AFL Arena Football League

Q&A with Jerry Kurz, Ron Jaworski and Lynn Swann

March 10, 2011 - Arena Football League (AFL) News Release


Evan Vladem: Hello everybody and thank you for joining us in the 2011 Arena Football League Kickoff Conference Call! This Friday, the 24th season of the Arena Football League kicks off at 8 pm on NFL Network from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA. The marquee matchup features the 2008 ArenaBowl Champion Philadelphia Soul and the inauguration of the Pittsburgh Power. NFL Network will host Arena Football Friday for its second consecutive year, starting this Friday for 23 straight weeks including ArenaBowl 24. Joining us today is AFL Commissioner Jerry B. Kurz, Pittsburgh Power owner Lynn Swann and Philadelphia Soul owner Ron Jaworski. During today's call, fans will also have the opportunity to follow it live on Twitter and Facebook. This will give the fans an opportunity to ask question. First, I would like to introduce Commissioner Kurz who is entering his second year as League Commissioner. Kurz has been a part of the Arena Football League since its inauguration and has been a player, coach, general manager and owner during his lifelong involvement with the game of football. Commissioner, thank you for joining us today. Take it away.

Jerry Kurz: I appreciate the introduction, Evan. Thank you to everyone for joining the call. I also want to thank all of our great fans, players, coaches and owners. I am currently in the middle of visiting all 18 teams to prepare for our season opener this Friday. The game will feature two great teams on NFL Network. However, I need to talk a little about last year and what we are doing this year. We worked together to make our League stronger and better than ever before. We now have the best economic model and best economic situation the League has ever been in. We demonstrated the single entity model that we talked about last year on our media conference call and have seen how it really works. We have an exciting brand and sport. We also have the most dedicated players. I'm so pleased as I'm going around the country to visit all of our players, as they get ready to help us kick off this season. Our coaches, our staff and our owners are the most dedicated ever. Our fans are fantastic. Everywhere I go, people know who we are. People know were back and were better than ever. Our fans are so great because they're so engaged. They are integral and important to our game and our future. We grew to 18 teams this season. That is really demonstrative of what we did last year to put ourselves in a position to be here for many years to come. Of course we capitalized the popularity of football, but were a great sport. Bringing the Philadelphia Soul back, Kansas City being with us who changed their name from the Brigade to the Command, the San Jose SaberCats coming to the League and the Pittsburgh Power who have tremendous ownership were all important offseason moves. We have one of their owners on the phone with us today and we appreciate that. We've also got one of our key owners of the Philadelphia Soul. Hopefully he will bring his Championship ring with him and show that to Lynn on Friday night, because I know that the Power is shooting for a Championship this year. We've got a great broadcast partner in NFL Network. It was our inaugural year with them last season. It worked out so well for both sides. We brought a great football product to a great broadcast partner. It worked really well for both of us. Were in that second year of that agreement and we could not be more pleased to bring "Arena Football Friday" to everybody across the country. We are also broadcasting on the American Forces Network to all the troops, the men and women serving our country, and also in EuroSport across Europe, which is really an important thing for us as we look to expand all over the world. The other thing we were proud to announce this offseason, is Aaron's as a partner. Aaron's was an important part of the past and returns to us. I believe that is a good sign of many good things to come and as the season commences and continues, we will have continual announcements about our intended growth and new partners joining us all of the time. I have to also thank Lynn and Ron because not only have they worked tremendously to throw their teams out there to get ready for the season, but we have called upon them time after time to help us with League matters and it has never been anything but yes. They are two tremendous people on and off the field. I'm hoping that more and more people get to meet them and know them, as we know them and how hard they are working for our League. Last year, I talked on a call like this and said that we were back and better than ever. That was absolutely the truth then and even more so now. We had a great season and now we look to having an even greater season, this season kicking off this Friday night. I am pleased and proud to be able to introduce a friend, who has meant so much to the Arena Football League over the years. He means even more to the Arena Football League today, bringing the Philadelphia Soul back into the league and also helping us with league endeavors. It gives me great pleasure and is an honor to introduce Ron Jaworski from the Philadelphia Soul.

Ron Jaworski: Commissioner, thank you very much. On behalf of myself, my partners, Craig Spencer, Pete Ciarrocchi, and Cosmo DeNicola, we applaud you on the great job you did last year of bringing the Arena Football League back in a very big way. And we are absolutely thrilled to come back as, I don't want to upset anyone in Spokane, but as defending Arena Football League Champions from our Championship season in 2008. Our fan base is all lathered up for this season. As people around the Arena Football League know, in our five years of previous existence, we averaged over 16,500 people a game. We sold 94 percent of our tickets, so the fan base in Philadelphia is just thrilled that Arena Football is coming back. We couldn't be happier to be going cross state to face Pittsburgh in our first game back. We know Matt Shaner and the Shaner Group waited an awful long time for this opportunity to bring Arena Football to Pittsburgh. But I will alert Matt and, of course, Lynn that we're going to bring a pretty good team across state. We worked diligently this offseason, by putting together an outstanding front office led by John Adams and Tom Goodhines. We also have an outstanding coach in Mike Hohensee, who is a veteran of this League for 24 years. We've also put together a rock solid coaching staff, with Ernesto Purnsley, Phil Bogle, and Jack Klebe. We have also brought in outstanding football talent. We feel really good about our football team, but we also know that we are an expansion team and we've yet to play a game. We have great respect for what the Pittsburgh Power will put on the field on Friday night. But rest assured, were coming to Pittsburgh and we got our team ready to give their best effort. We are just thrilled that this guy [Lynn Swann] has become part of the Arena Football League ownership group in Pittsburgh. Lynn has always been a man of incredible integrity; we all know he is a Hall Of Fame wide receiver and we know what great skill he displayed for many years for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But I know Lynn as a person, and it is people like Lynn Swann that reflect very positively on the game of professional football and the Arena Football League. So it is truly my honor and privilege to welcome to the Arena Football League, as one of the owners of the Pittsburgh Power, my friend Lynn Swann. Welcome aboard Lynn.

Lynn Swann: Ron thank you very much. It's a good thing that you and I are both offensive players and we have mutual respect for one another because we never actually had to go out and hit each other. I appreciate the introduction very much. On behalf of the Pittsburgh ownership group, myself, Lance and Matt Shaner, I want to thank you for welcoming us to Arena Football as we look for the Pittsburgh Power to be a strong and competitive team in the League in our inaugural year. Now, I can't go back to any history as Ron did, but I think our coach Chris Siegfried, who helped put together that Spokane team and also coached in Jacksonville, brings a wealth of experience and organizational skills that has been very tremendous for a new franchise such as ours. I think we have put together a very good team in the front office, to try and deliver a good product on the field and bring value to our fans that are coming to the CONSOL Energy Center to see Arena Football for the first time in many years. We are grateful for our relationship with the Penguins. We signed a long term lease with them and they have been very helpful in making us feel at home at the CONSOL Energy Center. We look forward to packing the stadium for the Philadelphia Soul, as they come in with their team this season. At the end of day, not only do we want to have a well run franchise and great fan experience for the folks who come out, but we also want to win some football games. As most people know, in Pittsburgh, black and gold means a lot, and the Pittsburgh Power will be in black and gold, and it's my expectation to live up to the reputation that the sports franchises have in Pittsburgh. We will compete and we will compete hard. We're looking forward to the beginning of our history in the Arena Football League, and as Ron said, the Shaner's have been looking to bring an Arena Football team to Pittsburgh for quite some time. With the great structure of the league and great people behind it, were looking forward to a lot of years of competitive football and welcome you all to Pittsburgh for the inaugural season of the Pittsburgh Power and the 24th season of Arena Football.

Evan Vladem: Thank you again Jaws, Lynn, and Commissioner Kurz for joining us today on this call. We are now ready to open the call up to questions.

This question is for Jerry and Jaws because you were in the previous incarnation. Could you both elaborate a little more on why this economic model has worked and will work Lynn from your standpoint, did it entice you as far as becoming part of the Power

Jerry Kurz: Bill, I appreciate that and very good question. Like I've said before, there was nothing wrong with the game before. The game was actually tremendous. It was the economic model that had issues. Any business that spends more than it brings in or capable of bringing in, it doesn't work. So, we had to put together an economic model to work. A single-entity does that. All players and coaches are employees of the League, the same is with me and my staff. It allows us to have one League-wide workers compensation policy and League-wide buying. The more control on your cost is an important thing now and in this economy for all businesses.

Ron Jaworski: Yes, Bob, and I would agree with Jerry's assessment. In fact, last year when the Soul was thinking of coming back, we thought, this was the perfect way to come back as a single entity where there was cost containment. We did not come back last year because we just didn't have enough time to put out entire organization together. We really felt that a year ago in the competitive market that we're in Philadelphia, sports wise, that we needed time to do it the right way. We have had time to prepare to play this season. But, really, the reason we wanted to come back was we saw the teams that were involved in the offseason. See Pittsburgh coming back, Kansas City coming back, San Jose coming back, and some of the major markets and former Arena teams that have had success. We knew the game wasn't broken. We knew the game on the field was absolutely amazing. Our fans love the game; I would say particularly here in Philadelphia, but if you look around the League, there is a very cult like feeling of Arena Football League fans. They love the game; they support it tremendously. But we needed time to put our organization together. We have done that and we are excited to be back in what's going to be a very competitive season.

Lynn Swann: From my standpoint, from the Pittsburgh Power, the simple answer would be yes. When the League restructured to a single entity provided us with a much better model and a much better opportunity to not just break even but to be a profitable organization and to maintain control over the economics of the game while still allowing us to be competitive. So it was the ideal time for us.

Yes, can you all let the readers now here in Georgia and Atlanta about the Georgia Force team that has been reincarnated and what they might expect from them coming over from Alabama

Jerry Kurz: You've got a great coach in Dean Cokinos and you've got great ownership. They are playing in a great building. It was a tremendous market for Arena Football for a number of years. I'm pleased, our League is pleased to be able to be back in that market where there is tremendous football fans. I think you are going to see a competitive team and going to see the great sport of Arena Football, which is tremendous in itself and it's going to be competitive as all our games are.

I've been waiting for a Pittsburgh-Philadelphia Super Bowl and I thought I would stir the pot there. You guys both have great coaches and I would like this question to be for Lynn and I know Jerry knows a lot about him from af2 but Pittsburgh finally back in the League since 1991, congratulations there, and let's talk about Pittsburgh's coach.

Lynn Swann: Well, you know, we very fortunate to have Chris Siegfried. He is originally a Lancaster, PA guy so he has Pennsylvania roots. He has been in the League for quite some time. What we like about Chris when Matt Shaner, Pete Hill and I sat down and talked with Chris and interviewed him and talked to other coaches, we like the fact that he has built teams that are competitive from the very beginning. I think there was only one season in his career that he didn't build a team right away that was competing and had a chance at the end of the season, so we like that. He has a strong competitive steak value in him. He likes to win but he wants to win the right way. Being here in Pittsburgh, obviously having played for the Steelers, I understand how a structure comes together, especially the ownership, that sets the groundwork for a coach to be able to run the team, find the talent to make this team work. We tend to model what we do to a certain degree behind what the Steelers have been able to do. We have a coach that we have a lot of faith in; who has the skill set and reputation that fits very well and successful. We are going to give him the tools so he can focus on winning football so there are no distractions. He makes all of the decisions when it comes to personnel and the players he wants on the field and we are going to help him keep the guys on the field and maintain the focus they need to play. I think Chris is going to do a good job. He knows the players. He is respected throughout the League. We have a couple of players who played with him in Jacksonville. Our quarterback Bernard Morris was a backup down there with him and came along with Chris, so he has a very strong reputation with the players throughout the League. He works them hard and he has earned that respect. We look forward to working with him for a long time.

Ron Jaworski: I am going to interject. I have been looking for that Eagles-Steelers Super Bowl for a long time as well and the Steelers have enough Lombardi trophies in their case right now. But, I will say this, I think that the growth of the League, and it does look tremendous down the road, the fact that we can create these kinds of rivalries-Eastern Pennsylvania vs. Western Pennsylvania-Philadelphia vs Pittsburgh- I know our fan base was very excited that Pittsburgh came into the League this year. We've got buses of our fans going to Pittsburgh for the game on Friday night. This is what is going to make the game great. The fact that the fans can go see other cities, other venues, see their team on the road and also have that great rivalry. It's just so natural, so we are excited about the fact that our opening game is against the Pittsburgh Power in Pittsburgh and I know our fans are all lathered up for it. And we know when Pittsburgh comes here; it will be the same way.

Jerry Kurz: Also, think about that Mike Hohensee was once an Arena Football player in Pittsburgh.

Ron Jaworski: With the Gladiators in ArenaBowl I

Jerry Kurz: So there is a little history coming back.

Any one of the three gentlemen could answer this question. What is it about the model and Arena Football that allows the expansion teams to be so competitive in their initial seasons

Jerry Kurz: I will take the first stab at that. I think one of the most important factors is that our players are on one-year contracts. Since at the end of the season, there is time for the team that they were with for this current year to negotiate with them for their return; however, players should have the ability to market themselves across the League so an expansion team that comes up is not solely dependent on an expansion grab that some people are similar with that other leagues have done that is that teams that start right from the beginning are able to attract veteran players and that is always important.

This question is for Lynn. If you could, just talk a little about the negotiations for using the CONSOL Center for the games and how you went about gathering all the required equipment.

Lynn Swann: I think we were very fortunate in terms of the overall process. In some ways, we can sit back and say, "It's better to be lucky than to be smart or good." The fact that the Penguins had been negotiating and working towards a new arena for the hockey team -- we have a brand new state of the art facility that holds 18,000 that we get a chance to play in. We went over to the fans. We talked to their management. They were very accommodating. As we told our fans in Pittsburgh, we're looking to be here for the long term, not the short term, so we signed a six-year lease with the Penguins and they have been very helpful. The Steelers have been very helpful. One of the other things we're going to be able to do is practice at the UPMC Sports Indoor Facility where the Steelers themselves practice during times of inclement weather. We'll be able to use that particular practice facility. All those things came into place for us. In terms of the field and equipment, there was a team, I believe that intended on playing and did not get there. They had some equipment and a field that had not been used and we were able to acquire that from them at a very good cost. There have been a number of things that have worked out well for us that we did not plan on, but we were able to take advantage of.

Jaws, we have a question from one of our Twitter followers. What was the biggest surprise you had transitioning from a player to an owner

Ron Jaworski: That's an interesting question. I think as a player, you're pretty much focused on yourself and doing your job. When you become an owner, your focus changes to everyone's job and you must be aware of everyone involved in the organization. Not just the coach, not just the players - I'm talking about everyone. From people selling tickets, to the equipment managers to people picking up towels from the locker room floor to the people at the arena - you have to know the nuances of every single person's contribution to the organization.

Will there be a neutral site championship game or will the highest seed remaining host

Jerry Kurz: It was determined by the ownership that it will be the highest remaining seed left at the end. The fans get to reward the team and the team rewards the fans by having it at that highest seed. Neutral sites are things that take some time to put together. They're great events and we've had some in the past. However, having it at a home site - at the highest remaining seed - is another thing for players to work for and fans to be excited about. So that's where we're going to have it again this year. It was tremendous last year. It's going to be a tremendous event again this year.

Is there any affiliation with the National Football League and what is their desire to see it prosper

Ron Jaworski: I believe everyone likes to see the Arena Football League succeed. I think the National Football League is included in that. The one thing that we have found out, not only eight years ago when we began the Philadelphia Soul, but in the past few months, we have held tryout camps. We held two tryout camps at the Philadelphia Eagles NovaCare Center and over 530 players showed up. There is no doubt there is an incredible amount of people out there that want to play football. Look at all the college players that are successful - why can't those guys go on to pursue their careers by playing professionally. I think everyone wants to see the Arena Football League succeed. The National Football League, historically, has had a difficult time filling the lower third of their roster and if you look at the history of the Arena Football League, many Arena Football League players have been sprinkled throughout NFL rosters. I know in our games, during our first five year run, we had scouts at every single game. Guys like Terry Bradway, Director of Player Personnel with the Jets, would sit next to me at games and talk about what a great thing it is to have players playing the game where they can be evaluated by NFL scouts, where they're on the field catching, running, throwing, blocking, tackling - all those things that make the game so great. So I think, clearly, there are a number of people - particularly at the NFL level that want to see this league succeed in a big way.

Lynn Swann: There is no formal relationship between the Arena Football League and the NFL other than our contract with NFL Network to televise the game. We are non-competitive to the NFL. We're not trying to squeeze our way into the fall season. Our game is differentiated by the product on the field, the number of players, et cetera. There are a number of folks in the NFL that just enjoy the Arena Football League. Mike Tomlin, the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, when he was in Tampa consistently attended and watched Arena Football games and enjoyed it. When he heard, I was over at the Steeler offices, I walked by, saw Mike and said hello and he told me how excited he was that Arena Football was coming to Pittsburgh and he looked forward to attending some games. It's a very nurturing relationship. We are fortunate in western Pennsylvania to be in such a football-rich environment. Really good high school football programs, college football programs and an unquenchable thirst in this area for football and we're satisfying a part of that thirst with the Arena Football League.

Jerry Kurz: We do have a relationship in the sense that all of our games are stored on Game Tape Exchange. All NFL teams have access to that. They asked for that a number of years ago and we gave it to them. We're not a league that charges for players to go up. We encourage that. We're always doing everything we can. We even have in our players' contracts an exemption that allows if someone has the opportunity to move to the NFL. We support that very much. We do have that relationship that they get copies of all of our game film and that helps us find the next Kurt Warner for them, or a year ago, at the Super Bowl when the Colts played the Saints, there was a former Arena Football player on each of those two teams. We're proud of that.

This question is for Ron, mainly about the personnel of your team - getting Coach Hohensee and DeJuan Alfonzo, arguably two of the most famous members of the Chicago Rush, and some pretty gaudy wide receiver and quarterback on your team.

Ron Jaworski: Yeah, I think we have a template in Philadelphia that was successful for us in the 2008 season and that evolved from trial and error. I came from an NFL background and I knew how that game was played, but I had to learn how the Arena League game was played. One thing that we all know is you've got to have good leadership at the top and Mike Hohensee - I don't if there's a better coach in Arena Football. Maybe there are guys that have won more games, but I love what he brings to the table not only as an Xs and Os Head Coach, but also as a teacher. He's just phenomenal with the quarterbacks and with character, which is the mantra of our football team. One thing that we shared when we were putting this team together is that we love big wide receivers. We're going to come out with Larry Brackins at 6'4, 220 pounds and Donovan Morgan at 6'3 225. We just believe that you have to have those types of wide receivers to be successful long term in the Arena Football League. That's just a philosophical approach we take. You mentioned DeJuan Alfonzo, maybe one of the best Jack linebackers in the history of Arena Football, but also one of the real quality, character guys. It is amazing how, when you bring these kinds of guys onto your football team, everyone toes the line. You could have the greatest ownership group, you could have the greatest head coach, but if you don't have leaders in that locker room, you have no chance for success. DeJuan has done that on the defensive side and our quarterback, Justin Allgood has been that kind of leader on the offensive side. We're very fortunate to have not only talented football players, but also quality, character personnel as well.

Talk about the decision to go to the 18-game schedule. From an ownership standpoint, how does that benefit the teams and League overall

Jerry Kurz: The owners made that decision. A lot of thought went into it. A number of factors went into it. The biggest one is that we hear from our fans all the time that they wanted more football. They love Arena Football. We've the best, dedicated fans. Our partners in each of the markets, our national partners all like what we do and love our game because it's a total entertainment experience. How can we play a longer season Can we do it In conjunction with that, adding the two games, allowing each team to have more games, we increased the roster size and the practice squad as well. The main point to adding two games to the season was to give our fans more Arena Football.

Lynn, we have a Twitter question. Your moniker was "Baryshnikov in Cleats" for being so graceful during your days as a wide receiver for the Steelers. With the Arena Football field being smaller, how does that idea affect AFL players

Lynn Swann: Well, as far as I can tell it's a quicker, faster passing game. You don't have time to run a truly deep pattern down the field anywhere, but it doesn't take the grace out of the game. There is going to be and there continues to be acrobatic catches and there is room for players with that kind of style. From my standpoint, watching the games as my first year as an owner, to be able to watch the team play, I think it's just a faster paced game, much quicker and you don't have time to make a lot of decisions because you're going to have pressure. You've got a short field to work with, not that much room to the sideline, men going in motion towards the line of scrimmage - it's just very, very quicker. But, again, I think there's still room for artistry and grace in the game.

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