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Sunday, February 04, 2001
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal |
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Fan Duey Williams watches the Outlaws cheerleaders perform on Saturday
during the first half of Las Vegas' game against the New York-New
Jersey Hitmen.
Photo by Clint Karlsen. |
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XFL shows as much flesh as it does pigskin
Phantasmic, bordering on orgasmic.
Let there be no doubt: "X" marks the G-spot in the world of professional
football. Make that "X," as in the XFL.
Vince McMahon's sexed-up, flexed-up new football league made its
national television debut Saturday night -- live from Las Vegas
-- and it was a heart-pounding, heavy-breathing success.
If I do say so myself.
From the buxomy hometown Outlaws cheerleaders, who showed even more
skin than skill; to a booming, bursting pregame fireworks display
that was hot, hot, hot; to a Jumbotron TV screen that literally
put the 30,000-plus fans at Sam Boyd Stadium in the offensive and
defensive backfields, this was everything anyone could have expected.
And more.
That's because the football was more than representative, more than
competitive -- it was really quite good. Especially as played by
the Outlaws, who jumped out to a 19-0 halftime lead over New York-New
Jersey, then relied exclusively on their defense in the second half
to win by that score.
Las Vegas' defense held the Hitmen to 205 yards in total offense,
allowed only one third-down conversion and kept quarterbacks Charles
Puleri, Corte McGuffey and Wally Richardson off-balance and clearly
off their game.
While the Outlaws failed to score in the second half -- "inconsistency,"
coach Jim Criner termed it -- the offense did enough coming out
of the glitzy pregame presentation to make up for it.
Ryan Clement threw a pair of touchdown passes, and Paul McCallum
kicked a pair of field goals as the Outlaws rode roughshod on the
New York-New Jersey defense.
"It was great football,"
said Las Vegas center David Diaz-Infante, who played on the Denver
Broncos' back-to-back Super Bowl championship teams. "Of course,
it's not the NFL. But there was a helluva lot of guys out there
who could be playing in the NFL. There are a lot of reasons other
than talent why guys aren't in the NFL.
"If anybody
says this isn't good football, I will tell you they don't know a
thing about the game."
OK, but just how good was the football. Criner said in the week
leading up to Saturday night's opener that it would be the best
level of football other than what can be found in the "N."
While impossible to quantify the quality, Criner reaffirmed his
contention in a postgame news conference that the "X" is better
than anything you would find at the major college level.
"Our team, especially in the first half when the game was very
much in question, played real solid football on both sides of the
line of scrimmage," Criner said. "I don't care what national championship
team in college you would ever have, they'd have gotten run off
the field tonight. They'd be nowhere near as good a football team.
...
"The league does not have real depth at the quarterback
position, but every other position on the football field you saw
quality athletes who could run, hit, catch the ball -- do everything.
"I'd hate to line up against our defense. I don't care what
college you went to."
That good, solid football would finally take center stage was amazing
considering the electricity that led up to the opening kickoff.
McMahon, the man who made the World Wrestling Federation a big draw
among young males on Monday nights when ABC-TV's venerable "Monday
Night Football" airs, came through on his promise to make the XFL
something special.
He used the same premise as with his supremely successful professional
wrestling venture. He involved the fans in the production, from
having cheerleaders dancing in the stands to TV announcers interviewing
newly born, elaborately adorned Outlaw faithful to the broadcast
team of Matt Vasgersian and Minnesota Gov. Jesse "The Body" Ventura
calling the game from an open-air booth located amid the crowd at
the 50-yard line.
"It's great football, and it's
great entertainment," Ventura said. "I was in full confidence in
the product we were putting forward. This is football, and I knew
it all along."
McMahon, as expected, summed it up best: "I thought there was the
right complement of sensuality. I thought there was the right complement
of conflict. I thought there was the right complement of smash-mouth,
hard-hitting football."
Especially smash-mouth, hard-hitting football. |
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