August Xavier Grimble Jersey , but there is still plenty of football to watch in the coming months thanks to a new professional football league set to begin play on Saturday. Founded by noted film and television producer Charlie Ebersol and former Indianapolis Colts general manager Bill Polian, the new Alliance of American Football league will feature eight teams playing a 12 week season.Watch:Broadcast contracts with CBS, NFL Network and TNT should mean that the games are available in most regions and the league’s mobile app will offer live streaming of all games, while B/R Live will also carry one game a week.Rules:Following a similar rules structure to the NFL, the AAF will still feature a few notable differences to the game fans have become used to.There were be no TV timeouts and fewer full-screen commercial in attempt to reduce game time by around 30 minutes.All teams must attempt a two-point conversions after a touchdown. There are no extra point kicks in the AAF. There will be no kickoffs, with all possessions starting at the 25-yard line instead. In place ofonside kicks, a team must convert a fourth-and-12 from their own 28-yard line in order to maintain possession of the ball or turn it over to their opponent. The play clock has been reduced to 35 seconds. In overtime, each team will be given the ball at their opponent’s 10-yard line and be given just one possession to score a touchdown and attempt a two-point conversion. Field goals are not allowed. The other team then gets the same chance and the game ends, regardless if it is still a tie.An additional “Sky Judge” referee using real-time technology will correct any missed calls centered around player safety and can correct any pass interference called inside the final five minutes of the game.Teams:Arizona HotshotsAtlanta LegendsBirmingham IronMemphis ExpressOrlando ApollosSalt Lake StallionsSan Antonio CommandersSan Diego FleetThe Birmingham Iron and San Diego Fleet may have the best looking uniforms based on the initial publicity photographs. But logo wise, the Iron remind me far too much of the Cleveland Browns.Schedule:Head coaches:Arizona: Rick NeuheiselAtlanta: Kevin CoyleBirmingham: Tim LewisMemphis: Mike SingletaryOrlando: Steve SpurrierSalt Lake: Dennis EricksonSan Antonio: Mike RileySan Diego: Mike MartzIn addition to these familiar names in charge of each team, former Steelers safety Troy Polamalu will serve as the league’s Head of Player Relations and Hines Ward is the league’s Head of Development.Players:The AAF will also feature a number of players that Pittsburgh fans should recognize with several former Steelers under contract with all but one of the eight teams in the league.Arizona Hotshots: LB Steven Johnson (Edit: Missed this one first time around)Atlanta Legends: CB Dorian GrantBirmingham Iron: WR L’Damian Washington, OT Larson Graham, DT Casey Sayles, DT Josh Frazier Anthony Chickillo Jersey , DE Johnny Maxey, CB Jamar Summers, S Jacob HagenMemphis Express: QB Zach Mettenberger, RB Rajion Neal, DE Greg Gilmore, DB Malik Boynton, P Brad WingOrlando Apollos: TE Scott Orndoff, DE Giorgio Newberry, LB Terence GarvinSalt Lake Stallions: NoneSan Antonio Commanders: QB Dustin Vaughan, RB David Cobb, RB Trey Williams, WR Demarcus Ayers, TE Cameron Clear, LB Darnell LeslieSan Diego Fleet: RB Terrell Watson Mike Hilton Jersey , OT Brandon Hodges, LB Travis Feeney, CB Greg DucreBetting:The season will run from Saturday, February 9 through Sunday, April, 14 with the top four teams in the league making the playoffs. The championship game will be held on Saturday, April 27 in Las Vegas. It was a great weekend, as I set a personal record running the Pittsburgh Marathon 5k on Sunday. But it sure did give me a whole new appreciation for what professional athletes—including the Pittsburgh Steelers—put their bodies through on a daily basis."I ran in the Pittsburgh Marathon 5k on Saturday, and I know what you’re going to say, “Oh, great, another one of those ‘Forty-something white guys joking about how out of shape he is’ articles. What doesthis have to do with the Steelers? Must be a slow news day.” Touche. But I don’t care.Anyway, back to my story. I not only ran in the Pittsburgh Marathon 5k, I set a personal record of 29:48—or a 9:37 minute per mile pace Joe Haden Jersey , if you will. Now, I’m not sure if you know how fast that is, but it’s the kind of pace a forty-something white guy who likes to write funny articles about running would have. I’m not exactly bragging about my pace, either, because had it been one second faster, I would have hurled. I know this because it took everything in me to not hurl for the 20 or 30 seconds that followed me crossing the finish line. Worse than almost hurling was seeing all the little kids who not only finished with faster times than me, they looked bored after they were done—as if they were just running so they could have something to do in between games of Fortnite or whatever. So what does this have to do with the Steelers? Nothing, other than it gives me a whole new appreciation of what they must put their bodies through in order to just get out there and compete every Sunday. It finally makes me realize, on the cusp of my 47th birthday, that they may actually be in better shape than me. I mean, who am I to judge the athleticism of D.K. Metcalf, he of the the single-digit body fat and He-Man physique? “Sure, he’s ripped and fast, but did you see his three-cone drill at the Combine? Dude is totally uncoordinated Vance McDonald Jersey ,” I say right before turning on my steps counter and taking a brisk walk around the block in order to meet my daily goal of 500. How can I question the dedication of any Pittsburgh Steeler? Can you imagine the work ethic even the most average player must have? Can you imagine the dedication to nutrition? Like even the big linemen probably have to avoid eating too many donuts in order to prevent their internal organs from turning on them. I’ve got some nerve, me with my 49 percent body fat and half a liver from drinking beer after every six-mile run, still being angry at Mike Wallace for skipping OTAs back in 2012. Thinking back to Casey Hampton’s heyday, forget the one or two times he failed the conditioning test that opens every training camp. How did he—a 325 pound man nicknamed “Big Snack”—not fail that thing every single time? I can’t even make it through a Kenny Loggins song at spin class without thinking I’m going to die (“Highway to the danger zone!”). Even big Hamp was a great athlete (in his own unique way, of course). How can I ever post those videos of Lawrence Timmons vomiting on the field? His hurling was likely the result of getting punched in the gut by a 300-pound behemoth, while my almost hurling was the result of not taking it easy on the pizza. I’m so far from being an actual athlete at this point, I’m not having fantasies of scoring the game winning touchdown in the Super Bowl. My fantasies involve pickup games and a Nerf football—even in my dreams, I worry about breaking my fingers on a real ball and having to miss work. How can I mock non-Super Bowl achievements like conference championships and division titles and reduce them to mere participation trophies (“This generation is weak!!!!!”) when my bedroom doorknob is filled with participation medals from all those 5 and 10ks I ran in over the years? OK, I think this lesson about the fitness of average civilians as compared to even the most average professional athletes will resonate with most fans, and they’ll go easy on the Twitter devices this training camp.Haha, yeah right. That fatty Ben Roethlisberger better come to camp in shape!