Can Matt McGloin lead the New York Guardians to a win or at cover (+4) against the Tampa Bay Vipers? Photo by Jeffrey Beall (Wikimedia).
On Saturday, the XFL returns for their second kick at the can. The hope is that they learned valuable lessons from their first go and football fans get treated to some football action to bridge the gap to the NFL season. The Tampa Bay Vipers will take on the New York Guardians on Saturday. Which team is the best bet to win and cover?
Odds taken Feb. 8
The Tampa Bay Vipers actually entered the year tied with two other teams in terms of the shortest odds to win the XFL Championship (+350) but had the highest regular season win total (7.5). Take that for what its worth as we havent seen any of these teams play.
However, what we do know about the Vipers is that former NFL and CFL head coach Marc Trestman will be their head coach. He was a pass-happy offensive coordinator and head coach, so he was maybe a bit ahead of his time. Maybe his style is better suited to todays game.
At any rate, he has options at quarterback but has tabbed former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray as his starter. Murray was just OK in the AAF, completing 64% of his passes but he had just three touchdowns. This team could also go with the more mobile Quinton Flowers or former Oklahoma State passer Taylor Cornelius.
The team was hoping to have some talent to throw to as former Cleveland Browns wideout Antonio Callaway was on the roster. He flashed at times in the NFL and probably would have done well here but hes landed on injured reserve. That means its up to Reece Horn, Stacy Coley and others to step up.
Thats a big loss. This team is not expected to have a great running game as running back DeVeon Smith is more of the bruising type and Trestman doesnt like to pound the ball with guys like this. Im not exactly sure why this team has a regular season win total of 7.5 as I just dont see eight wins here.
Fans of the television show The Office will probably be cheering on the Guardians as theyre led by Scranton, Pennsylvanias own Matt McGloin. The former Oakland Raiders and Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback will run the show for the Guardians. Hes already lost a couple of key weapons, though, as Deangelo Yancey and Tanner Gentry on are on injured reserve.
While the Guardians are expected to have a good ground game with Darius Victor and Tim Cook, its their defense that could be the teams strength. No. 1 pick Jamar Summers was one of the standouts in the AAF and looks like a lockdown cornerback. Behind him, Bryce Jones, Dravon Askew-Henry and Demetrious Cox were all on NFL rosters within the last year.
Both teams took big hits at the wide receiver position, so its unclear how big of an impact that will have on the passing games. As far as the defenses go, I give a slight edge to the Guardians.
Theres a lot of hype around the Vipers, specifically Murray and Trestman. Last we saw Murray, he could barely lock down a starting job in the AAF, so I dont know what the excitement is all about here. And while Trestman did well in the CFL, he was a lousy head coach in the NFL, often being overmatched.
At the end of the day, we really know little about these teams, so Im not going to be laying four points on the road here. Take the Giants plus the points and if youre looking at regular season win totals, I love the Vipers under 7.5.
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For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
Entertainment NFL NBA MLB NHL Golf Tennis MMA
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
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