Normally, the end of the NFL season means the end of football. In recent years, various spring leagues have tried to change that.
Various leagues have had various levels of success, but all of them have failed in the end. Will the XFL and the Vegas Vipers be just another example of that?
Maybe.
But I’m willing to give them a shot.
The Vipers dropped their first game of the season against the Arlington Renegades. Despite the loss, they showed me more than enough to get excited about the season.
Here are 3 reasons why I will give them a chance, and maybe you should too.
Extra Points
This XFL season will feature several interesting rule changes from other leagues. One of my favorites is the extra point rules. After a touchdown, teams have three options.
- 1-point attempt from the 2-yard line.
- 2-point attempt from the 5-yard line.
- 3-point attempt from the 10-yard line.
This simple rule change makes the game strategy much more interesting, particularly at the end of the game.
For example, this weekend, Arlington scored a touchdown to go up by 7 points late in the game. They chose to go for 1, which was successful, putting them 8 points ahead.
That strategy was ultimately successful because Vegas failed their 2-point conversion at the end to lose by two points. However, if Arlington wanted to be more aggressive, they could have gone for 3, giving them a chance to make it a 9-point game. That would have essentially put the game out of reach.
These extra point rules will keep the losing team in games longer. In the NFL, a 9-point deficit is a two-possession game. In the XFL, you’re one touchdown and a 3 point conversion away from forcing overtime.
Talent
Spring leagues are only worthwhile with talented players. Nobody wants to watch bad football.
Thankfully, the Vegas Vipers have plenty of talent.
Obviously, they aren’t an NFL-level team, but they are pretty darn good nonetheless.
There were some mistakes, but overall the first game was very clean. There were plenty of great catches on offense and some big defensive plays.
One pleasant surprise for me was the level of tackling. XFL team all had short training camps that were light on contact. That’s a recipe for lousy tackling. Thankfully that was not the case, and it made the game much more watchable than it would otherwise have been.
Passion
It was refreshing to watch football played with real passion. Players on both teams were excited to compete, and it showed.
Almost every player in the game is playing with the hope of keeping their NFL dreams alive. That level of motivation stands out.
There is no need to miss football because the NFL season is over. There are passionate, talented players right here in Vegas playing for the Vipers.
It’s not the NFL, but if you give it a chance, I think you will find that it’s still pretty darn fun to watch.
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