Simply: The Rules Have Changed

by John Hahn
Published on September 21, 2006 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)

The rules have changed! NO, this is not an automobile commercial. According to the Arena Football League website, an experiment to change the substitution rule - one of the major regulations the AFL instituted at the inception of the league in 1987 will change - so that now there will be free souls embarking onto the field to save the teams exhausted warriors a breath or two during the games.

Hint! What have all the other leagues - outside the AFL - done in regards to number of players and what positions on the field they have maintained? Outside of the AFL, the other "knee slappy, wanta be" leagues have had free substitution. Is it a possibility in the AFL? Absolutely. It was voted in for a trial run at recent league meetings in New Jersey for the 2007 season. Only San Jose and Tampa Bay voted against the ‘free sub' rule.

What will it prove? That Batman can no longer Zonk, Bonk, Bam, Pow and Wow when fighting the bad guy? And there is a bad guy here. He's among us. He was prowling for several years and - like the Joker - put on a phony face in spite of accolades that were untrusting and insincere.

Holy Moly, Gargazoly Robin. "We've been duped," said Batman. "To the Batmobile." Dah, Dah Dahh...Batman!

‘JOKER' HAS GONE WILD ON THIS ONE

This Joker wears no white face. It's the face of an oxygen-starved, thin aired, thin thinker who has pulled the proverbial coup of the double decade. This is worse than the fate of the Black Dahlia! But wait! There's more.

Sentiment is running 99.9% against the ‘free substitution' rule by the fans; players haven't been queried but according to some, like lineman Silas Demry, we would have to say the majority of men on the field will extrapolate better than 75% against.

There is no hiding behind the Joker's mask. We all know who the culprit is behind this monumental mistake. It's the anointed one himself. Given a halo in the Mile High years ago, this will no doubt affect his pompous popularity where Coors is clear, crisp, refreshing and more genuine than the right-arm of a one-armed bandit.

There's no getting around it, John Elway has done a disservice to the ‘millions' of Arena fans around the country. The integrity of the game has been tarnished; the oxygen has been sucked out of the AFL ball like a carbon monoxide poisoning. Is there no shame in this man's addiction for changing the landscape of a game that was unique, strategically innovative and allowed players to resurrect their skills to the days of high school when playing football was fun.

GIFTED TWO-WAY PLAYERS MAY BECOME EXTINCT

What happens to those players now who are marginally gifted on both sides of the ball? They have worked so hard for the past five or six seasons to develop their athleticism from one side of the ball to the other? What is good for one structured game is not necessarily good for the other side of white lines.

Did coaches really take advantage of the substitution situations when a player had to stay in and play both ways? Speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, several coaches and players told us that there is no good reason for change in this rule. "It was fine the way it was," said one coach. "Strategy has now been abandoned in a lot of instances."

The idea of ‘free substitution' wasn't hatched overnight. In fact, going back to the first year of the Colorado Crush, Elway and then head coach, Bob Beers, had a conversation with an assistant coach of the Arizona Rattlers when the Denver-based team played in -at that time named America West Arena - in Phoenix. That discussion was not popular with the Arizona coach and he vehemently opposed any such changeover and specialization of players at any position, other than what the AFL already had in place.

VERP THIS CHANGE IN YOUR THROAT

So it seems that this idea has been regurgitating in Elway's head for some time. It's too bad in didn't slobber knock out of the head and it would have kept all the turmoil it is just beginning to create in its place.

If this is supposed to be a one year experiment, then why didn't the AFL elect to ‘test fire' this substitution rule at the af2 league level? Wouldn't it have been easier to allow the ‘developmental' league try it out first? If the shoe fits, were it...Isn't that what they say about giving the product a trial?

So let's be careful when we think this is just a ‘one-year' miscarriage of football justice. Will someone call ‘Dog' Chapman for advise on this one? Yes, the Bounty Hunter has his own set of problems at present, but just don't let Arena Football in Mexico quite yet, we may have to bail it out for invading a soccer on the brain country without permission. Who said rebound nets were illegal in Mexico?

Back across the border, the one gringo whose more than making himself a name is Elway. Say, did he know anything about Arena Football before getting involved with Bronco's owner Pat Bowlen and Avalanche and Rams' owner E. Stanley Kroenke? NO! And, I'm sure before as a player he could have cared less about the AFL or any of its components. To be truthful, a lot of die-hard 50-yard War lovers could care less if Elway had a couple of SuperBowl rings and a Yellow jacket.

AFL HAS NEVER WANTED TO ACT LIKE NFL

Here's another rub. Elway and some want the AFL to be a feeder system to the NFL. Wasn't the idea of the indoor game to be an entity of its own; a game that stood on its own with a uniqueness about it that fans could appreciate? Yet, some on the NFL side will say, "there was no identity with players. Bringing players up through the AFL could give rise to fans saying they saw these players before they entered the NFL." But this isn't what the AFL wants to pretend to be. IT IS NOT THE NFL; WILL NEVER BE THE NFL AND DOESN'T WANT TO BE LIKE THE NFL.

The AFL already has and always will produce a small fraction of players who can attain the heights of respectability in the NFL, like Kurt Warner, Oronde Gadsden and soon to be former SaberCats' player Rashied Davis with the Chicago Bears. Every year we count between 20 and 25 players from the AFL making NFL rosters. SO. What's the problem John?

SAND IN YOUR SHOE IS ANNOYING

Here's another bit of information we found out. Remember little Johnny in the sandbox with his friend Billy? Well, Johnny said to Billy that if he didn't play in the sandbox the way he wanted Billy to, he would take his toys and go home. Was there an ultimatum that if some owners didn't vote the El WAY, then John was going to take his team and go away? Food for thought in this selfish, immature world we see in sports at times when egos cloud reality.

What the fans are blogging and message boarding about are a number of issues. Many of the fans feel betrayed by this one individual who instigated a controversy that is going to rage - and will get out of control - until the ArenaBowl is played next June. They all feel the unique behavior of Arena Football has been tarnished forever; many think it won't return because - even before the ball is teed up at the end of February - a deflated distrust has occurred and even a January flu shot won't prevent a high-fan fever that will override any forgiveness.

EVEN GRUDEN, OTHERS DESCENT

Even Orlando head coach Jay Gruden jumped on the opinion bandwagon and let loose with some strong language against any of the rules including the 4-week disabled list. That in essence alone is going to cost owners more money. And who was complaining about losing a lot of money? You guessed it: Mr. Elway. Where was Mr. Bowlen and Mr. Kroenke to say that? Did they not want to appear on AFL media channels?

In the next couple of days you fans are going to hear from a number of people on the new ‘free substitution' rule including the most famous Ironman of all, some coaches, administrators and players. They will have something to say, despite how their "ONE" vote appeared with the rules and competition committee...headed by: John Elway.

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from September 21, 2006

• Balancing Act - Arizona Rattlers
• Simply: The Rules Have Changed - OSC Original by John Hahn
• Gladiators to hold open tryout October 21 - Las Vegas Gladiators
• Predators looking for next "Invincible" at tryout camp - Orlando Predators

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.