XFL Is Back: Any Patriots?
X marks the spot ... third time's the charm?
Football in February is no longer an exclusive privilege to New England Patriots fans, as alternative football has risen to the occasion once again. This weekend marks the third at the XFL, whose identity stems from the infamous, professional wrestling-style league from 2001, one dominated by gimmicks and kayfabe. A more grounded attempt at XFL football came about in 2020 but was cut short due to the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now headed by actor Dwayne Johnson and entrepreneur Dany Garcia, the XFL returns with its eight teams partaking in a quadruple-header starting on Saturday: the Arlington Renegades host the Vegas Vipers in the afternoon (3 p.m. ET, ABC) while the Orlando Guardians face the Houston Roughnecks at night (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/FX). The league, meant to be a continuation of the 2020 edition, resumes on Sunday with the St. Louis BattleHawks battling the San Antonio Brahmas (3 p.m. ET, ABC) before the return closes out with the Seattle Dragons against the DC Defenders (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
While the New England area has not hosted a team in any iteration of the XFL, there will be plenty of former Patriots to keep an eye on ...
Arlington: DB Cre'Von LeBlanc
Le'Blanc, whose most recent NFL experience came in Las Vegas' camp this past summer, went viral amongst Patriots fans for a one-handed, end zone interception in his unofficial first NFL contest, a preseason victory over New Orleans in 2016. Though LeBlanc didn't make the roster, he played the summer fame into a two-year term with Chicago, victimizing Matthew Stafford for a pick-six during his rookie campaign.
DC: WR Josh Hammond
Relatively devoid of Patriots partakers, the only Defender who actually wore a Patriots helmet on a de facto game day was Hammond, who did so last summer during the preseason. Hammond, a late camp addition after he was waived by Philadelphia, was the Patriots' leading receiver with 33 yards in a loss to Las Vegas.
Houston: LB Trent Harris
Another preseason hero, Harris has seen the Patriots play both host and opponents to his personal brands of history. It was New England that offered him his first taste of the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Miami in 2018 and he rewarded that faith with 2.5 sacks during the ensuing summer, which earned him a season-long spot on the practice squad. After that term earned him a Super Bowl ring, the Florida native earned his first regular season snaps with, appropriately, the Miami Dolphins and took down Tom Brady for his first official quarterback drop.
Orlando: Head Coach/GM Terrell Buckley
The renovated Guardians, who move from New York, are led by Buckley, a New England postseason hero who helped kickstart the Patriots' long-running dynasty. Joining the Patriots in 2001 after nine years between Green Bay, Miami, and Denver, Buckley came up big in the run to the first of six Vince Lombardi Trophy hoists. He had an interception that helped preserve a two-possession halftime lead in the AFC title game in Pittsburgh and later recovered a Ricky Proehl fumble forced by Antwan Harris in the Super Bowl. The 15-yard return allowed Brady to develop a quick drive before the half that ended with his first Super Bowl touchdown pass, an eight-yarder to David Patten.
San Antonio: OL/ST Coach Pete Mangurian
With over four decades of coaching experience to his name, Mangurian was the Patriots' tight ends coach for four seasons (2005-08), including their perfect regular season campaign in 2007. Mangurian, who previously spent time at the helm of Ivy League schools Cornell and Columbia, is working through his second XFL tour, holding the tight end coach's spot with the Tampa Bay Vipers in the abbreviated second try in 2020.
St. Louis: TE Jordan Thomas
The BattleHawks, packed to the brim with recurring Patriot foes (with Proehl on the coaching staff of former New York Jet Anthony Becht), are short on New England representation, the closest example being Thomas. a sixth-round pick of the Houston Texans in 2018, Thomas was one of many COVID-induced replacements during the 2020 campaign and played two games with a Flying Elvis on his helmet.
Seattle: WR Josh Gordon
The Dragons hold, by far, one of the XFL's most recognizable names in Gordon, well known for pairing on-field brilliance (leading the NFL in receiving yards with the Cleveland Browns in 2013) with personal issues off of it. New England played host to one of his NFL comebacks after he came over from Cleveland in 2018 and he made a notable first impression by catching Brady's 500th career touchdown pass. Though another suspension prevented Gordon from partaking in the Patriots' run to Super Bowl LIII, he earned a ring for his efforts. Upon his return, Gordon had 73 yards and a score in the opening win over Pittsburgh in 2019 but a knee injury led to his waiving and eventual signing with the Seattle Seahawks.
Vegas: OT Antonio Garcia
Garcia never played a down for the Patriots after he was chosen in the third round out of Troy in 2017 (his arrival announced by long-tenured Patriot Matthew Slater), but his time with the Vipers is the continuation of a remarkable football comeback. Having developed blood clots in his lungs, Garcia worked his way back to the field and eventually made his way through the systems of several teams before making his professional debut with the CFL's Edmonton Elks last year.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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