Alliance of American Football rules, schedule, TV, players, coaches

Pro football normally takes a seven-month break after the Super Bowl, but this year the hiatus will last all of one week with the advent of the Alliance of American Football, a new league founded by television producer/director Charlie Ebersol and longtime NFL executive Bill Polian that begins Saturday. The AAF has positioned itself as something of an offseason developmental league for the NFL, emphasizing not how it will be different from the NFL — the XFL tried that once, as documented by Ebersol’s “30 for 30” documentary about the failed league that will give it another shot next year — but how it will resemble the long-established pro-football titan.

“Because if you’re a player who wants to play in the NFL, another league comes along, you look at that league as an opportunity to show your skills off and get back in the big show,” Ebersol told SB Nation. “The problem is, if they screw with the game, which all these people have done, you can’t get back in the NFL, because if you’re playing in the CFL or another league like that and [the] NFL’s looking at that the game, it’s so wildly different.”

The league is stocked with a few recognizable coaching names along with players looking for another chance to attract an NFL team’s attention, and while the on-field product will look similar to what you see on fall Sundays, there are a few changes aimed at speeding up the game and keeping viewers’ attention during a nontraditional time for football:

— There will be no television timeouts and fewer full-screen commercial breaks. That, along with a 35-second play clock (the NFL’s is 40 seconds) and some of the changes listed below, could shave 30 minutes off an NFL game’s traditional three-hour running time.

— No extra points. Every touchdown will be followed by a two-point conversion attempt. Field goals are still an option in regulation, however.

— No kickoffs. Each team starts a possession after a score or at the start of a half at their 25-yard line.

— Instead of onside kicks, which are not allowed, teams will attempt the equivalent of a fourth-and-12 play from their 28-yard line. A conversion means it keeps the ball. These will only be allowed when a team is trailing by at least 17 points or for either team in the last five minutes of a game, according to the Associated Press.

— There will be a ninth member of the officiating crew called a “SkyJudge,” who will sit in the press box and “use real-time technology to correct clear errors involving player safety anytime during a game, and pass interference inside of five minutes left in the fourth quarter,” the AP reported.

— Overtime is different: Each team will get the ball only once, first and goal from the 10, and they have to score a touchdown and go for two (field goals are not allowed in the extra period). Games can end in a tie.

Season schedule: Each of the eight teams will play 10 games, with the top two teams in each division advancing to the playoffs.

TV coverage: After opening night on Saturday, when CBS will broadcast two games on a regional basis, AAF games predominantly will air on NFL Network, CBS Sports Network and the B/R Live streaming service. TNT also will broadcast two games: Salt Lake at Birmingham on Feb. 16 (a lead-in to NBA All-Star Saturday Night) and then one playoff contest. CBS also will air the championship game in April.

Here’s a quick look at each team. All odds via the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. All times Eastern.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlanta Legends

Championship odds: 5/1.

Coach: Kevin Coyle, a longtime NFL assistant who originally signed on to be the Legends' defensive coordinator but was promoted to head coach in January after former Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress stepped down. Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick will make his coaching debut as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator.

Top players: Denard Robinson, a quarterback sensation at Michigan earlier this decade, is listed as a running back for the Legends (he last played in the NFL for the Jaguars in 2016). Aaron Murray, the SEC’s all-time leader in touchdown passes, will start at quarterback.

First game: at Orlando, Saturday, 8 p.m. (CBS regional, check local listings).

Birmingham Iron

Championship odds: 10/1.

Coach: Tim Lewis, a longtime NFL assistant who was defensive coordinator of the Giants and Steelers earlier this century.

Top Players: Running back Trent Richardson, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2012 NFL draft who’s mostly been out of football since 2014, returns to Alabama to revive his career. Former Auburn cornerback Chris Davis, of “Kick Six” fame, also is on the roster.

First game: vs. Memphis, Sunday, 4 p.m. (CBS Sports Network).

Memphis Express

Championship odds: 10/1.

Coach: Mike Singletary, NFL Hall of Famer and former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

Top players: Former Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger and former NFL second-round pick Christian Hackenberg are battling to become the Express’s starting quarterback (Hackenberg reportedly has the edge).

First game: at Birmingham, Sunday, 4 p.m. (CBS Sports Network).

Orlando Apollos

Championship odds: 5/1.

Coach: The Head Ball Coach himself, Steve Spurrier.

Top players: Will Hill, who started 32 NFL games earlier this decade before his career was sidetracked by substance-abuse problems, returns to the field, as does wide receiver Charles Johnson (60 receptions for the Vikings from 2014 to 2016).

First game: vs. Atlanta, Saturday, 8 p.m. (CBS regional, check local listings).

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Arizona Hotshots

Championship odds: 5/2.

Coach: Rick Neuheisel, the former coach at Colorado, Washington and UCLA who has spent the last few years as a sports broadcaster.

Top players: Former Oklahoma and Texas A&M standout Trevor Knight will play quarterback for the AAF favorites, while linebacker Scooby Wright (ninth in the 2014 Heisman Trophy voting) will anchor the defense. NFL veteran Nick Folk will handle field goals.

First game: vs. Salt Lake, Sunday, 8 p.m. (NFL Network).

Salt Lake Stallions

Championship odds: 4/1.

Coach: Dennis Erickson, who’s served as a head coach for six NCAA programs and two NFL teams.

Top players: Matt Asiata, who led the Vikings in rushing in 2014, is one of the Stallions' running backs. Defensive tackle Sealver Siliga started for the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 and had four tackles.

First game: at Arizona, Sunday, 8 p.m. (NFL Network).

San Antonio Commanders

Championship odds: 5/1.

Coach: Former Oregon State, Nebraska and San Diego Chargers coach Mike Riley will lead the Commanders.

Top players: Greg Ward Jr. threw 52 career touchdown passes as a quarterback at Houston from 2013 to 2016, but he’ll be playing wide receiver for the Commanders. Linebacker Jayrone Elliott played in 38 games for the Packers between 2014 and 2016, registering four sacks.

First game: vs. San Diego, Saturday, 8 p.m. (CBS regional, check local listings).

San Diego Fleet

Championship odds: 10/1.

Coach: Mike Martz, who coached the Rams from 2000 to 2005 and led St. Louis to the Super Bowl in 2002, returns to the sideline for the first time since 2011.

Top players: Perhaps the most recognizable name on the Fleet’s roster is quarterback Mike Bercovici, who threw for 3,854 yards and 30 touchdowns for Arizona State in 2015.

First game: at San Antonio, Saturday, 8 p.m. (CBS regional, check local listings).

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Alliance of American Football rules, schedule, TV, players, coaches