That is why I said "if they can hang on til they get better talent".
If they can get the good players (that just barely missed the NFL) from the local college teams to participate, then it might create more interests. Right now they have a lot of guys you never heard of. Where else can a guy make 80k a year right out of college? Somebody like Golson would have been a candidate.
Btu many of these guys, if they don't make the NFL, they start careers. There's not usually a market for football that pays near 80k.
And I would rather see Pettway than Richardson's washed up ass. (Even Jovon Robinson. Where is he now?)
What MIGHT work would be if you brokered a deal with the NFL and moved some of the AAFL teams around. Find areas that are without a pro football team and then tie that team to the surrounding franchises. Then each team expands its scout team roster from 10 to 15. Take the 32 NFL teams and divide it up so each AAFL team draws from four scout team squads. That's 60 players to work with. Each team can "protect" up to two players. You still have a 52-man roster.
A team from Alabama gets the scout team players from the Saints, Falcons, Titans, Panthers.
Stick a team in Florida that gets players from the Jags, Bucs, Dolphins and maybe hated Pats.
Put one in Utah that gets players from the Rams, 49ers, Raiders, Chargers.
One in Oklahoma with the Cowboys, Texans, Broncos and Cardinals.
One in Virginia that takes from the Eagles, Skins, Steelers and Bengals.
One in St. Louis that gets the Colts, Bears, Vikings and Packers.
One in Jersey that takes from the Giants, Jets, Bills and Ravens
One somewhere else, I don't care, that gets the Lions, Browns,
Seahawks,ChiefsYou get the gist.
As much as I loathe AJ McCarron he'd be better off playing for the Utah Bundys than he is with his thumb up his butt on the Raider sideline. I'd rather see Stidham quarterbacking the Virginia Slims than loitering around as a backup with the Eagles.
Let each team contribute a coach to the staff. Like a guy who is the RB coach but has aspirations to be an OC.
If I'm an NFL owner? Getting the opportunity to see players who are on the fringe, see if they're hungry enough, physical enough... Get a chance to see some of the younger coaches try to make a name. I guarantee you the offenses would be more dynamic if you had people trying to prove themselves.
Why aren't I in charge of this thing? I could make it work. Somebody give Roger my number.