Express & Goal

This week, we had the pleasure to visit the Memphis Express’ headquarters and sit down with the one and only Kosha Irby.

News

Topps will be the official card supplier for the AAF. The packs will be released March 1st and will include 200 players.

Memphis Express was a part of the first-ever trade in the Alliance. We traded RB Jahad Thomas to receive Daryll Richardson.

We are standing with our friends over at the Fleet Speak podcast after the Fleet seemed to be taking over their name. Show them support by following them on Twitter at https://twitter.com/fleetspeakpod

Main Event

We discussed several topics during our time with Kosha and answered several fan questions.

Topics Covered

* Benefits of a single-entity league

* Touchdown celebrations

* Update on the app

* Officiating

* TV deal

* Public practices

* Field art

* Apparel issues

* Other spring leagues

In the bonus episode, we go into detail about an award-winning DJ on the staff and Kosha throws down the challenge to the other team presidents. To hear the bonus content, head over to https://memphiaaf.com/patreon.

Producers

* Brian Wentzloff – https://web3devs.com/

* Vanawesome

* Andrew Martin

* Rodrigo Villagomez – alliancefbpod.libsyn.com

* Zachary Gartin

* Decoda Muller

Merch

Available at https://memphisaaf.com/merch.

The Memphis Express has released the game times for the season and we reached 1500 followers on Twitter!! Thank you so much for the support.

I’ve been making videos based on the footage training camp. If you want to see what’s going on in San Antonio, go to https://memphisaaf.com/youtube

Memphis Express Training Camp Updates

* On Monday, the defense had a great day. They had a strong showing during goal-line offense drills. They ended the drill only letting the offense score on 4 of the last 12 attempts.

* On Tuesday, the QBs stepped up. Troy Cook and Zach Mettenberger had great days. Cook and Brandon Silvers did the best during the two-minute drills. Malik Boynton ended the day with an interception for the defense! If you don’t know his story, watch this video. It’s incredible. https://twitter.com/aafexpress/status/1085697216264556545

* Wednesday was a padless practice so the offense did well, of course.

* Yesterday, the Memphis Express held a joint practice with the Atlanta Legends. CB Justin Martin ended the Legends’ day by intercepting a fade pass in the endzone.

* Today is a joint practice with the Stallions.

Upcoming Programming

We’ll be interviewing Team President Kosha Irby next week.

Jacob Widerschein will be coming back on the show to talk about parking and tailgating.

If you have questions for either person, send us a message or call us at 901-325-0177 and let us know.

Other News

https://twitter.com/aafexpress/status/1085897745116815360

The team will host a tailgate competition at the home opener on February 6th. They are running a special package including 2 parking spots and 10 tickets for $200.

If you’re interested in this package or want to register for the competition, call Devin at 901-425-1472.

We now have merch! Just got to https://teespring.com/stores/express-goal-store

The Memphis Express now have a team reporter. If you want to follow what he’s putting out, follow him at https://twitter.com/DylanJRubino

Roster Updates

Zac Stacy makes his return after passing the physicals.

Zach Mettenberger looks to be taking the lead in the QB competition.

Memphis Express Game Times

A lot of updates are coming from the Memphis Express training camp! We cover a lot of what’s been going on.

Merch is coming soon for our patrons! EBE Apparel has offered to help us with the shirts that will exclusive to our supporters. More merch will be available soon.

“So, I hope this one, or the other ones kind of stay in business because it can really be helpful to these fringe players that might be on a practice squad, might be capable of being on a 90-man roster, but just need more playing time.”

-Bob Quinn

That AAF football has some really cool technology. Fans will get real time data about the speed and rotation of the ball during gameplay.

The XFL is considering allowing players to sign much earlier than the NFL or AAF. Right now, the two leagues require players to be three years removed from high school. The XFL may take players much sooner.

Brian Childress has stepped down as the HC of the Atlanta Legends. Early reports indicated that Mike Vick had as well but were later to be debunked.

If you want to keep up with this story, be sure to check out the Crown Loyal Podcast at https://asigismond.podbean.com/.

Next week, the Express staff will hand deliver a token of appreciation anywhere downtown when your order season tickets over the phone.

Calling local restaurants! We need a place to meet-up after games as well as a place to watch away games! Where can we go?

Credits

Executive Producer:

* Brian Wentzloff – https://web3devs.com/

Producers:

* Vanawesome

* Andrew Martin

* Rodrigo Villagomez – alliancefbpod.libsyn.com

* Zachary Gartin

If you want to be a producer for the show, just head over to memphisaaf.com/support.

The training camp for the Alliance of American Football is right around the corner! We talk about some details for the AAF training camp and rule changes in the AAF.

Listener Questions

Any standout players in terms of personality or skills in what you’ve been able to see?

Personality-wise, Michelle feels like Troy Cook stands out for the apparent lack of personality. The guys over at Blitzalytics have identified some skill players that could stand out.

https://www.blitzalytics.com/news/players-to-watch-on-the-aaf-s-memphis-express

Joe VanDalsem What was Koshe Irving’s possition at the WWE?!?!? #conspiracyCorner

So, KOSHA IRBY was the Regional Director, Live Events for the WWE. Whether there is a collaboration between the AAF and XFL for a merger down the road waits to be seen.

@taylor_a_cook: Is the Feb 16th home opener kickoff time announced yet?

Not yet. Week 1 has been announced for February 10 at 1pm central. Week 2 and beyond is still a mystery.

Latest reviews

It’s ok

I’m actually listening in from San Antonio TX, in that said I’m listening in on all AAF related to get as much info from the league, I understand it’s a new league and you have to work with what you get but they always sound disappointed.

News

There are several other spring leagues popping up such as the APL and the FFL. We discuss this and why these are bound to fail and why they hurt the chances of the AAF.

Panther HC, Ron Rivera, speaks about the need for the AAF.

There will only be 48 guys that are active on game day.

The AAF game ball has been revealed. The image has since been deleted but the internet never forgets.

Main event

AAF Training Camp

All teams should have been cut to 75 players. Memphis, once again, may have been a bit over but we won’t say anything. The training camp officially starts today with actual practice beginning tomorrow.

Each team will be in a separate hotel and use a separate facility.

There will be co-op practices and each team will have one preseason game. These games will be played as doubleheaders on the 27th and 28th.

There have been some rule changes. This is to be expected as the AAF figures things out.

* Play clock has been changed from 30 to 35 seconds

* “Onside kicks” will be 4th and 12 rather than 4th and 10

Credits

Executive Producer:

* Brian Wentzloff – https://web3devs.com/

Producers:

* Vanawesome

* Andrew Martin

If you want to be a producer for the show, just head over to memphisaaf.com/support.

Some major news coming from the state of Tennesse that could lead to making sports gambling legal in Tennessee.

News

Roster updates

* The team has signed WR Fabian Guerra who was called the best WR in the AFL by NFL Draft Diamonds.

* DE Sam Montgomery was signed as well. This guy is a class act. He is super cool on Twitter and didn’t mind when I posted the wrong picture.

* Gerrard Sheppard WR

* Andrew East was signed to Washington.

Shout out to those that left a review!

We really appreciate all the support and if you want to leave a review, just go to memphisaaf.com/review.

Take a listen to our first ever guest appearance on another podcast!

http://alliancefbpod.libsyn.com/episode-2-alliance-football-101-who-you-know-camps-and-memphis-aaf

The AAF is increasing their promotion! A lot of fans have been talking about this past week in the NFL. They saw commercials being aired and pop-up graphics promoting the Alliance.

Dr. Jen Welter was hired by the Atlanta Legends. She was the first female coach in the NFL and now the first female coach in the AAF.

Main Event

Tennessee Sports Gambling

Sports betting may come to Tennessee – https://www.dailymemphian.com/article/1969/AG-opinion-could-bring-sports-betting-to-Memphis

This is big. A huge aspect of their business model is gambling and, I would speculate, they are banking on states legalizing it. I would assume that played a factor in the cities they chose. I would bet all the money we’ve made from this podcast that the AAF is lobbying these states for legislation.

Credits

Executive Producer: Andrew Martin

Producer: Vanawesome

If you want to be a producer for the show, just head over to memphisaaf.com/support.

This past week we were able to experience a lot with the team. We were allowed to attend some of the Memphis Express minicamp as well as the tryouts.

News

The times for week 1 have been released. Memphis will play at Birmingham at 1 pm.

Join our Facebook group because why not. https://www.facebook.com/groups/815513668841944/

The engineering team with the AAF released a blog post detailing how the storage of gameday footage will be handled. https://aaf.engineering/

We had a lovely message from Decota where he said his views of the team name. If you have a comment or questions, feel free to call our hotline at 901-352-0177.

Hugh Freeze will be leaving the Hotshots to take a position with Liberty Christian University. I guess they don’t mind his affinity for prostitutes.

Legends LS Colin Holba has been signed by the 49ers.

Main Event

Minicamp

We didn’t get to see much of the minicamp. One thing I did notices is that it looks like we’ll be running a 4-3 defense. Unfortunately, they were just finishing up when we go there but we did get to see some reps from Hackenberg, Mettenberger, and Silvers.

One really fun thing is that we were able to speak with a few players, Jessamen Dunker, Chris Givens, and Kayaune Ross. You will be able to find these at memphisaaf.com/patreon.

Not that minicamps are finishing up, players will soon be released from the allocation restrictions and free to sign with any team.

Tryouts

We mainly watch the guys that we’ve had on the show and they were killing it. Dewayne Beckford

Kray’shawn Brewer and Shawn Thomas stood out among the WR. Abraham Austin and Fabian Carter Sr. were the first guys to get praise from Singletary in the drill he was running.

There have been quite a few moves on the Memphis Express roster as well as a coaching update.

Quick update, we have started a Patreon for the show. We want to make this as awesome as possible. We want to cover the away games, create video content, write more articles and just create a unique experience for Memphis Express fans. Everything we’ve done has been out of our own pockets. If you want to contribute to this, please consider becoming a patron. memphisaaf.com/patreon

Events

Memphis Express Meet and Greet. December 8th at 6:30 – 8:30. All 90 players will be in attendance as well as the coaches.

https://memphisaaf.com/event/meet-the-team/

News

Check out our new Facebook group! We want to have a space for our fans to have a conversation about the team. So join now and be a part of the discussion. https://www.facebook.com/groups/815513668841944/

The Alliance of American Football app will not be available overseas.

The XFL has announced their 8 cities.

* New York (MetLife Stadium)

* Dallas (Globelife park)

* Houston (TDECU)

* LA (Stubhub center)

* St. Louis (The Dome at America’s Center)

* Seattle (Century Link)

* Tampa Bay (Raymond James Stadium)

* Washington DC (Audi Field)

The Memphis Express is finalizing a deal to broadcast the games locally. This will include both radio and Television. No updated yet on when the deal will be done or who will be the voice of the team.

Mini-camps are starting this week. They will run from December 7th through the 11th. It is closed to the public so don’t expect many updates.

What you can expect updates for is the tryouts this Saturday! We will be attending tryouts and will hopefully get a chance to speak with some pod-pals such as Garret Berg, Isaac Gross, and Bubba Jenkins.

It will be interesting to see how the Memphis Express roster is affected by these events.

Move on the Memphis Express roster according to memphis-express.com.

Memphis Express Roster Updates

Signed

* G Jessamen Dunker TSU

* DT Jeremy Liggins Ole Miss

* RB Terrence Magee LSU

* DE Larry Webster

* P Brad Wing

* WR Kayaune Ross

Cut

* RB Josh Kicks Rutgers

* LB Cavellis Lucket MTSU

* TE Tim Semisch Northern Ill

* WR Patrick Smith TSU

* DT Hershey Walton Temple

Main Event

The Memphis Express has signed a WR coach. Bobby Blizzard has agreed to coach for Memphis. He will be leaving Hampton University to come to Memphis. He was recruited because of his expertise with the air raid offence.

Other names listed are Pepper Johnson and Steve Marshall. We will reach out to the team with that information.

What a surprising and exciting night! Tuesday saw 32 quarterbacks get drafted in the first ever “Pick or Protect” Alliance of American Football QB draft. Today, we spoke with Isaac Simpson about out draftees and what it means for the Memphis Express.

News

There has been an announcement that the XFL will play in St. Louis. St. Louis almost became an Alliance city so it’s no surprise that the XFL will play there.

The helmets the AAF players will be wearing are going to be state-of-the-art. Costing 4 or 5 times as much as a typical football helmet, the teams will get real-time data on the impacts the players take.

Main Event

Alliance of American Football QB Draft

The Memphis Express, in a surprising move, protected Troy Cook in the first round. Most predictions saw the Express protecting Mettenberger who was still available as the last pick for Memphis.

We also drafted another top-QB in the draft by picking Christian Hackenberg in round 2. Most thought he wouldn’t make it out of round 1.

In the third round, Memphis chose Brandon Silvers.

It will be interesting to see how mini-camps shake-up in December. Will Troy Cook shine in a system he’s already familiar with? Or will Zach Mettenberger channel his frustration and win the starting job?

Don’t forget to check out our YouTube channel for some great upcoming videos! Also, be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.

Happy Thanksgiving! We’re going to have a short episode today just to catch you up on some updates on the AAF draft and a few other things regarding the Memphis Express.

Updates on the Watch Party

The Express will host a watch party for the QB draft this Tuesday. It will be at the Buffalo Wild Wings on Stage in Bartlett. You can get more information at https://memphisaaf.com/event.

The uniforms will be revealed at the party. Not sure if that means at the location of if it will be revealed at the draft.

The Memphis Express is working with Shelby County Schools for a coat drive. Get more information on Operation Warm Hearts at https://memphisaaf.com/event.

They will be streaming the draft at aaf.com.

Updates on the AAF QB Draft

As mentioned, Hines Ward will host the event. It has been announced that Kurt Warner will be the lead analyst for the event.

Scott Tolzien and Christian Hackenberg will be unallocated. They received roster exemptions and therefore will be available in the draft once it opens up.

Roster Updates

Josh Jasper is currently the only kicker/punter on the roster. The team will be looking to address this need at the upcoming tryouts on December 8th. Tryouts will consist of position drills and the 40 yard dash. We’ll get more information next week.

The Memphis Express has a lot of players on the roster. The team will have to get down to 75 before training camps start in January. There will be roster spots for injury exemptions and taxi squad. Possibly the ready-list Nathan mentioned.

There will be minicamps sometime in December.

Allocated players will be released to sign with any team sometime after mini-camps. Like Nathan said in episode 11, we’ll probably see a lot of cuts after these mini-camps from players that haven’t prepared.

Updates on Coaching

As we announced on social media, Hal Mumme will no longer be the offensive coordinator. Nothing major here but both parties decided to go their separate ways. David Lee will not be OC as we announced. He’ll be more of an interim OC, if anything, while the team looks to hire a new offensive coordinator.

Express Merch

You can get Express gear at Dick’s.

We’re finally going to cover the Memphis Express coaches!! It’s been a while but I hope you can forgive us. We also have a fair bit of news and some interesting takeaways about the roster.

News

The CFL is facing more issues because of the AAF. WR Mark Chapman has signed with the Stallions rather than with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He was selected #1 overall but the Tiger-Cats weren’t offering enough money. So now he’s making more money with the AAF while playing 8 fewer games.

Roster Updates

Andrew East @AndrewDEast – LS @VandyFootball

Channing Stribling @C_Strib8 – DB @UMichFootball

OC Hal Mumme

Memphis Waived

Dwayne Eugene LB

D’Maujeric Tucker RB

These players are now free agents are can sign with any team in the alliance.

QB Signings

I would assume these QBs would be allocated just like every other player. Therefore Scott Tolzien would be allocated to Memphis because his college is unallocated and his last professional team was the Colts.

Christian Hackenberg would be Memphis is the AAF counts the practice squad towards allocation. He was last signed to the Bengal’s practice squad. However, if it’s the last time he was on a roster, he would be allocated to San Diego because he played for the Raiders.

Assuming both players are allocated to Memphis, our team has some serious thinking to do before the draft. That is because they have the option to protect one player allocated to them. For more on that, check out our last episode at memphisaaf.com/15.

Roster sitting at 88, maybe 90 depending on Tolzien and Hackenberg. 80 if exclude QBs. The question is, is Memphis breaking the rules, are the roster limits not in place, or is the roster not accurate.

Open Tryouts

Despite questions surrounding the size of our roster, the team is still looking to add talent. Kosha Irby, team president, said there will be an open tryout. No information on dates or location. Subscribe to stay up-to-date on any developments.

QB Camp

The QB camp has concluded. Unsurprisingly, it was not open to the public so there isn’t much information about what’s happening. The only thing I know is that the QBs were split up over two days and were grouped based on the allocation.

I hope we get some information about what happened but that’s unlikely. We’ll just have to wait until the draft and see how the coaches felt.

Instagram Q&A

Some inspiring words and exciting news. Check out the transcript and break down at https://memphisaaf.com/news/instagram-qa-with-charlie-ebersol/

Tech Nerds

https://aaf.engineering/

Express Events

The Memphis Express will be hosting an event for everyone to watch the Alliance of American Football QB Draft on November 27th. This will be open to everyone, not just season ticket holders. Be sure to leave your schedule open for that!

The Express worked with the Habitat for Humanity to help clean up a Memphis neighborhood. Staff and players helped pick up trash. It’s awesome to see the team making an impact in the city already. TE Brett Thompson, OT Trevin Wallace, and many of the staff can be seen in the video.

They also had a tent at Crafts and Drafts this past weekend.

Every Thursday,