XFL Plus, Author at XFL Newsroom

Getting to know the XFL Stadiums

XFL Plus — Sun, 30 Jun 2019 13:00:36 +0000

The XFL stadiums run the gamut of venues, from an almost brand new 20,000 seat stadium to an over
20-year old previous Superbowl site. In fact, two sites have seen previous Super Bowls. Since they range
in type quite a bit, we thought we would give you a quick overview of the different places the XFL teams
will call home and simultaneously rank them for a bit of water cooler discussion.

I confess I have only been to one of these sites in person so far, Globe Life Park and all the data below is simply general information readily available on the internet at multiple sites. Nevertheless, we are going to rank these
sites based on venue, XFL preseason knowledge and potential fan experience. This list could very well
change after seeing the games and fans at each venue once 2020 starts and maybe we will rank them
again then.

NFL Stadiums

There is obviously nothing bad with the NFL stadiums on this list. And in the grand scheme of things a
much smaller, previously only soccer field will not be beating out MetLife Stadium in New York on an
average stadium ranking list. However, being this is the XFL and someone must finish last in the list of
great facilities so, the bottom three will indeed be the NFL stadiums. Don’t get me wrong, it is great the
XFL gets to play in these NFL stadiums and I am glad we do for these three teams. But right now, they
may not have the charm of the smaller venues when the forecasts are hoping for around 20,000 people
or a little more at a game.

#8: Tampa Bay – Raymond James Stadium

This stadium has had two NFL Superbowls and is home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was opened in
1998, which was right before the modern big stadium boom we saw in the past ten or fifteen years. So, it
may not have the modern style and architecture of say AT&T Stadium or MetLife Stadium, but it did
undergo extensive renovations completed in 2018. And it does have some neat, unique features that set
it apart. One is the 103-foot replica pirate ship in one end. And at the other end they have added a beach
section complete with sand chairs and tiki huts for pregame festivities. The Stadium seats 65,000 and is
expandable to 75,000.

#7 : New York – MetLife Stadium

Opened in 2010 this is one of the newer NFL stadiums and when built was the most expensive stadium
in history. It is just outside of downtown New York and home to the NFL’s New York Giants and New York
Jets. It has the largest capacity of all XFL sites at 82,500 people. This stadium has also hosted an NFL
Superbowl. A unique fact of this stadium is the f ront row 50-yard line seats are only 46 feet away from
the sideline, which is the shortest distance of all NFL stadiums.

#6: Seattle – CenturyLink Field

This stadium is very close to downtown Seattle and home to the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and Seattle
Sounders of the MLS. The stadium has some unique architecture that is designed to amplify sound. It
only holds 69,000 people, has an open roof and yet at one time it was the loudest stadium ever recorded
by Guinness World Records. Additionally , they kept the north end partially open in order to pull in the
view of the Seattle skyline. The design also gives it a unique look and feel, that seems more intimate
even holding near 70,000 people and being open roof. MLS has done well in this stadium and might
mean there is a pretty good market for non-NFL franchises. It was opened in 2002.

#5: Washington DC – Audi Field

Located right in Washington DC and within view of the Capitol and other Washing DC landmarks. It is
also home stadium for DC United of MLS. It is the newest facility of the eight XFL sites, opening in 2018
and holding 20,000 people. This place also has a rooftop patio for event goers, along with a 10,000 sq. ft.
indoor lounge and Fan Plaza. This is the smallest XFL facility but might be one of the most fun if sold out
and cheering a good game.

#4: Los Angeles – Dignity Health Sports Park

This facility is on the California State University campus a bit south of Los Angeles, its main tenant is the
LA Galaxy Major League Soccer. It was opened in 2003 and holds 27,000 spectators. It was first designed
with soccer in mind and it is the largest soccer specific stadium in the U.S. However, with the XFL coming
to town hopefully the league can be big enough to make them have to alter that fact someday. This is
part of a larger sports complex that also includes tennis, track and field and a Sports Center for various
activities , which will include some events in the 2028 Olympics. The stadium was upgraded in 2017 to
make it better for the temporary placement of the NFL’s Chargers. So, the XFL should be able to slide
right in.

#3: Houston – TDECU Stadium

Another, relatively new stadium, this is the home field of the University of Houston Cougars football
team. It opened in 2014. The stadium has won several architectural awards in the short time it has been
operating. It currently holds 40,000 people with plans to expand to 60,000. The upper area of the
stadium called Cougar Cage, has a unique look with corrugated metal exterior that is powder coated
Houston Cougar red. And it is said to give optimal airflow and natural lighting for fans. And like Seattle,
the architecture also left open a spot in the stands for a view of the Houston skyline, a bit over two miles
away.

#2: Dallas – Globe Life Park

This stadium is currently a baseball stadium for the Texas Rangers, and is in Arlington, TX just a few miles
west of downtown Dallas. The Rangers opened the park in 1994 and coincidentally, this is the Texas
Rangers last season at Globe Life Park before they move to Glove Life Field next door. There had been
many talks on what to do with the facility and then the XFL came knocking. There will be renovations to
the parks lower sections to retrofit the field from baseball to football. The seating currently holds 48,000
but will be lowered some with the renovations. Arlington also has a large nightlife section called Texas
Live, which is basically right next door to Globe Life Park that caters to gameday fans. XFL Dallas is
currently the only team that calls Globe Life Park home, which was my decided factor over Houston, and
this same fact also gave weight to my #1.

#1: St Louis – The Dome at America’s Center

Opened in 1995 and holding over 67,000 people, it was originally home to the St Louis Rams until they
left in 2015. Like other older stadiums on this list it was renovated in the last few years as well. I know
what you are thinking, how can I rank all three current NLF stadiums last and this former one first? A
couple reasons, one is it is no longer an NFL team’s stadium and two, like Dallas this will only be the
home of the XFL St Louis team. They have big, nice indoor stadium all to themselves. I believe there is a
lot to be said for being the main home tenant of a stadium. More prominent marketing and such can
come into play. And it is just good feeling being the top dog. This stadium is also in downtown St. Louis
and right next door to a casino for after game fun, especially when St. Louis has the late Saturday game.
And isn’t that one of the main goals of the XFL, being a fun fan experience all the way around. A lot of
people might make a quick flight to see a game and a night at the casino since it is within walking
distance. One last reason I ranked it so high is because of the fans in Twitterverse. On that platform the
St. Louis fans seem to be the most active and vocal of the bunch and that might go a good way in
creating a fun game atmosphere.

So, there you have it, my current rankings of the XFL stadiums. Yes, it may change if I went to a game in
each place. And after watching them for a year it may also change. As such, your ranking might be just as
valid as mine even if completely opposite. Besides the games themselves I think we enjoy talking and
bickering about sports stuff almost as much as watching them. These rankings and information are more
fodder for that.

The post Getting to know the XFL Stadiums appeared first on XFL Newsroom.

Dallas XFL Summer Showcase Recap

XFL Plus — Sat, 08 Jun 2019 01:22:57 +0000

And we’re off! The first of the eight XFL Summer Showcase workouts took place today at The University of Texas at Arlington only a few short miles from XFL Dallas’ home in Globe Life Park. Roughly 100 athletes with almost equal numbers of offense and defense showed up to showcase their skills for XFL coaches and team management.

The weather was just about Texas perfect for this first XFL Showcase being partly cloudy, almost no wind and going from mid-seventies to mid-eighties toward the end.

The general admittance gates were scheduled to open at 11:30 am, at which time players were already doing drills. The players were on opposite ends of the field, divided almost equally on each side with skill position players on one end and interior players on the other.

The offense in white and defense in navy. There was a smaller group in the middle with what at first looked like quarterbacks receiving the ball out by the hash and then throwing somewhat deep. At closer inspection and wondering why they were not with the other quarterbacks it hit me, these are not quarterbacks they are practicing the double forward pass. Not five minutes in and I’m already seeing new stuff.

They started off doing some simple backpedals, starting from the secondary backwards toward the QB and then would turn a 180 on command about 10 yards out and the QB would fire the ball at them. Then they moved onto some more follow the ball/coach back and forth, followed by a mid or deeper pass. After these one-on-none drills they moved to one-on-one receiver/defensive back routes doing the standard curls, quick-outs and then deep throws.

Before looking at the roster while watching the QBs throw, I started making a quick tally of 1 or 2 points for each throw. 2 for a good, tight, accurate throw and 1 for a lesser one. After four or five rounds one QB kept getting all 2’s and hitting all the marks with nice throws. His number was 24, so I then looked him up, Landry Jones. So, without even knowing who it was beforehand, his previous NFL skills quickly showed through. Christine Michael also looked pretty good; showing fast, multiple cuts and then getting downhill. I also quickly noticed him in the backfield, off play whenever turning away for a bit and looking back. He would be moving lots, just a bit off to the side sometimes for more room and even one of the only players to drop down and bust out a quick set of push-ups when the offense threw an interception. He seemed to be full of energy, enjoying it out there and taking advantage of it.

Besides the more well-known players, there was one other that I noticed was on a long go route and hitting about 40 yards down the right sideline with a leaping one-handed grab over a well covering DB. This guy was big, tall and appeared plenty fast against the DB coverage. One of the few plays to get the crowd cheering. It turned out to be a tight-end and not a wide receiver by the name of Brandon Barnes, from Alabama State. He also had another near one-handed catch over the middle a bit later. Definitely curious to see if he gets drafted.

I am sure there were also a few other standouts and even more from the interior players, but they were a bit harder to judge in this type of setting from the sidelines.

After the workouts during a Q&A in Chalk Talk, Bob Stoops mentioned a couple people that caught his eye as well; Ahmad Dixon (safety from Baylor), Landry Jones (QB from Oklahoma) and Frank Alexander (DE from Oklahoma). He might have been keeping his cards close to the vest as it was Landry Jones and another former OU player, but I am sure he was being honest. He came across genuine and a bit humble for someone with his pedigree. Someone asked him what it was like being the royalty of the XFL coaches, and he said, “I don’t know about all that, I haven’t even won a game yet, I am zero and zero”.

Speaking of Chalk Talk, after the workout there was a presentation and Q&A with CEO/Commissioner Oliver Luck and XFL Dallas Head Coach/General Manager Bob Stoops. This was an invite only gathering in one of the stadium meeting rooms, mostly for season ticket depositors and media to get more versed in the XFL nuances. During this Oliver Luck came out and gave us a presentation about what the XFL was, speedier play, different kickoff, slightly different punt return, OT rules and such. It was a lot of the stuff XFL superfans have seen before, but there were a couple nuggets I heard for the first time.

Oliver Luck did confirm the divisions will be East and West. Seattle, Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston making up the West and St. Louis, Tampa Bay, New York and Washington DC on the East. The teams will play the three other teams in their division, home and away. Then play the four teams in the other division once to get to the total 10 games. Then, although he didn’t confirm as they were still tinkering, but they were heavily leaning toward cross division scheduling in the playoffs. Leading to having the two best teams in the championship regardless of division. I think this is a great idea for only an eight-team league.

At the end of the day this was a spectacular event, marking the “first official football action of XFL 2020” (Oliver Luck’s words to us at the Chalk Talk).

Everyone there seemed genuinely happy and were very nice to all who were there. And the fans in the Q&A had lots of questions and were really interested in getting up to speed on the XFL game. This event turned out very well and I encourage any fans to get to one of these if they can. And if you can get in the Chalk Talk then drive from even further, because you may not get that type of setting with the league commissioner and local head coach ever again.

Note: We at XFL2k would like to thank XFLPlus for providing coverage of today’s event. Please make sure to check out XFLPlus.com and follow them on Twitter at @XFLPlus.

The post Dallas XFL Summer Showcase Recap appeared first on XFL Newsroom.