The AFL is an amazing opportunity for all. Players, fans, coaches, owners, broadcasters and publishers. The original “Ironman” concept is gone forever; it went away when the NFL meddler’s had their way with the rule changes and used the  AFL to bury NFL Europe.

No longer will players like Barry Wagner, Hunkie Cooper, Mark Tucker, Bob McMillen,  be required to fill rosters. These players were true Ironmen. They could and would play both ways if needed. They could and did add multiple skill sets to their player’s toolbox. Try to get a college or NFL player to do that.

The game, well, let’s face it. It always was a business first. It has changed shape and plans many times over the years as it tried to find a niche in an ever-growing battle for entertainment dollars. Being a purist and decrying the changes means that you missed the point.

I can say that because until very recently, I was upset with the legion of changes to the rules, arena seating arrangements, TV and radio coverage. However, the game, Arena Football, or football indoors is still going to be an exciting, loud, spectacle of sport, entertainment and noise.

The competition, well that of course is on everyone’s mind. Who will be good, great, horrible? Can the current teams get any of the former highly paid players to return? Has the new pay structure diminished the game, the sport?

It is a simple thing really. Very little has changed in the AFL. Before the CBA and the NFL infected the AFL and gave it the equivalent of the Ebola virus. The teams were all pretty much equal in talent. A new team could join and expect to compete very soon for a title. Roster rules and player movement gave every team the ability to build a winning program.

That is the one thing that has not changed at all. In fact, now more than ever the teams are, from a talent standpoint all on equal ground. Teams have the same money to offer players so recruiting is even more important. Talent evaluation is at a premium and the teams that know how to spot talent, will.

Sidebar Regarding talent evaluation; Ron and Dale Wolfley were coaching at Phoenix College a few years ago. Trying to rebuild what used to be a great football school. I was talking to them both in their campus film room and asked if they were at a disadvantage compare to the other schools in recruiting. They both said the same thing. No. “We are finding great players from all the same high schools the others recruit from.”

My next question, You must spend a lot of time looking at film. Ron said, “Kev, it is not that big of a deal, if you know what you are looking for, you can tell if a kid can play or not after about five minutes of film, he either has it or he does not.” OK. The proof was in the playing. Their recruiting skills did bite them in the behind tho. They were so good at finding talent, that they lost it after just one season because the otherwise overlooked players were being placed in four-year schools. At the Junior College level, great recruiting can lead to quick turnover of talent, or at least it should.

So how does this apply to Arena Football. Simple, now the teams that can cut through the clutter, spot the talent and put them into play. This way they can  become a consistent winner, quicker. Based on this, it would appear the advantage lies with returning AFL franchises like Chicago, Arizona, Orlando or Tampa Bay.

Not at all. It was only a short time ago, when David Baker was the AFL commish that the AFL brought the AF2 franchise owners, coaches and PR people to AFL venues on game days to let them see the operation from the ground up. I got to meet a bunch of them as they came through the Rattlers’ arena.

I found out that many of them were more successful at selling out their venue’s than many of the AFL teams. They knew their market and could find talent. Many took what they learned from the Arena teams and made their product better. Now, some of the best of them are in the new AFL and are in a position to succeed here at the same or even a higher level than before.

Teams like the Spokane Shock, Tennessee Valley Vipers and Milwaukee Iron come to mind. The funny thing is, many of the operational methods from AF2 are now the backbone of the AFL. The AF2 did not have the money their rich uncle had so they learned how to run practices, travel, housing and game days in ways, which kept them alive.

Now I don’t know about every AFL team and how they operate, or the way they manage their teams and staff. I have however spent a lot of time with the Rattlers organization. I can say that if there was a consistent, well-handled franchise, the Rattlers are and have been since the start of the franchise in 1992.

From the beginning, the Colangelo’s, anyone remember them? Getting Pete Kettela to find talent, Gene Nudo to manage, JT Thompson to get everything done and Danny White as the Head Coach made it a model team. Danny brought a Tom Landry/Frank Kush clarity of purpose to the field. He even became more flexible as he became comfortable with the game and players like Bonner, Gatewood, Cooper, Kelly and Tucker.

Around the AFL, the Rattlers were known for their professional operation and for how well they treated their opponents. Especially when they came to AWA to play. JT made sure everyone got the kind of respect the Rattlers would like to receive. This even though they were often given a short hand by some of the AFL’s most well know franchises when the Rattlers went to those arenas.

I don’t see that changing from the Rattlers side.

So, on the field, why is the game better after the crash? It is simple, the AFL is the best opportunity for players after only the NFL and Canadian Football. The AFL has the players that are going to be the closet to that level of play. Players that are still in upward transition mode, as opposed to players that have not figured out that their skills did not follow them to the next level.

In football, the player is usually the last one to know that what he knows about football has no value if the skills he had, have slipped or simply are not up to the task.

Coaches like Danny White and Kevin Guy are not going to waste a moment of time on a player that is not going to contribute the their plans to be in the Arena Bowl every year. If a player is naïve enough to think he is that good, then perhaps, after more gym time, less beer, more sleep less talk, perhaps he can come to the open tryout again next year and get another T-Shirt.

In spite of the hype, the AFL is NOT the place to go if you have not finished proving you can finish what you started in college football. What? You did not start or play at a four-year school? OK, keep coming back and buying a T-Shirt.

In my opinion, if Danny White and the Rattlers had started in the AFL earlier, they would be the franchise with the most wins and championships. Danny White would have more wins as a head coach and the rest of the league would be in catch up mode.

The AFL has had its share of great players and coaches. However, let’s be honest, the coaches and players that dominate the record books do so because they were here when it started. Back then, no one would take the pay cut to coach or play in the league. Therefore, the league and its leaders grew up together.

I also think that the heavy NFL involvement diluted the game and changed the experience for both players and coaches. Teams got more involved with marketing their NFL connections, shoot the league became AFL-Elway for a while, I thought for sure he would be the next commissioner. Remember the “Elway Rule.”

Now even with the stupid rule changes that took the Iron out of the Man part of the game. This new AFL is a better product then the one that crashed and burned in a ball of greed after the 2008 season.

The players, yes, many of the “name” players won’t be back, the pay cut is too steep for some. In many cases, their issue is valid. They are older and now have jobs that pay a lot more then they can earn in the AFL for the next few years. We will miss them, I respect them. I also expect the game to improve, attendance to rise and if the teams start making the money, the players will too.

So for those players that are here now, our best to you and your success. To the teams, Play Ball.