The USFL starts this weekend.
Again.
Yes, that USFL, the one that tried to strong-arm the NFL in the 1980s and had more characters than character.
You remember, the USFL that paid big money for big names and featured the first connection between Donald and Herschel. Hmmm, wonder whatever became of those two cats.
But the USFL is back come Saturday night. It's football by name, and we love football by nature.
Will this USFL - is it 3.0, 4.0, 5.3? - make it? It's doubtful. Yes, I believe in my soul there is a market for minor league football. It's called the SEC and the Big Ten and the rest of Power Five college football, and it happens mostly on Saturdays in the fall.
I have a hard time seeing a connection for this latest incantation of the USFL beyond the growing gambling sphere that will lure the casual fan to spring football. So there's that, and if you're looking for a preview of whether the Stallions are better across the lines of scrimmage than the Generals to make a run at the USFL's mighty chalice of supremacy, well, look elsewhere.
(Side note: The primary betting advice I'd give here is you can't overvalue quarterback experience, so I'm high on Tampa Bay and former Ole Miss shot caller Jordan Ta'amu. And whenever in doubt when it comes to spring football, bet the under - especially early season spring football. And considering the plug-pulling possibilities of every spring football league, I'm pretty sure early season spring football is the only kind of spring football there is.)
That said, this weekend's kickoff of this latest rendition of the USFL is far from meaningless to the masses, whether they know it or not and regardless if they are familiar with the first-half total in the Gamblers-Panthers game Sunday afternoon.
That's because the football powers in the NFL are wisely using the USFL as a test tube for a slew of rule changes that range from exploration to long overdue.
There's the possibility of a nine-point possession with a touchdown-scoring team having the option of then going for one, two or even three points. An attempt for three is one play from the 10-yard line. There are multiple sky cams to help cover the replay options.
Onside kicks are still available, but a team also could choose to try to convert what is viewed as a fourth-and-12 from its 33-yard-line. Get the 12 yards, keep the ball. Fall short and the other team gets the ball at the stopping point.
Clock rules will mirror the college game in the final two minutes of each half, which will allow for more snaps and more chances for comebacks. Win-win.
The overtime shootout rule is a best-of-three battle of 2-point conversions. Not as high on that one to be honest, because making the 2-point conversion the critical part of deciding a tie game would be akin to deciding that after 10 tied innings in baseball, we hold a home run derby.
And most importantly and most intriguing to me - because I've been calling for this for multiple years - is the USFL ball will be chipped, and all ball spots, measurements, you name it will be done with technology.
Yes there are some kinks in the plan, but that we are finally looking to alter the most archaic part of America's most popular sport that is based in land acquisition but relies on elderly men with two sticks connected by 30 feet of chain links is excellent news.
Think about that. Quarterbacks come to the sideline and in real-time technology review the successes and failures of the previous drive with a hand-held tablet with enough giga-power to launch a space shuttle, but we still bring Moe and Larry trotting to the field with a pole in their hands to see if the ball carrier converted a third-and-1.
And that's not even counting the confusion and consternation about whether a world-class athlete at the bottom of a pile of a ton of other world-class athletes managed to get the ball across the invisible goalie or not.
So welcome back, USFL. Here's hoping you're around at least long enough to show everyone how much better the game can be.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and read more columns like this in the 5-at-10 every weekday morning at timesfreepress.com.