Slickster 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 On February 3, 2001, the XFL began its first (and only) season of pro football. Your thoughts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisMWaters 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Ah, what could have been... There should have been more time to prepare these guys for the games...and more preparation in the referees... ...hell, it could have lasted with better overall execution. Insted, it was just executed. ...sadly, I still have an XFL shirt in my closet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slickster 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 The flag football league I started today is called the XFL. I thought it a fitting tribute to the quality of play we saw that season. *rimshot* No, seriously, I picked the name because people still remember it and because most of the old XFL graphics and logos are still available online. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BifEverchad 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Your thoughts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Papacita 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 I think the XFL could've worked if Vince didn't try so hard to compare it to the NFL. Really, it was no worse than arena football. I still get a kick out of that Simpsons episode where Homer's preparing for the second XFL season. Edit: ^ YES!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RavishingRickRudo 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 My thoughts: It was football. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 It was poorly executed by NBC and Vince, the announcing was horrible and the play was even worse since they gave the guys about 3 weeks to prepare to play. They were all basically expansion teams and no one on the planet gave it a chance because it was WRESTLING OWNED FOOTBALL. The Arena league was on a small network to start so it wasn't under the pressure the XFL was. The XFL was on NBC which was trying to make it NFL2 which wasn't fair to those players. It could have been decent and an excellent training ground for the NFL. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ravenbomb 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 I dislike football, so I didn't watch it except for the first game, and it seemed like the one they weren't showing was the better game anyways Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slickster 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 I dislike football, so I didn't watch it except for the first game, and it seemed like the one they weren't showing was the better game anyways You're right; when Vegas went up 19-0 in the 3rd quarter, they cut to the game in...LA, I believe, that was more competitive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
razazteca 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Having angles in the lockerroom, having JR & Gov. Ventura as announcers, and the gimmick player names were the WORST IDEAS EVER in sports. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damaramu 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Angles in the locker room? Did another team ever do a run-in? "Hey what's Las Vegas doing here!? They're not even in this game! OH MY GOD! INTERCEPTION......TOUCHDOWN! IT'S CARNAGE BY GAWD! A PERFECTLY GOOD FOOTBALL GAME RUINED BY THESE SOULESS HEATHENS!" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Enigma 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Angles in the locker room? Did another team ever do a run-in? "Hey what's Las Vegas doing here!? They're not even in this game! OH MY GOD! INTERCEPTION......TOUCHDOWN! IT'S CARNAGE BY GAWD! A PERFECTLY GOOD FOOTBALL GAME RUINED BY THESE SOULESS HEATHENS!" They told us that during a halftime of one of the games, they would take us inside one of the cheerleader's locker room and indirectly advertised nudity. Instead, what happened was Vince McMahon coming up to a cameraman outside the locker room who was nervous to go inside. Vince ended up knocking the guy out and we went into a dream sequence of the cheerleaders in the locker room which probably could have been rated PG. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest FrigidSoul Report post Posted February 4, 2004 If done correctly it could have been a great place for undrafted FAs to go and prove their stuff, thus possibly getting picked up by the NFL. Vince could have made tooooooons of money off the NFL if he had looked at it that way, selling off player's rights to go to the NFL and get out of the XFL. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tony149 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 I dislike football, so I didn't watch it except for the first game, and it seemed like the one they weren't showing was the better game anyways You're right; when Vegas went up 19-0 in the 3rd quarter, they cut to the game in...LA, I believe, that was more competitive. I actually liked the XFL but a number of things killed it from the start: hardly any training camp, Vince jumping on the NFL, the major sports networks being in bed with the NFL (I'll always remember Fox Sports Net's Chris Rose mocking the Las Vegas Outlaw player who dropped a pass in the endzone - like that doesn't happen in the NFL), the medias dislike of Vince, etc. I still believe people would of given the XFL more of a chance (doesn't mean it would of lasted) if they would of broadcasted the game from FL instead of falling for the "big market" (NY/NJ Hitmen vs. Las Vegas Outlaws). The Orlando Rage game was pretty good from what I remember; one of the teams scored very quick. Week 2 had the XFL's best game in the infamous Lorne Michaels gets pissed because the game ran long causing SNL to delay J-Lo's appearance. It would of been a helluva pay-off for NBC & Vince had the thing succeeded. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tony149 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 If done correctly it could have been a great place for undrafted FAs to go and prove their stuff, thus possibly getting picked up by the NFL. Vince could have made tooooooons of money off the NFL if he had looked at it that way, selling off player's rights to go to the NFL and get out of the XFL. Supposedly before Vince decided to end the XFL he called the NFL asking if they would like to use the XFL as a developmental league but the NFL either said no or didn't bother returning the call. I read that somewhere, whether that was true I don't know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RavishingRickRudo 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 It was football. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slayer 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 My thoughts: It was football. It was football. What was it? Forgotten in all this is what cult phenomenon really began three years ago around this same time... you know what I'm talking about "...In AD 2101, war was beginning..." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RavishingRickRudo 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 It was football. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slayer 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 It was football. What you say? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
razazteca 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 My thoughts: It was football. It was football. What was it? Forgotten in all this is what cult phenomenon really began three years ago around this same time... you know what I'm talking about "...In AD 2101, war was beginning..." ......On the 6th day HE created football. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes Report post Posted February 4, 2004 I tried watching the first week, but the problem with me is I can't sit through a whole football game, because... a.) I ain't a fan really. b.) I have no idea what's the difference between each play c.) I have a short attention span for football. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Krazy Karter Report post Posted February 4, 2004 I liked the Vegas franchise. It was neat watching the city sell-out the games because they never had a football team before. The league would have lasted had they waited a year to pick up players that got passed on in the NFL Draft. Pressure from NBC to draw ratings didn't help either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Frank_Nabbit Report post Posted February 4, 2004 XFL was seen in the Future in "The 6th Day" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
justcoz 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 I loved the XFL and was never really ashamed to admit it. Vince and NBC's mistake was throwing it in prime time and instantly trying to compete with the NFL with so little prep time. Also, with the exception of Jim Ross and Jesse, there should have been no wrestling announcers. Putting Lawler in there was a HUGE mistake. I thought the media's bias towards it absolutely sucked. They wanted so desperately for the thing to fail and set it up for exactly that. I remember the guys at my office were all psyched to do XFL fantasy football. We picked our teams from the XFL home page and researched their college stats. Two weeks into it we realized that no papers were going to publish any of the player stats. They were only reporting on the decline in ratings with small blurbs with the scores. So fantasy football wasn't an option anymore and a lot of the guys, in fact, mostly all of them, stopped watching all together. If the media didn't care about the thing and were predicting it's death within the 2nd week (with no comments on how the game was really good) - why should anyone care? They ripped on the quality of play without even taken into consideration that these guys were thrown out there with no prep time, no training camp, some didn't play the game for years. That was poor execution on Vince and Ebersol's part. As the season went on, the quality of play got better. Never did the media praise the fact that they were payed to win which was a brilliant thing in modern day sports. It was a great stepping stone to the NFL for many of the guys. Here in Pittsburgh, we wouldn't have had Tommy Maddox, had it not been for the XFL. The media mocked He Hate Me as how ridiculous the XFL was but how many NFL announcers today still refer to Rod Smart by that name? The NFL still hasn't been able to use the mic on players, coaches, refs, etc. as effectively as the XFL did. The games were more fun to watch due to that and they had some innovative camera angles. I started to respect Maddox as a QB seeing how well he ran that LA team and how passionate he was out there. The Vegas and San Francisco teams were my faves. Those fans at San Francisco were great. I wish there would have been a second season. And think of how much less Vince we'd have on tv. LISTEN TO PITTSBURGH'S MUSIC SCENE Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JN News 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 It was football. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes Report post Posted February 4, 2004 I Still love basketball more. GO KNICKS!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest FrigidSoul Report post Posted February 4, 2004 OMGNOTWWERELATED~! Move to sports please, kthanx Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes Report post Posted February 4, 2004 OMGNOTWWERELATED~! Move to sports please, kthanx It's wrestling related! Anfernee Hardaway....uh....BODY SLAMMED....Reggie Miller through the court. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slickster 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 OMGNOTWWERELATED~! Move to sports please, kthanx Well, with the promotion it got on WWE programming for 14 months, it might as well be in this folder. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scroby 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 To be honest, I liked the XFL, it was differant and pretty entertaing to watch. I tried to watch as many games as possible to get a better feel for it , but here's where I think Vinccy made a mistake, marking it to be better than the NFL. There are just to many die hard NFL fans, who like the traditional game and not the new one where less rules apply. As much as I liked the XFL even as much as Homer I kinda got the idea it wasn't gonna take off, reasons being 1. Fans turned off because it's being ran by a wrestling promoter 2. Not Football people annoucing, wrestling annoucers don't make good Football annoucers, even if they have done it before, stick with what you know 3. Cutting from game to game...just show highlights. 4. Home team not getting their own channel so you can watch their game but have to watch teams you don't really want to watch 5. Not enough teams, wasn't there only like 10? I forget 6. People just saw it as a joke I funniest thing I remember happen on Raw after the 1st games, if you remember Vince got extremely high ratings and he had busted like 13 nuts and he came out on Raw to open the show, and the crowd was doing the asshole chant, and vince yelled "If you don't show me respect, You'll never get your own XFL football team" or something like that....OH THE IRONY IN IT ALL! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
