Guardians Game Day Thread, Week 6: vs Houston

[StoneSentry]

It seemed to take forever but our first game is coming up! We are officially on duty Sunday, 2:00 PM EST on ABC.

We've got our work cut out for us. The Vipers are favored to win this game and eventually the championship, so we've got people sleeping on New York before their season even starts. I'm not sure what to expect but I hope the HC/QB experience edge will guide the Guardians to victory!

Latest Injury Report (subject to change):

TB: DeAndre Goolsby, TE, Neck, DNP
TB: Jason Neill, DL, Groin, Limited
NY: Keenan Brown, TE, Illness, DNP
NY: Joe Horn, WR, Ankle, Limited
NY: DeJuan Neal, CB, Thigh, Full participation

Official Guardians Theme Song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzx5jpmq_vo

I love it. I'm pumped, rocking my '47 Guardians hat, and ready to go!

[WayBackFan]

Very enjoyable game.

The XFL is impressive so far.

[Tank55]

All right, which one of you was this guy?

https://twitter.com/AthleteTweetts/stat ... 3244363777

[StoneSentry]

All right, which one of you was this guy?

https://twitter.com/AthleteTweetts/stat ... 3244363777

Hey, I wasn't even at the stadium. Or at least, you can't prove I was.

Well! What a butt-whooping. I was expecting a win but not a near shutout. Tampa Bay moved the ball down the field just fine, but all their potential scoring drives were undone by gut-wrenching mistakes. Too early to tell if they're just that bad or our defense is just that good.

What did impress me was how well our team capitalized on those mistakes. I loved the energy and motivation they showed. They really believe in each other, their quarterback, and Coach Gilbride. Our offense stalled later on, and if not for Jamar's pick-six we wouldn't have had any second-half points at all. Run blocking needs improvement. But other than that, I'm happy with the Guardians' start.

The Week 2 game with D.C. will teach us a lot about how good the team really is. I'm looking forward to it.

[StoneSentry]

Well, this week's game was bowling shoe ugly as an original XFL announcer might say. The o-line was banged up and got pushed around all day, McGloin played poorly and conducted himself unprofessionally, and the defense can only do so much when the offense can't stay on the field.

D.C. looked fantastic on both sides of the ball, aside from some timing issues on the line. Looks like they'll be one of the most exciting teams to watch this year. New York's starting QB situation will be interesting to follow as the week goes on.

[StoneSentry]

Following their offensive meltdown against DC, the Guardians have the unenviable task of playing the scrappy St. Louis Battlehawks in their home opener. The fans down there have been waiting for years to get their football back, and 28,000 of them will be booing our every offensive snap.

Whatever went wrong last week, I hope Coach Gilbride has fixed it. Otherwise the Guardians don't stand a chance here. Starting center Ian Silberman is probable for this game, as is RB Darius Victor and safety Andrew Soroh. We'll be needing all of them to bring some cohesion back to the o-line, establish a running game, and prepare our secondary for the mobile but mistake-prone Jordan Ta'amu.

Even if we lose, I'll be satisfied if we get some points on the board and reassert ourselves as a team. (That's spelled T-E-A-M, without an I, just in case Matt McGloin needs help.) Go Guardians!

[StoneSentry]

Just about everything that could go wrong did last week against the Battlehawks, from sloppy penalties to poor play-calling and execution. Beating St. Louis in their home opener would have been a difficult task even if we had come prepared, but since we didn't, things got ugly fast.

Now we go back to New York to face the Wildcats, who just earned their first win of the season against the Defenders and looked great doing it. Still, this is a very winnable game. L.A. is a strong defensive team, so if the Guardians make more simple mistakes like they have recently, they'll get picked apart. I hope we clean up our play on both sides of the ball and give them a lot of different looks. Then we'll be able to sustain some drives for a change.

I wonder if they'll give Luis Perez another chance. Things certainly can't get much worse behind center.

[StoneSentry]

After last week's impressive stand against the L.A. Wildcats, the Guardians finally have something positive to build on. The defense did its thing, special teams looked good (blocking a FG attempt that would have tied the game), and Luis Perez did just enough at QB to win. He might have done more but there were some drops and miscommunications. He hasn't practiced with these receivers much, so that's to be expected.

The Renegades have a MUCH better running game than the Wildcats, and we'll have to be ready for it. If they score first and are able to dictate the pace with that rushing attack, New York will be in big trouble. If we limit the run and force them to pass, I like our chances. Their backup QB Phillip Nelson is solid but not a game-changer like Landry Jones. Dallas looked like a different team without him in Week 1.

If we're a good team, which I believe we can be, we must be able to win on the road. Let's go get this one.

[StoneSentry]

The team showed us even more improvement in Week 5, picking up their first win on the road. The defense bent but rarely broke, and offense is operating smoothly with Luis Perez who is swiftly gaining his teammates' respect. It he keeps this up, there's no way McGloin gets his job back.

This brings us to our biggest test of the season: the undefeated Roughnecks. They are confident (perhaps even arrogant) and explosive, and they've always found a way to win. But make no mistake, they are human and they can be beaten. We'll have to play our best football on both offense and defense. P.J. can be pressured into mistakes against our opportunistic secondary, and I think we can run on these guys. Being at home in fairly mild weather (forecast says mid-50s) will also help, particularly if the attendance is higher due to last week's victory.

Let's shock the league and bully these guys for 60 minutes.

[djltocino]

The team showed us even more improvement in Week 5, picking up their first win on the road. The defense bent but rarely broke, and offense is operating smoothly with Luis Perez who is swiftly gaining his teammates' respect. It he keeps this up, there's no way McGloin gets his job back.

This brings us to our biggest test of the season: the undefeated Roughnecks. They are confident (perhaps even arrogant) and explosive, and they've always found a way to win. But make no mistake, they are human and they can be beaten. We'll have to play our best football on both offense and defense. P.J. can be pressured into mistakes against our opportunistic secondary, and I think we can run on these guys. Being at home in fairly mild weather (forecast says mid-50s) will also help, particularly if the attendance is higher due to last week's victory.

Let's shock the league and bully these guys for 60 minutes.

Agreed, StoneSentry.

With the last home and road win we're right in the mix. Hopefully the momentum draws a larger crowd at MetLife this Saturday. Starting to play well on both sides of the ball, which is what we need going into the second half of the season. This is a big one against Houston. A win this weekend would be huge. #OnDuty