The XFL is insane
doubledragon
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The XFL is back on ESPN and NFL fans like what they see, there is a rule in the XFL that instead of an onside kick a team can maintain possession by converting a 4th and 15, this led to an insane comeback win by the St. Louis Battlehawks yesterday. Now NFL fans want the NFL to implement this rule.
NFL fans call for major rule change after insane XFL comeback
Should the NFL implement the XFL's 4th and 15 alternate to onside kicks?
The first weekend of the revamped XFL took place on Saturday and Sunday, and their unique rules that differ greatly from the NFL produced an absolutely unreal comeback.
The St. Louis Battlehawks found themselves down 15-3 against the San Antonio Brahmas with just 1:30 left in the fourth quarter. However, former Alabama standout turned Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron was able to complete a touchdown pass to make the score 15-9.
XFL rules allow teams to go for a “three-pointer” which is essentially an NFL two-point conversion from the ten-yard line. They went on to convert that attempt to make it a three-point game.
The Battlehawks then benefited once again from the XFL rules in a way that many fans marveled at. In the XFL, you can get the ball back after a touchdown if you attempt and convert a 4th-and-15 attempt.
McCarron was yet again able to make a huge conversion on this attempt, keeping their comeback hopes alive.
McCarron would then cap off the unbelievable comeback by scoring another touchdown with just 16 seconds remaining. This would be a lead they would not relinquish, going on to win 18-15
This comeback obviously wouldn’t have been possible without the 4th-and-15 rule. Many fans took notice of this, and some are even calling for this to potentially become a rule in the NFL one day.
It remains to be seen if the NFL will seriously consider this change. For now, it is certainly something that is intriguing and sets the XFL apart from other football leagues.
Comments
Here is a video of the 4th and 15 conversion play, the XFL version of the onside kick.
I hope the NFL does not copy these type of rules, it's the XFL for these crazy rules, it's a fun alternative let's keep it that way
I agree, the NFL shouldn't try to adopt these crazy rules, it would throw a monkey wrench into the game and ruin it. There's only 8 teams in the XFL, I think I'll support the Houston Roughnecks. 🤔
Honestly the logos are kinda meh, figured they could do a better job than what they did
The logos are ugly, none of these leagues will ever be able to match the NFL.
a 15 yard pickup to retain possession is in absolutely no way comparable to the difficulty of recovering an onside kick.
Agreed but you would have thought they would have put a much bigger effort in the designs
For what it's worth I'm going to roll with the Sea Dragons.
Wish it was the Seattle Sasquatchs.
That would have been the coolest moniker. When they’re close to scoring I could have yelled “it’s about to get really squatchy in here”.
I guess the reason they can’t go with that is the footage of the game would be too blurry to watch.
Great name!
You're right, those logos are hideous, and some idiot probably got paid for it, I could have done better than that!
Agreed
Anthony Becht, I think he was a TE for the Jets at one point.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
The AFL had the two point conversion long before the NFL decided to implement it. Never say never
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This point is a good one, and is often brought up in these types of discussions.
However, in this specific example, I feel as though this rule is not worth being implemented into the NFL.
Still, like you said, never say never
How about the Ralston Rats? It would fulfill your desire, plus for all the onomatopoeia fans it has that whole 'two birds with one stone thing' going for it.
Love it! Not crazy at all but novel and creative. Makes the NFL look boring and restrained. This is clearly a game changer, something of which the NFL in it's stodgy and arrogant approach would not have the #$;;s to do..................
I also like the idea instead of some bouncy on-side kick. Onside kicks are almost never a success anymore and probably the most important person on the play is someone who probably is in the game for only 3 to 7 plays a game.
The XFL way is mano a mano, offense versus defense
questions...why is it called a 4th and 15? Is it just done after scores? If so, isn't that not 4th down?
If the NFL employed this, wouldn't it be too easy to convert. I know that an actual 4th and 15 is difficult. But wouldn't we eventually see teams that are really good at this, and can disguise things and go for this often during a game?
I see a little bit of a Carolina Panthers ripoff in there. I do like the homage to the Houston Oilers old logo though.
It is basically make the 15 yards in the 1 play or suffer a loss downs turnover.
As for teams eventually getting really good at getting 15 yards in 1 play, then why haven't we seen these same teams going for 2 points after each TD? That is only 2 yards I believe.
I'm sorry, I am still confused. Lol. Is this being done on kickoffs after scoring plays.
And after writing what I wrote, I figured it sounded kind of dumb, because yes not every one goes for two all of the time. But still, a lot more teams do it pretty frequently. I do t know ...I still think it should be 20 or 25 yards.
Correct after a team scores. Not sure if there is a limit (must be 4Q or be losing).
If I read correctly, the ball is placed at the 25 yard of the team's end. So if they do not convert the 15 yards, the defense will get a short field. Somewhat similar to an unsuccessful on side kick, the defense usually gets the ball around mid field.
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I guess there is enough risk i giving great field position to the other team that I can get behind the 15 yards thing. I'd be interested in how it is being used in the XFL, and how it might be used i the NFL regarding what situations it can be tried in. I don't like the idea of things being too gimmicky. So I would rather it be usable after any scoring drive, not just late in games or when down.
What is the XFL's 4th-and-15 rule?
Some of the XFL's rules are complicated, but this one isn't. In the fourth quarter, teams can choose between a traditional onside kick or one fourth-and-15 play to immediately regain possession of the ball after a scoring drive.
If a team successfully attempts the fourth-and-15, which is snapped at its own 25-yard line, it gets possession from wherever the ball ends up at the conclusion of the play.
Onside kicks can be attempted at any point during a game, but the alternative is limited to the fourth quarter.
In 2018, the NFL stopped allowing players from getting a running start on kickoffs and onside kicks in an attempt to prevent injuries. That dropped the success rate of onside kicks from 21.4 percent to 7.7 percent in a year. In 2022, only three of 56 attempts were successful.
Ok, thank you. So it's only allowed in the 4th quarter. If the NFL did adopt this, it would be a huge change, and I would not like it to be only available situationally.
The change in onside kicks that was made in the name of safety essentially neutered the effectiveness. I didn't like it. However, we have seen kickers and teams having to come up with new ways to make it successful, and some are much better than others.
I do think that just like we have seen teams go for it more in 4th down, and more in situations that used to feel impossible, we would see teams using this in many situations that if it is allowed throughout the game.