the AAF's Atlanta Legends, and at age 42 is by far the youngest of the eight head coaches announced today. While this is no doubt a progressive appointment, questions will be asked about Welter's lack of experience, and as such it does represent quite the gamble by GM Phil Savage and the Bobcats organisation. Savage, who came through the ranks as a personnel director under Hall of Fame inductee Ozzie Newsome, knows all about the value of acquiring cornerstone talent, having drafted ironman OT Joe Thomas in his time as Cleveland Browns GM. If he can furnish Welter's roster with players half as reliable as Thomas, Sun Devil Stadium might be the place to be on Sundays.

The eight inaugural AGL franchises:

Birmingham Vulcans
Head Coach: Tim Lewis
General Manager: Will Lewis
Home Stadium: Legacy Arena - Birmingham, AL

Houston Roughnecks
Head Coach: June Jones
General Manager: Randy Mueller
Home Stadium: TDECU Stadium - Houston, TX

Mobile Marauders
Head Coach: Rob Chudzinski
General Manager: Ryan Schwartzman
Home Stadium: Ladd Peebles Stadium - Mobile, AL

Memphis Soul
Head Coach: Pepper Johnson
General Manager: Dionte Byers
Home Stadium: Liberty Bowl - Memphis, TN

Nevada Nightriders
Head Coach: Chris Ault
General Manager: Shante Scott
Home Stadium: Sam Boyd Stadium - Whitney, NV

Orlando Apollos
Head Coach: Steve Spurrier
General Manager: Tim Ruskell
Home Stadium: Spectrum Stadium - Orlando, FL

San Diego Surge
Head Coach: Norm Chow
General Manager: Winston Moss
Home Stadium: SDCCU Stadium - San Diego, CA

Tempe Bobcats
Head Coach: Jennifer Welter
General Manager: Phil Savage
Home Stadium: Sun Devil Stadium - Tempe, AZ

🏈🏈🏈

Man Cam Newton to the Marauders is sick. Have to be the favorites. Maybe someone can lure Andrew Luck out of retirement!

Wish there was an NY side But a man can dream!

Jun 10, 2020 13:03:58 GMT Blindy said:

Man Cam Newton to the Marauders is sick. Have to be the favorites. Maybe someone can lure Andrew Luck out of retirement!

Wish there was an NY side But a man can dream!

Season 2: The Expansion Northward!

I definitely have a long term expansion plan and didn't want to blow my entire load right off the top and use all the real life names I wanted to write about all at the start - which is why there's going to be a few made up characters featured.

Glad to get the comments/enthusiasm, thanks!

Yessssssss. I will be intently following this. Have wanted to do something like this personally for years, ever since PWFL went down the tubes. 

EDIT: Concerning future expansion -- Ohio professional football is absolute garbage post 1960's but we've got the history and passion like no other... *wink, nudge*

I think @admin has an arsenal full of Cam Newton postgame outfits to go off of to make a good year or two year's worth for this league!

🏈🏈🏈

Mina Kimes: "Welcome everyone to the first presentation of the American Gridiron League on ESPN, I'm Mina Kimes, joined in the studio by AGL.com's Gregg Rosenthal, and former NFL player and personnel executive Louis Riddick. Gentlemen, we're just minutes away from the player lottery, but we can't go anywhere without talking about the monster news dropped by our own Adam Schefter that Cam Newton has brought his talents to the new league."

Louis Riddick: "Absolutely Mina, I think this was a development that caught everyone off guard. Commissioner Moore told us that the AGL would feature some big name players but no one saw an MVP level quarterback that's still arguably in his prime jumping ship away from the NFL. It's simply a huge coup."

Gregg Rosenthal: "The main factor that held both the AAF and XFL back from capturing significant attention was the lack of talent at the quarterback position. Cam Newton is one of the most unique athletes that we've ever seen and to have him playing in the AGL instantly makes games in Mobile must watch, and that's a phrase that would have sounded ridiculous just a few days ago!"

Kimes: "Well it's time to find out who is set to join Cam in the AGL, as we're about to cross to Commissioner Moore for the player lottery. We're going to see eight players randomly assigned to each of the franchises, with the remaining 42 roster spots to be filled before Week 1 games. After tonight we should have a real sense of who will be the teams to beat."

Riddick: "It's the complete lack of control that has me on the edge of my seat in anticipation. As I know first hand from my experiences in a number of personnel roles, the one thing that everyone wants in football is command of a situation. Tonight that's all thrown out of the window and the teams will have to run with the hand they are dealt, whether that's a royal flush offence or a pair of special teamers."

Rosenthal: "It's definitely a concept that we haven't seen in American sports before. I'm just looking forward to seeing who else is going to be out on the field with these new franchises."

Kimes: "Alright Gregg, you're not going to have to wait much longer. Let's throw it over to the commissioner who is set to draw the first round of players."

Lakisha Moore: "Thank you Mina, and I'd like to welcome everyone to the AGL player lottery. I just want to start by saying thank you to everyone who has shown their support for our new league, tweeted about us, told their friends. The announcement that Cam Newton will be playing for the Marauders has set the sports world alight and I promise that won't be the last electrifying signing before opening day. Tonight, we're going to reveal 64 players who will be cornerstones of their respective teams in our first season. The franchises have been randomly ordered, and we will snake from top to bottom. I will pull a ball containing a players name until all 64 have been allocated. Let's get things started."

Round 1
Memphis Soul - Dexter McCoil, S
Birmingham Vulcans - Luis Perez, QB
Houston Roughnecks - Cameron Artis-Payne, RB
Tempe Bobcats - Jalen Tolliver, WR
Nevada Nightriders - Marcus Golden, LB
Orlando Apollos - Keith Reaser, CB
Mobile Marauders - Beniquez Brown, LB
San Diego Surge - Jhurrel Pressley, RB

Kimes: "Well the first round is in the books and there are two names that stand out to me, what are you looking at Gregg?"

Rosenthal: "It has to be Nevada getting Marcus Golden. I can't see there being a more impressive edge rusher around, we're talking about a player that is coming off a double digit sack season in the NFL."

Riddick: "I can't look past Luis Perez to Birmingham. He has a really nice 7-3 record as a starter over the past two seasons and knows the city and coaching staff really well."

Kimes: "OK - let's get back for round 2 and 3!"

Round 2
San Diego Surge - Mike Daniels, DT
Mobile Marauders - Cam Phillips, WR
Orlando Apollos - Charles Johnson, WR
Nevada Nightriders - Eric Reid, S
Tempe Bobcats - LaTroy Lewis, LB
Houston Roughnecks - Landry Jones, QB
Birmingham Vulcans - Ahmad Dixon, S
Memphis Soul - Mike Stevens, CB

Round 3
Memphis Soul - Larry Warford, OG
Birmingham Vulcans - De'Veon Smith, RB
Houston Roughnecks - Jonathan Celestin, LB
Tempe Bobcats - Bunmi Rotimi, DE
Nevada Nightriders - Cavon Walker, DT
Orlando Apollos - Aaron Murray, QB
Mobile Marauders - Edmund Robinson, DE
San Diego Surge - Dan Williams, WR

Kimes: "Gents the names are coming out thick and fast now, what's caught your eye here Louis?"

Riddick: "I'm looking at two name brand defenders in round 2 who might have played their best football, but will bring excellent leadership to their locker rooms in Mike Daniels and Eric Reid."

Rosenthal: "And in round 3 the notable pick has to be Aaron Murray to Orlando. The Apollos got great QB play from Garrett Gilbert two years ago, but Murray didn't last long as a starter in the XFL."

Kimes: "Take us through the guts of the lottery commissioner!" 

Round 4
San Diego Surge - Cardale Jones, QB
Mobile Marauders - James Butler, RB
Orlando Apollos - Jadeveon Clowney, DE
Nevada Nightriders - Tre McBride, WR
Tempe Bobcats - Andrew Ankrah, DE
Houston Roughnecks - Nick Holley, WR
Birmingham Vulcans - L'Damien Washington, WR
Memphis Soul - Nelson Spruce, WR

Round 5
Memphis Soul - Josh Johnson, QB
Birmingham Vulcans - Alex Balducci, OG
Houston Roughnecks - Demariyus Thomas, WR
Tempe Bobcats - Matt McGloin, QB
Nevada Nightriders - Austin Proehl, WR
Orlando Apollos - Christine Michael, RB
Mobile Marauders - Ben Heeney, LB
San Diego Surge - Donald Parham, TE

Round 6
San Diego Surge - Marcelis Branch, S
Mobile Marauders - Devin Taylor, DE
Orlando Apollos - Isaiah Williams, OG
Nevada Nightriders - Matt McCants, OT
Tempe Bobcats - Logan Ryan, CB
Houston Roughnecks - Pace Murphy, OT
Birmingham Vulcans - Andrew Soroh, S
Memphis Soul - Jonathan Massaquoi, LB

Round 7
Memphis Soul - Scott Orndorff, TE
Birmingham Vulcans - Nico Siragusa, OG
Houston Roughnecks - Jake Campos, OG
Tempe Bobcats - Damon Harrison, DT
Nevada Nightriders - Avery Young, OT
Orlando Apollos - Brandon Silvers, QB
Mobile Marauders - Bryce Jones, CB
San Diego Surge - Josh Hawkins, S

Kimes: "With just one round of the lottery to go, who are the two of you liking and disliking?"

Rosenthal: "I was getting worried for the Bobcats who definitely got off to an uninspiring start tonight, but they've added some proven performers in Logan Ryan and Snacks Harrison, who could be a critical player given the tendency of these new teams to rely on the running game."

Riddick: "I can't go past Josh Johnson as the standout quarterback of the entire lottery. He played very well in the XFL posting a QB rating over 100, Memphis have a safe pair of hands under center."

Rosenthal: "Orlando might be playing that safe pair of hands in the QB room, but they might have the most talented player in the entire league. Jadeveon Clowney is a straight up beast. They'll be thanking the commish for that one!"

Kimes: "Absolutely! Just a few balls left in the pot now, let's hear the final eight selections."

Round 8
San Diego Surge - Taylor Gabriel, WR
Mobile Marauders - Chad Kanoff, QB
Orlando Apollos - Trumaine Johnson, CB
Nevada Nightriders - Delanie Walker, TE
Tempe Bobcats - Jacques Patrick, RB
Houston Roughnecks - Reece Horn, WR
Birmingham Vulcans - Tavon Wilson, S
Memphis Soul - Kenneth Farrow, RB

Kimes: "Well there you have it! We've got a much clearer picture of these eight new teams now. Final thoughts gentlemen?"

Riddick: "We haven't talked about them much tonight, but San Diego have a really promising core of players. Norm Chow can really run his west coast offence with two athletic wide receivers and a productive running back."

Rosenthal: "The most fascinating storyline for me is that we see the Nevada Nightriders as the only team left without a quarterback. You have to think this puts them behind the eight-ball in terms of of preparation for week 1, and the pressure is going to be on rookie GM Shante Scott to get out in the market and find a signal caller."

Kimes: "So much to talk about over the coming days as far as these new rosters go, and Gregg and Louis will be joining me weekly here on ESPN to dissect everything that's happening in the AGL as we move closer and closer to kickoff. For now though, that's all we have time for, thank you for joining us, have a great evening."

🌐 AGL.com 🌐 
Jones, Mueller happy to be back at work in Houston
Mark Sessler - AGL Newsdesk 
Friday June 12, 2020

The Houston Roughnecks' leadership group held their first press conference today, with veteran coach June Jones happy to be back in the saddle down in Texas. He spoke of wanting to see out the project that he started in the XFL era across a full season. "We were in a great position at 5-0 when COVID hit, and that was a big blow to us after all the hard work we'd put in. To have things rolling the way we did only to be stopped by something that's out of your hands, that's tough. It's nice to get a second crack at it because it didn't always seem like that was the case."

A key part of that success won't be returning however, as WR Cam Phillips is now headed to Mobile following the player lottery. Phillips lead all XFL receivers with 455 yards and 9 touchdowns in just five games, the latter mark more than double the nearest competitor. "Obviously it's disappointing to have Cam not returning. We felt we had created a lot of chemistry in our offence and now that has to start again. But we do have Nick (Holley) returning and everyone is very excited about Demariyus," Jones said.

Thomas was the most mentioned name on Friday, with the local media excited to see the veteran wide receiver return to the city where he played briefly for the Texans before suffering an Achilles tear in 2018. "Demariyus has proven his talent over many years in the NFL. We're happy to have him with us and believe he's going to be productive and successful for our franchise," said GM Randy Mueller. 

The seasoned executive did have to answer to a press contingent slightly underwhelmed with the Houston haul in Thursday's lottery. "You don't necessarily win with names, you win by putting points on the scoreboard on Sunday. We're very happy with the players we have under contract, we're going to add more over the coming days, and we'll go from there. We like what we've got in the trenches and June thinks that Landry is going to be a great fit in our offence."

The former Saints and Dolphins GM closed the presser by announcing that the Roughnecks had agreed a new contracts with former players LB DeMarquis Gates, who recorded 32 total tackles for the team in 2019, and S Marqueston Huff.

🏈🏈🏈



🏈🏈🏈

🔊 AGL News Update with Anthony Harris 🔊

🌐 AGL.com 🌐 
Fans turn out in force for first day of camps
Mark Sessler - AGL Newsdesk 
Monday June 15, 2020

Six of the eight AGL franchises haven't played a competitive snap of football yet, but that didn't stop fervent fans from turning out in force to watch the opening day of training camp. Steve Jefferson, 35, from Kissimmee, FL was the first through the gates at UCF today decked out in full Apollos' merchandise. "I bought all this gear a couple of years ago and thought I was never going to get a chance to wear it again after the AAF folded. I'm so amped that the Apollos are back!" 

Jefferson was one of many who saw some promising chemistry between QB Aaron Murray and WR Charles Johnson. Johnson showed no signs of the ankle injury that ended his time with the Philadelphia Eagles last season, running a number of crisp routes and providing the highlight of the day with an over the shoulder catch.

The news wasn't quite as positive for those in Nevada who witnessed a frustrating first day from their offence. Star TE Delanie Walker was said to be looking reportedly frustrated on numerous occasions as QB Alex Irvin struggled with his accuracy. Irvin, who was a walk-on at Cal Poly, is by far the least experienced quarterback currently in the AGL.

South-east in Tempe, the big attraction, literally, was DT Damon Harrison. The former NFL all-pro stayed behind after team drills were completed to sign autographs for fans. Snacks, who publicly stated that his passion for the game dwindled during his time in Detroit spoke to reporters about how he was re-energised and excited by the prospect of mentoring his younger teammates on the defensive line Bumni Rotimi & Andrew Ankrah.

Finally, the name on everyone's lips at Birmingham was RB De'Veon Smith who looked explosive, ripping off a couple of big runs after breaking tackles near the line of scrimmage. Smith never flashed difference making athleticism during his career at Michigan, but his hard-nosed running style might be an excellent fit with head coach Tim Lewis's ethos.

🏈🏈🏈 

🔊 AGL News Update with Anthony Harris 🔊

Can I just drop a minor note on something so small and insignificant but it means the world to me?

Love @admin resisting his Australian urges and writing dates the American way. Just makes this feel that much more authentic. Now just needs to work on parsing out those unnecessary u's and replace s's with z's where appropriate.

Jun 15, 2020 12:41:48 GMT 🤯 said:

Can I just drop a minor note on something so small and insignificant but it means the world to me?

Love @admin resisting his Australian urges and writing dates the American way. Just makes this feel that much more authentic. Now just needs to work on parsing out those unnecessary u's and replace s's with z's where appropriate.

I thought about giving Anthony Harris an American accent too but I remembered how much it ruins a movie when you have an non-US actor trying to put on an accent and usually wavering at points.

Social media lit up this evening when a new Nike commercial featuring Colin Kaepernick aired during the first commercial break of ESPN's special episode of Sports Center featuring the commissioners of the major US sports leagues. Kaepernick's name had recently significantly returned to the public debate during the social and political upheaval of 2020, with Roger Goodell first admitting that the NFL should have listened earlier to players' racism concerns, before stating that he would encourage and support a team signing the former 49ers quarterback.

The presence of the commercial during a program Goodell was appearing on led many to think that an NFL franchise had indeed agreed to sign Kaepernick, but news quickly filtered through that his destination was in fact the new startup football league, the American Gridiron League. AGL commissioner Lakisha Moore issued a short statement on Tuesday night, stating "We are absolutely delighted to announce that Colin Kaepernick has agreed to terms with the Nevada Nightriders and will play in the upcoming AGL season. We are excited to see Colin resume his professional sporting career in our league, as like many, we agree that his talents have been unjustly sidelined for too long." 

Kaepernick's new start is in familiar territory, as he will return to the state where he made his name in during his college career with the University of Nevada. He also reunites with old head coach Chris Ault, under whom he became the only quarterback in FBS history to eclipse 10,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards in a career. 

Wow huge get for the Nightriders, wonder if they can convince Reshard Matthews to get out of retirement to play with his college QB.

Jun 16, 2020 14:11:31 GMT Blindy said:

Wow huge get for the Nightriders, wonder if they can convince Reshard Matthews to get out of retirement to play with his college QB.

Wolfpack (re)assemble!

Kap's got his old 49ers teammate Delanie Walker to throw to as well - it's almost like this was all planned out!

🌐 AGL.com 🌐 
Schedule released, 14 week season announced
Mark Sessler - AGL Newsdesk 
Thursday June 18, 2020

The first ever American Gridiron League season moved closer to reality today, with the commissioner's office releasing details of a fourteen week season. Also announced was a prime time broadcast of Friday Night Football on NBC, with the three remaining games scheduled for Sunday afternoon, recapped in a one-hour highlights package on ESPN. Mike Tirico will announce on Friday night alongside Cris Collinsworth, while ESPN's crew of Mina Kimes, Gregg Rosenthal and Louis Riddick will present AGL Primetime on Sunday night. 

Breaking with tradition, the eight franchises are not arranged into conferences, each team will simply play each other home and away, with the top two teams at the end of the regular season facing off in the Championship Game. 

Houston won the honour of hosting the kickoff game, with the first FNF to feature the Roughnecks welcoming the Nevada Nightriders to the Space City. After opening week, the game that all football fans will be circling is Mobile @ Nevada in Week 3. This will be the highest profile quarterback matchup of the season, with the Marauders' Cam Newton squaring off against the newly announced Nightriders signal caller Colin Kaepernick. Mobile follow that tilt up with the first Alabama derby against Birmingham which they will host at Ladd Peebles Stadium. 

Week 1
Nevada @ Houston
Birmingham @ Memphis
Tempe @ Orlando
San Diego @ Mobile 

🌐 AGL.com 🌐 
Four to watch for on Friday night: Week 1
Chris Wesseling - AGL Analyst

We're now just hours away from the AGL kickoff, and all throughout the season I'll be previewing the marquee Friday night matchup of the week by highlighting four subplots that will comprise the story of the game. NBC's first telecast will emanate from Houston as the Roughnecks host the Nevada Nightriders. Here are the keys to victory for each team.

Colin Kaepernick's return to the football field
The former 49ers quarterback never left the spotlight, but he hasn't played a professional game since 2016. We know he has kept himself in playing shape in the hopes that he would return to the NFL, but there's a difference between being ready for a workout and making passes with the lights on bright. Can he fly out of the traps Needly Fairly or not, there will obviously be plenty of people (including the President) rooting for Kaepernick to fail. 

Roughnecks look to establish the run
Offensive line play is never sexy, and we always look towards the big names at the skill positions, but these startup teams will live and die by how well they've managed to organise the big guys up front. Houston have two powerful tackles in Jake Campos and Pace Murphy who have already been through this process of trying to develop months and years worth of cohesion in just a few weeks. They'll be key in leading the way for tailback Cameron Artis-Payne, who averaged an impressive 5.1ypc in the XFL. The run game is going to be vital to take the pressure off QB Landry Jones.

Nightriders offensive chemistry
The early reports out of Nevada's training camp weren't positive. Those in attendance weren't impressed by a lack of chemistry between backup QB Alex Irving and the pass catchers, with the body language of veteran TE Delanie Walker attracting some criticism. Kaepernick's arrival obviously changed the mood around the team, but he had less practice time with his receivers than every other starting quarterback in the league. Shifty slot receiver Austin Proehl might prove to be a major safety blanket.

Houston's defensive stability
June Jones and Randy Mueller had a clear plan of attack when it came to reassembling their defensive unit - and that was to return as many players as they could from the XFL roster. There are no standout names here, with DE Kony Ealy being the only member to have any significant NFL starting experience. The coaches are hoping that familiarity will breed success, and this group can build on their XFL exploits, where they were a particularly effective second half unit that allowed just nine fourth-quarter points across five games.

Mike Tirico: "It's the dawn of a new era in American pro sports, welcome to the first presentation of the American Gridiron League on NBC. The lights are bright on Friday night and tonight we're in Houston to watch the Roughnecks take on the visiting Nevada Nightriders. Cris Collinsworth is alongside me for the call. Cris, what are you looking forward to tonight?"

Cris Collinsworth: "I'm just looking forward to some football Mike! But obviously the big story tonight is Colin Kaepernick. Here's a guy who was one of the most dynamic quarterbacks we've seen in the NFL, led his team to a Super Bowl appearance, and then found himself out of football for several years. That's a trajectory that we've never seen before, and it's going to be interesting to see how he handles being back out there tonight."

Tirico: "The Nightriders have won the toss and have elected to receive. Houston kicker Sergio Castillo slams the kickoff deep into the endzone and Nevada will start at their 25 yard line."

Collinsworth: "Definitely a mixed reception for Kaepernick as he trots out onto the field. That's nothing that he wouldn't have been expecting tonight though."

1-10-NV 25 (15:00) D.Harris left tackle to NV27 for 2 yards
2-8-NV 27 (14:33) C.Kaepernick pass short left to T.McBride for 6 yards
3-2-NV 33 (14:01) C.Kaepernick sacked at NV 23 for -10 yards (K. Ealy)
4-12-NV 23 (13:29) S.Tripuka punts 50 yards, no return

Tirico: "So a slightly underwhelming opening drive there from the Nightriders, Kony Ealy had a great getoff on that third down and while Kaepernick tried to shrug him, the defensive end wasn't going to let him escape."

Collinsworth: "Exactly Mike, that's not a great start from Avery Young up front. He's got to get his feet moving earlier, Ealy had blown past him practically before he was out of his stance.

🏈🏈🏈

Tirico: "Just seconds left in the opening quarter and we're still scoreless here in Houston. Neither offence has really produced anything so far. It's going to be third and long here for the Roughnecks after the holding penalty on tackle Jake Campos."

Collinsworth: "If I'm Landry Jones here I'm looking for Nick Holley. He's one on one at the top of the screen with Bradley Sylve."

Tirico: "Jones takes the snap in the shotgun...there's good protection...and he is throwing to Holley who has a step on Sylve. And it's caught! Holley brings it in before he's pushed out of bounds, that's good for 32 yards."

Collinsworth: "Fantastic ball placement by Jones there, he identified the coverage and led his receiver out in front. Holley shrugged the press coverage and that's a nice catch down the sideline to put Houston in field goal range."

🏈🏈🏈

Tirico: "Nevada with a chance to run their two-minute offence here trailing 0-3 just before half time. It's been quiet for them so far but this presents a chance to try and gain some momentum."

Collinsworth: "This is where Chris Ault needs to let Kaepernick do his thing. It's been tough sledding so far with the offensive line struggling and DuJuan Harris being bottled up by this Houston defence."

1-10-NV 35 (2:07) D.Harris left tackle to NV 38 for 3 yards
2-7-NV 38 (2:00) C.Kaepernick pass incomplete deep right to T.McBride
3-7-NV 38 (1:54) C.Kaepernick pass short left to E.Hood to NV 48 for 10 yards

1-10-NV 48 (1:27) C.Kaepernick pass short right to D.Walker to HOU 46 for 6 yards
2-4-HOU 46 (1:04) C.Kaepernick pass short right to A.Proehl to HOU 30 for 16 yards

Collinsworth: "It's amazing how going to this no huddle offence can make all the difference. That's three straight completions for Kaepernick to each of his main targets and all of a sudden Nevada are knocking on the door."

Tirico: "Kaepernick is rushing his team up to the line to save their remaining timeout. He takes the snap and is looking left for McBride. OH! But it's picked off! Marqueston Huff undercut the route and Kaepernick didn't see him. Huff makes the interception and a drive that was looking so promising for Nevada ends in disappointment."

Collinsworth: "That's got to be a little bit of that ring rust that we thought we might see. He wanted to save that timeout and probably just got a little bit carried away, didn't see the safety sitting there and basically threw it straight to him."

🏈🏈🏈

Tirico: "Houston have put together a nice steady drive here to open up the second half."

Collinsworth: "We're really seeing the Roughnecks establish the run. I'm looking at Pace Murphy who is really roadgrading out there right now."

Tirico: "Another handoff to Artis-Payne who dances in the hole...before breaking it outside...gets a block from his wide receiver and he's going to go! Touchdown Cameron Artis-Payne!"

Collinsworth: "Oh my what a block that was from center Tejan Koroma who got up to the second level and allowed Artis-Payne to bend it to the outside."

Tirico: "The extra point is added by Castillo and Houston now lead by 10-0."

🏈🏈🏈

Tirico: "Just over five minutes left here on the clock in Houston and the Roughnecks lead by 13-0 thanks to a Cameron Artis-Payne touchdown and two field goals from kicker Sergio Castillo. Nevada really haven't managed to recover from that interception before half time just as it looked like they were starting to build some momentum."

Collinsworth: "They got gutpunched by the Roughnecks with that dominant run display after half time and simply haven't been able to recover."

Tirico: "Kaepernick takes the snap...he's rushed but escapes...breaking clear now with those long strides! He's got a downfield blocker and that might be it! Off to the races now! Kaepernick will go all the way! Touchdown Nightriders!"

Collinsworth: "Wowwwww!"

Tirico: "Colin Kaepernick goes 67 yards! Linebacker DeMarquis Gates came on the blitz and looked like he'd have a clear sack opportunity but lost his footing just as Kaepernick moved to avoid him, and forced to improvise Kaep tucked the ball and was off to the races."

Collinsworth: "When you're the best athlete on the field then that sort of play is always possible. Look at those long strides as he accelerates away from the safety. Spectacular."

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Tirico: "Third down and three here with Nevada absolutely desperate for a stop to get the ball one last time."

Collinsworth: "They've struggled to contain Artis-Payne all night but make a stop here and everything changes."

Tirico: "Jones takes the snap...hands off...wait! It's play action and he rolls to his left before finding Reece Horn for the first down."

Collinsworth: "Oh that's a great play call from June Jones! Nevada sold out to stop the run and they completely fell for the bootleg play leading to the easy completion."

Tirico: "A couple of kneeldowns will see it out now for Houston who move to 1-0 at home here tonight with a 13-7 victory."

Collinsworth: "It was all about that Roughnecks rushing attack tonight. Cameron Artis-Payne over 100 yards behind that very impressive offensive line."

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I wondered how an actual game was gonna go. That was actually pretty fun. I dig it!

Jun 23, 2020 11:43:24 GMT 🤯 said:

I wondered how an actual game was gonna go. That was actually pretty fun. I dig it!

Thanks! I've got three different methods planned for the games - I'm thinking I'll save this full commentary for the marquee matchups. Originally I was going to do this for every FNF but it took me rather longer than expected so I've come up with an alternate style because I don't think I've got it in me to write 14 of those! 

The game writeups are fantastic, I think it's the right way to not burn yourself out and save the full writeups for the ones that matter. You can totally get away with a final score rundown of a week with a brief 1-2 headline sentence that will tell the story and maybe an injury sheet afterwords for storylines.

Really digging this @admin.

Mina Kimes: "It's been a huge kickoff weekend for the AGL, and I'm here in the studio with Gregg Rosenthal and Lewis Riddick to break down and sum up all the action, this is AGL Primetime!"

Lewis Riddick: "I've got two words for you Mina. Cam. Newton."

Kimes: "That's where we have to start isn't it? Cam put on an absolute show this afternoon, that San Diego defence simply had no answers for him."

Riddick: "It was a phenomenal performance, he put the league on notice. As we look at some of the highlights here, it was like he rolled the years back to his Heisman season at Auburn where opponents simply couldn't handle his combination of size and strength and he'd roll up five total touchdowns like it was nothing."

Rosenthal: "It's been a few seasons now since we've really seen Cam as the truly revolutionary athlete that he is, and he reminded a few people of that today. Look at this touchdown run here where he absolutely trucks the safety, he's basically a defensive end size playing quarterback!"

Kimes: "A lot of people had Mobile pegged as favourites this season and after this big 34-10 victory, that status is surely strengthening. Will someone else be able to slow down this offence."

Rosenthal: "It's definitely possible, and it's important to remember that this was just one week. Defensive coordinators will be studying this tape and I'm not going out on a limb to say there are other teams with stronger looking defences than San Diego."

Riddick: "That's true, but it's also not a stretch to say that Cam Newton is going to be the best athlete on the field most weeks, and that's a massive advantage for Rob Chudzinski and the Marauders."

Kimes: "Right, we'll be right back after these messages with a look at how someone who could rival Newton's claim to being the best athlete in the league, Colin Kaepernick faired in his AGL debut."

Kimes: "Welcome back to AGL Primetime, Gregg's ready to take us through Friday night's action between the Roughnecks and Nightriders."

Rosenthal: "Thanks Mina. Obviously Friday Night Football was all about the return of Colin Kaepernick, and I think we saw a performance from the QB that could have been expected. He had that big highlight with the long touchdown run where he reminded everyone of just what a weapon he can be, but there were also long stretches where the Nevada offence looked completely out of sync and unable to move the chains."

Riddick: "The pressure is really going to be on Chris Ault and his coaching staff to develop some chemistry in quick time. There are a lot of expectations and eyes on Nevada for obvious reasons, and it's not going to take the critics long to get on these guys if we see too many performances like that."

Rosenthal: "I think the offence will come, Kaepernick's only been with the team for a limited time, there's just too much potential there for them to not find their groove. To me the worrying sign was that defence, they're going to need their veteran guys like Marcus Golden and Eric Reid to step up because they were pretty absent in week one."

Riddick: "If Cam Newton made the biggest statement this weekend, then the Houston rushing attack was a pretty close second. They absolutely dominated the line of scrimmage and Cameron Artis-Payne rolled to a big night. It wasn't exactly the June Jones offensive showcase that I expected, but they can win plenty of games that way."

Kimes: "If there was a team that we anticipated might be a run heavy offence, then it was the Birmingham Vulcans, and they didn't disappoint on Sunday with De'Veon Smith carrying the ball 31 times!"

Rosenthal: "This was a real ground and pound clinic by Birmingham, they ran early and often, and while it maybe wasn't the greatest spectacle I think this strategy to wear down the opponents defence and then open up the play action game for Luis Perez can be very effective for them."

Riddick: "There's nothing wrong with good old fashioned football Gregg, and that's exactly what Tim Lewis wants. A tough defence who really stifled Josh Johnson, and a hard nosed run first offence. All those runs had Memphis putting eight or nine defenders up in the box, and then they hit that big play action pass to L'Damien Washington and it was game over."

Kimes: "There was some more big pass plays in the final game of the weekend between Orlando and Tempe."

Riddick: "Yeah I've got to admit I didn't see this performance from Matt McGloin coming. But he looks to have already developed a lot of chemistry with Jalen Tolliver, and those two were cooking down in Florida."

Rosenthal: "I don't think the football world has given Tempe enough attention or credit leading into the season, but that might all change after this performance. They look to have put together a really well rounded roster, there's no obvious holes here at all, and Jennifer Welter seemed to be right at home in her first game as a head coach."

Riddick: "This game would have upset a few people's pick'ems I think, but while Aaron Murray and Charles Johnson created some plays early on, once the Apollos fell behind on the scoreboard that Tempe pass rush was really able to heat up, and Rotimi and Ankrah combined for four sacks."

Rosenthal: "Rotimi has got to be the defensive player of the week. You would have bet the house on Jadeveon Clowney being the defensive end everyone was talking about after this game, but instead it was the Bobcat who made Aaron Murray's life a misery in the second half."

Kimes: "Thanks guys, what a week one it's been! And the best news is that we're going to be back here again every Sunday night to recap each weeks action of the AGL until the Championship game. Until then, thanks for watching!"

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Week 1 Scores

Houston 13-7 Nevada (Cameron Artis-Payne 107 yards rushing, 1 TD)

Birmingham 10-3 Memphis (De'Veon Smith 121 yards rushing)

Tempe 28-21 Orlando (Bunmi Rotimi 3 sacks)

Mobile 34-10 San Diego (Cam Newton 275 yards passing, 3 TD, 89 yards rushing, TD)

🌐 AGL.com 🌐 
Surge make several signings
Mark Sessler - AGL Newsdesk 

Still reeling from Sunday's disappointment, the San Diego Surge moved quickly to address their apparent defensive weakness, signing three new players to one year contracts. Defensive end Vinny Curry, 32, defensive tackle Corey Liuget, 31, and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, 30, represent a trio of veteran experience and leadership that head coach Norm Chow is hoping will stabilise a unit that was ripped apart in the season opener by Marauders QB Cam Newton.

"Obviously we are disappointed with the performance on Sunday, there's no doubt about that. We got smacked in the mouth and couldn't answer the bell, and that's concerning. As a coaching staff we have to look at how we can fix the issues we have and get better as a football team. I think with the additions we've made that we've gotten better," Chow said in front of the media today.

Curry and Liuget strengthen a defensive front which also also features another veteran in DT Mike Daniels. Chow will be hoping this trio will be able to assert themselves more after seeing the Mobile offensive line dominate for four quarters. Kirkpatrick will be tasked with providing some leadership in a secondary reeling after being torched repeatedly with Newton passing for three touchdowns and running over S Marcelis Branch near the goalline to add another score.

Mobile WR Cam Phillips who caught two of Newton's touchdowns was limited in practice today with an ankle injury he sustained in the fourth quarter on Sunday. He's listed as day to day but is expected to suit up for Mobile's tilt with Memphis.

Love that your sticking with Newton here despite him being a Pat in real life. This league cannot lose one of it's top stars! Surge have a beefy front, man Curry has 10+ sack capability here and Liuget if he can find the fountain of youth from his Bolt days is a terror inside.

Jul 2, 2020 2:31:50 GMT Blindy said:

Love that your sticking with Newton here despite him being a Pat in real life. This league cannot lose one of it's top stars! Surge have a beefy front, man Curry has 10+ sack capability here and Liuget if he can find the fountain of youth from his Bolt days is a terror inside.

I'm predicting the future here! Newton signed a couple of weeks after I started this, and yesterday Mina Kimes got promoted to NFL Live. 

AGL is operating on the unwritten rule that any NFL free agent is up for grabs until they sign in real life.