Monday, Feb. 5, 2001

A learning Xperience

The XFL inundated us with camera angles, microphones and novelties galore; now it’s time to trim off the fat

By Andy Hanacek, Associate editor and XFL analyst

But much like my barbecue skills, the XFL did not put a five-star meal on the field. There were problems. There were lapses. But I do see potential. Maybe I burned the porterhouse steak the first time I cooked one, but I learned the next time. The XFL must study the reactions of its fans and make some changes this week. We want the good meat in the center, not the burned-to-a-crisp garbage on the outside.

Some of the things the XFL needs to get rid of:

• Opie and Anthony: I hope that these two New York radio guys won’t be hosting the pregame show every week on NBC. Who are they? No one seems to know, or care, for that matter. As my cousin so correctly put it, the so-called pregame show was more of a pep rally than anything else. Preview the game in-depth or get rid of it.
• The XFL raved about how it would be a faster-paced game to watch yet spent several minutes allowing the hometown players to introduce themselves and talk trash for a few seconds. Also, the game went much longer than expected. Lose the introductions and go with the graphics that any other broadcast uses. Letting the players introduce themselves destroys the rhythm of the game and adds nothing. No one is going to like a player any more or less based on the fact that he gave a shout out to his posse in Kalamazoo, Mich., or a "hello" to his mom in the Bronx.
• Don’t make the players be something they aren’t. Was anyone else out there on the floor laughing when Ryan Clement and that Outlaws cheerleader tried to spew some football strategy and sexual innuendo at the same time? Um, Ryan, your cue to speak comes when the cheerleader stops talking. Nothing against Clement, but let’s just allow the players to play and not force them to act a part in a grand scheme. If you want to add off-the-field theatrics, that’s fine with me. But let’s find a player who can act first.
• On that note, get rid of the forever-probing sideline reporter. How many times were the reporters ignored or the camera people yelled at? How about Hitmen head coach Rusty Tillman’s angry ultimatum to the camera person during a field-goal attempt in the New York/New Jersey game? There are ways to get the coach’s reaction without getting in his way.
• It’s the little things that matter most: Lose the nicknames on the backs of the jerseys (it took me two quarters to figure out who "He Hate Me" was — Rod Smart); either learn how to work a sound board or get rid of 75 percent of the microphones. The one semi-intelligent thing Brian Bosworth said during the Xtreme-Demons game was completely drowned out halfway through by the crowd, huddle and QB microphones. He was talking about Xtreme RB Rashaan Shehee and why he wasn’t in the NFL anymore.

All in all, though, it was a decent show. The cheerleader shots were held to a respectable number, and the Clement fiasco was the only WWF-like scripting that I can recall. The play was inconsistent but showed flashes: some good performances, some really poor. Enforcers RB John Avery and Maniax RB Rashaan Salaam had monster days, but the Xtreme and Demons both made me want to shut the TV off with their terrible, terrible performances. By the way, UPN is way out of its element in carrying these games. Its broadcast was horrendous.

We’ve gotten a taste of what the XFL will offer the fans. The XFL threw a lot out there, knowing some things would go over well and others would flop.

Now it needs to make adjustments the second time around. Those behind the scenes will get comfortable as the season progresses, and the players will jell a bit more. Those things will boost the quality of the league. But if the XFL is smart, it will trim away the fat and gristle that people don’t like now, and turn this steak into a beautiful dish before fans sour on the boring, bad parts.

The Archives
2000 - 2001 Season