Photo illustration / AP photos
From left, Martavis Bryant, Brett Huntley, Vic Beasley
Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023 | 2 a.m.
VIPERS’ HOME SCHEDULE
• February 25 vs. DC Defenders, 4 p.m., FX
• March 4 vs. Seattle Sea Dragons, 4 p.m., FX
• March 18 vs. Orlando Guardians, 7 p.m., FX
• March 25 vs. St. Louis Battlehawks, 4 p.m., FX
• April 1 vs. San Antonio Brahmas, 3 p.m., ESPN
• All home games at Cashman Field.
• Season tickets $110-$235 at xfl.com. Single-game tickets $12-$180 at ticketmaster.com.
The XFL is back. It’s also back in Las Vegas. And if it can stay afloat for more than a year in its third attempt, it might just turn into a consistent hub to launch players into the NFL.
The Vegas Vipers, one of eight teams in the reformulated league, kick off the XFL schedule on the road February 18 against the Arlington Renegades, a game that will air on ABC at noon.
“I’m beyond excited,” Vipers defensive end Jah’Sheem Martin says. “We’ve got a good thing brewing over here. We’ve got a bunch of older guys that know what it takes to win and build something, and a bunch of young guys who are hungry and chasing their dreams.”
If you’ve heard of the XFL but don’t remember its nuances from back in the day, fear not. It’s a completely different league now. The XFL played its first and only full season in 2001 after then-World Wrestling Federation owner Vince McMahon launched the product.
McMahon envisioned the XFL as an alternative to the NFL, with fewer rules and more risqué entertainment.
Vipers to watch
• Brett Hundley, quarterback: The team’s top signal-caller has NFL experience, having started nine games in place of an injured Aaron Rodgers in 2017. With Hundley here and rumors swirling that Rodgers could join the Raiders, might we see a local reunion?
• Martavis Bryant, wide receiver: This speedy 6-foot-4 deep threat is on the comeback trail. Bryant was suspended for the entire 2016 NFL season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and then put on indefinite suspension in 2018 after breaking the terms of his conditional reinstatement. The 31-year-old had some nice moments during his four NFL seasons but now needs to show he’s back on the right path.
• Vic Beasley, edge rusher: This former No. 8 overall pick was an NFL All-Pro selection in 2016 after racking up 15.5 sacks and six forced fumbles to help the Atlanta Falcons reach the Super Bowl. His numbers tailed off from there, and he managed just one tackle in five games with the Raiders at the end of the 2020 season, his last NFL action. He’ll get a chance to show he still has some burst off the edge.
It showed some promise at the outset. The first-ever game, staged in Las Vegas at Sam Boyd Stadium, drew a massive television rating, with 10.3% of U.S. households tuning in, but the numbers quickly plummeted. The second week’s nationally televised game suffered a delay from a power outage, pushing Saturday Night Live back by an hour.
Several other broadcasting mishaps occurred before season’s end, with both the WWF and NBC ultimately losing millions of dollars on the endeavor.
McMahon and the WWE attempted to revive the XFL with a scaled-back version in 2020, but the league lasted only five weeks due to the pandemic.
This third try will take place under a new head of operations: Former WWE champion and movie star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson takes over, with plans of presenting a more serious product than its predecessors.
The XFL’s goal is now solely to become a secondary league for players who hope to eventually make it, or make it back, to the NFL.
“I think the sky’s the limit for the league,” Martin says. “There’s only a certain amount of spots for guys to make the NFL, but there’s so much talent out there. I think this league has the opportunity to capture that essence.”
The Las Vegas Outlaws might be the most remembered team from the original XFL. In a league billed around personalities, none was bigger than running back and kick returner Rod Smart, better known as “He Hate Me,” which was prominently displayed on the back of his jersey.
There don’t seem to be any such zany characters this time around, but there are some recognizable names on the Vipers’ roster. Former UCLA and Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Hundley leads an offense that also includes former Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders receiver Martavis Bryant. Former Atlanta Falcon and Las Vegas Raider Vic Beasley is expected to anchor the Vipers’ defense.
Those are players attempting to claw their way back to the NFL, while potential standouts like Martin and offensive lineman Clayton Bradley will try to prove they belong there after missing out post-college.
Martin played four years at Pace University, a small school in New York City, where he was named first-team all-conference in the Northeast-10 in 2018 after contributing 5.5 sacks. Martin has continued to train over the past few years in the hopes an NFL team might come calling.
“I’m telling you, I am chomping at the bit, dying to get back on the field,” Martin says. “I was overlooked and undervalued in everything I’ve done. To have an opportunity like this for me is unbelievable. The opportunity to show I can play, that I can do everything and I belong, is what I’ve worked for my whole life.”
Bradley, a former four-star offensive lineman who committed to USC but saw limited action, transferred to UNLV in 2020. As onetime high-profile lineman who went to storied Servite High School in Southern California, he has a desire to prove wrong all those who have written him off.
“That’s always been the plan,” Bradley says of getting to the NFL. “I just try to prove every day why I belong in that league. I think with this 10-game season, there’s a good opportunity.”
The Vipers tapped a big name for their first head coach, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson, who will make his head coaching debut here. The former Super Bowl champion served as an assistant coach with the Raiders in 2011.
The XFL’s seven other teams are similarly structured with a blend of veteran and young talent, comprising what should be a competitive league. All the squads, including the Vipers, should have a realistic shot at the XFL Championship, set to be awarded after a May 13 title game that will air on ABC.
“It’s the ultimate opportunity, knowing any dog can have his day,” Martin says. “It’s exciting for the competition, and exciting to know that this is a fresh start.”
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.
