2021 The Spring League season
| 2021 The Spring League season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | The Spring League |
| Sport | American football |
| Duration | Regular season: May 6 – June 12 Final: June 19 |
| Number of games | 6 per team |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| TV partner(s) | Fox, FS1, FS2 |
| Season MVP | Ryan Willis |
| North champions | Linemen |
| North runners-up | Conquerors |
| South champions | Jousters |
| South runners-up | Generals |
| Finals champions | Linemen |
| Runners-up | Jousters |
| Finals MVP | Ryan Willis |
The 2021 The Spring League season is the sixth overall in league history. This is the first season to feature eight teams in two divisions: the North Division in Indianapolis, Indiana and the South Division in Houston, Texas.
The Linemen beat the Jousters 26–23 in the first Mega Bowl, and won the TSL championship.[1][2] Linemen QB Ryan Willis won both final[3] and regular season MVP awards.[4]
In November the league was sued for failing to pay $1.4 million in bills during a nine-week stay in Indianapolis, for the use of Lucas Oil Stadium ($235,000 for six games) and hotel stay ($1.1 million for 4,740 room nights).[5] Also, Butler University sued TSL for about $33,000 in unpaid bills, for its use of the Sellick Bowl for practices.[6]
Format and rules[]
The 2021 season kicked off on Thursday, May 6 and was divided to two divisions that played in hub cities: The North Division in Indianapolis and the South Division in Houston. Each division champion will advance to the 2021 TSL Championship game that will take place on June 19.[7]
The 2021 season featured new rules that aim to improve the game, specifically introducing a new overtime format, the “spot and choose” rule, which means that the team that wins the overtime coin toss was to pick the spot of the ball, while the other team would choose whether to play offense or defense.[8] A similar rule was proposed by the Baltimore Ravens after the 2020 NFL season.
Players[]
The player participation fee for the 2021 season was $2,000, with exception for players who had been in an NFL training camp within the past three years, who were not required to pay.[9][10] According to league CEO Brian Woods, the preference was for TSL coaches, players and staff to be vaccinated for COVID-19 before the season begins. If not, they were asked for proof of a negative test upon arrival and were subject to daily testing thereafter.[11]
Every team started the season with 35 to 41 players roster,[12] and were allowed to make changes throughout the season.
Tryouts[]
In March 2021, TSL announced that they reached a partnership agreement with Stephen Austin's ,[13] and were holding tryouts for the first time in league history.[14] They also declared that players who were on an active roster during TSL's fall 2020 season are not required to participate in the tryouts.[15][16]
Notable players[]
On April 16, the first player for the 2021 TSL season was announced, as former Syracuse and Dallas Renegades QB Eric Dungey confirmed he will play for the Blues,[17] although he was later accepted tryout invite to Cincinnati Bengals rookie minicamp,[18] and was later signed to their 90-men roster.[19] On later date the league revealed the other Quarterbacks who will play, including seven-year NFL veteran Ryan Mallett (Generals),[20][21] former XFL players Luis Perez (Jousters),[22][23] Brandon Silvers (Conquerors),[24] and Nick Fitzgerald (Sea Lions),[25] and three former P5 colleges QB's Brian Lewerke (Alphas),[26] Keller Chryst (Aviators),[27] and Ryan Willis (Linemen).
On May 12, after the first week was concluded, TSL announced that former Super Bowl champion Brandon Marshall was joining the Generals[28] after strong showing at HUB Football camp,[29] but before the Generals game on week 2 it was revealed that Marshall decided to pursue NFL opportunities instead of joining the league.[30][11]
39 players with XFL experience were on TSL rosters,[31] and 19 players who participated in the Fan Controlled Football 2021 season (, , , , , , , , , Deondre Francois, , , , , , , , and ).
The league also featured three international players: Kicker Tadhg Leader (Aviators) from the Republic of Ireland, Defensive Linemen (Blues) from Lithuania and Wide receiver from Canada.
Other noteworthy players[]
Alphas: Vad Lee, Brian Lewerke, Jawill Davis, Kristjan Sokoli, Christian DiLauro, Gabe Holmes, Azeem Victor and Mazzi Wilkins, while Brady White joined before week 4.
Aviators: Keller Chryst, Romar Morris, , , and Irish-born American rugby union player Tadhg Leader,[32] while Vad Lee joined from the "Alphas" before week 5.
Blues: Eric Dungey, Deondre Francois, Fabian Guerra, Davion Davis, Hakeem Valles, David Grinnage, Denzel Rice and .
Conquerors: Brandon Silvers, ,[33] Cameron Jefferson, Anthony Morris, Robenson Therezie, , Prince Charles Iworah and Vinny Papale (son of Vince Papale), while Ahmad Gooden joined before week 2.[34]
Generals: Ryan Mallett, Case Cookus, Devin Gray, , , Ethan Westbrooks, Blair Brown, Carroll Phillips, , Nevelle Clarke, [35] and Lirim Hajrullahu.
Jousters: Luis Perez, Drew Anderson, Lavon Coleman, De'Lance Turner, , Damore'ea Stringfellow, Donnie Ernsberger, Tejan Koroma, Damien Mama, Bunmi Rotimi, Tomasi Laulile, Christian Sam, , Derrick Jones, A. J. Hendy, Shalom Luani, , William Likely, Ricky Aguayo, Manoa Pikula and Colton Schmidt.
Linemen: Ryan Willis, Reece Horn, , Elijah Qualls and , while Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi joined before week 6.[36]
Sea Lions: Nick Fitzgerald, Matt Jones (released after week 1), Adam Choice, , , Shaneil Jenkins, Levonta Taylor, and [37] from Last Chance U' second season, while Jordan Mills and Robert Myers joined before week 2,[38] and Garrett Hartley joined before week 4.[39]
Coaches[]
For the 2021 spring season TSL featured a mix of returning coaches from previous seasons and former college football college or minor leagues HC's.[40] Terry Shea (Aviators), Ted Cottrell (Blues), Jerry Glanville (Conquerors)[41] and defending champion Bart Andrus (Generals) returned to their 2020 Fall season teams, while Peter Vaas (Alphas) and Kevin Gilbride (Jousters)[42] replaced Steve Fairchild and Chuck Bresnahan (respectively).[43] Hal Mumme was appointed as the "Linemen" head coach,[44][45] while Mike Riley was first announced as the "Sea Lions" coach,[46] but it was later changed to Larry Kirksey.[47] Shea is the only one that coached in every TSL season.
Some of the more recognizable assistants were Paul Spicer (DC, Sea Lions),[48] (OC, Conquerors),[49][50] (DC, Blues),[46] Jay Hayes (DC, Jousters),[51] Jeff Reinebold (DC/STC, Generals),[52] Dale Carlson (WR, Linemen),[53] Blake Brockermeyer (OL, Sea Lions)[54] and (RB, Blues),[55] while QB was a player-coach for the Linemen.[56]
Teams[]
The 2021 season featured two new teams: The Linemen and Sea Lions, which were added to the six returning teams from the 2020 fall season.
| Division | Team | Colors | First year | Roster | City | Stadium | Capacity | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North | Alphas | 2020 | [57][58][59] | Indianapolis, Indiana | Lucas Oil Stadium* | 67,000 | Peter Vaas | |
| Aviators | 2020 | [60][61][62] | Terry Shea | |||||
| Conquerors | 2020 | [63][64][65] | Jerry Glanville | |||||
| Linemen | 2021 | [66][67][68] | Hal Mumme | |||||
| South | Blues | 2020 | [69][70][71] | Houston, Texas | Rice Stadium | 47,000 | Ted Cottrell | |
| Generals | 2019 | [72][73][74] | Bart Andrus | |||||
| Jousters | 2020 | [75][76][77] | Kevin Gilbride | |||||
| Sea Lions | 2021 | [78][79][80] | Larry Kirksey |
* Week 6 games were played at the Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl.
Games[]
The games will be played on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and for the first time, one game every week will be broadcast on FOX (including the championship game), while all other games will be broadcast on FS1 and FS2.[81][82][83][84]
| Week | Date | Time | Team | Score | Opponent | Score | Site | Notes | TV | Viewership (millions) |
Ref | Stats | Transactions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 |
May 6[85] | 7:00 PM | Alphas | 23 | Aviators | 9 | Lucas Oil Stadium | FS1 | 0.095[86] | [87][88] | [89] | [90] | |
| 10:00 PM | Conquerors | 27 | Linemen | 20 | Lucas Oil Stadium | FS1 | 0.051[86] | [91][92] | [93] | ||||
| May 7 | 9:30 PM | Sea Lions | 12 | Blues | 15 | Rice Stadium | FS1 | 0.114[86] | [94][95] | [96] | |||
| May 8 | 3:00 PM | Jousters | 19 | Generals | 21 | Rice Stadium | FOX | 0.38[97] | [98][99] | [100] | |||
| Week 2 [101][102] |
May 15 | 3:00 PM | Conquerors | 21 | Alphas | 26 | Lucas Oil Stadium | FOX | 0.448[103] | [104][105] | [106] | [107][108][109] | |
| 7:00 PM | Linemen | 17 | Aviators | 3 | Lucas Oil Stadium | FS2 | [110][111] | [112] | |||||
| May 17 | 9:06 PM | Sea Lions | 17 | Generals | 13 | Rice Stadium | Originally scheduled for May 17 at 7:00 PM ET | FS1 | 0.106[113] | [114][115] | [116] | ||
| May 18 | 8:00 PM | Blues | 7 | Jousters | 28 | Rice Stadium | Originally scheduled for May 17 at 10:00 PM ET[117] | FS1 | 0.05[113] | [118][119] | [120] | ||
| Week 3 |
May 20 | 7:00 PM | Aviators | 7 | Conquerors | 34 | Lucas Oil Stadium | FS1 | 0.059[121] | [122][123] | [124] | [125][126][127] | |
| 10:00 PM | Linemen | 47 | Alphas | 7 | Lucas Oil Stadium | FS2 | 0.04[121] | [128][129] | [130] | ||||
| May 22 | 3:00 PM | Generals | 24 | Blues | 9 | Rice Stadium | FOX | 0.408[131] | [132][133] | [134] | |||
| 7:00 PM | Jousters | 22 | Sea Lions | 7 | Rice Stadium | FS1 | 0.136[131] | [135][136] | [137] | ||||
| Week 4 [138] |
May 27 | 7:00 PM | Linemen | 46* | Conquerors | 39 | Lucas Oil Stadium | FS1 | [139][140] | [141] | [142][143][144] | ||
| 10:00 PM | Aviators | 6 | Alphas | 30 | Lucas Oil Stadium | FS1 | [145][146] | [147] | |||||
| May 29 | 3:00 PM | Blues | 19 | Sea Lions | 10 | Rice Stadium | FOX | [148][149] | [150] | ||||
| 9:00 PM | Jousters | 22 | Generals | 11 | Rice Stadium | FS1 | [151][152] | [153] | |||||
| Week 5 [154] |
June 3 | 7:00 PM[155] | Alphas | 10 | Conquerors | 27 | Lucas Oil Stadium | FS1 | 0.075[156] | [157][158] | [159] | [160][161][162] | |
| June 4 | 8:00 PM[163] | Aviators | 19 | Linemen | 20 | Lucas Oil Stadium | FS1 | 0.081[156] | [164][165] | [166] | |||
| June 5 | 3:00 PM[167] | Generals | 39 | Sea Lions | 27 | Rice Stadium | FOX | 0.38[156] | [168][169] | [170] | |||
| 7:00 PM[171] | Jousters | 10 | Blues | 12 | Rice Stadium | FS1 | 0.079[156] | [172][173] | [174] | ||||
| Week 6 [175] |
June 11 | 7:00 PM[176] | Alphas | 22 | Linemen | 27 | Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl[177] | Originally scheduled at Lucas Oil Stadium | FS1 | 0.095[178] | [179][180] | [181] | [182][183][184] |
| 10:00 PM[185] | Conquerors | 16* | Aviators | 9 | Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl | Originally scheduled at Lucas Oil Stadium | FS1 | 0.064[178] | [186][187] | [188] | |||
| June 12 | 12:00 PM[189] | Sea Lions | 10 | Jousters | 27 | Rice Stadium | FOX | 0.461[178] | [190][191] | [192] | |||
| 8:00 PM[193] | Blues | 16 | Generals | 23 | Rice Stadium | FS2 | [194][195] | [196] | |||||
| Final [197][198][199] |
June 19 | 3:00 PM | Linemen | 26 | Jousters | 23 | Rice Stadium[200] | Mega Bowl[201] | FOX | 0.418[202] | [203][204] | [205] | [206] |
* Overtime
Standings[]
| Spring League 2021 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Division | |||||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | ||||
| Linemen | 5 | 1 | .833 | 177 | 117 | ||||
| Conquerors | 4 | 2 | .666 | 164 | 118 | ||||
| Alphas | 3 | 3 | .500 | 118 | 137 | ||||
| Aviators | 0 | 6 | .000 | 55 | 143 | ||||
| South Division | |||||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | ||||
| Jousters | 4 | 2 | .666 | 128 | 68 | ||||
| Generals | 4 | 2 | .666 | 131 | 110 | ||||
| Blues | 3 | 3 | .500 | 78 | 107 | ||||
| Sea Lions | 1 | 5 | .166 | 83 | 135 | ||||
Awards[]
Players of the week[]
| Week | North Division | South Division | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos. | Team | Ref. | Player | Pos. | Team | Ref. | |
| 1 | RB | Alphas | [207][208] | Lirim Hajrullahu | K | Generals | [209][210] | |
| 2 | WR | Alphas | [211][212] | RB | Sea Lions | [213][214] | ||
| 3 | Ryan Willis | QB | Linemen | [215][216] | Colton Schmidt | P | Jousters | [217][218] |
| 4 | WR | Linemen | [219][220] | RB | Jousters | [221][222] | ||
| 5 | Reece Horn | WR | Linemen | [223][224] | RB/KR | Generals | [225][226] | |
| 6 | DB | Alphas | [227] | Ryan Mallett | QB | Generals | [228] | |
| Final | Ryan Willis | QB | Linemen | [229] | - | |||
Statistical leaders[]
Records reflect statistics through regular season games only.[230]
| Type | Statistic | Qty | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing | Yards | 1,680 1,139 |
Ryan Willis |
Linemen Generals |
| Touchdowns | 13 9 |
Ryan Willis |
Linemen Conquerors | |
| Rushing | Yards | 319 295 |
Sea Lions Alphas | |
| Touchdowns | 4 | Linemen Conquerors | ||
| Receiving | Yards | 435 424 |
Linemen Alphas | |
| Receptions | 37 37 34 |
Michael Bandy
|
Linemen Conquerors Alphas | |
| Touchdowns | 5 3 |
Linemen Sea Lions | ||
| Kicking | FGM | 12 10 |
Lirim Hajrullahu
|
Generals Linemen |
Signees to professional leagues[]
The following players signed with NFL or CFL teams following their involvement with The Spring League in 2021:
NFL[]
* Workout/ Minicamp invite.
CFL[]
| Player | Position | TSL team | CFL team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | Linemen | Montreal Alouettes | [273][274] | |
| OL | Alphas | Montreal Alouettes | ||
| WR | Jousters | BC Lions | [275] | |
| WR | Jousters | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | [276] | |
| WR | Sea Lions | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | ||
| DB | Linemen | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | [277][278] | |
| Drew Anderson | QB | Jousters | Edmonton Elks | [279][280] |
| DL | Linemen | Calgary Stampeders | [281][282] | |
| LB | Jousters | Edmonton Elks | [283] | |
| A. J. Hendy | DB | Jousters | Saskatchewan Roughriders | [284] |
| OL | Aviators | Edmonton Elks | [285] | |
| WR | Generals | Saskatchewan Roughriders | [286] | |
| OL | Linemen | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | [287] | |
| OL | Generals | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | [288] | |
| OL | Aviators | Ottawa Redblacks | [289] |
Future plans[]
On June 3, 2021, Woods announced that he had acquired the remaining extant trademarks of the United States Football League with intent of launching a USFL-branded league in 2022, with Fox Sports remaining as a partner in the new USFL.[290] What will become of The Spring League remains an unresolved question, but according to the initial announcement TSL will continue,[291] probably as a scouting showcase or developmental operation.