Blue Bombers Forum

The Extra Point => Offside Forum => Topic started by: Blue In BC on January 27, 2020, 06:54:49 PM

Title: XFL 2020 season
Post by: Blue In BC on January 27, 2020, 06:54:49 PM
Supposed to start February 8th. I wonder how large the crowds will be.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: The Zipp on January 27, 2020, 06:58:57 PM
there will be hype for the first bit then die off...I do think the league will survive the whole season (it is a very short season) though.  2021 and beyond will be the big question.

I will watch a bit out of curiosity if I happen to be near the TV.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: blue_or_die on January 27, 2020, 07:56:39 PM
Oh, this still happening? Is this the thing that's going to make it very hard to sign players in the CFL?
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: Sir Blue and Gold on January 27, 2020, 08:28:59 PM
Totally forgot about the league. Went on the website for a bit. Doesn't look very interesting to me... less so than the AAFL did. On the home page they say "no gimmicks ever" and then I was reading the rules where they allow a second forward pass if the ball stays behind the line of scrimmage. And you can go for 3 points after a touchdown. Sounds like gimmicks to me.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: BlueInCgy on January 28, 2020, 03:44:21 PM
I think the no gimmicks ever thing was more in line with XFL 1.0, and the things like nickname nameplates (Rod Smart/He Hate Me), celebrity cheerleaders in the promo (Karen McDougal), and other Attitude Era Vince dreams.

As far as the PATs, it seems a bit convoluted, but it's something different that's not directly borrowed from another league.  IIRC it's 1 point if they scrimmage from the 2 (or 1?) yard line, 2 points if they scrimmage from the 5 yard line, and 3 points if they scrimmage from the 10.

As far as the two forward passes go, it will be interesting to see how those play out.  Problem is, if someone is so open behind the line of scrimmage but in front of the QB and has time to catch a ball, setup, find a receiver, and throw, why wouldn't they just run for 5 yards, cause they'd have at least that much time.

There are a few kicking rules they've introduced that also aren't a direct ripoff of any other league, so that might be interesting to see.

TLDR - I don't know that they will have a product worth watching, but at least the approach is a little more fresh this time around than XFL 1.0.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: dd on February 02, 2020, 07:13:09 PM
They ll get some interest from die hard football fans and success will depend on how good and entertaining the product is on the field. The other leagues failed because they were crappy, subpar players , I m thinking it?s going to be the same for this league, 2nd rate players playing in a second rate league
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: blue_or_die on February 03, 2020, 01:56:44 PM
Kinda interested in checking it out. Now that NFL is done it made me realize I am sad that football is over until June. I'll probably have it on while assembling Ikea furniture next weekend haha.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: VictorRomano on February 08, 2020, 06:37:29 PM
Watching the first game.  Former Bomber LB Nick Temple made a nice PD.  Not terrible football, and ESPN announced the first XFL game made more revenue than the AAFLs entire season.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: gobombersgo on February 08, 2020, 07:40:20 PM
Quote from: VictorRomano on February 08, 2020, 06:37:29 PM
Watching the first game.  Former Bomber LB Nick Temple made a nice PD.  Not terrible football, and ESPN announced the first XFL game made more revenue than the AAFLs entire season.
Seattle is coached by Jim Zorn and their OC is Mike Riley.

DC has Jhuell Pressley at RB and DE Sam Montgomery.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: gobombersgo on February 08, 2020, 07:48:27 PM
Today's later game has LB Quentin Gause playing for LA and kicker Sergio Castillo playing for Houston.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: VictorRomano on February 08, 2020, 09:40:12 PM
Castillo just shanked 40-yarder wide left by 10 yards.   :D
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: dd on February 10, 2020, 02:50:19 AM
June Jones and trestman are HCing in the XFL. I like the idea that there?s $100,000 up for the winner of each game, and they televise what the refs go through during replay?and it doesn?t take them a hundred years to deliberate!!!! Live mic s on the coaches is good too and they have radio communication with all the players on the field.

Also saw Chevy 66s beloved ladamian Washington was playing for one of the teams! 
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: theaardvark on February 10, 2020, 05:48:55 AM
Watched a bit... better than AAFL, not as good as CFL.  Trestman really struggled with the red zone...
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: blue_gold_84 on February 10, 2020, 01:30:50 PM
Looked entertaining from what I saw. Not necessarily in a good way but the focus seems to be on football this time around, which may help its cause. At least it's generating revenue.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: TecnoGenius on February 15, 2020, 08:05:09 PM
Quote from: VictorRomano on February 08, 2020, 06:37:29 PM
Watching the first game.  Former Bomber LB Nick Temple made a nice PD.  Not terrible football, and ESPN announced the first XFL game made more revenue than the AAFLs entire season.

How is that possible... that makes no sense.  As much profit maybe, but gross revenue?

I didn't see the 1st week's games, but I'm watching the game on now (in DC) and it's about as dead in the stands as AAF was.  The crowd noise seems fake for the number of fans in the stands.

I'm having fun playing "spot the Canadian".  So far they aren't mentioning the CFL when they talk about ex-CFL players.  At least AAF would mention it.  But it's early going... maybe they will.

Since this is the first week I'm looking into it, I was shocked that almost all of the teams are in NFL cities!  The AAF was mostly in non-NFL markets.  You'd think it would be the non-NFL markets hungry for 2nd-rate football.  If you put it in major NFL markets, you're only going to get the really hardcore football fans who can't wait for the next NFL season.  Or the people too poor to afford NFL tickets.

So far the level of play and production looks like the AAF... my guess is it will suffer the same fate eventually.  I don't think the CFL has anything to worry about (once again).
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: dd on February 16, 2020, 03:21:00 AM
They mentioned the cfl everytime they talk about trestman, they did it again today and commented how the cfl uses a 20 seconds play clock so the game up there is faster than the xfl.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: Pigskin on February 16, 2020, 03:35:42 AM
I actually saw that part of that game. I watched for about 10 minutes, very bad football.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: theaardvark on February 16, 2020, 03:46:07 PM
The QB play is horrible... no touch on passes at all.  WR's constantly drop passes that hit them in the hands, and I don't know how many missed tacvkles you see on running plays.  And forget bubble screens...

But the talent is balanced on wither side of the ball (ALL BAD) and the coaching obviously haven't had anywhere enough time to get the players ready.  Olines with any new players seem to be lost.

30k fans in Seattle watched, and seemed to be enjoying it, though...  might be more fans than saw all the AAFL games ;)

Plus, with ABC, ESPN and FOX coverage... had to generate some revenue...

Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: theaardvark on February 17, 2020, 06:55:53 PM
Mic's in the face when you make a play, good or bad, is kinda cruel on the players.  Watching the NFL guys on the sidelines (Gurley) gushing over Spruce (who will be one of the guys that turns an XFL stint into an NFL deal) was kinda funny... but when they asked if he'd like the same coverage in the NFL, you could see there is no way he'd want it...

I get that they are trying to "add value" to the broadcast, to make sup par talent more watchable or compelling, but after McGloin blew up his OC live on TV, not sure how much any player is going to say beyond "Keep making plays, give 110%, gool Lord willing, we can win this game..."

The transparency in the video review is neat, and might catch on in CFL/NFL.  That may be the only thing to come out of this league...
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: VictorRomano on February 19, 2020, 03:33:32 AM
In other XFL news, a Beer Snake was spotted this weekend.

(fast forward to 9:52 for Beer Snake)

https://youtu.be/QoSATTDK_Cs
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: bomber4life85 on February 20, 2020, 04:21:20 PM
Quote from: theaardvark on February 17, 2020, 06:55:53 PM
Mic's in the face when you make a play, good or bad, is kinda cruel on the players.  Watching the NFL guys on the sidelines (Gurley) gushing over Spruce (who will be one of the guys that turns an XFL stint into an NFL deal) was kinda funny... but when they asked if he'd like the same coverage in the NFL, you could see there is no way he'd want it...

I get that they are trying to "add value" to the broadcast, to make sup par talent more watchable or compelling, but after McGloin blew up his OC live on TV, not sure how much any player is going to say beyond "Keep making plays, give 110%, gool Lord willing, we can win this game..."

The transparency in the video review is neat, and might catch on in CFL/NFL.  That may be the only thing to come out of this league...

the only thing I got out of watching was how mic heavy they are.. its almost annoying. And I was stunned with them being allowing at half time to go into the dressing rooms and have audio of the teams changing strategies and adjusting.. like.. what??!?? If NFL or CFL did that there would be such a huge issue from fans and players on that..
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: TecnoGenius on February 28, 2020, 10:01:20 PM
Weird, I'm enjoying the XFL a bit less than I did the AAF.  It seems more drab, more forced, less fun.  Not sure why.  The uniforms aren't nearly as good, that's for sure.

I like one thing: the DAL@SEA game 2Q7:16 Landry throws a pass, it gets deflected by a DL, bounces off a OL, and lands back in Landry's hands and he chucks it 15 yards downfield for a completion and 1st down.  I was wondering if that would happen with the "can pass twice behind LOS" rule.  Funny that it did so soon.

I don't like the XFL two-pass rule, but I do think that if a batdown gets the ball into the QB's hands again that he should be allowed to re-throw.  I hate how in the CFL/NFL a non-running QB basically just has to go down at that point vs try to make a play after making an amazing recovery like that!

The high scoring TB game this weekend was fairly fun.  News outlets are reporting viewership is way down (more than 50%) and attendance avg is only 1500 more per game than AAF at this juncture.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: theaardvark on March 05, 2020, 10:34:45 PM
So, XFL ratings are plummeting, and they don't seem to be getting any traction in gate either. 

How long until McMahon pulls the plug?
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: Sir Blue and Gold on March 06, 2020, 03:05:48 PM
Quote from: theaardvark on March 05, 2020, 10:34:45 PM
So, XFL ratings are plummeting, and they don't seem to be getting any traction in gate either. 

How long until McMahon pulls the plug?

Well... they're way down but so far seem somewhat sustainable as long as it doesn't continue to plummet. Here's the week 4 stats with some comparables:

XFL on Fox: 1.802 million viewers
XFL on ABC: 1.558 million viewers
NBA on ABC: 2.3 million viewers
NCAA on CBS: 1.9 million viewers
PGA on NBC: 1.7 million viewers
NCAA on Fox: 681k
MLS on Fox: 756k
NFL Combine on ABC: 976k

Keep in mind that week 1 of the CFL last year drew in about 2.4 million viewers. a little less than the XFL's week 4 and way down from their week 1 which kicked off with about 11 million viewers.

If you take a random week in the CFL, let's go with 2019 Week 15 you get about 1.3 million viewers. So a little less than half of the XFL's "terrible week".

2019 Week 15
Friday
Calgary at Toronto ? 321,600
Hamilton at Edmonton ? 487,600

Saturday
Winnipeg at Montreal ? 385,000
B.C. at Ottawa ? 314,700
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: theaardvark on March 06, 2020, 05:40:43 PM
Quote from: Sir Blue and Gold on March 06, 2020, 03:05:48 PM
Well... they're way down but so far seem somewhat sustainable as long as it doesn't continue to plummet. Here's the week 4 stats with some comparables:

XFL on Fox: 1.802 million viewers
XFL on ABC: 1.558 million viewers
NBA on ABC: 2.3 million viewers
NCAA on CBS: 1.9 million viewers
PGA on NBC: 1.7 million viewers
NCAA on Fox: 681k
MLS on Fox: 756k
NFL Combine on ABC: 976k

Keep in mind that week 1 of the CFL last year drew in about 2.4 million viewers. a little less than the XFL's week 4 and way down from their week 1 which kicked off with about 11 million viewers.

If you take a random week in the CFL, let's go with 2019 Week 15 you get about 1.3 million viewers. So a little less than half of the XFL's "terrible week".

2019 Week 15
Friday
Calgary at Toronto ? 321,600
Hamilton at Edmonton ? 487,600

Saturday
Winnipeg at Montreal ? 385,000
B.C. at Ottawa ? 314,700

But CFL vs. XFL numbers are based on demographics that are different by a factor of 10...

What about gate?  I get that the mid-season gate does suffer somewhat, but the novelty of the XFL seems to be waning quickly, and while they have TV contracts that the AAFL didn't, gate is still an important part of the business plan...

Week 1: 69,818

    Los Angeles Wildcats at Houston Roughnecks ? 17,815
    Seattle Dragons at DC Defenders ? 17,163
    Tampa Bay Vipers at New York Guardians ? 17,634
    St. Louis Battlehawks at Dallas Renegades ? 17,206

Week 2: 76,285

    New York Guardians at DC Defenders ? 15,031
    Tampa Bay Vipers at Seattle Dragons ? 29,172
    Dallas Renegades at LA Wildcats ? 14,979
    St. Louis Battlehawks at Houston Roughnecks ? 17,103

Week 3: 81,942

    Houston Roughnecks at Tampa Bay Vipers ? 18,117
    Dallas Renegades at Seattle Dragons ? 22,060
    New York Guardians at St. Louis BattleHawks ? 29,554
    DC Defenders at Los Angeles Wildcats ? 12,211

Week 4: 70,204

    Los Angeles Wildcats at New York Guardians ? 12,116
    Seattle Dragons at St. Louis Battlehawks ? 27,527
    Houston Roughnecks at Dallas Renegades ? 18,322
    DC Defenders at Tampa Bay Vipers ? 12,249

St. Louis seems to be the big draw... but they dropped 2k, Seattle was also big, but dropped 5k... Tamp dropped 6k...  so while the totals look like they aren't bad, when you look at the individual teams, they are all down game 2 over game 1, except Dallas, who went from 17,206 to 18,372...
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: Blue In BC on March 06, 2020, 06:20:24 PM
At the beginning of the XFL season all 4 games were televised. I channel surfed but tuned into parts of each game. In week 4 and now for week 5 it seems only 2 of the 4 games are being televised?

With 10 games and 8 teams there were only 40 games in total. It seems the actual live attendance and broadcasts are all fading quickly?

Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: Sir Blue and Gold on March 06, 2020, 06:23:52 PM
You're right Aardvark. Those attendance numbers look like they are 20-35 percent lower than CFL, just estimating quickly. Is that a big problem? I don't know. Maybe? Do you know that it's a "big part of the business plan" for sure? Or are you just hoping? If it is, what is the number that each club needs to draw to be viable? I don't really know why these leagues work you up so much. Do you sleep better at night knowing that gosh darn it, the CFL is the only other thing out there besides the NFL?
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: blue girl on March 06, 2020, 07:54:43 PM
Quote from: Blue In BC on March 06, 2020, 06:20:24 PM
At the beginning of the XFL season all 4 games were televised. I channel surfed but tuned into parts of each game. In week 4 and now for week 5 it seems only 2 of the 4 games are being televised?

With 10 games and 8 teams there were only 40 games in total. It seems the actual live attendance and broadcasts are all fading quickly?


In Canada the games are either on TSN or streaming on tsn.ca.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: theaardvark on March 06, 2020, 09:57:58 PM
Quote from: Sir Blue and Gold on March 06, 2020, 06:23:52 PM
You're right Aardvark. Those attendance numbers look like they are 20-35 percent lower than CFL, just estimating quickly. Is that a big problem? I don't know. Maybe? Do you know that it's a "big part of the business plan" for sure? Or are you just hoping? If it is, what is the number that each club needs to draw to be viable? I don't really know why these leagues work you up so much. Do you sleep better at night knowing that gosh darn it, the CFL is the only other thing out there besides the NFL?

Seriously, if you have something to add to the conversation other than trying to belittle my posts, jump in dude. 

I didn't say big part, I said important part.  If it wasn't, they'd be playing without a paid attendance, duh.  Does WWE rely only on pay per view revenue, or does gate enter into the business model.

As to what number it takes for each club to be viable, remember, there are no clubs.  The league has one owner for all clubs, either they all survive, or none do.  Might they move teams to more attractive locations?  Maybe.  But a team will not fail unless they all do.

The NFL is the league, and will garner the majority of the revenue for football, period.  The rest of the leagues, CFL, XFL, NCAA, semipro, etc, will fight over the scraps.  As a CFL fan, yes, I am concerned about a rival league vying for those dollars and players.  I'm not sure if I am happy if they fail, or if they are a good "feeder league" for us as well as the NFL...

Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: Blue In BC on March 07, 2020, 03:08:13 PM
Quote from: blue girl on March 06, 2020, 07:54:43 PM
In Canada the games are either on TSN or streaming on tsn.ca.

In Vancouver if was on normal broadcast stations like ABC and TSN. However the Sunday games no longer are being broadcast here.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: Sir Blue and Gold on March 07, 2020, 06:21:05 PM
Quote from: theaardvark on March 06, 2020, 09:57:58 PM
Seriously, if you have something to add to the conversation other than trying to belittle my posts, jump in dude. 

I didn't say big part, I said important part.  If it wasn't, they'd be playing without a paid attendance, duh.  Does WWE rely only on pay per view revenue, or does gate enter into the business model.

As to what number it takes for each club to be viable, remember, there are no clubs.  The league has one owner for all clubs, either they all survive, or none do.  Might they move teams to more attractive locations?  Maybe.  But a team will not fail unless they all do.

The NFL is the league, and will garner the majority of the revenue for football, period.  The rest of the leagues, CFL, XFL, NCAA, semipro, etc, will fight over the scraps.  As a CFL fan, yes, I am concerned about a rival league vying for those dollars and players.  I'm not sure if I am happy if they fail, or if they are a good "feeder league" for us as well as the NFL...


I added facts and figures to your post of "ohmygash how long till it folds, ratings plummeting!" Upon being presented with actual facts and numbers, you moved the goalposts to attendance and then went on to infer that those numbers (even though they really haven't changed much at all) seems to be "waning quickly" and that's it's still an important part of their business plan. I merely asked what number they need to hit and at what price, but obviously you wouldn't know.

I haven't been "belittling" your posts so much as injecting facts and figures and a modicum of common sense.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: blue girl on March 07, 2020, 08:16:10 PM
Quote from: Blue In BC on March 07, 2020, 03:08:13 PM
In Vancouver if was on normal broadcast stations like ABC and TSN. However the Sunday games no longer are being broadcast here.
I get TSN GO through my cable provider. Once the game has come on I click on Live and scroll down until I get to the game I want.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: Blue In BC on March 07, 2020, 09:20:37 PM
Quote from: blue girl on March 07, 2020, 08:16:10 PM
I get TSN GO through my cable provider. Once the game has come on I click on Live and scroll down until I get to the game I want.

The shine is off the apple. I don't have great interest in the XFL at this point. Games have been less interesting on a weekly basis. Don't like some of the changes in concept. Not many good players from what I've seen. The AAF might have actually been better for the most part.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: blue_or_die on March 08, 2020, 02:55:52 PM
One thing that the CFL has over the XFL is timing. The XFL starts right after the Super Bowl, arguably the biggest game in all of football (arguable to us CFL fans, who are the only ones who believe our game has something more to offer, and I'm one). That's a hard act to follow, and even die hard football fans will say they are happy to have a break and let the spring roll in and into summer before the desperation reaches a fever pitch and they can't wait for football.

Enter the CFL, which is a very nice ease into the NFL season and offers football during the summer months (from an NFL fan's perspective). This is why I believe we have got to get better, more prime time deal with ESPN to get American eyes on our stable, quality, and very well-established brand. Build it (get a deal) and they will come.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: theaardvark on March 08, 2020, 05:20:15 PM
Quote from: blue_or_die on March 08, 2020, 02:55:52 PM
One thing that the CFL has over the XFL is timing. The XFL starts right after the Super Bowl, arguably the biggest game in all of football (arguable to us CFL fans, who are the only ones who believe our game has something more to offer, and I'm one). That's a hard act to follow, and even die hard football fans will say they are happy to have a break and let the spring roll in and into summer before the desperation reaches a fever pitch and they can't wait for football.

Enter the CFL, which is a very nice ease into the NFL season and offers football during the summer months (from an NFL fan's perspective). This is why I believe we have got to get better, more prime time deal with ESPN to get American eyes on our stable, quality, and very well-established brand. Build it (get a deal) and they will come.

Pretty sure that timing is what the XFL has over the CFL.. the optimal time slot in TV is the one directly after a huge hit show... which is why the XFL chose their timing.  Fans have always had to suffer the letdown of the week after the SuperBowl being football free, now they don't.  No hangover period, just slide right in to a new season.  Houston was up 2k+ yesterday, Dallas down 2k+...
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: blue_or_die on March 08, 2020, 06:54:29 PM
Quote from: theaardvark on March 08, 2020, 05:20:15 PM
Pretty sure that timing is what the XFL has over the CFL.. the optimal time slot in TV is the one directly after a huge hit show... which is why the XFL chose their timing.  Fans have always had to suffer the letdown of the week after the SuperBowl being football free, now they don't.  No hangover period, just slide right in to a new season.  Houston was up 2k+ yesterday, Dallas down 2k+...

From my perspective, after an exhaustive 5+ month wave from the NFL hype machine and seeing Mahomes capture a Super Bowl in some of the most dramatic fashion, the XFL sure feels like an irrelevant meh. After several month of no football and the opportunity to watch football on Thursday and Friday evenings with the days getting nice and long, for me the appetite for football is ripe. I am definitely biased, though.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: blue girl on March 09, 2020, 10:40:53 PM
I watch because I love football and it's something to do on Saturday and Sunday. Although the highlight this week was seeing the beer snake alive and well and living in Washington DC.  :D
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: TecnoGenius on March 10, 2020, 02:39:16 AM
Quote from: blue girl on March 06, 2020, 07:54:43 PM
In Canada the games are either on TSN or streaming on tsn.ca.

I get nearly every channel (incl all SN and TSN) except the weird NFL-big-bucks ones now and for 2-3 weeks I've only been getting 3 games a week.  The 4th game is nowhere to be found on my setup.  Maybe it's online-only in Canada?

My computer PVR is finding the shows all over the place, TSN, WDAZ, WUHF, etc.  It's not just on TSN.

I'm still moderately enjoying watching.  I don't really have a favorite team yet, which is weird.  I can't really get excited about any of them yet.  I do like hearing some of the CFL names from time to time.  Glad to see LDW was somewhat productive this week.  SJ Green is doing bupkis.  He's dropping every ball coming his way.  But now I see why he left the CFL: Trestman.  If SJ doesn't improve, he'll be out of a job both south and north of the border.

D. McCoil is really lighting up the XFL.  D's are very lackluster so far but McCoil is showing he's the real deal, better than almost all the non-CFL guys down there.

Sad: they're back to mentioning the CFL only maybe 1-2 times a weekend even though all these CFL players / coaches are making an impact.

The hubris of the Americans eschewing the CFL kicking halo rule, which is the best invention ever.  The hybrid / weird XFL kicking rules are really not much better than the NFL.  I liked that game where a UR on the TD/PAT had the kickoff moved up 15 and they all agreed it was actually a detriment to the team that got roughed up!  No one thought these things through?  The more USA football I watch, the more I think CFL got it right with the longer field, 5 yard halo, and rouge.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: theaardvark on March 10, 2020, 05:46:12 PM
No Seattle or St. Louis...

Week 5 Numbers: Grand Total: 64,246

    Seattle Dragons v. Houston Roughnecks ? 19,773
    New York Guardians v Dallas Renegades ? 15,950
    St. Louis BattleHawks v. DC Defenders ? 16,342
    Tampa Bay Vipers v. Los Angeles Wildcats ? 12,181
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: VictorRomano on March 11, 2020, 03:38:26 PM
Man, WR Cam Phillips is running roughshod over his opposition (31 rec, 455 yds, 9 tds).  Anyone know who, if anyone, holds his CFL rights?  He might look  pretty good in Blue & Gold.

Also, L'Damian Washington (ex-Bomber in 2017) is the 8th leading receiver in the league with 21 catches for 252 yds and a TD....
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: TecnoGenius on March 12, 2020, 05:55:31 AM
Quote from: VictorRomano on March 11, 2020, 03:38:26 PM
Also, L'Damian Washington (ex-Bomber in 2017) is the 8th leading receiver in the league with 21 catches for 252 yds and a TD....

LDW is missing a lot of the low-percentage deep completions though.  I think he's a bit hampered by his mediocre deep ball QB.  LDW seems more effective in the mid-range.  However, it's nice to see them at least trying to use LDW in the capacity 66 always said he should be used in.  But when he misses 2 catches in a row (even if not his fault), the OC stops throwing to him.  Sound familiar?

Hey, is the virus situation going to spell the early death of XFL?  It's going to be hard enough on established leagues (like ours).  NBA is on hold now.  What is XFL going to do when it bites them?  Instead of losing minor bucks, they'll start losing huge bucks.  And I'm not sure they can keep up the hype without an in-stadium experience option.

Is it 4 or 5 more weeks left till the end of the regular season?  Can they squeak it all in in time?  Spoke too soon... Seattle has announced the next game will be fanless after food vendor tested positive (ouch, cough cough).  LA is next it seems.  If XFL dies without getting a full fair shot, I'll feel a bit sad for them.  I'd rather see them crash and burn without external help, if that's what awaited them.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: theaardvark on March 12, 2020, 02:37:27 PM
Well, with Seattle being their biggest gate, I can see things being in serious trouble...  but will the demand for entertainment be high enough to allow McMahon to play in completely empty stadia rather than just partially empty ones, and still turn a profit?

With baseball about to make a decision, NBA already doing so, and NHL pretty much ready to pull the plug, NASCAR can't be far behind, as well as any international competitions of any sort, maybe player desperate for an NFL look will still play for McMahon...

Would that be irresponsible?  Would that matter to McMahon?  Will WWE events go to studio productions?
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: TecnoGenius on March 13, 2020, 10:44:18 AM
Well, that's the end of that:

XFL cancels regular-season games, 'committed' to playing in 2021


https://www.espn.com/xfl/story/_/id/28894247/xfl-cancels-regular-season-games-committed-playing-2021

The article says it's the virus, and I'm sure it must be, but strangely they say at the bottom that XFL didn't mention the virus in their press release.  Weird, I'd blame everything on the virus if I was them.  Great excuse... like obliques.  ;)

Anyhow, they claim they are paying players the entire season's worth of base salary.  They are letting players sign with NFL (no mention of CFL though!).  Ticket buyers will get credit/refunds for unplayed games.  So that's really nice of them.

Well the end result sucks.  Just like the AAF, we are denied seeing playoffs.  However, XFL has a legit excuse rather than just being financially hopeless.

I wonder if they really will be back in 2021 or if that's just wishful thinking.

Adjust your PVRs accordingly!
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: ModAdmin on March 13, 2020, 01:19:36 PM
XFL says they are committed to re-scheduling when the virus threat has passed and they are committed to playing football next season and beyond.  Take it FWIW but it doesn't sound like they are closing their doors anytime soon.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: Blue In BC on March 13, 2020, 02:51:12 PM
Having to cancel 2020 games won't make it easy to attract fans back in 2021. I smell burnt toast in the air.

Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: blue_gold_84 on March 13, 2020, 03:08:20 PM
Quote from: Blue In BC on March 13, 2020, 02:51:12 PM
Having to cancel 2020 games won't make it easy to attract fans back in 2021. I smell burnt toast in the air.

It's not good for a brand still trying to establish itself in a pretty inundated sports market. And it's not like the XFL was attracting massive crowds, either. This could be a huge blow to a league still in its infancy.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: Blue In BC on March 13, 2020, 03:29:10 PM
Quote from: blue_gold_84 on March 13, 2020, 03:08:20 PM
It's not good for a brand still trying to establish itself in a pretty inundated sports market. And it's not like the XFL was attracting massive crowds, either. This could be a huge blow to a league still in its infancy.

The other issues were the possibility of needing to move some teams to a new city in 2021. Losing players to the NFL etc doesn't help with continuity of any given roster. That was going to happen even without the 2020 cancellation of the season.

Fans want to see a core of stars on their team along with some roster stability. Many XFL players were older multi season NFL players. It's quite likely roster turnover in 2021 would be significant as " newer " ex NFL players were attracted to the XFL.

I guess we'll see if they return in 2021 and what changes happen. I won't hold my breath.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: TecnoGenius on March 14, 2020, 03:57:54 AM
XFL got the short end of the stick, and that's really too bad.  As for 2021, I seem to recall the AAF bigwigs swearing they already had enough money to complete their first full season no matter what.  Reality was clearly in disagreement.  Of course bigwigs will "talk their book".  If they show weakness they are guaranteed to fail.

Now the big bummer is I have no XFL to watch and probably no CFL to watch in a few months (and no F1, argh!!)... Glad I have 7 years of Bomber games on the PVR to tide me over.  I'm not sure I'll ever get tired of watching the '19 season.
Title: Re: XFL 2020 season
Post by: Go Big Blue on March 14, 2020, 02:17:22 PM
Depending on how long the football season is delayed/terminated there may be some good XFL coaches with CFL experience available for the vacant Blue Bomber Linebacker/Defensive Line coach position:

OC Mike Riley, HC Marc Trestman, HC June Jones, DC Jerry Glanville, LB Mike Archer, DL Robert Lyles.