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Dean Blandino Explains the Reasons Behind Some of the XFL's Rules

Published on March 1, 2023 under XFL (XFL) News Release


When XFL Vice President of Officiating and Playing Rules Innovation Dean Blandino started to work with his team on creating the XFL rulebook for the 2023 season, he didn't have to go far for inspiration. He knew that many of their rules worked from the 2020 season.

All they needed to do was spruce up some parts.

"We didn't look at it and say, 'Okay, we've got to make a whole bunch of changes and reinvent the wheel,'" Blandino said. "We really liked the foundation that we had built. There were just some minor tweaks."

The XFL rules drew some of the biggest headlines during the 2020 season, from new kickoff rules to eliminating PAT kicks. Here are some of the most important rules to know and why they are included in the XFL rule book.

One-time challenge of anything

Of all the XFL rules, Blandino is most excited about the one-time coach's challenge of any play during the game.

Unlike the challenge flag in the NFL, which is limited to what can be reviewed, the XFL challenge can be called for any call - or non-call - in the football game.

"We've never done this," Blandino said. "We talked about it when I was at the NFL, never did it. College, we've never done it where they can challenge anything. Any officiating decision could be a foul, a flag that was thrown, could be a flag that wasn't thrown, and they felt they should have been."

During the opening game between the Vegas Vipers and Arlington Renegades, Vipers head coach Rod Woodson threw the flag to review a potential offside on the defense during a fourth-down play.

While Blandino ruled that no Renegades player was offside on the play, the challenge illustrates the wide-ranging potential of the rule. Anything at any time could be reversed, and it could swing games in many different directions.

"I'm just really interested as to how the coaches are going to use this because even if they win it, they don't get another one," Blandino said. Are they going to save it for the very end of the game? At what point did they feel like the reward is so big that it outweighs the risk."

Centralized replay center

All replays will be reviewed in a centralized replay center led by Blandino. The discussions within the booth and between the booth and referees will be broadcast to viewers watching the games across the world. Blandino is excited about the transparency this will provide and the trickle-down effects on the game.

"We really feel like that transparency helps the fans understand more about the game and how the officiating process works," Blandino said. "It also eliminates any questions about what just happened. It really just allows people to listen in, see the replay folks, myself, the officials do their thing. I think it eliminates a lot of the negativity."

The 4th-and-15 Alternative to Onside Kicks

One of the most intriguing rule changes for the XFL season is the fourth quarter onside kick alternation. Teams will have the option to convert a 4th-and-15 attempt from its 25-yard line to keep the ball instead of attempting an onside kick.

It will only be able to be attempted in the fourth quarter of games.

"It just gives our teams another option in the fourth quarter," Blandino said. "We feel like that's an exciting play, a fourth-down play when the team has to make it."

Teams will also be able to attempt a traditional onside kick.

The first successful 4th-and-15 attempt has already happened. The St. Louis Battlehawks converted their attempt late in the fourth quarter as it completed a memorable comeback to defeat the San Antonio Brahmas.

The Battlehawks conversion and subsequent win perfectly encapsulated what Blandino and his team were hoping for with the rule change.

They likely aren't the only ones noticing its benefits, either.

"It's going to be something we continue to look at," Blandino said. "I know the NFL is going to look at it. It just gives the NFL more, more opportunities to see it in in real life football action and then it just helps them make decisions going forward."

Kickoffs

Minus the 4th-and-15 "onside kick," there are no changes to the XFL kickoff rule, which got rave reviews during the 2020 campaign. Other than the kicker and the returner, the other nine players line up five yards away from one another with the returning team's players at their 30.

The rule is meant to dissuade returners from taking a knee while also increasing safety as players won't be charging at each other full-steam ahead after 30-to-40 yards of dead-eye sprinting. Kickoffs have traditionally been the most dangerous play in the NFL.

The results in 2020 were impressive. Over 90% of XFL kickoffs were returned, which is more than double the number that get returned in the NFL.

"The kickoff isn't new from what we did in 2020," Blandino said. "But it was so unique in 2020 and a lot of work went into that kickoff, that alignment and the feedback was extremely positive."

PATs

The PAT rules are the same as in 2020. Kicks are still gone. Tiered conversation attempts are in. It is a one-point attempt from the 2-yard line, two-point attempt from the 5-yard line and three-point attempt from the 10-yard line.

"With the three-point try, now a nine-point game is no longer a two-score game," Blandino said. "It changes the strategy. It gives a team that's behind the opportunity to make that three point try and to come back. That's really what we're about. It's that balance. It's trying to get the games to be close games."

Overtime

There were no overtime games during the 2020 XFL season, meaning Blandino never got to see the XFL rules in action. For that season, each team would get five alternating attempts to score from the 5-yard line. Each successful attempt is worth two points.

Blandino and his team made only one change to the rule in 2023. Instead of getting five attempts, it will be three attempts. If it is still a tie after three tries, the teams will continue alternating until one team is the winner.

The decision to shorten the minimum number of trials was based on player safety. While each try is only one play, Blandino and his team thought it would be best to try and limit the potential exposures to injury.

"We're excited about that because really every snap is going to be a big play in overtime," Blandino said. "It's either a score or a stop."

Play Clock

There were some minor changes to the play clock this season that Blandino believes will help with the flow of the XFL game.

One is that there will be a 35-second play clock, which is up from 25 seconds in 2020. The other is that with under two minutes remaining in each half, the game clock will stop and start like during a college game. That means it will stop on a first down but restart after the ball is spotted by the referee.

"Game flow and number of stoppages during the game is really important to us," Blandino said.

Double Forward Pass

The double forward pass rule is back after debuting in 2020. It states that teams are allowed to pass the ball forward twice as long as the first pass does not cross the line of scrimmage and the ball does not cross the line of scrimmage prior to the second pass.

There were multiple double forward passes during the 2020 season, which captured the attention of many football fans across the world.

"It just adds a layer of strategy and creativity," Blandino said. "It's a wrinkle that that fans I think like. They like those types of trick plays. I think it's going to be something that as teams get more comfortable and the coaches get more comfortable with their personnel. I think we're going to see more of it."

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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