OT: XFL 2020

[GrifFan]

I read that a team can choose to run a "4th and 15" play from deep in their own territory (forget the yard line) in lieu of an onside kick. If they get a first down, they keep possession. If not, the opposing team gets the ball at that spot.

I don't think the XFL has that rule; the AAF had 4th and 12 from your own 28. The XFL does have onside kicks, but a team has to say that's what they want to do and they line up in a standard formation. Eliminates the element of surprise, but most onside kicks aren't surprises.

[Buckwheat191]

It also has to do with available stadiums I think. For example the Seattle Dragon's are using Century Link with their only other options being Husky Stadium which seats 70k or a High School stadium. What may be interesting though is expansion into cities like St. Louis that don't have NFL teams. I can think of 2 options right away here in the west with Salt Lake City and Portland already having stadiums to use from MLS teams.

Would like to see them put a team in the ATL too, since Atlanta doesn't currently have an NFL team :)

[Rational Observer]

I watched some of both games on Saturday.

I like the PAT rule. I'm not wild about not being able to pin a team deep by punting the ball to the "coffin corner". If a punt goes out of bounds inside of the 35, the ball comes out to the 35. I realize it is to encourage more fourth-down attempts, but that's a little extreme.

[Rational Observer]

It does virtually eliminate on-side kicks, but that's fine. Can't win 'em all.

I read that a team can choose to run a "4th and 15" play from deep in their own territory (forget the yard line) in lieu of an onside kick. If they get a first down, they keep possession. If not, the opposing team gets the ball at that spot.

[Wildcat Khan]

The Ballpark in Arlington, which was retrofit to accommodate both the XFL's Dallas Renegades and a second-division pro soccer club, held about 48K when the Rangers played there. They didn't sell seats in the upper deck, so that would likely hold the attendance down to about 25K. EDIT: Fox 4 in Dallas reported the attendance in Arlington was 17,026, the lowest of the four opening weekend games - for what it's worth, it was raining off and on most of the day in North Texas. All things considered, I don't think 17K is too bad for an opening weekend. Whether it's sustainable or not depends on how well the product improves over the coming weeks.

Also, closing off the upper decks of NFL stadiums (Meadowlands, etc.) is not that uncommon for leagues like the XFL or Major League Soccer (though, good luck telling that to fans in Seattle and Atlanta). I'm sure the XFL thought about putting their New York team in, say, the MLS stadium in nearby Harrison, NJ, but I don't think that would've worked out too well, in my opinion.

Overall, I'd say the quality of play is slightly below the CFL, though I think there's room for improvement. The new kickoffs show promise and some getting used to but I think the timing rules aren't working out as everyone had hoped. I'm more optimistic this time around because it would appear that Vince McMahon learned from the XFL v.1.0 debacle and is actually letting league commissioner Oliver Luck be the face of the management for XFL v.2.0.

You are right about Seattle for sure, as the Sounders can fill Century Link. I remember going to a Mariner's game once as that game was getting out and all the parking issues, although I did get a spot right next to the on-ramp for I-90 and the way back home a few blocks from the stadiums.

It will be interesting to see Seattle's attendance numbers for their home opener, as until fall of next year they have no competition for winter sports. The price of tickets is much cheaper than Seahawks which are always sold out, so there could be a draw for them just to see football in Century Link.

[ctrabs74]

As far as attendance goes, I think they did great - however, putting 17,000 into MetLife Stadium looks horrible on TV. Given how Vince does business on the other side of the fence, it's surprising to me that the XFL is booking NFL stadiums for some of these games.

Football is an odd sport in the sense that there are multiple ways to score, and I didn't really find it necessary to add to that. I like good special teams work and I never thought the kick PAT was "broken" in any sense after the NFL moved the spot back, so it just doesn't do much for me. I'll give it a chance and maybe after a few more weeks the idea will grow on me. It's not annoying enough for me to discontinue watching, so I'll at least give it a shot.

Most of the other rule changes are "meh." Kickoffs are the only thing that I'm really excited about. The new clock rules have failed to speed up the pace - but we're not far enough into the season yet to know if they'll really work or not so they get a pass. The double-forward pass is fine, but I don't think it will add anything to the game. I think Team 9 is a cool addition, but it really only works because the XFL has no franchises and only 8 teams. If the league ever gets big enough, that will get scrapped in favor of practice squads.

I think the success or failure of the league is based on the on-field talent, as well as the TV production and presentation over the actual rule changes. I wish the league the best and I plan to continue watching it to some degree.

The Ballpark in Arlington, which was retrofit to accommodate both the XFL's Dallas Renegades and a second-division pro soccer club, held about 48K when the Rangers played there. They didn't sell seats in the upper deck, so that would likely hold the attendance down to about 25K. EDIT: Fox 4 in Dallas reported the attendance in Arlington was 17,026, the lowest of the four opening weekend games - for what it's worth, it was raining off and on most of the day in North Texas. All things considered, I don't think 17K is too bad for an opening weekend. Whether it's sustainable or not depends on how well the product improves over the coming weeks.

Also, closing off the upper decks of NFL stadiums (Meadowlands, etc.) is not that uncommon for leagues like the XFL or Major League Soccer (though, good luck telling that to fans in Seattle and Atlanta). I'm sure the XFL thought about putting their New York team in, say, the MLS stadium in nearby Harrison, NJ, but I don't think that would've worked out too well, in my opinion.

Overall, I'd say the quality of play is slightly below the CFL, though I think there's room for improvement. The new kickoffs show promise and some getting used to but I think the timing rules aren't working out as everyone had hoped. I'm more optimistic this time around because it would appear that Vince McMahon learned from the XFL v.1.0 debacle and is actually letting league commissioner Oliver Luck be the face of the management for XFL v.2.0.

[Wildcat Khan]

As far as attendance goes, I think they did great - however, putting 17,000 into MetLife Stadium looks horrible on TV. Given how Vince does business on the other side of the fence, it's surprising to me that the XFL is booking NFL stadiums for some of these games.

It also has to do with available stadiums I think. For example the Seattle Dragon's are using Century Link with their only other options being Husky Stadium which seats 70k or a High School stadium. What may be interesting though is expansion into cities like St. Louis that don't have NFL teams. I can think of 2 options right away here in the west with Salt Lake City and Portland already having stadiums to use from MLS teams.

[SW_Mustang]

There ARE field goals, just no extra points by kicking. There were 2 in last night's Roughnecks game. Tampa's only score today was a field goal.

They do want to discourage punting. Coffin corner kicks and touchbacks come out to the 35.

I think he was referencing PAT kicks - those are completely wiped. 3-Pt field goals are the same as the NFL, from what I can tell.

[SW_Mustang]

*snip*

As far as attendance goes, I think they did great - however, putting 17,000 into MetLife Stadium looks horrible on TV. Given how Vince does business on the other side of the fence, it's surprising to me that the XFL is booking NFL stadiums for some of these games.

Football is an odd sport in the sense that there are multiple ways to score, and I didn't really find it necessary to add to that. I like good special teams work and I never thought the kick PAT was "broken" in any sense after the NFL moved the spot back, so it just doesn't do much for me. I'll give it a chance and maybe after a few more weeks the idea will grow on me. It's not annoying enough for me to discontinue watching, so I'll at least give it a shot.

Most of the other rule changes are "meh." Kickoffs are the only thing that I'm really excited about. The new clock rules have failed to speed up the pace - but we're not far enough into the season yet to know if they'll really work or not so they get a pass. The double-forward pass is fine, but I don't think it will add anything to the game. I think Team 9 is a cool addition, but it really only works because the XFL has no franchises and only 8 teams. If the league ever gets big enough, that will get scrapped in favor of practice squads.

I think the success or failure of the league is based on the on-field talent, as well as the TV production and presentation over the actual rule changes. I wish the league the best and I plan to continue watching it to some degree.

[WT_TKW]

Good short article on the first games. 17K ++ is pretty decent for 1st games.
I like the idea, after a TD you can go for 1,2 or 3 points. Makes for some interesting strategy.

Did not know there are no field goals. As the writer says; "I never liked the idea of kicker deciding the outcome of a game."


https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...rst-two-games/



There are some pretty interesting rules which could give the game a lift, from some of stale rules of NFL.
If I went to a game, I buy as much memorabilia as I could. You could say; "Yeah I was at the first game, before
they became the; 'Seattle Hashhead or whatever. TV will make or break this enterprise.

https://www.xfl.com/rules



..

There ARE field goals, just no extra points by kicking. There were 2 in last night's Roughnecks game. Tampa's only score today was a field goal.

They do want to discourage punting. Coffin corner kicks and touchbacks come out to the 35.

[Wide_Right]

I am loving the kickoffs. They found a way to make the game safer and add some excitement to a very boring part of the game all at once.

It does virtually eliminate on-side kicks, but that's fine. Can't win 'em all.

Good short article on the first games. 17K ++ is pretty decent for 1st games.
I like the idea, after a TD you can go for 1,2 or 3 points. Makes for some interesting strategy.

Did not know there are no field goals. As the writer says; "I never liked the idea of kicker deciding the outcome of a game."


https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...rst-two-games/



There are some pretty interesting rules which could give the game a lift, from some of stale rules of NFL.
If I went to a game, I buy as much memorabilia as I could. You could say; "Yeah I was at the first game, before
they became the; 'Seattle Hashhead or whatever. TV will make or break this enterprise.

https://www.xfl.com/rules



..

[SW_Mustang]

I just want to say that I really like the XFL's kickoff rules. Kickoffs are BY FAR the most dangerous type of play at all levels of football, and making them safer will have an outsize impact on injuries.

I am loving the kickoffs. They found a way to make the game safer and add some excitement to a very boring part of the game all at once.

It does virtually eliminate on-side kicks, but that's fine. Can't win 'em all.

[SW_Mustang]

I'm enjoying it so far, but I'm also holding my breath. This league seems to be on more stable ground than the original one, but some parts of it still seem too gimmicky.

The NFL stadiums were unnecessary, showing the play calls is kinda dumb too. At least they aren't forcing players and coaches to cut shoot promos on the sidelines...

It will be interesting to see how this pans out. Best of luck, Vince.

[Mk63NuclearBomb]

I just want to say that I really like the XFL's kickoff rules. Kickoffs are BY FAR the most dangerous type of play at all levels of football, and making them safer will have an outsize impact on injuries.

[Wide_Right]

Re: XFL 2020

Going to be another failure of a league if it is nothing but fringe NFL players. Again - nobody wants to watch Zach Mettenberger vs Chris Simms.

You're probably right, but I would like to see them succeed. There are lot good players who didn't make the 56 team roster. They said the same thing about the A.F.L.


"The AFL began"