XFL 2001

[BengalErnst]

Rourke Pledges he's 'ready to go' for Playoffs

July 9, 2023

Houston, TX - Houston Roughnecks QB Nathan Rourke’s plan all along was to be back for the CFL playoffs. Getting a sampler taste of action in the regular-season finale last week was “a bonus,” according to the 24-year-old quarterback. Those three series under center have given Rourke a psychological boost as he leads the Roughnecks against the Seattle Dragons in the First Round. “We were always trying to be back and ready for the playoffs,” said Rourke. “Playing in that game and participating in practice last week certainly made it easier to do so and I feel a lot more confident going into this week. I’m glad that I’m going to be able to participate in practice and do all the things that I need to do in terms of prep.”

Roughnecks head coach Wade Phillips named Rourke the starter for the Seattle game, obviously content with what he saw in the regular season finale. Houston lost the game, which had no baring on the standings, 24-9. “I think it’s been good. He seems good,” Phillips said when asked how Rourke’s body responded to returning to action. “I think it keeps getting more normal for him. I think it was another step forward him getting into the game and even getting hit and just playing football again. I think it’s also going to be helpful that it’s not an experiment this week. It’s going to be a normal week, where he’s taking all the reps and feels like it felt all season.”

XFL First Round: Crusaders Edge BattleHawks to Earn Quarter-Final Round

July 10, 2023

London, ENGLAND - The offenses took over in the second half, with London QB Taylor Heinicke willing his team to victory by helping London's offense execute in crunch time with a 31-27 overtime victory over the Charlotte BattleHawks. While the two offenses sputtered in the first half, they combined for 31 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. The back-and-forth affair had six lead changes. London appeared to be in good position to close out the game after K Brett Lauther drilled a 59-yard field goal to give the Crusaders a 20-17 advantage with 3:16 left in regulation. "He's our guy," Heinicke said. "We watch him practice hit like 65 yards. It's like easy to him."

However, the BattleHawks retook the lead when starting QB AJ McCarron threw a 55-yard touchdown to WR Hakeem Butler on a go route and Charlotte grabbed a 24-20 lead with 2:04 left. But that lead did not last long, as Heinicke drove the Crusaders 51 yards on eight plays. The key play came on fourth-and-goal from the 7-yard line, when Heinicke found WR Malik Henry on a perfectly thrown ball on a skinny post for the go-ahead score and a 27-24 lead with 39 seconds left. Once again, though, McCarron proved up to the task, driving the BattleHawks 38 yards on seven plays, to set up a K Donny Hageman 47-yard field goal to send the game into overtime. McCarron and the BattleHawks started slow, scoring just three points and turning it over three times in the first half but heated up in the second, as he finished 23-of-38 passing for 370 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception. "In the second half we took care of the ball, and everyone made plays," McCarron said. "Hakeem is a foot out of bounds in the first half on a big play, and in the second half, we're in bounds with Darrius Shepherd down the sideline. Marcell Ateman blowing past everyone on the field and then Hakeem obviously. So at the end of the day, those guys made great plays. And in the first half, we were shooting ourselves in the foot a little bit."

Even with Charlotte gaining some momentum heading into overtime, the Crusaders kept their composure. Heinicke converted the first try from 2 yards out when he found TE Tyree Jackson over the middle on a play-action pass. London's defense then forced RB Mataeo Durant to fumble at the goal line. The ball was recovered by Butler in the end zone, but in overtime, a ball recovered by the offense in the end zone reverts to where the ball was fumbled, so the try was no good. Heinicke took matters into his own hands on the second try, running in for a score. And then London's defense stepped up, with DL Casey Sayles swatting down McCarron's attempt to end the game with the Crusaders rushing the field. "We struggled early, but I want to thank these guys for having faith in me. They didn't know me. They knew me from nobody. We had a plan, and we implemented that plan. Nobody said it was going to be easy. And it wasn't," said head coach Ray Horton. "It's not. And it shouldn't be, for the rewards that you get."

-- (12-8)BattleHawks 27 - 31 Crusaders(15-5)
(CHA): QB McCarron - 23/38 370 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, RB Galloway - 13 carries, 40 yards, WR Butler - 5 catches, 104 yards, 1 TD, WR Ateman - 3 catches, 87 yards, 1 TD, WR Shepherd - 5 catches, 57 yards
(LON): QB Heinicke - 23/40 203 yards, 1 TD, RB Michael - 20 carries, 54 yards, 1 TD, RB Jones - 8 carries, 40 yards, 2 catches, 38 yards, 1 TD, WR Henry - 6 catches, 83 yards

XFL First Round: Brawlers Advance to Quarter-Finals

July 10, 2023

Houston, TX - The Philadelphia Brawlers defeated the Baltimore Brigade, 26-11. The Brawlers erupted for 23 points and three touchdowns in the first half. Philadelphia opened the scoring with a touchdown on their first drive as QB PJ Walker connected with WR Cam Phillips for a 14-yard score. The team built a 14-0 lead when Phillips hauled in a 59-yard bomb from Walker early in the second quarter and Phillips would also convert on the ensuing two-point try. WR Travis Fulgham hauled in a 14-yard touchdown with just under 5 minutes left in the first half to give the Brawlers a 12-point advantage. Philadelphia's defense held stout in the second half and earned a takeaway for an 21st straight game as DB Deji Olatoye picked off Baltimore QB Kenji Bahar late in the 4th quarter as the Brigade attempted to press down the field.

-- (15-5)Brawlers 26 - 11 Brigade(12-8)
(PHI): QB Walker - 19/27 289 yards, 3 TDs, RB Butler - 24 carries, 94 yards, WR Phillips - 5 catches, 121 yards, 2 TDs, WR Fulgham - 5 catches, 60 yards
(BAL): QB Bahar - 12/31 104 yards, 1 INT, RB Thompson - 18 carries, 85 yards, WR Chism - 4 catches, 57 yards

-- (12-8)Valor - Apollos(16-4)
(DC): QB Bortles -
(ORL): QB Gilbert -

XFL First Round: 'Very disappointing': Dragons' mistakes costly in Playoff loss to Roughnecks

July 11, 2023

Seattle, WA - The Seattle Dragons truly believed they had a team that was capable of winning the championship this year. It won’t happen, though, not after a mistake-riddled game in the Western Conference First Round that saw the home Dragons fail to execute in key moments and fall 30-16 to the Houston Roughnecks. Against a quarterback like Nathan Rourke, the Dragons were going to need to be at their best. Instead, they took penalties in key moments that extended drives and kept the ball in the Roughnecks superstar’s hands and then failed to convert on two third-and-short situations. So there will be no championship this year. “It’s a team loss, I’m not going to say that we weren’t outplayed and out-coached,” said Dragons head coach Dave Dickenson. “Very disappointing, though, I love this team, proud of this team. We’ve got a great team but can’t pick a playoff game to not necessarily play your best and also, the Roughnecks played well. A lot of contested catches. We went for it on third down, get stopped. They go on theirs, get a touchdown. Kind of a microcosm of the game and that’s when you win or lose, when you make those big plays and they made a lot more of them than we did.”

The Dragons made mistakes that will be tough to swallow. They took penalty after penalty, allowing the Roughnecks opportunities to extend drives and put up points. There were penalties on all three of the Roughnecks' first-half scoring drives, including an offside penalty when Houston was in a fourth-and-five situation that extended the drive and led to a field goal and then a roughing the passer when the Roughnecks were in a third-and-10 situation that led to a touchdown a couple of plays later. It wasn’t just the penalties, though. Twice, the Dragons were on third-and-short situations deep in Roughnecks territory. Twice, they wound up turning the ball over. When the other team has Rourke as their quarterback, those sorts of mistakes are lethal. Give him enough of the ball and he’s going to put up points and he did. Even as the Dragons threw pressure at Rourke and sacked him four times, he remained calm and composed. It was another big game from Rourke, who may very well use these playoffs as a chance to formally take his place on the throne as the XFL’s top quarterback.

The Dragons simply had no way of matching him on offense. They appeared reluctant to simply hand the ball to the running backs who had put up huge numbers in recent weeks, in part because the Roughnecks had clearly devised a game plan to limit the ground game. That meant it was up to QB Ben DiNucci to make things happen through the air. He couldn’t get it done. “First of all I want to give credit to Houston, they played a hell of a game,” DiNucci said. “To be honest, I feel terrible for the guys in that locker-room, I really do. We had a great week of preparation, we were peaking at the right time, everybody was bought-in, we had great leadership in there and guys gave it everything we had, we just didn’t execute, I didn’t execute it."

There will be questions about the play-calling on short yardage situations that led to the turnovers-on-downs. The untimely penalties will be painful for those involved to look back on and if Rourke stays in Houston, the Dragons are going to be seeing a lot of him in the playoffs for a long, long time now. Maybe they’ll find a way to beat him, but they’ll need to make a lot less mistakes than they did. “It’s disappointing with a 14-win season to not make any noise in the playoffs, it’s disappointing,” Dickenson said. “We’ll solve that. John Hufnagel and I will take a look tomorrow, we’ll solve it. You miss opportunities, but I think we had a team that could win it, I really do, and that’s the problem with not playing our best game.”

-- (14-6)Dragons 16 - 30 Roughnecks(13-7)
(SEA): QB DiNucci - 20/33 285 yards, RB Lindsay - 17 carries, 83 yards, 1 TD, WR Gordon - 7 catches, 78 yards, WR Pearson - 7 catches, 119 yards
(HOU): QB Rourke - 23/31 366 yards, 3 TDs, RB Borghi - 20 carries, 95 yards, WR Burnett - 8 catches, 162 yards, 1 TD, WR Cottoy - 5 catches, 73 yards, WR Rhymes - 5 catches, 72 yards, TE Owens - 3 catches, 45 yards, 1 TD

-- (12-8)Fleet - Breakers(14-6)
(SD): QB Johnson -
(LA): QB Bethel-Thompson -

XFL First Round: Mountain Lions Jump on Stampede Early

July 11, 2023

Salt Lake City, UT - Salt Lake jumped to a 22-6 halftime lead and held on to defeat the Oklahoma City Stampede in the Eastern Conference First Round before 40,693 spectators. WR Kaelin Clay and RB Devontae Booker scored the Mountain Lions’ touchdowns, while K Jake Verity kicked two field goals. But the outcome was in doubt until Stampede QB Bryce Petty was sacked by DL Karter Schult and fumbled. The ball was recovered by LB Kamalei Correa.

The Mountain Lions scored on their opening possession and found the end zone on three of their opening four drives. The game began with a 49-yard kickoff return by WR Auden Tate. Two plays later, QB Josh Rosen passed 23 yards to WR Justyn Ross and, two plays after that, found Clay for a 13-yard touchdown. Stampede cut into that lead with a 47-yard field goal. After Salt Lake failed to generate a first down, they scored again, going 81 yards in eight plays. The drive included a 33-yard reception by Ross. Following a 12-yard pass to Clay, RB Devontae Booker scored on a one-yard run. Oklahoma City kicked a 23-yard field goal early in the second period, reducing the Stampede’s deficit to 14-6, but Salt Lake then engineered a five-play, 70-yard drive to take a 21-6 lead. Following a 20-yard reception by Ross, Booker scored on a 33-yard sweep. DB Damarious Randall intercepted Petty's pass on the next play, but the Mountain Lions couldn’t capitalize on the turnover. There was no additional scoring in the half. At the intermission, Rosen had completed 21 of 27 passes for 219 yards. The Mountain Lions generated 15 first downs and 278 yards net offense in the half. At the same time, Salt Lake’s defense limited the Stampede to five first downs.

Petty completed five of six passes on his opening possession, culminating in a 12-yard touchdown reception by TE Donald Parham and suddenly it was a one-possession game. Salt Lake’s offense failed to generate any offense in the quarter. Even following a 47-yard punt return by Tate to the Oklahoma City 18, the Mountain Lions couldn’t produce a first down, settling for a 33-yard field goal on the final play. Stampede’s 36-yard field goal of the fourth quarter reduced the margin to 25-18. The Mountain Lions didn’t produce a second half first down until early in the fourth quarter. After the Stampede were guilty of a contacting the kicker penalty, the Mountain Lions gambled on fourth-and-one from the 50, but Booker was stopped short. Fortunately for Salt Lake, Petty was intercepted three plays later.

-- (11-9)Stampede 17 - 28 Mountain Lions(15-5)
(OKC): QB Petty - 18/29 250 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs, RB Brooks - 9 carries, 37 yards, WR Davis - 8 catches, 142 yards, TE Parham - 3 catches, 52 yards, 1 TD
(SLC): QB Rosen - 27/34 243 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, RB Booker - 20 carries, 145 yards, 2 TDs, WR Ross - 7 catches, 98 yards, WR Clay - 5 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD

One Meeting at a Time, Luis Perez Raised the Renegades Ceiling to the XFL Championship

July 15, 2023

Dallas, TX - Renegades WR LuJuan Winningham was at dinner when new teammate Luis Perez sent a text along the lines of this: Hey guys, I'm just trying to meet real quick at 7:30. Perez was new to the Dallas team, having been acquired in a midseason trade with the Mexico City Vipers. He wanted to catch up as quickly as possible and felt his teammates would be able to help him do it. "I'm thinking this is just gonna happen like once a week maybe," Winningham said. "The very next day, 'so 7:45 again, guys.' 'Oh my god.' And it's been every single day since throughout the week."

Those meetings exemplify the leadership and attention-to-detail Perez brought to a Renegades offense that spent most of the year like a car in neutral. But the hard work paid off in the First Round against the Houston Roughnecks with Perez at the helm. He threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns as the Renegades pulled off the 26-11 upset. Dallas hopes to surprise the football world a second time against the D.C. Defenders. The likelihood of an upset is directly tied to how well Perez plays against a stout Defenders defense. "That's why they made the trade to come get me, right?" Perez said. "They brought me here to win a championship so hopefully we go out there and do that."

Perez opened the 2023 XFL season with the Vipers as the starting quarterback, ironically throwing for 249 yards and three touchdowns in the opening game against Dallas. But he spent weeks battling Brett Hundley for the full-time starting role. The 28-year-old quarterback, who has spent the last six years in the XFL, said he respects the Vipers coaching staff but felt a trade was for the best. Dallas couldn't be happier, either. "He's a true leader," Renegades head coach Bob Stoops said. "He's a guy that kind of galvanizes everybody together. He's had an impact in the locker room as well as out on the field."

[BengalErnst]

XFL Quarter-Final: Apollos Can't Keep up with Crusaders

July 17, 2023

Orlando, FL - Although the Apollos got off to a good start and held an early lead, they did no sprinting. Instead, they traded field goals for touchdowns and couldn’t keep up with the Crusaders in a 28-12-loss. “We didn’t play well enough to win the game,” head coach Steve Spurrier said. “We didn’t play up to our level at any capacity. Any. We expected more, and we didn’t do it.” League MVP Taylor Heinicke had 243 yards passing and threw four TD passes, including three to WR Malik Henry. His number of touchdowns matched the field goals made by the Apollos. “Field goals don’t win in this game,” Spurrier said. “Not playoff games.”

An example of the Apollos’ offensive shortcomings came in the first half when they controlled the clock for 21 minutes yet came away with just three field goals and trailed 14-9 at intermission. Heinicke threw his third touchdown pass and second to Henry to push the lead to 21-9 on London’s first possession of the second half. A fourth field goal, a 51-yarder, pulled the Apollos within 21-12 midway through the third. Heinicke had the Crusaders inside the red zone with a chance to pad the lead late in the third. That’s when the Apollos got their first of the game. LB Jachai Polite chased him out of the pocket and forced a fumble that massive DL Jerel Worthy scooped near midfield. As he neared the end zone, Worthy handed the ball to DB Deji Olatoye who ran the rest of the way for the apparent touchdown. The lateral was forward, however, bringing the ball back to the 34. The Apollos couldn’t capitalize and missed wide left from 48 yards. Heinicke threw his fourth touchdown pass, from 40 yards, to Henry with 6:28 remaining to establish the final score. “You’ll have games like that,” Apollos LB Victor Ochi said. “You have to play better in big games like that, and we didn’t play up to our standard.” If the game plan was to keep the Crusaders’ high-scoring offense on the sideline, it was successful as the opening drive exhausted 9 minutes, 33 seconds from the clock. London’s opening possession ended with a failed fourth-and-2 attempt at their 43. Polite collided with Heinicke before the line of scrimmage and the Apollos stopped him for a loss. Heinicke got untracked on the Crusaders’ second possession. He hooked up with TE Levine Toilolo with a 42-yard touchdown pass that on a post route that put London ahead, 7-3. Apollos QB Garrett Gilbert had a chance to match Heinicke with a deep touchdown pass on the next possession, but WR Jalin Marshall couldn’t hold onto it as he landed in the end zone. That drive also ended without a touchdown, although a 36-yarder pulled the Apollos within 7-6. Heinicke provided London a 14-6 lead with 0:31 left in the first half when he threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Heinicke, who finished with four catches for 70 yards.

-- (16-5)Crusaders 28 - 12 Apollos(17-4)
(LON): QB Heinicke - 18/25 243 yards, 4 TDs, 9 carries, 64 yards, RB Michael - 14 carries, 86 yards, WR Henry - 4 catches, 70 yards, 3 TDs, TE Toilolo - 3 catches, 55 yards, 1 TD, WR Washington - 3 catches, 65 yards
(ORL): QB Gilbert - 24/37 143 yards, RB Johnson - 13 carries, 73 yards, WR Marshall - 8 catches, 55 yards

XFL Quarter-Final: Brawlers See Season End in Playoff Loss

July 17, 2023

Cologne, GERMANY - The Dragons received the opening kickoff and K Dominik Eberle tacked on the first three points of the game with a 33-yard field goal to give Seattle an early 3-0 lead. The Defenders responded with a 24-yard field goal by K Matt McCrane on the next series, tying the game at 3-3. After forcing the Dragons to punt, QB Jordan Ta'amu found WR Lucky Jackson streaking down field for a 44-yard touchdown pass, giving the Defenders their first 9-3 lead following the missed 2-point conversion attempt. To begin the second quarter, the Dragons answered with their own touchdown when QB Ben DiNucci spotted WR Jahcour Pearson in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown completion to even the score at 9-9 after a failed 2-point conversion try. Shortly after, the Dragons defense came up with their first big defensive stand of the game after LB Shareef Miller intercepted Ta'amu. With just under a minute left in the first half, the Defenders looked to take the lead, but it was shortly interrupted after DB Antoine Brooks made an acrobatted interception on Ta'amu to keep the game tied going into halftime.

Going into the second half, the Defenders came out of the locker room aggressive and immediately took a 15-9 lead with a 1-yard touchdown run by RB Abram Smith, capping off a 11-play, 78-yard drive following the missed 2-point conversion attempt. On the ensuing offensive series for the Defenders, Ta'amu linked up with TE Ethan Wolf for a 26-yard touchdown pass to increase the score to 23-9 after the successful 2-point conversion attempt to TE Alex Ellis. In the final quarter, the Defenders took a commanding lead when RB Cam'Ron Harris punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to widen the score to 30-9 following the successful 1-point conversion run by Smith. On the ensuing series, the Dragons cut the score in half to 30-15 after DiNucci completed a 34-yard touchdown pass to WR Juwan Green, but failed to convert the 2-point conversion try. Soon after, the Defenders chewed up some game clock and Harris cleaned up the drive with a 11-yard touchdown run and a 1-point conversion attempt bringing the score back up to 37-15. On the final series for Seattle, DiNucci found Green in the end zone for an 8 yard-touchdown pass to shed the score to 37-21 following the missed 3-point conversion try. After the touchdown, the Dragons went for the desperate 4th & 15 conversion try, but the Defenders defense came up with the final defensive stand of the game and ended Seattle's playoff run and season.

-- (16-5)Brawlers 21 - 37 Defenders(18-2)
(PHI): QB Walker - 31/48 295 yards, 3 TDs, RB Butler - 5 carries, 22 yards, WR Phillips - 8 catches, 89 yards, 2 TDs, WR Fulgham - 6 catches, 56 yards, WR Miller - 6 catches, 61 yards
(COL): QB Ta'amu - 23/36 299 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, RB Smith - 25 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD, RB Harris - 5 carries, 25 yards, 2 TDs, WR Jackson - 2 catches, 56 yards, 1 TD, TE Moore - 4 catches, 80 yards, WR Blair - 11 catches, 106 yards

XFL Quarter-Final: Mountain Lions' Defense comes up Short

July 18, 2023

Salt Lake City, UT - The Mountain Lions’ defense failed to make stops at critical junctures in their most important game of the season. The Los Angeles Breakers defeated the Mountain Lions, 34-27 in the Western Conference Quarter-Final. RBs Wes Hills and Anthony Jones, WRs Johnnie Dixon, Marquis Lee and Jonathan Adams scored the Breakers’ touchdowns while K Taylor Bertolet kicked a pair of field goals. QB Josh Rosen was brilliant in a losing cause for the Mountain Lions, but he alone couldn’t carry Salt Lake to victory. He passed 36 yards to rookie WR Justyn Ross for a touchdown, while RB Devontae Booker also scored on a 52-yard run. But the Mountain Lions couldn’t produce enough touchdowns, settling instead for four field goals. Although the Mountain Lions had the wind advantage in the opening quarter, they were outscored 14-3 and failed to get off to the quick start that marked last weekend’s semifinal victory against Oklahoma City. Los Angeles scored on its opening possession, a six-play, 79-yard drive that started with a 35-yard punt return. A 46-yard pass play to Jones moved the ball to the 17. Then Hills ran six yards up the middle for the game’s first touchdown.

Following a 29-yard kickoff return and a 35-yard reception by Ross, the K Jake Verit kicked a 25-yard field goal to get Salt Lake on the scoreboard. RB Jaylen Samuels fumbled on the Mountain Lions’ next possession and the Breakers were able to capitalize. QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson passed 38 yards to Jones, taking the ball to the 21. Three plays later, Dixon scored on a seven-yard swing pass. The Breakers increased their lead to 21-3 following a five-play, 82-yard drive to begin the second quarter. On a second-and-one play, Bethel-Thompson caught the defense sleeping, passing 46 yards to a ridiculously wide-open Adams. Salt Lake’s offense finally got untracked on its next series, going 85 yards on five plays. The drive included a 31-yard reception by WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside. Two plays later, he and Rosen connected for 15 yards before Ross scored on a 36-yard pass play. Bertolet’s 13-yard field goal increased Los Angeles’ lead to 24-10 before Verity completed the first-half scoring with a 30-yard field goal. With the wind advantage to begin the second half, the Mountain Lions struck quickly with Booker running 52 yards off-tackle for a touchdown reducing the Breakers’ advantage to 24-21. Bethel-Thompson found Lee open for a 41-yard gain, setting up Bertolet’s 35-yard field goal. Verity cut into that with a 32-yard field goal, but a 31-yard touchdown pass to Dixon gave the Breakers a 34-24 advantage heading into the final quarter. Verity pulled the Mountain Lions to within seven points with a 35-yard field goal, but that was as close as Salt Lake came down the stretch.

-- (15-6)Breakers 34 - 27 Mountain Lions(16-5)
(LA): QB Bethel-Thompson - 20/28 345 yards, 3 TDs, RB Hills - 23 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD, WR Dixon - 3 catches, 108 yards, 1 TD, WR Lee - 9 catches, 97 yards, 1 TD, WR Adams - 2 catches, 53 yards, 1 TD
(SLC): QB Rosen - 25/30 362 yards, 1 TD, RB Booker - 15 carries, 92 yards, 1 TD, WR Ross - 8 catches, 127 yards, 1 TD, WR Arcega-Whiteside - 5 catches, 83 yards, WR Clay - 4 catches, 66 yards

XFL Quarter-Final: Off night from Rourke as Houston's Season comes to an End

July 18, 2023

St. Louis, MO - It turns out it was Nathan Rourke’s arm, not his foot, that the Houston Roughnecks needed to worry about. The Roughnecks’ quarterback suffered an uncharacteristically inaccurate afternoon in the XFL’s Western Quarter-Final, missing on his first five passes on his way to a 20-of-37 for 300 yards and a touchdown in a 28-20 loss to the St. Louis Stallions. Rourke, still recovering from the Lisfranc sprain to his right foot, missed his receivers high, low and behind, never finding the rhythm that led to his single-season accuracy record this year. His struggles weren’t more apparent than on his 4th-and-18 attempt in the fourth quarter that fluttered and hung up for his second interception of the game. “It’s tough to say,” Rourke said, when asked what his struggles stemmed from. I thought mentally I was I was OK with the environment, with the cold, with all that different stuff. Sometimes it happens for you and sometimes it doesn’t. And to be honest that at this point, I don’t exactly know why. But clearly I wasn’t at my best out there and I didn’t show up the way that I needed to.”

The Stallions' defense was excellent in coverage, allowing just two deep completions before the Roughnecks were forced to air it out late, while also stifling the Houston ground game, limiting RB Max Borghi to 28 yards on eleven carries. QB Alex McGough didn’t put up big numbers for the Stallions, going 14-of-20 for 178 yards, a touchdown and an interception, but he didn’t need to. RB CJ Marable rushed 20 times for 130 yards and WR Deon Cain had a kick-return touchdown. K Brandon Aubrey had three field goals, hitting from 44, 24 and 16. St. Louis forced the Roughnecks into long third downs all night and the results showed it — just 2-of-19 on third down conversions and nine of their first 13 drives were 15 yards or less. The bulk of Houston’s 302 yards came late in the game, while St. Louis had 361. The game started with enough momentum turns and twists to last a full 60 minutes. After LB Emmanuel Ellerbee set the tone defensively with a big tackle for a short gain on the game’s first play from scrimmage, McGough dropped a 42-yard pass on his head to Cain the next play. The Stallions chewed up the yards, a 74-yard drive ending with Sternberger waltzing untouched into the end zone for the game’s opening score four minutes into the game. Rourke missed his first two passes, forcing a punt that the Stallions blocked, giving St. Louis the ball on the 16 yard line. But the command center reviewed the play, and determined that he’d hit P Race Porter’s leg, a penalty regardless of whether he blocked the kick or not. But Rourke missed on two straight passes again, they didn't have a three-and-out against Seattle last week and Porter punted again. But the ball took a quick lateral bounce hitting Davis’ leg, and the Roughnecks recovered on the two. Borghi powered in the end zone on the next play and Houston went from being potentially down 14 to being up 7-6. The Roughnecks dropped two potential interceptions in the first quarter, before DB William Likely picked McGough off in the end zone to snuff out the drive. Houston couldn’t do anything with the ball again and Davis took the ensuing punt 92 yards back for the touchdown. Aubrey hit two field goals, including one at the end of the first half, to make the score 19-8 after the opening 30 minutes in the game. The second half started well with Rourke hitting Rhymes as he came uncovered underneath on a crossing route, but the gain was limited to 27 yards when the Roughnecks’ receiver had his heel hit the chalk. K Hunter Duplessi hit from 42 two plays later, and it was a 19-11 game. But the Stallions chunked out another impressive drive, with RB Bo Scarbrough answering the call with a one-yard score.

The disparity in the ground games between the two teams was stark as the minutes ticked off in the third quarter. Marable, had 130 yards on 20 workmanlike carries, with just one rush longer than ten yards. That last stat changed on the final play of the quarter, as he busted off a 26-yard run that had the Stallions knocking on the end-zone door once again. “We want to try to keep as many people around us we can, coaches and players,” said head coach Wade Phillips. “And keep on going and growing. When you go through game games like this and experiences like this, you can’t teach it. You could write a book about it, but there’s a lot different reading a book and then actually living it. So it’ll pay off in the future.”

-- (14-7)Roughnecks 20 - 28 Stallions(15-5)
(HOU): QB Rourke - 20/37 300 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs, RB Borghi - 11 carries, 28 yards, 1 TD, WR Burnett - 7 catches, 133 yards, WR Rhymes - 4 catches, 84 yards
(STL): QB McGough - 16/22 200 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, RB Marable - 20 carries, 130 yards, RB Scarbrough - 11 carries, 43 yards, 1 TD, WR Cain - 5 catches, 74 yards, TE Sternberger - 4 catches, 37 yards, 1 TD

Spurrier Defiant in Defeat, Declares Team Will Become 'a Force' in XFL

July 19, 2023

Orlando, FL - Still seething after a disappointing, 28-12 setback to the London Crusaders, Steve Spurrier is not someone who believes in moral victories. However, the Orlando Apollos head coach believes his team is headed for big things next season. "This team is going to be back in this game next year," Spurrier predicted. "Because we're going to be better than we were this year. And I don't know where Skip Holtz is but tell him his seat is going to be hot because we're coming after him."

Orlando used a ball-control offense to manage the game and play keep away from London's high-powered offense. Orlando finished with 33:51-26:09 advantage in time of possession. The Apollos kept the ball for 9:33 on a 16-play, 60-yard opening drive, settling for a 37-yard field goal and an early 3-0 lead. However, the Apollos could not find the end zone the entire game, settling for four field goals. Orlando went 0-for-2 in the red zone after finishing in the bottom tier with 39.7% red zone conversion rate during the regular season. "We've got to be more dynamic, more scoring plays," Spurrier said when asked what plans he has in store for improving a scuffling offense during the offseason. "It's simple. You've got to score to win, and I'm not talking three points."

The Apollos could not turn London's miscue into points, as they missed a 49-yard field goal wide left. "That was the play of the game," Spurrier said. "That changed all of the momentum to them. The score would have been a two or three-point game at that point, and got us right back in. But that didn't happen. So, we take full responsibility that we didn't win that game, period. This team is going to be one of the best teams in the league. It's going to be like the Starship Enterprise. This is going to be one of the shining franchises in the league because this team is going to get better."

Well-Traveled Defenders Quarterback Ta'Amu Looks to Flip the Script in Eastern Conference Championship

July 22, 2023

Cologne, GERMANY - The football journey of Cologne Defenders QB Jordan Ta'amu reads like a verse of the classic song, "I've Been Everywhere." Ta'amu has played everywhere. High school football in Hawaii. Junior college in New Mexico. Divison I football in Mississippi. Eight different teams in three different leagues as a professional. In less than a decade, he has played for teams in five different time zones. When the Defenders play in the XFL Veterans Bowl in San Antonio, Ta'amu has a chance to lift a trophy, something he has never done, either. "I've been in championships before in high school, state championships and lost every single one," Ta'amu said. "Being able to have this championship in front of my eyes and ready to go, I'm super excited."

That has provided him the opportunity to learn from plenty of quarterbacks. With the London Crusaders in 2020, he played with Taylor Heinicke. He was on practice squads for teams quarterbacked by Super Bowl champions Patrick Mahomes and Matthew Stafford. But Ta'amu has never been able to stick along for a long time, enduring the quarterback shuffle many players face when they don't have an opportunity to prove themselves on the field at such a difficult position. The NFL may have overlooked him but not Defenders head coach Gregg Williams. "The style quarterback that we wanted, it was Ta'amu to a T," Williams said "At the time, he was still obligated to another team so there had to be some conversation between him and his agent on whether or not he would stay or come with us. Thank God he came with us. The misnotion is that he's an athletic quarterback that runs. But this year, I think he was able to show that he can make all the throws, deep ball, ball over the middle. He's throwing it everywhere. He's been really good at it. He's taken care of the ball, throwing the ball at a high percentage."

But Ta'amu is ready for the spotlight, and for his chance to finally lift a championship trophy in glory. "This is probably the happiest I've ever been on a team, especially with these guys and the coaches and the players," Ta'amu said. "They make it so easy to be around and come to work every day and be willing to win games."

[BengalErnst]

XFL Semi-Final: Heinicke Leads Crusaders to Championship Game

July 24, 2023

New York, NY - The Dallas Renegades scored on six of their first seven possessions and held on for a 35-26 victory over the Cologne Defenders to claim the first spot into the 2023 XFL Veterans Bowl. Dallas raced out to a 17-0 edge and led 20-6 at halftime, but Salt Lake wouldn't go down without a fight. The Mountain Lions pulled within one score three times in the second half, but could get no closer. Dalals led 26-12 late in the third quarter, but Mountain Lions QB Josh Rosen hit WR Justyn Ross with a 72-yard scoring strike. A two-point conversion run by RB Devontae Booker made it 26-20 with 9 seconds remaining in the third. But a Salt Lake unsportsmanlike penalty on the conversion led to an illegal kick penalty on the ensuing kickoff, giving Dallas possession at the 30-yard line. One play later, Perez hit RB Leddie Brown with a 30-yard touchdown pass to put the Renegades on top 35-20. K Taylor Russolino added a 33-yard field goal with 10 minutes remaining to extend the lead to 35-20. Salt Lake took advantage of a turnover with just over two minutes remaining and got another Rosen to Ross touchdown pass to pull within 9 points, 35-26. But the Mountain Lions' 4th-and-15 attempt to retain possession ended in an interception by the Renegades DB Cre'Von LeBlanc, icing the championship appearance for Dallas.

Perez hooked up with TE Sal Cannella for a 41-yard touchdown pass to cap off a seven-play, 76-yard drive on the first possession of the game. Following a Salt Lake punt, Dallas strung together a 16-play, 88-yard scoring drive that took 8:45 off the clock. Perez completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to WR Tyler Vaughns to make it 14-0 after one quarter of play. Dallas added a 29-yard Russolino field goal to make it 17-0 early in the second quarter. Salt Lake finally got on the board on the next possession with a 2-yard Booker scoring run to make it 17-6. Russolino added a 51-yard field goal just before halftime to put the Renegades on top 20-6 at the intermission. Salt Lake pulled back within one score on the opening possession of the second half, as Booker raced 52 yards for a touchdown to make it 20-12. But Dallas answered with another long scoring drive. Brown scored from 7 yards out to cap a 12-play drive that covered 71 yards and took 6:49 off the clock, putting the Renegades on top 26-12.

-- (17-5)Crusaders 35 - 26 Defenders(19-2)
(LON): QB Heinicke - 25/36 288 yards, 3 TDs, RB Michael - 15 carries, 54 yards, RB Jones - 9 carries, 32 yards, 1 TD, 2 catches, 43 yards, 1 TD, WR Henry - 8 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD, TE Toilolo - 4 catches, 71 yards, 1 TD
(COL): QB Ta'amu - 16/30 245 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs, RB Smith - 17 carries, 115 yards, 2 TDs, WR Blair - 6 catches, 127 yards, 2 TDs, WR Jackson - 4 catches, 61 yards

XFL Semi-Final: Alex McGough's Artistry, Dominance Guide Stallions Into XFL Championship Game

July 24, 2023

St. Louis, MO - For the St. Louis Stallions, it was a chance to return to the XFL Championship and defend their crown. On the other side for Los Angeles, it was a chance to get over the hump against. We all expected a hard-fought, tightly-contested matchup. At kickoff, the spread was just 2.5 points in favor of the Stallions. I expected it to come down to the final play as it did in week seven when these teams last faced off. Not so. The defending champion Stallions proved that the path to the championship still runs through St. Louis and that’s not changing anytime soon.

The Stallions got off to an ideal start when DB Brian Allen picked off QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson on the first drive of the game. They failed to convert a third and two at the Los Angeles 23, but they still came away with three points after a K Brandon Aubrey field goal. The Breakers offense put the turnover behind them quickly, marching down the field for a touchdown on an eight-play, 74-yard drive. Bethel-Thompson connected with WR Jonathan Adams despite defensive pass interference to put the Breakers up 3-7. The bad news for the Breakers, that was their only score until the fourth quarter, which would be okay if you were stopping the other offense. Spoiler: they were not. On their next possession, the Stallions only needed five plays to find the end zone. A 32-yard completion from QB Alex McGough to TE Jace Sternberger got the Stallions into enemy territory. Three plays later, McGough found Sternberger again on a crossing route underneath. Sternberger outran BreakersLB Jerod Fernandez and got into the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown to make it 9-7 Stallions. Stallions LB Scooby Wright nearly intercepted a Bethel-Thompson pass on first down, and on second down, he tackled Breakers RB Anthony Jones in the backfield for a four-yard loss. Facing a third and long, Bethel-Thompson found WR Johnnie Dixon for a 19-yard gain. That kept the drive alive, but they failed to convert another first down and had to punt it away. The St. Louis Stallions put together a nice drive on the ensuing possession, getting down to the Breakers 23-yard line. However, two incompletions meant the Stallions had to settle for a field goal. Aubrey was good from 41 and extended the Stallions’ lead to five, 12-7. Los Angeles went three and out on their next possession. The Stallions responded by going four and into the end zone. McGough found WR Davion Davis on a slant route underneath and Davis did the rest, breaking several tackles on the way to a 36-yard touchdown. After Aubrey’s extra point, the Stallions took a 19-7 lead. The Breakers again could not get anything going on offense, going three and out for the second time in a row. They were able to pin the Stallions deep in their own territory, but it did not matter. McGough was able to engineer a masterful 13-play, 88-yard drive. On third and goal at the five, the Breakers blitzed a corner to try and get to McGough. McGough saw, though, and threw an impressive pass with a defender in his face to Davis, who ran a beautiful route to get into the end zone for his second score of the half. That put the Stallions up 26-7 at the break.

The Stallions got the ball to open the second half, and there was no slowing down. After three McGough passing touchdowns in the first half, this time it was the rushing attack that got going and found the end zone. Marable hit pay dirt from 17 yards out, putting the Stallions up 33-7 early in the third. On the Breakers’ first possession of the second half, it was a case of déjà vu. Just like on their first possession of the game, Allen picked off Bethel-Thompson, giving the Stallions the ball deep in Breakers territory. Five plays later, the Stallions were in the end zone again. This time, it was McGough rushing in from five yards out for his fourth touchdown of the day. This was the Stallions’ seventh consecutive possession on which they scored, going back to their first drive of the game. Less than 10 minutes into the third quarter, the Breakers found themselves down 40-7. The Breakers finally found the end zone at the beginning of the fourth quarter, scoring for the first time after a Stallions 37-point run. RB Cyrus Habibi-Likio broke a 27-yard touchdown run to cut the Stallions lead to 27 points, 40-13. The Breakers continued to fight, scoring once more before the end of the game. They put together an 11-play, 75-yard drive, and Bethel-Thompson found TE Sage Surratt in the end zone to cut into the lead. After the three-point conversion, it was 47-22.

-- (16-6)Breakers 22 - 47 Stallions(16-5)
(LA): QB Bethel-Thompson - 26/50 273 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, RB Hills - 7 carries, 30 yards, WR Lee - 3 catches, 64 yards, WR Dixon - 6 catches, 51 yards, TE Surratt - 7 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD
(STL): QB McGough - 21/31 310 yards, 4 TDs, 8 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD, RB Scarbrough - 10 carries, 84 yards, RB Marable - 12 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD, WR Davis - 5 catches, 75 yards, 2 TDs, WR Cain - 8 catches, 74 yards, TE Sternberger - 3 catches, 62 yards, 1 TD, WR Johnson - 2 catches, 58 yards, 1 TD

XFL Veterans Bowl: Stallions’ Run as Champions Ends with Stunning loss to Crusaders

July 31, 2023

San Antonio, TX - History was there for the making for the St. Louis Stallions, but just when it looked like it was all going to come together, the XFL’s defending champions fell apart. The underdog London Crusaders scored the final 10 points and stunned the Stallions 24-23, ending their reign as XFL champions. A missed convert and a blocked field goal in the final minute played major roles in the loss. After the Stallions blew the lead, K Brandon Aubrey had a chance to put St. Louis back ahead with a 47-yarder with 54 seconds left, but it was blocked by DL Dewayne Hendrix and London was able to kneel out the win. “It’s not the outcome we wanted in the end and it just sucks that it had to end that way, on one point,” Aubrey said. “It’s just something that I’m not gonna let happen again. From what I saw and how it felt off my foot, I think that last one was gonna go in. That’s how I wanted the game to go, a field goal at the end there. But they made a play.”

The Stallions imploded in the fourth quarter and it wasn’t all about Aubrey. “They took the ball away from us,” Stallions head coach Mike Martz said. “We made some plays too. We got down on the doorstep and punched in some touchdowns. But when they needed that one at the end, they got it.”

QB Alex McGough threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter and the Stallions were unable to hold on to a nine-point lead. They thought they had a decent cushion after WR Davion Davis returned a punt 102 yards for a touchdown to open the fourth quarter and put St. Louis up 23-14 but missed the convert and nothing went right after that. “There are a lot of moments in the game where we could have done more to win, starting with me,” said McGouh, who was limited to 14 completions on 25 attempts, for 183 yards, no touchdowns and a costly fourth-quarter interception to London LB Terence Garvin. “We didn’t get into a rhythm offensively at any point in the game. We had a couple of drives here and there but we weren’t efficient enough on first down, or at passing the football, and that starts with me. I need to do a better job for the team to win. They had a good game plan and they pressured a little bit more in third-down situations. We got hemmed a couple of times. They did what we anticipated they’d do for most of the football game but they did a better job than us.”

The Crusaders came back and took the lead on RB Matt Jones’ second touchdown run of the game, with 3:55 left in the fourth quarter. Jones also scored on a touchdown run in the third quarter after the Stallions took a 10-7 lead into halftime. LB Henoc Muamba of the Stallions blocked a field goal with 2:09 left, a play that looked to give the defending champs some life. Then after McGough was sacked on third-and-10, the Bombers got another life as a flag was thrown for face-masking. McGough hit TE Thaddeus Moss for a 24-yard gain to the 47-yard line and RB CJ Marable picked up another five yards on a run to set the stage for Aubrey’s final field-goal attempt. That’s when the Crusaders returned the favor for the earlier block. The Stallions locker room was deathly quiet after the game, a stark contrast from the celebrations they held after winning the 2022 Veterans' Bowl. And a stark contrast from what was going on with the Crusaders on the field. “It feels like you just got punched in the stomach,” McGough said. “Offensively, we didn’t do a good job of staying on the field. Our first four drives, we had twelve plays. We have to execute better and put drives together.”

-- (18-5)Crusaders 24 - 23 Stallions(17-5)
(LON): QB Heinicke - 19/34 246 yards, RB Michael - 10 carries, 55 yards, RB Jones - 8 carries, 45 yards, 2 TDs, WR Henry - 4 catches, 96 yards, WR Washington - 7 catches, 58 yards, TE Toilolo - 3 catches, 47 yards
(STL): QB McGough - 14/25 183 yards, 2 INTs, RB Marable - 15 carries, 82 yards, RB Scarbrough - 8 carries, 21 yards, 2 TDs, WR Davis - 4 catches, 46 yards, WR Cain - 3 catches, 78 yards

Businessman Pierre Karl Péladeau purchases Montreal Monarchs

August 3, 2023

Montreal, ONTARIO, CANADA - Pierre Karl Péladeau is the new owner of the Montreal Monarchs. The Montreal businessman was unveiled as the franchise owner by the XFL at a news conference at Olympic Stadium. Péladeau, the president/chief executive officer of Quebecor Inc., has a reported net worth of US$1.9 billion. “I am delighted to be the new owner of the Montreal Monarchs, a team that has a significant impact on our community because it brings us together,” Péladeau said. “This team that is our team, it’s the fans’ team. I want to bring stability and a long-term vision, which will allow us to put Montreal at the top of the XFL. I want to thank our fans for their continued loyalty.”

The XFL took over operation of the Monarchs last month, appointing former president Mario Cecchini as interim president. Cecchini and Park Lane, the XFL’s investment banking partner, helped facilitate the search for a franchise owner. “Our goal in this process was to put the Monarchs on a path to long-term success, ideally under strong, local ownership,” said XFL owner Dwayne Johnson. “This is a special day for this incredible franchise, its fans across Quebec, and the city of Montreal. Pierre Karl and his passion for sports, entertainment and his community are remarkable. I know he will do a tremendous job in stewarding the Monarchs.”

However, previous owner Gary Stern did not give up his ownership stake in the franchise. He will remain a minority owner while stepping away from day to day operations with the franchise.

The Rock eyes’ huge’ Expansion for 2024 season as new Locations Revealed

August 5, 2023

New York, NY - The league is seeking to expand again. XFL owner Dwayne Johnson and the league could look at five potential locations, according to Mark Perry of XFL News Hub. Perry listed Phoenix, Arizona; Portland, Oregon; Denver, Colorado; and Detroit, Michigan as potential expansion destinations. He also mentioned San Jose and Las Vegas. He detailed how current XFL teams already have sold out season tickets for the 2024 season and that's a good sign for the company's overall health. "The Defenders, Vipers, and Guardians are already putting out notifications for season ticket packages for the 2025 season," Perry said.

XFL Mega Bowl:

August 6, 2023

Honolulu, HI -

-- (0-0)East - West(0-0)
(EAST): QB
(WEST): QB

[BengalErnst]

Year Twenty-Three Financial Report Released

August 15, 2023

New York, NY -

Trent Richardson signs with Caudillos of World League

August 17, 2023

Chihuahua, MEXICO - Former Alabama football star RB Trent Richardson has signed to play for the World League this year. Richardson recently has played for the Birmingham Steel in the XFL, but he is very excited about his opportunity to suit up for the Chihuahua Caudillos in the World League of American Football.

“A lot of people don’t get this opportunity,” said Richardson. “It’s huge, and I know they think I’m doing them a favor but they’re definitely doing me a favor. I’m going to do everything I can to make this league better, to bring awareness to Mexico. I’m here to help out coach and also learn from coach.”

Stallions Quarterback thinks a championship game between rival leagues will happen 'soon'

August 25, 2023

St. Louis, MO - Stallions QB J'Mar Smith's primary goal is leading the Stallions in their pursuit of another XFL championship but if the opportunity to face the WLAF's best team also presented itself, Smith would certainly welcome that opportunity, too. "That would be nice and what the fans want," Smith said. "Merging two spring pro leagues, champion vs. champion, to see the competition between the two leagues. I think it should happen and will soon!"

Given that the two leagues enforce different rules, Smith posed the interesting question of which rules would be utilized should the two leagues face off. There are several rules within each league, especially on kickoffs, that are vastly different from each other. Rules aside, a XFL-WLAF championship game would certainly generate attention, especially during the dog days of summer. The Super Bowl, after all, was initially between the National Football League and the upstart American Football League. When it comes to a possible XFL-WLAF championship game, it's interesting that Smith answered the question with such honesty. Instead of ignoring the other league, Smith welcomes the conversation and would welcome the prospect of facing the WLAF's best team at the end of the XFL's season. Rest assured that Smith isn't the only player who would like to see such a game take place.

Munich Ravens leaving World League of American Football

September 5, 2023

Munich, GERMANY - The Munich Ravens have withdrawn from the World League of American Football. Four other WLAF teams, the Paris Musketeers, Hamburg Sea Devils, Stuttgart Surge and Rhein Fire, are also are leaving, saying they intend to join the XFL with the Ravens.

In a joint statement, the Ravens, Musketeers, Sea Devils, Surge and Fire signed letters of intent to join the XFL.

"Being involved with the league, on so many levels, I am very proud of what this league accomplished," Munich Ravens co-owner Thomas Krohne said in the statement. "However, I believe that in order to continue to grow and elevate our fan experience, brand and business to the levels that the Munich market deserves, we are left with no choice but to look for an alternative league that aligns with these goals and practices, on and off of the field. We are continuing to grow and elevate our organization, each and every season. At this time, we feel it's in our best interest to find like-minded business owner that share the same vision. I truly wish the remaining WLAF playing partners nothing but the best going forward."

NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights Purchase XFL Expansion Team

September 5, 2023

Las Vegas, NV - The NHL's Vegas Golden Knights announced that Chairman and CEO Bill Foley, in partnership with Dollar Loan Center Founder and CEO Chuck Brennan, has officially purchased an expansion franchise from the XFL. The expansion franchise will be based in the Las Vegas Valley and becomes the 33rd team expected to play in the 2024 season, which will be the 24th season for the XFL. Additional growth and expansion within the XFL is expected in the coming months. "Ever since the Golden Knights first arrived in Las Vegas, our community has surpassed all expectations to set a new standard as one of the best new markets in the sports world,” said Vegas Golden Knights Chairman and CEO Bill Foley. “Our XFL franchise will reflect the qualities and culture created by the Golden Knights and the Silver Knights, while giving the place we’re proud to call home an all-new Vegas born team to support with passion and enthusiasm.”

"Our league just got better today with the announcement of not only a great market in Vegas, but an even better ownership group,” said XFL Owner Dwayne Johnson. “The XFL prides itself in attracting quality owners and Team Foley and Team Brennan sure fit that mold. We are looking forward to 2024 and the many ways this new franchise will contribute to our great league.”

"We're Back!" - XFL's Oakland Panthers move to Detroit

September 15, 2023

Detroit, MI - The league and West Coast Sports & Entertainment LLC announced that Detroit will serve as the new host city for the Oakland Panthers. With the CFL's Detroit-Windsor Muscle folding during the pandemic, the XFL has now taken control of the state of Michigan. The Oakland Panthers will now become the Detroit Panthers.

"We're back!" said Marshall Mathers, new Panthers minority owner. "With the help of some great partners, the XFL is making history by announcing that the Detroit Panthers will be returning to Michigan in 2023 to play at Ford Field. The XFL is proud to be part of the revitalization of downtown Detroit and we're excited about turning up the Motown music and firing up a fan base for professional spring football in Michigan."

"Today's announcement that the Detroit Panthers are coming home to play at Ford Field builds on Detroit's momentum as a sports and tourism destination," said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. "This means we now will have five major sports teams all playing downtown. We welcome the Panthers and XFL fans to our city and look forward to the increased foot traffic these games will generate for our downtown businesses and restaurants."

[BengalErnst]

XFL Expansion Draft

September 20, 2023

Paris, FRANCE -

Paris Musketeers added WRs Jevon Cottoy, Dominique Rhymes and Lucky Whitehead, OL Kent Perkins, DL Sione Teuhema and Josh Banks, LB Josh Woods and DBs Quincy Mauger and Marcus Sayles
Ottawa Force added QBs Jeremiah Masoli, Nick Arbuckle and Dustin Crum, RB De’Montre Tuggle and Ryquell Armstead, WRs Justin Hardy, Bralon Addison and Quan Bray, OL Martez Ivey, DL Lorenzo Mauldin, LB Jovan Santos-Knox, DBs Sherrod Baltimore, Cariel Brooks
Winnipeg Sea Bears added WRs Carlton Agudosi, Janarion Grant and Kenny Lawler, OL Jermarcus Hardrick, DL Jackson Jeffcoat and Kony Ealy, DBs Deatrick Nichols, Winston Rose and Desmond Lawrence and K Sergio Castillo
Hamburg Sea Devils added QB Jamie Newman, RBs Tayon Fleet-Davis and James Butler, WRs Terry Godwin and Dillon Mitchell, DL Kwaku Boateng, Ja'Gared Davis, Casey Sayles and Dylan Wynn, LBs Jameer Thurman and Simoni Lawrence
Munich Ravens added QB Bryan Scott, RB Javon Leake, WRs Markeith Ambles and Davaris Daniels, OL Trevon Tate, Dariusz Bladek, Dejon Allen, DL Shawn Oakman, Dewayne Hendrix, Folarin Orimolade, LB Henoc Muamba, DBs DaShaun Amos, Tarvarus McFadden and Robert Priester
Rhein Fire added QB Tommy Stevens, RB Ka'Deem Carey, WR Steven Dunbar, OL Caleb Benenoch and Hugh Thornton, DL Mike Rose, Terrell McClain, Jabari Ellis and Aaron Donkor, LB Micah Awe, DBs Natrell Jamerson, Tre Roberson and Loucheiz Purifoy
Stuttgart Surge added QBs Shea Patterson, Jake Dolegala and Mason Fine, WRs Jake Wieneke and Mario Alford, OL Jeremiah Poutasi and Colin Kelly, LB TJ Brunson and DBs Nick Marshall and Jeremy Clark
Edmonton Stingers added QB Taylor Cornelius, WRs Austin Mack and Hergy Mayala, OL Nick Callender and Brett Boyko and DB Ciante Evans

WLAF Considers Direct-to-Consumer Option for U.S. Market

October 10, 2023

Berlin, GERMANY - WLAF Commissioner Randy Ambrosie recently said that the league was exploring the possibility of a direct-to-consumer option in the United States. “Do we start building out a small, direct-to-consumer offer ?” Ambrosie said. “One of the places that we’re thinking about doing that is potentially in the US market. Get some experience, learn some valuable lessons, understand how it works. We’re not that far away from announcing our U.S. broadcast partner, how do we collaborate with them? What lessons can be learned there?”

The WLAF has been working on a new deal with CBS, which reportedly pays between $100,000 and $200,000 per year. That seems really low, but the goal could be to get more people exposed to the International version of the pro game.

XFL Combine Presented by New Era Heading to Paris

October 12, 2023

Paris, FRANCE - The XFL will invite approximately 200 national and global prospects to Paris for an expanded and restructured XFL Combine presented by New Era. The new five-day event will take place from October 22 to 26. "For the past few years, we have been exploring different ways to restructure and improve the format of the XFL Combine to be more productive for teams in terms of evaluation and observation. Our event in Paris will be the realization of those efforts and discussions," said Greg Dick, Chief Football Operations Officer. "A single larger event will allow teams to gauge prospects' work on the field, while also providing a better understanding of their abilities to learn systems, process information and adapt to feedback."

"The XFL Combine is as much a tool for evaluation, as it is a showcase of prospects' skills and an opportunity for growth and development," added Dick. "An expanded event is better for teams, prospects, and ultimately, the league, as we prepare to welcome the WLAF stars interested in the XFL."

XFL-IFL Rookie Draft

October 20, 2023

New York, NY - QB Anthony Russo, RB Jimmie Robinson, WRs Nih-jer Jackson, Ryan Wisniewski, Charles Haeden and Phazione McClurge, OL Hunter Kelly, Navaughn Donaldson and Amari Catchings, DL Tevaughn Grant, Melik Owens and Anthony Hayes, LBs Jordan Jones and Antwon Kincade, DBs Eugene Ford, Kordell Jackson and Kishawn Walker and K Conor Mangan were the first round draft selections.

WLAF Reaches Multi-year Broadcast Agreement with CBS Sports Network

October 27, 2023

Berlin, GERMANY - The WLAF has reached a multi-year broadcast agreement with CBS Sports Network, the league announced. The deal will see CBS Sports Network carry 34 games this year. “We’re looking forward to working closely with CBS Sports Network to serve our loyal fans in the U.S. and grow our base there,” WLAF commissioner Randy Ambrosie said. “CBS Sports is synonymous with the finest in sports broadcasting and we’re proud to showcase our product on its network.”

“The WLAF is an exciting brand of football, with a great history that has long included some of the stars of the game,” said Dan Weinberg, executive vice-president, programming, CBS Sports. “We are excited for the WLAF to join our robust lineup of live events on CBS Sports Network and we look forward to showcasing the current generation of WLAF stars.“

“We’re confident that, working together, we can serve our American fans and continue to grow their numbers,” Ambrosie said. “We’re looking forward to a partnership that brings together the best of International football and one of the great brands in American sports television.”

WLAF MVP Chad Kelly Selected First Overall in the 2023 XFL Global Draft

November 20, 2023

Paris, FRANCE - The XFL is proud to welcome 76 global players into the league following the Global Draft. The Munich Ravens selected WLAF MVP QB Chad Kelly with the first overall pick.

Paris Musketeers added QB Chase Brice, Vernon Adams and Dominique Davis, RB Taquan Mizzell, WRs Alexander Hollins, Terry Williams and Keon Hatcher, OL Phillip Norman, Tony Gray and Chris Schleuger, DL Miles Fox, Woody Baron, Amir Siddiq and Marcus Moore, LBs Boseko Lokombo, Josiah Schakel, Mark McLaurin and Brooks Parker, DBs TJ Lee, Garry Peters, Emmanuel Rugamba, Mike Jones and Jalon Edwards-Cooper

Ottawa Force added RBs Jackson Bennett and Shaun Shivers, WRs DeVonte Dedmon, Tevaun Smith, Savon Scarver, and Jaelon Acklin, OL Drake Centers and Dino Boyd, DL Michael Wakefield, Tre Hornbuckle and Blessman Ta’ala, LBs Chizi Umunakwe, Frankie Griffin, Gary Johnson and Ryan Saddler, DBs Monshadrik Hunter, Damon Webb, Abdul Kanneh, Brandin Dandridge, Hakeem Bailey and Douglas Coleman, and K Richie Leone

Winnipeg Sea Bears added QB Dru Brown, Dane Evans and Tyrrell Pigrome, RBs Brady Oliveira and Greg McCrae, WRs Dalton Schoen, Rasheed Bailey, Amare Jones and Nic Demski, OL Drew Richmond, Ye'Majesty Sanders and Toryque Bateman, DL Ricky Walker, AC Leonard, Celestin Haba, Caleb Thomas and O’Bryan Goodson, LBs Nyles Morgan, Kyrie Wilson, Malik Clements and Brian Cole, DBs Brandon Alexander, Demerio Houston, Alden Darby, Evan Holm, Jamal Parker and Abu Daramy-Swaray

Hamburg Sea Devils added QBs Matthew Shiltz, RB Sean Thomas Erlington, WRs Tim White, Duke Williams, Lawrence Woods, Justin McGriff and Anthony Johnson, OL Tyrone Riley, Brandon Kemp and Kendrick Sartor, DL Malik Carney, Cedric Wilcots, Tre Crawford, McKinley Williams and Nyles Pinckney, LBs Penei Pavihi, Vosean Joseph and Kyle Wilson, DBs Richard Leonard, Chris Edwards, Javien Elliott, Dexter Lawson, Carthell Flowers-Lloyd and Kenneth George, and K Seth Small

Munich Ravens added QBs Chad Kelly and Cameron Dukes, RB Deonta McMahon, Dedrick Mills and AJ Ouellette, WRs Kurleigh Gittens Jr, Damonte Coxie, David Ungerer, RaJae Johnson, Markell Castle and Jeremiah Haydel, OL Aron Johnson and Isiah Cage, DL Sam Acheampong, Thomas Costigan, Jared Brinkman and Brandon Barlow, LBs Exree Loe, Jonathan Jones, Wynton McManis and Amin Black, DBs Jamal Peters, Maurice Carnell, Robertson Daniel and Adarius Pickett

Rhein Fire added QBs Jake Maier, Logan Bonner, Chase Litton and Chris Reynolds, RB LeVante Bellamy, Peyton Logan and Glen Toonga, WRs Reggie Begelton, Maurice Ffrench, Anthony Mahoungou and Jalen Philpot, OL Brandon Weldon, Joshua Coker and Hugh Thornton, DL Mike Moore, Julian Howsare, LBs Tobi Antigha, Silas Stewart, Darius Williams and Perry Young, DBs Branden Dozier, Kobe Williams, Aaron Grymes, Titus Wall and Nick Taylor

Stuttgart Surge added RBs Frankie Hickson and Jamal Morrow, WRs Shawn Bane, Tevin Jones and Kalija Lipscomb, OL Jerald Hawkins, Eric Lofton and Brandon Council, DL Bryan Cox Jr., Demarcus Christmas, Miles Brown, Pete Robertson, Anthony Lanier and Cody Roscoe, LBs Adam Konar and Derrick Moncrief, DBs Rashard Robinson,

Edmonton Stingers added QBs Caleb Evans and Davis Alexander, RBs William Stanback and Walter Fletcher, WRs Quartney Davis, Eugene Lewis, Chandler Worthy, OL Jamar McGloster and Andrew Garnett, DL Daniel Ross, Jake Ceresna, Avery Ellis and Nick Usher, LBs Tyrice Beverette, Tony Jones and Avery Williams, DBs Kabion Ento, Najee Murray, Nafees Lyon, JR Reed and Wesley Sutton and K Dean Faithfull

CFL Leaves WLAF Merged League

November 30, 2023

Edmonton, ONTARIO, CANADA - After losing between $50-60M in the CFL-WLAF merged league in 2023, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie held a press conference announcing that the CFL would be pulling out of the merged league, shutting down operations and claiming bankruptcy immediately. Ambrosie announced that the Hamilton Tiger-cats, Halifax Highlanders and Atlantic Schooners would remain in the World League of American Football, but the ownership organizations in Ottawa, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and Edmonton would be sitting out the 2023 season while applying as 2024 expansion franchises in the XFL. “I'm not surprised by who the teams that stepped up and said, you know, we might be more interested in that league(XFL) than this league(WLAF). You know, the teams in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan and Ottawa are trying to do anything they can to make themselves a viable option for the XFL. I wasn't prepared to let the CFL fold but if it’s going to mean that there’s going to be quality football played in this country, I can live with that.”

Ambrosie said that this was the only way that the game of football could be saved in Canada and that was the reason he decided to accept the position as Head of International Development and International Business with the XFL. “So my history goes way, way back. But for a lot of them in the demographic that matter the most now, this league(CFL) has completely disappeared off their radar screen. And if they go another season without having football, it’s going to completely go away. The XFL has four teams in Canada, three in Europe and one in Mexico currently and I'd like to help get that number even higher.”

Ambrosie also told the crowd in attendance why he didn't think WLAF worked for the CFL. “I think the 25 to 40-year-old demographic is the group that makes these leagues work. After talking to a 26-year-old who lived in our house for quite some time and the issue is that they want to see the best players play. They don’t care about quotas. They really don’t care about a Canadian or European player on a team, they want the best player that is not playing in the National Football League. They want to watch good quality football. The NFL wants to develop football talent and interest across the globe and while the (international vs national) ratio sounds good on paper, it didn't make for good football.”

WLAF does intend to play another season in 2024 with a little course correction and ten franchises as they announced last week that the Tokyo Demons would be folded, but the league added three more teams in Germany, the Stuttgart Surge, Leipzig Kings and the Rhein Fire.

[BengalErnst]

XFL 2024 Roster Update

February 14, 2024


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2024 Dallas Renegades - HC, OC, DC, GM, QBs Anthony Gordon, Luis Perez, Drew Plitt and Kelly Bryant, RBs Darrell Henderson, Leddie Brown, De'Veon Smith, Keith Ford and Adrian Killins, WRs Jordan Smallwood, Rannell Hall, Tyler Vaughns, LuJuan Willingham and Victor Bolden, TEs Isaac Nauta, Sal Cannella, Nate Becker and Alex Ellis, OL Bobby Hart, Dru Samia, Roderick Johnson, Willie Beavers, Brian Folkerts, Cameron Hunt, Garrett McGhin, Teton Saltes, Jake Stetz, Parker Ehinger, George Moore and Mike Horton, DL Aaron Adeoye, Will Clarke, Josiah Coatney, Doug Costin, Bruce Hector, DaVonte Lambert and Tomasi Laulile, LBs Storey Jackson, Quinton Bell, Otaro Alaka, Donald Payne, Edmond Robinson, Darnell Sankey, Ryan Mueller, Willie Taylor, Colin Schooler and Isaiah Graham-Mobley, DBs Josh Jackson, Grant Haley, Jamar Johnson, Brandon Rusnak, Nasir Greer, De'Vante Bausby, Shakur Brown, Jamal Carter, Darren Evans, Josh Hawkins, Will Hill, Cre'Von LeBlanc, Jordan Miller and Rahim Moore, P Marquette King and K Taylor Russolino

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2024 Los Angeles Breakers - HC Scott Milanovich, OC Tee Martin, DC Winston Moss, GM Ryan Jones, QBs McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Aqeel Glass and Davis Cheek, RBs Jordan Ellis, Ezra Gray, Wes Hills and Anthony Jones, WRs Marquis Lee, Johnnie Dixon, Taywan Taylor, Jonathan Adams, Eli Stove and Dee Anderson, TEs Lee Morris, Sage Surratt and EJ Bibbs, OL Marquis Lucas, Paul Adams, Kai Absheer, Kirk Kelley, Jack Kramer, Steven Rowzee, Salesi Uhatafe, Khalique Washington and Marcus Tatum, DL Eddie Vanderdoes, Djimon Brooks, Reggie Howard, Ahmad Gooden, Anree Saint-Amour and Keonte Schad, LBs Su'a Cravens, Vontae Diggs, Jordan Brailford, Zakoby McClain, Jerod Fernandez and Shaheed Salmon, DBs Bryce Watts, Greg Eisworth, Saquan Hampton, Mike Stevens, Adonis Alexander, Nevelle Clarke, Derrick Jones, Sidney McCloud, Jarey Elder and Derrion Rakestraw, P Matt White and K Taylor Bertolet

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2024 Omaha Mammoths - HC, OC, DC, GM, QBs John Wolford and Devlin Hodges, RBs Shermari Jones and Brian Herrien, WRs Antonio Callaway, Olabisi Johnson, Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi, Demetris Robertson and Deontez Alexander, TEs Pharoah McKever, Dimitrios Tsesmetzis and Nick Truesdell, OL Obinna Eze, Haggai Chisom-Ndubuisi, Derek Kerstetter, Sharmarious Gilmore, Sadarius Hutcherson, Jerald Foster and Andrew Tiller, DL Vincent Valentine, Shane Bowman, Anthony Zettel, Ryan Glasgow, Deiontrez Mount and Ryan Glasgow, LBs Kyle Emanuel, Marquis Flowers, Jack Cichy, JaQuan Artis, Emmanuel Beal and Blake Lynch, DBs Trey Caldwell, Marcelis Branch, Demontre Hurst, Anthoula Kelly, Nick Nelson, Darrius Bratton and Robenson Therezie, P Jake Schum and K Jonathan Garibay

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2024 San Antonio Commanders - HC Kris Richard, OC Mike Riley, DC, GM Daryl Johnston, QBs Logan Woodside and Paxton Lynch, RBs Tyler Ervin and Tre Harbison, WRs Josh Doctson, Demarcus Ayers, Antonio Gandy-Golden, Kendrick Rogers and Greg Ward, TEs Ricky Seals-Jones, Cameron Clear and Rico Gathers, OL Dillon DeBoer, Kirk Barron, Jean Delance, Ben Petrula, Cohl Cabral, Dominick Jackson and Mason Gentry, DL Marcell Frazier, Will Sutton, Daeshon Hall, Jashon Cornell, Deion Barnes, Matthew Godwin and Arthur Miley, LBs Jayrone Elliott, Kuony Deng, Samuel Eguavoen, Shaan Washington, Julian Stanford and Kolby Harvell-Peel, DBs Darryl Morris, Chris Williamson, Kurtis Drummond, Marqui Christian, Derron Smith, Duke Thomas and Orion Stewart, P Joseph Zema and K JJ Molson

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2024 Chicago Enforcers - HC Lovie Smith, OC Anthony Lynn, DC Mike Singletary, GM Billy Devaney, QBs DeShone Kizer, Dakota Prukop and De'Andre Johnson, RBs Darius Victor, Trey Williams and Kingston Davis, WRs Amara Darboh, Alonzo Moore, Jehu Chesson, J'Mon Moore, De'Mornay Pierson-El, Cameron Echols-Luper and Randy Satterfield, TEs Braedon Bowman, Woody Brandom and Wes Saxton, OL Calvin Ashley, Isaiah Battle, Brandon Haskin, Robert Myers, Terry Poole, Brian Schwenke, Cam Carter, Jake Lacina and Evan Heim, DL Kolin Hill, Toby Johnson, Hercules Mata'afa, Tyshun Render, Tyrone Truesdell, Kenneth Randall, Bryson Young and Deyon Sizer, LBs James Vaughters, Jalen Choice, D'Juan Hines, Chris Orr and Jalen Choice, DBs Blake Countess, Dravon Askew-Henry, DJ Daniel, Trae Elston, Paris Ford, Treston Decoud, Shalom Luani, Anthony Blue and Christian Tutt, P Brock Miller and K Nick Sciba

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2024 Memphis Showboats - HC , OC Todd Haley, DC, GM Dave Razzano, QBs Jarrett Guarantano, Ryan Willis and Brady White, RBs BJ Emmons, Juwan Washington and Tra Minter, WRs LaQuon Treadwell, Carlos Henderson, Rashard Davis, Osirus Mitchell, Derrick Dillon, Devin Lucien and John Franklin III, TE Devin Funchess, Daniel Helm and Jay Jay Wilson, OL Evan Boehm, Jarron Jones, Corbin Kaufusi, Clayton Bradley, Malik Clark, Sadarius Hutcherson, Terronne Prescod, Kwan Stallworth and Matt Burrell, DL John Atkins, Big Kat Bryant, Daylon Mack, Dillon Faamatau, Jeff McCulloch, Viane Moala, Kahzin Daniels, Jordan Williams and Jeremiah Valoaga, LBs Anthony Butler, Nate Hall, Aaron Hansford, TJ Neal and Greg Reaves, DBs Quenton Meeks, Josh Nurse, Obi Melifonwu, Antonio Reed, Karrheem Darrington, Jermaine Kelly, Anthony Cioffi, Delrick Abrams and Stephen Griffin, P Brandon Wright and K Alex Kessman

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2024 Salt Lake City Mountain Lions - HC Mike Nolan, OC, DC, GM Zach Potter, QBs Josh Rosen, Josh Woodrum and Luke Falk, RBs Devontae Booker, Kylin Hill, Aaron Shampklin and Jaylen Samuels, WRs Kaelin Clay, Kenny Bell, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Damor'ea Stringfellow and Auden Tate, TEs Troy Fumagalli, La'Michael Pettway and Anthony Denham, OL Ryan Cummings, Joshua Miles, Zach Banner, Javon Patterson, Jimmy Morrissey, Elijah Nkansah and Tuni Kanuch, DL Darius Hamilton, Tenny Palepoi, Bronson Kaufusi, Karter Schult, David Menard, Mathieu Betts, Sealver Siliga and Handsome Tanielu, LBs Diego Fagot, Luke Carrezola, Greer Martini, Bryce Hager, Kamalei Correa and John Timu, DBs Will Davis, Micah Hannemann, Damarious Randall, Jordan Sterns, Simeon Thomas, Steve Williams and LeShaun Sims, P Lachlan Edwards and K Jake Verity

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2024 Oklahoma City Stampede - HC Bob Stoops, OC Chuck Long, DC Jim Tomsula, GM, QBs Bryce Petty, Ben Holmes and Kaleb Eleby, RBs Kennedy Brooks, Jaquan Hardy and Dimitri Flowers, WRs Dede Westbrook, Geremy Davis, Damion Ratley, Kevin Kassis and Taysir Mack, TEs Donald Parham and Cary Angeline, OL Chance Warmack, Josh Allen, Will Richardson, Alex Balducci, Trevon Tate, Amon Simon, Tyrell Crosby and Maurquice Shakir, DL Frank Alexander, Omarius Bryant, Winston Craig, Cortez Broughton, Tyarise Stevenson, Kingsley Keke, Tony Geurad and Tyrell Thompson, LBs Kamal Martin, Kentrell Brothers, Asantay Brown, Reshard Cliett, Tobenna Okeke and Gerald Rivers, DBs Aaron Colvin, Ronald Martin, Donatello Brown, Marwin Evans, Marloshawn Franklin, Ro Farris and D'Montre Wade, P Nolan Cooney and K Austin MacGinnis

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2024 Houston Roughnecks - HC Wade Phillips, OC Major Applewhite, DC Jim Jeffcoat, GM, QBs Cole McDonald, Brandon Silvers and Nathan Rourke, RBs Brycen Alleyne, Nick Holley, Dejoun Lee and Max Borghi, WRs Tavon Austin, Gavin Heslop, Deontay Burnett, Cedric Byrd, Travell Harris, Jontre Kirklin and Ben Putman, TEs Jevoni Robinson and Garrett Owens, OL Parker Ferguson, Tommy Champion, Sage Doxtater, John Yarbrough, Jack Snyder, Dylan Pasquali, Dareuan Parker, Desmond Noel, James Moore and Alex Mollette, DL Forrest Merrill, CJ Brewer, John Daka, Trent Harris, Jack Heflin, Glen Logan, Trevon Mason, Chauncey Rivers and Tim Ward, LBs Jermaine Carter, Tavante Beckett, Duke Ejofor, Emmanuel Ellerbee, Deandre Johnson, Charles Wiley and Nate Wieland, DB John Brannon, Sean Davis, Ajene Harris, AJ Hendy, William Likely, Jordan Mosley, Alexander Myres, Raleigh Texada, and Kary Vincent, P Race Porter and K Hunter Duplessis

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2024 Seattle Dragons - HC Dave Ragone, OC Dowell Loggins, DC Mike Minter, GM, QBs Ben DiNucci, Steven Montez and Harrison Frost, RBs Phillip Lindsay, Morgan Ellison, Darius Bradwell, Brendan Knox and Charlie Taumoepeau, WRs Josh Gordon, TJ Hammonds, Juwan Green, Blake Jackson, Damion Willis, Jordan Veasy, Kelvin McKnight, Jahcour Pearson and Jaylon Redd, TEs Austin Seferian-Jenkins, OL Paul Grattan, Liam Jimmons, Tejan Koroma, Michal Menet, Chris Owens, Josh Seltzner, Jared Thomas and Barry Wesley, DL Austin Faoliu, PJ Hall, Treyvon Hester, Antwaun Jackson, Daniel Joseph, Niko Lalos and Sama Paama, LBs Tyrell Adams, Jordan Evans, Clarence Hicks, Shareef Miller, Elijah Ponder, Tuzar Skipper, Emmanuel Smith and Tre Walker, DBs Antoine Brooks, Qwynnterrio Cole, Kareem Orr, Rojesterman Farris, Alijah Holder, Chris Jones, Zafir Kelly, Linden Stephens, Bryce Thompson and Mykael Wright, P Cameron Nizialek and K Dominik Eberle

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2024 St. Louis Stallions - HC, OC Skip Holtz, DC John Chavis, GM Randy Mueller, QBs J'Mar Smith, Kyle Sloter, Jalen Morton and Alex McGough, RBs CJ Marable, ZaQuandre White, Bobby Holly and Bo Scarbrough, WRs Adrian Hardy, Marlon Williams, Deon Cain, Michael Dereus, Myron Mitchell, Austin Watkins and Davion Davis, TEs Thaddeus Moss and Jace Sternberger, OL O'Shea Dugas, Darius Harper, Cohl Cabral, Derwin Gray, Darius Harper, Matt Kaskey, Cole Schneider and Lukayus McNeil, DL Willie Henry, Jonathan Newsome, Darrion Daniels, Khalil Davis, Joe Jackson, Joe Ozougwu, Jordan Thompson, Willie Yarbary and Dondrea Tillman, LBs Rashad Smith, Elijah Sullivan, DeMarquis Gates, Quentin Poling and Scooby Wright, DBs David Amerson, TJ Carter, TJ Green, Nate Holley, Donnie Lewis, JoJo Tillery, Brian Allen, Lorenzo Burns, Tyree Robinson and Christian McFarland, P Colby Wadman and K Brandon Aubrey

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2024 San Diego Fleet - HC Mike Martz, OC Jon Kitna, DC Joe Vitt, GM Dave Boller, QBs Nate Stanley and Khalil Tate, RBs Wendall Smallwood, DeAnthony Thomas and CJ Verdell, WRs John Ross, Devier Posey, Adonis Jennings, Jerreth Sterns, Tre McBride and Emmanuel Arceneaux, TEs Seth Devalve, Romello Brooke and Cheyenne O'Grady, OL Damian Prince, Toa Lobendahn, David Steinmetz, Bam Olaseni, Lene Maiava, Storm Norton, Patrick Vahe and Jaelin Robinson, DL Latarius Brady, Hayes Pullard, Roderick Henderson, Curtis Weaver, Alex Jenkins and Andrew Stelter, LBs Peter Kalambayi, Zakoby McClain, Jaylan Alexander and Noah Dawkins, DBs Alden Darby, Jerome Couplin, Mar'Sean Diggs, Ahmad Dixon, Jaylen Dunlap, Harlan Miller, Arrion Springs and Bradley Sylve, LS Thomas Fletcher, P Colton Schmidt and K Giorgio Tavecchio

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2024 Oakland Panthers - HC Jeff Fisher, OC, DC, GM Steve Kazor, QBs Josh Love, EJ Perry and Carson Strong, RBs DeAndre Washington, Reggie Corbin, Cameron Scarlett and Stevie Scott, WRs Cobi Hamilton, TJ Jones, Ishmael Hyman, Whop Philyor, Trey Quinn, AJ Richardson and Devin Ross, TEs Marcus Baugh, Cole Hikutini and Kyle Markway, OL Greg Robinson, Josh Dunlap, Brodarious Hamm, Noah Johnson, Denzel Okafor, Sean Pollard, Gene Pryor, Jarrett Horst, Keith Williams and Corey Hoelck, DL Robert Nkemdiche, Walter Palmore, Garrett Marino, Ron’Dell Carter, Breeland Speaks, Vantrel McMillian, Ethan Westbrooks and Tre Williams, LBs Taiwan Jones, Frank Ginda, Emeke Egbule, Paddy Fisher, Leon Jacobs, Noah Dawkins and Terry Myrick, DBs Jalin Burrell, Tino Ellis, Sean Mahone, Corrion Ballard, Keandre Evans, Kiante Hardin, Delano Hill, Warren Saba, Levonta Taylor and Cory Rahman, P Kyle Kramer and K Cole Murphy

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2024 Mexico City Vipers - HC Rex Ryan, OC Rick Neuheisel, DC Rob Ryan, GM Joey Clinkscales, QBs Brett Hundley and Jalan McClendon, RBs Derrius Guice, Rod Smith, John Lovett, DeAndre Torrey and Brian Burt, WRs Geronimo Allison, Martavis Bryant, Jeff Badet, Saeed Blacknall, Mathew Sexton and Cinque Sweeting, TEs Brandon Dillon, Cam Sutton and Sean Price, OL Clayton Bradley, Jamil Demby, Avery Young, Tony Adams, Quinterrius Eatmon, Kahlil McKenzie, Isaiah Williams, Dohnovan West and Michael Miller, DL Bryant Jones, Cavon Walker, Jah'Sheem Martin, La'Ron Stokes, Destiny Vaeao and Robert Windsor, LBs CJ Avery, Vic Beasley, Paul Dawson, Martrell Spaight, Pita Taumoepenu, Kelvin Pinkney and DJ Calhoun, DBs Jamar Summers, Kevin McGill, Rashaan Gaulden, Deontay Anderson, Marwin Evans, Mister Harriel, Nijuel Hill, Keylon Kennedy, Antonio Phillips, Maurice Smith and Adam Sparks, P Michael Carrizosa and K Bailey Giffen

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2024 Calgary Greys - HC, OC, DC Terrell Buckley, GM, QBs Deondre Francois, Quinton Flowers, Quinten Dormady, RBs Kelvin Taylor, Devin Darrington and Jah-Maine Martin, WRs Travis Rudolph, Dontez Byrd, Stephen Guidry, Andrew Jamiel, Cody Latimer, Charleston Rambo, Eli Rogers, Lance Lenoir, JaVonta Payton and Deddrick Thomas, TEs Jordan Thomas, Ryan Becker and Logan Carter, OL Shawn Page, Jachai Baker, Abdul Beecham, Sunday Deng, Jordan Ighofose, Zeveyon Furcron, Fred Lauina, David Moore and Jalen Spady, DL Nick Coe, Josh Harvey-Clemons, Stansly Maponga, Gerald Willis, Ja'Quain Blakely, JaCoby Jones, Emmanuel Olenga, Caeveon Patton, Trevon Sanders and Kristian Tate, LBs Jeremiah Gemmel, Lakia Henry, Terrance Plummer, Tegray Scales, Terrance Smith, DeCalon Brooks and Erroll Thompson, DBs Tye Smith, Dee Virgin, Matt Elam, Trumaine Washington, Shaq Wiggins, Roman Tatum, Marcus Murphy, Mike Lee, Najeem Hosein, CJ Holmes, Javaris Davis and Josh Harvey-Clemons, P Johnny Townsend and K Jose Borregales

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2024 Vancouver Otters - HC, OC, DC, GM Mike Sheehan, QBs Reid Sinnett, Kurt Benkert, Jack Coan and Jawon Pass, RBs Kalen Ballage, Jon Hilliman, Calvin Turner and Jacques Patrick, WRs KaVontae Turpin, Dan Williams, Jalen Tolliver, TJ Vasher, Fred Brown, Landen Akers, Darece Roberson and Travis Jonsen, TEs Alize Mack, DeAndre Goolsby, Deon Yelder and Jamal Pettigrew, OL Malcolm Bunche, Jordan McCray, Roubbens Joseph, Luke Juriga, Derrick Kelly, Kohl Levao, Damien Mama, Chidi Okeke and Willie Wright, DL Julian McCleod, Justin Alexandre, Drew Beesley, Javier Edwards, Matthew Gotel, Delontae Scott, Mike Scott, Kobe Smith, Kamilo Tongamoa and Mike Tverdov, LBs Ben Davis, Da'Sean Downey, Joel Dublanko, Riko Jeffers, Drew Lewis and Jordan Williams, DBs Luq Barcoo, Tenny Adewusi, Terrell Bonds, Kameron Kelly, Jack Koerner, Ryan Lewis, Kemah Siverand, Ranthony Texada and Sean Williams, P Brad Wing and K John Parker Romo

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2024 Orlando Apollos - HC Jeff Brohm, OC Brian Brohm, DC, GM Tim Ruskell, QBs Garrett Gilbert, Jarrett Doege and Felix Harper, RBs Mark Walton, D'Ernest Johnson, Javian Hawkins and Sola Olateju, WRs Donte Moncrief, Jalin Marshall, Reggie White Jr., Keric Wheatfall and Isaiah Ford, TEs Jordan Leggett and Scott Orndoff, OL Seantrel Henderson, Aaron Evans, Tre Jackson, Marquis Lucas, Grant Hermanns and Khalique Washington, DL Avery Moss, Izaah Burks, Giorgio Newberry, Leon Orr, Haskell Garrett, Justin Hamilton and Jerel Worthy, LBs Victor Ochi, Jordan Kunaszyk, Kadofi Wright, Jachai Polite, Tavante Beckett and Devante Downs, DBs EJ Gaines, Josh Evans, LaDarius Gunter, Kai Gray, Deji Olatoye, Keith Reaser and Marquez White, LS Antonio Ortiz, P Dom Maggio and K Elliott Fry

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2024 Birmingham Steel - HC, OC Doug Marrone, DC, GM Joe Pendry, QBs Jake Fromm and Connor Cook, RBs Trey Ragas, TJ Yeldon and Marshaun Coprich, WRs DaMarkus Lodge, ArDarius Stewart, Javon McKinley and Robert Foster, TEs Kelvin Benjamin, Hale Hentges and Charles Jones, OL Jylan Ware, Larson Graham, Matt Gono, Jarrid Williams, Adrian Ealy, Korren Kirven and Kitt O'Brien, DL Joshua Frazier, Christian Miller, Rickey Hatley, Darius Philon, Antonio Valentino, Casey Sayles and Jeremy Faulk, LBs Stephone Anthony, Johnathan Massaquoi, Tim Williams, Kana'i Mauga and Natrez Patrick, DBs Gareon Conley, Cordrea Tankersley, Max Redfield, Chris Davis, Jordan Lucas, JaCorey Shepherd and Trovon Reed, LS Colin Holba, P Seth Vernon and K Andrew Mevis

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2024 New York Guardians - HC, OC Kevin Gilbride, DC Antonio Pierce, GM, QBs Cody Kessler and Kyle Lauletta, RBs Wayne Gallman, Tim Cook, Raymond Calais and Paul Perkins, WRs DeAngelo Yancey, Dai'Jean Dixon, Keshunn Abram, Keenan Reynolds, MeKale McKay and Kevin White, TEs Jake Powell and Keenan Brown, OL Ereck Flowers, Pier-Olivier Lestage, Anthony Coyle, Kamaal Seymour, Cameron Clark, Curtis Blackwell, TJ Clemmings and Ian Silberman, DL Rykeem Yates, Olubunmi Rotimi, Joey Mbu, Jarrell Owens, Dion Novil, Dominique Easley, Braxton Hoyett and Charles Wright, LBs Grant Morgan, Shauncey Manac, Shaun Dion-Hamilton, Asmar Bilal, Jawuan Johnson and Darnell Leslie, DBs Demetrious Cox, Calvin Pryor, Dwayne Thompson, Antonio Mitchell, Marcus Lewis and Jeremiah McKinnon, LS Tucker Addington, P Justin Vogel and K Sam Sloman

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2024 Columbus Ghosts - HC Jim Tressel, OC, DC, GM Michael Woods, QBs Case Cookus, Vad Lee and Kevin Thomson, RBs Dexter Williams, Matt Colburn, Gerrid Doaks and Darnell Holland, WRs Duron Carter, Devin Gray, Brennan Eagles, Diondre Overton, KJ Hill, Corey Coleman, Chris Rowland and Jordan Suell, TEs Bug Howard, Ryan Izzo and Pro Wells, OL Andrew Donnal, Sean Brown, Jake Burton, Blake Camper, Shamarious Gilmore, Colby Ragland, Airon Servais and Tristen Taylor, DL Ali Fayad, Ralph Holley, Cedrick Lattimore, Adam Rodriguez, Jordon Scott, and Carson Taylor, LBs Josh Banderas, Te'von Coney, Jordan Moore, Jordan Genmark-Heath, Gabriel Sewell and Darius Hodge, DBs Kavon Frazier, Stanford Samuels, Cody Brown, Ladarius Wiley, Evan Worthington, Mazzi Wilkins, Channing Stribling, Joshua Moon and Amani Dennis, P Luis Aguilar and K Max Duffy

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2024 Washington Valor - HC Jay Gruden, OC Adam Gase, DC Chuck Bresnahan, GM, QBs Blake Bortles, Bryce Perkins and KJ Costello, RBs Javorius Allen, Alex Armah and Donnel Pumphrey, WRs Paul Richardson, TEs Donnie Ernsberger, Bucky Hodges and Khari Lee, OL Jake Dixon, Sam Schlueter, Norman Price, Antonio Garcia, Rishard Cook, Luke Bowanko, Randall Harris and Logan Tulley-Tillman, DL Kalani Vakameilalo, Trenton Thompson, Kenny Bigelow, Jay Bromley, Elijah Qualls, Daryle Banfield and Siupeli Anau, LBs Jonathan Celestin, KeShun Freeman, Andrezej Hughes-Murray, Patrick Onwuasor, D'Andre Walker and AJ Tarpley, DBs Reggie Cole, Elijah Campbell, Deion Harris, Josh Jenkins, Tyree Kinnel and Carlos Merrit, LS Joe Fortunato, P Hunter Niswander and K Gabe Brkic

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2024 Tampa Bay Bandits - HC Steve Spurrier, OC, DC, GM, QBs Eric Dungey, RBs Karlos Williams, Ja'Quan Gardner, Reggie Bonnafon and Jordan Scarlett, WRs Rashad Greene, Charone Peake, Omar Bayless, Lil'Jordan Humphrey, KeeSean Johnson and Kasen Williams, TEs Orson Charles and Connor Hamlett, OL Chaz Green, Drew Himmelman, Maea Teuhema, Liam Fornadel, D'Marcus Hayes, TJ Storment, Freddie Burden and Brandon Haskin, DL Martin Ifedi, Praise Martin-Oguike, Caleb Brantley, Pasoni Tasini, Justin Lawler, Jordan Thompson and Anthony Moten, LBs Justin March, Jonathan Woodard, Damon Lloyd, Terez Hall, Dorian O'Daniel and Durrant Miles, DBs Vernon Hargreaves, Mohammed Seisay, Godwin Igwebuike, Marko Myers, Jermaine Ponder and Santos Ramirez, LS Steven Wirtel, P Joseph Charlton and K Ernesto Lacayo

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2024 Philadelphia Brawlers - HC Duce Staley, OC Junes Jones, DC, GM, QBs Phillip Walker, Eric Barriere and Kai Locksley, RBs DeAngelo Henderson, Elijhaa Penny and Marquez Williams, WRs Travis Fulgham, Braxton Miller, Trevon Bradford, Kahlil Lewis, Jalen Saunders and Cam Phillips, TE Caleb Wilson, OL Jon Toth, Isame Faciane, Garrett Brumfield, Sebastian Tretola, Rashod Hill, Christian Olmstead, Jacob Capra and Kevin Palmer, DL Corey Crawford, Nick James, Micah Dew-Treadway, Israel Antwine, Caushaud Lyons and Johnny Maxey, LBs Carl Bradford, Omari Cobb, TD Moultry, Ledarius Mack, Elijah Ponder and Brian Peters, DBs Corrian Ballard, Marqueston Huff, Charles James, Deji Olatoye and Saivion Smith, LS Harrison Elliott, P Austin Rehkow and K

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2024 Pittsburgh Maulers - HC Byron Leftwich, OC Kirby Wilson, DC Ray Horton, GM Lonnie Young, QBs Dwayne Haskins, James Morgan and Troy Williams, RBs Garrett Groshek, Madre London, Duane Gary and Mason Stokke, WRs Bailey Gaither, Justice Liggins, Tre Walker, Isiah Hennie, Hunter Rison and Jalen McCleskey, TEs Artayvious Lynn, Hunter Thedford and Matt Seybert, OL Adam Bisnowaty, Xavier Dampeer, Justin Evans, Charles Baldwin, Myron Cunningham, Tre’Quan Dorsey, Brayden Patton and Colby Thomas, DL Terry Beckner, Carlo Kemp, Chris Okoye, Savion Williams, Nasir Player, Boogie Roberts and Olive Sagapolu, LBs Rueben Foster, Malcolm Howard, Tyson Graham, Dale Warren and Kyahva Tezino, DBs Jaylon McClain-Sapp, Arnold Tarpley, Mark Gilbert, Devin Hafford, Malcolm Elmore, Keith Gipson and Bryce Torneden, P Matt Mengel and K Nathan Hierlihy

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2024 Baltimore Brigade - HC, OC Kevin Sumlin, DC, GM Robert Morris, QBs Kenji Bahar, Montell Cozart and Terry Wilson, RBs TJ Pledger, Dalyn Dawkins, Devwah Whaley and Mark Thompson, WRs Justin Hall, Tyler Palka, Teo Redding, Keke Chism, Deontez Alexander and Anthony Ratliff-Williams, TE Brandon Barnes, Josh Pederson and Julian Allen, OL Nick Buchanan, Avery Gennesy, Tyler Higby, Brandon Hitner, Na’Ty Rodgers, Jordan Steckler, Bamidele Olaseni, Kristjan Sokoli and Braylon Jones, DL Eli Howard, Domenique Davis, Isaiah Chambers, Tim Bonner, Damion Daniels, Reggie Walker, Gimel President and Ikenna Onwuasoanya, LBs Jelani Jenkins, Beniquez Brown, Ronheen Bingham, Khalan Tolson, Isaiah Pryor and Marcel Spears, DBs Micah Abernathy, Trey Hoskins, Donald Rutledge, Dayan Lake, Andrew Soroh, Stefan Claiborne, Jeremiah Johnson, Bydarrius Knighten and Manny Bunch, P Andrew Galitz and K Justin Medlock

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2024 Atlanta Alphas - HC, OC Pep Hamilton, DC David Gibbs, GM, QBs Ryan Finley and Levi Wallace, RBs Ito Smith, Bronson Hill, Artavis Pierce and Peyton Barber, WRs Shaquelle Evans, Malachi Jones, Damon Hazelton, Malik Taylor and James Quick, TEs Keith Towbridge and Charles Standberry, OL John Kling, Tayo Fabuluje, Ulrick John, Toby Weathersby, Jason Spriggs, Christian DiLauro, Jared Machorro and Trae Moxley, DL Corey Vereen, Tavaris Barnes, David Dean, JT Jones, Ronald Blair, Marlon Davidson and Josh Avery, LBs Patrick Levels, Khalil Bass, Connor Strachan, BJ Bello, Ukeme Eligwe and Bryce Notree, DBs Donatello Brown, Dezmen Southward, Ken Webster, Blessuan Austin, Dwayne Hollis and Brendan Langley, LS Ross Reiter, P Jamie Gillan and K Younghoe Koo

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2024 Charlotte BattleHawks - HC, OC Bruce Gradkowski, DC Donnie Abraham, GM, QBs AJ McCarron, Manny Wilkins and Nick Tiano, RBs Mataeo Durant, LaDarius Galloway, Brian Hill and Kareem Walker, WRs Jeff Thomas, Chad Hansen, Jaylen Smith, Hakeem Butler, Marcell Ateman, George Campbell, Gary Jennings, Steven Mitchell, Austin Proehl and Darrius Shepherd, TEs Jovani Haskins and Jake Sutherland, OL Dallas Warmack, Mike Panasiuk, Steven Gonzalez, Vadal Alexander, Juwann Bushell-Beatty, Daishawn Dixon, Jaryd Jones-Smith and Eric Magwood, DL Chris Odom, Freedom Akinmoladun, LaCale London, Taniela Tupou, Kevin Atkins, Shakir Soto, Elorm Lumor and Gelen Robinson, LBs Terrill Hanks, Willie Harvey, Silas Kelly, Tre Watson, Carson Wells and Lakiem Williams, DBs Montae Nicholson, Chris Cooper, Ben DeLuca, Lukas Denis, Elijah Hamilton, Lavert Hill, Nate Meadors and Tim Harris, P Sterling Hofrichter and K Donny Hageman

2024 Preview –


2023 Recap -

2024 London Crusaders - HC, OC, DC, GM Phil Savage, QBs Taylor Heinicke, Kevin Hogan and Nick Fitzgerald, RBs Sewo Olonilua and Warren Jackson, WRs Malik Henry, Riley Ridley, Kyran Moore, Alonzo Russell and L'Damien Washington, TEs Levine Toilolo, Marcus Lucas and Tyree Jackson, OL Jordan Meredith, Hjalte Froholdt, Kevin Bowen, Alex Mollette, Denzel Okafor and Gerhard de Beer, DL Khyri Thornton, Channing Ward, Shamar Stephen, Joel Heath and JoJo Wicker, LBs Terence Garvin, Ro'Derrick Hoskins, Shaq Jones, Dexter McCoil and Nick Dzubnar, DBs Kenny Robinson, Ryan White, Darius Hillary, Harold Jones-Quartey, JaCoby Stevens, Robert Nelson, Joe Powell and Marquez White, LS James Winchester, P Ryan Winslow and K Brett Lauther

2024 Preview -


2023 Recap -

2024 Berlin Bolts - HC Kellen Moore, OC Josh McCown, DC Jerod Mayo, GM, QBs Clayton Thorson, Antonio Pipkin and Brad Kaaya, RB Akeem Hunt, Kerrith Whyte, Bishop Sankey and Xavier Jones, WRs Shelton Gibson, Josh Huff, Isaiah Burse, Dontez Ford, Samson Nacua and DeMichael Harris, TEs James O'Shaughnessy, Gavin Escobar and Clive Walford, OL John Montelus, Daniel Brunskill, Erick Browne, Jared Hocker, Josh Seltzner, Ben Braden, Jeremiah Kolone and Beau Nunn, DL Malik McDowell, Alex Barrett, Damontre Moore, Myles Nash, Alex Tchangam, Tani Tupou and Aaron Jackson, LBs Obum Gwacham, Cameron Judge, Ferrod Gardner, Jordan Glasgow, John Lotulelei and Eric Pinkins, DBs Xavier Coleman, Greg Ducre, Kendall James, Dominique Martin, Damarius Travis and Demetrius Wright, LS Kyle Nelson, P Sam Irwin-Hill and K Rodrigo Blankenship

2024 Preview -


2023 Recap -

2024 Cologne Defenders - HC Gregg Williams, OC, DC, GM Von Hutchins, QBs Jordan Ta'amu, D'Eriq King and David Fales, RB Cam'Ron Harris and Abram Smith, WRs Kelvin Harmon, KD Cannon, Jazz Ferguson, Josh Hammond, Jequez Ezzard, Lucky Jackson and Josh Malone, TEs Briley Moore, Ethan Wolf, Trae Berry and Kahale Warring, OL Gunnar Vogel, Ty Clary, Cody Conway, Dare Rosenthal, Michael Maietti, Kyle Murphy, Liam Ryan and Rod Taylor, DL Jesse Aniebonam, Niles Scott, Fadol Brown, Malik Fisher, Jarrell Owens, Jacub Panasiuk, Gabe Wright, Caraun Reid and Joseph Wallace, LB Shane Ray, Davin Bellamy, Francis Bernard, Ellis Brooks, Jamal Brooks, Ferrod Gardner, Anthony Hines, Andre Mintze and Reggie Northup, DBs Gareon Conley, Josh Allen, Kentrell Brice, Travon Fuller, Michael Joseph, Anthoula Kelly, Cameron Lewis, DeJuan Neal, Santos Ramirez, Nydair Rouse, DJ Swearinger and Isaiah Johnson, LS Brian Khoury, P Daniel Whelan and K Matt McCrane

2024 Preview –


2023 Recap -

2024 Toronto Jousters - HC Mark Richt, OC Ryan Dinwiddie, DC Al Golden, GM Michael Clemons, QBs Cody Fajardo and Kevin Anderson, RBs John White, Jhurell Pressley and Chandler Cox, WRs Keyarris Garrett, Jaleel Scott, Emmanuel Butler, James Letcher, DaeSean Hamilton and Eric Rogers, TEs Temarrick Hemingway, Gerald Christian and De'Quan Hampton, OL Shane Richards, JC Hassenauer, Brian Wallace, Alex Bars, Tim Gardner, Mike Brown and Matthias Goossen, DL Tracy Sprinkle, Jason Strowbridge, Sutton Smith, Elliot Brown, Xavier Kelly and Cordarro Law, LBs Odell Willis, Hardy Nickerson, Jeremiah Gemmel, Christian Albright and Bear Woods, DBs James Sample, Darian Thompson, Tedric Thompson, Shaquille Richardson and Stanley Jean-Baptiste, LS Jake Reinhart, P and K Boris Bede

2024 Preview -


2023 Recap -

2024 Montreal Alliance - HC Chris Peterson, OC Jeff Tedford, DC Mark Dantonio, GM Danny Maciocia, QBs Cole Kelley and Logan Bonner, RBs Jalen Richard, Pooka Williams and James Wilder Jr., WRs Jermaine Wynn and Tyler Snead, TEs Colin Jeter, Jeff Heuerman and Chris Herndon, OL Andrew Lauderdale, Venzell Boulware, Chase Farris, Cole Boozer, Austin Davis, Patrick Lawrence and Michael Dunn, DL Drake Nevis, Julius Warmsley, Ashaad Mabry, Trevon Young, Denzel Chukwukelu and Valentin Gnahoua, LBs Travis Feeney, Jatavis Brown, Woodly Appolon, Wesly Appolon, Lakiem Williams and Kyle Queiro, DBs Khari Willis, Damon Arnette, Taylor Loffler, Kordell Rodgers, Raheem Wilson and Greg Reid, LS Rex Sunahara, P Tommy Heatherly and K Austin Jones

2024 Preview -


2023 Recap – A 2024 XFL Expansion team.

2024 Winnipeg Sea Bears - HC, OC, DC, GM, QBs Dane Evans, Dru Brown and Tyrrell Pigrome, RBs Brady Oliveira, Shannon Brooks and Greg McCrae, WRs Kenny Lawler, Dalton Schoen, Janarion Grant, Nic Demski, Rasheed Bailey, Carlton Agudosi and Amare Jones, TEs, OL Jermarcus Hardrick, Drew Richmond, Ye'Majesty Sanders, Toryque Bateman and Chris Ivy, DL Kony Ealy, Jackson Jeffcoat, AC Leonard, Celestin Haba, Caleb Thomas, O’Bryan Goodson and Ricky Walker, LBs Nyles Morgan, Kyrie Wilson, Malik Clements and Brian Cole, DBs Brandon Alexander, Demerio Houston, Deatrick Nichols, Winston Rose, Desmond Lawrence, Alden Darby, Evan Holm, Jamal Parker and Abu Daramy-Swaray, P, K Sergio Castillo

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2024 Ottawa Blackjacks - HC, OC, DC, GM, QBs Jeremiah Masoli, Dustin Crum and Nick Arbuckle, RBs Shaun Shivers, Jackson Bennett, De’Montre Tuggle and Ryquell Armstead, WRs Justin Hardy, Bralon Addison, Quan Bray, Savon Scarver, Jaelon Acklin and Tevaun Smith, TEs, OL Martez Ivey, Drake Centers, Dino Boyd, DL Lorenzo Mauldin, Michael Wakefield, Kivon Bennett, Nick Heninger, Blessman Ta’ala and Tre Hornbuckle, LBs Jovan Santos-Knox, Chizi Umunakwe, Frankie Griffin, Gary Johnson and Ryan Saddler, DBs Sherrod Baltimore, Cariel Brooks, Monshadrik Hunter, Damon Webb, Abdul Kanneh, Hakeem Bailey, Douglas Coleman and Brandin Dandridge P, K Richie Leone

2024 Preview –

2023 Recap -

2024 Edmonton Stingers - HC, OC, DC, GM, QBs Taylor Cornelius, Caleb Evans and Davis Alexander, RBs William Stanback, James Tuck and Walter Fletcher, WRs Eugene Lewis, Quartney Davis, Chandler Worthy, Keshunn Abram, Austin Mack and Hergy Mayala, TEs, OL Nick Callender, Jamar McGloster, Andrew Garnett and Brett Boyko, DL Daniel Ross, Jake Ceresna, Avery Ellis, Nick Usher, Israel Antwine, Jamal Davis and Mustafa Johnson, LBs Tyrice Beverette, Avery Williams, Bryce Notree and Tony Jones, DBs Jumal Rolle, Kabion Ento, Najee Murray, Nafees Lyon, JR Reed, Wesley Sutton, Dionte Ruffin and Ciante Evans, P, K Dean Faithfull

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2024 Paris Musketeers - HC, OC Norm Chow, DC, GM Marc-Angelo Soumah, QBs Vernon Adams, Zach Edwards, Dominique Davis and Chase Brice, RBs Antonio Williams, Mario Villamizar, Michael Warren and Taquan Mizzell, WRs Lucky Whitehead, Dominique Rhymes, Justin McInnis, Terry Williams, Alexander Hollins, Josh Pearson, Keon Hatcher and Jevon Cottoy, TEs, OL Sukh Chungh, Phillip Norman, Chris Schleuger, Tony Gray, Kent Perkins and Michael Couture, DL Sione Teuhema, Miles Fox, Amir Siddiq, Marcus Moore, Woody Baron and Josh Banks, LBs Josh Woods, Boseko Lokombo, Josiah Schakel, Mark McLaurin and Brooks Parker, DBs TJ Lee, Quincy Mauger, Garry Peters, Emmanuel Rugamba, Marcus Sayles, Exavier Edwards, Cam Hilton, Benjamin Straight, Mike Jones and Jalon Edwards-Cooper, P, K

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2023 Recap -

2024 Munich Ravens - HC, OC John Shoop, DC, GM, QBs Chad Kelly, Bryan Scott and Cameron Dukes, RBs Javon Leake, Dedrick Mills, Deonta McMahon and AJ Ouellette, WRs Davaris Daniels, Markeith Ambles, Kurleigh Gittens, Damonte Coxie, David Ungerer, RaJae Johnson, Markell Castle and Jeremiah Haydel, TEs, OL Trevon Tate, Dariusz Bladek, Aron Johnson, Isiah Cage and Dejon Allen, DL Thomas Costigan, Dewayne Hendrix, Sam Acheampong, Shawn Oakman, Folarin Orimolade, Jared Brinkman and Brandon Barlow, LBs Exree Loe, Jonathan Jones, Wynton McManis, Henoc Muamba and Amin Black, DBs Adarius Pickett, DaShaun Amos, Tarvarus McFadden, Jamal Peters, Maurice Carnell, Robertson Daniel, JT Hassell, Isaiah King and Robert Priester, P, K

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2023 Recap -

2024 Rhein Fire – HC Jim Tomsula, OC, DC, GM, QBs Jadrian Clark, Chase Litton, Jake Maier and Chris Reynolds, RBs Ka’Deem Carey, LeVante Bellamy, Peyton Logan and Glen Toonga, WRs Steven Dunbar, Reggie Begelton, Maurice Ffrench, Anthony Mahoungou, Marken Michel, Tre Odom-Dukes, Jalen Philpot and Tommylee Lewis, TEs, OL Brandon Weldon, Joshua Coker, Hugh Thornton and Caleb Benenoch, DL Mike Moore, Julian Howsare, Terrell McClain, Jabari Ellis, Aaron Donkor and Mike Rose, LBs Tobi Antigha, Micah Awe, Silas Stewart, Darius Williams and Perry Young, DBs Aaron Grymes, Omari Williams, Branden Dozier, Kobe Williams, Natrell Jamerson, Julian Charles, Titus Wall, Nick Taylor, Tre Roberson and Loucheiz Purifoy, P, K

2024 Preview –


2023 Recap -

2024 Stuttgart Surge - HC, OC, DC, GM, QBs Shea Patterson, Jake Dolegala and Mason Fine, RBs Frankie Hickson, Kevin Brown and Jamal Morrow, WRs Mario Alford, Jake Wieneke, Shawn Bane, Tevin Jones and Kalija Lipscomb, TEs, OL Jerald Hawkins, Eric Lofton, Brandon Council, Jeremiah Poutasi and Colin Kelly, DL Bryan Cox Jr., Demarcus Christmas, Miles Brown, Pete Robertson, Christian Albright, Anthony Lanier and Cody Roscoe, LBs Adam Konar, TJ Brunson, Eli Mencer and Derrick Moncrief, DBs Nick Marshall, Jeremy Clark, Rashard Robinson, CJ Reavis, Rolan Milligan, Rodney Clemons and Deontai Williams, P, K

2024 Preview –


2023 Recap -

2024 Hamburg Sea Devils - HC, OC, DC, GM, QBs Jamie Newman, Matthew Shiltz and Taylor Powell, RBs Tayon Fleet-Davis, Sean Thomas Erlington and James Butler, WRs Tim White, Duke Williams, Terry Godwin, Dillon Mitchell, Lawrence Woods, Justin McGriff and Anthony Johnson, TEs, OL Tyrone Riley, Brandon Kemp and Kendrick Sartor, DL Kwaku Boateng, Ja'Gared Davis, Dylan Wynn, McKinley Williams, Cedric Wilcots, Nyles Pinckney, Tre Crawford, Malik Carney and Casey Sayles, LBs Simoni Lawrence, Jameer Thurman, Vosean Joseph, Kyle Wilson and Penei Pavihi, DBs Richard Leonard, Dexter Lawson, Carthell Flowers-Lloyd, Kenneth George, Deion Harris, Chris Edwards and Javien Elliott, P, K Seth Small

2024 Preview –

[zo82]

Little Rock Should have been The Little Rock Stars

[BengalErnst]

Little Rock Should have been The Little Rock Stars

Haha I like the idea. All of these names are merely placeholders for now. I'm honestly using this as a rough draft as I go back and fill in missing details. After finishing the 2023 season, I'll go back to 2011 and get everything updated. Much appreciate you following along. I'm just working on whatever hits my fancy at the moment. Always enjoy hearing your ideas.

If there's one thing I would love to see, maybe like a by-the-decade recap of each franchise. I can figure pretty well from the finances summary who are the most successful franchises with the bonus structure you mentioned earlier, but would be great to see a summary of the decisions that ended up being champion-makers or totally disasterous!! Even in the simplest way maybe just some prior championship years under the team logos on the season roster previews. Love it man, keep it up!!!

I'm finally getting around to this. It's quite the workload running this alt league. I'll be including a lot of summaries and compiled information prior to the start of the 2024 season. I'll likely be going back to 2019 next and finishing the 2019-2022 period before going back to 2011 and catching everything back up. Appreciate the support I've gotten as I've taken on this task. This is definitely a multi-year project.

XFL Championship History
2001 - Tommy Maddox throws for 210 yards and 2 TDs as the Los Angeles Stars destroy the Dallas Desperados 38-6 for the first ever XFL Championship.
2002 - Sherdrick Bonner throws for 286 yards and 3 TDs as the Los Angeles Stars go back to back in defeating Spergon Wynn and the Birmingham Steel, 30-24.
2003 - Clint Stoerner and the Dallas Desperados defeat Danny Kanell and the New York Guardians 34-33 in an aerial shoot out.
2004 - Fred Jackson runs for 187 yards and 2 TDs on 22 carries as the Chicago Enforcers destroy Quinn Gray and Lawrence Phillips of the Las Vegas Outlaws, 34-10.
2005 - Omaha Mammoths led by Rashaan Salaam and Brad Banks are crowned champions over Quincy Carter and the Birmingham Steel, 27-21.
2006 - Brad Banks throws for 387 yards and 4 TDs as the Omaha Mammoths outscore the New York Guardians and Chris Redman 38-30.
2007 - Brad Banks and the Omaha Mammoths finish off the three-peat against Joe Hamilton and the favored Orlando Rage, 26-20.
2008 - Steve Spurrier, Gibran Hamdan and the Tampa Bay Bandits blowout JT O'Sullivan and the Salt Lake Mountain Lions 45-24
2009 - Steve Spurrier coaches Tampa Bay Bandits to repeat as they defeat the Omaha Mammoths 23-20
2010 - Michael Bishop, LaBrandon Toefield and the San Antonio Commanders win defensive struggle versus the Tampa Bay Bandits 17-14.
2011 - Josh McCown and the Houston Stampede with 348 yards and 3 TDs outduel Daunte Culpepper and the Orlando Rage, 35-28.
2012 - Ottawa Force defense forces Vince Young into four turnovers as they defeat the San Antonio Commanders 24-21.
2013 - Rusty Smith and the Oklahoma City Roughnecks outduel Shaun Hill and the New York Guardians, 30-25.
2014 -
2015 -
2016 -
2017 -
2018 -
2019 - Orlando Rage
2020 - Chris Streveler throws for 263 yards and 3 TDs as the Pittsburgh Maulers defeat Trevor Lawrence and the Birmingham Steel, 28-18 in the Covid shortened season.
2021 -
2022 - St. Louis Stallions ride Bo Scarbrough to a 33-30 victory over PJ Walker and the Philadelphia Brawlers
2023 - Taylor Heinicke and the London Crusaders prevent the St. Louis Stallions from repeating as world champions, 24-23.

[BengalErnst]

XFL Week 1:

February 23, 2024

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XFL Week 1:

February 24, 2024

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XFL Week 1:

February 25, 2024

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XFL Week 1:

February 26, 2024

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XFL Week 1:

February 27, 2024

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Uncle Jim Kelly tells QB Chad Kelly to take Fewer Hits after Season-opening Win

February 28, 2024

Little Rock, AR - Little Rock Mudcats QB Chad Kelly got some words of advice from his uncle and legendary Buffalo Bills’ passer Jim Kelly going into his first start of the 2023 season. “He just told me to have fun and take what the defense gives me,” Kelly said. “I’m still hearing it from every single uncle already, ‘Get the hell down.’ I guess I gotta learn but they gotta understand, I was trying to get the first down.”

Kelly threw for 213 yards but was surprisingly effective along the ground, rushing five times for 28 yards. His uncle wasn’t the only one who criticized him for taking too many hits as he drew the ire of his head coach late in the game when he kept the ball on a read-option play. “The hit he took at the end there, I’m like, ‘What are you doing, man? I told you don’t take a hit’ and he takes one. Whatever. He’s gotta learn from that and get better,” said head coach Ryan Dinwiddie. “I called some things a little more conservative just to kind of see where we’re at but Chad’s a gamer, that’s why we chose to bring him in to be our franchise quarterback. We believe in Chad, we knew it from the get-go and we’re continuing to grow together.”

The 29-year-old was the MVP of the World League of American Football last season but is now the unquestioned face of an XFL franchise. He indicated that he worked on his conditioning this off-season, though he still has a ways to go in order to be prepared for a long 20-game regular season. “You’ve gotta be prepared to play a whole game, your body, your mentality, there’s a lot more that comes with being the face. I had to make sure I trained really hard this off-season to be prepared,” said Kelly. “I feel good. I wish I was a little quicker in the second half but that’ll come with endurance and keep on working hard.”

[zo82]

I see Ottawa came crawling back to the XFL and brought some friends along