(With the St. Louis Battlehawks’ inclusion in the XFL, football is coming back to the Arch City)
A city sadly without an NFL team since the Rams moved back to Los Angeles after the 2015 season, St. Louis is now back on the pro-football map with the Battlehawks competing in the newly reformed XFL.
The XFL Draft recently brought the team up from zero players to more than 70, so in this article, we’ll be looking more closely at the newly formed Battlehawks and what their inclusion in the XFL could mean for St. Louis.
What is the XFL?
The XFL has been touted by its owner, Vince McMahon of WWE fame, as a genuine competitor to the National Football League (NFL) with a focus on faster, simpler play than the NFL and less attention paid to the off-pitch dramatics.
This isn’t the first time that McMahon and his company Alpha Entertainment have tried to launch the XFL, as the league had a short run over the course of 2001 that, while it brought in good early viewing figures, was roundly criticized for its use of WWE-style gimmicks and its attempts to paper over its lack of real footballing talent with a heavy emphasis on sex and violence.
The first outing of the XFL ended with the league folding and losing both Alpha Entertainment and NBC a reported $35 million.
The proposed revival of the XFL seems to have learned from its previous mistakes and those of the current NFL. Taking into account the change in attitudes to the sport a whole, the XFL is abandoning its previous emphasis on violence, especially in light of increasing concerns about player safety in the NFL.
The lack of cheerleaders has also been apparently spurred by changing views on how women should be represented in sport and McMahon has talked about political protests being banned and not taking on players with felony convictions, all in order to focus thoroughly on the football.
There are downsides to the new XFL. For one, you won’t be seeing the Battlehawks win the Superbowl any time soon. But, you could always get the Superbowl winner’s rush by putting on your Patriots’ hat once a year, or, if you enjoy supporting the underdog, you could always back Miami Dolphins although, with Oddschecker giving them 50000/1 on who will become the next Superbowl winner, the Battlehawks might actually have a better chance
(After the inaugural XFL draft, the Battlehawks have picked up enough talent to look like a well-rounded team with some real teeth)
Who Are the New Battlehawks?
With the XFL Draft finished, the St. Louis fans can finally get the first look at their new team, who are already looking like a great, well-rounded team.
The quarterback position will be held down by Ole Miss graduate Jordan Ta’amu, who will be aiming for Christine Michael and Matt Jones as running backs.
Ta’amu has the size and the arm to reach these to big backs and the running back roster is rounded out by Sherman Badie, Lenard Tillery, and Ray Lawry, all of whom have great college touchdown records and give the Battlehawks some real teeth.
L’Damian Washington and Marcus Lucas are the standout wide receivers with Washington, in particular, having a great college record of 1064 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Cole Hunt and Connor Davis round out the roster as big blocking tight ends.
Matt McCants is one of the standout draft picks for the Battlehawks, having started 42 games as the left tackle for UAB and showing enough talent to warrant a 6th round draft pick in 2012 by the Giants.
Kent Perkins started 33 games during his time with the Longhorns and Guard Dallas Thomas has a huge profession resume, with 26 starts in 37 games and is a former 3rd round NFL pick.
To round out the front seven, the Battlehawks poached a lot of talent from the short-lived AAF, such as Andrew Ankrah, Markus Jones, and Terrence Garvin.
Tracy Sprinkle also brings some much-needed pro experience to the team, having played for the Texans, Panthers, Chiefs, and Browns.
A New Try at St. Louis Football
While there are still a lot of questions floating around about the viability of the XFL, for the time being, the fans can just enjoy the fact that football is coming back to the Arch City.
