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Return of the XFL

13

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭MileHighGuy


    Watching Houston v LA, not the worst, some I teresting stuff. The 25 second play clock is not good.... Feels way too rushed and frantic.... 30 seconds would be better.

    I think I like the kickoff rules too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,135 ✭✭✭✭Oat23


    I'd heard he was going to be coaching them. To be fair he never struck me as a bad person, just a truly horrible coach with bad leadership instincts. Would wish him well though.

    Just not in Chicago. Ever again.


    I don't have anything against him either to be honest. Coaching wise he was decent especially year one. He just wasn't cut out to be an NFL coach because of his lack of man management skills. None of the players respected him.



    He's won a bunch of grey cups though so he's definitely a good coach.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 945 ✭✭✭Always Tired


    The Dallas team has Landry Jones and Eric Dungey at QB, Jones was backing up Big Ben and Dungey was great in college he can throw and run. I think they'll be good on offense at least.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,687 ✭✭✭✭jack presley


    I think the NY team would have better choosing the Red Bull arena as their home stadium. MetLife looks weird with only the bottom tier open.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,687 ✭✭✭✭jack presley


    I like the fact that they broadcast the interaction between the booth and the referees during reviews.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 20,026 ✭✭✭✭neris


    This isn't a bad game but agree with an above post about the stadium. There does seem to be an atmosphere but the dc game yesterday in the small stadium was better.


  • Registered Users Posts: 45,433 ✭✭✭✭thomond2006


    I'm at the game. It's been a fun day out for 30 dollars. MetLife is a bit out of the way but they put on a bus from Manhattan which took 25 minutes. The stadium is class but I agree that it's far far too big for this league. The atmosphere has been decent regardless and the scoreline helps.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,687 ✭✭✭✭jack presley


    I'm at the game. It's been a fun day out for 30 dollars. MetLife is a bit out of the way but they put on a bus from Manhattan which took 25 minutes. The stadium is class but I agree that it's far far too big for this league. The atmosphere has been decent regardless and the scoreline helps.

    Can't go wrong for $30.


  • Registered Users Posts: 20,026 ✭✭✭✭neris


    How many do you reckon are there?


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,628 ✭✭✭✭ACitizenErased


    Loving the XFL so far. Great entertainment.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 45,433 ✭✭✭✭thomond2006


    neris wrote: »
    How many do you reckon are there?

    The lower tier is probably 50 percent full?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,909 ✭✭✭Tippex


    Loving the XFL so far. Great entertainment.

    I think for the first weekend it has been very decent.
    It could have an interesting place if they can not balls things up like the previous incarnation or all the other for runners over the years.
    They have a decent team running the league itself so I definitely think Vince has learned from his previous mistakes.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,243 ✭✭✭donnacha


    Oat23 wrote: »
    I don't have anything against him either to be honest. Coaching wise he was decent especially year one. He just wasn't cut out to be an NFL coach because of his lack of man management skills. None of the players respected him.



    He's won a bunch of grey cups though so he's definitely a good coach.

    Hi Oat23, trying to send you a PM but your inbox is full.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,687 ✭✭✭✭jack presley


    Much smaller crowd in DC this week than last.


  • Registered Users Posts: 20,026 ✭✭✭✭neris


    New York were desperate


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,687 ✭✭✭✭jack presley


    Much smaller crowd in DC this week than last.

    Decent enough crowd in Seattle though.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,687 ✭✭✭✭jack presley


    neris wrote: »
    New York were desperate

    Yeah, McCloin was awful.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,638 ✭✭✭SHOVELLER


    DC Defenders v Seattle Dragons. Only getting to this now!

    I was on the metro about hour and half before game and the trains were very busy which was a good sign. Lots of Caps jersies as they played that night. Strolling to the game and the bars near the 2 stadiums were also doing well. Missed out on $20 resale tickets on Ticketmaster so at the stadium the cheapest ticket was $48 which was texted to your phone. My seat was front row upstairs in the main stand and much like the rest of the stadium its all a good view really.

    Got there in time for the national anthem and all the military jingoistic nonsense one has to endure here! And so the opening kickoff which was interesting as no fair catch and nobody moves until the ball is caught:


    img-2771.jpg



    There was a good atmosphere as the natives really got into it and this fed through to the team. Interesting to see some away fans there but probably transplants living here. Without having researched any of the differences beforehand it was cool to find out in person and some of the rules were explained on the big screen. Behind one goal someone had a cutout of Vince McMahon's head and apparently Shane McMahon was in attendance!

    Bar the really good seats there was nobody checking tickets which was good as I moved at half time to the safe standing area behind the goal.

    The trick plays by the Defenders were "awesome" and the QB Cardale Jones is a tall mobile scrambler and threw for 2 TDs in the second half. The pick six was enjoyable as were the different points options after a TD.


    img-2773.jpg



    img-2774.jpg



    A very enjoyable day with crucially a win for the home side and the sun and location definitely helped. 17,000 is a very good crowd and it will be a scoring league. I think it can survive but needs consistent attendances and tv coverage. Yesterday was bitterly cold here so that probably played a part in the slightly lower attendance.

    The difference this time around as opposed to 2001 is not only social media and the internet but it is about the football. No cheerleaders and emphasis on a quicker game although this did last 3 hours.


  • Posts: 25,611 ✭✭✭✭ Aarav Attractive Tuition


    I've watched the highlights from the first few weeks and the standard seems fairly high. Oddly the kicking is probably the area where the lack of quality is most noticeable. Seems like a pretty high sack rate as well. For whatever reason the most exciting plays seem to be INT returns. :P

    EDIT: As for whether this league can survive, as long as that's the plan and intention then it should be possible. If it's bank-rolled for 3 years and they make a place for themselves rather than trying to be "big-time" then they can be successful


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,687 ✭✭✭✭jack presley


    Offence was awful in the first 3 quarters of the early game yesterday. And I don’t think it was because of excellent defence. But of course as soon as I gave up watching, it turned into a shootout.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,687 ✭✭✭✭jack presley


    Also, I’ve had enough of the player interviews and hearing the play calling. It just gets in the way at this stage.

    I still like hearing the refs discuss calls though and the review booth.


  • Posts: 25,611 ✭✭✭✭ Aarav Attractive Tuition


    First touchdown and conversion for Houston today were lovely. Looks a great match on highlights at least!


  • Registered Users Posts: 53,758 ✭✭✭✭Headshot


    It doesnt appear St. Louis BattleHawks v Seattle Dragons isnt on UK tv :/


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,687 ✭✭✭✭jack presley


    I think the novelty of this has worn off for me. I watched a couple of games a week for the first 3 weeks but couldn't be arsed turning in yesterday and probably won't tonight either.


  • Registered Users Posts: 20,026 ✭✭✭✭neris


    Headshot wrote: »
    It doesnt appear St. Louis BattleHawks v Seattle Dragons isnt on UK tv :/

    All the matches are streamed on YouTube


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭Guffy


    Did BT drop the xfl?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭MileHighGuy


    I think the novelty of this has worn off for me. I watched a couple of games a week for the first 3 weeks but couldn't be arsed turning in yesterday and probably won't tonight either.

    Very much so for me too, that said, it depends on the situation...I'm a bit of a captive audience tonight, and it is still football!


  • Registered Users Posts: 19 Broadway Joe


    The novelty has worn off for me too, I watched all the games the first 2 weeks, 1 game week 3 and none on the weekend just gone.

    I think the fact it was new and that it happened so soon after the Super Bowl and my appetite was there for football. Now I'm not overly bothered, both NBA and soccer are getting into the business end of the season and I'm far more interested in those than the XFL at present.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,812 ✭✭✭✭Realt Dearg Sec


    It just seems to me that people are convinced that because of the spectacular popularity of the NFL that there simply MUST be a market for a lower league. And so each time someone tries it, they convince themselves that they just need to tweak some elements of the idea in order to make it pay off. But to me the repeated failures tell us that the basic premise is what's wrong: there isn't a market for it, nobody is interested in watching guys they know are castoffs and nearly-men... So yeah, I think this will flop, better TV deal or not.

    This is what I posted a couple of weeks back, and I think it continues to hold true. The only thing is that when folks talk about the novelty wearing off as we go further from the Super Bowl, it indicates that maybe a more sustainable model would be to run the league in the summer, ending maybe a couple of weeks before the BEGINNING of the NFL season, to capitalise on people's anticipation of the real stuff coming soon.

    But at the end of the day we know what we're watching, and it ain't worth watching. The NFL doesn't even have 32 teams worth tuning in for, after all.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,687 ✭✭✭✭jack presley


    Viewing figures for the first four weeks. Week 1's games were all on broadcast TV whereas the rest of the weeks had some games on cable.

    https://twitter.com/AustinKarp/status/1234867258058592257?s=20


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