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INAUGURAL GAME
Game 1: February 3, 2001 |
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SUMMARY
 The
Outlaws made an impressive show in their very first game, highlighted
by the sellout crowd of over 30,000 fans. The defense played
very well, shutting out the Hitmen, and the Outlaws offense showed
a lot of improvement over past scrimmage performances. The
Outlaws opened the game by recovering the ball on the scramble,
and they elected to receive. The Outlaws offense minimized
their mistakes and capitalized when they had to. The Outlaws
kicking game remained a strong point, as did their very quick and
intelligent defense. One area that appears to need some improvement
for the Outlaws is their kick/punt coverage; Hitmen returns frequently
got out to around their own 40-yard line, even when fielding a kick
or punt near their own end zone.
The Outlaws missed an opportunity to make the score 20 points on
a PAT attempt, when the pass from Ryan Clement bounced off the hands
of Rickey Brady; Rickey compensated for this with a great catch
on a deflected pass for an Outlaws touchdown. The solid play
from the Outlaws defense made this missed PAT a non-issue.
On another PAT play, wide-open offensive tackle Lonnie Palelei made
the catch for the point score. Most of the Outlaws' points
were scored in the first half, and in the second half the Outlaws
concentrated on maintaining their lead and running the clock down.
Rod Smart got most of the running call time in the first half, while
Chris Chukwuma and Ben Snell got the majority of play in the second
half. Several big plays for big gains were recorded by various
Outlaws offensive players, and the Hitmen were lucky that more points
were not scored against them.
The Outlaws defense showed how hard they make it to run against
them. The Hitmen were virtually unable to get any positive
yardage in the middle of the field, and were only mildly successful
around the ends. The pass rush of the Outlaws kept constant
pressure on all three Hitmen quarterbacks, and they recorded several
sacks. Kelvin Kinney got his first sack in an XFL game, and
kept up the pressure on the quarterbacks. This helped keep
the Hitmen quarterbacks contained inside a rapidly-collapsing pocket,
and as the game went on the Outlaws defensive tackles were able
to gain even better penetration and pressure. The Outlaws
linebackers, led by Kurt Gouviea, were just as effective against
the pass as they were against the rush. Marcel Willis, Toran
James and Jonathan Jackson all had good performances, and were also
effective blitzers. The secondary coverage of the Outlaws
was excellent; the tight coverage allowed more pressure by the pass
rushers. Brandon Sanders recorded a great interception which
just about sealed the Hitmen's fate. The Outlaws defense bent,
but never broke, as evidenced by a couple of fourth-down stands
in which the Hitmen came up short each time.
The Outlaws didn't display any significant injuries to any players,
but several Hitmen had to be carried off the field. Hopefully
these players will be able to recover and rejoin the team this season.
The XFL put on quite an admirable performance, and kept the fans
involved in the game. Videotaped clips of The Rock and Stone
Cold were shown on the replay screen to pump up the fans, and Vince
McMahon made an impassioned speech before the game. The audio
mikes in players' helmets kept up an ongoing commentary within the
stadium that is largely lacking in NFL games, helping fans feel
like they were on the field and in the game. Fireworks were
set off on each of the Outlaws' scores, but these caused some problems
the replay screen. Fan involvement was kept high throughout
the game, and the cheerleaders frequently made their way into the
stands to mingle with the fans. An interesting thing lacking
from this game was the net behind the goalpost; after the balls
sailed through the uprights on the Outlaws' field goals, they dropped
into the arms of eager fans. It was also nice to have the
opposing team members being booed when they came onto the field,
something I haven't heard in an NFL game in quite a while.
The play level was definitely professional, and the only drawback
evident was the long breaks in play for television commercials.
I expected a faster pace of play in comparison with NFL games, but
the pace seemed comparable to that of the NFL with all the long
commercial breaks. The increased individual expression by
players was an enjoyable addition to the game; player introductions
and statements, as well as personalized jerseys ("He Hate Me"
on Rod Smart, and "Chuckwagon" on Chris Chukwuma).
This all seemed to be well-received by fans and players alike.
The sterility of many NFL games was replaced with a much-higher
emotional level in this one. There were more fights in the
stands than on the field, and on-field celebrations were kept to
a minimum as the play clock was still running; the coaches cannot
afford to allow excessive celebrating and risk a delay of game penalty.
Overall, it was a very impressive performance by the Outlaws and
the XFL. |
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