Jeff Levack:
Hi everybody. Welcome to the arena football one podcast. I am your host Jeff Lovac and we have game. That's right. We have kicked off in the arena football one. I know everybody's everybody's been a little worried. There's been some crazy stuff going on out there, but Let me just tell you, the AF1 is A-OK. Yeah, it was corny. It was a little bit of a dad joke. But I get to do those once in a while. I'm actually a dad. But here's the deal. Every time you launch one of these leagues, every time you launch a season, everybody thinks they can do arena football. It's much like that great poet Mike Tyson once said, everybody's going to plant it and get punched in the face. Everybody got punched in the face and we have eight strong teams standing tall, ready to give you everything they've got for the 2025 inaugural Arena Football One season. The Albany Firebirds still here. Nashville Cats just played, still here. The Corpus Christi Tritons are ready to go. Southwest Kansas Storms, They're 1-0. We're going to tell you about that in a second. This line of Liberty up and running, Oregon Lightning, Billings, Outlaws. I mean, they just got a ring last year. Do you think they're not here to get another one? And the Washington Wolfpack. That is your AF1 for 2025. They are here and they ain't going nowhere. We, however, are headed to Dodge City because that's where the season kicked off as the Southwest Kansas Storm hosted the Nashville Cats. Cats finished strong last year. The Storm were a team that you saw growing, you saw building, you knew they were on their way somewhere. And this game kind of proved just that. Kind of what you'd expect from a first game. A little low scoring in the first half, a little slow getting under way, some body blows being exchanged. going into the half seven to six with the storm in the lead. The only difference in the scores, the cats missed that extra point, which of course, Hey, that's a point you need that hurts you if you don't have it. But the second half, the second half is where everything kind of really kicked up a notch. As a matter of fact, if you were watching right on evergreen, now you saw commissioner Fisher say, I expect there to be a lot more points scored in the second half. And the man knows his football because That's exactly what happened. Listen, every football league is a quarterback driven league. The AF one is no difference. So when the cats come out and they have four different guys throwing passes and combining for five interceptions and only one passing touchdown, you're going to have a long road to hoe. If you think you're going to win this game. And of course, meanwhile, we got Jalen Morton for the storm. He is put everybody on notice. He's here. He's here. It's only one game in. But I gotta tell you, right now, he's the MVP in the clubhouse. He threw for three touchdowns, no turnovers, ran the ball effectively, leading the Storm to a 40-26 victory, the first-ever victory in the history of the AF1. Now here's something I got. I got to make sure you understand if you're unfamiliar with the arena game, 40 to 26 is a defensive battle. That's a low scoring game. We didn't even have a deuce or a rouge in this game. And I know some of you may be unfamiliar with deuces and rouges. I'm not just making that up, though it would be a funny prank to pull on some of you. A deuce is when your kickoff goes through the uprights. So the distance of the field, that 50 yards plus the end zone, your kicker puts it between the uprights. That's two points to start with. We call it a deuce. Two, deuce. Kind of, you know, makes sense when you get right down to it. And there's also the rouge. Now, the closest thing you could probably compare a Rouge to in the world of outdoor football would be a safety. A Rouge is when your kicker gets it down into the end zone and they can't advance it out of the end zone before the receiving team is able to get out of the end zone. The kicking team gets down there, takes them down inside that end zone. That's a point for the kicking team. We saw teams win and lose games based on Rouge's and deuces. They add up. And that's why you got to have a great kicker in this league. Great quarterback, great kicker, and you're ahead of the game when it comes to arena football. I actually just saw somebody ask on my social media, what's so important about the nets? Why is arena football so proud of the nets? Well, that's all part of this too, because if you can hit that net just right on a kick, you up your chances of getting that rouge. You up the chances of making it hard to field that ball, that other team getting it out of the end zone, those nets, They're alive. They are alive. You can catch passes off the nets. You can throw, I've seen quarterbacks ricochet them off the net into the hands of a receiver and win football games. And something tells me we might just be lucky enough to see that very same thing here in the AF one this season. So a game that goes 40 to 26 with a lot of action, interceptions, returns, touchdowns, Fun game to watch, especially that second half, and it's not even a tip of the iceberg of what I expect to see out of the rest of this season from the Arena Football One. Meanwhile, down in lovely Florida, there was a big combine before the season started for the Arena Football One, and the Arena Football One podcast was boots on the ground, and we were lucky enough to grab some time with the director of football ops, Gary Compton.

Interviewer: We're joined by Gary Compton, Director of Football Operations for AF1. How you doing today? Doing great, thanks for having me. So give us a little background on how you got to AF1.

Gary Compton: Wow, so obviously a lifer in arena football. Spent, you know, really about over 30 years. I started back in 92 when it was about in the first five years of existence. And the league was interesting, to say the least. Seen a lot of things come and go, see a lot of Players not paid, a lot of people housing and all of that. As anything else, it's an infancy stage. You're going to see things like that. But we're able to grow the product through. And I played, my last year was in 2005. I finished with the Philadelphia Soul. had an opportunity to win a championship in Tampa in 2003, but made a mark for my name in Milwaukee from 95 through 2001. It's probably one of the best places that has arena football. Similar to the Wolfpack colors, those were our colors as well. But, you know, it's a game that made me who I am. And I'm very proud to say, when I talk about arena football, I'm very proud to say that I was a part of it. And it's an opportunity for a lot of people. that want that extra journey to get where they want to be. And we are now able to have that, you know, to have players be able to come in and, you know, excel them into, you know, some other leagues or whatever they might want to be.

Interviewer: Yeah, nice. Tell us a little bit about outdoor and indoor. What's the difference between the two?

Gary Compton: So, you know what, as we were talking about this the other day, Kurt Warner went from indoor to outdoor, okay, and the game slowed down for him because our game is such a fast pace. As I always said it, it is a football game on a postage stamp. That's how, that's how it is. 27 and a quarter inch or yards, you know, wide, 58 and a half yards long, nets, balls bouncing off, cheerleaders dancing, people in hot tubs, pouring beer all over people. I mean it's just a, a very, very unique game. And you don't get that in the outdoor game. You know, people in the stands in our game, they get to know the players. They get to know the coaches. They invite players over to their house for dinner. And they really, really get to have that. kind of, you know, fan player embodiment. And in NFL, you don't get that. It's all business. We all know that. And that's why the NFL's, you know, the multi-billion dollar business that it is. But that's the unique thing about our game and what makes it, you know, different is the fans, the walls, the nets, you know, and all of that.

Interviewer: So with the struggle last year with the AFL, how did you find yourself coming over to this side?

Gary Compton: So obviously we know all the trial and tribulations AFL last year. You know, when it all happened, Commissioner Fisher decided to take that role and he needed some people that were experienced. First person he called obviously is the godfather, Jerry Kurz. You know, Jerry has started it from day one, and then Jerry called Christy McEwen, who he's had 25 years of experience with, and he called myself, who I've known Jerry for years, and we know the game. So we came in to salvage it just to try to get it through the season. And I think that was the most important thing, because we knew once we got it through the season, there's a lot of things that were going to have to be different. That's how we then moved over to the AF1, the trademark and all that that we had. We brought over the existing teams, okay, that were in with us last year, and then we expanded. You know, we expanded the markets of Wilkes-Barre. We expanded in Corpus Christi. We expanded in Arizona to get an 11-team league, and AF1's gonna be great. You know, we're gonna kick off here in about 30 days with our week zero games, and then we're gonna get going, you know, on Evergreen, who's gonna be our streaming partner, and, you know, be able to showcase a lot of that, do some, you know, podcasts and some shows and some cuts and everything, and then we're gonna be on Vice TV. And I think that'll be important as well, just to show everybody how arena football and AF1 is different than any other league that's out there.

Interviewer: So let me ask, the AF1 has been doing some really, really cool things. Who's basically the brains behind it? I mean, we did the AF1 University, now we're out here in Florida. There's a lot of things that are happening. Tell us about that.

Gary Compton: I'm gonna give Jerry credit on this one. Jerry uses the McDonald's term. No matter where you go into in McDonald's, it's all the same. Okay? And we want, whether you're in Nashville, you're in Washington, you're in Corpus Christi, wherever you're at, you walk into an office or an organization or a field or a practice, and you see the exact same thing all the way around. That's how we developed AF University. Okay? To bring in the ownership groups, to bring in the marketing people, and to strategize, hey, here is the product. Here's how it works. Okay? We're going to hand this off to you, and we expect you to do this the way it should because it's been proven. So, that was the first part of AFU. The NSC combine that we're here at today, Jimmy, who's been graciously so helpful with a lot of things, him and I have worked tirelessly on this thing, but him and Jerry go way back, and I've known Jimmy for years as well, and we wanted to do something that we could solidify a scouting service combine type thing that we could utilize for the AF1 and be able to have a database for coaches and players that can get to other places. So we came to this agreement with them. We're very, very excited about it. Like you said, we're down here for the first day in Naples. It's been great so far. His staff, the way they put this thing on is extraordinary. The way they check these kids in, run them through all these drills, his staff that he has has been, you know, nothing but exceptional. And so it's just another piece that we're putting together to showcase how we're different and to let everybody know this is a unique league and you better get on board while you can.

Interviewer: Do you find that arena football could be the gateway to the NFL?

Gary Compton: You know, it's… I say yes to this due to the fact that, because that's a dream of every kid, right? I heard a coach say it today, everybody wants this logo on them somewhere. Not everybody can have that logo though, you know, you're just, you're where you are, but you allow an avenue for these players to be able to have that opportunity.

Jeff Levack: Gary Compton's an interesting guy, man. I gotta tell you, when I got to meet him, I got to know him, he just seems like an unassuming good dude. He happened to be a wide receiver that was in the arena football league for years and years and years. Almost two decades worth of football out of the guy. He's won championships. I believe at one point he was actually named the built for tough player of the year. You tried doing that. I don't know that I could. So good to have Gary Compton on board and his love of the game and his stewardship is going to make the AF1 just one of the best leagues you could possibly be a part of. What really makes AF1 great football? Those teams we were talking about earlier. this weekend coming up, not one, not two, three games for you going on in the official week. One last week, week zero, this week is week one, three games. And you are going to love what we got on store for you. This time, the Billings outlaws last time they were on a football field, they were beating the Albany firebirds which I happen to be the team president of, and they will not let me forget, in the brawl in the mall in Jersey for the championship. And now they're looking to go and get another ring, and they will start their campaign in Oregon against the Lightning. This Lightning team, I met the ownership. they are thrilled to be a part of AF one and they do not want to lose the, they ain't here for a ribbon. They're here for a championship. So you'll be able to see this game. And listen, if you haven't seen the head coach of the Billings outlaws, Cedric Walker on the sideline, He's almost as much a show as the game itself. So be ready for that. That game is going to be Saturday night, eight o'clock Eastern time, right here on evergreen. First chance to see the lightning first chance to see billing says the championship. You're not going to want to miss that right here on evergreen now.tv or wherever you're streaming, get evergreen now, right now. Speaking to evergreen. We've also got a game for you Sunday night, six o'clock Eastern time. The Salina Liberty are taking on the Corpus Christi Triton Sunday, six o'clock PM Eastern time right here on evergreen. Here's the deal. Salina is one of those teams that just never gives up. They keep building, they keep getting better. I'll say in my experience, they don't make that big Blashy change that's gonna blow your mind. They just keep improving It's almost it's almost like one of those scary movies every time you think it's done chasing you. It's a step closer That's Celina and they are gonna come after it and they're gonna give a big welcome to Corpus Christi The Tritons are a team that have stepped up and wait They joined the AF1 after being in a league that we all used to be in, and now we've all stepped up our competition, and Corpus Christi has done it as well. They have added some supreme arena talent. We're talking championships, we're talking swagger, we're talking MVPs, we're talking about the GOAT himself, number six, Darius Prince. If you're a fan of the arena game, You know Darius. If you're not a fan of the arena game, get ready to meet Darius. Darius Prince is a guy who played college basketball, took those moves, and translated them into being one of the best receivers this game has ever seen. Oh, and his best friend happens to be one of the best defensive backs this game has ever seen, and his name is Dwayne Hollis. Dwayne Hollis stopped playing a year ago, became a coach. I knew it. He knew it. Darius knew it. Everybody kind of knew there's a little bit left in that tank. Dwayne Hollis ain't done yet. And he looks to prove that in this game for the Tritons. Look out for this one. Now the final game this weekend is the vice sports game. Okay. This can be featured on vice sports. This is the Southwest Kansas storm. You just saw them get the big W over Nashville. Jalen is going to be out there throwing again, Jalen Morton, the quarterback. He's got three touchdown passes. He's got rushing. He's doing it all right now. Can he keep doing it in Washington against the wolf pack Sunday night, 7 gonna have to tune in to find out. I mean, this is the kind of game you're looking forward to. I know I am as well. You have to be here. Now, here's the deal. That's on Vice. You go check it out on Vice. You want to watch it again? Very shortly after that, it'll be right here on Evergreen Now. Everything finds its way to Evergreen Now because we're the official partner of the AF1. This is the AF1 podcast, and here's the deal. Did you see Hulk? Did you see Hulk Hogan talking to Jeff Fisher about real American beer? Every game, every interview, everything you need to know about AF1 football and a whole lot more at evergreennow.tv. Get it for yourself. You can download the app. You can get it anywhere you stream content. And if it's not there yet, it will be shortly for a lot of reasons. Great content, great quality and free. Set up your account and enjoy for free right here on evergreennow.tv. Thank you for listening to the arena football one podcast right here on evergreen now.tv. My name is Jeff Levesque and please look me up on X at the Jeff Levesque. That's at T H E J E F F L E V A C K. Give me a comment. Give me a question. Give me a criticism. Not too many of those please. And maybe just maybe they'll make their way right on here to the arena football one podcast. Of course, proud partner of Evergreen Now. If you're streaming content, you gotta have Evergreen Now. It's available everywhere, evergreennow.tv. Wherever you're streaming, download the app. If it's not there, it will be soon. Thank you so much. From evergreennow.tv and the AF1.