|
| |
 |
|
|
|
Game 3: February 17, 2001
Los Angeles Xtreme at Las Vegas Outlaws |
>>
Game
Stats | Game
Boxscore
|
| |
SUMMARY:
 The
Outlaws let one slip away against the Los Angeles Xtreme tonight
in a defensive battle, losing 12-9 on a final-seconds field goal.
The Outlaws got away from their original game plan, and had another
miserable day on offense, with only 140 total net yards. However,
the Outlaws defense stepped up big against the high-powered offense
of the Xtreme, holding the Xtreme offense to only 186 net yards
and not allowing any touchdowns all night; in fact, the Outlaws
defense has not allowed a touchdown scored yet this season.
The game was not quite a sellout, as total attendance was just over
26,000 fans.
On the opening scramble, Jamel Williams (#28) kept the Outlaws'
scramble streak alive at 3-3, and the Outlaws chose to receive the
Xtreme opening kickoff. Even though defenses dominated this
game, the first score was a field goal by Jose Cortez of the Xtreme,
and the Outlaws offense finally broke loose in the second quarter
on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Mike Cawley (#10) to Corey Nelson
(#7). The Outlaws' PAT failed, however, when Cawley failed to connect
with a wide-open Ben Snell ("Thoro", #33). The Xtreme
managed to get another Jose Cortez field goal just before halftime
to tie the game.
In the third quarter, both teams traded field goals to remain tied
at 9-9, with the Outlaws' Paul McCallum (#17) connecting on a 51-yard
attempt. What set up the Outlaws' field goal was a great punt
recovery by Chris Bayne (#20) at the 34-yard line of the Xtreme,
one of the first offensive punt recoveries in the XFL. The
Xtreme field goal was set up by a 63-yard pass completion from Tommy
Maddox to Damon Dunn.
In the fourth quarter, the Outlaws were moving the ball downfield
in the closing minutes of the game when an errant pass by Mike Cawley
was picked off by Tinker Keck. The Xtreme managed to move
within field goal range, and Jose Cortez kicked a 48-yard field
goal to win the game as time expired. Earlier, Paul McCallum
missed what should have been an easy 39-yard field goal attempt,
which would have ensured that at worst, the game would have remained
tied at 12-12, and gone into overtime.
The story for the Outlaws offense was one of missed blocks by the
offensive line. Mike Cawley was sacked 7 times for a total
loss of 59 yards, and undoubtedly this caused Cawley to try to force
his passes, resulting in 2 interceptions. The Outlaws offense
has managed to not turn the ball over at all in the first two games,
but could not manage the ball the same way tonight. Nearly
every time Cawley dropped back to pass, he was under constant pressure
from the Xtreme rush, but Cawley did manage to gain 34 yards on
5 scrambles. The Outlaws had virtually no running game, gaining
a total of 70 yards on 23 attempts, and 34 of those came from Cawley's
scrambles.
The Outlaws seemed to get away from the game plan they had practiced
all week. During earlier practices, the Outlaws looked to
be drawing plays directly out of the playbooks of the San Francisco
Demons, when the Demons defeated the Xtreme in Week 1. The
Outlaws practiced quick, short passes, utilizing crossing patterns
and sending the WR's deep to stretch the secondary, running quick
screen passes, dropping a RB out just over the scrimmage line in
the flats, and for the first time utilizing the offensive forward
motion. This worked well for the Demons in that game, and
the Outlaws coaching staff looked keen to use these plays to exploit
a possible weakness in the Xtreme defense. This was not to
be, as the Outlaws still tried to develop an unsuccessful running
game against the tough front line of the Xtreme, and tried to make
long throws into tight coverage and without any pass protection.
The Outlaws coaches and offense let this one slip them by, and MUST
make some immediate improvements to the offensive line; next week
the Outlaws face a resurgent San Francisco Demons at PacBell stadium,
and the weaknesses in the Outlaws' offensive line will absolutely
be exploited by them.
The stingy Outlaws defense continues to shine. Although they
allowed the Xtreme to score a season-high 12 points, the good news
is that the Outlaws defense allowed no touchdowns. The Outlaws
are the only team to not allow a touchdown scored yet this season,
with a league-leading average of just 5 points per game. Although
the Outlaws defense bent on several occasions, they never broke,
and bounced right back to keep the Xtreme out of the end zone.
The Outlaws defense remains well-disciplined with very few penalties,
and Brandon Sanders (#27) recorded another interception. The
Outlaws held the Xtreme offense to just 186 net yards, with 147
of those yards being Maddox passes. The run-stuffing of the
Outlaws continues, making the threat of Shehee and Oxendine non-issues.
Pass defense, although forced to bend a bit, stiffened when they
had to, and kept a tight lid on the Xtreme receiving threat.
GRADES:
OFFENSE: D-
Although the offense managed to score a touchdown and a field goal
(thereby avoiding a grade of "F"), they managed to move
the ball for only 140 total net yards. Because of poor blocking
by the offensive line, there was virtually no running game and no
pass protection. If the Outlaws have any hopes of making the
postseason, or even gaining more wins this season, they need to
drastically improve the offensive line's performance. As evidenced
by this game, the Outlaws cannot rely on their defense to outscore
the offense and thereby carry the team; the defense had no points
scored this night, and the offense just could not deliver enough
momentum to record a win.
DEFENSE: A
The defense allowed a season-high 12 points to be scored against
them, but they were all field goals, and the Outlaws have gone three
games in a row without allowing a touchdown. The defense leads
the league in points allowed, averaging just 5 points per game.
Very few big plays were given up, as well as very few penalties,
and the defense continues to shine with their professionalism and
tenacity. Brandon Sanders managed to get an interception,
and Chris Bayne recovered an offensive punt for a huge Outlaws gain.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D
The Outlaws still struggle with punt coverage, as well as poor kick
returns tonight; after Xtreme scores, the Outlaws offense consistently
had to start deep in their own territory. Paul McCallum (#17),
who previously had not missed a field goal all season, made one
field goal but missed another in this game; Paul also averaged just
over 39 yards punting for the night. Jamel Williams is 3-0
on opening scramble recoveries.
COACHING: D
The coaching staff dropped the ball for this game. All week
they studied game tapes of the Xtreme, looking for weaknesses, and
during practices they ran plays they thought would exploit these.
However, come game time, very few (if any) of these plays materialized,
and the plays called were very unimaginative. What offensive
adjustments they tried to make came too little, too late.
The only thing saving the grade from being an "F" is the
defensive play-calling, which remains consistently outstanding by
adjusting to and compensating for offensive schemes presented.
OUTLAWS STARS OF THE GAME:
COREY NELSON: Corey (#7) had 6 catches for 53 yards, including
one for the only touchdown of the game.
CHRIS BAYNE:
Chris (#20) made a great play by recovering one of the first offensive
punts in XFL history, setting up an Outlaws field goal.
BRANDON SANDERS: Brandon (#27) recorded another interception
tonight, his second of the year.
JAMEL WILLIAMS:
Jamel (#28) kept the Outlaws 3-0 in recovering opening scrambles
so far this season.
ENTIRE OUTLAWS DEFENSE: The
defense kept this game in reach for the Outlaws, and played very
tough, very consistently. |
| |
| |
|
|
