Philly Waterdogs Discuss The Thrill Of The PLL Championship Series

2024 marks the official debut of the Philadelphia Waterdogs in the Premier Lacrosse League. With the Super Bowl now behind us, it's a great time to jump right into a different sport. That's exactly what will happen this week, with the Philadelphia Waterdogs set to compete in the PLL Championship Series.

The action starts on Valentine's Day, live from Washington DC. In fact, the Waterdogs are the primetime game. They will face the current PLL champion Utah Archers at 7:30 pm EST. This game features the last two league champions going toe-to-toe.

While the Winter Championship Series is certainly a big event, this year, it's an even bigger deal, given it's the first action each team will have under the new home city's PLL platform.

To celebrate, we had the chance to link up with the Waterdogs coach.

What are you most looking forward to with the Championship series?

AC: Just being back together with a portion of our squad. Losing in the championship last season makes for a long offseason, so it's been fun to have this to look forward to.

What do you think it means for Philly to have the Waterdogs as their official professional lacrosse team?

AC: Philadelphia is an awesome sports city with successful teams, well-established traditions, and passionate fans. It's a perfect marriage for the Waterdogs. We're looking forward to having some of the biggest names in our sport play in a community where sports really mean something.

"The top four teams from the regular season (California Redwoods, Boston Cannons, Philadelphia Waterdogs, Utah Archers) will compete in the round-robin, six-on-six tournament inspired by the Lacrosse Sixes game format recently added to the Los Angeles Olympic in 2028," the PLL states.

The Championship Series will be available on ESPN networks. Furthermore, each of the nine games can be streamed on ESPN+. You can find the entire Philadelphia Waterdogs PLL Championship Series schedule here. The tournament will run until Monday, February 19th, with the championship game taking place that day at 11:30 am.

I know it's probably early to talk about the Super Bowl for next season, but really, is it? I actually don't think it's ever too early to start speculating and wishing for your team to make it all the way next year. This year was so very close for my team, the Detroit Lions. But, no cigar. So, maybe next year will be our year. But, aside from the Lions, there are other teams that are on target to be major contenders next season. Some of them didn't even make the playoffs this year. So, what are some early Super Bowl contenders for next season?

Before we get into those contenders, let's look at why next season is already shaping up to be so exciting. For me, the main reason is because a whopping seven teams have new head coaches. That's really going to change the makeup of those teams. The Atlanta Falcons have brought on Raheem Morris. The Carolina Panthers have Dave Canales. The Las Vegas Raiders have knabbed Antonio Pierce. The Los Angeles Chargers have Jim Harbaugh. The New England Patriots have promoted Jerod Mayo. The Seattle Seahawks have brought on Mike Macdonald. The Tennessee Titans have hired Brian Callahan. Finally, The Washington Commanders have hired Dan Quinn.

Of those new coaches, the most interesting to me is Harbaugh for the Chargers. For Harbaugh, this is his final shot at the Vince Lombardi trophy. He just won a national championship with the Michigan Wolverines, and now, he wants a Super Bowl victory. He has a chance with the Chargers' stellar quarterback Justin Herbert. But, it will take time, in my opinion. I mean, it could take time with any of these teams with new coaches. That said, the Houston Texans had a rookie coach this year in DeMeco Ryans, and they almost went all the way, so all things are possible.

Let's get into seven early Super Bowl contenders for next season with my commentary.

One thing I like about this list is that I'm not necessarily even picking teams that made it to the playoffs this year. I'm picking teams that I think could be strong enough next season. The Seattle Seahawks are one of those teams. Their new coach, Mike Macdonald, is the former defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. Enough said. This guy is golden. Seattle's defense is going to improve drastically with him at the helm, and they could go all the way very soon.

The Buffalo Bills missed the playoffs by a hair. They played so well against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it just wasn't enough. Josh Allen is a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback, but he hasn't taken them there. Will next year be the year? Maybe.

The Houston Texans will be the team to beat very soon. They pulled off an incredible season with a rookie coach and quarterback. They're just getting started. The team got first place in AFC South this season but lost in the divisional round to the Baltimore Ravens.

Speaking of the Baltimore Ravens, I'm still shocked that they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. I think pretty much everyone was at least a little surprised. But, Lamar Jackson is back next year, and he's not going to let it slip away again. Next year could be their year.

It was a massive decline for the Philadelphia Eagles towards the end of last season. Everything fell apart at the seams. But, the Eagles have legacy, and they have Jalen Hurts. As long as he's healthy, the Eagles will be back next year ready to fight.

Yikes. Can the Green Bay Packers really be this good already? They almost upset the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs this year. Jordan Love is the real deal. Watch out for this young team next year.

Okay, yes, I'm a Detroit Lions fan, born and raised. But, I think there's reason to believe that the Detroit Lions can and will be back next year. They've had a taste of victory, and they liked it. Plus, golden guy Ben Johnson is coming back to Detroit, and he wants to take the Lions all the way. Jared Goff is playing fantastic football, too. The Lions could really make it to their first Super Bowl next season. What do you think? Let me know here.