Many scoffed when WWE Owner Vince McMahon announced two years ago that he would be revitalizing the XFL, but now that the league has started play, those doubts are all but gone.
Viewership for the inaugural game between the Seattle Dragons and New York Guardians reached 3.3 million on T.V. and over 17,000 attended the game, but the first week of play drew a lot of attention the first time as well. The real measuring stick will be if they can continue to increase their fanbase, and the week 2 viewership shows that may be happening. A total of over 76,000 attended the four games this past weekend, with the Dragons selling out the lower bowl of CenturyLink Field, which seats 30,000.
A part of their success may be due to the rule changes the league has implemented. Kick offs look a lot different, with the kicker lining up on the 30 yard line, while the receiving team lines their blockers on their own 30 and the defenders are 5 yards away on the 35. Only the kicker and the returner can move until the ball hits the ground or is caught. This change has allowed for longer returns, and the elimination of full speed collisions.
One rule that has rarely been used is the double forward pass. The offence can throw the ball forward twice, as long as the first pass is caught behind the line of scrimmage. The DC Defenders are the only team to have taken advantage of this rule, and picked up 20 yards on the play.
That pass by QB Carale Jones helped him pass for 511 yards in the first two weeks, the most by any QB so far.
The league consists of eight teams, split into the East and West Divisions.
East West
DC Defenders 2-0 Houston Roughnecks 2-0
St. Louis Battlehawks 1-1 Seattle Dragons 1-1
New York Guardians 1-1 Dallas Renegades 1-1
Tampa Bay Vipers 0-2 LA Wildcats 0-2
