Will the AIFA play in 2011?

[exit322]

[quote=""Richmond_fan""]

Given the relative balance of the IFL, it was possible that the Mariners were better than any single team in the stronger league.

Look, I seen the Mariners play. There were good but reality is they would have NEVER been undefeated in the IFL. They may not have even made the playoffs. I saw teams play from both the IFL and the AIFA. The Mariners in my opinion would have had trouble beating the Maryland Maniacs.

Depends on their schedule. If they had the Richmond schedule that allowed them to go 13-1 and then choke miserably in the playoffs...they'd have a chance.

They'd get beat by 20 or more by Billings or Sioux Falls, but htey'd have a chance to be 14-0.

[Gene Duryea]

The Mariner's Chilldren's dog's unborn puppies could have beaten the Maniacs. Other teams in the IFL east would have been much more of a challenge and they would probably have had about a 50 / 50 season.

[quote=""Richmond_fan""]

Given the relative balance of the IFL, it was possible that the Mariners were better than any single team in the stronger league.

Look, I seen the Mariners play. There were good but reality is they would have NEVER been undefeated in the IFL. They may not have even made the playoffs. I saw teams play from both the IFL and the AIFA. The Mariners in my opinion would have had trouble beating the Maryland Maniacs.

[Richmond_fan]

LOL, that is even more funny, the Mariners couldn't have beaten the Revolution once. They would have had trouble beating the Maniacs. Why do you think they didn't want to leave the security of the AIFA. 14-0 in the IFL with the Revolution Schedule .... more like 3-11 or 6-8 at best!
We will never know because .... one, they were too scared to move to the IFL
Two, it doesn't look like they will ever play again anyways, so it is all mute!

[exit322]

Clearly, you don't understand indoor football. So please read this and understand the lesson being taught here.

Teams don't make league decisions due to on-field concerns. Balto clearly had financial issues, and the AIFA is at most half the price to operate in than the IFL, with far lesser background checks. In fact, if Baltimore were to say "I want to go to the IFL because it's better football and no other reason" and I was the IFL, I'd pass on that, because that's a team that isn't doing a damn bit of business research. Remember, these are business decisions, not football decisions.

When you read a press release that says "we want a better challenge," that really translates to "this league is more prestigious and I think my brand is worth more here." And that is true, the IFL is clearly a better league than the AIFA, and a brand is worth more in the IFL, if only marginally. But the best teams in the AIFA East would have success in the IFL East, because simply...really, you beat one team that won a playoff game in a league where 16/21 made the playoffs. And you're talking smack on someone who played in a division that really isn't any worse than yours (on-field the AIFA East is very comparable to the IFL East - if they were comparable OFF FIELD, they wouldn't be in the AIFA).

If your Revs were playing the Storm & Outlaws and that sort of schedule, you'd have had the 5-9 season you brag about Balto getting against vaunted opponents like West Michigan and Maryland. Though computer rankings aren't perfect, there's a reason the massey ratings system has Richmond ranked behind two six (!) loss teams (Omaha & Wichita) - the East just isn't that good.

I venture to guess I've seen a lot more of this sport than you have. No one can deny the IFL is a better league than the others out there right now. But that's an off-field metric. Football talent is football talent, and Baltimore had all kinds of that. So did Richmond IFL; you guys had a good team. Just not as good as a 13-2 record would indicate. Hopefully the IFL's East teams overall are stronger in 2011, so we can have a better guide as to who's best in the league.

Ideally, we have one league that covers everyone without any of these nutty problems. Then we can see these things on the field. But that's not happening.

In closing, Balto not going IFL has nothing to do with the game being played between the walls. Not a single thing. These decisions have nothing to do with football.

[Richmond_fan]

you clearly do not understand a lot of things ...

[jerry101jlh]

Exit is right on for the most part. Teams rarely, if ever switch leagues for anything to do with the game or competition itself. They may switch because they don't like their current leagues direction or business model, for monetary reasons, travel or any number of reasons. They may switch to a higher profile league with better teams, but generally because they hope it will put more butts in the seats.

Baltimore was a good time, did something few in any league ever do in running the table, but in reality were no better than say Richmond, Chicago, or Green Bay of the IFL and not as good as Sioux Falls, Omaha or Wichita to name a few. The best teams in indoor football are in the IFL divisions that have these teams above. Not excluding Billings either in saying that. I can say that just by looking at history and what these teams have done over the years.

If Baltimore were to have jumped I think the reasons is simple, saw the AIFA failing and nothing in its business model to suggest otherwise.

Exit is one of the more knowledgeable fans who follow this game and beyond fan experience also has experience working with a league. He's no dummy when it comes to this sport although I don't always agree with him.

[Gene Duryea]

As to what Jerry said.

Agreed ... Agreed ... Agreed ... And Agreed.

The Chicago Slaughter have the potential to grow into a great team. They aren't there yet.

Richmond is a very good team that had a very good looking year because some of its competition was a tad softer than what you'd find in the Central West. But the level of competition in the East is increasing.

This past season's Mariners were a very good team that would have played well in the IFL East and might have won at least the first 2 playoff games.

Saying that Baltimore would not have even had a chance against the Revolution ... That's little more than team worship.

[exit322]

[quote=""Richmond_fan""]you clearly do not understand a lot of things ... [/quote]

I totally agree. I don't understand a lot of things. That's why I'm not on the ABA forums.

[exit322]

[quote=""Gene Duryea""]As to what Jerry said.

Agreed ... Agreed ... Agreed ... And Agreed.

The Chicago Slaughter have the potential to grow into a great team. They aren't there yet.

Richmond is a very good team that had a very good looking year because some of its competition was a tad softer than what you'd find in the Central West. But the level of competition in the East is increasing.

This past season's Mariners were a very good team that would have played well in the IFL East and might have won at least the first 2 playoff games.

Saying that Baltimore would not have even had a chance against the Revolution ... That's little more than team worship.[/quote]

Chicago was a weird situation. If they had the roster that went 15-0 in the CIFL in '09, they would have been at worst a one-loss IFL team. And that loss would have come in an early game when they weren't even trying (otherwise known as their 2009 CIFL season). Then, they'd have figured out they can't just sleepwalk to an undefeated record and started beating on teams.

Their 2010 roster missed a lot of those parts, but they know what they're doing, as the Slaughter had a very respectable year in a division a fair bit tougher than what Richmond saw.

[Richmond_fan]

Exit may be knowledgeable about this sport but a lot of what he says are ASSumptions and NOT facts. For him to give lessons to others and to say that his opinions are FACTS is just wrong or even that his opinions are better than everyone elses ...

My comments were about the Mariners fans saying they would have been superior in the IFL was laughable to me, as I saw them play and I saw the teams that they played in the AIFA. I also saw the teams in the IFL play.
There was a big difference in talent in the games I saw. I am not knocking the season that the Mariners had, I am knocking the idea that they would have rolled through the IFL as they did in the AIFA.