Patriots' Playoff Hero Terrell Buckley Blasts XFL Team: 'Look at the Scoreboard!'

The home of Walt Disney World has proven to be anything but the happiest place on Earth for New England Patriots postseason hero Terrell Buckley.

Buckley's first two weeks as a professional football head coach have not gone according to plan, as his Orlando Guardians (0-2) sit in the cellar of the XFL's South division after the first two weeks of rebooted spring league. Though Buckley's Guardians are not the XFL's only winless team (two more reside in Las Vegas and Seattle), their first two efforts have left plenty to be desired: Orlando's two losses have come by a combined 59-point margin, giving it the worst point differential through the third XFL attempt's first couple.

Terrell Buckely did not hold back 😳@XFL2023 | @XFLGuardians pic.twitter.com/q3ABgdfONh
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 26, 2023

In each of its incarnations, the XFL has enhanced its game presentations with sideline access, including in-game interviews at crucial parts of the contest. Buckley became one of the league's sideline stars through a brutally honest rant during the Guardians' 30-12 loss to the San Antonio Brahmas.

With San Antonio spoiling the XFL's return to Central Florida (which previously hosted the Orlando Rage in the original, mostly disregarded 2001 edition), Buckley refused to sugarcoat things when ESPN's Dawn Davenport asked him what it would take to flip momentum in a game that quickly slipped from the Guardians' grasp.

“I’m seeing guys not performing ... look at the scoreboard, they’ve got to perform," Buckley said. "We’ve got to get different guys in there. Obviously, I’ve got guys out there that are not competing, that are not making plays, so we’ve got to get people in there, young men that want to play…that want to compete and make plays.”

XFL's Guardians coach Terrell Buckley keeps it honest 😂pic.twitter.com/StSNNYuGB7
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) February 26, 2023

Though Orlando mustered a 6-6 tie by the end of the first quarter, the Guardians let up 21 consecutive points and allowed the Brahmas (1-1) to secure their first victory. Buckley wasn't interested in finding any silver linings: when Davenport asked him if he could garner any positives, the former Patriot bluntly and quickly replied "No."

Notable players stationed on Buckley's roster include NFL first-round picks Matt Elam and Paxton Lynch, as well as former Florida State star Deondre Francois. The team moved to Orlando after playing the abbreviated 2020 XFL season in New Jersey.

Buckley has plenty of experience in defying professional football odds: he played a sizable role in the Patriots' improbable run to Super Bowl XXXVI, nabbing an interception in the AFC title game win over Pittsburgh before a fumble return set up Tom Brady's first career Super Bowl score in the win over St. Louis. He might have to channel some of those championship memories to lead the Guardians out of an early hole.

Orlando returns to action next Sunday afternoon when it battles the Arlington Renegades on the road (4 p.m. ET, FX).

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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