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American Alliance of Football: Viewers guide for Michigan fans

The American Alliance of Football begins its inaugural season today. In case you haven’t seen it, here’s a brief rundown of the league from CBS Sports (LINK).

Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of what to watch for Michigan fans:
Saturday, February 9 @ 4:00 p.m. EST: San Diego Fleet (no Michigan players) @ San Diego Commanders (DL Matt Godin)
Saturday, February 9 @ 8:00 p.m. EST: Atlanta Legends (RB Denard Robinson) vs. Orlando Apollos (RB De’Veon Smith)
Sunday, February 10 @ 4:00 p.m. EST: Memphis Express (CB Channing Stribling) @ Birmingham Iron (Ty Isaac)
Sunday, February 10 @ 8:00 p.m. EST: Arizona Hotshots (no Michigan players) vs. Salt Lake Stallions (no Michigan players)

I’m throwing my fandom behind the Atlanta Legends, not only because of Denard Robinson but because I actively dislike players on the other teams with Michigan players.

Both Saturday games will be broadcast on CBS.

2020 Recruiting Capsule: Southfield A&T DT Bryce Austin

Name: Bryce Austin
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 260 lbs.
High school: Southfield (MI) A&T
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: 2020
Offers: Akron, Ball State, Boston College, Buffalo, Indiana, Iowa State, Kent State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse
Commitment: Undecided

Notes: Claims a 4.7 forty…315 lb. bench press…455 lb. squat…27″ vertical…Teammate of 2020 QB Anthony Romphf…247 Sports 3-star, #23 DT, #10 in-state, #320 overall as of 2/7/19

Stats: N/A

Strengths: Above average first step explosiveness…Solid frame to add weight…Good quickness and speed…Changes direction well…Very solid roll tackler…Loose in hips with good bend…Flashes good motor when chasing plays down from behind

Weaknesses: Inconsistent hand strike coming off ball…Can get overpowered at times…Tentative at times when tackling in traffic…Limited height puts a cap on overall mass

Overall: I see a player similar overall to former Michigan defensive end/defensive tackle Jibreel Black. Black was a tweener who played some at both positions, but was never a real standout at either spot. It will be interesting to see how Austin’s body develops, because he could be anywhere from a strongside end to a 3-tech tackle or even a one-gap nose tackle.

Nightly Roundup: February 8, 2019

Charles Woodson is out at ESPN (LINK).

Stephen A. Smith says Dwayne Haskins is more of a runner than a passer, because…uhhh…Stephen A. Smith is clueless (LINK). I’m not even being hyperbolic when I say that I’ve never come across a talking head who’s more clueless about sports than him.

Stewart Mandel takes on the story about Georgia transfer quarterback Justin Fields becoming immediately eligible at Ohio State (LINK).

Self-Indulgent Post of the Week: Signing Day!

This was a big week for our high school football program, which sent a few guys to play college ball. It’s a bit tense toward the end of the recruiting season, when the time comes to find out whether any bigger offers are coming, whether coaches are offering scholarships, grayshirts, or walk-on opportunities, etc. It’s great and exciting . . . and also a bit of a relief when it’s done.

What am I reading? I’m reading Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. Adams is best known for authoring The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which I greatly enjoyed when I read it several years ago, so I thought I would check out some of his other stuff. It’s . . . not as good.

What am I googling? I have been looking at running the Tite front. Against spread teams, a lot of college programs are running “Tite,” which includes a nose tackle and two 4i defensive ends. A 4i lines up on the inside shoulder of the offensive tackle. It’s a good way to take away inside runs against the spread but also have some flexibility to bring guys off the edge without sacrificing too much in coverage.

What am I looking forward to? I’m looking forward to hitting up the Glazier Clinic in Detroit (well, Novi) next weekend. Don Brown and Ed Warinner are both slated to speak, so it will be a good chance to learn some things while also playing the role of a fan.S

Site News: It’s that time of year again

This is that time of year once again where I appeal to your sensibilities for cold, hard cash. Once again my yearly Flywheel bill has come to pass, and that $1,300 charge has been made to my credit card that keeps the servers running for Touch the Banner.

So if you are willing and able to send a few dollars my way via Paypal, that would be greatly appreciated. For a reference point, I made $350.17 from AdSense during the month of January, so that $1,300 generally eats up about two to four months of blog income.

There are other ways you can support the blog. One is by turning off your AdBlocker, at least for this site, and clicking on those ads whenever you see something that interests you. Another is to use the Amazon affiliate ads here at the site to make your purchases, for which I generally get a 4% to 8% cut.

Thanks for visiting the site, and for anything you can do to keep it financially viable.