Go Sasquatch!

jULY 7, 1987--New York
"The Bidding War Has Begun as AAFL Signs First Big Name NFL Players"
We all new this day was coming.  From the moment the DC Circuit Court ruled against the NFL in an antitrust case and announced that all post 1982 NFL contracts were null and void, we expected the new All-American Football League to take advantage of the situation to sign some big name talent.  With today's release of signings by the league, the bidding war is officially on.  As reported last month, the AAFL has allowed for 5 designated players to be signed by teams without counting towards the league-mandated roster budgetary constrictions.  What was not known was that the league would only allow teams to sign veteran players, and only veteran players from each team's 3 designated "Territorial Universities".  With these restrictions in place until the league's planned October Free Agent and College Draft, we did not anticipate that most teams would be going after well-known NFL commodities quite so soon, but, along with a lot of non-NFL players, there were some big names among the AAFL's signing release today.  

The Colorado Rangers wasted no time, using their designated schools of Colorado, BYU and Nebraska to sign two former USFL standouts who played with the NFL in 1985 and 1986.  BYU standout QB Steve Young, who played two seasons in the USFL and only recently was dealt by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to San Francisco, is perhaps the biggest name on any AAFL roster.  He will be joined in the Mile High City by Heisman Winner and fellow USFL alum Mike Rozier of Nebraska. 

Atlanta also swung for the fences, signing Georgia legend and recent Cowboy, RB Herschel Walker.  After dominating the USFL, where he rushed for over 2,400 yards in 1985, Walker's first year in Dallas was a bit of a letdown, and clearly Mr. Walker saw greener pastures back in Georgia with the AAFL.

A few more former USFL standouts also jumped back out of the NFL.  LB Gary Plummer was signed by Oakland, RB Darrel Clack by LA, and former Jacksonville Bull and Redskin wideout Gary Clark signed on with the AAFL, Clark remaining in Washington with the new Washington Warriors. 

And not all the signings were former USFL stars.  Several NFL players, newly freed from their initial pro contracts, chose to sign on with the AAFL.  WR Hassan Jones of the Vikings returned to Florida to play with the Orlando Tropics, former West Virginia star QB and Giants backup to Phil Simms, Jeff Hostetler was also signed by Washington.  Dallas signed Broncos backup Gary Kubiak as a signalcaller, along with Jets RB Roger Vick, both from Texas A&M, one of the Rawhides' 3 regional schools.  The Saints also lost their top RB as Reuben Mayes, the talented back out of Washington State who gained over 1,300 yards as a rookie opted to play closer to home in Seattle.

We expect this will not be the end of the signings by AAFL teams.  Rumors have been swirling that the league has targeted other former USFL standouts such as QB's Jim Kelly and Bobby Hebert, RB's Kevlin Bryant and Gary Anderson, and defensive stalwarts such as Pat Swilling and Reggie White.  Rumors are also swirling that some of the NFL's young signal callers, players such as Steve Bono, Jim Everett, Chuck Long and Jack Trudeau may also be targets of the league. 

It is a new day in the world of football, and one which must feel awfully uncomfortable around NFL league offices as players use the AAFL as leverage for lucrative new contracts and as some decide that the lure and seemingly deep pockets of a new spring league is worth the risk.  Just how deep the defection from the NFL will be, we can only guess at this point. 

July 20, 1987--New York
"NFL Talent Drain Continues as NFL and NFLPA Battle On"
With it looking more and more like an impasse between the NFL and the NFLPA will lead to a major labor action for the league, the upstart All-American Football League continues to pluck name players from NFL rosters.  The league released a second list of signings, and while there were many names who are not familiar to casual football fans, there were also several which certainly drew the attention of fans, and of NFL teams now worried that they are going to lose more than just fringe players.   Among the notable signings over the past 2 weeks:

Buffalo LB Darryl Talley and Giants WR Phil McConkey signed with the Washington Warriors.
Falcons backup QB David Archer signed with St. Louis.
Vikings T and former USFL LA Express player Gary ZImmermann inked with the Seattle Sasquatch.
Former Oakland Invader and Colt RB Albert Bentley is returning to Oakland to play for the Sharks.
UCLA star QB Steve Bono returns to LA with the Stars.
Redskins LB Kurt Gouveia is now a Colorado Ranger, as is former NJ General and Dallas kicker Roger Ruzek.
Dolphins RB Lorenzo Hampton moves up the coast with the Orlando Tropics.
Philly's rookie stud LB Seth Joyner is also headed to the AAFL, to return to Texas with the Dallas Rawhides.
Dallas also snagged another local star, DT Ray Childress from the Oilers.

With the AAFL franchises limited to selecting players from their allotted regional schools, they have still done some damage to NFL rosters.  If the NFL and NFLPA cannot avoid a work stoppage, and with so many contracts voided by the recent court ruling, the floodgates could open when the AAFL holds its open draft of talent later this Fall.  And let's not forget about the rookie class, selected this past April.  All of those players are also in Limbo as the AAFL is opting to hold its own rookie draft, which may include both 1987 prospects and those playing their senior year this Fall.  
 


 

Last edited by Wideright90 (2/17/2020 6:01 pm)

Holy... dude, these are incredible!  I don't think I can even pick a favorite design!  They are all really great!  I guess the Washington Warriors would be my pick for favorite team to root for, as that might be the best red, white, and blue fictional jersey I've ever seen. 

December 3, 1987—New York
“With NFL in disarray, AAFL Drafts College Stars”
Only one month after the NFL officially cancelled even a shortened 1987 season, and with veteran players still periodically signing on with the All-American Football League, the new spring league announced yet another phase of its roster development strategy, holding a draft of 1988 College players.  While the league was only successful in signing about 1/3 of the players drafted from the 1987 class, with greater insecurity about the return of the NFL for the 1988 season, there is a good chance that many of the players chosen by the AAFL, even before Bowl Season officially kicks off, will sign with the new league as their best opportunity to play.  And with that in mind, the AAFL teams seemed to jump at the chance to select speculative NFL first round picks in a way that was not as evident with the 1987 players.  The spring league held two draft sessions, first another territorial draft, with each team selection only players from assigned schools, and a 5 round open draft, with any remaining NCAA seniors available for selection.   While we cannot predict which selections will sign with the new league, the list of potential first-year stars is substantial.  The key selections from these two draft formats are listed below, with a (T) representing territorial picks:

 
Atlanta:  Auburn LB Audray Bruce (T), Clemson DT Michael Dean Perry (T), Kentucky C Dermontti Dawson, and Iowa RB Kevin Harmon.

Colorado: Nebraska DE Neil Smith (T) and RB Keith Jones (T), OK State RB Thurman Thomas, and Minnesota K Chip Lohmiller.

Dallas: Texas A&M RB Keith Woodside (T), Ohio State MLB Chris Spielman, Iowa WR Quinn Early and Kentucky DE Jerry Reese.

Los Angeles: UCLA RB Gaston Green (T), ASU Guard Randall McDaniel (T), ASU CB Eric Allen (T), UCLA Wideout Willie “Flipper” Anderson (T) and Notre Dame C Chuck Lanza.

New York: Pitt RB Craig “Ironhead” Heyward (T), Syracuse QB Don McPherson (T), Purdue LB Fred Strickland, and Grambling DE Curtis Maxey.

Oakland: Cal LB Ken Harvey (T),  Hawaii DE Al Noga (T), Arizona S Chuck Cecil (T), BC LB Bill Romanowski, and Ohio State QB/P Tom Tupa.

Orlando: Miami S Bennie Blades (T), WR Brett Perriman (T), Florida QB Kerwin Bell (T), Mississippi Valley LB Vincent Brown, and Georgia RB Lars Tate.

St. Louis: Oklahoma TE Keith Jackson (T), Mizzou S Erik Mcmillan (T), Oklahoma RB Lydell Carr (T), Louisiana-Monroe QB Stan Humphries, and Oklahoma LB Dante Jones.

Seattle: Oregon QB Chris Chandler (T), WSU S James Hasty (T), Washington G Brian Habib (T), Ohio State LB Eric Kumerow, and Miami RB Warren Williams.

Washington: Virginia QB Scott Secules (T), South Carolina WR Sterling Sharpe, and Maryland TE Ferrell Edmunds.
 

January 8, 1998—Sporting News AAFL Preview Issue

“Sizing Up the AAFL”
All around the new AAFL there is a buzz.  Players are beginning to report to camp, and soon the sound of football will return to a nation that was shocked and saddened by the loss of an entire NFL season.  While it now looks like the NFL and NFLPA will be able to reach a hard-fought truce, the 1987 season was lost, and so too was a huge chunk of the venerable league’s talent, defected to the new All-American Football League.  And just how does this new upstart league measure up?  Well, the first thing they will tell you is that this is a young league.   With both 1987 and 1988 college all-stars signing on, along with NFL players, most with 5 or fewer years of pro experience, free to sign with the league, this is a league of young stars in the making.  The question for the AAFL, which has already shattered season ticket expectations, thanks in large part to the NFL work stoppage, is just how these teams will come together.   The Sporting News has visited with each team, has spoken with players, coaches, and player personnel experts, and is ready to outline the best that each team has to offer in the league’s inaugural season.   Welcome to the All-American Football League. 

ATLANTA LEGION
OFFENSE:  The Legion will be led by their running game.  The early signing of former Bulldog Herschel Walker all but assured that.  Adding Buford Jordan and Kevin Harmon to spell Walker all but guarantees it.  At QB they will have to decide between the unproven arm of former Steeler backup Bubby Brister or the rookie out of Alabama, Mike Shula.  They will be throwing primarily to a receiving corps of unknown or rookie receivers, with the sole exception being former Viking Hassan Jones.
 
DEFENSE:  The heart of the Atlanta defense would seem to be its LB corps.  Indiana rookie Van Waiters will be lined up with former Saint Pat Swilling.  Up front, rookie Michael Dean Perry, fresh off his senior year at Clemson will try to pressure opposing quarterbacks and stuff the run.  In the defensive backfield, safety Reggie Rutland and CB Clarence Vaughn will have to grow into the pro game.
 
Predicted finish:  8-5, 2nd in East
 

COLORADO RANGERS
OFFENSE:  This has the feel of a team that will put up some points.  The receivers are not particulary scary, with late signing Michael Haynes, formerly of the NFL Falcons, as the only name player, but when you have a backfield that includes former Buc, BYU and USFL star Steve Young, and the dynamic OSU Cowpoke RB Thurman Thomas, there is significant firepower in the Ranger offense.
 
DEFENSE: The Ranger defense is young, with rookies Shawn Knight (NT-BYU), Solomon Wilcots (CB-Colorado) and LB Mark Munford (LB-Nebraska) hoping to learn from the one veteran of note on the defense, MLB Kurt Gouveia.  It is hard to tell if the raw talent on this team will gel in time to help the Rangers D keep up with what looks to be a potent offense.
 
Predicted Finish:  6-7,  4th in West
 

DALLAS RAWHIDES
OFFENSE:  There is a lot to like in the Rawhide offense, from young QB talent in Cody Carlson and Gary Kubiak to USFL running back Mike Rozier and a pair of backs from A&M, Roger Vick and Keith Woodside.  The O-Line also has some talent, most notably their Center, highly touted Baylor grad John Adickes.   The receiving corps is young and inexperienced, but we expect that the ground game will carry this team far.
 
DEFENSE: This is another team with some serious talent on defense.  The inside of the line looks like a tough one to crack, with DT’s Jerry Ball and Ray Childress clogging up the middle.  Pass rushing LB Seth Joyner heads up the linebackers and will pose a threat, especially when lining up on the same side of the field as former 49er DE Charles Haley.  This may be a team that makes life very tough for opposing quarterbacks with that combo.
 
Predicted Finish:  10-3, First in West.
 

LOS ANGELES STARS
OFFENSE:  For a team called the Stars, the roster does not impress, at least not with big name players.  It is still uncertain if QB Steve Bono or Damon Allen (fresh from a long CFL season) will take the reins.  They have fleet-footed rookie Gaston Green in the backfield, along with the bulkier Darryl Clack, and UCLA speedster Willie “Flipper” Anderson will likely be the top receiver for this team, but we are just not very confident that this is a team with enough star power to win.
 
DEFENSE: The Defense is a parallel to the offense in LA.  We like the look of rookie CB Eric Allen, and we expect that former USC standout Marcus Cotton will be a solid performer.  A lot will depend on the play of Ken Norton Jr., who will take on the vital role of Mike LB in the Stars D.  As with the offense, this defensive squad has more questions than answers at this point.
 
Predicted finish:  4-9, 5th in West
 

NEW YORK KNIGHTS
OFFENSE:  The key to NY’s offense is whether or not either of their young and untested QB’s can have a strong season.  Rookie Mark Vlasic is a long way from Iowa, and, though Syracuse is not very far away, former Orangeman Don McPherson is still a prospect that leaves some scouts unimpressed.  The running game will largely be in the hands of former Nittany Lion D.J. Dozier, though in camp we were also impressed by the skills and power of the Knights FB, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward.  The receiving corps will feature another Syracuse star, wideout Scott Schwedes, as well as the sure-handed Mark Carrier.   The late addition of former 49er TE Brent Jones may prove to be the key to the Knight passing game.
 
DEFENSE:  We really like MLB Shane Conlan from Penn State, and the addition of a second solid MLB in fomer USFL standout Sam Mills clearly indicates that the Knights might experiment with a 3-4 defense instead of the more traditional 4-3 alignment.  Doing so may help them deal with what appears to be one of the weaker D-Line’s in the AAFL. 
 
Predicted Finish:  7-6,  3rd in East
 

OAKLAND SHARKS
OFFENSE:  After a rough season in Indianapolis, no more than a year ago, young Jack Trudeau once again finds himself in a tough spot.  He will be joined in the Sharks backfield by another Colt, RB Albert Bentley, as well as former Arizona RB Alfred Jenkins.  Out wide, Trudeau will hope to connect with former Bronco Vance Johnson.  We expect this team to focus on the run and use playaction, which does suit Trudeau, or backup, Buckeye Tom Tupa well.
 
DEFENSE:  The Sharks may have one of the best linebacking corps in the league, with energetic and aggressive play from Hardy Nickerson and Bill Romanowski, paired with the experience and savvy of former USFL LB Gary Plummer.  They will line up behind big Al Noga at DE, and count on the hard hitting of rookie Chuck Cecil behind them.  If they can reach their full potential, we see this as one of the most athletic and hard-hitting teams in the league.
 
Predicted Finish:  9-4, 2nd in the West.
 

ORLANDO TROPICS
OFFENSE:  There was little debate in our bullpen when we asked which AAFL had the scariest offense.  The Tropics tout former USFL MVP Jim Kelly at quarterback, have two young studs at RB in Lorenzo Hampton and former Hurricane Alonzo Highsmith, and they have both speed and savvy out wide with another Hurricane, Michael Irvin paired up with Florida’s Ricky Nattiel.  Add some solid muscle up front with John Elliott, Nate Newton and Jeff Zimmerman, and this could be an unstoppable force.
 
DEFENSE: While nowhere near as intimidating as their offense, the Tropics’ defense has some names worth noting.  They drafted Hurricane safety Bennie Blades in the territorial draft, and put him behind former Falcon LB Jesse Tuggle.  Tuggle will line up alongside athletic rookie Winston Moss and ALL-SWAC LB Vincent Brown of Mississippi Valley State.   They may not be asked to do much, as the offense may just overpower the rest of the league.
 
Predicted Finish:  10-3,  1st in East.
 

ST. LOUIS RAMPAGE
OFFENSE:  It looks to us like the Rampage are trying to imitate the success of the USFL’s Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars, right down to their top player, former Star Kelvin Bryant.  While Bryant did not show much in his one season of NFL ball, he lit things up in the USFL, and perhaps can do the same in the AAFL.  He will be handed the ball early and often by one of the Rampage QB’s, either unheralded rookie Stan Humphries or former NFL backup David Archer.  Out wide we like the speed of NC State’s Haywood Jeffires, but the best hands clearly belong to Oklahoma Sooner TE Keith Jackson.  Even former Dolphin and new teammate, Mark Clayton, was impressed by the young Jackson.
 
DEFENSE: As soon as the Rampage announced the signing of “The Boz” you could feel the energy about this team.  Brian Bosworth is certainly the biggest name on the D, but don’t sleep on safety Eric McMillan of nearby Mizzou.  This combo may have to make up for a weaker D-line and some questions at CB, but if any player is set up to be the face of a franchise, it is The Boz in St. Louis.
 
Predicted Finish:  5-9,  4th in East.
 

SEATTLE SASQUATCH
OFFENSE:  RB Rueben Mayes bolted his way to over 1,200 yards and OROY honors in his one season in New Orleans, and he will certainly be the focal point of the Sasquatch offense.  The team spent big on linemen, signing tackles Gary Zimmerman and Bruce Wilkerson, along with rookie Brian Habib to clear holes for Mayes.  The team, despite signing Dallas QB Steve Pelleur, seems enamored by the physical gifts of local star Chris Chandler of the U. of Washington.  He will target MSU receiver Mark Ingram, well, when Mayes doesn’t have the ball, that is.
 
DEFENSE: Not a lot of big names on the Seattle D, but we do like the look of rookie LB Eric Kumerow and CB James Hasty.  We suspect that this will be a D that grows into shape over the course of the season, so expect some early season troubles before they gel and gain confidence.
 
Predicted Finish:  7-6, 3rd in West.
 

WASHINGTON WARRIORS
OFFENSE:  The Warriors are intriguing on offense, but will that turn into potent?  While most expect former Mountaineer and Giants backup Jeff Hostetler to lead the team, he is being challenged by the young gunslinger from UVa, Don Majkowski.   Whoever wins the starting job will be handing off to a triple threat at RB, with Barry Word, and rookies Paul Palmer and Alvin Blount all battling for carries.  Another former Giant, WR Phil McConkey leads the receiving corps, one which also features former Redskin Gary Clark. 
 
DEFENSE:  Former Bill Darryl Talley is perhaps the biggest name on the Warrior D, but we also like the look of their DE’s with Grambling’s Sean Smith and UNC’s Reuben Davis on the edge.  Another name to look out for is former Tulane CB Eric Thomas, who has shown flashes of brilliance playing down in the Big Easy.  But, will this be enough to win games in an offensive league, we are not sure.
 
Predicted Finish:  3-10,  5th in East.

Last edited by Wideright (2/21/2020 11:28 pm)