Thoughts on XFL???

[Jxdawg]

Just caught the last two minutes of the opening week for XFL. Wish I could have watched more honestly. I like the dedication to football as the sport, not franchise as the NFL treats it. Seems kind of...renegade.

I wanted to know if any of the MR forum watched it. What do you think?? Will it last (unlike the previous iteration)???

 

[Thomas Veil]

The 2:00 game, Seattle vs. DC, was actually a pretty decent game. It was entertaining, which is all you can ask.

I like some things, like the new 1, 2 or 3 point conversions after the touchdown. For the uninitiated, there is no one point kick through the uprights. After a touchdown you have the choice of trying:

• a one point conversion from the two yard line
• a two point conversion from the five yard line or
• a three point conversion from the ten yard line.

Interesting idea there.

Ironically though (as my wife pointed out to me), the 25 second play clock did nada to speed up the game. The game started at 2:00 and hit half-time at 3:30. Uh, that's at least a three hour game, just like the NFL.

I didn't like the sideline reporters chasing down players and coaches throughout the entire game to ask them their thoughts about this or that or the other thing. Truthfully, these guys usually have little to offer but clichés. Besides, they're trying to play a game here. Leave them the **** alone.

In the same vein, we don't need players and coaches mic'ed up all the time. It's really bizarre for us to be hearing the coaches call particular plays. And there was already at least one case of an obscenity getting on the air.

I did catch a little of the 5:00 game on Fox and the graphic artist in me cringed at the score box, which had the LA Wildcats logo so crammed in and cropped that they managed to make "LA" look like an "H". I was wondering what the "H" stood for.

 

[ucfgrad93]

Like many that have gone before it, the XFL will not survive long.

 

[JayMysterio]

My issue with the XFL is with it's history and it's owner.

As a lapsed wrestling fan, I was around when the XFL first existed, and when it collapsed horribly leaving a lot of broken bodies. There were a lot of guys who got left worse off when it ended, and it's owner didn't blink an eye. Hopefully with the changes in the wrestling business that their owner has had to contend with, including changing times, treating talent better, this will carry over to the 'new' XFL and it can succeed.

My old fan jersey from the original XFL. Inspired by Rod 'He hate me' Smart.

 

[MacNut]

The NFL will adopt some of the rules, people will tune out, and it will die like all the other leagues.

 

[maflynn]

I saw a little yesterday and enjoyed it.

 

[MacNut]

The 2:00 game, Seattle vs. DC, was actually a pretty decent game. It was entertaining, which is all you can ask.

I like some things, like the new 1, 2 or 3 point conversions after the touchdown. For the uninitiated, there is no one point kick through the uprights. After a touchdown you have the choice of trying:

• a one point conversion from the two yard line
• a two point conversion from the five yard line or
• a three point conversion from the ten yard line.

Interesting idea there.

Ironically though (as my wife pointed out to me), the 25 second play clock did nada to speed up the game. The game started at 2:00 and hit half-time at 3:30. Uh, that's at least a three hour game, just like the NFL.

I didn't like the sideline reporters chasing down players and coaches throughout the entire game to ask them their thoughts about this or that or the other thing. Truthfully, these guys usually have little to offer but clichés. Besides, they're trying to play a game here. Leave them the **** alone.

In the same vein, we don't need players and coaches mic'ed up all the time. It's really bizarre for us to be hearing the coaches call particular plays. And there was already at least one case of an obscenity getting on the air.

I did catch a little of the 5:00 game on Fox and the graphic artist in me cringed at the score box, which had the LA Wildcats logo so crammed in and cropped that they managed to make "LA" look like an "H". I was wondering what the "H" stood for.

I liked hearing the coaches calling the plays. I also love having the refs mic'd up when talking to the replay booth.

 

[Thomas Veil]

The Tampa Bay Vipers’ uniforms—white with lime green helmets—make them look like a bunch of highlighter magic markers.

 

[ucfgrad93]

The Tampa Bay Vipers’ uniforms—white with lime green helmets—make them look like a bunch of highlighter magic markers.

Yep, those are pretty ugly uniforms.

 

[JamesMike]

I'm watching the Vipers play the Guardians, not sure it will last, but do like the idea it gives players a chance to showcase their talents for possibly moving up to the NFL.

 

[Tooldog]

There's a good chance the XFL will be around a long while. Traditional TV doesn't have much to draw people, they want the XFL to succeed. The NFL (as a whole) wants and needs the XFL to succeed. There are so many talented players most of whom never get a chance to play at any level after college, all of them want the XFL to succeed.

So we have opportunity and motive weighing in for the XFL to continue. I personally think they got off to a good start. But the games are still a bit long, the media mechanics are still a little "not quite right," officiating was pretty good but needs a tweak here and there to keep them from being at all like the NFL -- when its clear on the replay its bloody well clear but let's include fowls seen or not seen on the replay as well.

 

[buttongerald]

I wanted to watch it to give Football as a whole a shot but with my wife working and two kids to keep an eye on, eh, it didn't pan out.

I asked several good friends of mine who actually watch football (which is rare, being Canadian, most of us just watch Hockey) what they thought of it all and they were surprised at the better effort this time around. They said the gameplay itself was decent, but not on the level of the CFL or NFL, but hey give them some time. They also mentioned that they liked some of the newer and altered rules so that sounds okay.

I watched some clips to try and gauge the reactions of those on hand and there was something I noticed and instantly had disdain for.

I didn't like the sideline reporters chasing down players and coaches throughout the entire game to ask them their thoughts about this or that or the other thing. Truthfully, these guys usually have little to offer but clichés. Besides, they're trying to play a game here. Leave them the **** alone.

100% this. I noticed this in some of the recaps I watched and it drove me mad. I remember one where a few players were in the end-zone(?) I think, and the female reporter was drawn to them like a bloody magnet, then just jamming the microphone under each of their faces trying to get a sound bite or something. It was terrible, and has Vince McMahon written all the hell over it.

I'm guessing these overly excitable journalists are an attempt to PLASTER social media accounts with a never ending barrage of content so it always seems as if the league is super active.

 

[Thomas Veil]

...They said the gameplay itself was decent, but not on the level of the CFL or NFL, but hey give them some time...

That’s not surprising. These are people who couldn’t make the NFL, and I guess the CFL as well. This is going to be viewed as a development league, just as the AAF was.

Gameplay does seem to lean toward the offenseive side.

 

[Tomorrow]

I watched the second half of the LA - Houston game and I was impressed. I gave up on the NFL many years ago, and this was actually a product (kinda) worth watching. I would still rather watch college football, but this was pretty cool.