Inside the XFL - Championship Game Review

by Fran Stuchbury
May 18, 2023 - XFL (XFL)

The 2023 XFL season came to a close Saturday. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia, and private investment firm RedBird Capital Partners purchased the XFL and its assets for roughly $15 million in August 2020, a few months after its previous ownership entity, led by World Wrestling Entertainment founder Vince McMahon, filed for bankruptcy.

The XFL Championship, held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, was the first football championship I have covered for OurSports Central since the United Football League Championship held in Omaha, Nebraska, in 2010. I have covered all three versions of the XFL from the original that lasted only one season in 2001 to the 2020 revival by Vince McMahon which came to end after five weeks with the COVID-19 shutdown to the recently-completed campaign.

Upon arrival, the field looked fantastic with a blue Renegades end zone and a red Defenders end zone. The XFL Championship Trophy was on display as well. A worker at the Alamodome mentioned the facility will install a $12 million audio and video system over the coming weeks which will give fans an even better game experience.

When the D.C. Defenders arrived I was able to speak to a several of them one-on-one.

Defenders starting quarterback Jordan Ta'amu previously played for the XFL's St. Louis Battlehawks in 2020.

"In 2020 it was a lot of fun as well," he recalled. "We were in our cities in 2020. Now being all in Dallas and traveling every week for our games has been really fun; just being able to travel with our teammates. We actually finished this year completing all ten games with the playoffs and the championship. Really happy to be part of the XFL again; I have been having a lot of fun since then, probably the most fun I have ever had."

Ta'amu praised his coach, Reggie Barlow.

"He has brought a lot of confidence within our players," Ta'amu said. "He installed a lot of great tips, a lot of great points, in team meetings in the morning and motivates us to be better than who we are as people and as players."

After the abbreviated season in 2020, Ta'amu took the field with the Tampa Bay Bandits in the United States Football League last season.

"It helped me a lot to continue my playing streak and just playing games," he said. "The USFL helped me to just get live bullets firing at me, live action and reps. That's what I needed. I did lead the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns, but I did have a lot of interceptions. Coming into the XFL, I wanted to minimize the interceptions and more touchdowns and be smart with the ball whenever I have it."

He showed off his mobility this year wtih 301 rushing yards during the regular season.

"I have always been a duel threat guy and use my legs whenever I needed to. I feel like that is another weapon our offense has, whenever we need to use it."

On the game, Ta'amu said, "We need to start fast, get on the board early and kind of keep that momentum up the whole game. I feel like the first time we played them I feel we let them get back to the game. We just need to continue to score points and not let the foot off the gas."

Playing at a neutral site in San Antonio, Defenders Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams recalled the impact of D.C. Defenders fans and the passion they brought with the beer snake.

"They are just fantastic, they just do a phenomenal job," he said. "The thing about that is it brings me back to my memories back with the old Washington Redskins when I was a coach with them, too. We didn't have the beer snake but just the passion of the fans, 'The Hogs and Hogettes,' and all the things that were going on there now with the beer snake. It's a fantastic opportunity to play in front of those people and have them be part of our team"

Offensive Coordinator Fred Kaiss agreed.

"They are unbelievable," he said. "Our fans are the best, no offense to anyone else. My wife asked, 'Will they travel here?' I told her I would be shocked if they didn't. I have never been in a place where they are so excited and friendly. They are wild now."

Kaiss was the offensive coordinator at Alabama State from 2010 until 2013 under Defenders Head Coach Reggie Barlow. He credited Barlow with much of their success.

"It was all about Reggie Barlow," Kaiss said. "I said if Reggie Barlow has something nearby, that would be the guy I would go back to because he is amazing, he really is. I love him to death and he does a fantastic job."

On Reggie Barlow being a head coach in the NFL down the road: "I would be shocked if he's not. I worked with some coaches for a really long time. I have never seen anyone like him, he seems to get better everyday. He's a players coach, communicates well with them, he's just a great person, he really is. I can't say enough praise for him."

"It's been amazing. We got great coaches, we got some great players; when you surround yourself with good people great things happen," Kaiss stated. "We got a fantastic team, they buy in, believe what the coaches are doing. It starts from the top: coach Barlow is amazing."

Defenders Defensive Back Santos Ramirez reflected on his favorite moment of the XFL season.

"To be honest, I feel like it was the victory after the Orlando loss just because that showed me that, from that point, going through everything we had gone through in that season, from that point, it felt complete," he remembered. "Even going through the most adversity, there is always a new week, and you can bounce back and get back on your winning streak again. That shows the type of men we have on this team. We are adversity killers; that is how we see ourselves. We don't believe that people thought we would be at this point. But we always had each other's backs. After that game, after losing against Orlando and winning the next week, that shows the camaraderie and what we have as a team."

Defenders running back Abram Smith, the XFL's leading rusher, encouraged players to embrace the opportunity offered by the XFL.

"Don't give up," he said. "This is a stepping stone to who you want to be. A lot of us come from the NFL, a lot of different backgrounds. Just don't give up. It's not going to rain forever, and the sun is going to come out eventually. So all of that hard work you put out there when no one is looking, when nobody is watching [is what matters]. Coach Barlow always says it best, 'If you want to do it in public, you have to do it in private.'"

Defenders Head Coach Reggie Barlow won the XFL's Coach of The Year Award after previously winning honors as the top coach in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

"It's humbling, and it's a blessing to be picked by your peers to win an award like this," he said. "I think as all of you know, without the support of the assistant coaches - there is so much that goes into being successful - down to the trainers and videographers. Obviously, Von Hutchins, our Director of Player Personnel, all of our assistant coaches: these guys did a great job of 'Paul Revering' our message to our players, and of course the players have been lights out. They have taken coaching; they have trusted. I'm just happy and proud to be a part of this team. I'm really proud of them; they have played well this year. We're looking for more of that. And, we always want to represent for the CIAA and the SWAC. We love our HBCUs."

On the other side Arlington Renegades Head Coach Bob Stoops pointed to the success of his team since they acquired quarterback Luis Perez.

"We've been terribly inconsistent all the way up to our last game, the divisional game," admitted Stoops. "A few things though, I think we've found our rhythm offensively and that's really helped us, and I think a big reason for that is Luis Perez, our quarterback. That was only his fourth game with us in that divisional playoff game. He's a galvanizing guy in the locker room so I think that's been the biggest boost. The guys around him, I think, have started to play more confidently and are surer of themselves also."

The well-traveled Perez, traded earlier in the season from the Vegas Vipers, embraced the chance to play for the XFL Championship.

"Yeah, it's an unbelievable opportunity to come out here and play for the XFL Championship," he said. "I think this is all we wanted when we first signed up for the XFL, and just to be in the game is a huge accomplishment, but we've got to come out with a win tomorrow."

For much of the season laboring at Vegas, a championship seemed little more than a dream.

"I would say, me, we can go back to, we were playing St. Louis, and you know, was kind of bouncing back and forth with quarterbacks in Vegas, and they ended up making a decision," Perez recalled. "We were out of the playoff run, so they didn't activate me and played other guys that hadn't played. That was probably the lowest moment, you know, coming from, you have all these dreams and aspirations of making it back to the NFL. Me, personally, and obviously you can't do that when you're inactive, so that was probably the lowest part of the whole season. Obviously, the highest was, one, getting traded to Arlington and making that jump and then being here today."

Renegades linebacker Donald Payne looked forward to the title game as well.

"We started this journey back on January 6 and the only goal the Arlington team and Coach Stoops had in mind was the XFL Championship," he said. "A lot of guys had us counted out, don't think we should be here, so it makes it that much more special that we're here and ready to get going tomorrow night."

Payne didn't think he'd get the chance to complete the season at one point.

"Personally, from my standpoint, my lowest point in the season was after the Seattle game," he said. "I actually ended up getting hurt and ended up going on IR, and at that moment I thought my season was done and, you know, tears coming down and everything. Ended up getting a second opinion, and ended up coming back and being able to play in the Championship Game. They actually had to move some papers and needles in order to get me to play two weeks ago in Houston, but my season was about to be over, and now I'm here in front of you guys about to play in the XFL Championship Game. So, it's been a true blessing, and I consider myself one of the leaders on the defense, you know, and being back out there with my guys, it was that much more special, and we were able to, you know, Houston had beaten us the previous week. I was out there on the sideline in jeans and a T-shirt, I had seen what type of motor they had, and getting back out there that following week and being able to knock them off, that was truly special. And now to get a chance to do it on the big stage. So, I would say, personally, that was my lowest moment and now it's my highest moment right now."

Friday evening I spent time with XFL fans at Alamo Beer Company, and all the San Antonio fans made me feel very welcomed, including RC Woods. In addition to plenty of Brahmas fans, I spoke to fans from the Orlando Guardians, Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks and St. Louis Battlehawks.

Saturday afternoon at Hotel Contessa on the San Antonio Riverwalk I was a guest on Reid Johnson's MarkCast previewing the XFL Championship. During that segment I spoke about my experience covering the XFL's 2001 season and my preview was the first story I had published on OurSports Central. We also discussed my thoughts on the XFL season.

Thunderstorms and a flood warning punctuated the week, and XFL President Russ Brandon mentioned he was happy that the championship would be played indoors. Thankfully tthe rain held off so fans could enjoy some tailgating.

I arrived at the Alamodome a couple of hours before kickoff. The press box in the Alamodome isn't completely enclosed, allowing those covering events to feel close to the action.

The game itself was a shocker as the underdog Arlington Renegades held off the D.C. Defenders, 35-26, in front of 22,754 fans.

The 35 points scored by the Arlington Renegades were the most points scored by the team this season and the second most points allowed by the D.C. Defenders in 2023.

Acquiring Luis Perez on March 28th for Linebacker Ryan Mueller proved to be a master stroke. Mueller even ended up re-joining the Renegades on April 4th after the Vipers released him.

As they did against Houston last week, Arlington got off to a quick start to make it 14-0 after the first quarter on two Perez touchdown passes. Meanwhile, the Defenders stumbled to -1 total yards in the period. The Renegades went up 17-0 before the Defenders were finally able to put points on the scoreboard.

Arlington converted 11 of 15 third down attempts to keep drives alive and provide them a dominant time of possession edge at 39:36 compared to the Defenders 20:24.

"This has been an outstanding season, a fun season congratulations to coach Stoops and Arlington, they deserved to win today, they played hard," said Defenders head coach Reggie Barlow. "In the first half, I don't think we stopped them but one time on third down. We kept giving them opportunities and we couldn't come back. Really proud of our team and our coaches; we had a good season. I am really grateful for the owners of the XFL, the executives of the XFL, for giving all of us this platform."

D.C. managed just six points in the first half, the second lowest showing this season. The only time the Defenders scored fewer was at Vegas in week two when they were shut out.

The Defenders fought back to within 26-20 late in the third quarter after a 72-yard touchdown reception by Josh Hammond, but a D.C. unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the conversion preceded an illegal kick penalty on the ensuing kickoff, giving Arlington possession at the Defenders' 30-yard line. One play later, Perez hit running back Leddie Brown with a 30-yard touchdown pass to put the Renegades on top 35-20.

In addition to his receiving touchdown Brown also scored a rushing touchdown as well.

For the game Perez passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns to earn XFL Championship MVP honors.

"God works in mysterious ways," said Perez. "This was the goal I had. This was the goal when I first signed up to play in the XFL. Being on one team and being traded to another... I am really thankful for coach Stoops to be traded here and lead this football team and we're champs."

Arlington wide receiver Tyler Vaughns led the Renegades by making a career-high eight catches for 83 yards and a score.

"The hard work and the way we've turned our season around," Stoops said when asked what made him most proud. "The assistant coaches and the players really deserved the credit. They stuck together. They've hung together and here towards the end of the year, we've really hit our stride at the right time."

Stoops hadn't coach another team that had reversed its fortunes so thoroughly.

"No, not like this," he said. "And I'd say a big turning point was getting Luis Perez. Getting our quarterback Luis in there. He really has galvanized the team and they're really a strong unit right now."

Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta'amu threw a career-high three interceptions against Arlington. Including the postseason, the Renegades led the league with 25 takeaways.

"Arlington did a lot of disguises, did a great job stunting our routes and knowing what we were going do," said Ta'amu. "Some of those throws I wish I could take back, but they played a great defensive scheme against us. Something we didn't see, but we adjusted on the fly in the second half."

"Their defense has been number one all season and they showed that today," added Barlow.

Bob Stoops is no stranger to winning at the Alamodome. In 2021 he served as interim head coach for Oklahoma and led them to an 47-32 Alamo Bowl victory over the Oregon Ducks. He added an XFL Championship to the college National Championship he won with Oklahoma in 2000.

The Championship Trophy Presentation:

Players who had previously won a championship included:

• Quarterback Luis Perez - NCAA Division II National Championship with Texas A&M Commerce in 2017
• Backup quarterback Kelly Bryant - National Championship with Clemson in 2016 and Fan Controlled Football People Championship with the Zappers in 2022
• Wide receiver Victor Bolden Jr. with USFL Birmingham Stallions in 2022 and was MVP of that game, other Arlington players on that Championship team included center Cameron Hunt, defensive tackle Doug Costin, and defensive end Aaron Adeoye
• Cornerback De'Vante Busby won a Super Bowl LII Championship with the Philadelphia Eagles
• Safety Will Hill won a BCS National Championship with Florida in 2009.

XFL Championship Top Five Highlights:

After covering the XFL in 2001, I never imagined I would get the opportunity to cover the league championship 22 years later. The fans and city of San Antonio made it a memorable experience.

EXTRA POINTS

• Arlington Renegades quarterback Luis Perez, Renegades linebacker Donald Payne, and Arlington kicker Taylor Russolino were named the OurSports Central XFL Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Unsung Hero of the Week, respectively, for the XFL Championship.

• The XFL Championship on ABC drew 1.4 million viewers and peaked at 1.8 million viewers.

• Teams went zero-of-two on one-point conversion attempts from the two-yard line, two-of-seven on two-point conversions from the five-yard line, and did not attempt any three-point conversions from the 10-yard line in the XFL Championship.

• Photographer Tony Morano was hit by Defenders WR Josh Hammond along the sidelines, delaying the game 15 minutes while he was attended to. X-Rays and scans were negative but he suffered a minor concussion. He has been released from the hospital.

• The XFL announced that 21 players have signed NFL contracts since the season concluded after three more inked deals Wednesday. Seven of those players were named to the 2023 All-XFL Team announced on May 8.

Reid Johnson from the Markcast (left) speaks with writer Fran Stuchbury (Fran Stuchbury)	XFL Coach of the Year Reggie Barlow of the D.C. Defenders (Fran Stuchbury)	XFL Offensive Player of the Year Jordan Ta'amu of the D.C. Defenders and XFL President Russ Brandon (Fran Stuchbury)
A look inside the Alamodome during championship game preparations (Fran Stuchbury)	A look inside the Alamodome during championship game preparations (Fran Stuchbury)	A look inside the Alamodome during championship game preparations (Fran Stuchbury)
A look inside the Alamodome during championship game preparations (Fran Stuchbury)	A look inside the Alamodome during championship game preparations (Fran Stuchbury)	Writer Fran Stuchbury at the XFL Championship (Fran Stuchbury)
The XFL Championship trophy (Fran Stuchbury)	XFL Owners Dany Garcia, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Arlington Renegades Head Coach Bob Stoops (Fran Stuchbury)

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