What We Learned from Week 1 of the XFL Season

1) This really could work

The football was not NFL caliber, and it can’t be, but the crowds were solid and the players passionate. It was a solid if not great first weekend. Vince McMahon has the funds to sustain a few years of losses and enough quality players exist to make this work. The previous XFL was built on gimmicks while these games are built on innovation. Sure the kickoff seemed weird but just wait until the first man hits a seam and explodes through the kicking team for a touchdown! The XFL has been preparing for this for over two years and previous leagues were working on just a year, including the original XFL. Oliver Luck was a genius selection by Vince McMahon to run this league and I am excited for next week already.

2) The XFL has more talent in at least one spot than the NFL

The XFL officiating was much better than what we see in the NFL and the XFL game seems to flow much better than an NFL game.

3) Seattle has issues

My prediction is the first coach that will lose his job in the XFL will be Jim Zorn. I know this was more of a popularity hire, but come on, he is already in trouble. The Seattle roster is just not that good and this will be a long season for them.

4) Cardale Jones will have success in this league

Jones will never be an NFL quarterback but he might have found his niche in the XFL. His athleticism will make him a valuable commodity here. He also has the coaching around him because I really like Pep Hamilton. The Defenders should be fun to watch all season long.

5) P.J. Walker could be a star in Houston

Walker had a brilliant college career at Temple and has spent some time in the NFL. He showed nice command of the Roughnecks’ offense, especially with it being the first game in club history. Landry Jones and Josh Johnson gets all the publicity but Walker will end up being one of the best quarterbacks in this league by the time it is all said and done.

6) Quinton Flowers should be the starter in Tampa

It was maddening to watch Flowers be limited to handing off and running while Aaron Murray floundered the entire game. Marc Trestman has too good of a track record in the CFL to let this continue. This is a talented team, it’s time to call it a day for Murray.

7) New York needs to play in a smaller stadium

The aesthetics of the games in a smaller stadium like D.C. is much better than a stadium like Met Life. The atmosphere is much better in front of a crowd of 20K in a stadium that seats 20K as opposed to a stadium that seats 80k.