Rocky Mountain Football League

Too early?  Doubt we will have a ton of league wide dialogue about restructuring between now and the two day adventure we call an "owners meeting" in 6 months...so lets get it started.  I think we have lost sight of the fact we are playing football in a recreational league and need to make concessions to make an imperfect league be successful and continue to strengthen itself.  In reality, there are 3 levels of football in the RMFL.  AAA, AA, A...  I think we have enough teams in Idaho and Utah/Nevada to create a viable AAA, AA, and A division greatly reducing the blow outs we see every weekend.  My personal belief, Montana is screwing things up, haha.  Seriously though, it is difficult to include them without the added travel.  WE NEED to make concessions and have some understanding to make everything work...or drop MT...

I propose here a 9 team AAA, 8 team AA, and 4 team A league that we can work with schedules and proximity to make more competitive games across the board and allow for some travel concessions...

Shock, Stealth, Rev, Mudducks, Rebels, add Generals, Matadors, Great Falls, and Billings (AAA)

Arco, Bulldawgs, Diggers, Vikings, Mustangs, Sting, Cobras, Oilers (AA)

Elko, Davis, Lancers, Guardians (A)

All teams in Montana play each other and if needed could play vs. Eastern Idaho for least travel. (nuetral site games, common site games, etc. can help)

The A will play home and home with each other, then schedule two proximity games (closest opponent) from the AA.  Can have a 4 team playoff for A championship, this will give the teams experience in Playoff and Championship games, thus strengthening the bottom end of the league.

The AA teams will play each other once, and schedule a AAA team for an additional game, using proximity again to schedule the most travel sensitive games. 

AAA will all play each other once with some concessions.  Great Falls and Billings will play inside of MT during the regular season, coming out of MT once and having a AAA team come there once each year, thus giving a SOS for postseason rankings...also the Rebels will play a Montana team (the other AAA MT team also plays Utah team) at SASA each year as schedule dictates...

 

This was a quick post, and a lot of tweaking is needed, but in my mind this sort of alignment is the best answer to a lot of the issues facing the RMFL right now...

Sweet A

I find it hard to believe there is no interest in St. George to continue running a successful organization. Is that what you are saying Wayne?

!!!!!LOVE THIS POST!!!!!

You've completely left out the other three Montana teams...

Eastern Idaho unite! Make a AAA team in poky, get the good turf at Holt and make the league better!

Why wouldn't an A division work?

(AAA) cold be for the best of the league and most competitive players/teams ( AT LEAST 7 OR 8 TEAMS)
(AA) could be for teams that are established but are middle tier players/teams ( AT LEAST 7 OR 8 TEAMS)
(A)could be for new teams and teams that haven't quite gotten over the hump ( AT LEAST 4 OR 5 TEAMS)

We seem to have a big GAP between AAA teams (STEALTH), really good AA teams (GENERALS), good AA teams (BULLDAWGS) and average AA teams (WARRIORS). Really good AA teams should move up to AAA. Good AA teams should stay put and average AA teams should be in their own division. They deserve to have a fan base, have a chance to win games and get some solid ground under their feet. I think that the losses and blowouts affect their fan base thus affecting their finances and stability. Fans stop attending games and gate money is nonexistent. Players start to leave and lose motivation / commitment. General Managers start to lose money and give up. EVERY TEAM IN THIS LEAGUE IS VIABLE AND REVELANT. There are ways to find "homes" for everyone. My next statement is strictly based on records and not talent. If the Elko Warriors play games against the Lancers, Guardians or Knights they would be competitive games which helps them to establish a fan base and viable product where they see them compete and possibly win.

We can put 1 or 2 AA teams on the A teams' schedules and put 1 or 2 AAA teams on the AA teams' schedules to see how they match up. We can find a way to calculate it into the seeding for the playoffs.

WAIT.....AM I BEING NEUTRAL AGAIN?

Logical. nuetrality would not sound like you agree with me jaye

Regardless of how we end up structuring it, I think we need to drop "AAA" and "AA" labels.  I think that hurts marketing of teams that are "AA".

Isn't catering to the lower level teams what put the league in the position it's currently in?  Stop finding ways to approve mediocrity and make teams step up.  Upper half of AA steps up and bang, lower half competes with what's left.  IF anything is going to change you all must present these ideas and thoughts to your GM or those with voting power.  It's all a moot point here on the forum.  Also, DON"T wait until January to speak up!

The RMFL was developed with the philosophy that sportsmanship, team-building and simple opportunity to play football for average to star players are its underlying principles and objectives and all other league goals shall be subservient. Straight from our hone page. We need each and every team to play in the league to continue growing and. strenghthening the league. I said make concessions, not cater to anybody.

If there was a vote today, I'd vote Elko into an A division because everyone likes to win, isn't that why teams don't jump to AAA right away, it's easier and more fun to win alot.

But I also kinda agree with Jerry, the labels hurt teams more than help but it's the truth, there are different levels of teams and talent so it's a needed separation to help the majority.....

Kyto at the meeting stated the biggest truth. The only difference in the split is a good QB and an O line.
With my team we struggled at quarterback and when that happens you lose, same in every level....Top level NFL teams have good QBs, crappy teams don't.
... Plain and Simple

...........
1 league, 2 or 3 it doesn't matter, we all need to make each other better and be thankful the league has this (honestly small issue )to worry about and not more serious things like most semi pro leagues worry about....

Keep up the great debates, just remember the GMs make the choices, and it works like Congress, so get to lobbying and bribing people...... I love gift cards, hint hint....

It's sad that I always have to start a post with this disclaimer: Don't be offended.

Every year this argument comes up, and it has ever since we let a AA champion stay in AA. And then what? Well we did it again.

First, it doesn't make sense for the Boise Generals to be AAA because of roster depth. Then it doesn't make sense because of travel.

Now we need to have not have the classifications because it could hurt sponsorship. But it is what it is right? If you are a AA team, you aren't as organized/good as the AAA teams right? Something isn't right or else you'd want to be AAA.

So the Generals win the AA and outscore their opponents 381 to 22. And yet someway somehow we need to eliminate the classifications? Why? If you do a good job, no matter what classification you are, if you are good at running your team and selling your product sponsors will and should buy into it.

If you are a AAA team and you sell the fact that you play the best of the best of the RMFL. If you play in AA you play the same competition etc. etc..

How is it you're worried about losing sponsors but this year you didn't have the sponsorship support to be AAA?

You have a former Boise St. QB. You have a former CFL/BSU player in Cam Hall. Two arguably the top 10 players in this league, but yet, you didn't want to play in the AAA.

Let me guess, roster size and travel right?

I'm trying to figure out how it benefits the league as a whole to be one big league. We had a team fold this year who was getting blown out by other AA teams. But yet had we been one big league, what would've happened if the REV or Rebels played them?

(Glacier Knights folded, here are their scores)

L Glacier Knights (0) vs Missoula Phoenix (33)
L Glacier Knights (0) @ Billings Bullets (46)
L Glacier Knights (0) vs Great Falls Gladiators (66)
L Glacier Knights (0) @ Gallatin Valley Snow Devils (48)
L Glacier Knights (6) @ Missoula Phoenix (42)
L Glacier Knights (6) vs Gallatin Valley Snow Devils (22)

Is the problem the league not being one league? Or could it be that teams don't want to play to their level.

I mean, what was the closest game the Generals had this year? A 2 point victory over the Matadors that they later defeated by 17? Which happened to be their next closest game?

Let me know because I'm confused. Remember I've been around this league PRE AA/AAA split, during the years the split were great, and now during the years where teams are literally content with where they are.

Ryan Blake, what would it do your team if you played a top tier AAA team? Be honest, I'm curious for your answer.

The issue in solving the issue is the top tier AA teams who don't want to make the jump.

Their solution is this: if we have to play the top tier AAA, we want to make sure that we have our blowout games against the lower tier AA. Where does this make sense?

We just had a 2-6 Utah Stealth team with the AAA championship. Having spoke with most of the AAA guys, we knew that was possible. Any one could beat anyone on given day. I knew as well as anyone that the #4 Stealth was just as good as us, and they proved it when it mattered.

Could we say that about the bottom tier of the AA and the top AA?

Where's the balance?

I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER, but I can tell you this...

The Boise Generals, The Idaho Matadors are NOT AA teams.

The Brigham Sting, The Utah Cobras (IF THEY GET A CONSISTENT ROSTER), The Great Falls Gladiators, The Billings Bullets, The Magic Valley Bulldawgs are on the cusp of being EITHER OR.

We want to talk development of the league but we do it at the cost of the newer teams. The new teams who most likely could be the FUTURE of the RMFL.

But what do I know? I've just been around for 10 years, I don't know anything.

Right Thurber? Right Sarge? Jess?

I don't know anything.

Shock, Rev, Rebels, Stealth, Ducks -- South
Sting, Bulldawgs, Matadors, Generals, (Another Team Willing) -- North

10 teams, 9 games, Top Team in Each Division, 4 WC.

Sounds pretty cool huh? Not the SOLUTION, just an option.

Trust me, myself and The Follower??? built a schedule before. A schedule that we were told was impossible to redo and we did. Get to steppin' and I'll get to making a schedule.

Just a thought..

That's what I'm talking about, Kyto.

the AAA bowling league, i thought it was.

The Dixie Rebels would like to formally announce the new owners.
Shaun Alldredge
Phil McLeod
Cammeron Murdock

All 3 have been with the Rebels/Blitz for the past 4+ years

 

Rebels will be back 

^^^^^^ This would be interesting to watch how it develops. It could effect the Brigham Sting either positively and negatively. For example if they come back and former Stampede players leave the Sting it could seriously damage a first year playoff team with a solid core and serious potential. But if all those players stay then the core values the Eyre brothers built their organization around will hold strong and they will be an early team to look out for next year. That could be the beginning of an interesting new rivalry.

Coach that sounded very politically correct! Haha