Zach Wilson

Zach Wilson is a bust, like one of the worst quarterback busts in recent memory. Even with the pretty decent weapons around him, he can’t do anything. In 9 games started, he has thrown 6 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, and has only completed 54.5% of his passes. He is PFF’s WORST graded quarterback for good reason. He does not do one thing right on a football field and the Jets know it is time to move on. They are starting Mike White whenever they can, who was a fifth-round pick back in 2018. White has looked a lot better than Wilson whenever he plays, not great but still better.

After losing the trust of Robert Salah, who has not been great for New York, he is going to be on the move. I think it is safe to say he is not a Jet next year. There are a few teams that could take a shot at Wilson. He is going to go to the quarterback wasteland that exists in the NFL right now, which consists of a few teams.

Where will he go?

Those teams include the Panthers, Saints, Indianapolis, Atlanta, and Houston. One of these teams will probably take a flyer on him just because they have nothing to lose. The trade would also be for pennies on the dollar so that helps the cause. Another surprise team that I like? The Tampa Bay Buccanneers. It is no secret that Brady is most likely leaving the Bucs after the year. So it isn’t in their worst interest to sign him just to see if they can bring out any of the potential he has left. The Bucs are my favorite team to trade for Wilson just because of how good the roster is, so the situation would be the best for him to try to move forward in his career. But either way, he should be a backup next season at the very least. Maybe he isn’t even in the NFL, the XFL is starting up again.

Derek Carr

Derek Carr has been… bad. I love Carr and I made a video about him in the offseason saying he could win some awards. However, a lot of the players in Vegas have not played up to expectations or suffered injuries. The Box Score numbers do not look that bad at first glance, 24 touchdowns 14 picks 3500 yards. But he is tied for the lead in interceptions, 18th in DVOA, and 25th in PFF passing grade, and the Raiders are just 6-9, way under pre-season expectations. I think it is time for the Raiders to move on from Carr and try to find something younger at the quarterback position, like maybe Jordan Love.

The Raiders have to trade Derek because they are just going to have the same team, with a quarterback with no playoff experience at all, trying to run it back and it will not work. Maybe McDaniels is at fault here a bit but still, it is time for a new chapter in Vegas.

Where will he go?

Well, I think the Colts are gonna do what the Colts do and try to bring in another veteran quarterback coming off of a down year to be their franchise guy. I like the fit behind a decent offensive line and good weapons like Michael Pittman and Jonathon Taylor. That team could do something. Although we have said that for Phillip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan so we should know that they won’t. The trade would most likely involve a second-round pick or something like that.

I think Carr should want to move on as well, for the majority of his career the franchise has not done much to build around him. He has had some great receivers to throw to sure, but their defense has been awful since he got in the building, and having a good defense is just as important as getting a quarterback receivers. Let’s see if Indy gives Vegas a call this spring. 

Brock Purdy

From the last pick in the draft to 4-0 beating all playoff-hopeful teams. So far in his rookie season, he has 8 touchdowns 3 ints, 67 COMP%, and a 13.7% DVOA, which would be 6th if he had more attempts. This is a crazy story, the first Mr. Irrellevant to actually mean something besides Ryan Succop. Also, the first quarterback to beat Brady in his first career start. I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this. Sure, he is a game manager, but he was the last player picked in the draft and is performing as a rookie!

This brings up the question, what do the 49ers do next season with Trey Lance and Brock Purdy? Well, here’s what they should do, start the better quarterback. Whoever wins out in camp and preseason starts, I don’t care about draft capital spent on Lance, even though he was my favorite quarterback prospect in that draft, besides Trevor Lawrence of course.

Purdy has a real shot to win that job because he fits the 49er’s offense so well. San Francisco is averaging 31.5 points per game as an offense with him at the helm. Shanahan has to change the offense around with Lance at the helm. I did not like how he used Trey. He used him as a fullback basically which was a part of the reason he got hurt. But with Lance, McCaffrey, and Kittlethe run game would be the best in the league. It depends on what Shanahan wants to run on offense next year. This quarterback battle between Mr. Relevant and Trey Lance will be a very fun one to watch. 

Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield just won a game where his offense scored 51 points against a good defense. Cam Akers had 3 touchdowns and the defense caused a ton of turnovers but still, he played very well. He is 2-1 as a starter, including a 98-yard game-winning drive against LV and that dominant win that got Nathaniel Hackett fired. If the next 2 games go well, Baker may play himself into another starting gig. However there is one issue, he can’t really just go anywhere that needs a quarterback and start.

We have seen Baker look terrible this year and last, with Cleveland and Carolina, but that is because the coaches did not know how to use his strengths. Sean McVay does though. I think it is in Baker’s best interest to sign a 1-year deal as Stafford’s backup, who we have seen get injured before in the past so maybe he gets another opportunity in LA next year.

Where will he go?

One more year of development under McVay and Stafford would be beyond beneficial for a guy like Baker, who seems to have turned his act around. His teammates actually seem to like him now. This was not the case for parts of his career with the Browns. I understand if he signs somewhere else to start, but I do not think that is the best option for his career. Take the Jameis Winston route. We could also see him go to Indy, similar to Carr. It is a veteran quarterback recycling center. There are some other teams like the Saints as I have mentioned previously that could use him, but if Dennis Allen is still the coach it will just be a Carolina situation all over again. Hopefully, he stays with McVay.

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After all of these unfortunate events it was looking like there was no hope left for the league. That was until the XFL received a new owner, Dwayne The Rock Johnson. While this is great news for fans of the XFL, the real question will be if he can actually save the league once and for all. 

Johnson teamed up with ex-wife, Dany Garcia, and a top sports management company, RedBird Capital, to purchase the XFL for $15 million. The Rock is an actor and producer, a businessman,  a retired professional wrestler, and a former college football player. Dany Garcia is also a businesswoman and film producer, as well as the founder and CEO of The Garcia Companies and TGC Management. RedBird Capital manages more than $4 billion in assets and has made other sports-related investments including some with the NFL. All together this team has a lot of combined experience that could really help build the XFL, but with experience needs to come a passion for what you are trying to help build. 

The XFL gave fans a new challenge to the NFL and brought about a lot of excitement with something else to look forward too in sports. Johnson says his ultimate goal for purchasing the XFL was from his passion for the game and wanting to create something special for the fans, players, and everyone who has a love for football. Garcia also made a statement explaining that the businesses she has built all revolved around entertainment and sports and she is committed to bringing unique content to the sports industry. Their experiences combined can help build the XFL into a multimedia experience like no other and give everyone involved something new to love and cherish. These passions and experience combined is what it will take for the XFL to be a success. 

The deal still needs court approval before it is made final, which will take place at the hearing on August 7th. If everything goes as planned the purchase will be complete by the end of this month. Steps and procedures need to be made in order to help protect against the pandemic this time if they want to be successful and stay around. It is unsure if the season will be starting up again this year since nothing is final yet, but if this receives approval then it is likely that we will see the XFL make its comeback very soon. 

The passion behind Dwayne’s decision to take over the XFL and bring it back to life shows great promise for the future of the league. The experience and passion that he brings to the table, as well as his partners, will help keep the XLF going for years to come. Sources say that they want to make a comeback next season, but a lot of steps and decisions must be made before they can do so. Creating something similar to the NBA Bubble in Orlando may be the smart move for them going forward if they want to help keep everyone involved safe. The XFL now has great potential and is in the right hands that can help save the organization and bring something special to all of the fans.

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This is incredibly disappointing news for football fans everywhere who wanted to see a viable secondary league succeed during the NFL offseason. After playing five weeks of XFL football, the league suspended their season on March 12 because of COVID-19.

The XFL only got through half of their scheduled 10 games before suspending the season and canceling their championship game. While on March 12 the XFL expressed interest in playing a full 2021 season, it no longer seems like the league will continue any further.

There were a couple of signs that the XFL was in trouble. XFL viewership declined every week of the season. The debut weekend saw the XFL receive an average of 3.12 million viewers. That number dropped to an average of around 800,000 viewers by Week 5, according to XFL reporter Mike Mitchell.

While we don’t know how the XFL’s ratings would have gone had the league been able to finish their season, it is really not good that the league had fewer and fewer viewers every week. Maybe we would have seen an uptick in viewership when the playoffs started, but it’s hard to say with their declining numbers.

Even with declining numbers, the numbers they did receive are still impressive themselves for a new league. For example, the February 29 matchup between the Seattle Dragons and St. Louis Battlehawks took place at the same time as the NFL Scouting Combine on ABC. According to the Washington Times, the XFL received 1.8 million viewers while the NFL Scouting Combine received 976,00 views.

It is a good sign that a regular-season XFL game was able to dominate over a televised NFL offseason event. The XFL was never going to replace the NFL, but the fact that the XFL found space during the NFL offseason to attract football viewers is a major positive.

Another obstacle facing the league was the shaky finances the league was founded on. Vince McMahon and his WWE were being sued by a shareholder alleging financial overlap between the WWE and the XFL.

When McMahon relaunched the XFL, he declared that his wrestling operation would be separate from his football operation. McMahon created Alpha Entertainment to fund the XFL separately. However, the lawsuit alleges that WWE resources were used to help fund the XFL.

McMahon pledged $500 million of his own money to fund the XFL’s first three seasons. McMahon’s self-funding was an advantage over the prior upstarted leagues that flamed out, as he didn’t have to rely on outside investors to keep the league floating. There is no evidence the league or McMahon ran out of money, but I can imagine that not being able to finish their season made it much financially harder to continue the league for year two.

The COVID-19 economic crisis facing the country has paused all pro sports, but no one was financially worried about the major leagues being unable to return. The XFL was in a unique position where a work stoppage in their inaugural season did not guarantee their return. The league was in the process of establishing their fan base and the work stoppage killed all momentum.

It is significantly disappointing the league has ended considering the XFL did everything right. XFL games were broadcasted on ABC/ESPN and FOX to give the league national exposure. XFL players were NFL quality. The league had fun and fresh new football rules which offered exciting changes to the game of football. The XFL was the best attempt at establishing a spring football product that had long-term viability.

To the XFL players, coaches, league executives, stadium workers, and fans, this is not how anyone pictured the league to end. It is tragic that an unforeseen economic crisis is what killed the league and not because the XFL was pushing a faulty product or having poor execution. Many XFL players saw this league as another shot at proving they deserve to be in the NFL, and it’s a shame they won’t get that chance anymore.

Big congratulations are in order to the fourteen XFL players who signed NFL contracts as a result of their XFL play. The XFL wanted to prove that their players were NFL quality and that the league could’ve been used as a type of football minor leagues. They succeeded as some of their best players signed NFL deals.

To the next Spring football league that tries to establish themselves, they should build off what the XFL accomplished and try to replicate the best parts of the league. The XFL got so close to becoming viable, you gotta think one of these years a successful Spring football league will be able to exist long term. Until then, the struggle for a successful NFL offseason secondary Spring football league will continue.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.

For more XFL content, check out Zachary’s author page or Twitter.

The post XFL Folds As A Result Of COVID-19 Economic Crisis appeared first on Back Sports Page.

According to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, PJ Walker signed with the Carolina Panthers. Walker would have probably won the XFL MVP Award had they completed the season.

Throughout five games for the undefeated Houston Roughnecks, Walker threw for 1338 yards and 15 touchdowns, which both led the XFL. No other QB in the XFL had more than 11 touchdowns or 1076 passing yards. Walker completed 119 passes which also led the XFL.

Walker joins the Carolina Panthers who are in the midst of a massive QB shakeup. The Panthers are looking to move on from Cam Newton and have traded last year’s starter, Kyle Allen, to the Washington Redskins (reported Ian Rapoport).

The Panthers signed Teddy Bridgewater to a 3 year/ $63 million dollar contract, so it is expected that after moving Newton that Teddy will be their starting QB next season. PJ Walker will probably be the backup QB. Yet, Walker dominated the XFL in such a way that perhaps he can win the starting QB job himself.

Jordan Ta’amu, who played QB for the St. Louis Battlehawks, signed with the defending champion Kansas City Cheifs, according to his agent Kenny Zuckerman. Ta’amu will back up superstar Patrick Maholmes.

Ta’amu is a dual-threat who was third in the XFL in passing yards (1056) and seventh in the league in rushing yards (217). No QB had more rushing yards than Ta’amu. Ta’amu averaged 5.3 yards over 41 carries.

Ta’amu and Walker both proved that the XFL can be a steppingstone into an NFL gig. The XFL will be successful long term if it can prove that the players are NFL quality and that the opportunity can be used to score an NFL job. Football players looking for a job will want to turn to the XFL if it gives them another shot at the NFL.

PJ Walker and Jordan Ta’amu are the first XFL players to land NFL jobs, but they certainly won’t be the last.

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The XFL used social media and commercials to effectively create groups of passionate fans surrounding every team. At the end of five weeks, every team had at least one win and only one team was undefeated, showing that the league effectively created parity of teams.

It was a true success for players, coaches, fans and staff. Despite the early closure, the league will pay out their players’ salaries, something the AAF would not have considered doing, even if they had been able to.

So as we wait out the Covid-19 outbreak and look forward to the 2020 NFL season and XFL 2021 season, lets look back at some high lights from the XFL season.

• The DC Defenders Beer Snake: When the New York Guardians came to visit the DC Defenders, nobody knew that Defenders fans were about the revolutionize beer cup disposal. Fans created a stack of empty beer cups that stretched over ten rows. They brought it back in week five against the St. Louis Battlehawks and commissioner Luck contributed an empty to a new and improved beer snake which stretched from the first row to the top of the stadium.

• PJ Walker’s historic season: The Houston Roughnecks were led to the only 5-0 start in the league, thanks to a legendary performance from Walker, who would have been the near unanimous MVP, had the season continued. PJ Walker led the league in passing yards 1338, leaving almost 300 yards between himself and the next closest quarterback. His favorite target Cam Phillips also led the league in receiving yards with 455. These two stood out above the rest of the league, and we could very well see these two suiting up for NFL teams in August.

• Sideline Interview Madness: The XFL introduced never before seen access to the the players and coaches thoughts during the game. It was fantastic to watch live as the camera men and interviewers ran around from one sideline to the other after big plays. This feature often got crazy, with multiple players dropping the f-bomb on live television or venting about their coaches to cover up their own mistakes. Regardless of the mishaps, the interviews made the XFL even more fun and entertaining for televised games.

• Transparency: One thing that commissioner luck emphasized from day one, was that the XFL was going to be transparent, and always listening for feedback on what fans wanted to see. They did an incredible job of this from the start to the unexpected finish. This transparency was so extreme, that the play review ref was shown and heard on live TV as he review questionable calls and made a verdict. In week five, the Seattle Dragons were robbed of a chance to win tie the game late, when a ref reviewed the play in question, acknowledged that there was indeed a second left on the play clock, and chose to the let the time run out. Instead of doubling down and covering for the ref, the league released a public statement saying that they were wrong, and that the ref was being reassigned.

The XFL did everything right in their first year. They kept the fans happy and provided an exciting and entertaining product. They have stated publicly that they have every intention of returning in 2021, so hold onto your jerseys and get ready for another season of fan focused football next February.

The post XFL Officially Cancels Inaugural Season appeared first on Back Sports Page.

This comes after the XFL suspended the 2020 season last Thursday night. More XFL players will likely test positive, as the unidentified player had played their last two matchups against the Houston Roughnecks and St. Louis BattleHawks.

“The league is alerting players, staff, vendors, and partners associated with the Dragons, Roughnecks, and BattleHawks,” the XFL said in a statement provided to USA TODAY Sports on Saturday.

According to The Athletic, the Dragons did not test the rest of their team for the virus and did not have the team self-quarantine. Players were free to leave Seattle on Friday evening.

It is incredibly stupid and irresponsible for the XFL to not test the rest of the Dragons roster for the virus. If one player has it, there is a decent chance that another player may have it too. After the Utah Jazz found out they had a player with coronavirus, they tested their whole team and found out another player had it as well.

The Roughnecks and BattleHawks should also test their players for coronavirus after playing the Dragons over the last two weeks. If these players don’t get tested, they may have it without knowing and increase the spread of the virus.

Seattle has been a coronavirus hotspot to this point, as according to The Athletic, the state of Washington has reported over 570 cases.

While this is the first XFL player or team personnel to have tested positive for the virus, this is not the first instance of coronavirus in the XFL world.

According to Lewis Kamb of the Seattle Times, a concession vendor who worked the Seattle Dragons February 22 matchup tested positive for the coronavirus. The over 22,000 fans who attended the game could be at a risk for testing positive.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.

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“Currently, the XFL will not be playing its regular-season games. However, all players will be paid their base pay and benefits for the 2020 regular season. All XFL ticket holders will be issued refunds or credit toward future games. The XFL is committed to playing a full season in 2021 and future years.”

While it was starting to look like the XFL will continue their season this weekend when every major sports league has suspended play, on Thursday night the XFL has officially called off playing the rest of their regular-season games. The XFL has made the safe and correct decision to call off the rest of their regular-season games in the face of increasing danger.

According to Lewis Kamb of the Seattle Times, a concession vendor who worked the February 22 matchup between the Seattle Dragons and the Dallas Renegades has tested positive for coronavirus. Seattle’s CenturyLink Field had an announced attendance of 22,060, putting all of those people at risk of catching the virus.

The XFL originally announced that the Seattle Dragons will host their matchup on Sunday, March 15 without fans in the stadium. However, that would have been very irresponsible given that all of their other matchups were expected to be played with fans at the stadium.

While no XFL players, coaches, or team personnel have tested positive for coronavirus, aggressive preventative measures needed to be put in place in order to keep it that way. Suspending the season is the only appropriate response in order to protect fans, players, and team personnel.

In the wake of two NBA players testing positive for the coronavirus, we see how professional athletes who are constantly traveling all over the country can be susceptible to catching the virus. By suspending the season, the XFL is putting its athletes in a safer situation out of harm’s way.

The XFL is in a unique position compared to these other sports leagues, as it is their inaugural season and the league is trying to establish themselves. While the other sports leagues know that when they resume play, their fans will resume tuning in, the XFL doesn’t have that luxury. It will be harder for the XFL to play a second season if they don’t even finish their first season.

The XFL has more to lose than these other sports leagues, as suspending the season could mean the end of the league itself. The XFL has been trying to build their brand, grow viewership, and increase fandom over the last month and a half, and will lose a lot of their momentum with the league suspending play.

If the league delays the season and picks up play closer to the NFL season, football fans might have lost interest by that point and have already begun focusing on the upcoming NFL season. Not to mention, many XFL players were using their opportunity in the league to get more tape and showcase themselves to earn more NFL opportunities.

If there is a silver lining, it is that the players will still be paid their salary and benefits for the 2020 season. This is a classy move that demonstrates the league cares about its players. It would be really nice if the XFL were able to pay the salaries of the concession vendors and stadium personnel that will no longer be able to work over the foreseeable future.

The XFL canceling the rest of the season is an incredible disappointment for the young league. The XFL showed a lot of promise and was a lot of fun to watch. But, these are crazy times and the XFL made the right move in suspending the rest of the 2020 season.

Hopefully, we will get to see more XFL football in 2021.

For more XFL content, check out Zachary’s author page or Twitter.

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McCrane played high school football at Brownwood High School in Texas. He holds the school record for the longest field goal at 52 yards.

In college, McCrane attended Kansas State and played football under head coach Bill Snyder. During his four years at Kansas, he broke the school record for career field goals (57), field goal percentage (86.3), and field goals longer than five yards (5).

In the 2018 NFL Draft, McCrane went unselected but later signed with the Arizona Cardinals. He spent time on their practice squad before being released in September.

Later that month, McCrane signed with the Oakland Raiders and made his NFL debut. In his first career game, McCrane kicked the game-winning field goal for the Raiders. McCrane told BSP about his amazing experience.

“It was something I dreamed about as a kid to play in the NFL, so to get to not only do that but in my first outing to get the game ball from Coach Jon Gruden, that was cool. But, everything is the same to me. Same kick, so I just kinda move on and go to the next one.”

In late October, McCrane was cut by the Raiders and he resigned with the Cardinals, who were in need of a kicker after an injury to Phil Dawson. McCrane played one game for the Cardinals in November, making all of his extra-point attempts, but was waived the following day.

In December, McCrane signed with the Pittsburg Steelers after their kicker Chris Boswell was placed on injured reserve. McCrane started for the Steelers their last game of the season and made all of his field-goal attempts.

McCrane told BSP what it was like bouncing around to different teams over the course of one season.

“The biggest lesson that I learned was to be ready, to be a pro, be ready to kick at any time because they can call at any time during the week so really it is just getting into my routine whether I am back home training or wherever I’m at just staying in my routine.”

McCrane finished the season hitting 8/12 field goals and 9/9 extra-point attempts. McCrane hit two field goals longer than 50 yards. 23.8% of McCrane’s kickoffs went for a touchback.

Even with his NFL experience, the Steelers cut McCrane in the offseason before the 2019-2020 season. Unable to sign with any NFL team, McCrane was selected in the XFL Draft by the New York Guardians.

BSP asked McCrane what was the biggest difference between kicking in the XFL compared to the NFL.

“For me personally, there is no difference for me, the posts don’t move and I’m supposed to go out there and do my job. It’s about trusting the guys who have the snap and the hold for me, Justin Vogel and Scott Daly have been doing their jobs, so really nothing changes for me. I think primarily it was adjusting to the football and trying to figure out exactly what we wanted to do with the football.”

With slightly different rules in the XFL compared to the NFL, BSP asked McCrane what his favorite changes are.

“I do like the kickoff rule. I also like the punt rule where there’s no coffin corner. Now Vogel, our punter, might not like that, but I think it keeps the game alive. It’s a new aspect of the game, something that is pretty interesting that we’ve tried and its something the XFL has been really successful with. So, we’ll see what the NFL wants to do but so far both of those are my favorite.”

McCrane gave his thoughts on the new XFL kickoff and how it’s different from the NFL.

“We’re not banging them out the back. We’re trying to keep the ball in play, do what we’re supposed to, whether we’re going directional or wherever we want to kick it. But really, it’s just about keeping the ball in play as opposed to the NFL where you have good returner back there you try to bang the ball out the back. So, that’s really one thing we’ve had to adjust to is keeping the ball in play.”

In his first season for the Guardians, McCrane has made 8 field goals over the first 5 games. He has hit 2 field goals 50+ yards and 3 field goals 40+ yards. McCrane’s contributions have been so important to the offensively challenged Guardians, who have had trouble scoring touchdowns so far this season.

During week four against the LA Wildcats, McCrane broke a 14-14 tie by hitting the eventual game-winning field goal during the 4th quarter.

During the Guardian’s week five win against the Dallas Renegades, McCrane hit three field goals contributing to the final score of 30-12.

McCrane has a message for Guardians fans leading up to their week six matchup against the talented Houston Roughnecks.

“Stick with us. Stick with us. Something as a kicker I’ve learned is you can’t ride the highs and lows, stay with it, and do my job. So I hope the fans stick with us through these ups and downs and we got plenty of ball to play left in the season.”

The post Guardian’s Kicker Matt McCrane Has Got the Leg appeared first on Back Sports Page.

The first half of the game was a bit uneventful, with the only scores coming off the legs of the two teams’ kickers. The contest was all tied up at six points apiece going into halftime. Neither team seemed to be able to finish their drives once they go into the red zone. New York really found their stride in the second half, though, holding the Dallas offense to limited drives, forcing turnovers, and making big plays on offense to control the game.

As a whole, the game was not amazingly exciting. There was a 54-second period in which three touchdowns were scored, but other than that the two teams had serious trouble moving the ball effectively. The Guardians enjoyed almost complete control of the game for the majority of the time. To go along with quarterback Phillip Nelson’s poor performance, the Renegades only racked up 56 yards rushing as a team; a startling stat for a team which had enjoyed a lot of success on the ground throughout the season.

The Guardians, on the other hand, had a lot of success rushing the ball. They finished the game with 144 yards rushing. Perhaps more critical for New York were the big plays they made in the second half which really turned the tide and got the home crowd out of the game.

In the closing minutes of the third quarter, Guardian quarterback Luis Perez was able to hit wide receiver Colby Pearson for an 80-yard touchdown strike. Shortly after, edge rusher Ryan Mueller was able to make an incredibly athletic play; intercepting and returning for a touchdown a pass thrown by Phillip Nelson. These two plays broke the back of a Dallas team that was already struggling to move the ball and New York would go on to grind out a win.

For a Dallas team that was favored to win the championship before the XFL season started, these past two weeks have hopefully been a wakeup call. Phillip Nelson needs to get more comfortable with his receivers as it was evident Saturday that they have not developed the appropriate levels of chemistry needed to make an offense flourish.

Dallas will need to have a better offensive performance next week when they visit Audi Field to take on the DC Defenders (2-2). The Defenders have one of the most electric offenses in the league, having not had a game where they have scored less than 25 points. The Renegades certainly have their work cut out for them.

The post Dallas Offense Nowhere to be Found in Loss to New York appeared first on Back Sports Page.

Perez came into last week’s matchup against the St. Louis Battlehawks during the fourth quarter and threw the only touchdown pass of the night, the first touchdown for the Guardians in their last 7 quarters of football. With starting QB Matt McGloin out with a rib injury, Perez was named the week four starter against the Wildcats.

After the Guardian’s combined for 9 points over weeks two and three, the Guardian’s scored 17 points during week four. The Guardians were actually capable of moving the ball down the field with Perez and they had success converting on third down.

During weeks two and three, the Guardians combined to convert on third down 3 out of 21 tries, a measly 14% conversion rate. It is very difficult scoring points being unable to convert on third down. During week four, the Guardians converted 5 out of 13 tries for a 38% conversion rate, which is a significant improvement.

Perez put the Guardian’s offense in a better position to compete than his predecessors at QB. Perez had 18 completed passes in 26 attempts, good for a 69% completion percentage. Perez threw for 150 yards and a touchdown for a QB rating of 96.6. While Perez’s numbers aren’t flashy, he was an effective game manager who saw a productive balanced offense.

Even the run game improved under Perez. Darius Victor ran for 82 yards averaging 4.6 yards per carry while Tim Cook ran for 32 yards averaging 4 yards per carry. The Guardians ran for 122 yards total, which is their highest number of the season. The Guardians offense worked because both their passing game and run game were playing productively.

During the Guardian’s press conference, Perez talked about how the entire team came together to win this game.

“This was the definition of a team win. Matt [McCrane] making all of those kicks, and they were some long kicks. Justin [Vogel], at the end, pinning them inside the 10-yard line. Offense doing our part. We talk about no turnovers all the time in all aspects, and the defense got one, and we didn’t turn it over.”

With a great all-around effort by the Guardians, Perez showed that the entire team benefitted from him under center. Perez earned another shot as the starting QB next week against the Dallas Renegades. Throughout the first three weeks of the season, the Guardians demonstrated zero consistency on offense. Yet, with Perez, the team played so much better.

The XFL is so young and new where I do no feel that McGloin is owed anything. Nobody knows if the XFL will even have a second season, so what matters is putting the guy out there who best puts the team in a position to win right now. While McGloin might’ve been drafted with the intention to make him the team’s franchise QB, the Guardians have really played a lot better under Perez.

The Guardians have to play like there is no next season, so they have to focus on making the playoffs this year. If throwing Perez out there puts the Guardians in the best position to win football games, then they should stick with him. Perez should be the team’s permanent QB until he demonstrates that he isn’t good enough for the role.

Head coach Kevin Gilbride had praise for Perez’s performance.

“I thought Luis showed the kind of poise and composure and understanding of what we’re trying to do that you like to see from that position. I was very pleased with his effort. He’d be the first one to tell you that there were some chances that he didn’t quite see and he didn’t quite get the ball where he needed to get it to, but the bottom line is you keep playing, and when you miss a throw or you miss an opening that was available to you, it doesn’t destroy you and prevent you from coming back the next play. You continue to play, play in and play out, and he does that very well. Of course, that’s just his makeup. It was good – I think he was a significant catalyst to us playing as well as we did.”

Perez had something to say about keeping the Guardian’s momentum going into next weeks matchup against the Dallas Renegades.

“This is definitely a momentum game. Now we got one down, we just need to keep stringing them along, and we know that. We know we didn’t play our best in all facets of the game. We’ve got to be obsessed with detail- not being okay with being average. I think with this win it’s going to help motivate everyone to stack these wins together.”

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