Remember Tom Sherman, Bobby Scott, Brian Sipe playing quarterback on Long Island and at the then Giants Stadium?
If you do, you have a sound sports memory.
They were all once quarterbacks for the New York/ New Jersey “other” football teams. That is the ones in the WFL, USFL, and first version of the XFL.
Where does current XFL New York Guardians quarterback Matt McGloin fit into the equation?
He has the potential to be better than all of them.
The 30-year-old McGloin made a mild mark with Oakland in 13 games over four seasons, throwing over 1,800 yards and 11 touchdowns and interceptions apiece. He had stops with Philadelphia, Houston, and Kansas City and wasn’t active last year.
Yet, the key word for the Guardians and McGloin, however, is potential.
As of this writing, McGloin was still a member of the Guardians. He didn’t necessarily secure his future with his blasting of the coaching staff and the offensive scheme on a live broadcast during the team’s 27-0 blowout loss to the DC Defenders.
After an impressive showing in the team’s 23-3 victory over Tampa Bay, McGloin had atrocious showing against DC, completing 8 of 19 passes for 44 yards and two interceptions – one for a pick six. He was eventually benched in the fourth quarter.
He didn’t mince his thoughts to an ESPN reporter.
“We need to change the whole entire game plan at halftime, McGloin said. “There’s just a lot going on right now. It’s embarrassing for us here as an offense.”
“I think we need to make a lot of adjustments, make a lot of changes,” he continued. “To be honest with you, this is probably the worst, one of the worst games I’ve ever been a part of offensively. So, it’s back to the drawing board, back to square one.”
Wow…McGloin did turn the league on its ear.
What’s ahead? Crucial times.
Now the Guardians (1-1) already have their backs to the wall with playoff implications when they travel to St. Louis (1-1) Sunday for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
They’ll face quarterback Jordan Ta’amu, who has amassed the most total yards (602) and second in passing yards (493), as well as running back Matt Jones, who leads the league with 129 rushing yards.
Head coach Kevin Gilbride will need a quick turnaround from a listless offense that produced just 137 yards last week after they looked like a well-oiled machine against Tampa Bay.
A win Sunday can verify the Guardians’ once highly-regarded state and validate their win over a winless Tampa team. They also can gain some momentum on their return home against Los Angeles the following Saturday.
With McGloin apparently getting the nod, he can also justify and heighten his stance in the league.
It is a crucial two-week stretch ahead to see if the tri-state area can watch some meaningful football ahead and to see if McGloin can avoid adding himself to a list of non-descript ones.
