matt mcgloin

XFL Guardians: Some Improvements to make for next year

by
New York Guardians

The New York Guardians were something to watch during the new XFL’s first season. Unfortunately, the season was cut short due to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. Their final record was 3-2. In conclusion, there are some things the Guardians need to improve on going into 2021:

Stopping the Run

One of the many weaknesses on the Guardians’ defense was stopping the run.  At the end of the season, the Guardians ironically graded out as the 2nd best run defense in the XFL. The run-stopping was not consistent. In Weeks 1-3, the Guardians gave up an average of 138 rushing yards per game. That was last in the XFL. However, during the stretch of Weeks 4-5, their defense allowed 48 rushing yards per game, which were 1st in the XFL. That is one less game, but there is definite improvement during that stretch. The stats below will show.

Rushing Yards Allowed (Weeks 1-5)

Week 1  vs. Vipers: 150

Week 2 vs. Defenders: 108

Week 3 vs. Battlehawks: 156

Week 4 vs. Wildcats: 40

Week 5 vs. Renegades: 56

This is one of the areas the Guardians will need to improve on next year consistently. Though, the last two weeks are a positive note to take into 2021.

More Passing Yards

The passing game was another thing that was a weakness in the beginning. Like stopping the run, the passing game was inconsistent. Here are the passing yards from each week this season for the Guardians:

Rushing Yards (Weeks 1-5)

Week 1 vs. Vipers: 182

Week 2 vs. Defenders: 66

Week 3 vs. Battlehawks: 195

Week 4 vs. Wildcats: 128

Week 5 vs. Renegades: 229

A lot of fans believe this was mostly due to Matt McGloin being the starter. In the first two weeks, there was a raw feeling to the offense. That would be considering Matt McGloin only had one touchdown and completed 52% of his passes.  Week 2’s blowout made it worse when McGloin threw two interceptions and completed under 50% of his passes. Mind you, this is not the NFL, but a 44% completion is not good at all. He got hurt the next week.

The offense saw a boost when Luis Perez replaced him vs. the Wildcats in Week 4. The passing yards may have decreased, but the Guardians blew fewer opportunities. Against the Renegades, the Guardians passed for a season-high 229 yards.

Luis Perez is clearly the answer at quarterback for the future of the Guardians’ offense. The improvement later in the year shows promise for 2021.

Allow less total yards

Allowing total yards was a problem on the defense in 2020. The defense ranked 6th in the league in yards allowed per game with 329.2. But whether it was the opposing running game or passing offense that gave them trouble, the total yards were above 300, three of the five weeks. Here is the number of total yards allowed each week:

Total Yards Allowed (Weeks 1-5):

Week 1 vs. Vipers: 394

Week 2 vs. Defenders: 372

Week 3 vs. Battlehawks: 273

Week 4 vs. Wildcats: 345

Week 5 vs. Renegades: 260

The Guardians were one of the better playmakers in 2020. That means tackles at the line, interceptions, fumble recoveries and sacks. Unfortunately, that never made much of an impact on how many total yards they allowed. That gives a feeling to the opponent that even if the defense makes a play, they can still rebound from it.

Alex is on Twitter @AlexProtich and Instagram @alexgajovich

Should the Guardians keep Luis Perez as the starting quarterback?

by
New York Guardians

Last Saturday, the New York Guardians started former AAF quarterback Luis Perez for the injured veteran Matt McGloin. Before his injury, McGloin struggled with completion percentage and turnovers. Though we have not seen Marquise Williams much, other than the game vs the Battlehawks, it seems like a switch could be probable, if McGloin keeps struggling.

Before Sunday’s match vs the Wildcats, Perez came in for a coffee vs the Battlehawks the week before. He completed four out of five passes for 39 yards and a touchdown. Then after starting vs the Wildcats, he passed for 150 yards and a touchdown with a 69% completion percentage. Here are the two quarterbacks stats this season:

Stats Comparison:

Matt McGloin (3 games)

31/59

310 yards

Completed 52.5% of his passes

1 Touchdown

3 Interceptions

52.22 Passer Rating

Luis Perez (2 games)

22/31

189 yards

Completed 70.9% of his passes

2 Touchdowns

0 Interceptions

108.13 Passer Rating

What is my verdict?

The stats do look better for Luis Perez from a microscope. However, an argument can be made that Perez played fewer games. Here’s my verdict: Luis Perez should finish the season as the Guardians starting quarterback.

Why should the Guardians stick to Perez?

Perez has a better completion percentage and fewer turnovers. He is also younger and more mobile. But, remember this is not the NFL where age is a factor in the amount of playing time.

There needs to be an adjustment made to the offensive gameplan or McGloin’s play. Just remember when McGloin criticized the gameplan vs the DC Defenders two and a half weeks ago. He has played under average in the XFL so far.

I am not saying it would be horrible to give McGloin another shot, but if the struggling trend continues, the Guardians will have to consider a change.

The Guardians can take one of two roads, depending on the situation. Chances are that the New York Guardians could ride into a playoff berth with McGloin as their starter. However, if their plans go south they can either ride with McGloin to the remainder of the season or switch to Marquise Williams or Perez to evaluate who could become the quarterback for next season.