NFL
By: Brock Vierra
As championship week approaches for fans of the XFL, the only guarantee involved in that game between D.C. and Arlington is that there are no guarantees. Realistically, the only guarantee associated with the title game is that the Vegas Vipers won’t be there, a crushing reality that has been known to Vipers fans for some time now.
With a regular-season finale at Seattle being the last opportunity for Vipers players to put their play on film and holding the opportunity to play spoiler to the Sea Dragon’s playoff hopes, they once again failed to get the job done. When Ben DiNucci is on record saying “It’s what I do” multiple times and the thing he’s referencing isn’t him throwing an interception, it’s a pretty good indicator that you’re doing something wrong. That’s all this season has been, just wrong. An offseason filled with excitement that spring football is once again returning to Las Vegas was amplified by the injection of NFL talent to the roster via the draft and the unexpected acquisition of Brett Hundley who is the highest-paid player in the league had sin city feeling like a title is on the way. Only a few months later when sweet, lofty expectations turned into a sour reality did Vipers fans realize that the team sucks.
Let me be clear, this does not give me joy to say this. Especially after having conversations with various members of the Vipers, I know how much hard work and dedication they put into this season but that is the crux of sports, no matter how much you do, the only thing that matters is the score, something Vegas constantly finished on the wrong side of. Vegas finishes this year with only two wins, zero wins on the road, zero wins over playoff teams, zero wins over teams with a winning record, and zero things you can truly celebrate. A lackluster offensive output had an infusion of excitement with Jalan McClendon but that’s about it. Martavis Bryant and Geronimo Allison were disappointing, the offensive line was horrible and the scheme felt that it never played to the strengths of its personnel.
The defense had its moments and some players stepped up but a disappointing season of play from the DB room and the seemingly disappearance of Vic Beasley left Vipers fans wanting more. That’s the issue, we kept wanting more and kept getting the same. Can you honestly say that they were better in the slightest since their opening week loss to Arlington? There was no improvement or even attempt to fix the major issues of the team and somehow Luis Perez will be starting in a championship game while Vegas will prepare for their end-of-year responsibilities.
Yes, there were some standout performances that should grant some players an opportunity at the NFL level. Yes, there are a lot of positives you can take away from the season and there are a lot of answers to the question of “why couldn’t Vegas get the job done?” The big names didn’t rise to the occasion, Rod Woodson is a first-time head coach, they need to run a more spread offense. It is with endless ambition that I hope Vegas improves in their second year and I believe they can. I think they’ll draft differently, I think they’ll have a better offensive scheme and I think having this experience will breathe new life into the team.
However, when push comes to shove, they need to make major changes. The offensive line should have zero returning starters, the DB room needs a complete overhaul with veteran talent. Their offense should play to the strong suit of a mobile QB and I hope they turn to either the Run n Shoot or Air Raid offensive scheme. There’s a lot of work for year two so all I can say is best of luck and let’s not have a repeat of 2023.
