4th & Monday: Wait, there's more pro football going on? YES, PLEASE!
With the next meaningful NFL game nearly seven months away, the scouting combine three weeks away and the draft two and a half months away, football fans were treated to the debut of a new pro football league, the Alliance of American Football, less than a week after Super Bowl LIII.
The long-awaited debut of the AAF brought with it potentially revolutionary rules changes, unique in-game broadcasting features and Steve Spurrier doing Steve Spurrier things.
The AAF's opening weekend was promising, giving fans plenty to talk about, but time will tell if the league will be a worthy distraction during a down time for the "other" pro football league. Much more on the AAF below.
Back to the NFL, draft season will pick up before you know it, and we've provided an updated mock draft to help pass the time. Also upcoming is free agency, which will give teams plenty to think about as they build toward the 2019 season -- and potentially adding one of the top 25 players who could be available.
Your Monday must-reads
- Top free agents of 2019: NFL teams looking for a high-impact pass rusher might be inclined to shell out big money, as several defenders could be in demand.
- Final 2018 season power rankings: While the Super Bowl LIII champion Patriots are No. 1 in the final rankings of the season, the Rams aren't No. 2.
- Dak Prescott on critics: 'Almost comical': Ahead of contract extension talks, the Cowboys quarterback has some words for his naysayers.
- 10 biggest offseason questions: A number of big names could be on the move this offseason, including (but not limited to) Steelers stars Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell.
- Speaking of Antonio Brown: The NFL will investigate a recent domestic dispute involving the Steelers wide receiver for which he was not arrested.
- Can the Eagles keep Foles from becoming NFC East rival? It's a possibility that Nick Foles could end up playing for one of the Eagles' NFC East division rivals.
- No more hoops for Patrick Mahomes: After the Chiefs QB and NFL MVP was caught playing a pick-up basketball game, GM Brett Veach told his agent that's a "big no-no."
- 'This is all kind of a dream to me': After guiding the Patriots to the Super Bowl as an assistant, Brian Flores gets a challenge all his own in taking over the Dolphins.
Hey, look, a new pro football league!
The Alliance of American Football kicked off for the first time over the weekend. As we mentioned above, there were potentially revolutionary rules changes, unique in-game broadcasting features and, of course, Steve Spurrier doing Steve Spurrier things. Other things of note:
- Big hit goes viral: San Diego Fleet QB Mike Bercovici was on the wrong end of a devastating hit. But, is it bad that old violence is celebrated in the new league?
- Could new leagues change NFL, college football? Alternative pro football leagues have failed before, but investors are betting the time is right for leagues like AAF and XFL to succeed in shadow of NFL.
- Probably should have seen this coming: Christian Hackenberg was predictably awful in his AAF debut and he might be running out of options. While this former second-round pick floundered, another ex-Jets QB impressed.
- Our AAF power rankings after Week 1:
1. Arizona Hotshots
2. Orlando Apollos
3. Birmingham Iron
4. San Antonio Commanders
5. Salt Lake Stallions
6. San Diego Fleet
7. Atlanta Legends
8. Memphis Express
2019 NFL draft: Mocks, rankings and more
There are just 73 more sleeps until the 2019 NFL draft. It'll be here before you know it.
- Updated mock draft: The first post-Super Bowl mock draft of first-round projections features three quarterbacks being selected in the top 10.
- Combine invite list revealed: A total of 338 prospects were invited to participate in the scouting combine in Indianapolis. Which prospects might dominate the workouts?
- Prospect rankings: Draft Wire updated its prospect rankings for every position group in this year's draft.
One last look back at Super Bowl LIII
- Patriots offseason questions: Before New England can embark on yet another run to the Super Bowl, it has a number of issues to address in both free agency and the draft.
- Rams offseason questions: What do the Rams need to do to make long playoff runs a habit?
- From 0-16 to Super Bowl champion: One year after enduring a winless season with the Browns, Jason McCourty is a Super Bowl champion.
- Ranking all the Super Bowls: Where does Super Bowl LIII rank among the previous 52 Super Bowls?
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