XFL Power Rankings After Week 1
By Michael Luciano
Week 1 of the XFL is officially in the past, and it was nothing short of a massive success given the ratings, attendance, successful implementation of new rules, and overall quality of the product on the field. Having said that, some teams fared MUCH better than others on the scoreboard, and it's time to take stock of the league's inaugural eight teams as they prepare for Week 2 action that kicks off this Saturday.
8. Tampa Bay Vipers
Who would have imagined a Marc Trestman-led offense would sputter out frequently? Aaron Murray was objectively terrible, as he couldn't lead the Vipers to a touchdown in their loss against New York. USF legend Quinton Flowers helped move the offense down the field, but Trestman seemed unwilling to let him throw the ball at all. Overall, Tampa has a LOT to work on as they prepare to take on Seattle on the road next week.
7. Los Angeles Wildcats
Winston Moss is not playing around, as he already fired defensive coordinator Pepper Johnson after one blowout loss against Houston. With Josh Johnson out, former Princeton star and Cardinals practice squad veteran Chad Kanoff made some nice throws, but was extremely inconsistent. The Wildcats defense will be under the microscope, as that leaky unit now must contend with an Air Raid attack that Dallas will throw at them.
6. Seattle Dragons
Jim Zorn's return to coaching produced a quality showdown with a loaded DC team, but former Troy QB Brandon Silvers came up just short. Seattle has a penchant for big plays on offense, but they also let up quite a few on defense, which ultimately sunk their ship in their first game. A matchup against Tampa Bay could help a stagnant Dragons running game and poor secondary get on the right track.
5. Dallas Renegades
The Air Raid of Hal Mumme was grounded with Philip Nelson in the game instead of Landry Jones, as Bob Stoops' Renegades mustered just nine points in a home loss to St. Louis. No matter who is under center, Dallas might have the best collection of skill position players in the league, led by former Oklahoma star Jeff Badet. They must be put to good use against Los Angeles this weekend if the Renegades want to avoid 0-2.
4. St. Louis BattleHawks
Jordan Ta'amu should be on an NFL roster, and he proved as much when he went 20-27 passing and ran for 80 yards in a road victory over Dallas. Former Redskins running back Matt Jones was the league's leading rusher in Week 1, and that ground and pound style could make St. Louis one of the toughest teams in the league to beat every single week. Jonathan Hayes and the BattleHawks travel to Houston in what should be a classic Texas shootout.
3. New York Guardians
Former Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride returned to MetLife as Guardians head coach, and he made Matt McGloin look like prime Eli. McGloin carved up the Tampa Bay secondary as New York won 23-3 in their first game of the season. They will face a much tougher offense when they travel to Washington for a matchup against DC, but there was a lot to like from the Guardians' vertical passing game in Week 1.
2. DC Defenders
Cardale Jones was arguably the league's marquee player, and he showed why in a win over Seattle in the league's first ever game. Pep Hamilton and Jones tore up the Dragons' defense as the Defenders emphatically announced that they will be championship contenders this season. Their pass rush came and went at times, and that unit needs to be on their A-game if they want to take down Matt McGloin and New York to move to 2-0.
1. Houston Roughnecks
June Jones brought the run-n'-shoot to the XFL, and was it ever spectacular. Former Temple star and Colts backup Phillip "PJ" Walker threw for four touchdowns as the Roughnecks had their way with the Los Angeles Wildcats. You're only kidding yourself if you didn't think Jones and Walker's aerial circus in Houston wasn't the most impressive sight from the first week of games. They will try to move to 2-0 against a physical St. Louis team in Houston.