Anthony Miller

The Dallas Renegades hosted an open practice meet and greet event on Saturday as it gave fans their first glimpse into what the team is going to look like for the upcoming season. This is also a time for players to take advantage of the time together to not only learn their new systems in offensive coordinator Hal Mumme’s air raid offense and defensive coordinator Chris Woods’ 3-4 scheme, but a chance for them to build chemistry together. Fans saw first hand how much speed and talent is on the offensive side of the ball, and how strong the secondary is looking, after watching seven-on-seven drills. Despite not having the pads on quite yet, there were several tell-tale signs that things are looking up for Bob Stoops’ team.

I’m a Maverick Stadium in Arlington, TX for the @XFLRenegades first public practice for fans to check out. Landry Jones, Philip Nelson, and the rest of the team practicing before their meet and greet with fans at noon. Come say hi to me if you are here! #RaisingHell #XFL2020 pic.twitter.com/cJ97MLtQce

— Anthony Miller (@antmill40) December 14, 2019

Strong QB Situation

This is the quarterback situation that has the least amount of drama as it is clear cut that Landry Jones will be the starter, and Philip Nelson will be his backup. One thing that fans can tell: both of them look capable of running the air raid offense. Both quarterbacks displayed beautiful deep balls thanks in part to the speed of the wide receivers, but both quarterbacks threw perfect spiral passes and the placements of those passes were put in perfect spots. It’s the working relationship between the two that have helped in their development early.

“Landry’s been teaching me a lot,” Nelson said. “I really just kind of follow him around and try to learn as best as I can. Obviously, he has experience in the NFL and I’m just somebody who, it doesn’t matter who you are, I always like to learn from somebody. I can humble myself and anything that I like, I learn from you. Landry’s been a big help for me so far in this offense, especially because he got signed way back, and they have been working on this offense for a little bit, so he’s been teaching me everything so it’s been really good.”

Jones has gone as far as impressing Bob Stoops with his play on the field as well. “Landry in just a week and a half is got the offense down signal and everything,” Stoops said. “He could go out and play a game right now.”

It wasn’t all perfect though, as Jones missed an open Steven Dunbar in the back of the end zone during seven-on-seven when they were near the goal line and Nelson missed on some fade routes in the end zone, but they show pose in the pocket, and understand the system well. The chemistry that they have with their talented receivers were clear from practice and could be scary for opposing defenses once it is developed through training camp next month in Houston.

Deep, Fast Receiving Core

Oh boy, is this receiving core fast! There is so much speed around all their receivers as they displayed it well in all their deep routes they ran during practice. Jeff Badet and Stacy Coley were standouts during practice as they were able to effectively get open and have sure hands. They weren’t the only ones that were impressive in front of the fans.

Flynn Nagel, Joshua Crockett, and Jazz Ferguson stood out with me as both had really good practices on Saturday. Nagel’s 5-11 stature makes him a perfect slot receiver and showed really good hands. He reminded me of a young Wes Welker. If he keeps it up, I could see him compete for one of the two starting slot receiver positions when they run four receiver sets. Crockett is taller and would be more effective on the outside, but ran really good routes and was tough to cover on streak routes. With him being the second tallest receiver in the group, he will need to take advantage of that, and try to make the team by utilizing his height. Another tall receiver that showed good talent: Ferguson. He’s their tallest receiver at 6-5 and showed great ability in adjusting to the ball as he made an impressive over the shoulder catch during practice that impress his teammates and the crowd.

Running Back By Committee

Cameron Artis-Payne was taking first team snaps along with Dimitri Flowers as his fullback/halfback. Artis-Payne showed he’s going to be their inside runner as he has a ton of strength to him, but also showed that he has good hands out of the backfield. He looks to be the favorite to lead the running game.

We also got to see plenty of Dallas Cowboys fan favorite Lance Dunbar, Austin Walter, and Darnell Holland. Dunbar continued to show his main strength, which is to help in the passing game. I can see him being utilized on third down as another pass catcher. The North Texas product had 647 receiving yards in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys and the St. Louis Rams, but hasn’t played since the 2017 season. For Dunbar though, it’s a second chance to step on the field and strap on the helmet once again.

“I just want to get the opportunity to play,” Dunbar said. “Injuries has been my problem in the past and you know I’m healthy. Been healthy for two years and wanna play football.”

Walter and Holland may both either get spots on the roster or both will have to compete for the number three running back spot on the depth chart.

3-4 Defensive Knowledge

Chris Woods is known for running his 3-4 defense when he was a defensive coordinator at Texas State. He will be implementing that same system into his new defense as he will be looking for speed in the secondary and his outside linebackers as pass rushers. One of those speedy linebackers they brought in was former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Jonathan Massaquoi. He played in the NFL from 2012 until 2016 before rejoining pro football in the Alliance with Tim Lewis’ Birmingham Iron team that saw him with a successful run recording three sacks and ten quarterback hits. Without pads on, this mini-camp for the younger players on defense is about learning and adjusting to the new system.

“That’s been a great process for me being a vet and helping these guys come along and seeing them out there making plays,” Massaquoi. “We’re all going to need to come together and win championships and win games together. I’m just happy to be apart of this team and contribute any of my skill set as possible.”

While there is much to be learned, Stoops was confident in where his defense needs to be at this point of the season. “We’re right where we want to be,” Stoops told reporters at the meet and greet. “Coach Woods and our staff there defensively, we’ve got everything in, guys are making checks on the line, and really very few hiccups so it’s been solid.”

Strong Secondary Play

These mini-camps are hard to judge on the defense since there is not much hitting without the pads on, but there was plenty to see with the secondary having to cover all that speed with the receivers. The corners looked good during practice as they showed to have speed of their own. Most had the majority of their practice dealing with one-on-one coverage.

Stand outs in the secondary included Dashaun Phillips and Treston Decoud who will be competing for starting jobs on the team. Both played coverage well in their one-on-one drills and were able to make a play on the ball when they were working. They should be the ones to look like along with AAF standout Derron Smith and NFL veteran Josh Hawkins.

Bob Stoops’ Leadership

For Stoops, he’s familiar with most of the players on the team as he had the chance to recruit most, if not all of them at one point in his college career. Four players on the team are former Stoops players, while the rest are new to working under him. Most of the players on the team are new with Stoops, but he’s given his players a strong first impression through mini-camp as well as the rest of the coaching staff.

“He’s a great player’s coach,” Dunbar said. “The guys are right behind him. Still learning, still getting to know him, still early so we’re still getting to know him, but he’s a great coach.”

“He’s a very good coach obviously,” Nelson said. “He has a lot of accolades. So far it’s been really good.”

“Coach Woods is amazing and Bob Stoops is great,” Massaquoi said. ‘The whole staff is just pristine, pristine all the way around.”

Already a long line for getting an autograph with Bob Stoops. #RaisingHell pic.twitter.com/vdrHpTTXmF

— Anthony Miller (@antmill40) December 14, 2019

The XFL took their next major step to reach their 2020 season with players reporting to mini-camps for the first time Tuesday. Not only that, but the XFL revealed uniforms for all eight of their teams. Teams slowly unrevealed their uniforms in front of players, coaches, and media. One of the first teams that showed off their new threads was the Dallas Renegades.

New quarterback Landry Jones and wide receiver Jeff Badet came out on stage to remove the cloths from the models of their new uniforms. Those in attendance got to see that Jones will be wearing his signature number 12 while we saw that Badet will be wearing his number 13 jersey for the Renegades this season.

Let’s break down and examine the looks of the uniforms and how it lived up to and exceeded fan’s expectations.

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Home Uniform

Let’s first examine the look of the home uniform as the first thing that fans can notice is the XFL decided to go with black as the main color for the body. This is mixed in with the light blue on the shoulders, the sleeves, and the sides of the jersey. The red stripe can be found on the side of the shoulders. The numbers are outlined in white with the main color being light blue and the name of the player on the back of the jersey will be black.

A big thing to note with the jersey is the name of the Renegades, players names, and numbers are all embroidered which has been popular with fans.

The pants for the home uniforms also showcases a black body that included light blue sides and red on the sides as well. The XFL logo has the X outline being light blue and the “XFL” letters being in red.

Away Uniform

The away uniform shows off a mostly white body. The shoulders are filled with black shoulders and red stripes while a black line going down the side of the body of the jersey. There are also light blur cuffs on the jersey as well.

As for the names and the numbers on the jersey, the Renegades name logo found in the front of the jersey is shaded in black. The numbers have a black outline and blue as the main color on the inside. The names on the back are in light blue.

The pants are a solid white that have a black and light blur stripe on the side of the pants. The XFL logo has the big X outlined with black and the inside black. The “XFL” letters are similar to what the home uniforms had with the color being red.

Another key factor to include with both uniforms is that they were manufactured by Custom Outfitters.

Helmet

The helmets are from Riddell that shows fans that the design of it was inspired by their logo. The main color of the logo is their light blue that includes a black facemask. The logo blends in perfectly with the side of the helmets. You can see the big stripe going around the top of the helmet with a thin red stripe going in between the black. The Renegades name logo in the front of the helmet was in a light blue color.

Overall Impression

This demonstrates to me, as well as with the other uniforms, that the league didn’t want to be over the top with the designs, but have something subtle in those uniforms that gets fans excited. I love the fact that they would use the black as their main color for the home jerseys as I would have done the same thing. The black looks slick while the nice blend of the light blue and the small red stripes on both the home and away uniforms really helps with them too.

Nothing would have made more sense than to have light blue as the main color for the helmet as it works with the black and white jerseys. The black and red stripes on the helmets makes a ton of sense and looks good on the helmet. I’m glad the league decided to use Riddell for their helmets are they are one of the best in the business in helmet equipment.

You can find the replica home jerseys on sale for $79.99 at Shop.XFL.com. Authentic jerseys with the number 20 will be on sale for $225 and will be available to buy on December 17th. If you want to customize the jerseys, they will be available at the stadiums during XFL games.

Mini-camps will officially get underway for teams on December 5th and run through the 18th before breaking for the holidays.

The next step in progressing the XFL season took place Tuesday when they release team schedules for the upcoming 2020 season. The Dallas Renegades are one of the most highly anticipated teams of the season simply due to Bob Stoops coming out of retirement to coach the team while also teaming up with his former Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones.

We will examine the Renegades’ ten game season and see which of the games to watch out for and how their home games stack up to their road games.

Week 1: St. Louis BattleHawks (Home, Sunday, February 9th at 4:00 pm CT on ESPN)

One of the most anticipated games of the season comes in week one where Globe Life Park will, for the first time, not be a baseball stadium and we get a first look at how Stoops, Landry Jones, and the high-flying offense operates. BattleHawks’ offense will test Chris Woods’ crew early with Jordan Ta’amu’s mobility and strong backfield. BattleHawks safety Kenny Robinson from West Virginia may give Jones some issues as he debuts as the first college player to leave school for the XFL.

Week 2: LA Wildcats (Away, Sunday, February 16th at 2:00 pm CT on ABC)

First road challenge for the Renegades as their defense has to play good pass defense against Norm Chow’s offense. Should be interesting to see how they do playing an earlier game on the west coast, especially for those younger players who may not be as experienced with it as some of the NFL vets like Jones and Lance Dunbar.

Week 3: Seattle Dragons (Away, Saturday, February 22nd at 4:00 pm CT on Fox)

Brandon Silvers really impressed in the last few weeks of the Alliance season with the Memphis Express which could cause some problems for the Renegades’ secondary. Another road test for the Renegades on the west coast and on a shorter week should show us how good the Renegades are. CenturyLink Field is one of the toughest, loudest places to play in the NFL and the crowd noise could play a factor in how the Renegades’ offense plays out.

Week 4: Houston Roughnecks (Home, Sunday, March 1st at 3:00 pm CT on FS1)

The only in-state rivalry in the XFL should have the state of Texas excited for the XFL’s version of the Lonestar Showdown. Also a great showdown between two great former college coaches in Stoops and June Jones. Dallas’s rush defense will have to be on full display as they could be facing one of the best backs in the league in Andre Williams. Hopefully by this week, Landry Jones and the offense is comfortable enough to be going full speed.

Week 5: New York Guardians (Home, Saturday, March 7th at 4:00 pm CT on Fox)

Matt McGloin leads an offense that has plenty of talent at the receiver position with DeAngelo Yancey and Mekale McKay. Back-to-back home games should help the team play well behind their home crowd.

Week 6: DC Defenders (Away, Sunday, March 15th at 3:00 pm CT on FS1)

Cardale Jones plays in front of his home crowd as this team is loaded with talent on offense and defense. This may be their toughest challenges of the season being on the road and having to deal with Pep Hamilton’s offense.

Week 7: Tampa Bay Vipers (Away, Saturday, March 21st at 1:00 pm CT on ABC)

Tampa Bay has a great-looking running game with De’Veon Smith and defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville’s crew looks tough from top to bottom. Traveling back-to-back weeks on the east coast, this game may be a trap game for the Renegades as we dive deeper into the second half of the season.

Week 8: Seattle Dragons (Home, Sunday, March 29th at 5:00 pm CT on FS1)

The Dragons will make their debut in Dallas as things start to get interesting in terms of the playoffs picture as both teams have been fans’ choices to be the two best teams in the west.

Week 9: Houston Roughnecks (Away, Thursday, April 2nd at 7:00 pm CT on Fox)

The first of two straight weeks playing in prime time on Thursday has the rematch of the Lonestar Showdown from a month prior. Getting closer to the playoffs should make this game a must-win for the Renegades to fight or secure a spot in the playoffs. A short week will makes things interesting and show which coach is up for the task of getting their teams ready for the game.

Week 10: LA Wildcats (Home, Thursday, April 9th at 7:00 pm CT on Fox)

Both teams look good enough on paper that this game could determine who goes to the playoffs or who stays at home. It could even be a preview of the Western Finals game the next week. Either way, both offenses will be putting up a lot of yards so should be a fun game for fans to watch on the Renegades’ second straight prime time game on Thursday.

Conclusion

The early west coast road trips could cause a hiccup or two for the Renegades early, but their home games should be in favor of them. Week 9 could present a challenge with a short week, but they got to love the fact that they could be on prime time the last two weeks of the season for all fans to see. This shows the league understands that the Renegades have two of the biggest names in the league (Stoops and Jones) and they want them on national television as much as they can. The expectations are high as many have picked the Renegades to either win the XFL title or make the title game. If they lose both of their first two road games of the year, it could smell trouble for their season. The best part about a ten game season? Every game counts.

What a week it has been for the Dallas Renegades as not only did they complete their first ever XFL Draft, but they introduced the renderings of Globe Life Park once it’s officially a multi-purpose field for football and soccer.

The week started with the revealing of the eight quarterbacks assigned to their XFL team and then an additional 70 players were added to the rosters the next two days separating between five different phases with offensive skill players, offensive linemen, defensive front sevens, secondary, and the rest of the pack.

Like I had mentioned earlier in the week in my article recapping day one, Dallas Renegades head coach/general manager Bob Stoops and his staff had a plan already in place. They wanted to add a ton of speed on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Let’s take a look at the decisions made by the Renegades and why many believe they had one of the strongest draft classes of the eight teams.

Quarterback Assignment: Landry Jones, Oklahoma

This was the most predictable move of the young XFL league as many had predicted that this might happen to reunite Bob Stoops with his former quarterback. He was one of the most prolific quarterbacks in college football history as he threw for over 16,000 yard and 123 touchdowns at Oklahoma.

His professional experience starting with being drafted in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He started 5 games while appearing in 18 games throwing for over 1,300 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. After being cut in 2018, he would have short stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Oakland Raiders before being cut by both teams.

Jones should come into the season as the clear-cut starting quarterback as he for now will only have to compete with former San Diego Fleet (Alliance of American Football) quarterback Philip Nelson. He knows Stoops very well and is comfortable in offensive coordinator Hal Mumme’s air raid offense so expect Jones to put up big numbers in the air with his strong arm and smart decision making. He should be an early favorite for preseason MVP.

Phase One: Skill Players

1. Jeff Badet, WR, Oklahoma
2. TommyLee Lewis, WR, Northern Illinois
3. Cameron Artis-Payne, RB, Auburn
4. Stacy Coley, WR, Miami (FL)
5. Sean Price, TE, South Florida
6. Kelvin McKnight, WR, Samford
7. Philip Nelson, QB, East Carolina
8. Lance Dunbar, RB, North Texas
9. Donald Parham, TE, Stetson
10. Dimitri Flowers, RB, Oklahoma

Stoops and Mumme wanted to have a ton of speed come from their receivers and they got that in Jeff Badet, TommyLee Lewis, Stacy Coley, and Kelvin McKnight as they spent 4 of their first six picks on wide receivers. The only concern coming from this group is the lack of height which they would make up for in the final phase of the draft. Sean Price and Donald Parham should make up for the lack of height as they will be good targets for Jones to throw to on short yardage situations and goal line.

NFL veterans Cameron Artis-Payne and Lance Dunbar make up an experienced and balanced attack coming out of the backfield. I expect to see former Dallas Cowboy Dunbar make a lot of catches out of the backfield on third down as he has one of the best hands on the team with good speed. Artis-Payne should be the muscle as he shines with inside runs while Dunbar will handle outside runs. I expect former Oklahoma fullback Dimitri Flowers to get plenty of carries on fourth and short situations and get some one-yard touchdowns on the goal line as well.

As for the backup quarterback Philip Nelson, the Renegades have one of the best backup quarterback situations in the league by picking up an experienced quarterback. Nelson made a name for himself when he took over for Mike Bercovici as the starting quarterback to Mike Martz’s San Diego Fleet offense. While the numbers can be deceiving as he threw for 513 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in four games, he was considered one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the Alliance. With his experience in a pass-happy offense and being mobile when he needs to be, I would feel comfortable with him playing should Jones get hurt in the season.

Phase Two: Offensive Lineman

1. Willie Beavers, T, Western Michigan
2. Pace Murphy, T, Northwestern State
3. Maurquice Skakir, G, Middle Tennessee State
4. Darius James, T, Auburn
5. Alex Balducci, C, Oregon
6. Josh Allen, G, Louisiana Monroe
7. Adam Bisnowaty, T, Pittsburgh
8. Salesi Uhatafe, G, Utah
9. John Keenoy, G, Western Michigan
10. Justin Evans, T, South Carolina

Versatility is what Stoops was looking for in his offensive linemen and that’s exactly what he found. Led by former nose tackle Alex Balducci in the middle of the line, his experience snapping balls in shotgun with his former college coach Chip Kelly with the San Francisco 49ers and moving around in pass protection should be a good sign for him to command the calls from the line throughout the season. Willie Beavers, Pace Murphy, and Josh Allen have plenty of NFL experience that should help in the line grow into their own. While Maurquice Skakir doesn’t have as much professional experience as the others, expect him to compete and make an impact from day one in pass protection.

Phase Three: Defensive Front Seven

1. Hau’oli Kikaha, DE, Washington
2. Sealver Siliga, DT, Utah
3. Wilson Craig, DT, Richmond
4. Ray Ray Davison, LB, California
5. Greer Martini, LB, Notre Dame
6. Gelen Robinson, DT, Purdue
7. Frank Alexander, DE, Oklahoma
8. Jonathan Massaquoi, LB, Troy
9. Tegray Scales, LB, Indiana
10. Izaah Lunsford, DT, Bowling Green

Defensive coordinator Chris Woods ran his 3-4 defense at Texas State and it is expected to be the same when he rolls out his defense in game one. Hau’oli Kikaha and Frank Alexander both have plenty of experience in the NFL and showed great pass-rushing experience. The only concern with Kikaha is he’s had a few ACL injuries in his career, but when healthy, he can make a significant difference on the defensive line. Alexander played with Stoops as well in Oklahoma recording 15.5 sacks in his last two years in school. He has a ton of speed off the edge and is the team’s best pass-rusher.

Utah has produced great nose tackles over the years including the Renegades second round pick Sealver Siliga. He has jumped around several NFL teams and played last year with the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance. His 340 pound built makes him an ideal fit to stuff the line on scrimmage and should be a problem for teams that want to run the ball on the Renegades. The rest of the nose tackles are much smaller than Siliga, but add some speed and versatility that should help in passing downs.

Every linebacker picked in Phase Three has had previous experience in 3-4 defenses and possesses a ton of speed. Jonathan Massaquoi leads the charge as he played several years in the system in his time with the Atlanta Falcons. He will be looked at as the veteran leader of the defense to make an impact right away. Ray Ray Davison, Greer Martini, and Tegray Scales are younger players with experience in the NFL, but all have great speed that will learn well from Massaquoi and become great pass rushers outside the tackle box.

NOBODY is having more fun than the #XFLRenegades during the #XFLDraft. We’re bringing the energy on every pick! #RenegadesDraft // #RaisingHell pic.twitter.com/81lwBQx3Ni

— Dallas Renegades (@XFLRenegades) October 16, 2019

Phase Four: Secondary

1. Derron Smith, S, Fresno State
2. Treston Decoud, CB, Oregon State
3. Dashaun Phillips, CB, Tarleton State
4. Kurtis Drummond, S, Michigan State
5. Josh Hawkins, CB, East Carolina
6. Montrel Meander, S, Grambling State
7. John Franklin III, CB, Auburn
8. Doyin Jibowu, S, Fort Hays State
9. Donatello Brown, CB, Valdosa State
10. Ronald Martin, S, LSU

The first five picks with the secondary was a work of perfection for the Renegades. Having the first overall pick of the phase, they made a quick splash with Derron Smith who is a great tackler and straight up a ball hawk at the safety position. He recorded eight pass deflections and three interceptions in eight games with the San Antonio Commanders last season. He should be an impact right away as a starter and should be considered as one of the best coverage safeties in the league. His former counter part with the Commanders Kurtis Drummond also possesses great tackling skills from the safety position and should be a great run stopper when blitzing.

Their top three corners drafted all have played in the NFL who have plenty of years of experience in coverage. Josh Hawkins leads the way in experience as he had significant playing time for the Green Bay Packers and should be a day one starter for them to help be a veteran leader for the corners. Treston Decoud and Deshaun Phillips have bounced around NFL teams, but were great coverage corners in college and proved in preseasons in the past that they can make an impact on receiver’s routes. John Franklin III is an interesting case as he played quarterback in college at Florida State, Auburn, and Florida Atlantic and was one of the stars of the Netflix show “Last Chance U” when he played for East Mississippi. He converted to cornerback and hasn’t had a chance to make an impact since, but the XFL should be a great stop for him to develop.

Phase Five: Open Draft

1. Tenny Adewusi, CB, Delaware
2. Romello Brooker, TE, Houston
3. Asantay Brown, LB, Western Michigan
4. Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
5. Johnathan Calvin, DE, Mississippi State
6. Reshard Cliett, LB, South Florida
7. Joshua Crockett, WR, Central Oklahoma
8. Steven Dunbar, WR, Houston
9. Marquis Flowers, LB, Arizona
10. James Folston, DE, Pittsburgh
11. Drew Galitz, P, Baylor
12. Tony Guerad, DT, Central Florida
13. Jalen Harvey, S, Arizona State
14. Jerrod Heard, WR, Texas
15. Colin Holba, LS, Louisville
16. Darnell Holland, RB, Kennesaw State
17. Nick James, DT, Mississippi State
18. Patrick Lawrence, T, Baylor
19. Austin MacGinnis, K, Kentucky
20. Keith Mumphrey, WR, Michigan State
21. Flynn Nagel, WR, Northwestern
22. Oni Omoile, G, Iowa State
23. Gerald Rivers, DE, Mississippi
24. C.J. Smith, CB, North Dakota State
25. Ray Smith, DT, Boston College
26. Maea Teuhema, G, Southeastern Louisiana
27. Tyrell Thompson, DT, Tarleton State
28. Tre Watson, LB, Maryland
29. Carl Whitley, WR, Abilene Christian
30. Marquis Young, RB, Massachusetts

The highlights of the final phase includes what they did at the receiver position. They have put themselves in a difficult spot (in a good way) as they will have to decide who to keep on the roster between the eleven receivers they drafted in total. Ryan Broyles highlights the first of seven that were taken in Phase Five as he was a two-time All American for Stoops at Oklahoma recording over 4,500 yards and 45 touchdowns in four years. His NFL career was not as success after being a second round pick for the Detroit Lions only recording 420 yards and two touchdowns in three years. He hasn’t played in five years which will be a tough battle for him to work through that, but there was no doubt how good he was at Oklahoma and should have instant connection with his former quarterback Landry Jones. Notable drafted receivers that some would recognize from college includes former Houston receiver Steven Dunbar, former Texas quarterback/receiver Jerrod Heard, and former Michigan State receiver Keith Mumphrey.

Top defenders drafted late includes former Mississippi State star Johnathan Calvin who recorded 11.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in his 2016 college season that earned him third-team all SEC honors. Former Ole Miss defensive end Gerald Rivers played several years in the NFL and should compete for a spot on the roster as a veteran. Former NFL linebacker Marquis Flowers saw significant time in his time with the New England Patriots and was effective on defense and played well on special teams recording 32 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 2017. I expect him to also compete for playing time and will be great on special team coverage.

Giving some love to the special teams, kicker Austin MacGinnis played in the Alliance with the Memphis Express as he proved to be a very accurate kicker hitting 9-11 field goals including a 51-yard field goal. New punter Drew Galitz was second in the Big 12 in punting with Baylor averaging 42.1 yards per punt and should be looked at to handle kickoff duties as he did that job in his time in college.

Conclusion

The team Bob Stoops put together was well done as they add a ton of speed on offense and defense. They have one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the league and the Alliance proved that good quarterback play should mean a successful season. Dallas had the deepest receiver core in the league as defenses around the league better be ready for Landry Jones to throw the ball around often.

The defensive line should be able to pressure the quarterback as Kikaha and Alexander should have no trouble getting around tackles and should make one of the best duos in the league. An experience secondary should mean for offenses to be ready for some ball hawks to snap at every pass. The safeties on this team will be able to help on rush defense as well.

With a mix of a lot of former Oklahoma players, experienced quarterback play, and speed on both sides of the ball, I like to see this team as an early favorite to make the playoffs and contend for an XFL title.

Johnny Manziel at one point was one of the most exciting quarterbacks to play the game when he was wearing the Texas A&M Aggies uniform. Since then? Not so much.

Manziel has bounced around since being drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns back in 2014. He spent two seasons there before being cut from the team in 2016 and then proceeded to join the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League in 2018. After six weeks there, he got traded to the Montreal Alouettes, but after the 2018 season, he was released by the league after they had determined that he had “contravened” with his agreement with the league. He found a home shortly afterwards with the Memphis Express of the now defaulted Alliance of American Football. That’s where this story really begins.

Before joining the Express, the San Antonio Commanders had first claim on him since that was the team geographically closest to where he went to college. Commanders General Manager Daryl Johnston (former Dallas Cowboys fullback) waived his rights and that’s how he joined the Express. Johnston has never been the biggest fan of Manziel and that has been evident in the past, but he’s back in the news again regarding Manziel as he once again says he would pass on him.

“For me the chemistry in the locker room is critical, and especially the quarterback position,” now Dallas Renegades Director of Player Personnel Johnston said according to SportsDay. “He kind of sets the tone, especially for the offensive side of the ball, but really for the whole team. There is so much added responsibility that goes with the face, goes with the voice of the franchise. And I haven’t seen that from Johnny on a consistent basis that I would feel comfortable committing to him.”

There’s no question that Manziel’s troubled past has been the main reason he has not returned to the NFL, but the XFL is a league of second chances. This is where Manziel belongs for two reasons: 1. I have every reason to believe that he has truly matured with how he was with interviews with the Express when he played in the Alliance. 2. He would put people in the seats of every XFL football stadium no matter how people feel about him.

I personally believe the Houston Roughnecks would be perfect for him since he already has a personal relationship with June Jones from their time in the CFL. Manziel does not fit the offensive scheme that Dallas Renegades head coach Bob Stoops will have and I still believe the league will do what it takes to get Stoops and recent signed quarterback Landry Jones back together.

Manziel was average during his time in the Alliance as he was outshined by 3rd string quarterback Brandon Silvers (one of the XFL draft invitees) and never really had a chance to prove himself. I know he had second and third chances in the CFL and the Alliance, but there is still some spark of excitement with how he plays and I think he still somewhat salvage his career. Johnston may not see it now, but with a new league trying to attract attention and giving players another chance at playing professional football, I think it’s time for all of us to move on from the past and let’s give Manziel another shot.