The San Diego Fleet was a professional American football team based in San Diego, California, that competed in the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The league began play in February 2019, with the team playing its home games at SDCCU Stadium.[1] They were coached by former NFL head coach Mike Martz.[1] The team was one of the two professional football teams playing in San Diego, along with the San Diego Strike Force of the Indoor Football League, and the first since the San Diego Chargers moved to Los Angeles in 2017.[2]
| San Diego Fleet | |
|---|---|
| Established 2018 Folded 2019 | |
 | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
| Alliance of American Football | |
Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Battleship Gray, Gray, Yellow, White |
| Personnel | |
| President | Jeff Garner |
| Head coach | Mike Martz |
| Team history | |
| Championships | |
| League championships (0) | |
| Conference championships (0) | |
| Division championships (0) | |
In April 2019, the league suspended football operations and allowed players to break their contracts. On April 17, the league filed for bankruptcy, cutting the season short and putting all eight teams out of business, since under the AAF organizational plan all teams were funded by the central organization.[3]
History
editThe Alliance San Diego team and head coach, Mike Martz, was announced by the Alliance of American Football on May 29, 2018.[1] Early reports had Rick Neuheisel coaching the team before he instead agreed to take the coaching job in Phoenix.[4] Alliance San Diego's name, logo and colors were revealed on September 25, 2018, as the San Diego Fleet (battleship gray, yellow and silver gray) along with the other three western teams. The name indicates the city's ties to the United States Navy.[2]
The team pays $25,000 per game in rent to use SDCCU Stadium and covers an additional $160,000 per game in other game-related expenses the city incurs.[5]
The Fleet held the first-overall pick in the league's 2019 AAF QB Draft,[6] which was used to protect Josh Johnson.[7] Johnson, who signed with the NFL's Washington Redskins before the end of the 2018 season, never played for the Fleet.[8] The final 52-man roster was set on January 30.[9]
Dre Bly, who had played cornerback for Martz with the St. Louis Rams, was originally slated to coach defensive backs, but stepped down to take a similar position at the University of North Carolina.[10] Former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna was also announced as the team's offensive coordinator in June 2018.[11] However, he did not coach a game for the Fleet as he was hired by the Dallas Cowboys in January 2019 to become their quarterbacks coach.[12]
The team's first game was a loss at the Alamodome against the San Antonio Commanders on Saturday, February 9, 2019, with the game broadcast live on CBS.[13] The Fleet won its first three home games before enthusiastic crowds and was third in attendance among the eight-team league.[14]
On April 2, 2019, the Alliance for American Football suspended football operations,[15][16] and on April 4 the league allowed players to leave their contracts to sign with NFL teams.[17] The effect was to cancel the final two regular season games and the scheduled post-season playoffs.[14] The Fleet athletes and coaches, who were in Orlando getting ready for a game against the Orlando Apollos, suddenly "found themselves paying their own hotel bills and buying their own plane tickets home."[3]
The league filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on April 17, 2019.[18] The Fleet's final record for the abbreviated season was 3-5.
Final Roster
edit| Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
Rights list
|
Allocation pool
editThe team's assigned area, which designates player rights, includes the following:[19]
|
Colleges |
National Football League (NFL) Canadian Football League (CFL)
|
Staff
edit|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
| |||||
2019 season
edit| 2019 San Diego Fleet season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Dave Boller |
| Head coach | Mike Martz |
| Home field | SDCCU Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–5 |
| League place | 3rd (tie), Western Conference |
Final standings
edit| Eastern Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | W–L | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | DIFF | SOS | SOV | STK |
| (x) – Orlando Apollos | 7–1 | .875 | 5–0 | 236 | 136 | 100 | .406 | .375 | W2 |
| (x) – Birmingham Iron | 5–3 | .625 | 3–2 | 165 | 133 | 32 | .406 | .300 | W1 |
| (e) – Memphis Express | 2–6 | .250 | 1–4 | 152 | 194 | -42 | .578 | .500 | L1 |
| (e) – Atlanta Legends | 2–6 | .250 | 1–4 | 88 | 213 | -125 | .609 | .438 | L3 |
| Western Conference | |||||||||
| Club | W–L | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | DIFF | SOS | SOV | STK |
| San Antonio Commanders | 5–3 | .625 | 3–2 | 158 | 154 | 4 | .516 | .450 | L1 |
| Arizona Hotshots | 5–3 | .625 | 3–2 | 186 | 144 | 42 | .469 | .500 | W3 |
| San Diego Fleet | 3–5 | .375 | 2–3 | 158 | 161 | -3 | .469 | .417 | L3 |
| Salt Lake Stallions | 3–5 | .375 | 2–3 | 135 | 143 | -8 | .547 | .417 | W1 |
| (x)–clinched playoff berth; (e)–eliminated from playoff contention | |||||||||
Schedule
editPreseason
edit| Date | Opponent | Results | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | |||
| January 27 | Orlando Apollos | L 28–31 | 0–1 | Alamodome |
Regular season
editAll times Pacific
| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Location | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | |||||
| 1 | February 9 | at San Antonio Commanders | L 6–15 | 0–1 | Alamodome | 27,857 |
| 2 | February 17 | Atlanta Legends | W 24–12 | 1–1 | SDCCU Stadium | 20,019 |
| 3 | February 24 | San Antonio Commanders | W 31–11 | 2–1 | SDCCU Stadium | 14,789 |
| 4 | March 2 | at Memphis Express | L 23–26 | 2–2 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | 13,621 |
| 5 | March 9 | Salt Lake Stallions | W 27–25 | 3–2 | SDCCU Stadium | 20,823 |
| 6 | March 17 | Birmingham Iron | L 29–32 | 3–3 | SDCCU Stadium | 20,986 |
| 7 | March 24 | at Arizona Hotshots | L 15–32 | 3–4 | Sun Devil Stadium | 9,760 |
| 8 | March 30 | at Salt Lake Stallions | L 3–8 | 3–5 | Rice–Eccles Stadium | 8,405 |
| 9 | April 6 | at Orlando Apollos | Not played | Spectrum Stadium | ||
| 10 | April 14 | Arizona Hotshots | SDCCU Stadium | |||
Game summaries
editWeek 1: at San Antonio
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Commanders | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 15 |
at Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
- Date: February 9
- Game time: 5:00 p.m. PT
- Game weather: Indoors
- Game attendance: 27,857
- Referee: Jeff Heaser[21]
- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Trent Green, Tiki Barber, and Jamie Erdahl
- NoExtraPoints AAF
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: vs. Atlanta
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legends | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| Fleet | 0 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 24 |
at SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, California
- Date: February 17
- Game time: 5:00 p.m. PT
- Game attendance: 20,019
- Referee: Brandon Cruse[22]
- TV announcers (NFL Network): Andrew Siciliano, Marvin Lewis, Maurice Jones-Drew
- NoExtraPoints AAF
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 3: vs. San Antonio
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commanders | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 |
| Fleet | 6 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 31 |
at SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, California
- Date: February 24
- Game time: 5:00 p.m. PT
- Game attendance: 14,789
- Referee: Tra Blake[23]
- TV announcers (NFL Network): Dan Hellie, Marvin Lewis, Maurice Jones-Drew
- NoExtraPoints AAF
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4: at Memphis
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet | 14 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
| Express | 3 | 12 | 0 | 11 | 26 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
- Date: March 2
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. PT
- Game attendance: 13,621
- Referee: James Carter[24]
- TV announcers (B/R Live): Mark Malone, James Jones
- NoExtraPoints AAF
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 5: vs. Salt Lake
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stallions | 8 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 25 |
| Fleet | 3 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 27 |
at SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, California
- Date: March 9
- Game time: 5:00 p.m. PT
- Game attendance: 20,823
- Referee: Jeff Heaser[25]
- TV announcers (NFL Network): Dan Hellie, Steve Mariucci, Marvin Lewis
- NoExtraPoints AAF
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 6: vs. Birmingham
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron | 6 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 32 |
| Fleet | 3 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 29 |
at SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, California
- Date: March 17
- Game time: 5:00 p.m. PT
- Game attendance: 20,986
- Referee: John O’Neill[26]
- TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Ben Holden, Adam Archuleta, John Schriffen
- NoExtraPoints AAF
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 7: at Arizona
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Hotshots | 9 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 32 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
- Date: March 24
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. PT
- Game weather: Sunny, 77 °F (25 °C)
- Game attendance: 9,760
- Referee: Reggie Smith[27]
- TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Ben Holden, Adam Archuleta, Melanie Collins
- NoExtraPoints AAF
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 8: at Salt Lake
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Stallions | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
at Rice–Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Date: March 30
- Game time: 5:00 p.m. PT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 49 °F (9 °C)
- Game attendance: 8,405
- Referee: Brandon Cruse[28]
- TV announcers (NFL Network): Matt "Money" Smith, Marvin Lewis, Jason Fisher
- NoExtraPoints AAF
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Media
editOn February 7, 2019, the Fleet announced that KLSD and KOGO would be the team's flagship radio stations.[29] Jon Schaeffer handled play-by-play with former Charger Rich Ohrnberger doing color commentary. KOGO also airs in greater L.A.[30]
References
edit- ^ a b c Krasovic, Tom. "AAF confirms San Diego is getting football team; what should it call itself?". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ a b Benjamin, Cody (September 25, 2018). "LOOK: Here's a full list of team names and logos from the Alliance of American Football". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^ a b Curlee, Doug (May 10, 2019). "The Fleet's fleeting success in San Diego". Mission Times Courier. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
- ^ "Rick Neuheisel: "Nothing has been finalized" with coaching return". Pro Football Talk. April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ Schrotenboer, Brent (February 18, 2019). "Pro football returns to San Diego: Here's what it's like at an AAF Fleet game". USA Today. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ Scott, Dana (October 31, 2018). "Alliance of American Football league to hold 'Protect or Pick' quarterback draft". AZ Central. USA Today Network. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
- ^ Wilson, Ryan (November 27, 2018). "Alliance of American Football QB Draft: Aaron Murray, Christian Hackenberg highlight QBs taken". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
- ^ "Redskins Sign Josh Johnson, Three Others; Place Quinton Dunbar, Trey Quinn And Jonathan Cooper On Injured Reserve". Redskins.com. December 5, 2018.
- ^ "San Diego Fleet sets final roster". Alliance of American Football. January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ^ "New coach Dré Bly, a former star cornerback, remembers his UNC 'rude boy' days (it's a mindset)". Charlotte News & Observer. December 11, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ Crabtree, Curtis (June 1, 2018). "San Diego AAF team to have coaching staff filled with NFL names". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ "Cowboys to hire Jon Kitna as quarterbacks coach". ESPN. January 20, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
- ^ "Alliance of American Football schedule released for Arizona Hotshots, other 7 teams". AZ Central. USA Today Network. October 16, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ a b Krasovic, Tom (April 2, 2019). "Alliance of American Football pulls the plug, taking San Diego Fleet down with it". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
- ^ Kercheval, Ben (April 2, 2019). "AAF operations suspended, league's future in doubt after eight games of first season". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
- ^ "AAF to immediately suspend operations". ESPN. April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ Schwartz, Nick (April 4, 2019). "AAF star Keith Reaser becomes first player to sign NFL deal after league shutdown". USA Today. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ "AAF files for bankruptcy, officially closes down", USA Today, April 17, 2019, retrieved April 17, 2019
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - ^ Inabinett, Mark (July 12, 2018). "Alabama, Auburn players to go on Birmingham AAF team's assignment list". AL.com. Alabama Media Group. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
- ^ "2019 San Diego Fleet Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (February 9, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 1, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (February 13, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 2, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (February 22, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 3, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (February 27, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 4, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (March 9, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 5, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (March 14, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 6, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (March 21, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 7, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (March 28, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 8, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
- ^ Goldberg, Jeff (February 6, 2019). "XTRA 1360 to be Fleet's flagship station in 2019". aaf.com. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ "Fleet and IHeartMedia Announce Flagship Agreement". Our Sports Central. February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
Further reading
edit- Krasovic, Tom (April 2, 2019). "Alliance of American Football pulls the plug, taking San Diego Fleet down with it". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 3, 2019.