Written by Andy York
The re-birth of the XFL came with anticipation yet hesitation on its opening weekend. The XFL
began on Saturday with the Seattle Dragons taking on the DC Defenders. Both teams, just like
every other team in the league, is filled with former NFL players and players looking for a
chance. So, while the talent may not be on the same level as the NFL, it still offers a competitive
format that the AAF couldn’t really give.
The first game on Saturday was the definition of a tale of two halves. The Seattle Dragons took
advantage early in the first half as they jumped out to an early lead. Austin Proehl was the go-to
guy for the Dragons as he scored two of the three total touchdowns on the day.
While the Dragons seemed to be taking the early advantage, a blocked punt by Elijah Campbell
was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown and a 54-yard field goal by Ty Rausa kept the
score close for the Defenders going into halftime.
The second half became a completely different story for both teams. Cardale Jones, former
national champion and high NFL prospect out of Ohio State, got off to a sluggish start but
quickly found his feet in the second half. Cardale Jones and the Defenders quickly got on board
after running a double reverse trick play for the touchdown. While the Dragons answered quickly
with Silvers finding Proehl for his second touchdown on the day, the Defenders took over the
game and never looked back.
A 31-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Ross and a pick six by Sylve lead the Defenders to a
31-19 victory over the Dragons in first game of the XFL.
The second game of the day had the Los Angeles Wildcats taking on the Houston Roughnecks in
a high-powered offensive showcase. The Houston roughnecks struck quickly when on the third
play of the drive quarterback P.J. Walker found Cam Phillips for a 50-yard bomb to start the
scoring. LA was quick to respond when on the following drive quarterback Charles Kanoff
scrambled for a 5-yard rushing touchdown.
Both teams continued to trade points until the wheels seemed to fall off for the Wildcats. Several
times quarterback Charles Kanoff was visibly and vocally upset with the coaching staff and other
players on the team. From that point on it seemed like the Wildcats were out of sync and quickly
started to fall behind the Houston Roughnecks.
While Charles Kanoff had a difficult day for the Wildcats, P.J. Walker for the Roughnecks had a
great game. He threw for 272-yards and 4 touchdowns and rushed for 26-yards in a 37-17
winning effort against the Wildcats.
So, what we learned from the first day of the XFL is that it is leaning towards the offense and the
fans. Plenty of opportunities for high scoring and high intensity offense. While it will take some
time to get used to the different rules and game play of the XFL, overall the first day of the XFL
was a massive success.