Week 1 was a success for the New York Guardians and the XFL.
There will be a meaningful football game involving a New York football team this weekend.
Keep an eye on the quickly rising New York Guardians.
They made a big splash in their XFL debut at Met Life Stadium in front of an enthusiastic announced crowd of just over 17,000 fans — all seated in the lower level — and it appeared to be a legitimate number.
For most of the typical February afternoon, the Guardians looked like a team already in midseason form, as they were systematically crisp on offense and instinctively aggressive on defense.
It suddenly became an instant and attractive appeal for the die-hard fan with hunger pains from the Super Bowl the previous week.
The final result was a 23-3 Guardians victory over the Tampa Bay Vipers, who looked every bit of a team playing together for the first time.
Ex-Giants defensive coordinator and Guardians’ head coach Kevin Gilbride appeared to fit right back into his old surroundings. NFL journeyman quarterback Matt McGloin, who has had stops with Oakland, Philadelphia, Houston, and Kansas City, was as efficient as the Jets’ Sam Darnold or the Giants’ Daniel Jones on any given day this past season albeit some timing issues with his developing receivers. He threw for 182 yards with a passing and rushing touchdown.
The Guardians and the potential for more
McGloin, 30 and from Scranton, is the elder statesmen on the roster that is dotted with players who have been drafted within the last three years. He had 11 touchdowns and interceptions alike during his NFL stay mainly with Oakland.
Tim Cook, Colby Pearson, and Mekale McKay all have the potential to be recognizable names in the tri-state in the near future.
There were plenty of fan-friendly options, one main attraction being the affordable $30 ticket price.
The eight-team league also drew an estimated 4 million fans through the ABC/ESPN/FOX package on the weekend.
So, what can they can do for an encore? It will be up to the Guardians and the rest of the new kids on the block across the country to keep their game at a high and attractive level. The usual high hurdles of fan appeal and TV have taken a turn in favor of the new league instead of the usual pitfalls.
New York will travel to Washington to meet the D.C. Defenders in an early-season 2 p.m. showdown.
What’s on deck
D.C. quarterback and former Ohio State standout Cardale Jones threw for 235 yards and a pair of touchdowns in their 31-19 win over Seattle.
Jones, who led his team to a national championship and was drafted by the Bills and had cups of coffee with the Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle, caused the first stir in the league when fans chanted “M-V-P” for his captivating performance.
Fittingly, New York fans followed suit for McGloin the following day.
Now, the XFL arguably has their two best teams facing off Saturday afternoon and have produced two high-profile quarterbacks in the process.
It’s worth a watch as well as the rest of the league to see if they can raise their successful launch.
The McGloin-Jones matchup should be a good one, and it can further ignite the rising Guardians and league presence.
It won’t have the magnitude nor the credibility yet of a Darnold-Jones showdown, but it will be another sign to show that meaningful football can be played in the spring.
