Sunday, February 23, 2020
2020 XFL
The XFL
kicked off last weekend in four American cities. And yes, Vince
McMahon has his finger in this pie. It is his second attempt to
create a football league for American audiences in a season when fans
are not thinking a lot about the NFL. It is intended to fill the gap
when the Super Bowl ends. His first attempt was a dismal failure-the
first XFL, which had only one season. Others tried to start up the
Alliance of American Football, which went bankrupt in the first
season.
Now Vince
knows that we play football here in Canada, and that it is also
played around the world. But the man in charge of the WWE, formerly
the WWF, knows that the appetite for football in the United States is
insatiable. He has tinkered with his wrestling empires for many
years, and they are most successful. It is described as
entertainment, as it is for some. But he wanted to take another shot
at the game played on the gridiron. He arranged for the ABC/ESPN
empire, and FOX Sports to handle the television coverage, always a
very clever thing to do.
There are a
few rule changes that have been incorporated into the new XFL, none
too serious, and most quite sensible. Kickoffs have been orchestrated
to provide returns, a very good idea. The ball is hoofed from the 30
yard line, and must land between the 20 yard line and the end zone.
The coverage team (the kicker's pals) line up on the receiver's 35
yard line, and the receivers on the 30. They must not move until the
ball is touched, or 3 seconds after it hits the ground. It worked
just fine.
Then there
is a two pass rule. You may throw two forward passes, as long as the
first is caught behind the line of scrimmage. That has potential, but
I did not see it executed in the games I saw. They also have
implemented a “one foot rule”. Receivers need to get one foot in
bounds for success. The NFL requires both feet, and that is just too
nebulous.
Here are the
results from last weekend's games:
DC Defenders
31 Seattle Dragons 19
Houston
Roughnecks 37 Los Angeles Wildcats 17
New York
Guardians 23 Tampa Bay Vipers 3
St. Louis
Battlehawks 15 Dallas Renegades 9
Here's
another novel approach for the league: there is a Team 9! A
collection of 40 players who practise several times a week. The coach
is Bart Andrus, who once was the head honcho for the Toronto
Argonauts. These players work out in Dallas in hopes that they will
be called up to one of the teams that have names, replacing injured
players. All chasing the dream, to play in the NFL.
Trenton
Thompson had a very successful college career. He decided to forego
his senior year, and placed his name in the draft pool. He was not
chosen. Over the next couple of years, he was placed on the roster of
the following teams: the Cleveland Arrows (AAF), the Arizona Hotshots
(AAF), the Washington Valor (Arena Football), the Edmonton Eskimos
(CFL), the Houston Roughnecks (XFL). He was released to “Team 9”
this year, in expectation that some team will pick him up before the
end of the season.
There are
several reasons why he has been released so many times. One of them
is not talent. I will let you decide what the others might be. It is
a violent, brutal game. Players know that, before they ever lace up
their cleats. Most of the players hail from the southern states, from
the Carolinas west to California. That is why there is a quota system
in the Canadian Football League. By limiting the number of imports to
twenty players, there is more opportunity for Canadian kids to play
the game.
The
Championship Game takes place on April 28th, when the
winner of the East division meets the winner of the West Division.
Definitely
worth a look.
James Hurst
February 11,
2020.
-- James Hurst 613.399.2278 sportslices.blogspot.ca
# posted by James Hurst @ 5:51 AM 
