Jordan Ta'amu was named the XFL's offensive player of the year this past season. Apr 24, 2022; Birmingham, AL, USA; Tampa Bay Bandits quarterback Jordan Ta’amu (10) throws against the New Orleans Breakers during the first half at Protective Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
USFLBy Sean Keeley on

The USFL hasn’t exactly lit the football world on fire after three weeks in its inaugural season. In order to improve the experience and, hopefully, attract more viewers, they’re making a change to gameplay.

USFL head of officiating Mike Pereira announced Thursday that, starting in Week 4, the USFL will have a running clock after incomplete passes during the first and third quarters. The point of the move is to try to keep game lengths to under three hours.

“We believe this change will achieve the desired game length,” Pereira said, “while still providing the number of plays you’ve come to expect in a professional football game.”

The average NFL game lasts a little over three hours, so this move is an attempt by the USFL to make their product feel a little sleeker, at least in terms of how long it goes on.

The reaction to the news appears to be mixed. There are some who find the change intriguing and applaud the league for taking action early on to make the product more appealing.

However, many others found the decision strange, considering it means they’re literally trying to entice you to watch the USFL by giving you less USFL. Not to mention, it might be indicative of the poor quarterback play that has made their games less appealing so far. Others still wondered if this is due to a TV partner mandate to make games shorter.

We’ll see if this moves the needle in the rating department for the league. Viewership fell off a cliff in Week 2, as it tends to for spring football leagues, but Week 3 rating numbers held relatively steady. If the league can find a way to maintain that interest across the season, there’s a decent chance it could return for a second season, which is quite the accomplishment for something like this.

[Mike Pereria]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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